Memorial Day is for commemorating those who perished in the defense of our country. Many veterans such as myself make a point to inform people that — while we genuinely appreciate their thanks for our service — Memorial Day isn’t about us.
Well, the folks at Vox apparently got the memo. They found it perfectly appropriate to, on Memorial Day, trash our active-duty heroes and living veterans with an article titled “The Marine Corps Has a ‘Toxic Masculinity’ Problem“:
In September 2015, Gen. Joseph Dunford was the top Marine, and he recommended women be excluded from some of those combat roles. (Dunford is now the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.) Mattis, before he was nominated to be defense secretary, questioned whether women should join the infantry.
The Marines’ reaction was to be expected, though. The corps acts like a fraternity, according to Emerald Archer, an expert on women’s advancement at Mount St. Mary’s University in California. Many Marines, she said, believe that integrating women would ruin that brotherhood.
Those who work with Marines agree. There’s a “toxic masculinity culture” in the Marine Corps, James Joyner, a professor at the Marine Command and Staff College, told me.
That may be what is at the core of the women-in-infantry debate among Marine ranks: the identity crisis of a historically macho club now being forced to let in women.
Now that the Marine Corps must allow women to serve in combat roles — and is putting out recruiting commercials highlighting that fact — it tears at the social fabric of the service. That has led many to act out, some anonymously, online.
What a bunch of bull.
Folks, “toxic masculinity” is a myth. It’s a tool used by feminists to blame entire swaths of men for the actions of a few.
And the few who would actually harm a woman know better than to do it in the presence of a Marine.
Find a book written about masculinity by someone who isn’t a feminist, a book that describes what the vast majority of men know about real masculinity (I recommend my own humble contribution, but Jack Donovan’s Way of Men is pretty good, too), and show me the part that permits sexual harassment. Show me the part that excuses a man for abandoning his family, or condones the sharing of nude photos without permission.
I dare you to find anything that perpetuates so-called “toxic masculinity.” You won’t find it because it’s a myth.
No, the Marines being a “historically macho club” is not the reason why Marines have concerns regarding women in their ranks. After all, there have been female Marines since 1918, and while it would be foolish to claim there are never any problems, the problems that have occurred were not due to the Marine Corps culture that emphasizes honor. They were due to lapses in honor.
I’ve spoken with numerous soldiers and Marines on the topic of women in combat, and universally they express the same concerns. They don’t give a crap about “macho,” they want to know that all of their comrades can perform physically in combat. Can a female Marine carry her 250 lb. comrade to safety while under fire? Can she do every aspect of the job?
If so, great. No worries.
However, those same Marines recognize that the vast majority of fit women are still weaker and slower than the average man — let alone a Marine. Since male Marines may pay the price of this social experiment with their lives, it’s understandable that they have concerns.
Not that Vox worries about that.
PJ Media’s Michael Walsh, on Monday’s Hot Mic, quoted a section of the article where officials talked about the Marines needing to find a new identity. Walsh pointed out that yes, the Marines have their own identity. They damn sure don’t need to change it.
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