Evolving Concepts of Masculinity

The presidential election reflects competing understandings of what it means to "be a man" in our society. 

Is a real man someone who attempts to dominate others? Who incessantly insults his rivals? Who in public wants to be seen with beautiful women and who in private does what he wants to women without their consent? 

Or is a real man someone who defends and protects others? Who not only treats others with respect and dignity but who helps others; who heals and teaches and coaches others. 

The concept of masculinity is evolving because the needs of society are evolving. We no longer need people who can physically defend the clan or the community in a lawless setting. We need people who obey the law and who enforce the law; people who respect the rule of law.

A real man doesn't carry a gun. A real man wields a scalpel in surgery, or codes on a computer, or designs estate plans for families.

Physical strength is no longer necessary to survive. We hunt for pleasure, not out of necessity. We farm with tractors; no longer do we plow by hand. Our factories are mechanized, our cars and trucks and trains and ships bear our goods for us.

Going into the future the economic well-being of individuals and society depends not on physical strength but on knowledge and skill. Education is the engine of our economy. We need doctors and lawyers and programmers and engineers. 

The era of war is nearly over. Thank goodness world peace is now on the horizon. Europe's expansion and colonization of others is in the past. The United States has no more territorial ambitions. Russia will gain nothing from its invasion of Ukraine. China knows that it will lose what it has if it invades Taiwan and seeks to annex it.

Competition among different nations has shifted from war to trade. A country's wealth depends upon its ability to produce goods and services that people want. We no longer steal from other peoples and societies, but trade for what we want. Free trade in goods makes us all wealthier, and free trade in ideas makes us all happier and more capable.

Men and women are now equal. A real man not only acknowledges this equality but celebrates it.