Neue US-Buchveröffentlichung: "The Decline of Men"

Im Oktober diesen Jahres erscheint im amerikanischen Verlag Harper Collins ein neues männerpolitisches Buch mit dem Titel "The Decline of Men: How the American Male Is Tuning Out, Giving Up, and Flipping Off His Future". Das Branchenmagazin "Publishers Weekly" stellt dieses Buch mit folgenden Worten vor:

Garcia (…) explores disturbing trends of men leading increasingly socially isolated lives and dropping out of high school and college in record numbers, naming them victims of an “invisible epidemic.” According to the author, modern men have failed to forge a new and productive role in the 21st century. Garcia charts the rise of feminism and the changing societal roles of both men and women, illustrating how and why men have become so confused about what defines masculinity; having lost their traditional role as provider and protector, men flirt with hollow substitute identities—drawing on “Jackass culture” (“men pretending to be boys”), gangster culture (“boys pretending to be men”) and “metrosexual” obsessions with grooming and body image—that have reductively redefined manhood and led men away from compassion, responsibility and family. Garcia wisely avoids degrading feminism or pitting men against women; instead, he offers an astute and well-researched meditation on how men might reclaim their identity and place in modern America and why such a transformation is important to future generations of both men and women.

Mir scheint, die Weisheiten, die dieses Buch verkündet kennen wir bereits seit Lionel Tigers "The Decline of Males" (dt. "Auslaufmodell Mann", 2000) und Susan Faludis "Stiffed" (dt. "Männer, das betrogene Geschlecht", 2001). Die Mehrheit der Männer hat sich "wisely" an genau die verordneten Therapievorschläge gehalten und so zum Beispiel darauf verzichtet, den Feminismus allzu scharf zu kritisieren. Wie sehr das unserer Situation genutzt hat, kann man daran erkennen, dass sieben bis acht Jahre später sehr ähnliche Bücher erscheinen wie damals.