Skip to main content

User account menu

  • Log in
  • Rss
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Shopping cart 0
Cart

Search

Search
Home The Winona Times

Domain menu for The Winona Times (main)

  • Post
    • Post Dashboard
    • Leaderboard
    • Payment Settings
  • Home
    • Contact Us
    • Submit News
    • FAQ
    • Monthly Website Statistics
    • Our History
    • Our Staff
    • Privacy Policy
    • Rack Locations
  • Most Read
  • Most Recent
  • More News
  • Sports
  • E-Editions
  • Opinion
  • Advertising
    • Ad Rates
    • Ad Staff
  • Calendar
  • Obituaries
  • Social
  • Subscribe
  • State
  • The Conservative
  • Post
    • Post Dashboard
    • Leaderboard
    • Payment Settings
  • Home
    • Contact Us
    • Submit News
    • FAQ
    • Monthly Website Statistics
    • Our History
    • Our Staff
    • Privacy Policy
    • Rack Locations
  • Most Read
    • Most Read This Week
    • Most Read This Month
    • Most Read This Year
    • Most Read All Time
  • Most Recent
  • More News
    • Cartoons
    • Crime
    • Documents
    • Politics
    • Public Notices
    • Videos
  • Sports
  • E-Editions
    • Archives
    • Magazine
    • Newspaper E-Edition
    • Special Sections
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Comments
    • Editorials
    • Letters
    • Polls
    • Submit a Letter to the Editor
  • Advertising
    • Ad Rates
    • Ad Staff
  • Calendar
  • Obituaries
    • Submit an Obituary
  • Social
    • Anniversaries/Births
    • Schools
    • Engagements/Weddings
    • Submit an Anniversary
    • Submit a Birth
    • Submit an Engagement
    • Submit School News
    • Submit a Wedding
  • Subscribe
  • State
  • The Conservative

Kalich: Men could use some civilizing

By Tim Kalich , READ MORE > 4,082 Reads
On Thu, 11/30/2017 - 03:01 PM

Toward the end of “Wonder Woman,” considered one of the better superhero films made in recent years, the title character is perplexed and frustrated.

She has just killed a diabolical German general who she is convinced is actually Ares, the Greek god of war, by plunging a sword through his chest. She expects his death will lead to an immediate laying down of arms by World War I combatants.

When it doesn’t, it’s not just because of a case of mistaken identity. It’s because, as Diana learns, good and evil both reside in mankind. Outside forces  — Ares in Greek mythology, Satan in the Judeo-Christian tradition — might plant the seed of wickedness in human beings, but human nature also makes it receptive to that prodding.

“... I glimpsed the darkness that lives within their light. And I learned that inside every one of them, there will always be both. A choice each must make for themselves,” says Diana.

There is one female character in the story who chooses evil, but Diana’s observation about the potential wickedness inherent in mankind is mostly reserved for the males of the species. Most of the story’s “bad guys” are, in fact, guys.

If director Patty Jenkins’ desire was to mythologize male depravity,  she has had a lot of support recently in real-life events for the suggestion that most of the bad actors in the world are male.

Consider the following American examples.

In the recent deluge of reports of sexual harassment by leading figures in Hollywood, politics and the news media, the perpetrators have been overwhelmingly men.

College hazings that have resulted in the fatal alcohol poisoning of pledges at campuses around the country have been almost solely at male-bonding fraternities.

Of all the mass shootings that have occurred in the United States, in nearly every case the shooter has been a male.

So, too, with most pedophiles.

This does not seem like coincidence. Rather, it underscores the belief that males are temperamentally more prone to confrontation than women, are more likely to prey on the weak, and will resort to physical or emotional violence, if necessary, to maintain the upperhand.

It’s possible that as women increasingly assume a greater presence in what had been male-dominated professions, these distinctions that we have attributed to testosterone and the male psyche will disappear.

Women have fought, for example, for the right to hold combat roles in the military. Most of the concerns about that change were whether women, given their slighter frame and smaller muscle build, could endure the physical hardships of being on the front lines. But there’s also the issue of whether they are temperamentally suited to kill at close quarters.

In order to kill someone, you have to be able to shut off empathy. You can no longer see that person across the trenches as a human being like yourself, but rather as a threat. It’s either kill or be killed. The security of a nation depends on effectively training young adults, usually males, to accept that choice without question.

This ability to turn off empathy, though essential on the battlefield, can bring awful consequences in civilian life, however.

What is baffling about some of the behavior that has gotten both famous men and little-known frat boys into trouble is that it doesn’t take much of a moral compass to know there are some things you just shouldn’t do.

You shouldn’t, for example, use your wealth, celebrity or power to try to take sexual advantage of subordinates. Nor should you pressure a college kid who’s trying to fit in with you to drink lots of alcohol very quickly.

Men don’t appear to be very good at policing such misbehavior among themselves, though, because of their tendency toward a pack mentality. When Donald Trump was bragging to Billy Bush about groping women, Bush yukked it up with the future president instead of discouraging the conversation. At Penn State University, more than two dozen fraternity members have been charged in the death of a 19-year-old pledge for either plying him with alcohol or failing to get him help after he fell and was knocked unconscious. Reportedly, just one fraternity member spoke up that the pledge needed medical attention, and he was quickly brushed off by his buddies.

Men need a civilizing force, and women have done a good job of handling that responsibility throughout history.

Maybe they will do so collectively now, at least as it pertains to sexual harassment. En masse they have signaled that the rules are changing as to what men can get away with. Woe to the man who is not paying attention.

In “Wonder Woman,” Diana is no man hater. She likes men just fine, at least those who act bravely and nobly. But she slays a lot of those who don’t.

Contact Tim Kalich at 581-7243 or tkalich@gwcommonwealth.com.

   

 

‹ PreviousNext ›

Sign Up for Notifications of Local Breaking News

Start E-mail NotificationsStop E-mail NotificationsStart Mobile NotificationsStop Mobile Notifications

Obituaries

Susie Kuykendall McElroy

Susie Kuykendall McElroy, 91, born in Money, Miss. on January 3, 1929, passed away Wednesday,… READ MORE

Lora Ann McCuiston
Lester Bell, Jr.
Tannie Dixon, Jr.
Johnnie Forrest
Alberta Miller

Most Recent

Wicker Hails $2.377 Million Award for UMMC Connected Care Pilot Program

U.S.

Health department clarifies vaccine supply, new appointments available Jan. 25
Health department clarifies vaccine supply, new appointments available Jan. 25
Congressman Guest Applauds Army Corp of Engineers’ Record of Decision
Justin Moore Announced as Entertainment for February 16 Dixie National Rodeo Performance
Wicker Praises Army Corps Decision on Yazoo Backwater Pumps Project

Most Read News Article

  • Week
  • Month
  • Year
  • All Time

Recipe even better the next day

I found this great recipe on social media, and I made it last week. It was delicious the day I made… READ MORE

Mississippi federal delegation would vote along party lines on impeachment
City of Madison files another brief in lawsuit that could overturn state's medical marijuana program before it begins
Auditor’s Office Arrests Former Pearl River County Crimestoppers Board Member
His name is Carson, he lives in Raymond, and he will officiate the national championship
Deputies recover stolen property

Recipe even better the next day

I found this great recipe on social media, and I made it last week. It was delicious the day I made… READ MORE

Winona woman sentenced following fight in SuperValu
Try these Christmas Eve treats
Drive-in draws many
Teens charged in Carroll armed robberies
Mississippi federal delegation would vote along party lines on impeachment

Rebels roll to convincing wins

The Carroll Academy Rebels post two big district wins this week in convincing fashion. The Rebels… READ MORE

Needy families get July 4th holiday boost
Local legislators hard at work
One person killed in Sunday storms in Carroll County
Favorite dips to enjoy for summer
BREAKING: Montgomery County reporting second case of coronavirus

“Hill Fire: Knee Deep” based on the stories of the late Arnold Dyre

This weekend, the Montgomery County Arts Council will present a special play inspired by the life… READ MORE

Stars to face St. Joseph in first round
Carpenter wins runoff, Daniels new constable
Orvlie Hunt
Four injured in Carroll plane crash
Black Hawk resident meets Austrian pen pal for the first time

SOCIAL

The littlest angels

In 2019, Matt and Corey Miletello experienced tragedy most could not imagine.  They buried three… READ MORE

Hot soups to warm you on cold days
Keep warm with fall soups
Whatever it takes
Get ready for the big game party
Finding her place

SPORTS

Tigers bring home two big wins

The Winona Tigers returned from the Christmas break and opened up division play with a pair of… READ MORE

Lady Rebels pick up two wins
Lady Stars pick up three wins, Stars go 2-3
In women’s hoops, we suddenly have a real Mississippi rivalry
His name is Carson, he lives in Raymond, and he will officiate the national championship
Tigers meet Calhoun City

Copyright 2019 • Montgomery Publishing
401 Summit St. • Winona, MS 38967 • (662)-283-1131

Emmerich Newspapers proudly serve the following Mississippi communities:
Click on the city name to visit its website.

ACKERMAN • CARROLLTON • CHARLESTON • CLARKSDALE • COLUMBIA • EUPORA • FOREST • GREENVILLE • GREENWOOD • GRENADA • HATTIESBURG • JACKSON • KOSCIUSKO • INDIANOLA • LOUISVILLE • MAGEE • MENDENHALL • McCOMB • NEWTON • PETAL • QUITMAN • SENATOBIA • WINONA • YAZOO CITY

As well as: DUMAS, Ark. • TALLULAH, La • FRANKLINTON, La.

For more information on how to extend your advertising message to these communities, click here.