What defines a man? Is it his rough exterior? His lack of emotions? His determination? His metal arms and legs? I'm sorry, but that sounds more like a robot than any sort of man I know. Society has led the trail of masculinity down a bad road. Once, not long ago, the most respected men were the scholars, poets, and intellectuals. Now, it's the thugs, the rednecks, and the buff Californian senators. Don't you think it's about time we turned it around?

My definition of manhood has always been somewhat conflicting with the norm. As a child, my dad never hunter, never watched sports, and never told me that I had to do anything to be a man. Far from blaming him for that, I think it was the best thing he could have done for me. He allowed me to become my own man, without him trying to make me who he wanted me to be. This fact has made me observe a lot of odd happenings in man life.

For instance, many men I know actually have feelings. I know, weird, right? But it's true. They just have to hide them because that's what's expected of them. Another example is the fact that many of my friends aren't slack-jawed womanizers! Astounding, when you stop to think about it. All sarcasm aside, the stereotypes set upon men are, in most cases, just not true. Sure, there are always those men who will embody the standards, but honestly, who cares? Those guys are probably assholes.