The war on men must end

D-Day at the beaches of Normandy, Iwo Jima, Vietnam, The Battle of Fallujah.

When we are asked what it is to be masculine often images of these historic trials in battle come to mind. One only need look closely at these battles, and the heroic deeds accomplished in them, to see the real nature of what it is to be masculine. On D-Day, among hundreds of thousands of other men rushing the beachheads in combat, 12 men in particular stood out in their actions and 12 Medals of Honor were issued. Actions taken by men who, with humility, would never claim to be heroic — only that they were doing whatever they could to keep their brothers safe. That is the true nature of masculinity, that is what we should be embracing, and growing.

By now we are all, mostly, familiar with a certain shaving company’s recent attempt to wade into the waters of social with their condemnation of “toxic masculinity.” I would argue that what was said, and what was praised, is wrong — because it has completely mischaracterized socially reprehensible acts as “masculine” traits and then further condemns men, as a whole, for allowing the behavior to even exist.

This brings us to the question, what is masculinity? In order to answer that question we must first become acutely aware of the fact that men and women are equal, but different. It’s not wrong, it’s something that should be celebrated, and something that society today seems more inclined to condemn. The commercial in question would like for society to believe that acts of sexual assault, objectification, rape, and abuse are “masculine” traits, and therefor masculinity is toxic. In fact these things are not traits of masculinity at all.

Self-declared feminists, women, #metoo movement activists; I challenge you to see what real masculine behavior is so that we, men and women, can work together to fight socially deviant behaviors like those that your movements have wrongly labeled as masculine. I opened with acts of bravery in order to focus this lens on masculine traits that define these acts of heroism.

Strength and Bravery. This means being willing to stand up for what is right, to step into a flurry of opinions, insults, attacks and slander. It means defending your family from any that would want to harm them either with acts or words. Being masculine means being strong, physically and emotionally, in order to be a shield for those who are need protecting.

Selflessness and Sacrifice. As far back as written history goes we see the sacrifice of men for their family, and for their country. My point is not that women do not make sacrifices too, my point here is that men, masculine men, make sacrifices in their own life to support those that they love most — willingly and without regard for themselves.

Honesty and Integrity. A truly masculine man, is an honest man. He works hard, treats others right, defends those who cannot defend themselves, and holds himself and other to a standard of integrity. Honestly living his life in a way that builds trust and builds confidence in his partner and family that he cares for them and will be faithful.

Loyalty. Being loyal to your partner, to your family, and to your community is as masculine a trait as there can be. It shows that a man has an emotional intelligence, a commitment to integrity, a willingness to sacrifice, it takes all of the other traits of masculinity and provides them with a capstone.

Intelligence. A masculine man will also be an intelligent man. A man who seeks to better himself and grow, to be more than he is, is a masculine man. Being aware of the world around us allows us to better lift up our family, to support, protect, and provide for them in a way that best prepares them for life.

Masculine traits, like feminine traits, should be celebrated. Our boys should be raised as masculine men. We should not condemn the wretched actions of moral deviants by attacking men in our society as a collective whole. REAL masculine traits are under attack as radicalized feminism looks to devalue everything that a man is. The two genders are meant to compliment each other, to work in tandem. Where one perhaps falls short, the other makes up the difference. There is no more powerful pair than that of a masculine man and a feminine woman, working together in tandem.

Lets stop calling morally void, and reprehensible behavior conditions of masculinity, and instead lets call it what it really is — social deviance as a condition of our cultural apathy when it comes to the erosion of traditional gender roles.

•••

Nick Henderson of Post Falls is an Army veteran who served in Iraq. He sought the Republican nomination for Congressional District 1 in 2018.