During a recent appearance on the Diary of a CEO, one of the most popular podcasts in existence, Scott Galloway, a professor at the New York University Stern School of Business, discussed the crisis of masculinity, and what can be done to address the problem. When asked to define the qualities best associated with masculinity, Galloway mentioned the willingness to protect others. I found myself nodding in agreement. However, when the marketing maestro started talking about the need for the men of America and beyond to protect members of the trans community, I found myself asking, what have trans issues got to do with masculinity?
That’s right: absolutely nothing.
In the same interview, Galloway gave a shout out to Richard Reeves, another public figure supposedly dedicated to helping men. Galloway mentioned that, when it came to discussing male-related problems, Reeves was his primary reference point. Like Galloway, Reeves is also in the habit of smuggling trans-friendly narratives into the crisis of masculinity narrative. In his latest book, "Of Boys and Men," Reeves repeatedly uses the term “cis heterosexual” to describe straight men. Is a person who uses such terminology really the right person to offer advice to normal, everyday males struggling to find a sense of purpose?
I have my doubts. After all, Reeves is closely associated with the Brookings Institution, a research group that has been hailed as both “a pillar of Washington’s liberal establishment” and a "prestigious, left-leaning institution.” In short, Reeves is a cog in the liberal machine that has blasted the men of America for years. This leaves us with a number of questions, including: What does ‘real’ masculinity look like? And where should young men look for guidance?
I recently read Atomised, one of Michelle Houellebecq’s finest pieces of work. Halfway through the book, a character by the name of Bruno thinks to himself, “I’m useless.” “I don’t have the faintest idea how to make sausages, forks or mobile phones,” he says. He concludes that he is “surrounded by all this stuff that I eat or use, and I couldn’t make a single thing. I couldn’t even begin to understand how they are made. If industrial production ceased tomorrow……..I couldn’t do anything to start off again.”
After reading these few lines, I couldn’t help but think of my own father, a man who, with the help of his brother, built the home that my siblings and I were raised in. My father doesn’t even build houses for a living. He’s a farmer. In truth, though, he’s a Renaissance man, someone capable of doing many things incredibly well. Build a house? No problem. Stonemasonry? No problem. Carpentry, plastering, plumbing? Check, check, and check. In his free time, not that he has much of it, he is a dog handler who puts manners on disobedient canines (mostly collies). He has been doing it for 30 years, and rarely fails to turn a troublesome dog into a less troublesome one. The word ‘bored’ was forbidden in my home, simply because there was almost something to be done, a new skill to be mastered, another level in life to be explored.
Now, I suggest, we are getting a little closer to what masculinity, removed from the artificiality of today’s world, really looks like. A “real” man comes with much more than the requisite biological hardware. First and foremost, a truly masculine male is a person of value. He is someone capable of doing many things, and doing them very well. He has skills, and these skills are of value to people other than himself. He is of value to himself, his family, and the broader community.
This, I argue, is one of the reasons why Joe Rogan is so popular. Behind all the goofy jokes and unserious comments lies an incredibly serious, very capable man. Joe Rogan is, in many ways, a man's man. A professional comedian with a black belt in jiu-jitsu, Rogan can make you laugh and also kick your ass. He also happens to be an expert interviewer. During serious interviews, observe the way that the 56-year-old actually listens to what his guests have to say. If they wander off topic or prevaricate, then and only then does he interject, asking them politely to answer the question that was originally asked. In addition, Rogan is a top-class pool player and hunter. Oh, and he also happens to be arguably the best UFC commentator around. Although Rogan possesses all of these skills, there is a humility to him. True masculinity, then, involves having a specific skill set, but never feeling the need to boast about having such skills. In other words, a man’s admirable qualities should speak for themself.
Jocko Willink, a retired United States Navy officer, author, podcaster, and jiu-jitsu master, is another great example of what true masculinity entails. Brave, humble, and accomplished, Willink, a former member of SEAL Team 3, oozes competency. He is a born leader. If the country was under attack, people, men included, would look to someone like Willink for guidance.
The aforementioned Galloway is, to his credit, also a Renaissance man. He is certainly a man of value – both literally and figuratively. Worth somewhere in the region of $30 million (maybe even $40 million), Galloway’s story is one of grit and sheer determination. The son of immigrants, Galloway was raised by a single mom. A father of two boys, Galloway is an academic, a prolific author, podcaster, public speaker, and entrepreneur. In other words, the 58-year-old has many admirable qualities.
In the abovementioned Diary of a CEO interview, he discussed the need for men to take responsibility for their own lives, to get to the gym, to cut back on the consumption of pornography and video games, to actually leave the basement and pursue romantic relationships. But to be successful in pursuit, you must have something of substance to offer. Women have high standards - perhaps too high standards, but but those are the rules of the game nonetheless. Either familiarize yourself with them, or prepare for a life of loneliness.
To conclude, true masculinity involves identifying admirable skills, then mastering them. It involves being of use to broader society. And, yes, it also involves a willingness to engage in hard work. True masculinity is something that must be constantly worked on. To be a real man, a fully developed man, look to modern-day Renaissance men for inspiration.
