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With the release of the recent Barbie movie, the old gender debates on the internet have been reignited. (Admittedly, I haven't watched it yet, might pen down my thoughts once I do.)
I recently encountered another article by a heterosexual, middle-class woman discussing how we can assist young men in discovering their masculinity. The piece, confidently titled map out of the wilderness, repeats the narrative tropes that countless similar works in journalism tend to focus on.
Does it argue that men are disoriented because women are no longer subservient? Indeed. Does it accuse men of falling for 'destructive' ideologues such as Jordan Peterson and Bronze Age Pervert whose political ideologies aren't personally favored? Yes. Does it claim men are discontent because women wish for them to behave more femininely? Absolutely. Does it state there's a lack of 'positive masculinity?' Oh, for sure.
To credit the writer, Christine Emba, she does highlight some of the more sinister issues that venture slightly beyond the bounds of conventional discourse. She openly criticizes feminists and women in general for refusing to assist men, citing an instance where Obama was chastised for attempting to help boys, and thousands of women denounced him in protest.
What prompted me to respond to this article was a moment of blatant self-awareness by the author, who admits when reproached by a man that she doesn't want to be intimate with men who heed her advice (emphasis mine):
Yes, dear writer, you recoiled in acknowledgment. If you, a talking head opining on this topic, felt this way, consider the reaction of those numerous women with lesser self-awareness when they encounter these feeble, effeminate men.
However, all the discussions around gender roles, sexual relations, power dynamics, and 'incels' are missing the real issue. They're distractions, veils obscuring the core problem.
At the risk of being cliche, I'll reference Nietzsche's most well-known line:
Why has this single paragraph echoed throughout recent centuries as one of the deepest and most frequently reiterated explanations of modernity's moral crisis? Obviously, Nietzsche, a self-proclaimed atheist, doesn't imply we've executed deicide in the literal sense. What we've done is obliterated any transcendent reason for existence. There is no apparent reason why young men should exhibit concern for their neighbors, work towards self-improvement, curtail their desires, or even make an effort to contribute to society.
For a young man in a contemporary world that is entirely individual-centric, what is the appeal of any altruistic act?
Regardless of the religion you choose, these systems provided us with a motive beyond primal, materialistic pleasures to care. They provided us with an aim to pursue. Most importantly, they offered us a social framework within which we could strive collectively with others and receive commendation for our benevolent deeds.
Nietzsche's suggested solution is that the New Men must 'become deities' to be worthy of God's murder. Regrettably, as we've found out, not everyone can ascend to godhood. Certainly some of the highest status and highest agency men can create their own values, but what about the rest of us?
How is a young man in his twenties, armed with a useless college degree and forced to work at a supermarket to get by, supposed to find purpose in what he's doing? How can he feel accomplished, or masculine, or empowered? He definitely can't rely on God or religion for that feeling. If he tries, he'll be overwhelmed by relentless mockery and cynicism from his society.
Returning to Ms. Emba's proposed solution, she states that men need to experience masculinity by:
This, she asserts, is 'Constructive Masculinity.' Let's look past the glaring issue that it's a woman attempting to define what masculinity should be - the question remains: why?
Without some larger mission, most men aren't going to be motivated whatsoever. Men need a reason to exist. And not a poor, weak reason like 'following your dreams' or 'getting money' or 'being a good person.' Men need something to strive for, something worth dying for, something that they can use to shield themselves from the terror of the void.
Of course this problem is applicable to far more people than just young Western males. This lack of meaning, lack of purpose, is at the core of modernity's societal problems. It waits like a tiger in the shadows, seizing us in our moments and weakness and pulling us into a black pit of despair, nihilism. Emptiness.
When you're on your deathbed, where will you look for comfort? What force or being or god will let you face your own death without flinching? What water will purify you?
How will you cleanse your hands of blood?
Religiosity is a personality trait like agreeableness or conscientiousness, and adopting atheism doesn't actually change your personality in that dimension, it just channels it through other causes, like atheism itself or communism or nationalism. Although I now reject Yahweh-ism, I don't feel I have become less religious in character. That inclination for religiosity is channeled through other causes. I also don't think "religiosity" is a personality defect that can or should be entirely crowded out by rationalism, it inspires people to do great things often manifests as self-sacrifice for a group cause.
I also don't think Nietzsche's intention was for all men to ascend to godhood, but for an extremely small number of worthy to do so and for the rest to be good followers. The former interpretation leads to the chaotic incompetence of everyone wanting to be a leader but nobody a follower, which is what you see today with Online Influencers fostering their own small communities but otherwise not cohering men together in a broader Religion. This also manifests in "Beta-male" being universally interpreted as an insult, whereas great men are nothing without worthy Beta-males. What would Napoleon have achieved if all of his followers fancied themselves as Alpha and thought it was some humiliation to be a loyal follower?
I think the solution is to consciously develop a new non-theistic Religion that doesn't rely on superstition or demand belief in miracles. Adherence to this religion should sacralize civilizational achievement, the Faustian spirit, and social conventions that steer society in a eugenic direction. It should oppose those who compromise these objectives with false gods and a false morality.
Although I no longer believe in spiritual afterlife, I believe in more than ever a physical afterlife. I will look towards my children, who are my life after my death, a physical projection of my blood and spirit. Any successor-religion to Yahweh-ism should likewise elevate eternal life not as a matter of personal salvation, but group survival and thriving.
You're on solid ground here because he actually explicitly says as much multiple times and in multiple places.
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