Taking a quick survey for a "friendly discussion" elsewhere:
If modern masculinity remained exactly the same, except that it totally abandoned the elements of degradation of women, bullying, abuse, and exploitation...
...and focused on, say, Doing Bold Physical Things Outdoors With Other Manly People, Cultivating A Masterful And Gentlemanly Mustachio, and Pugilizing Consensually With Other Likely Young Lads...
...would you be okay with it and drop all grievances against it?
@zebratron2084 oh well there y'go, then yeah, I'd be fine with that. XD
@zebratron2084 I mean I still do't think mustaches are very attractive, but otherwise, sure why not. ;)
@indi Yeah, me either, honestly. I would shave every day if I weren't so freaking bad at it (and my dad hadn't cursed me with dark Italian bristle that's probably made of something more like oak fiber than keratin :p ). Hell, I'd dip myself in Nair up to the eyebrows daily if it were safe. XD
@zebratron2084 I've become largely inured to stubble, thanks to the ottr in my house who has a similar problem. ;) But I 100% don't understand actually-grown-out mustaches at all.
@indi Whenever you see one on me, I guarantee it's 90% laziness... although I do kinda like the tigerey cast the full beard gives me when it's grown out.
I've met two men who have looked dramatically better with mustaches, Bob Belcher and my late dad. Everyone else... Nair guns. :D
@zebratron2084 I'm actually more down with full facial hair too? I think that's why mustache itself strikes me as weird, it's like "Okay you shaved the rest, so you're actually making a point of keeping the weird lip hair, why?" O.o
@indi The only time I ever dabble in that sort of sculpture is when I'm alone in a locked bathroom and midway through shaving.
"Okay, let's try a H*tler for just a... haha, no no no. God, no wonder he lost the war. And this Zappa looks bad enough. Let's try the Belcher. Oh god no, it ALLLLLL goes..."
@zebratron2084 HELL YES. :D
I love those aspects of masculinity and strive to demonstrate some of them as part of my own identity. ^^
@mawr Thought you might appreciate that one, mawr. <3 Been listening to a fuckton of Aunt Eddie Izzard lately, and I think of you and my handful of other outdoorsy friends every time I hear them talk about "running jumping climbing trees." :D
@zebratron2084 Hey guess what! :D
I get to buy and use an AXE!!! :D :D :D :D :DDDD
@zebratron2084 yep, with the caveat that the Manly Activities allowed Less-Manly people to participate as well, if they wanted. and as long as the Ladies' Home Knitting and Anarchist Cookbook Craft Hour would also accept Manly Men types. but I suspect that getting rid of the degradation, abuse, etc. would take care of most of that anyway.
@green I mean, my Platonic ideal here is basically "big burly bald Swedish leftists with curly mustaches, who knit, ride bikes, chop wood, and pet kittens," so you be the judge. :D <3
@zebratron2084 works for me! :D I mean, *gestures flailingly at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladybeard * YES THIS PLEASE.
(Let's also say for the sake of argument, for fear of biasing the poll base, that transmen and butch women are also genially encouraged to join in on these Manly Action Games as equals. As a far, far too generous concession to the opposition, let's even add a "but only if they can beat an XY member of the Manly Action Games Club in the sport of their choosing.")