One of the most welcome cultural shifts after September 11 may well be the re-emergence of traditional masculinity as something no-one need apologize for. I wrote last Spring about how Dick Cheney and Dubya were turning back the clock on the Clinton/Gore “new” men. I’ve also written in the past about the idiocy of some extreme feminists in trying to deny basic physiological and psychological differences between men and women. But even though there were signs of a revival of maleness last year, things have really gotten under way since the fall. I was impressed that the Advocate magazine put Mark Bingham on the cover as the gay man of the year. Bingham, you may recall, was a hefty Republican gay rugby player who may well have been part of the sabotaging of the al Qaeda plane headed for DC. Time was, his Republicanism would have barred him automatically from favorable coverage. Now he’s an icon. Then there’s Peggy Noonan’s fireman fetish – and who can blame her? At the same time, fashion seems to be turning. I’m noticing more and more beards around the place (ahead of the curve here!). According to the New York Times today, the phenomenon is deepening. Designer Tom Ford’s
“clothes were no longer intended for a man bent on showing off his feminine side. The suits were roomier than they have been, meant for the kind of man whose eating habits are not modeled after Slim Keith’s. Pants were high-waisted, loose at the bottom and cuffed, referring back to the gentlemanly style of the 1930’s. Mr. Ford showed wonderfully tailored greatcoats, too, and as they came out, one imagined them lending authority to even the most insecure 23-year-old.”
Notice how maleness is also correlated with age in this schema. Masculinity at its best isn’t just brawn; it’s also wisdom and maturity. Call this the age of Rummy. One reason I tend to be an optimistic conservative is that I think certain things will always be true, however hard utopians try to deny or change it. So however daffy the culture can get at times about, say, gender, and although great damage can be done in the meantime, the truth will eventually emerge. One of those truths is gender difference. It’s great to see that it can now be celebrated as much as bemoaned.
WHOEVER IT IS WE’RE FIGHTING AGAINST: David Brooks does his usual wry but perceptive take on the debate about what really motivates Islamic terrorism.
NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS: Some elements of the anti-American British press had a field day over the weekend interpreting some opaque photographs of al Qaeda prisoners with allegations of ‘torture,’ and all manner of abuses. Here’s a great editorial from the Daily Telegraph taking the Home Secretary, Jack Straw, down a notch for joining the clamor.
NO MORE KRUGMAN: I promise. Point made. But keep your eyes peeled for any other Enron-sponsored pundits on their high horses.
The Dish 