Rant #2,444: It's a Man's Man's, Man's World

Well, maybe when that James Brown song came out in the early 1960s it was, but today, it seems that things are changing, and maybe the world is off its axis a bit.

I really doubt that it has ever really been such a man's world, but I come from a family of pretty strong women, so maybe my view is slanted a bit.

Women have always ruled the roost, but done it in a clever, subtle way.

There are two recent cases in point that prove to me, at least, that it is becoming a woman's world, and no, I don't think I really buy into these changes.

First off, we have the iconic James Bond character, which Ian Fleming gave life to as a larger than life secret agent, one who could bed any woman he wanted to and seemingly in the same movement, shoot down any person--male or female--who was in his way.

Brought to the big screen, Agent 007 became even that much larger in life, the real male fantasy--and I am sure some female fantasies too--and the type of man who Playboy Magazine was created for.

Sure, he was only a fictional character, but through all those films--from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig--Bond epitomized maleness.

But in this era where even if a man looks at a woman kind of funny he is accused of being a sexual predator, even the character of James Bond has had to change his course a bit, becoming a bit more PC, treating women with the respect they deserve.

It might be a "dumbing down" of the character, but the producers found that this was necessary to carry Bond into the 21st century.

Now, word has come out that the final film with Craig as 007--the still untitled 25th film in the franchise--will feature a passing of the torch, from Craig to a female 007.

Lashana Lynch--not only female but a woman of color, too--will gain the 007 code name in this film, and since this is reportedly Craig's final film as Bond, it is pretty easy to assume that Lynch will be for all terms and purposes the newest "James Bond."

As I said, I am not in line with this move. Fleming created an iconic male character with Bond--with all the perks of that maleness--and creating a female 007 simply goes against the grain of that.

I know why they simply could not have created another, brand new character--maybe an 008 or something like that--but sorry, what amounts to Jane Bond isn't going to persuade me to keep up with the franchise.

Bond, and 007, is a man, not a woman, no matter how hard we try to push it in the PC world we live in.

The next bit of such nonsense is that Hasbro has decided to release a female-driven Monopoly to cash in on the female empowerment movement.

Gone is Mr. Monopoly, enter Ms. Monopoly, and in this game, women will make more money than men. In fact, when female players pass go, they will collect $240 as opposed to the $200 male players will earn.

And players won't buy property--they will invest in inventions created by women.

Hasbro is calling this a "fun take" on the classic game; I call it a shoddy attempt to cash in on this female empowerment nonsense, and all that it does is perpetuate stereotypes of males versus females, indoctrinating the next generation into actually believing this nonsense.

Look, 99 percent of men are not like James Bond, or at least the Ian Fleming interpretation of the character. Most men are courteous toward women, treat them with respect, and don't sexually attack them.

Most males are not anti-women, but with games like this, males are being painted as the enemy--ALL MALES--and it is just plain wrong.

All that such a game is doing is strengthening this male versus female agenda that the PC Police wants to further, and how does it serve any purpose if the deck is stacked against male players?

Heck, with all of this nonsense going on, I fully expect a new doll to come out that begins life as a male, but has removable genitals and other parts so that it can become a woman.

Are we to expect a "Ken turns into Barbie" doll sometime in the near future?

I will bet without really knowing, that toymakers are at least thinking about such a toy.

Yes, as I said earlier, the world is off its axis, completely off its axis.

When are we going to get back to respect for all, rather than pitting one gender against the other?

One can only hope that there will be a backlash, and that sanity will soon return things to where they should be, but I am not holding my breath for such a thing to happen anytime soon.

Anyway, I am busy tomorrow morning, so the next time we will speak will be on Thursday morning. Have a great Tuesday and Wednesday, and I will speak to you then.