Over the course of time I would have to say there are too numerous accounts to keep track off when people, trying to create a concrete argument against hunting, toss out the old, “You got to prove your manhood” argument. Just what does that mean anyway?
The dictionary definition for manhood is:
man·hood (mnhd)
n.
1. The state or time of being an adult male human.
2. The composite of qualities, such as courage, determination, and vigor, often thought to be appropriate to a man.
3. Adult males considered as a group; men.
4. The state of being human.
Are we then to assume that those making the accusation believe that men who hunt are proving they have courage, determination and vigor? I personally know of nobody who hunts for any of those reasons and I’ve met a lot of hunters of the years.
But what if that were true? What if men hunted to find courage, learn the art of determination and to find or renew vigor in their lives. Is that really a bad thing? I can think of a whole bunch of things far worse, like being a politician or working for ACORN.
My question though is this. If men hunt to “prove their manhood”, then what are women who hunt trying to prove? Is it that they want to be a man? Are they struggling to come out of the closet? Were they abused as children by evil men who hunted? Or maybe they are trying to prove womanhood.
The dictionary definition of womanhood is:
wom·an·hood (wmn-hd)
n.
1. The state or time of being a woman.
2. The composite of qualities thought to be appropriate to or representative of women.
3. Women considered as a group:
Whoa! Just a minute here. Can this be right? Manhood is defined in the same dictionary as “The composite of qualities, such as courage, determination, and vigor, often thought to be appropriate to a man” and women can only muster up, “The composite of qualities thought to be appropriate to or representative of women.” Where are the “such as-es”? This isn’t fair! Did a man, still searching for his manhood, write this dictionary and couldn’t come up with specific “qualities” appropriate for womanhood?
The use of the phrase “try to prove their manhood” just doesn’t cut it as a legitimate tool in this debate. By today’s standards any guy trying to prove his manhood dresses like a pig, wears his pants down around his knees and walks around holding his “manhood”, I assume in an attempt to draw attention to it. I don’t need to hold mine to keep track of it. It hasn’t moved in 57 years.
I will have to admit though. Acting and dressing like that certainly takes courage. I don’t know about the determination and vigor things. Let’s face it. Dressing up to look like the biggest dork on two feet isn’t something us less than men could muster the courage for.
So, let’s be honest. Hunting isn’t about trying to prove your manhood. Dressing like you come from the “hood” is all about proving your manhood. Hunting is about everything a person who thinks hunting is about manhood can’t understand.
I still want to know what it is that women are trying to prove.
Tom Remington
