This post is part one of a three part series. Click here for part two and part three.
‘What is a Man?’
In previous ages, there was no questions about men or women.
Every member of the community would know the roles and duties of the men and of the women. While different societies have held a variety of roles and customs for men and women, these roles would rarely overlap. There would be no confusion about the quality of a man or woman. Each sex could be measured against the social ideal. How does your father, husband, or son measure to our conception of man? How does you mother, wife, or daughter measure to our conception of woman?
Yet, ours is a confused age.
In the 21st century, particularly in the Western world, there are no clear line between men and women. Beyond this confusion, there does not even exist a societal consensus of what a ‘male’ or ‘female’ is.
For the sake of clarity, this blog will assert the following:
1) A ‘male’ is a person that is born with a penis and testes. Males are chromosomally represented as XY.
2) A ‘female’ is a person that is born with a vagina and ovaries. Females are is chromosomally represented as XX.
These two statements are charged enough to cause outrage on universities campuses across Canada, the United States, and Europe. Academics of various stripes, alongside their ardent followers, would assert that not all men have penises, nor all women vaginas; that not all men would have XY chromosomes, nor women XX chromosomes; that biological sex is less important than gender or sexual identity.
To them, I have no words. I will not criticize their position. I shall only speak with those who can concede those two points.
Yet, these definitions are only physical differences. The real differences arise elsewhere.
We have only defined what a ‘male’ is.
We are interested in what a ‘Man’ is. What ‘Masculinity’ is.
For that, we need a proper method of exploration.
Click here for part two and part three.