Due to my recent blog post The kind of men who carry pocket knives , I have received some negative feedback, messages, and comments accusing me of glorifying masculinity. I am thick skinned so it doesn’t bother me too much. If they had said I am an awful writer, poor with grammar, or even dim witted, I could get along with it, but calling me a misogynist is simply where I draw the line. What it did positively for me was bring me to the thought of what is masculinity?
The article didn’t compare carrying a knife with masculinity as one message suggested. It didn’t say that women couldn’t or shouldn’t carry. It was simply about the historical and cultural significance of The kind of men who carry pocket knives. I am sorry if it came off in a negative way. However, I am not sorry that it is written about men who are willing to keep a versatile tool with them at all times. I am not sorry that it was written about their willingness to fix what is broken. I am not sorry that it was written about men that are willing to help others. I am not sorry that it was written about MEN!
Recent events with the likes of Roy Moore, Brett Kavanaugh, #metoo, “baby it’s cold outside”, etc. have brought with them a flood of negative narratives towards men. It seems that masculinity is under fire. All things masculine. I was ready to fire back!
Gillette recently released an ad about hyper-masculinity. This Gillette ad has stirred quite a bit of emotion recently. Until today my only exposure was listening to a couple talk show hosts bash the ad and talk about how it was a seemingly ridiculous idea to trash their target customers. At first I was ready to jump in with them with angst, to stand up for men everywhere. While I’m not terribly keen on bashing men, I don't think anyone should get a free pass either. As every man should do, I decided to check it out for myself and formulate my own opinion. I watched it, then I watched it again. I didn’t see the reasoning behind the uproar. In fact, I liked it! It seems that the same people who are upset about this are the ones that don’t like my pocket knife either.
“The Best A Man Can Get” What a statement. Or is it an admonishment? Shouldn’t we hold each other accountable?
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17) .
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Philippians 4:8).
The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts (Marcus Aurelius).
Do I agree with every word of the ad? Of course not.
Do I think we as men should shun all things masculine? Absolutely not!
Am I proud to be a man who will stand strong in a world gone mad? You betcha!
A “REAL” man will stand up for what is right!
I am not ashamed of being a man, nor all things masculine that go along with that! It is who I was made to be. My mission is truly that I may be able help develop the same sense of masculinity in my son and in the men that I choose to surround myself with. Genesis 1:27, 31 tells us, “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them … God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (NIV).
Stand up for what is right! Be prepared to take care of things yourself! Take the time to fix it right!
Until next time: Be Safe. Be Careful. Behave. Don’t Do Anything Illegal, Immoral, Unethical, Or Just Plain Stupid.
JEJ
Non nobis Domine
Loved your article about knives. I have already shared it with some folks who work with their hands and are ready to help with a sharp knife. I am one of them.
ReplyDeleteYour article was great. I like your comment about being "thick-skinned." It's way to common these days for people read what they want or don't want in an article. Keep writing!
ReplyDeleteI love your writings n commited, honest words. I am a woman who has learned from the strong, southern men in my life that carrying a pocket knife is a very handy, smart thing. Thank you for sharing your words of wisdom.
ReplyDeleteI must admit, when I read the tittle I thought to myself, "well, what about women who cary knives?". And then I read your article and found that there was no exclusion of women. Simply a noble pride in a way of living that was thought by men in your life. Thank you for sharing, and teaching forward. :) My dad gave me a Buck knife when I was a young girl, I still have it. And I must say as a single woman living alone, I'm proud to say I've learned to hunt amongst other life skills. What read in your story is that there is value in fixing things ourselves, and helping ones around us, and people who keep knives in their pocket tend to be that way. Keep you sharing your story, even if some get offended, debate is important for growth of ideas. (I've learned that one at my family dinner table.) When intentions are pure, one can always keep their head high.
ReplyDeleteHi! I just wanted to say I loved your pocket knife story. Brought back happy memories. I now am a fan of your writing and look forward to new stories. My wife also enjoyed the story. As a side comment, I have 3 daughters and each carry a yellow case trapper. In South Carolina we call them a Horry County Boxing Glove. Write on my friend. Jeff
ReplyDeleteExcellent post.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I have noticed about certain sites is that, even though they have tons of content, the site looks great and the headlines are eye catching is that the material is simply filler. It’s downright unreadable. You can forget it 6 seconds after you read it. Not the case with your post though, really enjoyed it reading it and it held my attention all the way through!
masculinity.