If men aren't gentlemen, feminists are to blame

In his suggestions for An Antidote for Feminism, Roger Overton, who calls himself a "Christian apologetics junkie," sums it up like this: "The root of the problem... is the failure of men to take up and fulfill their God-given roles. More simply, men have failed to be men. The failure of women to be women is a problem as well, but is dependent first on the failure of men. Therefore the solution must be that men become men once again."

Overton suggests that for men to be men again, they must become true gentlemen and practice gentleness, courage, fidelity, and honor. According to Overton, the concept of the gentleman was destroyed by feminism and changes in the church.

What I want to know is how in hell feminism destroyed men's ability to be gentle, courageous, faithful, and honorable. Feminism requires that everyone behaves with repsect, courage, and gentleness toward others, and feminist women really, really like men who possess those qualities.

Overton's real agenda appears in a later post, when he tells us that all girls want to be princesses. "The beauty and magic of the fairy tales have captured their imaginations and left them wanting more. They want the stories to come to life, and they themselves want the starring roles.

"Little girls, and perhaps big ones too, still want to be princesses. They still long to look beautiful, to live lives that have a twist of fantasy and magic, and even, to some degree, be rescued by Prince Charming. They are our little Ariels, Princess Auroras, and Cinderellas, but where are their Prince Erics, Philips, and Charmings? Who will rescue them? Where is the boy counterpart to the girl’s dreams of princesshood?"

Overton has the answer to that, too: It's Spiderman, who does a lot of super-masculine things, but also displays humility, loyalty, and honor.

It is true that little girls (but not all little girls) want to be princesses because the princess is the feminine ideal, no matter how far from reality that concept may be. But they also want to be princesses because the image of the frilly, helpless, lovely thing has been thrust upon them by teachers, pastors, parents, storybooks, textbooks, and the advertising industry.

What it all comes down to is that Overton and those like him--including many women-- cannot give up the fantasy that women need to be rescued by men. Indeed, if I were in a physically compromising situation that demanded great physical strength, I would want a man or a very strong woman to help me. I appreciate it when men move the really heavy furniture, but I do know how to move it if I need to, and 99% of American life in the 21st Century has nothing to do with moving furniture.

The idea that women striving for social, political, and economic equality with men have caused men to act like like fools and to give up their Christian heritage is a hoot. If we have all of this power, why can't we get decent salaries, health care, job promotions, and freedom from sexual assault?