How do real men treat women; how do boys respect girls?
It’s got to be about men/boys having a healthy self-respect and a respect of God. That must be where it starts, surely. That’s based on the theorem that love and respect for others is borne of love and respect for self.
As men, we need to be stepping up to the plate in the ballgame of our lives, dealing with our compatriots-in-humanity (women) with a consideration of care attaining to fairness and justice-for-all.
A real man – by the character of his behaviour – has no reason to disrespect women.
He may have had negative experiences of women in growing up, but he’s learned to work through these issues. Most of the time, however, men with good female role models find it easier to respect women; even more if the older men in their lives have taught and mentored them well about how a man is defined by how he treats women. Maybe it’s the boys and men who have had poor examples of femininity and an absence of good male role models who cannot accede to treating women as they deserve to be treated.
CALLING PIGS WHAT THEY ARE
- Abuse and neglect find their feet,
- In the misuse of power gone beyond belief,
- Instead of standing by and doing nothing,
- We should stand up against it and bring forth relief.
- There’s a lot of male privilege,
- And disrespect of women that’s unfair,
- If only these gutless men could know,
- They’re pathetic and scared of a dare.
- The man’s man will know beyond doubt,
- Respecting women is what they’ll do,
- Any ridicule, coercion or manipulation they’ll turn about,
- And ensure they interact in ways that are true.
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As men – particularly as men of God – it’s about time we stood up. We stand up by the means and mode of advocacy, for anyone downtrodden; and many women are still found that way in this life. And like slavery, which was ‘abolished’ in the UK and US over one hundred years ago, and is still found today, we must assume that this fight for true equality – by the way men treat women – is still far off; a goal of our entire lives to pursue.
When a man loves a woman he shows her respect as an equal. He sees her as God sees her.
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A real man ensures women are safe in his presence and are allowed to be, even supported in being, themselves – no strings attached. He does not coerce, manipulate or ridicule women. He treats her like his mother, sister or daughter (should be treated). That’s a gauge of a real man.
© 2013 S. J. Wickham.
