“What a piece of work is a man. How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty. In form and moving how express and admirable. In action how like an Angel, In apprehension how like a god.” - Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2.
On Monday, my friend and colleague Jennifer Oliver O'Connell gave us a moving account of the impassioned speech Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) made on the House floor and Mace's allegations about several people. The allegations Nancy Mace makes are serious, but they will be litigated in another time and place. While I found the allegations disturbing, I will give Representative Mace credit for not tarring all men with a broad brush, which one would expect from, say, someone to the left. As a conservative, a believer in personal autonomy and personal responsibility, her allegations are aimed at the individuals, not the group.
By all means, read Jennifer's excellent piece. But it is not the allegations themselves, but rather the kind of behavior alleged that I wish to comment on.
Previously on RedState: Jasmine Crockett Weaponizing Nancy Mace's Trauma Should Speak Volumes About Democrats' Care for Women
There are, of course, male humans - I won't call them men - who do engage in behaviors like this. It happens, and men everywhere should abhor and detest people who behave this way. But how should a man, in this modern age, treat women? Well, I have some thoughts - and some experiences.
What makes a man a man?
Manliness, as defined by strength, confidence, self-reliance, courage, and honor, seems to be an increasingly rare trait in the Western nations today, our republic among them. I am inclined to think that this seeming lack is only an illusion, as the rise of "woke" culture has drowned out the actions and words of such men who, generally, see no need to blow their own horns. My Old Man was one such; a man of few words but enormous presence, a small man physically but a giant in character, a man of great courage, honor, determination, confidence, and self-reliance. America has millions like him, and we’re better for it. However, manliness, in recent months, seems to be beginning a comeback. It is manliness defines how we treat the women in our lives. Here's why.
Men protect women, they don't prey on them. That's not to say women in general are inherently weak, although men do have, in general, significant physical advantages in speed, strength, and stamina. But men are hard-wired to protect and defend the women in our lives; we are the defenders, if need be, the fighters. It's in our nature, just as it's in our nature to detest and despise men who abuse women. I could tell you about an incident in my youth when a local kid slipped something (we'll never know what) into the drink of a girl my buddies and I were friends with. Two of my buddies and I got her away from the group, took her home - and then we found the guy who had altered her drink. He spent two days in the hospital.
Men provide. That's not to say that women can't work, and can't have great careers. They can and should. In the 33 years my wife and I have been married, there were times when she made more money than I did. That never bothered me. We have always lived as one, including our finances, and I never worried overly much about who made what. But we always knew - and the Old Man raised me to do this - that if the feces hit the fan, I would do whatever was necessary to put food on the table. I have, in my life, banged shingles onto roofs, I've worked at manual labor, I've shoveled manure. I'd do it again if that's what it took. That's what a man does.
Men support. That's not to say that women aren't strong. My wife has more physical and emotional courage than anyone I've ever known. My mother and grandmother were tough farm wives, with cores of steel. But a man should be a rock, for his family, for his children and grandchildren. My father was; the man was utterly dependable, a tower of strength, a man of great judgment and wisdom. He's been gone seven years this April, and I'm still getting used to that empty place in my life where a giant once strode.
Last but not least: Men have a purpose. There is nothing as detestable as a man with no purpose. Yet Western society today seems to be churning out young men with no sense of purpose, in great carload lots. But consider this: As I’ve said and written repeatedly, I think we are in the last phase of this cycle, and may well soon see the return of the first:
- Hard times make tough people.
- Tough people make good times.
- Good times make weak people.
- Weak people make hard times.
The manly man, the man with a purpose, may not be gone – just on hold. Because when we circle to the first phase, we’ll need tough people. Indeed, the tough people may be the only ones that survive the final phase.
Representative Nancy Mace's allegations are serious, and no doubt in time will be adjudicated in the proper setting. However, it should also serve as a stark reminder: There are male persons who do behave like this, and men - real men - abhor and detest that behavior and the persons who indulge in it.
