What is Manliness?
Lew Rockwell frequently links to "The Art of Manliness." It's a decent site, but I think it's more like Gentleman's Quarterly than a man's site. When I think of men, I basically have two stereotypes: John Wayne and Basil the Great. If you're of the secularist bent, John. If you're of the religious, Basil. The Art of Manliness isn't either. Could you, for instance, imagine John Wayne or Basil writing, editing, publishing, or even reading a 1,300-word essay about holiday clothing? There's nothing wrong with the article in its specifics, and it even has a few decent suggestions, but to dwell on clothes for more than, say, 30 seconds? That's not manly. That occupies the gray area of maleness between metro-sexuality and dapperism. It ain't queer, but it sure ain't masculine. * * * * * * * Handkerchiefs. I did, however, appreciate this tip: “A gentleman should always be ready to help a lady, child, or fellow man in need. Carrying a simple white cotton handkerchief in your back pocket is a habit that's inexpensive, easy to pick-up, and allows you to come to the rescue in a potentially embarrassing moment. Oh, and the proper response when they thank you is to say 'You're welcome, and please keep it.'" I've never owned, handled, or even touched a handkerchief. I've seen people use them and stick them back in their pocket, and it has always kinda freaked me out. But after reading that, I might pick up a few handkerchiefs, just so I can be useful to someone, sometime. Then again, the price of cotton is probably pushing them out of a reasonable price range. * * * * * * * Time Lines. I found a neat feature at Wikipedia yesterday: Century time lines. You type in a century, and it brings up a nifty time line, with commentary. Check out this sample: 5th Century. It even shows a small Catholic bent, listing among significant personages not just obvious ones like Augustine and St. Patrick, but also Chrysostom, Jerome, and Cyril. Heck, they even mention John Cassian, who's not exactly a household name in Catholic homes, much less among the broader populace. * * * * * * * New Site. I just discovered Alternative Right: "AlternativeRight.com, launched on March 1, 2010, is an online magazine of radical traditionalism. As such, it marks an attempt to forge a new intellectual right-wing that is independent and outside the 'conservative' establishment." I've only spent ten minutes on the site, but I've bookmarked it for later perusal. It looks pretty good. Check out, for instance, this piece about B16 and condoms. Excerpt:
Flawed as the contemporary post-Vatican II church may be, its leader still makes our cultural Marxist rulers sweat, quake in their birkenstocks, and foam at the mouth like rabid poodles. That's no mean feat. All of us who wish to prevent the "suicide of the West" should say a prayer, or at least think good thoughts, on behalf of this two thousand year old institution which still holds certain "outmoded" standards unashamedly against a depraved, ruthless Zeitgeist whose corrosive influence threatens us all.
