For centuries now the West has viewed itself as the premier civilisation in the world. With an abundance of scientific, exploratory, and extra-orbital advances under our belt, as well as untold prosperity that would have made Solomon himself marvel, the West has had good reason to see itself as leading the world. But things are changing, and they are changing quickly as the West leans heavily into decline.
Civilisational
decline is a funny thing, you can look at examples in history of incredibly
wealthy civilisations that just disappeared, for a variety of reasons. Some
were just too weak compared to their neighbours. Some became grand empires and
were eventually conquered by more powerful empires. And many were overcome because
of the very prosperity that made them great. Why would something like
prosperity weaken a civilisation? Because it can make you soft, effeminate, vulnerable,
and forgetful of the competitive nature of our world. The very toughness you
need in this world to succeed as a civilisation, can be softened by the success
you achieve.
I probably do
not need to convince you that this has happened to the West, and especially to
western men. Most people are aware of the term soy-boy, that there are declining
rates of testosterone[i],
and that western men are getting fatter and less involved in sports and more
inclined to just watch them. But the biggest indictment on western men, is how
they have in many ways happily taken the backseat and become very passive as
women advance beyond them in many ways. Masculine men do not do this. Men lead,
and women find men who lead attractive and admirable. No matter what media
propaganda says to try to convince you that men should take a backseat, it will
always be true that women love their men to be leaders. The more successful a
woman is, the more successful a man she will pursue, and there are fewer and fewer
such men for these women, because western men are in a decline spiral[ii]
Perhaps the
easiest way to illustrate the problem that the West is having with men, is this
statement in the Toronto Sun, “More time for video games, less time for sex.”[iii]
Western men are having less sex with women, and the second biggest reason for
this is video games - the number one reason is they are drinking less.[iv]
This was the finding of just one study. Another study found this little nugget:
Ever feel like you're competing with a PS3 for your man's
attention? You're not the only Wii widow around: it turns out one in three guys
would rather play video games than have sex with their partner, according to a
new study. And the number rose to nearly 75 percent when the game was brand
new.
The reasons given by the guys for the surprising preference
ranged from the respondents saying their partners were "hard to
please" and "not being as much fun," according to an article in
U.K. newspaper The Sun on April 2.[v]
Come on
guys, this is just sad. Really, really, really and I think this deserves
another really, sad. This is not a knock on guys playing video games either, I
enjoy gaming on occasion, when I have time. But men choosing video games over
meaningful relationships with women, THAT is a disturbing trend. But is just
one sign of a significant breakdown in western masculinity.
There are
already declining birth rates in the West, already our population growth
through national births in many western countries is barely at replacement
levels. Men choosing not to even engage with women is a disaster. If single men
were having less sex, because they were choosing chastity and pursuing a wife
in order to have sex with her in a stable and loving marriage, that would be
awesome. But having less sex because they want to unlock Dragonscale armour on
their seventeenth playthrough of Skyrim, or earning enough credits to buy a
virtual Ferrari in Forza Horizon 4, is a sign men are becoming far less
masculine. Because masculine men desire women and pursue meaningful
relationships with them. This is a big part of being a man.
We know this
problem is just one microcosm of a much larger masculinity crisis the West is
in right now. We are all noticing it, and no one has determined to try and turn
things around, probably for a variety of reasons. But China, which is on the rise,
and is likely seeing what has been happening to the West, are taking a
different approach.
Rather than
watch the slow erosion of their burgeoning society by the feminization of their
men, they are actively seeking to push back against it, from within high levels
of their government. For example one “…political advisor urged society to
cultivate more boys to be masculine, strong-willed, sober-minded and physically
strong with a firm political stance, in response to the complex international
competition.”[vi]
This is not very different to Paul’s command in Corinthians for men, ‘the
brothers’, to act like men and be strong (1 Cor. 16:13), or his advice to Titus
on the qualities leaders of the Church should have (Titus 1:5-8) - of course,
except for the political aspect.
Rather than focusing
on lifting up other nations through sending manufacturing and other industries
overseas, and allowing rot to happen in their own societies, which the West has
been doing for some time. The Chinese are advocating for encouraging their boys
and their men to be the best the world has to offer,
The international situation will be complex and challenging,
and competition among countries will become increasingly fierce, so the nation
needs a large number of sober-minded, strong-willed and physically strong young
men, but masculinity doesn't necessarily mean muscular, Zhang added.[vii]
This is a
realistic analysis of the world. We have lived in such a time of peace and
prosperity in the West, that in our comfort we have forgotten that there is an
inherent competition in this world between nations. There is co-operation as
well, but weak societies throughout history have been viewed as targets by
stronger societies. Think of how the prosperity of the peaceful Mediterranean
medieval societies was viewed by the rising Viking nations, as just one
example. This is just a reality, we can wish and work for peace, but we need to
recognize that other nations get a vote on this as well. Society needs strong
and good men who are aware of what this world can be like, to be its leaders.
Compare the
Chinese response to feminized men on the screen, to what we say here in
Australia,
However, in recent years, male "feminization" has
had a negative impact on teenagers' aesthetics, health and values, which could
mislead young people to develop a low willingness and enthusiasm to defend
their country and participate in social development, Zhang said in criticizing
such trends.
Many carefully made-up and dressed-up…and feminized men have
been showing up on screen, Zhang said.
In essence, this feminization reflects a sense of escape and
the timidity of some young people who fear normal marriage and love, leading to
abnormal values placed on love and marriage, and this will eventually cause a
decline in the birth rate, Zhang warned.
Once feminization becomes the mainstream, it could accelerate
the change of the demographic structure and cast a shadow over the future of
the country, Zhang pointed out.
While
Australian culture becomes more and more obsessed about not offending, being
too afraid to criticize what are touted as “alternative lifestyles” and
declining as a result. China is watching us and the rest of the rest of the
West and the effects this is having. Chinese political leaders are correctly
seeing how these demographic trends can have devastating effects for your
society, if left unchecked.
This astute
political adviser doesn’t just criticize this feminization, he also offers
solutions,
In response to the "unhealthy trend," Zhang said
restricting media and entertainment circles from promoting feminized male
images. Authorities including the National Radio and Television Administration
should be more cautious in reviewing and approving productions, Zhang said.
The country can encourage the release of more films and TV
dramas with masculine male characters, to follow the majestic and magnificent
times, Zhang said.
Also, Zhang proposed strengthening national defense education
and increasing physical exercise in schools.[viii]
In other
words, they are encouraging boys to grow to be strong, masculine men, leaders.
A noble, civilisation building, goal. This is reminiscent of the Chivalry codes
of the old West, which were designed to both encourage male strength and
harness it towards the good of society. We may not agree with China on a lot of
things, but this they are trying to get right.
And it is
not just one man who has observed all these issues,
At least four political advisors and lawmakers have recently
made similar proposals. The others are Xiong Sidong, principal of Suzhou
University and also a deputy at the 13th National People's Congress, and Zhu
Yongxin and Si Zefu, members of the National Committee of the CPPCC.[ix]
In fact, the
Chinese education ministry has put together ‘The Proposal to Prevent the Feminisation
of Male Adolescents’ which has
called on schools to fully reform their offerings on physical
education and strengthen their recruitment of teachers. The text advised
recruiting retired athletes and people from sporting backgrounds - and
"vigorously developing" particular sports like football with a view
to "cultivating students' masculinity".
The BBC were
keen to point out that many Chinese social media users were offended at the
push, noting examples like this, “"Is feminisation now a derogatory term?"
one Weibo user asked, receiving over 200,000 likes.[x]
Another said: "Boys are also humans… being emotional, timid or gentle,
these are human characteristics."[xi]
Such a
criticism would cause many western politicians to fall over themselves
apologizing for their unintended offense. Being gentle is noble, Jesus was
gentle, King David used his strength to shelter lambs. But feminization is a
bad thing for boys, as is masculinization a bad thing for girls. When did this
become controversial? Boys and girls are different, designed for different
roles in society, and men being strong and capable of defending their nation,
if it is needed, is an important aspect of masculinity.
The Chinese
are smarter than us for ignoring the cries of social media complainers,
netizens as they are called, and instead are actively bringing into place
policies to combat the feminization of boys. We should be doing the same. There
is much talk in the media about being prepared for future encounters with
rising world powers. Well less jumpsuits for pregnant female pilots and more encouragement
for young men to be masculine, to love their country and want to see it remain
safe, is a fundamental need of any strong civilisation.
Kudos to the Chinese, on this one their leaders are right.
List
of References
[i] Cooper,
Craig 2017, “The Mystery of Declining Masculinity”, Huffinton Post,
accessed 22/03/2021, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-mystery-of-declining-testosterone_b_59fcc5fbe4b0d467d4c224b3.
[ii]
Edwards, Kasey,2018, “Why it’s harder for successful women to find love”, The
Sydney Morning Herald, accessed 22/03/2021, https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/dating-expert-explains-why-it-s-harder-for-successful-women-to-find-love-20180805-p4zvo6.html.
[iii] Post
Media News 2021, “Young men would give up sex for video games, says U.S.
study”, Toronto Sun, accessed 22/03/2021 https://torontosun.com/news/world/young-men-would-give-up-sex-for-video-games-says-u-s-study.
[iv]
Ibid.
[v] Black,
Rosemary 2009, “One in three guys prefers video games to sex: study”, Daily
News, accessed 22/03/2021, https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/guys-prefers-video-games-sex-study-article-1.359202.
[vi] Keyue,
Xu 2021, “Political advisor warns of feminization of men in media, pushes
cultivating masculine boys”, Global Times, accessed 22/03/2021, https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202103/1218123.shtml.
[vii]
Ibid.
[viii]
Ibid.
[ix] Allen,
Kerry 2021, “China promites education drive to make boys more ‘manly’, BBC
News, accessed 22/03/2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55926248.
[x]
Ibid.
[xi] Ibid.
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