Exploring the attack on masculinity and the need for men to reclaim it through manual work. Critiquing organized sports and private schools. The multifaceted nature of masculinity and the importance of manual work. Encouraging boys to work with tools and create functional objects. The positive virtues of masculinity and the social benefits of manual work.
Engaging in tool-based manual work allows men to cultivate durable masculinity and fulfill their desire for agency in the physical world.
Parents should support boys' engagement in manual work, while schools should restore tool-focused shop classes to help men build well-rounded masculine lives embedded in society.
Deep dives
The Importance of Manual Work for Men
Manual work is crucial for reclaiming and rebuilding masculinity. In a world where masculinity is under attack and often punished, manual work provides a mechanism for men to cultivate and center real, well-rounded, and durable masculinity. Organized sports and private schools are often false solutions, failing to foster true masculinity. Engaging in tool-based manual work, such as woodworking or metalworking, allows men to create lasting objects, develop problem-solving skills, and demonstrate their competency. Manual work confers power, knowledge, and wisdom, fulfilling men's desire for agency in the physical world. Parents should aggressively support their boys' engagement in manual work, while schools should restore shop classes focused on tool work.
Distinguishing Between Manual Work and Craft
Men's engagement in manual work should focus on creating functional objects, rather than engaging in craft or decorative art projects. Tools that pose some danger and revolve around masculine traits like problem-solving and competition should be encouraged. While both aesthetics and function can be considered, functionality should always be the primary objective. Understanding the difference between what men and women naturally gravitate towards is essential, as men seek to create tangible, useful objects, while women often focus on nurturing and creative endeavors. By actively engaging in manual work, men can build a well-rounded masculine life embedded in society.
Implementing Manual Work for Boys and Men
To execute a broad societal turn towards manual work, parents should expose boys to tool-based creative activities at an early age and invest in appropriate tools. Shop classes in schools should be restored, expanded, and made mandatory, focusing on core types of tool work and being single-sex. For those homeschooling or attending non-traditional schools, shared shop spaces with instructors can be created. Extensive access to books on various manual work disciplines is essential for learning techniques and methods. Working with wood, metal, or in the natural world offers different possibilities for manual work. Each man should spend time creating functional objects, regardless of whether manual work becomes their primary vocation.
Why manual work for boys and men is essential; how to accomplish this in the modern world; and of the essential differences between masculine and feminine.
This article was published last year in the journal Man's World. This popular journal is edited by the pseudonymous Raw Egg Nationalist (who can be found here on Twitter). A flipbook version can be found here. It is reprinted here for those who may have missed it, and I am also including, for the first time for this piece, audio and video versions.
