Men & Self-Image

Is the marketplace rushing to tear down men's self-image? Is there a corporate agenda to "feminize men?"

Geoff Price poses these questions and others on his site, RationalRevolution.net. The media depiction of men as mindless, low brow consumers also troubles him.

"This stereotyping of men is an attempt by the marketplace to define men as consumers and as individuals who would rather spend time thinking about how the basketball draft might effect next season than thinking about how the economy functions or about world events," he writes.

I happen to agree. As long as we remain focused on "Fantasy Football," Miller vs. Bud and the next Apprentice, we won't question the politics of oil supply, the suppression of internet access in China or the intellectual brain drain of our nation.

Manipulation through advertising is not new. Ad messages prey on our emotions. My concern is that men will begin to internalize these emasculating messages just as women have internalized the beauty myth. No one wins when we become lesser than.

In the 60s, "Question Authority" was the rallying cry. Today, I advocate "Question the Motive." Does goodness, righteousness and freedom stand behind it? When we question the motive, we unearth the cause behind events. When we understand the cause, we can make conscious, informed decisions about our future.