Excellent and constructive discussion

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I found this discussion very useful in putting in perspective my own experience with coming into my manhood.  The Duke lacrosse case, which occurred when I was a sophomore there, is an excellent example of what they talk about.  Since the accuser was a poor black female and the accused were white males, people assumed she was the oppressed and the lacrosse players were the oppressors just because it met their stereotypes that men are generally the oppressors and had all the power.  In fact, the opposite was true.  The accuser had the power to bring down the wrath the American justice system and post modernism on the lacrosse players—they were dragged through a year of legal investigations, professors failed them simply for being lacrosse players, people prejudged them and protested outside their house, their season was ruined and the entire team’s lives made miserable.  She had a lot of power, especially considering her story had no basis. 

In my own personal experience I have also grappled with similar issues.  I got a very post modern education and thanks in part to that conditioning I have always felt uncomfortable coming into my own power.  As a result, I never had much success with women until I started taking ownership of that part of myself.  I would always give women all the power in interactions I had with them and became very needy or disassociated as a result.  I also have had problems coming into my potential as a leader in the military because I have always been hesitant to assert myself.  I think that this kind of discussion will be very useful for helping men express their masculinity in healthy, constructive ways.