The Male Ego

Listen boys, I have been giving you a lot of credit in the past few posts, with your general positive character traits and broad range of problem solving abilities. But this week- I'm seeing some of you in a funk. Let it be known that this blog will most definitely NOT turn into my accounts in the "battle of the sexes" many folks in my generation tend to do. To that point- the male ego never ceases to amaze me. This week I have seen it both in my professional and personal lives. As I sat (more what felt like a fly on a wall) in a meeting the other day, I observed on the sidelines as 2 fairly successful men in my company hashed it out. Mind you, this meeting was to be a brainstorm for one of my clients, but 5 minutes in somehow turned into 1 male trying to prove to the other how each was more validated in the media world. I listened to both of them express how much experience they had, and how they knew more because they had "been in this game for so long." I couldn't get a word in edge wise...but it was so funny for me to see how each of them were trying to 1 up another- and not for the sake of a lady in the room, but for themselves. The more I interact with men in a business setting, the more I see their need to prove their manhood. It's like this crazy feat for a man to make sure all the men around him know he's THE MAN (did you get that one?). Even in my personal life, I watched as my group of friends hashed it out over email- it was like missiles flying into my gmail inbox, each message screamed "I AM A BIGGER MAN THAN YOU ARE!!" and in fact I believe one of the messages actually called another dude out for not being 'man enough.' So what is it guys? Do you have this innate primitive desire to divide and conquer, hunt and capture? If you are doing it for us ladies- we appreciate the gesture, but keep in mind we prefer it in a more classy, less obvious manner. If you are doing it for other men- I think you should stop now- it seems like an impossible task to prove to another man that you are THE MAN. And if you are doing it for yourself- to prove to the person deep down inside of you who strives for excellence, then I commend your efforts. Fighting for something you so badly want, or believe in- is beyond honorable in my book. This one is dedicated to my little bro- Semper Fidelis :)
xoxo AA