Tough Manly Men

My friend Tuck over at Miscellany Blue came across a conversation that some boys from the freedom and liberty crowd were having. One of the more notable aspects of the conversation is that they've been trying to stalk Tuck, and found an architect in Virginia with the same name - and you know what that means:



Yup. Tuck's the Highlander.

Despite a thorough mocking by Tuck, the discussion continues on, in some weird and unattractive directions.  It doesn't take much to get the boys all wound up about guns, and from guns to homophobia is just a step to the right.

As you can see, Rep. Burt has decided that Rep. Timothy Horrigan should go out shooting with him, and he links that to some of his buddies who begin to chime in:

After a brief detour the topic veers back to guns. (Apparently the Tuckanoia is on the back burner for now.)

Rep. Al Baldasaro opines: "Once Tim learns safety, than (sic) he fires a weapon, he may just toughen up and get rid of his wimpy talk."

Because firing guns is the very defining characteristic of manhood!  Tough, manly, gun totin' men don't engage in wimpy talk. By wimpy talk, I believe Baldasaro means any talk other than the kind of talk routinely engaged in by angry white conservative Republican men. Their talk seems to consist of guns, all the things they hate, and boobs. Not exactly the Algonquin Round Table. 

Then we have Representative Leon Rideout chiming in, with some homophobic attempts at jocularity about "Timmy or Tammy" needing to man up. Because Tough Manly Men make accusatory 'jokes' about men who don't fit their definition of "manly." Like guys who don't choose to wear a sidearm as a sort of modern day codpiece.

This is not the first time I've seen Rideout do the "Timmy/Tammy" thing on Facebook. It seems the 5th grade playground was so much fun for Leon Rideout that he chose to stay there forever.

Shooting a gun doesn't make you a man. Making comments that reek of homophobia about other men doesn't make you a man, either. It just makes you a jerk.