Before I even get into it, I know that this is going to be a spin-off/sequel/more in-depth post of my Kidz post and “You can’t be a pussy your whole life” quote. It is inspired by a discussion on another website and a TV show. If you haven’t guessed it by now, it’s going to be about the pussification of society, and yes, mostly men.

So, about this little discussion on the other website. One of the members mentioned that he was going to try Snorkel Training for his cardio. Almost immediately, another member jumped all over him saying how pointless that was. Pointless, in that all it does is build up lactic acid in the muscles faster, thereby simulating the pain during training that someone would feel in a fight (click the link and watch the video, it’ll make sense).

O’rly?!?!

So what you’re telling me is that just because the original snorkel aficionado (that’s Spanish talk for “fan”) isn’t training for an MMA fight, he would get no benefit from a decreased oxygen supply? So, pretty much all the runners and other endurance athletes that train at high altitudes for the sole purpose of decreased oxygen have been doing it wrong all this time? Pfffffft. How the hell do you think Rocky beat Ivan Drago (roll the “r”) in Rocky IV?? Please, do tell me that! I mean, we all saw the montage where Rocky was running in knee high snow up to the top of a mountain. You think he had exposure to enough oxygen up there?

Now, the guy that wanted to try this is just a regular dude like any of us. He wants to push his body to the limits. Who are any of us to say no? Obviously that guy wants to do something that not a lot of us are willing to do. Yet, there’s Jose Schmo (more Spanish talkings) saying, “don’t do it. It’s not pertinent to your everyday life.” No shit?!? You don’t say? Well fuck, I guess I better stop lifting weights. All I do is sit my ass behind a computer all day. I don’t need to lift shit. I guess I should just live my life like the rest of the cattle. Why do anything extraordinary? Again, just another example of the way “mainstream society” thinks. Why challenge yourself? You don’t need to.

Next up is the TV show, The Alaskan Experiment. Ok, I might be a bit harsh on these people. I haven’t experienced Alaska myself, and a couple of them were elderly. However, I have experienced MN and WI winters (and camped outside – in a tent). I have experienced backpacking in the wilderness for weeks at a time. And because of my workouts and previous life as a football player, I have experienced (and survived) mind numbing (literally – pretty sure I had multiple concussions in one week of practice – I think I drooled on myself), lung bursting obstacles. If I remember correctly, 3 people quit within the first two episodes. Why? Cuz it was too tough. Ok, to be fair, there was one dude (from WI mind you) that quit because the rest of the group couldn’t keep up. He wanted to push himself to the limits because he was that much of a badass…..from WI…but everyone else was telling him to slow down and be average. The main thing though, is to remember that badasses = WI. K, glad that’s settled.

What I’m trying to say is, where is this pussification coming from? Why is it that whenever something gets just a little bit too hard we quit? Is it really that easy? Do you have no self-pride or character to see things through to the end?

I will admit (before anyone has the chance to call me out) that I quit playing college ball after 3 years. But my reasons had nothing to do with dedication, hard work, or the physical aspect. Fact of the matter was, I had reconstructive ankle surgery, I was only a special teamer at that point, and my GPA was at about 2.1. Now, I don’t know about you, but when you sign up to play DIII football, the NFL shouldn’t be on your list of things to worry about. I thought it would probably be smarter to focus on my grades. I digress.

So is this vagination (sorry ladies, but us “men” refer to any lack of manhood as being girly…usually in a genital way) a personal trait or can we blame a little bit of it on society? Well, why not? We blame a lot of things (that I won’t get into) on society. Why not this? 

One example is our country moving primarily into the service industry. We no longer take pride in our work. If you don’t take pride in your work, what keeps you going back there day in and day out? Obviously it’s the money, BUT if the money’s not that great or you just can’t take it, what do you do? Quit! Why not? There’s another job out there, right? (Well, maybe not recently, but you get the point.)

Everything is so readily available, there’s no reason to stay unhappy and “struggle” through life. Hell, that’s what the government is for right? You quit because you’re not happy and someone else will take care of you until you are. (Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Let’s not get political here.) That’s kind of like the people on The Alaskan Experiment. A couple people can’t hack it, the others pick up the slack, and as a whole, the group got a little more weak…like our society.

Now, think back just a few several decades ago when we were mostly an agrarian society. What happened if your crops didn’t come in and the wild game was nowhere to be found? What did you do? Did you just say, “Ahhhhhh, fuckit!” and go to the local store? Mooch off your neighbors? Move to the big city? Doubt it. Chances are, our grandparents (and older) just rolled up their sleeves and toughed it out. Why? Because they had to. There was no other options. Not only that, but they had pride. They took pride in their work and work their asses off they did!

So, if we’re all just walking female reproductive organs, why is it that we’re still drawn to the most masculine, badass, fucking AWESOME movies on the planet? I’m talking about  The Terminator, Rocky, The Gladiator, and most recently, the epicness of The 300.Do you think that it’s because somewhere, perhaps maybe, you still have an ounce of testosterone in you? Because you quietly and secretly envy those guys with the ripped muscles, but are too lazy to get off your ass to achieve (because obv you have no reason too) them yourself? Because you WISH you had a cause so great that you would be willing to die for? Because you WISH you had the same honor they had in the movie? That’s right, somewhere, deeply ingrained in your genetic make-up, there is still a MAN in that body. I’m not talking about the man that can’t cry or “has” to be a dick to his gf in front of his buddies because that’s what “men” do. I’m talking about the man that has honor, pride, and self-respect. Where did he go? Why are you hiding him?