Masculine and “lessculine”

Tastes are as varied as nature. They don’t only vary from one person to the other, but overtime they change direction like boats without a course.

Beautiful boys and girls become big-nosed and big-eared in our eyes even though they continue to be pretty in their love ones’ eyes. Those boyfriends and girlfriends that at 13 turned heads with their flirty walking and disinterest, turn into the target of muggings for street criminals the minute they lose their strut. Fashion magazines and old films are excellent testimonies to the infidelity of mortals. If Rudolph Valentino came to life again, he wouldn’t be more than a street Casanova in Recoleta. Even Clark Gable wouldn’t attract more than scientific stares surprised about him coming to life after so much time had passed.

Famous and powerful characters come and go. They do a lot of damage when they feel like it, mostly because we let them hurt us. As time passes they become human parodies, irrelevant except for the fact that students are forced to remember their names and mischief because of some obscure reasoning forced upon them by the education system.

Masculinity has been synonymous with power, even when real power is hidden in the subtle weapons of persuasion and resilience of some exceptional men and women. The power of persuasion is longer lasting than authoritarianism, except persuasion is easier to elude when the persuader is confronted with common sense, because we are genetically cowards. We are afraid, terrified, of fighting for the truth, excellence, integrity, competence and challenges to intelligence. Resilience does allow us to put in place an effective if somewhat cowardly fight. Resilience is the weaponry of the meek but determined.

Masculine traits are many times “lessculine”. The most voluptuous women are often the most shy and inhibited. Those that choose to fall in love with another human being, whatever their genetic configuration might be, outside societal norms baffle those that think in buckets because it is easier and more comfortable for everyone to look at the world in simplistic silos. Masculine and “lessculine” is that situation in which we often find ourselves. We don’t like where we are, we don’t confront our reality, but we don’t do anything to change the situation. The “lessculines” stand still when they see some that can do something good, decent and lasting, be powerless when confronted by abuse and violence. And as masculine and “lessculine” we voice certain and proud opinions, even though we have no right to do so given our lack of courage, strength and independence of thought. We speak up or remain silent without the communal courage to confront the arbitrary forces of the powerful. All because we prefer to live one more day in peace rather than many days fighting, even though that battle is the only source of liberty. Opportunism and comfort turn us into “lessculines”.