Masculinity? in America

There’s something that has been bugging me for a while and it’s been scratching its way to the surface to become a blog post. Here it is: What screwed up masculinity in today’s America? What happened to the image of real men protecting the Earth?

About 100 years ago, men who were conservationists, writers, artists, explorers or park rangers were considered to be “manly men.” As examples, I would point to men like:

• Theodore Roosevelt, who “after he became President, used his authority to protect wildlife and public lands by creating the U.S. Forest Service and establishing 51 Federal Bird Reservations, 4 National Game Preserves, 150 National Forests, 5 National Parks, and enabling the 1906 American Antiquities Act which he used to proclaim 18 National Monuments. During his presidency,Theodore Roosevelt protected approximately 230,000,000 acres of public land.” (from NPS website) The man actually gave a speech after being shot in an assassination attempt! If that’s not one tough dude, who is???
• John Muir, the naturalist and author, was an early advocate of protecting the environment and preserving pristine lands for future generations. He was a cofounder of the Sierra Club. He was a personal friend of Teddy Roosevelt’s and spent a great deal of time “roughing it” in the wilderness, in ways that would leave many modern men quivering in their loafers.
• Ernest Hemingway, known for his novels, was a war correspondent in the first and second World wars as well as the Spanish-American War.
• Sir Edmund Hillary braved climbing Everest, when all before him had failed and many had died. Although his climbing companion and Sherpa guide, Tenzing Norgay later said it was Hillary who first stepped atop the peak of Everest, Hillary had said they both reached the top together. Imagine that. The man who made history, not taking total credit.
• Park Rangers have battled forest fires that most of us would run from in abject terror. Want to read/hear a real adventure of men who don’t flinch in the face of overwhelming adversity? Try reading “The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America.”

So why, in our modern culture, do we think of those concerned with the environment, to be less manly than those so proud to be destroying it? Why do we even acknowledge terms like “tree hugger,” meant to deride those trying to protect the environment? Why do we equate big pickup trucks or SUVs with manliness while deriding those driving fuel efficient and/or non-polluting vehicles to be effeminate? Why do those coal rollers out there think they’re cool or macho?

I once overheard a joke where some guys were teasing a Prius owner. One of them said, “I noticed, when you drive by, your car makes a sound like I’mmmmmm gaaayyyyyyyyyy.” (sound like Doppler Shift) Everyone laughed at the Prius owner’s expense. (not to mention they were deriding gay men at the same time)

I’ve watched this behavior in wonderment and annoyance and it finally came to the surface as the inspiration for a blog post after a short interaction on our neighborhood website. I had posted the image I did for the Twelve Days of Christmas along with holiday wishes for the neighbors. Here’s what happened:Notice that the first comment wasn’t trying to make up for EVs by driving a V8, in his own words, he was doing so “to make up for people like you…” The disdain for those who drive EVs, rather than for the vehicles themselves, oozed from the comment. The response to that comment was even more interesting because, believe it or not, the person who wanted so desperately to publicly “thank” him for his comment drives a Prius! That comment reminded me of the old Spike and Chester cartoon, where the scrawny dog Chester tries so desperately to ingratiate himself with the large bulldog, Spike.

I posted a screenshot of this neighborhood discussion on the Facebook group “Chevy Volt Owners.” As you can imagine, It generated quite a vitriolic response. Many of the Volt drivers, men and women, were dismayed by the attitude expressed in the responses to my original posting and commented in pretty colorful language about the comments as well as similar experiences they had with those who think EVs are less than manly.

I’ve had friends, who ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles, tell me they cannot understand why Harley would make an electric bike. Some added they couldn’t stand to ride a silent Harley. So part of the appeal is the annoying loudness of the bike?

I’ve heard the same comments about electric vehicles. Men have told me they want the rumble of an internal combustion engine and hate the idea of a silently propelled car.

How did we, as a culture, get to the point that a person’s masculinity (or lack thereof) is defined by what they buy rather than their actions?