One of my male colleagues on The Point recently noted, offline, that The Point has a "feminine tone." Now, he said this uncritically -- it certainly was no shot at our blog or any of its contributors. It was merely an observation.

That said, I was -- now, ladies, don't be offended -- aghast. Why? I don't know; maybe because Allen Thornburgh simply does not post on a blog with a "feminine tone," that's why!! Just like I wouldn't contribute to a Redbook e-zine or serve as an editor for Cosmo. That's just not me.

So, whether my colleague was right or not in his assessment, I've decided that from time to time we need to inject some irrefutable masculinity into The Point, for all of the male Pointificators to enjoy. For this first Man Post, I have two tips and a link:

• Tip #1: Fingernail clippers and fingernail scissors are a lousy way to clip your nails. The former make a distinctly grotesque sound when used, and the latter are invariably manufactured with finger holes that are too small. Real men use Swiss Army Knife scissors.
• Tip #2: If you're not a Tool Guy, you can still show your manliness by wearing a muscle shirt, repeatedly saying "dude," and chewing some Red Man while you sign a check for the local handyman.
• Link: Though my carefree gaming days are behind me, I still enjoy a well-written video/computer game review. Charles Herold's review of Halo 3 in the New York Times is, in my opinion, priceless (but must be read all the way through to fully appreciate).

Now, get out there and do something manly. You know, like reading Little Women in a muscle shirt.

Comments

[Farley]

Swiss Army Knife? No, dude. A Dremel does a much better job with the grinding wheel. Since it is a multi-tasker, you can then switch over to the buffing attachment to produce a wonderful shine. A real MAN-i-cure.

My gaming days aren't over, yet. Halo3 looks interesting, but Gears of War will be hard to beat in the 'totally rocks' category.

Time to pump some iron 'til my arms explode...

[Allen]

Farley rules! (I'm kindly overlooking that "wonderful shine" bit for the sake of an otherwise very manly Comment.)

[Lee]

Hey, Allen, go to this site and check out Skill #2! http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/upgrade/4223337.html

Not that I want to get caught in the crossfire between you too, mind you.

[Allen]

Lee,

#2 is the Protecting Your Computer skill. Uh oh ... wait ... does that mean you just gave me a computer virus??

You write very frightening comments Lee. I guess "veiled threats" is pretty manly, though, so keep up the good work!

[Lee]

Naw, I was thinking of Pointifex Maxima's recent computer troubles, and trying to poke a little fun. ("Real Men keep their computers running.") And I see I typo'ed "you two".

But writing itself isn't too manly, is it? (Hemingway aside - please.) Real Men are inarticulate? (Ooh - five syllables!) So maybe The Point seems girly because it's wordy?

But in all seriousness, you're on to something: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/105-8990342-5624443?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=why+men+hate+going+to+church&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

[jason taylor]

Of course Alexander the Great was quite articulate. And so was Churchill who also wrote a lot. So was Lawrance of Arabia. Patton wrote a little but was quite "articulate". And was better read then one would guess, though he had to have a valet read to him because he was dyslexic.
Some other macho people who were known for their writtings. include Moshe Dayan, Frederick the Great, Edward Beach("Run Silent, Run Deep"), Alfred the Great, King David, and so on. YOU go up to Moshe Dayan, look him in his one eye and tell him he's not manly because he writes.

[Matthew]

Arrrgh.

Does reading all of the Anne of Green Gables books while wearing a muscle T-shirt count as manly enough?

Perhaps manliness (embodied in the "I don't ask for direction" idiom) is such character as does not ask for permission to do as it will, that does not seek support for doing as it sees it ought.

As such, Mr. Bush is manly, very manly.

As such, in practice of my assured manliness, I'm going to go read Anne of Green Gables without asking or seeking anybodies permission or approval, after that I've lined up Old Man And The Sea, and Where the Red Fern Grows, one and two.

Hooorah!

[Allen]

Matthew,

What??? NO, of course reading Anne of Green Gables isn't manly, whether you're wearing a muscle shirt or not.

Then again, you obviously don't care what I think, and that IS manly.

So I suspect we can only resolve our disagreement by arm wrestling over two table-top cactuses a la one Dukes of Hazzard episode of my youth.

[Dan Knight]

Real men don't worry whether others think they are "manly" or whether what they DO appears to be manly. Real men simply ARE men and what they DO is manly.

[jason taylor]

Actually I do like chick-flicks like Anne of Green Gables. However I also keep a collection of unquestionably manly books and movies which I read or watch quite often. So there!

[CLH]

Well, look, Allen: Seems your right on top of the trend. I mean, you're so money, and you don't even know it...
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2007/10/03/2007-10-03_a_burst_of_menergy_the_new_supermasculin.html
(Although, in this article, I think they're mistaking mooks for men.)