Things are changing. The societal landscape was once so clearly defined by roles defined by what we had in our trousers. In the past, a gentleman was a refined creature, well dressed, well spoken, and even-tempered. He wouldn't dream of ruffling feathers or be seen to rustle underskirts. He was known for a quiet confidence that spoke volumes. But that doesn't really work any more.
The world is brasher and shallower. For the most part, this is not a good thing, but it is the way it is. The delicacies of a gentleman are now seen to be sexist, outmoded, and weirdly effeminate. Where it was once effusively masculine to step back from a situation, exercising wisdom over one's fists, it now seems a bit of brawn might be called for.
True enough, there was always the suggestion that a gentleman of old could 'throw down' when absolutely necessary, but retro fisticuffs tended to be more of a one punch dance, rather than the eye-gouging, fish-hooking, crotch strangling bar room brawls we're more likely to encounter these days. It probably has something to do with the proliferation of thugs. In olden times, the class divide kept worlds apart. Social mobility barely existed, but neither did the oftentimes disastrous mixing of very different peoples. Now we all fill the same sticky-floored nightclubs; even ball rooms are accessible with an online-bought ticket. Anyone can go anywhere. It's cool, but it can lead to problems. So what kind of man can deal with this world of contrasts? The modern gent, that's who.
Think Sean Bean in a tuxedo, or Daniel Craig's Bond. A bad boy from whose impeccably tailored suit the subtle sense of threat perennially exudes. There's a new machismo in town. At first, this brutal brother of gentility seemed to have no place on yacht decks or casino floors, but this is no longer the case. At this point in history it seems that being a man's man at the same time as a gentleman is not only possible but encouraged.
A bit of rough and fluff; a dash of rash panache; a measure of grit and wit. These are the minutiae of a modern man. And it's about bloody time.
Friday, 10 July 2015
Thursday, 9 July 2015
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