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Outside of fiction, I have no interest in being "a man" or "manliness." Any definition would almost invariably have to be a blanket ideal, and I don't believe in those. I think just not being a piece of shit should be enough without throwing arbitrary gender-based terminology on it. The old-school "drink and fight and drive a big truck, John Wayne" shit doesn't work for me because I don't like the taste of alcohol, trucks drive like shit, and John Wayne made, what, one or two good movies? I exclude fighting because I'm not all "oh, fighting is just stupid" types. Just don't act like fighting is going to prove anything other than who can fight better. And many of the "new school" ideals either should just be universal "don't be a douche" rules or are double standards? Don't ever hit women? Bullshit. Don't be a wife/girlfriend/woman beater, sure. But if someone is doing something that you would hit them for, reproductive organs shouldn't be the deciding factor. Maybe this is my months-long physically abusive relationship talking, but fuck that "never hit women ever" noise. Out-dated, double standard, SEXIST bullshit.
Back to "what makes a man" question; the only valid answer I can think of is "who gives a shit?"
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