Ladies, We are the Guys You have Been Looking and Longing For
To the women in our lives and the world: we mean you no harm whatsoever. There is no conspiracy here—nothing hidden. Quite the contrary—there is much good. Tweet
To the women in our lives and the world: we mean you no harm whatsoever. There is no conspiracy here—nothing hidden. Quite the contrary—there is much good.
We like the reality of you very much. Our celebration of our better selves has intended consequences for our commerce together. The idea of manliness we’re aiming at is an improvement. We are good guys looking to become better guys, and everyone—our wives, girlfriends, co-workers and kids—benefits when we all have our shit together.
You can count on PM being partners—brothers-in-arms with our sisters—in the pursuit of genuine equality between the sexes.
We have no intention of reversing the progressive arc of history. We are cool with the 19th Amendment. (Lost in the telling is that it was a product of a super majority of men publicly affirming the just claims of women and their public, private empowerment.) It has not been an easy road to our present circumstances—more work lies ahead.
Old habits die hard, and new bad habits are born. You can count on PM being partners—brothers-in-arms with our sisters—in the pursuit of genuine equality between the sexes.
What we need is not an abstraction. I was born into a better future, 54 years ago. I was raised by a mother pushing her way to the top professionally. My father had no issue with her making more money than him. In fact, he did his best to enable her. It was all about the good of the family. With five boys, the more money, the better. Her sons saw it the same way.
My father was a man-in-full—we all adored him and wanted to be like him. My mother remains a woman-in-full—a model of what is true, beautiful and strong in the opposite and complementary sex. My family life at core was neither patriarchal nor matriarchal. It was an American mean, one we should make our model. (More about my family later.)
Human equality is PM’s creed—one we will demonstrate daily. The full flourishing of our human equality—as well as the dignity and freedom that flow from it—is our ennobling, enabling purpose for existence.
Give us a chance to show our nature and characters—our motivations pure and salutary. We simply aim to be better men across the waterfront of human interactions: husbands, fathers, partners, co-workers and citizens.
