A Perspective on Male Pride

Pride, when well-placed, is a powerfully positive force.  It is a very rewarding feeling, and it can also be a highly personal one.  Obviously, there are many different sources of pride and ways of being proud.  This is a perspective on male pride.  While I intend the Clan of Men to be a fun blog, a big part of the blog's theme is male pride, which I consider to be as profound a topic as it is a sexy one.  I share my views on male pride to explain fully why I maintain the blog and to hopefully strike a resonating chord with the guys who view it.          

Pride is not limited to men, certainly.  To have male pride does not diminish women in anyway.  One can easily point out that being a man is not an achievement, as being born male is a circumstance of one's birth.  Roughly half of the human population is male, so being a man is hardly an exclusive club.  Being a good man and striving to be the best man one can be, though, is very much an achievement and very much a part of male pride, although the aim to be one's best self is not unique to men, either.  

Broadly, I think male pride involves a man feeling good about himself for what he sees to be his most desirable and best manly qualities and also for what he actually accomplishes in life with these qualities.  Such male pride can be based on inner or outer qualities and is usually based on a combination.  In this way, male pride can contain elements of a satisfied ego, self-confidence, and even vanity.  However, when well-balanced with other personal characteristics, these self-approving elements of male pride are quite healthy and should not to be confused with narcissism, which is an unreasonable and excessive sense of one's own importance.  As gay men, defined by our attraction to our own sex, we also embody what we find sexually desirable, and I believe our autoerotic natures when channeled favorably can also be a gratifyingly healthy aspect of our male pride.  Liking one's own body does not mean a man is foolishly vain or disconcertedly conceited, it just means he's pleased with what he's got. 

Admittedly, I am a very horny guy with a busy sex-life, but my male pride is not boundaried by my enthusiasm for male body parts.  For me, male pride includes the joie de vivre of being not only a man, but very importantly, being a happy & life-engaged gay man.  I believe male pride is very entwined with bonding experiences with other males in the sense that possession of male pride is truly a "community of practice" where men come together constructively in mutual support, fulfillment, respect, jubilation, and admiration -- in anyway and all ways -- physically, sexually, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. 

From since I was a boy, for as long as I can remember, I have been deeply appreciative of being male.  I've grew up very close to my dad, who has always been a role model and an inspiration for me.  With my physical maturity came both delight and wisdom.  As as adult man on my life's journey, I know I am fortunate about so much of what really matters.  A foundation of my life is the satisfaction I find in being a man and being with other men.  I find men intrinsically beautiful, and I always have, even before I was old enough to be really cognizant of sexuality.  Once I wholly grasped the sexual dimension of a man's beauty, I've been on fire ever since.  I strongly suspect many of you feel the same way.

I am proud that I see this intrinsic beauty in so many of the men I know; in men I may only briefly meet or merely see; in myself, too; and in the abundance of men depicted in this blog.  I am not shallow, and for men I actually know, my admiration is seldom limited only to the physical side of beauty.  Some of the guys who view my blog are guys I know in person, and the blog includes some anonymous photos of myself and men with whom I am actually acquainted.  The vast majority, of course, are photos of men I do not know that circulate out there in wide-open cyber space, and their inclusion on the blog is strictly based on my own aesthetic sense of their masculine allure.  True, the Clan of Men blog is just one of countless gay male blogs and not an art form.  Even so, in creating and maintaining this blog, aside from building and sharing a cache of photographs of men I deem sexually desirable, I seek to pridefully honor the beauty and unadulterated sexuality of man.    

Please don't dismiss these sentiments as mere "schmalz."  While I greatly value certain blessings, advantages, and joys in my life, as I hope you also do regarding your own life, none of us float through life in a sublime state of perfection and continual bliss.  We are humans living in a challenging world.  Not everything is exactly as anyone of us would have it.  We are flawed.  Sometimes we fail.  Sometimes we disappoint others and ourselves.  Some days, setbacks and stresses get the best of us.  Although I conjecture most people have at least some sense of goodness and right in their souls, I acknowledge that even mostly good people are capable of doing bad things and that some people, indeed, are mostly bad.  

A piece of wisdom I learned early is that so much of living a happy life is thoughtfully taking pride and joy in the good things you have and the good things that are.  So much is woven into the fabric of lives, and as individuals, that fabric is as unique and varied as we are.  If you are reading this, you are probably a man and probably a gay man.  None of us should ever lose sight that our manhood is a gift, a gift affecting so much of our lives.  Male pride is not at all limited to gay men, but as a gay men, our sexuality is a natural catalyst for us to be consummately well-abled to find immense pride and joy in our own and in our communal maleness.  Prizing our gift of manhood and making the very most we can of that gift as we weave our life tapestry is -- for me, and I hope for you -- the essential core of male pride.  In a world half-populated by men, I believe those of us who passionately embrace our male pride throughout the progress of our lives are the most fortunate men of all.  

Thank you for viewing the blog.  I sincerely wish you a lifetime of male pride.      

Following are some topics associated with male pride that are close to my own heart.  These themes appear throughout the Clan of Men blog in daily posts and in periodically updated collections. 

Our Bearded Glory: The Face of a Man

The whiskers that grow on a man's face distinguish him from boys and females. As men, our beards not only are hallmarks of our masculinity, they are our destinies.  Own that destiny and wear your beard with pride.  The Clan of Men annually celebrates No Shave November to highlight the bearded glory of man. 

 The Natural Man

Women commonly remove much of their adult body hair to achieve the idealized, but largely artificial, feminine baby-smooth look.  For males, the current "manscaping" trend of removing or significantly trimming  body hair is a highly unattractive and peculiarly effeminate affectation.  It is an utter abomination of what a man really looks like.  Men who truly love men also love the way men truly look.  Some men are notably naturally hairy, and some are not.  Men are sexy whether they’re particularly hairy or not, but but all men should have normal amounts of adult body hair in all the normal places.  Sure, if you want, snip away at a few straggly stray hairs here and there, but if you feel compelled to trim the hairy areas of your body, please do so only with a very light hand so as not to look too ridiculous.  I include photos of men on this blog who obviously trim their body hair to some degree, but I draw the line at the point where the butchering of hair is so extreme they cease to look manly.  Make no mistake, the natural man is the most sexy man and the very best man.  

No ands, ifs, or buts.  (Except for hairy butts, of course.)     

The Ultimate Trophy of Manhood

The much acclaimed penis is the time-eternal and preeminent icon of the male sex and the attention-grabbing centerpiece of our anatomy.  No mincing words, most owners and most beholders of the greatly revered male sex organ prefer it to be on the large side.  The same aesthetic viewpoint applies to the balls.  Plenty of men with average-size genitals are very sexy, but size matters to most, and male pride comes fast & easy to well-endowed men.  To be forthright, the Clan of Men likes men with ample gents, at least average to large in size, and always with intact pubic hair, the more naturally bushed, the better.  The BIG HAIRY DICK is a male classic and the ultimate trophy of manhood.    

 The Intoxicating Scent of A Man

Oh, the way we smell!  The natural musk of a man, bare of artificial fragrances in colognes and underarm deodorants, is like catnip to a cat.  It's nothing less than intoxicating. The Clan of Men advises good daily hygiene but believes the natural scent of men is mightily sexy and best left unmasked.  Be proud to look like a man, most certainly, but be proud to smell like one, too.  The only fragrance men need is their own.  

  

Fit For A Man's Life

       

It's only realistic to say that a man's physique has a lot of bearing on his sex-appeal.  I know there are some guys who like their men significantly overweight or underweight, but I am not one of them.  Whatever his natural body type -- ectomorphic (slim), mesomorphic (naturally muscular), or endomorphic (stocky, round) -- a man can have a sexy manly physique, including well into senior age.  Looking good naked usually involves sufficient attention to diet and a regular effective exercise routine, which undeniably requires some time, effort, and motivation.  The blog features men with a range of physiques which I describe as some shade of fit.   In respect to motivation, I always point out that our beloved dicks and balls are fabulous, and as such, they deserve to be attached to a body worthy of them.  A man should show enough love and respect for his favorite parts to give them a good home.            

A World of Men

 I don't make a deliberate point of ensuring the Clan of Men blog proportionally represents the universe of men.  I simply post photos of men who appeal to me, which ends up being a fairly diverse group.  Sexy men exist from north to south and east to west, and they come in a choice of various colors and flavors.  The language of manhood is spoken around the world.  

Our Raging Tempest: The Male Sex-Drive

The male sex-drive is potently forceful, much more so than the female sex-drive. Anthropologically, there are evolutionary, procreation-of-the-species, and survival-of-the-fittest reasons why this is so, which I won't delineate here for the sake of brevity. (I confess that brevity is not usually among my virtues. lol)  The main take-away is that God made us the way we are, and our male sex drives are characterized as highly visual, quick to surge, and ravaging.  Great sex is not experienced only by gay men, but our male sex drives coming together, focused on one another, results in smoking hot sex, very likely the hottest sex on Planet Earth.  Men ready to get-off together are a raging tempest of sexual desire and release.  Like any powerful force, it needs to be managed so not to become a destroying force, but as gay men, we are particularly blessed in the sex lives we can lead.  Men typically love sex.  As a group, active gay men get more sex than anyone else.  That totally rocks.           

A Movement To Preserve Our Foreskins

Circumcision is a barbaric practice.  In the absence of a life threatening situation, any body modification always should be the body owner's own choice.  In males, circumcision mainly affects newborn infants of Jewish and Islamic religious/cultural backgrounds anywhere in the world and newborn infants of any religious/cultural background in some areas of the world, including the United States.  While circumcision rates are steadily declining in America, the circumcision rate of newborn males in America is still estimated to be as high as 56% to 64%.   All men -- both those men uncircumcised and those of us who have been maimed for life without our consent by a misguided medical establishment and passively misinformed parents -- should vehemently support the growing movement to educate the public about this unnecessary and abusive practice and end it for future generations of men.  I personally think cut and uncut penises are equally attractive, but the issue here is not about looks. The issue is that forced mutilation of an infant's or a child's body is unethical and disturbingly wrong.  Anyone with a brain should know that.      

 

Let's Get Naked 

When needed, clothing is beneficial to humans to provide warmth and protection from the elements.  For some, clothing is desirable as a way to express themselves or because they enjoy dressing fashionably.  Some people prefer wearing clothes because of demurity, dissatisfaction with one's body, or mere convention.  At the Clan of Men, we fervently endorse a manly lifestyle when men get naked wherever and whenever possible.  We're proud to be men from head to toe and between the legs!  Pants on a proud man is like a shroud on a work of art.       

 

Hard as Rock

Mae West, an old-time star of vaudeville and early film once famously and lasciviously said "it's hard to find a good man, but it's good to find a hard one."  I wholeheartedly agree with half of that statement.  There are a lot of great men out there, but a sexy man all boned-up is absolutely a sight to behold and fun in the making.  The way our dicks respond to sexual desire and function as the tools of our trade is a miracle of man's creation.  Turned on. Erect.  Rock hard. Stiff enough to stir a bucket of gravel. Awesome.    

Keep On Stroking

Masturbation is among the joys of being a man. Most men begin masturbating in early puberty and continue to do so throughout their lives.  Research shows gay men are more inclined to frequently masturbate than straight men even when they regularly engage in sex with partners.  Gay men also often incorporate masturbation into sex play with their partners.  An added bonus is that a lifetime of ejaculating frequently is associated with lower rates of prostate cancer.  So, keep stroking, guys!  It's as natural as it fun and healthy.       

Our Right To Manspread

In these times of the "Me Too" movement and greater consciousness of women's rights, men and male culture have come under increased attack in the media, by organizations, by women, and even by some men.  I firmly believe in fairness and respectful treatment of all humankind.  However, I also believe that lifting women up does not require tearing men down.  One commonly hears the term "manspread" simply used in reference to the natural way we spread our legs apart when sitting to give our genitals plenty of needed room to hang comfortably.  Sometimes the term carries a negative connotation in the sense that it can symbolize historic male domination and intimidation of women.  The Clan of Men advocates a positive spin on manspread, a representation of men openly, freely, confidently, and proudly embracing the best of masculine characteristics and values.  A man with his legs wide open unreservedly showing the generous bounty of his manhood is a symbol of this affirmation.   Literally and visually, it's also hot as fuck.  

 Join the Sausage Party  

Liberte', Egalite', Fraternite' 

You may recognize liberty, equality, and fraternity as the rallying cry of the French Revolution during the 18th century.  I've commandeered these stirring words to dramatically emphasize the importance of our male relationships and communities where we revel in our manhood and thrive as men.  At our best, we are a manly brotherhood where we are freely ourselves, are freely together, and freely give our love and support to one another.  Our joy is also our pride, and the sausage party is an open invitation.

Through the Years

Stating the obvious, we begin our journey of manhood as young men and, unless we die prematurely, we end it as old men.  I have heard it quipped that youth is wasted on the young and that wisdom is the consolation prize for losing one's youth.  That's something for us to think about, but in respect to manly sex appeal, I emphatically assert men can have plenty of it from their young years all the way though their very mature years.  If he's reasonably handsome and fit and takes good care of himself, a man can look very sexy long past the halcyon days of his golden youth.  I post photos of men in a wide range of ages, reflecting my genuine love of sexy men at any age.  I will add the caveat, though, that I am sexually attracted to men, not boys, and so very young guys who may be sexually mature but who still look like boys are not to my taste.  It's fine for the grape to be fresh off the vine, but I like my fruit sufficiently ripe.  Sure, reality is that if we live long enough, and many of us do, our sex-appeal eventually surrenders to elderly age.  At that final stretch of road, a man should hold dear that the good manly life he lived is a tribute to himself, to those he has loved, and to those who have loved him.  

  

The Man Next Door: 

An Invitation from the Clan of Men

  I enjoy hearing from guys who view my blog.  I also love when they send photos of themselves to be shared on the blog!  If you're proud of what you've got, I invite you to show it off at the Clan of Men as a Man Next Door.  Your anonymity is assured.  You may choose to include your face, a partial face, or no face at all.  Photos may show a full or partial view of your body and any part of your body.  We do want to see that good-looking dick, though!  You may email pics to clanofmen4@gmail.com