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Words are powerful - Thoughts shape - Ideas have consequences

Gary Aldrich

Patrick Henry Center
Posted November 24, 2003

Why the Attack on Straight Men?
What do Women Really Want?

The war against American men has just gotten a lot more interesting. Consider the hyped-up success of Bravo’s new TV show, “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”. One must wonder about the real objective behind a show that has as its premise to denigrate straight men for being what they are: men.

Radical women who celebrate “Queer Eye” enjoy telling the world all the things they wish they could change about males, such as their lack of appreciation for the cultural arts, their tendency to shy away from overt sentimentalism, their regular fashion faux pas, and their general untidiness. Wives complain about their husbands, girlfriends about their boyfriends, and bitter single women about all men in general.

Instead of treating every complaint as a serious discovery needing immediate remedy, why can’t we just acknowledge that most feminists just like to complain?

Not only is this constant carping about men deemed acceptable, but we now have an entire television series devoted to “improving” men to coordinate with female desires.

The only venue deemed remotely appropriate for men to do the same to women is in a comedy act – because it’s not taken seriously. While one might argue that “Queer Eye” is an entertainment program, could we even imagine a situation where the tables are turned?

Imagine, ladies, a show giving straight men the green-light to train women not to do all the things that bug them. Would it be nearly as humorous?

On the show, perhaps titled “Making Women Tolerable”, the male hosts would get to:

Drag them to a boxing match or a car race. Women should learn to appreciate these exciting sporting events.

Take women camping and prove that it won’t kill them to not wash their hair for a couple days.

Train women to keep their mouths shut when the toilet seat is left up. If they want the seat down, they have arms, too.

Lay off the shopping for a week and make women acknowledge that there is a connection between the Visa card in their hand and the income their devoted mates bring home each week.

How successful would this show be? We’ll never know, because no producer would dare have their name attached to the project. Why is it that our society can launch an attack against male idiosyncrasies, but not the reverse?

Perhaps a better question to ask is: Why do we want to?

Why the assault on heterosexual men? Why can’t they be allowed to be “rough around the edges”?

Men who like to shop, enjoy the ballet, and know when to use merlot versus cabernet, are not typically the guys women date. No, these poor chaps are generally doomed to be the “close friends” in women’s lives. These men often lament of being stuck in the “friend” trap.

Women may complain about macho male tendencies, but they don’t croon over the “softies”. Likewise, men groan about “girly” attributes, but the girls who can hold their own during tackle football are usually just “one of the guys”. These women are also often passed over romantically. Why is this the case?

The answer is a complex one, probably being studied somewhere by a psychology group. However, a short explanation is this: heterosexual men and women are drawn to the differences that make them complement one another.

Complement is the key. There are inherent differences between the two sexes, regardless of radical feminists hell-bent on denying the truth.

Men and women who choose to accept and appreciate their differences are able to have successful relationships based on trust and mutual respect. Feminists who want to impose their will upon male behavior patterns show nothing but disrespect and screw things up for the rest of us.

Any self-respecting male should be offended at this kind of abuse, especially when it comes via guys whom women consider an extension of their close girlfriends.

Likewise, ladies who are secure in their gender should be equally offended at the presumption that they are supposed to prefer dating Woody Allen over John Wayne.

Let’s celebrate our genders’ differences, rather than try to erase them. Better yet, we should stop the assault on heterosexual males in its tracks.

Reprinted by permission by Gary Aldrich

Gary Aldrich is a 30-year veteran of the FBI, Gary specialized in white-collar crime, including fraud and political corruption, and for five years prior to retiring, he served under former Presidents Bush and Clinton in a national security role. In addition, he was assigned to the U.S. Senate and House, working closely with elected officials on a variety of security issues. He is also the Founder of The Patrick Henry Center for Individual Liberty, which dedicated to promoting the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Mr. Aldrich has made thousands of radio, TV and personal speaking appearances, including This Week with David Brinkley, Good Morning America, Dateline, Hannity and Combes, The O'Reilly Factor, Inside Edition and others. Mr. Aldrich has also authored editorial pieces for distinguished publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Human Events Magazine and Insight Magazine. In addition, he writes for WorldNetDaily.com weekly and Townhall.com bi-weekly. You can contact him at www.patrickhenrycenter.org