Manhood

It is no wonder that there is confusion over what men are – and as this post were posted elsewhere would likely to be taken down soon, take note. Coco shall not attribute the quote, for if he do then his behaviour shall not be any better than that which he is about to criticise. In a recent interview a businessman said that he thought companies needed more masculine energy. Whether they do, or they do not, is not the discussion for today. The interesting part of what was said is the definition of masculinity that followed. We have to be careful however as the business man was canny enough to place a glottal stop, a chasm, between the first statement and the definition, which he could also argue is not a definition. Indeed it is true, it was not framed as a definition, but rather as a pencil illustration, a cartoon if you like. His comments may then be charged with being non sequitur. So be it, you may make your own conclusion.

So for many reasons, and for this that Coco have may have misunderstood the report, Coco could be accused of spreading fake news. In order to provide a defence to my conclusion Coco may be drawn to provide the source for the sayings, but for the aforementioned reason continue to decline to do so.

What then does masculinity look like according to this picture? It is displayed in the fight. In the fight he said you are expected to be a “ruthless person who is going to crush the people with whom you are competing”. The translation belongs to Coco. This was said in the context of behaviour in a corporate role, where others would perhaps not want to see you behaving in this way.

The suggestion is that in the corporate role the display of masculinity, as pictured – the ruthless crushing of opponents, is decried. It is what is missing in the corporate world, but is expected elsewhere as the display of masculinity.

Is this what it really means to be a man? Men know that it may be the picture some want to make it, but men know in their hearts that it is false. Look at two opponents on the sports field, who after the game are playing chess together as friends. Look at the men in fast cars – some come up to the image given in this false picture. What do we call them? Coco leaves you to find the words. Others are racing to show compassion to those in need; they would much prefer not to have to themselves become a danger to others on the road.

Where is the space for compassion in this picture of ruthless masculinity? Should we not support those who are unable to support themselves? The underperformer may be an underperformer, but he needs work as much as the A-class performers. Find him work where he may be an A-class performer. In a factory the A-class performers build delicate equipment, accurately, efficiently and well, on complex machines, but without the A-class cleaner to maintain the machine for them, they will produce nothing, they will not even be F-class performers.

The one man who showed us what real masculinity is said: Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Will those who are men take up the challenge to imitate Jesus, and show the paucity of the false view of manhood that is so prevalent in our society today?

How to behave in a library

National Library, Sydney, Australia 16 May 2024 0655 GMT

National Library behaviours, Sydney, Australia – May 2024

Coco is well aware that certain types of behaviour in a library are deemed to be obnoxious to other users, and some behaviours may result in future exclusion from these reputable institutions. Whilst making his way to the botanical gardens Coco noticed some of the eccentricities of library behaviours whilst passing by and chancing to peer down into what appeared to be the reading room. It was not the papers strewn across the table of someone who was at least making an effort to do some work, nor the pairs of fingers tapping furiously on keyboards which may be evidence of little more than playing a game, but the head, not in hands moment, but rather resting on the arms of the white-topped reader whose attention span may have been exceeded by perhaps several minutes and who was then enjoying a quite pause, shall we say, in her efforts to provide ingress into her mind of whatever subject she had that afternoon previously been devoted. We may credit her with that as there is some evidence of a book underneath her arms. On the other hand she may just have fallen asleep. Coco hopes that she was a quiet sleeper and did not disturb the other readers.

Not far away however there was a much more sinister apparition. Perhaps it was only that the air conditioning in the reading room was far too severe, but the other readers do not give any indication of that there was a lack of heat in their environment, except perhaps the sleeper, but Coco hopes that she had not succumbed to the extreme cold of the reading room. Why would anyone wear dark glasses, a gaberdine shawl collar coat and something between a pork pie and top hat in a library reading room? Did anyone else in the reading room consider that such vesture may be, shall we suggest, a cause of concern? Who is this person? To what secret, or not so secret, society does he belong? Unlike his neighbour he is looking intently at the screen in front of him. Is he one of Marlon’s putatively Trotskyite acquaintances? Is he using the library as cover for his espionage? Is he conducting a conversation with his co-conspirator who is sitting at the desk in front of him and who is also intently conversing with her screen, whilst apparently being quietly watched by her neighbour? What is going on? Does he know that he is being watched?

Well, Coco did not wait to discover the answers to these questions, and in any event the answers to the questions if they had become public knowledge may have posed serious if not mortal danger. There were more pressing demands than this trivia – a rendezvous in the botanical gardens was calling and one could not let the coffee go cold.