Comments on: The Art of Manliness Weekly Roundup: I Love You, Man Edition

By: Justin C.

Justin C. — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:51:11 +0000

Correction: I Love You Man was not directed by Judd Apatow

Great blog Brett, but, the movie, I Love You Man has no connection to Judd Apatow. It was directed by John Hamburg and written by Hamburg and Larry Levin.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155056/fullcredits#writers

Here’s a great interview with the director on Elvis Mitchell’s The Treatment
http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/tt/tt090408john_hamburg?searchterm=i+love+you+man

By: TTTimo

TTTimo — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:33:11 +0000

I’m not too sure what Dr. Mansfiled meant about Christianity and women saints, but I know the Bible is full of examples of great manly men. Moses, who stood up to Pharaoh. Gideon, who lead an army by faith, despite being fearful and being ‘the least of his tribe’. Obviously, David vs. Goliath. St. Stephen, who stood for his faith and died for it.

And Jesus, the manliest of all. Some might see him as weak, but he stood up where it mattered. He did not give in to raging impulses, but dealt righteous fury when there was injustice (the Pharisees, temple vendors). We all know his kind and soft side, but many ignore the fact that he stood up for and defended the down-trodden, the social outcasts, justice and righteousness.

By: Victoria

Victoria — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:58:35 +0000

The movie sounds fun. Dr. Mansfield’s definition of manliness and defense/reasoning is kind of weak. He points out “manly” women and defines manliness as a quality that all all of society should strive for, or so it seems.
He speaks of “traditional” manliness that has only been traditional for a short time in history.

There IS manliness, but it is not confidence in oneself, single-mindedness, the ability to lead, etc.
It is opening the door for a “lady” and, with grace, passing through the door first when she refuses to enter before you (for the record I will enter first if it looks as though it is more efficient overall for the other person to have opened the door). It is occasionally dealing with it and letting a lady open a door for you. It’s telling your significant other they’re attractive, and when they present scientific (scale-related :) ) data that they’ve gained weight telling them “so what” instead of getting a new scale.
It is stopping rape, and stopping abuse as a man, because men still have so power in society that people think women were “asking for it”.

I think this blog does a much better job of showing what manliness is than Dr. Mansfield does. He talks of a world where men are men, where a token “manly woman” is accepted, and the rest are screwed.
The Art of Manliness blog would like to have a world where all men are confident in themselves, considerate, and skillful.
I know which I prefer to read.

By: Tony Toronto

Tony Toronto — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 01:23:08 +0000

The ads for the movie don’t do it justice;

TRUTH
I was very turned off by them; only when Paul Rudd and Jason Segal went on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos, did I then realize that there would be some quality to this film.

Great review