17755209:CL APRIL 2013(8)
3/26/2013
12:57 PM
Page 8
FROM THE DIRECTOR
The American Man: An endangered species of a creation of cretins? The inquiries went something like this: “A Man issue? What exactly does that mean?” “A Man issue? You mean like, “Maxim,” “GQ” or a “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition?” “A Man issue? Like the men of Cobb? Is it for single women?” Those were just a few of the questions I was asked when I informed people we were producing a Man issue for our April edition of Cobb Life. But why a Man issue? Now in its eighth year of publication, Cobb Life is a life and style magazine aimed at serving the general public. And while I believe we successfully reach readers across demographics, we had received several requests over the years for an issue especially targeted for men. Well, here we are, and don’t worry women, your turn is coming soon. While assembling this issue, it got me to thinking about the contemporary American man. The concept of a man holds a peculiar place in society and the popular media these days. Just flip on the TV sometime and you can see how men have been emasculated. My wife pointed this out. Take, for example, your basic television commercial or sitcom. In the words of the great, late Larry Munson, get the picture: The dumpy, overweight, poorly-dressed man/husband is too stupid, lazy or preoccupied to realize what is going on in any
given situation. His wife/girlfriend, however, is always supermodel attractive, well-dressed and outwits him and solves the whole situation while his children or friends mock him and roll their eyes at their father’s ineptitude. My wife (yes, her again), calls this “The Homer Simpson” syndrome, where in the past ten years, the ideal of the American man has been reduced to everything short of greatness. Why would this bother my wife? She is a strong-willed, intelligent woman who has nothing to fear or gain from this. And it has nothing to do with me – though I have my share of faults. It has to do with our two sons. As she has said, she doesn’t want our society’s ideal to be the standard that is set for them. Of course, on the other end of the spectrum, our society has created the brute ideal of a man – usually the American football player who is brutal, not-too-bright and whose main contribution to the world is his muscles and Neanderthal mentality. These are the chaps that some folks love to demean by equating the talent and discipline needed to play a sport with a lack of intellectual capability or social responsibility. (I imagine most of these critics have never memorized a football playbook, a dozen basketball
plays or called gymnasts or ballet dancers daft for their physical prowess.) In the middle, though, is where most of us men live. The place we call the real world. Here are men who work hard and are good providers for their families. Men who play sports and, yes, are quite bright simultaneously. Men who enjoy reading and history and fishing and hunting. Men who devote time to mentoring others, being socially and politically active and coaching little league. Men who play music, garden, brew their own beer and, yes, enjoy watching sports. Somewhere in the last 30 years, we’ve lost the nobility of the idea of The Renaissance Man. The man who can do everything. I am not a Renaissance Man – my main weakness is my amazing inability at fixing anything mechanical. But to those who are Renaissance Men, well, you would be hard-pressed to find much coverage on them. You certainly would not find one in a commercial or a TV sitcom. In a few of our features in this issue, I hope we’re able to show that we’ve bucked that trend of reflecting the ‘Homer Simpson” syndrome. Best,
Mark Wallace Maguire