Through Being Cool
August 7, 2007 11:30 AM Subscribe
Through Being Cool I grew up in Australia. Australian men generally accept masculinity far better than American men, and I understand why this is. In every country on earth where boys play, there is a ritual of selecting members of each team, whether the game is soccer, cricket, football, baseball, kickball, mammoth-hunting, what have you. Most boys, at some time, have experienced the humiliation of being picked last, and it hurts. Even being picked second-last is much more tolerable than being picked last. It hurts—what is important, and culturally distinct, is how the boy deals with that pain and humiliation, when he's the one picked last. (best of craigslist, via)
This post was deleted for the following reason: A craigslist rant doesn't seem like particularly good front page material, especially one pretty much custom-built to start an Aussie/American flamewar. -- cortex
"When an American boy gets picked last at a game on the playground ... He retreats into self-pity and misanthropy ... This boy tries to create a new playing field where he is the top of the selection. Because he knows he cannot compete on the playing field, he tries to compete in intellectual pursuits, or in a fantasy world, or in fandom. He collects comic books, or plays Dungeons & Dragons, or plays video games. Maybe he learns science, or literature, or art, or music. It never occurs to him to strive to improve himself, to make himself an asset to the team that might choose him. It never occurs to him that a drama is unfolding on a level bigger than that of his individual ego."
So that's what's wrong with me.
posted by tiger yang at 11:38 AM on August 7, 2007
So that's what's wrong with me.
posted by tiger yang at 11:38 AM on August 7, 2007
Wow, that was awful. The best part was when he said that men interested in art and literature were only interested in them because they didn't get picked during games of basketball.
Australian men drive like this! American men drive like this!
posted by billysumday at 11:38 AM on August 7, 2007
Australian men drive like this! American men drive like this!
posted by billysumday at 11:38 AM on August 7, 2007
Take one for the team, and you, too, can be mated by a fellow man?
posted by Atreides at 11:39 AM on August 7, 2007
posted by Atreides at 11:39 AM on August 7, 2007
Good ol' Australia - so much better than this current country that I choose to live in for some reason.
posted by unixrat at 11:40 AM on August 7, 2007
posted by unixrat at 11:40 AM on August 7, 2007
The best part was when he said that men interested in art and literature were only interested in them because they didn't get picked during games of basketball.
That's totally true. Just look at Skeelo. He was always last to be picked - and in some cases, never picked at all.
posted by RokkitNite at 11:41 AM on August 7, 2007 [1 favorite]
That's totally true. Just look at Skeelo. He was always last to be picked - and in some cases, never picked at all.
posted by RokkitNite at 11:41 AM on August 7, 2007 [1 favorite]
This explains the dearth of great Australian art and literature, I suppose.
posted by vacapinta at 11:42 AM on August 7, 2007
posted by vacapinta at 11:42 AM on August 7, 2007
Shame he wasn't working class and English; he'd have had the best of both worlds - and a culture!
posted by Abiezer at 11:43 AM on August 7, 2007
posted by Abiezer at 11:43 AM on August 7, 2007
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posted by Kwine at 11:35 AM on August 7, 2007