Originally posted by Scrawly
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I agree with many of the points he makes, especially how males are treated as unnecessary in too many media.
I'm not sure how I personally feel about the idea that boys and men have an innate need to feel respected.
I can't say that I've ever thought in those terms.
As a child I was more focused on being accepted by my peers than respected, and much of my personal growth (from a hardcore introvert to a hardcore extrovert over the course of nearly twenty years) was geared in that direction.
I've also read about a need for respect put in terms of the father-son relationship.
I had a halfway decent relationship with my father, but because he had a tendency to randomly become enraged which I later learned was genetic, without any physical abuse, I was and am much more closely bonded with my mother.
I've heard other men say that they felt a need to "challenge" their father, and Joseph Campbell puts the Oedipal part of male development as "the son against the father for the mastery of the universe".
I never felt the need to challenge him, though when I hit high school I got tired of being afraid of him and got in his face during one of his rages. He grabbed my collar, but backed down.
Even now, trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, I'm not thinking in terms of what career will win me respect, but what will allow me to use my abilities in a creative environment to pay the bills.
I'm not considering becoming an English professor because it is a respected profession or because others will look up to me, but because it will allow me to continue writing, and hopefully pass my love of writing and literature onto others.
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