The latest round of debate about women in combat has helped me understand something which had previously left me perplexed. Feminists have two primal desires which work cross purpose. They want to:

Be (like) one of the guys (experience manly pride) Mark all spaces as feminine (extinguish manly pride)

The first desire is the face which shows up first when demanding concessions. Here is this incredibly capable woman who can do what the men are doing. Why won’t you let her in? The reality of her actual ability will vary. Some of these women really can perform at the level required. Many others insist that they only need “a little help” because the standards to enter the field are difficult biased against women. Either way, I’m convinced that the desire to experience manly pride is sincere. Aside from the inevitable lowering of standards, the other feminist primal desire is then unleashed.

Once a woman has “broken in” to the all male field, the focus inevitably turns to marking the territory. This can come from the initial woman/women who broke in, or from the group which followed their path. Either way, once women are allowed in as a matter of rule (vs one or a handful of truly exceptional women), any sense of manly pride for the women admitted rapidly evaporates. At this point the focus shifts from experiencing manly pride to stopping men from feeling it. If they can’t have it, no one can.

Marking the space as feminine often begins with practical necessity. Women need separate bathroom and changing facilities, gear needs to be re-sized to fit women, etc. However, the requests never end with true practical necessity because the compulsion to mark the space as feminine is overwhelming. Any symbol which could be associated with manly pride must be clearly marked as feminine. It starts with women demanding to be allowed to wear the US Air Force uniform, but the urge to mark the uniform as feminine is irresistible. They can’t help themselves (LSFW).

Apparently some people are pissed off about a photograph of two Air Force servicewomen, Terran Echegoyen-McCabe and Christina Luna, breastfeeding their children in uniform, calling it a “disgrace.” What, soldiers aren’t supposed to have boobs (or babies)? Soldiers aren’t supposed to appear nurturing?

The problem for feminists is they still deeply crave to experience what only men can truly experience: manly pride. This is why feminists have so little interest in building up their own organizations. Being top woman doesn’t cut it. They want to break into an all male field; this is the only way for women to experience that feeling of manly pride. But the reward is fleeting. No matter what they do, they aren’t men. So they set about tearing it all down, stamping out any symbol of manly pride.

Just as interesting is how resilient to this men are. Once feminists break into an all male sphere and start marking their territory, men simply regroup. Manly pride is real, and no amount of feminist foot stamping will make it truly go away. Manly pride is something men impart on their institutions and creations, not something they merely receive from them. Wherever there are men there will be manly pride, and there will also be a group of envious feminists desperately trying to figure out how they can get in on the action.

While it is massively expensive, at least it is entertaining.

See also: