And I say, "yea, what of it?"
Reuters reports this morning that an Australian anthropologist has written a new book which takes today's male specimen to task for being an extraordinary pussy. Apparently, ye typical testosteronite of old could handily outrun, out-jump, out-climb, and out-throw even the best atheletes of our time in top form, and would not break a sweat kicking your ass after they were done doing it. With a smile.
This is all fine with me; I don't plan on running into a Roman legion fresh off a quick 26 mile jog in some dark alley any time soon. What I found interesting about the book is the way it's seemed to be framed - that we all should be pretty ashamed of ourselves.
"If you're reading this then you -- or the male you have bought it for -- are the worst man in history.
"No ifs, no buts -- the worst man, period...As a class we are in fact the sorriest cohort of masculine Homo sapiens to ever walk the planet."
Look, I felt self conscious about being relatively out of shape to begin with before hearing of this work; my wife prods me quite a bit to get out and jog so I don't look like the Michelin man when wearing a polo shirt. I don't need some plucky Kiwi on my case too.
It seems he makes some concessions towards the end that laziness isn't entirely to blame, but at the same time seems to gloss over the differences in environment when it comes to medical knowledge and practices, lifespans, and the benefits inherent in a transition from a nomadic to an agricultural society. He laments that our bodies "haven't developed" without mention of the fact that you don't have to be a mega-alpha male in today's society to survive, to eat, to move up, to get laid and have kids.
Economics edges out natural selection these days, and when your very survival relies more on brains than braun...well in which direction do you figure a society and a species is going to gravitate towards?
All told, interesting findings, but painted with the wrong brush. In any case, a quick google doesn't turn up any places to order this book from outside Australia - if you find one, please share.
posted by
keekerdc
