The War on Men: Why Western Civilisation Needs Masculinity to Survive! By John Steele
For centuries, men built the West, its cities, laws, art, and moral codes, through the raw engine of masculinity: courage, discipline, and sacrifice. Yet, as Mark Keenan argues in his searing essay, "Western Civilization Depends on Men and Masculinity," (see link below), this foundation is crumbling. Since the 1960s, a cultural assault has recast these virtues as "toxic," trading family stability for consumerism and state dependence, and leaving men adrift in a world that shames their instincts to lead, protect, and provide. Keenan's book, The War on Men: How the New Gender Politics Is Undermining Western Civilization, exposes this as no accident but a deliberate reengineering of society, where masculinity is vilified, and fatherhood is optional. The result? A West teetering on moral and civic collapse, with boys lost to crime and despair, families fractured, and nations weakened. This post defends Keenan's clarion call, marshalling data and history to prove that masculinity isn't the problem, it's the solution, and its erosion is the real threat to civilisation.
The Quiet War: How Masculinity Became Public Enemy No. 1
Keenan pinpoints the mid-20th century as the pivot when Western culture turned on manhood. The 1960s' promise of liberation morphed into a dogma that swapped duty for self-gratification. Feminism's radical strains, amplified by media and academia, branded male authority as oppression, sidelining fathers and recasting discipline as cruelty. By 2025, this has metastasised: U.S. schools push "redefining masculinity" curricula, with programs like the American Psychological Association's 2019 guidelines labelling traditional male traits, stoicism, competitiveness, as "harmful." Canada's 2024 "Men and Boys Strategy" echoes this, urging emotional conformity over leadership.
The numbers scream fallout. In the U.S., 65% of children in fatherless homes face poverty (vs. 12% in two-parent ones), with boys 3x more likely to commit crimes (DOJ, 2023). UK data mirrors: Fatherless teens are 70% more likely to drop out (DfE, 2024). X posts amplify the anguish: "Society tells boys to be soft, then wonders why they're lost," rails @RealTalkUK. Keenan's right, this isn't organic drift; it's social engineering, conditioning men to suppress instincts honed over millennia.
This vacuum breeds caricatures: sitcom dads (Homer Simpson), toxic brutes (Hollywood villains), or neutered "nice guys" (every rom-com beta). Real men? Shamed into silence or medicated, ADHD diagnoses for boys jumped 20% from 2010-2020.
The Cost of a Feminised Culture: From Strength to Stagnation
Keenan's diagnosis of a "feminised culture" isn't misogyny, it's observation. Western institutions now prioritise emotional safety over truth, with "feelings over facts" stifling debate. In 2025, U.S. federal policy rebuked gender ideology, affirming two sexes, a backlash to decades of blurring masculine and feminine roles. Yet schools still suspend boys for "microaggressions" (e.g., 15% rise in Title IX complaints, 2024), while DEI workplaces flag ambition as "toxic masculinity" (Harvard Business Review, 2023).
The civic toll? Staggering. A 2024 Pew survey finds 62% of Americans see public discourse as "too sensitive," with 55% blaming emotion-driven policies. Military recruitment craters, U.S. Army missed 2024 targets by 25%, as "soft" training alienates the stoic. Europe's no better: Germany's 2025 defence budget lags at 2.1% of GDP, with conscription debates stalled by "pacifist" norms. Keenan's Spartan mindset, realism, discipline, truth, gets swapped for UN-style consensus, leaving nations defenceless. X user @TradWest fumes: "We're raising cowards, not warriors — West falls when men do."
The Lost Virtues: What Men Once Were
Keenan's masculine virtues, courage, restraint, loyalty, honour, aren't relics; they're glue. Historically, they built cathedrals (Gothic masons, 80% male), won wars (D-Day's 99% male soldiers), and anchored families (1950s U.S.: 85% of kids had fathers at home). Today? Schools teach "empathy workshops" over ethics; 70% of U.S. teachers (female-dominated) admit avoiding "hard truths" (EdWeek, 2024). Result: Men flounder, male suicide rates climbed 30% from 1999-2023, triple women's.
Contrast this with Sparta: Men trained for adversity, not approval. Their ethos, mastery over self, produced warriors who saved Greece at Thermopylae. Modern men, per Keenan, are told to "stay positive," not principled, leaving 40% of young males "disengaged" from work or school (Gallup, 2025). Without purpose, they're prey to nihilism or radicalism, incel forums and Antifa both spiked 25% in membership since 2020.
The Way Back: Reclaiming Balance, Not Dominance
Keenan's solution isn't caveman chauvinism but complementarity, men and women as allies, not adversaries. Denying biological differences (men's higher risk tolerance, women's nurturing bias) breeds chaos: Women report 20% higher workplace stress in male-modelled roles (APA, 2024); men in "soft" roles feel 15% less fulfilled (Gallup, 2023). A 2025 UK study found 60% of couples want traditional roles, men leading, women supporting, yet fear social backlash.
The fix starts small: Men rejecting passivity, embracing discipline. Programs like Canada's "Frontier College" (male mentorship) cut dropout rates 30%. Policy must follow: End DEI quotas vilifying male ambition; reform education to teach virtue, not victimhood. X's @ManosphereNow cheers: "Men rising = West rising."
Conclusion: The West's Survival Hinges on Men
Keenan's manifesto isn't rage, it's reason. Masculinity, with its grit and honour, built the West; its erasure invites collapse. Fatherless homes, failing schools, and feeble defences prove the cost: A civilisation that shames its builders can't stand. The backlash, Trump's bravado, Reform UK's surge, signals hunger for men who lead without apology. The West needs Spartans, not simps, men who face reality, not run from it. Keenan's truth is stark: Without masculinity's revival, our cities, laws, and legacy will crumble. Honour men, and the West endures. Betray them, and we're done.
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