"When Men Were Men"

[erpowers]

This (when men were men) is a comment I have heard many times. This morning Kathie Lee Gifford made the comment on the fourth hour of "The Today Show". I wonder what that comment means. Why are men today not actually men? When people make that comment are they wishing to go back to a time when women had less rights? Whenever I hear that comment that is what I think about. In addition, I wonder if men were considered to be men back in that time because they had more control over their wives and women. I do not hate men and I am not a zero sum feminist. I do not think men have to decline for women to increase. However, when I hear that comment, "when men were men", it makes me thik of a zero sum time for women. So, can anyone explain to me what the comment, "when men were men" means?

[Captain Hilts]

1. "People like a 'guy' as president." - Chris Matthews

[Bill McBlueState]

2. Isn't it a line from the "All in the Family" theme song?

People who fondly remember the time when "men were men" should realize they have a lot in common with Archie Bunker.

[madinmaryland]

7. Now I have an earworm!

:grr:

[hisownpetard]

10. Damn, me too. All I can hear is Edith, screeching... (I loved Edith!).

[The Traveler]

3. I think that really depends

upon the internal condition of the person speaking the phrase "When men were men."

The decline of male power is not a result of female empowerment. All you have to do to understand what I am talking about is compare Edward R. Murrow to any of the talking head anchorpeople around these days ... Do that and you will get it immediately. Murrow was a man. These other fools are wimps. There are way too many other ready examples available around us.

But feminism has absolutely nothing to do with it. Empowerment of women has nothing to do with men choosing to be weak. Strong men are unperturbed by the presence of strong women. Weak men seek excuses ...

[ColbertWatcher]

4. It means a time in American history when...

...if you saw a picture of a man like this

...you didn't automatically think "Village People".

In other words, sometime before the 1970's.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. "men were REAL men, women were REAL women, ..."

`In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were REAL men, women were REAL women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were REAL small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.'

Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

[tjwash]

6. When men were men, sheep were scared. Very scared.

nt

[Captain Hilts]

12. What a GREAT photograph....nt

[tjwash]

13. They're buddies. The cat comes in the back yard all the time and hangs out with our dog.

Come to think of it, all the neighborhood cats come in the back yard and hang out with our dog.

[Captain Hilts]

20. United, a dog and cat can rule the world!

[Wiley50]

8. When Men Were Men (and some of the women were too)

I forget where that line was from but, I remember it was very very funny at the time.

Monty Python?

[Darth_Kitten]

9. "I do not hate men and I am not a zero sum feminist"

I would explain, but I don't want to look like one of those men-hating nasty feminists ruining society. :sarcasm:

I'm not a feminist, I just want rights for women.

[ensho]

14. rights for women is what feminism is all about

equality

[Captain Hilts]

21. What could be more subversive than that?

[erpowers]

15. What I meant

I do not hate feminists. I actually like feminist. The reason I wrote the feminist line was that I think when women write things questioning certian things concering men it is automatically assumed or claimed she hates men. I just wanted to know if the people making the men were men comment were people who wanted to go back to a time when women had less right or if the comment meant something different. I thought I had explained the feminist line with the line that I wrote afterwards. Do you want me to explain anything else?

[ensho]

18. no

nt

[Captain Hilts]

11. It's a VERY old expression. nt

[Echo In Light]

16. Old authoritarian John Wayne propaganda: Nostalgia for a time that never truly existed

"The monumentalism of fascism would seem to be a safety mechanism against the bewildering multiplicity of the living. The more lifeless, regimented, and monumental reality appears to be, the more secure the men feel. The danger is being alive itself." ~ Klaus Theweleit, Male Fantasies

[Forrest Greene]

17. It Refers To Times

...and possibly places, like pioneer's frontiers, when men were men and women were knotholes in Slippery Elm trees.

[Orsino]

19. Hatin' on Teh Gay.

Blurring of sexual identity makes a lot of people very uncomfortable. Rights for women and LGBT citizens threaten their narrow view.

"When men were men" is the sound teeth make when chattering in fear.

[leftofthedial]

22. I think it means back when the water supply wasn't full of estrogen

and males in the primes of their lives did not require dick pills to get it up

[ensho]

24. KICK

nt

[Geoff R. Casavant]

23. I don't know what KLG meant, but . . . .

. . . . this has been one of my favorite websites for a while now, perhaps it might give you some perspective.

http://artofmanliness.com/

Personally, I think it refers to both a sense of personal responsibility and a refusal to blame all one's failings on a bad childhood or drinking or what have you, plus the realization that you don't need eight different jars of hair product and Axe body spray.

[ismnotwasm]

25. It's a silly comment

At worst, it's anti woman and homophobic. At best it's a ridiculous set of assumptions regarding masculinity. As the male gender continues it's dominance--and I mean that in the broadest, statistical sense, not an emotional one--comments like these can cause harm when taken seriously.

[cherokeeprogressive]

26. I don't see it in a feminine vs masculine context.

Back in the day, my POP used to be what I'd term a "man's man". That isn't to say that he mistreated my mother or had any other neanderthal traits that some would see in such a phrase.

Nope, back in the day, if the toilet broke, he wasn't immediately on the phone to the plumber. If the car broke, he wasn't immediately on the phone with the mechanic. He took care of us with his hands, and his capabilities. And that was AFTER working 8-10 hours. If ANYTHING broke, his first inclination was to attempt to fix it, and I've seen him perform miracles on everything from cars to refrigerators. Second was to call a friend who might be able to help him if he had trouble. On top of all that, he was/is still a gentleman, and a hell of a tipper.

When I think "when men were men" that's where I'm coming from.

Love Ya, Pop.

[Solon]

27. As a man, everytime I hear that phrase, I believe it harkens back to when women obeyed the men in...

their lives, whether fathers, husbands, brothers, boyfriends, etc. Frankly, I think its a nostalgic trip through misogynistic past. And just like most examples of misogyny, it restricts men's gender roles as much as it does women's.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

28. Answer:

Today more men leave their kids fatherless. NOt only via divorce but also abandonment:

40 percent of children whose fathers live outside the home have no contact with them -- http://fatherhood.hhs.gov/charting02/executive.htm

MEn as a whole fall totally short in their responsibilities to their family, their job, and their community..