We men are not interested in lip service. We don’t want one more piece of money with a stern portrait of a man. And please don’t patronize us by trying to spruce up our man caves with “tasteful decor.” If we like neon signs, we like neon signs.
Yes, men have received perfunctory recognition for their contributions to American society and government, even the arts. But we deserve more, much more. April is the time for such overdue recognition, because April has now been designated Men’s History Month by a majority vote of the Wyoming National Guard.
Step back and take a new look at the men who have made significant contributions to our nation over many generations. As you probably know, Millard Fillmore, the 13th President of the United States, was a man. But do you know the name Hannibal Hamlin? Managing a father’s farm as a young person was not easy. Growing up to become the U.S.’s 15th Vice President was no small accomplishment. And though historians seldom mention this, Hannibal Hamlin was a man.
Artist Norman Rockwell made wholesome contributions to American culture through hundreds of heartwarming paintings, many of which featured men. And historians have recorded that a man, Mr. Thomas Edison, invented the first electric light bulb as well as many other useful home products. Apparently several high schools still bear his name.
The contributions of men to our culture have been most grievously ignored in the field of music. Men have made many brave efforts not only to compose music but even, in some cases, to perform it.
Frank Sinatra, a man, recorded a song in 1966, Strangers In The Night, that became a long-time favorite of many listeners, many of them men. Not only did he record this song without backup singers, it was orchestrated by another man, Nelson Riddle, whose pride and determination overcame prejudice against men in popular music.
Still not impressed? Mr. Sinatra’s recording of this song featured an extemporized lyric — a variant of the obscure “scat” — that only a man could have created:
Dooby dooby doo
Doo doo doo dee dah
Dah dah dah dah dah ya ya ya
Consider such vital professions as truck driving and building demolition. Many men toil at these difficult, demanding jobs despite aching backs and dirty fingernails, not to mention sports teams that usually disappoint them. What’s more . . .
- Eddie Hall, the first person to lift 500 kg, is a man, and remains one, though he suffered serious nose bleeds following that lift.
- The inventor of the flushable toilet was an Englishman, but more importantly, a man. Thomas Crapper deserves proper respect, not nasty jokes.
- Joe Biden, a man, claims he defeated someone he recalled as Corn Pop in some kind of fight early in the 20th century. Even imagined battles reflect the projected strength of men.
Let me note — in fellowship with millions of other men out there and without shame — that this commentary was written by a man. You may take issue with it, but I will not be silent, nor will I take refuge in the so-called “female side” all men are insultingly alleged to have. I’m loud, I’m proud, I’m part of the brotherhood of men.
I want a beer.