Manly men

[NomadNewlyweds]

Is Bill Gates a manly man? Think about that....

 

Here's a picture of him with his daughter

Here's a picture of him from 1977

 

He was 22 in 1977 when he was arrested for a traffic violation and that picture was taken. Would young Billy have gotten you wet?

 

Nice reality check. Own your attraction style. I won't mind

 

nice!

 

Obviously there is more to a man than the couple things that I wrote down but point being is that being a manly man is not superficial don't you agree?

 

Also Bill Gates doesn't strike me as someone with "strength" (one of the qualities listed) from within. he is just a super smart nerd

[carhill]

Not every woman goes for super alpha types--that doesn't mean she likes frail, passive guys either.

Since I saw the pre-edit in e-mail, I can opine that you make my point exactly. Was that frail, passive looking kid with the dorky glasses a manly man? In that year, another potential manly man, Paul Allen, and Bill would form a partnership that would become what the vast majority of you can thank for being able to use a personal computer. Smart, aggressive, risk-taking behaviors. Persistence. Goal-setting. Probably didn't change their own oil (but might have) and knew how to solder a circuit board.

 

BTW, those were the men of my generation whom I looked up to.

 

Also Bill Gates doesn't strike me as someone with "strength" (one of the qualities listed) from within. he is just a super smart nerd

 

I know you're being humorous, but, oh, dear. Do you have any idea what it takes to launch and maintain an empire like Microsoft has become? How brutal, both personally and professionally? These guys have more of 'it' in their little fingers than I could have in a thousand lifetimes. I, and Melinda, thank you for your honesty

[passionisall]

A man has a penis, a woman does not.

[Trialbyfire]

I know you're being humorous, but, oh, dear. Do you have any idea what it takes to launch and maintain an empire like Microsoft has become? How brutal, both personally and professionally? These guys have more of 'it' in their little fingers than I could have in a thousand lifetimes. I, and Melinda, thank you for your honesty

Bill Gates had and has vision. But most def., he's not the most interesting or inspirational public speaker out there. He doesn't even come across as having the vision and intellect he obviously has. He's a strange one.

 

Steve Jobs is a much better interview and public speaker.

[carhill]

As a lifetime Mac user, I always admired the other 'Steve' (Wozniak) since he was more like myself, a tinkerer. I understand that women apparently admire good communicators better, but I'm an action man. I like the guys who get it done quietly, without fanfare. You know, like when Steve went into Xerox PARC and stole the GUI that would become the personal computer we know today.

 

Now, of those guys (Bill, Steve and Steve), I don't think any approaches the manliness of Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle. He exudes manliness. Similar business but totally different personna.

[Trialbyfire]

No offense but Ellison sets off my gaydar.

[carhill]

LOL, I guess you better tell his four wives and five kids

[Trialbyfire]

It's his speech pattern and laughter (he almost giggles). His speech patterns have that drag at the end of his sentences. He compresses his "o"s a bit and some other vowels.

 

I used to work for a CEO, about a decade ago, who was married with children. He was in the closet for years and finally came out in the last year, post retirement.

[Thornton]

Something that has been on my mind lately.

 

What makes a man a "man?" Is it physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, etc. ? How do different cultures and different societies define "manliness?" If I cry at a movie am I not a man? If I can sew, cook, and clean for my self am I less of a man? If I kill things does that make me a man? If I can change the oil in your car does that make me a man?

 

How do you define a "man"

 

I tend to define a real man as someone who's physically bigger than me (sorry, small/skinny guys!). Imo the manliest men imo are those who have a bit of muscle about them. Personality-wise, I define a man as someone responsible, reliable, trustworthy and mature, someone who would protect and take care of me... guys who aren't responsible etc are more like little boys.

[ReturnToSender]

Responsible - Able to take care of himself...takes care of his health, handles his finances, manages his home. Whether he cooks and sews or eats out and takes his clothes to the tailor..no difference...what matters is the outcome...that hes not eating chips all day, and looking all torn up in his messy house cause theres no one to handle it for him. Ugh.

 

Protective - does things in the best interest of his family..whether its his wife/kids, or his parents or siblings...being protective over those he cares about and loves is somethign I notice about a guy and matters to me.

 

Patient/Controlled - Able to maintain his composure when things are going badly, doesnt lash out, instead seeks answers/solutions to take care of things. I guess along with this would be a take charge type of guy who is proactive.

 

Expressive/Honest - Able to express love, appreciation, sadness, pride in others, etc. A real man is able to show those he cares about that he has feelings for and about them, and is honest and open about who he is and the things he does.

 

A lot of this is probably to do with personality (which would make it more a compatibility thing for me) but these are the things I admire in a man, and of course the same things I hold myself to and strive for.

[knaveman]

How are "men" different in other cultures? Are manly men the same the world over? Are manly attributes the same in Europe as in America? Asia, Africa, India, etc? Do we too often confuse dominance and aggression with manlyness? Is our definition of manlyness skewed by movies and television?