Abrams is a legal analyst for ABC News and a former lawyer, and says he approached the topic as a defense attorney, using evidence that already exists to debunk popular myths about women.
“In nearly every field, statistics and studies show that women are better collaborators, are more cautious and more adept at navigating treacherous terrain,” writes Abrams in his book’s opening statement. “I am not convinced that women as a group play basketball or read maps better than men. The evidence here will show, however, that women are living longer and evolving better than men.” It takes a lot for a man to admit his own weaknesses (there’s a chapter on how women tolerate pain better), so we wondered why Abrams would make the case for women. Turns out, it’s a man’s job.The book touches on a lot of silly things, but apparently ignores the more serious questions like violent crime and child abandonment, much more stark differences between men and women. It's not a book about who's better.
The feedback I'm getting from men seems to come from two different directions.
The first, an egalitarian and relativistic perspective that seems to say that no one is better than anyone else, and that we are all one, and that comparisons create the illusion of separation. This approach, in my opinion, is a self-permission for men not to look at where they need to do their work. Improve? But we're all perfect just as we are! It's an unwillingness to look objectively at what's going on and a shadow move to change the subject.
The second approach is defensive and reactionary, all the while making arguments that actually support Abrams' findings. The remarkable part of this approach is that it uses assumptions to argue against what it sees as assumptions. Have you read the book?
But the facts are undeniable: Women are surpassing men in leadership positions, valedictorian addresses, graduation rates, jobs after graduation, and even salaries. Women seem to have found their adaptability muscles, and men seem to be struggling with change. My experience is that women are better at evolving than most men. I've never been approached by a man and been asked, "where are all the conscious women?" On the other hand....well, you get the picture.
One of the reviews on Amazon called this book called it the perfect gift for your favorite male chauvinist.
So to wrap this up, let's move away from the book and take a deeper look at what's going on with men today - especially American men. This isn't about better, or some imagined hierarchy of right and wrong. This is about centuries of patriarchy, where even though most men were also victims of it and not perpetrators, it has numbed us as men. It's time for us to wake up. Those of you who are offended by what appears to be the duality and separation of what feels like a contest-like mentality demonstrated in the book need to back up and take a look at your shadow around this. Instead of Abrams' Man Down, maybe its' a wake up call to New Man-Up.
Here's the full title and a link to where you can buy the book: Man Down: Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt That Women Are Better Cops, Drivers, Gamblers, Spies, World Leaders, Beer Tasters, Hedge Fund Managers, and Just About Everything Else.
For a more serious look at what's going on with men today, read the first chapter of my book, "Awakening The New Masculine."
3 comments:
Gary -- I haven't read this book. What I read about it and the author's comments leads me to believe that it is more about marketing than any kind of serious work. I am curious as to why you have felt compelled to endorse the book, defend it, and use it as authority for your own views without having read it.
Paul Henderson
Hi Paul-- What intrigues me about the book are two things: One, that, serious or not, It's pointing at the same things more serious works (including mine)are pointing at - a generally decline in men and the success of women in the midst of that decline - also pointed out by Newsweek and The Atlantic, and two, why there seems to be such a strong reaction to the book, why it's triggering for men. It may not be a serious book (I'll know after my copy arrives and will post accordingly), but it apparently presents some very interesting facts and statistics, which, of course, are always interpreted by our pre-existing perspectives.
What is happening in our world today is that maleness is being identified as the chief culprit in why the world is in the mess that it is in. Its hard to defend aganist this arguement because it has been mainly men who have been in charge.
Since men have been predominately in charge it is no surprise that the power elites have leaped to the conclusion that since maleness is the primary cause of why the world is so full of violence and poverty the solution is to replace male dominance with feemale dominance.
Inorder to acomplish this objective they the power elites realized that they had to get more women into leadership positions thus they devised a stragedy to topple patriachy and enthrone matriachy.
Phase one was to rigg the educational system so that females would outperform males. How? By introducing course work into the cariculum which they knew girls would be better at and assigning a whopping 70% of a student's grade value to course work thus ensuring girls would out perform boys in education which is already proving successful as girls out perform boys from kindergarden trough college.At the time course work was introduce there were some warning that it would be dentrimental to boys but the arguement that pervailed was that girls needed an edge to catch up.
phase two would be because girls out perform males in education they would out compete males for best paying jobs thus earning more money would become the heads of house holds which is already starting to happen as malinnial girls just entering the work place are out earning malinnial boys. As this continues since money is power women will become empowered to displace males from leadership positions.
Under the deception that women are seeking equality and parity with males has succeeded in enlisting the susport of many males. However, the truth is that many women believe their gender is susperior to the male gender therefor they would not logicaly seek equality with those they regard as inferior. It is hoped by the power elites that men won't wake up in time to take away the advantage females have in education writen about above and close the gender gap in education before it is too late!Males must be made aware that in helping women gain parity with males they are unwitingly cutting their own throats because all of history teaches that when people who regard themselves to be susperior come into power they always either exterminate or subjugate those they regard as inferior.
Another part of the stragedy to displace patriachy is to encourage females to out perform males in the work place. To accomplish this thousands of susport groups have sprung up all over the country telling girls that they must work twice as hard to go half as far as males. Thus girls work harder than males inorder to get a good paying job and then work much harder inorder to keep their jobs and advance thus females are out performing males in all facets of society not because they are susperior but because they are aided and abetted by an educationaly system that favors girls and susport groups fostering the lie that girls are the victims of an ole boy's network while there are relatively few susport groups for boys. girls for example are being coached to participate in community projects where awards are given out. this is why at most award ceromonies its practicaly an all girl show.
Thus we see why girls really are out performing males as Dan Abram's
book man down proves.But this out performance of males is not honestly earned.
The wake up call men need to hear is to be made aware that females are out to out shine them and if they suceede their future is very bleak because women are not attracted to weak men this is why marriage is in decline and lesbism is on the rise.
The Blogger known as deep think
David AuCoin
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