Guys: What do you think it means to be a man?

[Torrasque]

Male genitals.
/thread

That. Other than that, nothing. Do whatever, say whatever, like whatever; it doesn't change anything after the fact. The whole "being a man" and "real men do this" mentality is stupid beyond belief. You're a man if you're born male. End of story.

Another thread, another response ninja'ing what I wanted to say.

Damn you people who think like I doooooo!!!!

 

[FirmartheTrilby]

Being born as one, thus having male genitals like someone said before.

 

[Scabious]

Don't skip these because they're from the Bible, please, they still apply to the unfaithful

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous- Psalm 1:1-6

Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity- Titus 2:7

 

[MorphingDragon]

To have sandwiches as grand as the great sea handed to you on a golden platter.

 

[Mechdriver]

To be a man is to show respect to all, to have the guts to make the right decision when the time comes, and to take responsibility for one's actions. Granted this can and should be applied to all human beings but if workplaces and government positions are going to be dominated by men I say that we should have the balls to admit when we screw up.

 

[RelexCryo]

All I have to say, Fuck gender roles.

To be 100% honest being a good guy is great, if that falls into your definition of "Masculine" thats great, but im glad the aggressiveness of males is lowering. Call me a weak nerd but we don't need masculinity in todays society.

The OP did not say aggression is lowering, he said that testosterone is loweing. There is a difference. Monosexuality, both heterosexuality and homosexuality, is defined by an attraction to gender specific traits. There are a lot of homosexual men who are attracted to an extremely masculine body, who find an abundance of masculinity beautiful, and who would be very offended by the idea that less testosterone is a good thing.

 

[iLikeHippos]

Well, first part of being a man is to have an X and Y chromosome. Having a 'dick and balls' as the only neccesary merit have always come out to me as extremely feeble minded thinking. Shemales, anyone?
Seriously... I weep for these forums.

Secondly, if you are a man, you should do what you think is right, for any reason, even if it creates more conflict than peace.

Personally, I believe in overcoming my weaknesses, so I train at the gym and practice discipline. I have learned how to control many of my bodily functions to serve me at my god-damn will as I please, which includes trivial tasks such as holding my piss in for an entire day, no matter how much fluid I would absorb, to lifting more weights than my body could normally handle.

 

[Spaec]

I really don't like this question. I feel that by giving an answer it inherently limits what men are and aren't allowed to do.

To me, a man is defined by his maturity and willingness to take on responsibility. This can also be applied to women so I will not say that maturity and responsibility are hallmarks of masculinity but rather the indication of an adult.

That's pretty much my position right here.
To pin down a few adjectives I'd say being a man means being healthy, intelligent, responsible, confident and having a sense of integrity (i.e. not trying too hard to prove things). And as the thread quickly established those are cross-gender qualities that amounts more to being a fully realized person, which is why I think the whole gender debate is pretty silly. It'd be great if society would just judge people as individuals rather than getting hung up on gender.

 

[KarlMonster]

The idea of it meaning anything to be a man apart from the biological organs implies that women are not of these qualities, eg men are brave, implies women are not, so in a society where sexual inequality is frowned upon, I'm not sure that it should mean anything at all, not that I wouldn't like it to.

I must confess to disliking this idea. Being a "man" means being an anti-"woman"?? I'll freely admit that I would prefer to ignore 'gray areas' entirely, but casting men and women as polar opposites may be going a little too far. Surely being a "man" merely infers that I am a non-"woman"? Can it not simply mean that I choose to be something slightly different from the "woman" archetype?

[The following has been brutalized to remove gender roles.]

So, lets say I (portraying something akin to a man) go to the head of a family, and ask permission to marry their offspring. [Yes, asking permission is quaint and outdated, but I like it. Kindly forgive the conceit of using it for this example.] The head of the family will observe me steadily, and then ask me a series of questions. The questions will generally probe into my suitability for being the somewhat masculine mate for their progeny. Do I have a job? Am I financially secure? What are my prospects? Where would I intend to live? What are my aspirations for having offspring of my own? How will the potential mate be disposed if I am suddenly killed by the head of a household?

I can say with 99% certainty that I would not be requested to present my testicles for examination. Furthermore, in the crazy world we live in, a woman could be considered the 'man' in a relationship. [There are epithets for that too.] This is more likely a fallacy of applying traditional gender roles to a non-traditional relationship.

[gender roles on] Personally: Being a man means being a bulwark. Wimmen get to suffer plenty enough with childbirth, menstrual cycles, and men that think they just have to show up for the wedding. A man should be able to ensure stability, such that she has no further suffering - beyond an occasional fool.

 

[Slayer_2]

A penis and balls. And a Y chromosome, since you can probably get fake versions of the first ones these days, and I wouldn't classify those people as real men, since technology isn't advanced enough for that kinda stuff yet.

Honestly, all this men have to be strong supporters, and women are dumb, fragile eye-candy stuff pisses me right off. I've met girls who could lay me flat in seconds, who make several times more money than me, who can take apart a car, or gun and put it back together.

 

[Candidus]

I don't think you're a "man" (in terms of identity) unless you're somewhat concerned with strength. I don't understand how it's possible for a man who has zero familiarity with violence, or who lacks courage in the face of aggression (pacifism is not courageous in my own opinion), to be proud of themselves.

I also don't think you're much of a man if you complain when bad things happen to you, or something you don't like is said about you. That stuff is just too small. I believe that you personally are as small as the most frivolous, petty thing that you let reach you- and I keep that in mind each and every time I've got to react to something.

You're not a man if you disown a friend because he does something irresponsible and wrecks some expensive property. In 200 years time, that property would have been a pile of rust anyway, and nobody will remember that it ever belonged to some nameless guy from some nameless place. Your relationships with other people should be bigger than that. Small men who are reached by small things tend to be abusive towards others.

I could talk for ages. I can't round out the whole idea I have of manhood in a small response, so I'll leave it there, but TLR is that I believe manhood still has something to do with the practice of and preparedness for conflict, with having physical prowess and an attitude to life far removed from the trivialities that comprise the overwhelming majority of it: the labour exchange, accidents, gossip, disagreements, getting a foreign holiday once a year (I know a "man" who moans about this every summer) and so on - all completely and objectively unimportant on any significant scale of events.

 

[Joepow]

To punch bears.

 

[chaosyoshimage]

To be a man you must have honor and a penis.

Allow Ants Peas!

Now to dance around without my pants...

 

[Sprinal]

I personally believe that although we as males need to "Harden the Fuck UP." We are not 'less' manly.


I think this mostly sums it up.

Still even without your still technically a man.

 

[SquirePB]

Lol love the name of the documentary.

Hard question though. Don't think I could truthfully answer it cos my view on what a man should be comes from doing martial arts for most of my life so isn't relevent to most people.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

i read a mens health article about that testosterone issue. and apparently if you work out the effects are much smaller(though they still exist, which is troubling for humanitys future if men become incapable of producing healthy offspring) so i think im okay, between my once weekly lifting of my weights and my manual job. So physically yeah, but even as 22 years old i still dont consider myself a man like my father. But prehaps thats just something you grow into, he probably thought the same thing comparing himself to his dad.

edit: anyway what i think makes you a man is having capability. Being able to handle most sorts of situations, do a good job at work and just be a good person who protects and provides for their family. Thats what i aspire to be anyway.

 

[Arfonious]

The only thing that makes you a man is your penis. And that's it

 

[JesterRaiin]

"Guys: What do you think it means to be a man?"

Pick any "Married with children" episode. That's the pinnacle of manliness.