What's That Even Mean?

The results are in! A few weeks ago, a list was released that brought wonderful news to the state of Ohio. The Combos Brand unveiled it's 3rd annual Manliest Cities in America review (http://www.americasmanliestcities.com/). Wouldn't you know it, Cinci, Columbus, and Cleveland all finished in the top 20. I could never quite articulate it, but I always felt my testosterone levels drop whenever I exited the borders of The Heart of it All. 

Cleveland showed the strongest ranking of Buckeye cities coming in at a solid number six. I won't lie, I feel a bit of pride knowing that I help masculinize the 6th most masculine city in America. What's most surprising is that Cleveland jumped up nine spots from last year's rankings. This can only mean one thing: the creators of the list remembered that I live in Cleveland and then factored that into this year's results. Hence the sudden spike in manliness for The Forest City. 

How did the Combos Brand come to the results of these rankings? Here are a few things (besides my masculine presence) that helped determine the manliness of a city:

• Sports - number of pro sports teams and other sports related qualities of a city (thank goodness they didn't count number of championships won after 1964).
• Manly Lifestyle - manly behaviors analyzed such as number of pickup trucks owned, fishing equipment, rodeos, home improvement, motorcycles, etc.
• Concentration of Manly retail stores - fishing/hunting shops, BBQ's, etc.
• Manly Occupations - firefighters, police, EMT, and construction job.

Manly Kryptonite points were also taken off of each cities total for the number of: home decor stores, cafe's/coffee shops, sushi restaurants, "modern" male apparel stores, and cupcake shops.

___________________________________

As mentioned just below the title of this site, I'm not only dedicated to discussing fatherhood and husbandry, but also the responsibilities of being a man. Here is the biggest issue with discussing the responsibilities of being a man: What the heck is a "man" these days?

If the Combos Brand is right, does that mean a guy who picks up Starbucks before he goes to his job in fashion merchandising then meets his buddy for sushi later isn't manly? Do those things make him less of a man? 

I have to think about these questions. While much of this may not pertain to you the reader, understand that if I don't have answers to these questions, I lose credibility at my job. I may have a student who feels less manly because he's more prone to pick up a violin before a barbell. So I have to have a good understanding of manliness if I ever expect to communicate the role of a man to a younger generation (note: that sentence reads just as well by replacing the "I" with "we", give it a try and the responsibility becomes yours as well). 

The question of manhood becomes even more tangled with confusion when we factor in the themes of today's culture. When a female pop star dresses as an Italian teenager, and our male hip-hop artists wear Jeggings, we see a massive grey area in our feminine and masculine roles. Be whatever you want, do whatever you want. 

So what do we say to our violin toting male? Or our frappe drinking fashion merchandiser? More importantly, what do I tell Baby Whiz about being a man? Will his understanding of masculinity be based on his dad? Should men be whatever they want, or do whatever they want???????

I'll spare you the elevendy billion word expository on masculinity and let you know this: Men have a definitive role. In their families, relationships, work, and recreation. It's a heavy responsibility. But the responsibility doesn't center around leadership, or being strong, or making the decisions. It's based on love. So you can run and tell that...homeboy. 

____________________________________________

The guys of this world need advice. More important, my son is going to need advice. So let's come full circle and make...............................a list! List's are always right. 

This list will be advice to guys about being a guy:

• Be confident. Don't be afraid to be who you are.
• Always carry a pocket knife. People will make fun of you, but then they'll be the first ones to ask your help when their feet and hands are roped together by bank robbers - or if they just need help opening Christmas presents. Either one.
• Stand up for people who are getting picked on. 
• Always look out for your mother.
• When you find that special lady, love her more than yourself. 
• And listen to Van Zant when they say: "Don't get too high on the bottle, just a little sip every now and then. Fight your fights, find the grace in all the things that you can't change. And help somebody if you can. And get right with the Man." 

Would love to hear your opinions on which advice should be added to the list. What do you think the guys of this world should always know???

Gosh, all this masculine talk is exhausting. There's only one thing more stressful in this world than trying to raise a little boy:

Raising a little girl. Good luck to whoever has that responsibility on their hands. I know I couldn't do it. I may find myself starting to worry about "guns, weddings, and clothes and all the other stuff that goes along with raising a little girl". Sheesh. 

(http://cneading.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/a-pink-world/ read it, you won't be disappointed).