It's a Dick Thing: Secret Thoughts of Silent Men
by
Don Koberg
© 2002
Meet the
reemerging multi-faceted talking male of the 21st Century,
too long waiting silently off stage behind a curtain of macho myth and
militant misrepresentation. (Back Cover)
Every man knows it
takes courage to resolve warm compassionate mothered beginnings with
social expectations that he develop into an impassionate, hard-edged
gladiator, but real men do it each day. (Back Cover)
We may vary
between ‘bad ass’ and ‘candy ass’ and all that lies between. Whether
we choose to represent ourselves as silent, senseless brutes or as
verbal, wise, and brave defenders of truth, or some combination of
both, our worth and credence can only be fairly judged in terms of how
well or poorly we play our stated role. (Man-ifesto; Editor)
Maybe a large part
of this “dick thing” has to do with self-esteem. Males seem to either
have too much, or not enough. We’re always looking for it and either
can’t find it or can’t recognize it when we see it. (Late for
Dinner; Mike McGee, Water Conservation Consultant)
We need to cry. No
question about it. But how nourishing is the simple act of crying? (A
Deeper Cry Within; Bob Banner, Window Washer)
I am a man. I am
serious. I am strong. I am stoic, often too busy to treat friends with
the love they deserve. I show no emotions. I am a man. I have always
acted that way, business first, wife second, friends and family third.
(Magic and Loss; John Thomas, Electronic Product Manufacturer)
Look beneath an
often hard, defensive crust and discover that men are neither more nor
less human than other brainy members of the animal kingdom. (Introduction
to Part Four; Editor)
Men, of course,
have problems of their own. Some men have a gene for baldness that,
with age, becomes activated by even standard levels of testosterone.
Other more serious long-term effects of testosterone include possible
heart disease, susceptibility to infection, enlargement of the
prostate gland, and a host of other maladies. Like it or not, men are
the “weaker sex” in this regard, which might also explain part of the
difference in male/female life spans. (“Mr.T”; William Stansfield,
Biologist)
You know I don’t
bitch when things aren’t perfect. I don’t whine about a pain or a big
bill or something going wrong with the car. When I’m in trouble nobody
knows. If something needs taking care of, or a bit of criminality
needs doing, then I don’t go round up everyone I know asking for them
to agree with me. I just get on with it. (Me; Steve Omega, Wanderer)
From our earliest
training we are taught to not show feelings and to be tough, that
money is the road to happiness, and that he who has the most toys in
the end is the winner. Fortunately not all men conform to this
dominant pattern of male behavior. The men I like best are gentle,
caring, compassionate human beings and not driven by the motivation
for power and wealth. (Confession; Craig Nuttycombe, Carpenter)
Copyright 2002 Don
Koberg, all rights reserved
