With the feast of St Joseph coming up, let’s hear some cheers for men. For the male of the species. For manly courage and manly endurance, for things borne in silence, for manly strength used in the service of others.
Yes, yes, I know. Women can be brave, enduring, patient and physically strong. We all know that. But the point is that we are very frequently told about it. At present we get endless celebrations of female achievement, female wisdom, female overcoming of great odds to win a particular goal. We are told a great deal, too, about the under-representation of women in history books or the over-representation of men in the folklore of major events in the human story. Some of this has been necessary: a balance to a longish period of marginalising and trivialising of the feminine in some quarters. But it’s now getting daft – and unjust.
