I believe men are no longer from Mars; we are from Pluto. Over several decades men have been slowly and unceremoniously, albeit somewhat voluntarily, transformed to this now declassified defunct planet. A dwarf planet more befitting the modern American male. Our masculine and mental attributes are now derived from the smallest, most inconsequential, insignificant planet in the solar system – Pluto. No longer a planet of stature, Pluto was downgraded to a dwarf planet in 2006 – a fitting place for the males of today.
A long time ago (50 years?) when men were from Mars, masculine life was different. Remember the worn-out axiom from the book written by John Gray in 1992? “Men are from Mars; Woman are from Venus.” Men once from Mars, warriors, protectors, made of the iron which is the core of Mars. Mars was named for the Roman God of war who was seen as Rome’s Guardian. The actual symbol depicting Mars is the Roman Shield and Spear, the biological symbol of the male gender. Those were the days my friend, we didn’t know it would end.
The transformation from Mars to Pluto took place over the decades as men relinquished their physical and mental prowess. I personally believe, starting in the 1960s, we were being transported to the lowly planet Pluto by ‘Wonder Women and’ the feminists. Women, deserving equality, started to challenge the wrongs they endured. Sometime during the 1960s woman adopted the word ‘Patriarch’ as a battle cry against male dominance. These females, or feminists, determined the male species, ‘The Patriarchs’ were a detriment to their growth in an emerging free society[1]. In other words, these high spirited, free loving, bra burning, pot smoking, topless ladies were suppressed and found a culprit to blame, her male counterpart. We, the patriarchs, were duped into acquiescence and oblivion. As men quietly acquiesced, they became an accomplice to their own masculine suicide.
As the newest feminist and boldest movement progresses males are taking steps backwards or sideways. We remained silent as our female counterparts loudly voiced objections to patriarchal ways they considered undesirable. These undesirable traits were related to “Man Speak”, “Toxic Masculinity”, “Male Privilege”, and “Testosterone” disruptiveness. Father knows best has taken a back seat to ‘daddy dumbest.’
A side bar: Oxford’s Dictionary’s 2018 word of the year was “Toxic”. It shouldn’t be a major surprise to anyone the word of the year for 2017 was “Feminist”. Was the selection of these words a coincidence or a precursor to the future of males in America?
[1] Bartleby.com, “Woman from all over the nation came together to fight patriarchy and sexism.”
Forgotten Truths 