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It has been observed that part of the appeal of radical Islam for disaffected, marginalized ethnically middle eastern boys living in Western nations is the image of masculine assertiveness in the role of “jihadi” warrior.
Similarly, the “ninja warrior” style costumes of Antifa worn by social losers seems like overcompensation. I have been told that before becoming a subsidiary of the FBI, the Proud Boys boasted of a one-sided winning record in fights with Antifa warriors. The reason given is that the men without ninja masks, many of whom once made the varsity and/or have been in actual barfights and/or military service are the better bet in physical contests against video wargame veterans, junior college critical studies dropouts, and incels.
The brain-dead newfound love affair between the cognitively and socially challenged and Hamas is producing a really tiresome bogus machismo given to petty violence and destruction, including angry women with apparent daddy issues.
In stark contrast, when grownups march (e.g., the 1960s civil rights movement, the Tea Party marches, the recent pro-Israel rally in DC) nobody smashes windows or sets fires as a way of proving missing toughness, feigning adulthood or in response to some other formational deficit.
It is a terrible error to defer to wannabe bullies. The sheer thrill of being feared must be catnip for those who are more likely to have been frequently wedgied and stuffed in lockers than to have had a date for the prom.
One of the bedrocks of civilization is a kinetically active police force with a healthy bias against shiftless, violent young men of all races and creeds. A society that instead emulates the archetypal spineless college president can quickly encourage the transformation of a movement initially comprised of insecure losers into one that attracts actually dangerous men. An early serious beatdown might have stopped Hitler’s SA-- or the very first jihadis for that matter.
Discussion (36)
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My daughter works at a daycare and says that the proponents of so-called gentle parenting are afraid of their kids. (We are talking two and three-year-olds). For example, kids come in not potty trained, get potty trained in the daycare and then lose the potty training when they go back home. The parents just put pampers on them and let it go. I think a lot of stuff might be happening because the parents are not exercising proper loving discipline. Actions have consequences. The sooner kids learn that, the better for us all.
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Not every lesson learned by a child should come from direct experience. The word 'No' should be heard long before a child reaches the age of 18.
The 9-1-1 phone tree should not include 'Press 1 if you want us to raise your children for you'.
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It also works for nerds who imagine themselves as Klingon warriors.
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I had a former Green Beret as a drinking buddy back in the day. There was once a large petulant drunk looking to pick a fight during happy hour before the bartender who doubled as bouncer came on duty. When challenged, my companion simply left cash on the bar and we left. Before I asked or said anything, he explained that (a) he did not need to prove anything to anybody and (b) his training and experience was such that he no longer knew "how to hurt somebody just a little."
That remarkable combination of competence, confidence, self-control, and prudence is probably always rare but maybe even scarcer now. I was fortunate to have great male teachers, a stint working at a summer camp for boys run by a marvelously crazed ex-Marine and the challenge of Army basic training. I was also a teacher in a boys' high school and in all those experiences I learned now much young men intuitively crave an opportunity to earn the respect of older men and build substantive self-respect at the same time.
It is almost as if our society wants to erase such opportunities as much as possible.
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But then, the opportunity to righteously rape, rob, murder, and enslave was always a big part of Islam's appeal.
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