Poor, poor men

Lately, it seems like there is a lot of attention being paid to men and their feelings, and it makes me feel a little sorry for them. First of all, there's Brokeback Mountain, which, as well as being a really sad love story, shows the tragedy of being emotionally hobbled by the expectations of 'being a man'.

Then, there's the Japanese phenomenon of Hikikomori, where young men seclude themselves rather than meet the challenges expected of them. Please God, let it stay on Japanese shores.

Then there's Norah Vincent's walk on the Y side, where she concludes that being a man kind of sucks, and that men essentially live hidden behind a macho facade.

Even a Neanderthal like this guy comes across as being a little pathetic and jealous of his child, and of his wife's bond with their child, and unable to deal with it in an adult fashion.

On a totally unrelated note, my son was watching Bobo-bo Bobo on Cartoon Network. I still haven't quite figured out what it's about except the hero can do karate with his nose hair, and his sidekick, Gas Can attacks with his farts. Really. It sounds like a bunch of eleven year olds made it up, which is probably why my son likes it.