Ahh, the misguided illusion of masculinity.
Hunter-gatherers
Hunter-gatherers, foraging the land for food and hunting animals for their hides and meat. All with the means of surviving and providing for their family and tribe. It's still a pretty bad-ass idea, right? You'd imagine men in loincloths with self-made spears, crouching in wait for their prey or running after it. Killing it, then carrying it home to dismantle the animal for anything and everything useful and/or edible.
Although there are still some groups alive today who live this kind of life, it is no longer the reality for many. In fact, most people in developed countries know exactly where their food can be found and instead of needing their wits and strength to get it, they mainly just need money to buy it. All of our food is just readily available on shelves in a supermarket. This results in not really thinking or caring about where your food came from, how it was made, or how much pollution or suffering is behind it. As long as it's in the shop for a good price and looks tasty, we'll buy it and eat it. Besides, often times, producers of these food items go to great lenghts to make sure we don't know exactly how or where our food was made.
(Shouldn't that tell us something?)
Masculinity
Masculinity, qualities we attribute to being a man. Strength is one of them. When thinking about a manly man, we'll often imagine one with well defined muscles. And facial hair maybe? Leadership, ofcourse.
And when does a man feel like a manly man? I'd imagine it would be when he can protect and provide for his family. When he is strong enough to defend those most precious to him.
Would a man feel manly when he defends the weak and innocent? Protects those who can't protect themselves? When he takes up his leadership role to do what's right by those who need it most? I would certainly see that guy as a strong, manly man. Wouldn't you?
Today's man
Another vision of manliness. One I'm not sure everyone shares, but one that's still being portrayed in developed, western society: The regular, working man with a big house for his family, standing on his outside patio, grilling up some burgers in the sun.
Let's see what makes this picture manly. Part of it is ofcourse the man being able to provide his family with a safe home and a good life. I think part of it is also in the grilling. With fire! Oh yes, fire is manly. Man builds fire, man feeds family, man is strong!
I guess it gives man a sort of primal feeling. Getting in touch with his ancestors who were big and strong, who hunted for their prey and threw dead animals onto the fire to feed their tribe.
Wait, what's wrong with this image?
What we forget in this feeling is that today's western society man did not hunt that dead animal he's grilling up. Nope. He drove to the store, two minutes away, proudly strolled past the meat replacements isle in his pink or hawaiian shirt, shorts and slippers, and stood in front of a big variety of pre-abused, pre-murdered, pre-processed and pre-packaged dead animal parts. Dead bodyparts of the most docile, innocent and kind animals on the planet, because those are the easiest to abuse.
Man did not need to hunt. Man did not feel the need for survival, because man knows where the store is an earns enough to buy his food. Man did not even need his strength, because man's car did all of the work.
Worse, Man could have just as easily stopped by the meat replacements and picked out a bean, vegetable and/or nut burger to feed his family today (no, they do not taste like 'plastic' anymore, grow up). Man could have even thrown them onto the grill to feel manly. Instead, man decided to take a few steps extra, to pay for abuse and murder. Because "Real men eat meat".
Seriously?
I think it's time for a reality check here, men. In this day and age, there is nothing manly about eating meat. You don't have to do anything 'manly' to obtain meat. You don't need it to survive or be healthy (quite the opposite). Worse, you are deliberately funding those preying on the defenseless and weak to get your money while there are perfectly good, eco-friendlier and healthier alternatives readily available. Ones that an innocent, sentient, living being does not have to die for. Ones that take less of a toll on the climate. Ones that assure you and your family survive, aswell as the defenseless animals you would otherwise weakly have someone else kill for you.
With the big problems of today, like viruses originating in animals and jumping over to humans, like accelerated climate change because of all of our pollution due to greed and our diet, men should show leadership and lead us out of these problems. Not further into them due to some missplaced sense of pride and an uninformed image of manliness. Otherwise, why not just step aside, shut the F up and let other (wo)men do the job for you?
Remember how a real man would protect and defend the innocent?
Sweet, brainwashed, men. I don't blame you for being brainwashed. It's a strong lie that we're living and you've been living it ever since you were born. I have too. But it's time to wake up. You're all grown up, you're a man now and you should be able to think for yourself. Your misguided idea of manliness is ruining this planet. Destroying many, many lives. The animal industry is one of violence, abuse, torture, murder, deforestation and pollution. Stop paying for it. Be a real man and step up to defend those who need it most. Take control and be the leader of a kinder, healthier tomorrow. Grow a pair and do what's right, despite of what the docile, brainwashed masses might think or do. Be strong enough to stand above that!
Men, standing up for those who can't defend themselves is an admirable quality. Stop listening to lies from murderers who only stand to gain from your passiveness, your compliance, your ill-spent money. The animal industry is a huge part of our problems today. Besides, there is no 'humane' way of murdering a living creature that did not want to die. Don't fund these horrible industries. Be logical, be kind, work towards becoming vegan and by doing so, help us save the world and everyone in it. Be strong enough to make a change for the better.
That makes you a real man.
P.S.: I know men aren't the only brainwashed ones. We all are. I'll keep on coming for everyone of you, hoping to make everyone see reason. 😉❤️
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The term a real man is also crazy because it is just used to justify stereotypes.
I am fascinated by the psychological impact of this. For me, it is a kind of "cognitive dissonance" where you know you should not but you still do. I tend to not want to go near any shops and source food that I myself grow or know the farmer who produced the goods. But again, this cognitive dissonance that plagues me. I feel so useless in the bigger scheme of things due to all the people who look down upon us who question their docile behavior, mindlessly buying and enriching the "overlords".
In any case, awesome post! It read very similar to a book I read a couple of years ago by Grayson Perry, The Descent of Man. Have you read it or come across it?
I can't say I've read that!
I still find it hard sometimes to be honest. Yesterday, I made hubby a vegetarian burger with cheese in it and I have to say, the melted cheese smelled so good. I just have to remember the horrors that went behind making it.
I think for many, it's just a kind of convenience. We've all learned to cook with animal products and to go without means you have to learn to cook new things. That's what makes meat replacements and plant-based milk/yoghurt/cheese so handy for the busy people (or the ones with picky husbands 😅). That just leaves the courage to try something new and not give up after one bad product :-)
Exactly, I agree with everything you say!
Isn't that one of the major problems 😅 The lure of these products that "seduce" us with their flavors and securities.
Isn't this the "western conundrum"? We are so used to convenience itself that when someone takes away their bacon and meat patty and cheese the world ends. There are so many alternatives and people need to experiment more! I know it's kind of utopian to think in this line, but I recently watched some videos from Michael Pollan and his philosophy is that we need to cook for ourselves. Again, in modern capitalism most people do not have time, but like he said in one of his videos: people will only make french fries every month or so because it's so much work to make them. Convenience and fast food enable us to eat them almost daily. Sorry, I am going down a different line of thought now 😅😅
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I saw a hunter in his prime the other day, he was stalking his prey ever so carefully. Inching closer and closer until he struck! Yanking the freezer door open and tugging out a pack of burgers straight into his basket.
Man, king of the hunters at its deadliest.
Oh my, I'm sure all of the ladies were staring at him! 😍😄
At first, I was thinking you were talking about a cat 😅
Lol, it would have fitted a cat very well!