Manuary—a monthlong celebration by men, for men

Chicago Tribune ^ | 1-1-09 | Mary Owen

[STARWISE]

In December, men gritted their teeth and were nice to their in-laws. They held purses while their women tried on 20 dresses. And they donned a tie for New Year's Eve.

And now they are rebelling: It's Manuary.

In January, as part of the Manuary movement, men across the country will bypass the razor and grow their beards with abandon. (No trimming allowed!) The truly devoted will boost their red meat and whiskey intake.

Chicago resident Bill Housewright, 31, a filmmaker-turned-science teacher, claims he created Manuary in 2005 to get in touch with his "redneck, ex-country past."

He grew up in La Harpe, which he describes as a John Cougar Mellencamp-esque town in west central Illinois.

[twister881]

Oh, wow...and I asked for a pony!

[ETL]

[reagan_fanatic]

I’m Glad I’m a Man

I’m glad I’m a man, you better believe.
I don’t live off of yogurt, diet coke, or cottage cheese
I don’t bitch to my girlfriends about the size of my breasts
I can get where I want to - north, south, east or west
I don’t get wasted after only 2 beers
And when I do drink I don’t end up in tears.

I won’t spend hours deciding what to wear,
I spend 5 minutes max fixing my hair
And I don’t go around checking my reflection
in everything shiny from every direction.
I don’t whine in public and make us leave early
And when you ask why get all bitter and surly.

I’m glad I’m a man, I’m so glad I could sing
I don’t have to sit around waiting for that ring.
I don’t gossip about friends or stab them in the back
I don’t carry our differences into the sack.
I’ll never go psycho and threaten to kill you
Or think every guy out there’s trying to steal you.

I’m rational, reasonable, and logical too
I know what the time is and I know what to do.
And I honestly think it’s a privilege for me
To have these two balls and stand when I pee
I live to watch sports and play all sorts of ball
It’s more fun than dealing with women after all

I won’t cry if you figure out it’s not going to work
I won’t remain bitter and call you a jerk.
Feel free to use me for immediate pleasure
I won’t assume it’s permanent by any measure.
Yes, I’m glad I’m a man, a man you see
I’m glad I’m not capable of child delivery

I don’t get all bitchy every 28 days
I’m glad that my gender gets me a much bigger raise
I’m a man by chance and I’m thankful it’s true
I’m so glad I’m a man and not a woman like you!

[Slings and Arrows]

"Men, men, men, men..."

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

Much as I like men, this Manuary thing seems like a “save the males” travesty that might make them more of an object of ridicule than they already are (and have been in pop culture for decades).

The popular caricature of the American male stopped being funny in the days of My Little Margie and Life of Riley.

What happened to heroes?

[Slings and Arrows]

I don’t know. I always kinda liked Marsha.

It's always about Marsha! Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!!!

[End Times Sentinel]

Okay,
The vintage Marsha

Or Marsha 2.0

There is a correct answer.

[LiberConservative]

"It's kind of manly, somewhat homoerotic, somewhere in between."

Mega Vomit Carnage Alert. Even "Manuary" is going gay.

[sauropod]

I’m a man...

But I can change...

If I have to...

I guess.

[Syncro]

Very funny, thanks for the laugh!

[Syncro]

“What a revoltin’ development this is!”-William Bendix, Life of Riley

"Digger" O'Dell was classic.

[Liberty Valance]

aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrhhhhh

[Larry Lucido]

Well, now that I’m 52 and not 14, the only right answer is the Marsha that is over 18.

[Larry Lucido]

Disregard my 33. I was two dense to realize they were two different people. Assuming age-of-majority in either case, I still say give me the origial.

[Larry Lucido]

Hmm, four Marshas. Now that sounds intriguing!

[End Times Sentinel]

I still say give me the origial

Wow! If I can set up a double date, we can be eachother's wing-men!

[Scythian]

I liked the partidge family girl better ...

[x]

Housewright and friends will end the monthlong celebration with a Man Olympics. Events include hammering nails while cigarettes dangle from their mouths and doing chin-ups with 16-pound hams hanging from their necks. There's also arm wrestling and, appropriately, a Manwich-eating contest.

"We kind of make fun of what is supposed to be manly," he said. "It's kind of manly, somewhat homoerotic, somewhere in between."

Then they'll be heading to San Francisco to celebrate "Gapril" and "Gay".

[retrokitten]

It was all cute until that last line had to sneak in there and spoil it! LOL

[JillValentine]

Silly. I hate having to be nice to my in-laws, and I don’t even carry a purse. Everything I need to carry fits in my pockets. Oh, and I don’t need to keep trying on different clothes. That’s one of the benefits of having a nice body - you look good in anything. :-)

It’s not that I don’t have a sense of humor, it’s that some of the less enlightened don’t have a sense of humor and confuse jokes and stereotypes about women with facts, and end up taking jokes seriously.