Archive for the ‘Femininity’ Category:
Man Under Fire
I’ve made a lot of promises about exploring cultural and biblical masculinity in more depth and detail this summer, and just have not gotten around to it. Here is my first installment.
Salvo Magazine did an amazing article on the educational system and media’s attack on boys and men, respectively. Quoting Christina Hoff-Sommers in her 2001 book The War Against Boys: How Misguided Feminism Is Harming Our Young Men, the article details how America’s public schools consistently suppress developing masculinity, and “establish femininity as the norm:”
This book tells the story of how it has become fashionable to attribute pathology to millions of healthy male children. It is a story of how we are turning against boys and forgetting a simple truth: that the energy, competitiveness, and corporal daring of normal, decent males is responsible for much of what is right in the world. No one denies that boys’ aggressive tendencies must be checked and channeled in constructive ways. Boys need discipline, respect, and moral guidance. Boys need love and tolerant understanding. They do not need to be pathologized.
On Heart-Guarding…
To finish up the series on heart-guarding where we have sought out the help of ninja-men like Chuck Norris and looked to novels by Jane Austen, I’d like to mention a woman who has influenced me a lot through her books and also another more contemporary writer and see what we can understand.
A school of thought that perhaps supports the sensible side of things in Austin’s novel is from Elisabeth Elliot. I have gleaned from reading her books Passion and Purity and Quest for Love that a woman should “keep her own counsel” and “aim first at loving God.” Ms. Elliot encourages gentlemen to be forthright with the women to whom they are attracted and encourages women to keep quiet with her feelings until “after the proposal.” This doesn’t seem to leave much room for exuberance, but it does kind of make room for a quiet adventure—kind of like Miss Dashwood experienced I’m sure. It seems a little extreme to some and I’m sure Miss Maryanne would find Ms. Elliot’s ideas absurd; however, I would consider Ms. Elliot’s advice to be somewhat a bit of a heart-guarding experience, although, honestly, to me, it just doesn’t sound like any fun. I like to gush, and so that is why I was attracted to the next author!
