The Aussie Bloke
I read an interesting article a few months ago in The Australian newspaper, authored by Trent Dalton entitled Man Up (1). The article seemed to insist that the ‘old Aussie bloke’ is a dying breed. The article then went on to juxtapose a host of old school stereotypes about Australian men in the 1950’s with another host of stereotypes about more modern Australian men.
This article was following up after an article also published by The Australian, authored by Nikki Gemmell entitled Alpha Males Rare in the Age of Soft Millennial Man (2). This article had apparently elicited quite a response from its readers.
Whilst I often loathe articles like the two above after reading them I like to pause and reflect upon the absurdities of life. For example, imagine the response a male writer might get if he authored a piece entitled Domestic goddesses rare in the age of the modern demanding woman in a national publication?
It’s difficult to distil just what makes someone ‘Alpha’ and always dangerous to try. Conveniently the Man Up piece highlights this particularly well. It begins by mapping out the stereo-typical Aussie bloke’s traits. These seem to include being able to fix stuff, drink boring beer, have a beer gut, be a dud root and have a good tan.
Dalton then goes on to describe Dylan, who is a self-described modern ‘alpha male’. Last of a dying breed according to him. Dylan considers those old school Aussie blokes as alpha’s. He remembers them, and is in awe of them apparently.
I’m unconvinced that many women, either today or eighty years ago, would consider the traditional Aussie bloke as remotely appealing. Yet somehow Dylan seems to think that’s what a man should aspire to.
Next we meet a professor of sociology and gender studies Mr Michael Kimmel. Kimmel suggests that there is this kind of feeling among men that somethings happened but men don’t know what that is. He notes that men’s lives have changed dramatically in the last forty years.
Kimmel recognises that women have achieved much over the past forty years in the workplace whilst also continuing to be the prime facilitator of domestic duties. Despite his acknowledgement he seems to have missed the fact that things have changed dramatically for both men and women. According to Kimmel its only men who are saying “what the heck just happened”.
Next the article references two young men pashing in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD. They suggest that the true-blue Aussie bloke was actually a myth. They contend that being a man is really about being open and honest.
Meanwhile Ash Taki complains that “your woman these days just wants more and more and more”. He notes that his dad never did anything around the house and that he got to sit there, watch TV and have a beer.
And so the article goes on in what quickly descends into one massive whine about how tough it is to be an Australian man in today’s world.
What utter – fucking – crap.
Men have never had it better, either have women. Women entering the workforce has led to a substantial rise in the living standards for people of both genders. With more people earning a wage there have been more opportunities for new businesses to arise which cater to fresh wants and desires.
In return for this men have to do what? A little housework. Some cooking or some cleaning. Pushing the occasional button on a dishwasher or a washing machine. Perhaps we’ll actually have to spend some one on one time with our kids. I’m not sure how we can cope.
The deepest concern I have about Dalton’s article and many like it is that they paint a picture of male impotence which is simply not true. They construct this narrative which suggests that women are being unfair when they expect men to do half of the unpaid work when women do half of the paid work. It paints men as victims of female oppression when in reality women expectations are entirely reasonable.
When I hear men voice concerns like those voiced throughout the Man Up article my response is simple. You don’t have to be in a relationship with a woman, or at all for that matter. If it’s all so bad, so terrible and if women are so unfair, what’s keeping you there buddy? If your partner is so terrible and you are so wonderful then simply leave. Surely with your special type of awesome you're better off alone?
The Aussie bloke is in constant evolution and I doubt that will ever change. This is simply because society is ever changing and societal expectations are changing with it. There’s nothing remarkable about gender stereotypes shifting.
As difficult as it is to distil what makes someone ‘Alpha’ I’d venture that ‘Alpha is not a collected wish lists of disparate traits. Rather it is just one trait and that’s competence. Doesn’t matter if it’s your performance at work, or in the kitchen or in the bedroom. Simply doing most things to a high standard consistently will put you at the top of anyone’s tree.