While the women on Fox News are quite comely, Fox News men are not exactly macho stud muffins. (Picture Steve Doocy and Greg Gutfeld) Yet, Fox News, as part of its ongoing lament over the decline of traditional and patriarchal America, seems to be focused on the "wussification" of America as manifested by school yoga programs and paid internships, among other things. Roger Ailes' (not exactly Hugh Jackman) love for a Christian patriarch was certainly shown in Fox's support for the homophobic Duck Dynasty patriarch as well as the promotion of Suzanne Venker's anti-feminist lunacy. Fox & Friends got the wussification thing rolling with their promotion of the seriously deranged and homophobic views of Christian "comic" Brad Stine. Brian Kilmeade recently hosted a "mommy blogger" who wants "boys to be boys." And this morning, the Fox friends started 2014 with a lament about - wait for it - wussification of American men.
In the reality based world, there is no war on Christmas. Neither is there a "crisis of American manhood," yet this is was the propaganda message that Elisabeth Hasselbeck immediately framed on this morning's Fox & Friends while the chyron reinforced the message: "Manning Up, Avoiding the Wussification of America." She introduced her guest, Darrin Patrick who warns about a crisis of manhood in America in his new book, The Dude's Guide to Manhood: "Finding True Manliness in a World of Counterfeits," a "guide filled with wisdom and practical knowledge that charts a course back to manliness."
Brian Kilmeade (LOL) asked Patrick what he knows about manliness that "we have to know." Patrick spoke about how manliness is about character and not personality. He asserted that "a real man can be tough and tender." The chyron described the book as "Rules for Dudes, How to Be a Manly Man." He provided more advice to dudes while the chyron asked "Are You a Real Man?" As he spoke the next chyron declared, as Fox Fact that there is a "Crisis of Manhood" over the question "Is There a Wussification Going on in America?"
Kilmeade referenced how the "Duck Dynasty Guys" wrote the forward to Patrick's book and asked Patrick if he was concerned about - wait for it - "the feminizing of men in our society." Patrick responded in the affirmative and when he started to talk about men's image in the media, an agitated Kilmeade interjected, "if you look at commercials men are doofuses, they don't know what they're doing, they're being treated like children."
Aside - Brian Kilmeade complains about men being portrayed as doofuses, on Fox & Friends hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Patrick claimed that "most men" didn't have real men to "guide them to be the men they were created to be." He promoted his book as a "guide" for men to follow "a path to masculinity." Kilmeade "joked" about how he learned a lot from "Father Knows Best" (which was popular before Kilmeade was born?) and Mr. Brady. (Yeah, Brian, it shows!) Once again a moment of sheer irony when Kilmeade added, "now the dads are idiots." The last chyron was a spit out the coffee ROFLMAO moment: "Macho, Macho Men, What Kind of Guy is a Real Man." (The "macho, macho men" phrase is taken from the first lines of a famous "Village People" Song which was a homage, in the form of tongue in cheek satire, to gay men - not a group beloved by Fox News!)
While Patrick's advice may be harmless enough, the "wussification" meme, pushed on Fox News, is really insidious as it promotes an archaic culture in which men are manly and women know their place - an attitude that could promote domestic abuse. It also seems to dovetail with the Christian right's views that anti-bullying programs are part of the "wussification" of boys who, when they bully gay kids, are just expressing their manly and Christian nature. Kilmeade's comment about the "feminization of men" suggests both an anti-gay and anti-woman agenda.
Anyway, seeing that we're celebrating men, what better opportunity for a little of the Monty Python "men song."
"It's great to be on a ship with men And sail across the sea-o. We don't know where we'll land or when but it's great to be with men cause men can sweat and men can stink and no one seems to care-o. We'll throw the dishes in the sink and clog the sink with hair-o...Men, men, men, it's a ship all filled with men so throw your rubbers overboard there's no one here but men"
"Ahhhhhhhh Mennnnn!!!!"
They should have just booked the original, especially considering that Paglia’s on the fast track to becoming a Fox News BFF… But Paglia’s recent little contribution to time.com has her under a lot of fire, so I guess she has to sit on the back burner, with not even enough to really write up what shout-outs they are sending.
And, as a supposed family values network, do you really think using the word wussification is appropriate? The kiddies are sharp enough to realize that what what you really mean is the P word – and in most Christian, family values households (which FOX would claim are a big part of their viewer base), the P word is not considered appropriate. It’s rather like how the conservative radio host, David Webb, once used the term “circle jerk” when he was a guest on one of the FOX “news” shows. Wussy (pussy) and circle jerk? Really FOX? LOL!
And, frankly, I know a whole bunch of strong and dependable women (you know, the ones with actual pussies) who would take insult at the way you throw around the wussy/pussy word like it something that automatically makes you weak or lesser. You jackasses don’t have a clue.
Instead of a beer belly, you’d get “beer biceps.”
Valentine’s Day would be moved to February 29th so it would only occur in leap years.
Instead of an expensive engagement ring, you could present your wife-to-be with a giant foam hand that said, “You’re #1!”
Tanks would be far easier to rent.
Hallmark would make “Sorry, what was your name again?” cards.
When your girlfriend really needed to talk to you during the game, she’d appear in a little box in the corner of the screen during a time-out.
And finally… Telephones would automatically cut off after 30 seconds of conversation.
Gay or straight,
Love is great!
