Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Are Real Men Even Capable of Leisure?

The "leisure labor paradox" is a simple one.

Do you work or do you goof off?

Obviously you'd prefer to good off, but the real world requires you at least labor a little bit to sustain yourself.

The problem though with such a simple statement is that it ignores the biological and darwinistic conditioning of men for eons.  Until recently (meaning, the past 300 years) men have been genetically programmed to keep working, not just to survive, but to secure a stable future.

Don't work?

Fine, hope next winter is particularly harsh and you didn't squirrel enough nuts away.

Oops?  You died?

Too bad, the men who did work harder than necessary will continue to breed their "pro-work" genes into future society, reinforcing that work ethic.

The reason I bring it up is to ask the question can men even turn off their work ethic?

Oh, I know, I know, generations of inferior men who've lived off of welfare, government subsidy, OWS-hipster-paretnal-subsidy, and parasitism can easily socially engineer themselves out of any biological hard-wiring, but for those of us who actually give a care about the future, can you turn it off?  Much as I want to enjoy the decline, and much as I am successful at it, what precisely does a REAL man do with 5 hours per day in leisure?  Video games are fun and all, but inevitably I cannot refute my biological imperative to produce something of value.

Mayhaps, some liberal men can help me?  Mayhaps some OWS "professional activist" types can guide me?  Mayhaps some fratboydaddywarbucks can guide me as to what I do with free time and leisure?

Oh, wait, that's right. You're not real men. You require other people to support you.

Never mind.  I guess I'll just teach myself auto-mechanics.

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