What Can a Gentleman Like and Not Like?

Afternoon gents, it’s Max from the Young Gentleman’s Guide here! So today, I’m going to talk about part of what truly makes a man a man. Let me ask you this: what makes a man a man? If you were to ask a hundred different people, you’d likely get a hundred different answers. If you were to ask me, I would say that a true man is assertive, confident, a strong leader, and is able to stand up for himself. On top of that, a true man is someone who’s agreeable, helpful, trustworthy, and respectful to those who respect him. With this in mind, I’d like to bring up something that many will say is tied to masculinity, what a man can or can’t like or find enjoyment in. Also,  before we get started, I just want to wish a very happy birthday to my dear friend The Vintage Athenian! She has been one of my biggest supporters for a long time, and I feel like this is the least I could so for her. So if you like, go ahead and hop over to her Instagram and wish her a happy, happy birthday, and tell her The Young Gentleman’s Guide sent you! Also, feel free to follow her if you want!

For a while, I used to watch James Allsup, a conservative political commentator and anti-SJW personality on YouTube, and a few weeks ago, he put up a video called LEFTISTS DEMAND TO BAN ALL GUNS, in which Mr. Allsup presents his views on a cartoon musical about gun control. Now, I actually agree with most of what Mr. Allsup says in this video, but there is something he said in the beginning of the video that just rubbed me the wrong way. Mr. Allsup states outright that “musicals are geared towards women, children, and homosexuals” and that he’s “not in their target demographic.” Granted, while he never states that any of this is a bad thing, the way he said just seemed very condescending, as if he’s saying that if you like musicals, you aren’t actually a man. But after stewing over this for some time, it finally hit me. Why are people, especially men, not allowed to like something if they’re not in its target demographic?

Think about all the masculine traits I listed in the first paragraph. What do they have in common? They all have to do with how a man presents himself and how he acts around people, they have nothing to do with what a man finds enjoyment in. So if a man continues to display and practice the traits that at least I believe makes them a man, why should it matter what he likes or find enjoyment in? Now, keep in mind that the examples I’m about to bring up are mostly anecdotal and examples from my personal life, so take most of this with a grain of salt.

Some of the biggest male role models in my life have found and still find enjoyment in things like musical theater, Disney movies, and the like. While most of those things are usually targeted towards women and/or gay men, that does not mean that straight, masculine men, like most of the men I look up to, can’t enjoy them. My father is one of the strongest and most determined people I know. He’s in fantastic shape, is always on hand to help in any situation, and can do just about anything that requires the use of tools (as much as he hates plumbing). On top of that, he also loves going to Disneyland, and is always happy to attend a musical performance with his daughters. His brother, my uncle was one of the biggest fans of musical theater I’ve ever known. But just like my dad, he was also incredibly determined and strong, and he was one of the funniest guys I knew. He was also a master negotiator, and would do whatever he could to get his way in things like business deals; that’s what made him such a great salesman. Also, there was our other admin, Jonah. He’s also an Eagle Scout, but he’s also an avid actor and singer. He’s no doubt one of the greatest examples of a young gentleman I’ve ever seen, hence why I brought him on to be an admin, and he didn’t let what he loved doing get in his way of presenting himself as a true gentleman. And then there’s me.

While maybe not the perfect example, I still consider myself a traditionally masculine man. I’m an Eagle Scout, I’ve learned how to be assertive, how to be an effective leader, and how to stand up for myself. Now that I think about it, pretty much all I’ve learned about being a man can be attributed to my time in the Boy Scouts. They taught me how shoot a gun, how to save a person’s life in numerous situations, how to navigate the wilderness if I were to get lost, and countless other things that young men today should know. Now with all of this, let me ask you this: would you believe me if I told that I performed in ballet once? Contrary to what probably most of you would guess, I actually have. Not as a dancer, but I did play trumpet in a pit orchestra for a production of The Nutcracker, and that leads me to the meat of what I’m trying to say here. I do my best to practice those traits that I believe make me a man every day of my life, and yet I still find enjoyment in things like musical theater, ballet, opera, and animated Disney movies, all things that you can argue are mostly targeted towards women and children. That being said, I also enjoy movies like Indiana Jones and The Matrix, and video games like Halo, which are things mostly targeted towards men. But it shouldn’t matter what you like, no matter if it’s geared towards women, men, children, gay men, or anything else. What matters is how you present yourself and how you treat others. That’s what makes you a man. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to watch a performance of Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker while writing some more articles for you gents!  I hope you enjoyed reading today’s post. Please be sure to share the post, follow the blog, and follow The Young Gentleman’s Guide on Facebook and Instagram. And on that note, this is Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide, and I’ll see you next time!