MANLINESS, PART 4

The drive for women’s “equality” has in reality meant a drive for independence – from men and from children. The feminist movement rejected the claims that men and the womb made upon women.

Ironically, in this women were displaying a desire for manliness! Manliness is power (in a way that “Masculinity” isn’t). But this kind of stolen manliness is not real manliness at all.

Harvard academic Harvey Mansfield describes manliness like this,

Manliness seeks and welcomes drama and prefers times of war, conflict and risk. Manliness brings change or restores order at moments when routine is not enough, when the plan fails, when the whole idea of rational control by modern science develops leaks. Manliness is the next-to-last resort, before resignation and prayer.

Manly men are confident and know how to command. They take authority for granted, and this is attractive. People (both men and women) instinctively rally to manly men.

But over the past few decades our society has been following an experiment in being “gender-neutral” as though there were no sex distinctions. In reality, it seems to me that being gender-neutral actually means being feminised. Rather than being shaped by conflict and risk, we have become risk-averse, encouraging nameless “professionals” rather than bold entrepreneurs.

As Mansfield puts it, “Manliness favours war, likes risk, and admires heroes. Rational control wants peace, discounts risk, and prefers role models to heroes.”

Sometimes, however, manliness still shows up.

Neil Oliver recounts the manliness of the Penlee lifeboatmen, who died while trying to save the lives of others on a terrible storm lashed winters night on the Cornish coast,

On the morning after the tragedy volunteers stepped forward to fill the empty places. Just as strong as the sense of grief, perhaps even stronger, was pride in what the lost men stood for. Duty pulled the new crewman forward as irresistibly as a tide. Neil Brockman [who’s father had been one of the lost lifeboatmen] was one of them and today he is the coxswain of the new lifeboat. His own son is keen to join him and even to replace his dad if the time comes. Brockman understands the need. He gives thanks that he had his own father until he was 17 – other children in the village lost theirs while still babies or too young to remember the lost men.

A man is not afraid to step up and take command, take a risk, and if necessary lose his life.