Whining. It’s something that bugs me a lot. People who find all manner of excuses for why they are not getting what they want. We live in an age where if you even have a robust conversation with someone they immediately accuse you of being threatening or intimidating. I remember when there was a lot of debate about men getting in touch with their feelings. I remember people praising Paul Gascoigne for crying after England lost in Italia ’90. Now, I’m all for people having a few feelings but somewhere along the way something has gone very wrong.
I am horrified to have to say it but my fellow men are fast becoming the biggest whiners of all. Gone are the days of tough guys and tough talk, actions and decisiveness. Replaced with equivocation, excuses and blaming various plots for scuppering them. It makes me blush with shame. We are supposed to be big boys now but we spend more time whimpering and snivelling about how things are unfair rather then getting on with what we should be doing.
Yesterday on the radio I heard a man discussing the Council of Europe and its proposal on Domestic Violence against Women. He actually made a very good point that domestic violence occurs against men too. Fair enough. So was he starting a campaign to ensure that after ratification the protections would be extended to men? Was he proposing a new law going even further than the Council of Europe? No. Apparently, he wants us not to ratify the Council of Europe proposal at all. Why? Because it was designed by ‘radical feminists’. He never pointed to a single thing that was wrong with the law apart from the fact that it applied to women and therefore was in his opinion anti -man. I have had it to the back teeth with this gibberish. There is no way we as men can say we don’t have a voice. The majority of governments and boardrooms, courtrooms and security forces are male dominated. It is not like any of us blokes are not encouraged to share our views. Any alien listening in to the radio programme would be forgiven for thinking that us guys were a small minority, oppressed by these dangerous radical feminists who force their laws and opinions upon us and we are powerless to do anything about it. Oh it’s all so unfair.
Let’s face it guys. We are big enough and bold enough to stand up for ourselves and when we want something we are well capable of getting it. The only time this wishy washy ‘feminists are bullying us’ argument is trotted out is when there isn’t actually a proper counter argument for getting our way. Other than that we have the voice and resources to be fearless and face any debate. However, when faced with wrongs we commit, when faced with historical evidence or when faced with the need to change something that just suits us we start crying that we are forced into it.
There are other areas too. Politics is a tough business or at least it used to be. In theory if I don’t win a nomination for a party, whatever the reason, I should be tough enough to bide my time. Think about it. If you get a nomination over me then you have to win the election. If you win then perhaps I was wrong unless you turn out to be a very poor TD. If you lose the election or are a poor TD then my chance comes again. Big boys know this. However, if u win the election and turn out to be a brilliant TD then I won’t get my chance. In this case it’s not my desire for justice that drives me but my desire for my own self advancement that has been scuppered.
Men are moaning up and down the country about gender quotas rather than growing up and getting on with it. If female candidates turn out to be as inferior as the men make out then surely their turn won’t be long coming around again. So why are they moaning? Well it’s the fear that if I don’t get to run now I may never get to run. It’s my turn. I’m getting old. The woman might win the seat, do a good job and hold on to it and then I am rightly goosed. Where are all the real men? The ones who put their party and their society and country first? The patriots? Why do we seem beset with scores of snivelling self advancing puppets moaning and whining about not getting their turn because the big bad women are going to have 30% (yes only 30%) of the candidates.
It is time for men to grow up. We are meant to be strong. Perhaps I’m a bit of a dinosaur but I don’t cry. I’m not even in touch with my inner feelings. What I am not prepared to do is wallow in self pity about how I don’t have a voice. If what you do is truly wrong Ill let you know fairly quickly and you won’t be oppressing me anytime soon. I am no feminist; I am no new age man. In fact I am often accused of sexism, ageism and every other ism at some point. When it happens I strive to rectify it but only based on facts. I am not here to advance the cause of women as they are more than capable of doing that themselves but I cannot throw out facts and block women just because there is on old system that suits me personally a little better.
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