COLUMN: The Myth of Men's Studies

From Gregory Pavlik's "Idols of the Theater," Fall '93 The concept of a men's movement may at first seem hard to believe, but not only is it real, its insinuating itself into the popular culture. References to Robert Bly are sneaking into the language, and if I am not mistaken, a fledgling Men's Group reared its head at Penn sometime last year. The impression left by phone conversations and a plethora of written material is that Men's Studies and the men's movement are an odd amalgum of resentful white guys in need of a good dose of sensitivity, Jungian dream journals, and egalitarian mush. This alchemist's brew of ideology leaves one with a sort of fool's gold philosophy: it glitters with an odd intensity, but is ultimately worthless. The courses in Men's Studies (which a student can get credit for at the University of Missouri, Kansas City) ask penetrating questions like, "Would you like to enroll in a creatively structured course in which the only 'requirement' is keeping a journal? You would? Good!" The exact make-up of a course like "Men, Masculinity, and Men's Studies in American Education" is a little sketchy, although two whole books are required for the class. I guess there are only so many "pro-male way[s of] looking at the individual man" to find out why he is hurting. I use the word "hurting" because the claim is that white guys "know that, more often than not, there is precious little concern for their individual feelings." Gee, you feminist and multiculturalists have got it all wrong. You see, we're victims, too. But there are two problems with picking out white men as a victim class. The first difficulty arises in that if white men become an officially designated victim group, then we have finally run out of oppressors. With no oppressors, it's hard to imagine what all the victims would do, as they would have no oppressor class on whom to pin their personal shortcomings. Our entire social system would have to be re-thought. The second problem is a bit more straightforward. If white men, the descendents of those that crossed an ocean to craft a savage forest into a republic, decided to turn the reigns of the civilization they created over to their self-proclaimed enemies, they are certainly not victims; they are simply fools. The feelings of discontent that the men's groups are addressing may be very legitimate, but the miniscule minds that cooked up their ideological bologna simply do not comprehend the nature of what is effectively a power struggle. What the multiculturalists, feminists, Afro-racists, and others of the same ilk are in the process of doing is by no means pursuing the imaginary goal of a non-existant human equality. Rather, they are tearing down the power structure that supports the civilization of the European male in order to construct a power structure of their own, one that reflects their own interests and their own beliefs. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing just that. It has a very distinct ring of authenticity, and on perhaps the deepest level possible within the physical world, it speaks to sociobiological realities. If I were a non-Westerner, the odds are that I might just do the same. However, from the perpective of our subject, the white male, the point that hits home is simple. That which he has created to reflect his interests and beliefs, what we call "Western Civiliztion" – the civilization which has uncovered notions of truth, beauty, science, and freedom for which there exists no match; the territory of the much maligned Dead White Male is in jeopardy. I simply believe that this civilization is worth preserving, and that preservation requires the active defense of that particular civilization by its creators and partisans. In particular, it is the middle American breadwinner that is being dispossessed of everything which he values. It makes no difference to him that an elitist white class still holds sway over the CEO positions in Fortune 500 companies. He faces real legal obstacles to the very essential task of landing a job in the very country that his ancestors founded. There is nothing really controversial about all of this, its just that the reality of existing conflicts over the culture are rarely talked about with any candor. Surely, this reality can no longer be suppressed from entering the public dialogue. When this sinks into the brains of those that the cranks of the men's movement seek to pacify, perhaps they will wake up. When they do, the heretofore dispossessed majority male may get it into his head to take back that which he has created and once called his own. When he does, the forces that have been arrayed against him will fall, like the forests of America fell before his forefathers centuries ago. Perhaps then we will live to see an America renaissance. Gregory Pavlik is a senior Materials Science and Engineering major from Delran, New Jersey. Idols of the Theater will usually appear alternate Tuesdays.

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