Dear Bunglehorn,

Have you noticed how beer advertisements that once featured lustily bikini models now portray male bonding replete with the insults and rabid competition that naturally occur when men convene. My personal favorite are the giant Milwaukee’s Best beer cans that fall from the sky and crush “men who don’t act like men.” It’s not only hilarious and shocking, these new ads punish the weak among men, all with an air of casual indifference, Their theme: “Don’t be such a wuss.” Burger King picked up the theme to peddle more Whoppers with their “I AM MAN!” campaign. A mob of men tossing a mini-van over a bridge against a glam-rock riff really resonates!

Why do you suppose there has been a shift from bikinis to male bonding? Let me tell you, as American men intuitively reject their castration among radical feminists, we’re seeing the emergence of a new machismo. The typical husband/father figure on television has shifted from Ward Cleaver and Theodore Huxtible to the Al Bundy and the King of Queens. The bumbleing fat dad who’s constantly trying to outwit his ever-present and ever-knowing wife became the model of a husband in marriage. It was a rejection of doting, hard working men potrayed since the 1950s. Even Ralph Cramden, Archie Bunker and George Jefferson loved their wives despite their spiny personalities.

Now, it would seem that men on television are reasserting their role as men and reclaiming their gender. I pause to say we have some reason to be concerned. Any return to natural order is a step in the wrong direction. I recognize that. And on the surface, it would appear this is the trend. But take a closer look. You’ll see an air of selfishness and resentment among these men.

This new shift towards machismo isn’t the classic Christlike call to masculinity, where meekness is a virtue, where the weak are defended, where a man willingly sacrifices himself for others. Far from it. It’s merely a delayed response to overbearing feminism that mocks masculinity. I think I’d be more afraid of modern Marlboro Man characature, perhaps of an anyman with a mysterious silent aura who is funny because he takes himself a bit too seriously. I’m thinking of a young Jack Palance surrounded by idiots in City Slickers.

The Miller High Life ads with the deep baritone narrator give me greatest concern. One is of four men eating breakfast quietly on plastic benches in a neighborhood diner. When a pager goes off (who uses a pager anymore? It screams: “I’m unavailable!”), one guy steps outside to use a payphone (who uses a pay phone anymore? It screams: “Don’t call me, I’ll call you!”). The whole scene wreaks of the strong silent types and the sense of duty that gives men pride.

Then there is the one of the man working beneath his old pickup truck. The narrator scoffs at the idea of “changing your own oil with a credit card.” I’m truly uncomfortable with the idea of young men being reminded of their fathers and grandfathers. The “Greatest Generation” is finally dying off and we’ve done our job, we’ll never see a national collective of such honor and duty again.

Fortunately, the High Life imagery is no longer being broadcast and even they have opted for the goofy chubby guy schtick. They were likely rejected as old-fashioned and disconnected. Good riddance. We can take comfort in the new line of funny fat guys. This is my kind of machismo! Man it up!

Warmest Regards,
Wigglebrick

2 Comments to “New American Machismo”

1. 1

   You’ve exposed a budding trend that is noticeably absent of the male virtue of chivalry. One of the most beautiful aspects of radical feminism since the 1960s is the confusion of chivalry with chauvinism.

   Yes, encourage this indignation whenever the opportunity presents itself. Men no longer see the point of escorting a woman to her car door (ha! especially with remote door locks). And they’re downright afraid to open a door for a lady, or help her push in her chair. Here’s a fantastic story to illustrate my point.

   Dooglesnout
   March 23rd, 2007 @ 7:03 AM

2. 2

   Another resurgent trend in machismo is the graphic insulting of one’s male friends for being gay, especially in popular comedy movie scenes like this one (*strong language*). While this helps us debase language and culture, watch out, it could incite an aversion to homosexuality.

   Oh, notice the clever marginalization of the Christian view on abortion as stupid and unreasonable. An idiot’s apologetics.

   Donglesack
   June 28th, 2007 @ 12:05 PM

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