The Subtle Subversion of Manhood

I am still amazed when I talk to young and older men and find out how little they understand about manhood and about becoming a man.


How did so many males come to misunderstand manhood? Why are so many males opting to forego true manhood?

To answer those questions, we must critically examine the subtle subversion of manhood…

The Road Most Traveled
Most boys travel the road from boyhood to adulthood but they never reach manhood. That is not a criticism. That is just an irrefutable statement of fact! The question we must answer is, “How did so many males miss, undoubtedly, the most critical part of their life… the part about becoming a man?” To answer that question we must dissect two words. The words: subtle and subvert.

To be subtle means: 1. So slight as to be difficult to detect or describe. 2. To operate in a hidden, usually injurious way. 3. To be cunning and crafty. In Genesis 3:1, the Word of God reveals, “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field…” We’ll come back to that later.

To subvert means: 1. To overthrow from the foundation. 2. To hinder the normal operation of. 3. To sabotage. 4. To undermine the character, morals, or allegiance of. 5. To pervert, as the mind, and turn it from the truth. 6. To corrupt.

There has been a subtle subversion of manhood. Certain people, groups and organizations have set about to hinder the normal operation of properly transitioning a boy from boyhood to manhood. Their plot is to overthrow manhood from its foundation. They accomplish this underhanded scheme by systematically and methodically undermining the character, morals and allegiance of these males while they are young.
The Subtle Subversion of Manhood
This subtle subversion of manhood has taken place right under our noses. Yet, because it was done in such a crafty and cunning manner, most people, (including most clergy) missed it. What does the subverted version of manhood look like? The subverted version of manhood convinces a male that he has reached the pinnacle of manhood when he has proven that:
  • He has the ability to make money and acquire wealth.
  • He has the ability to acquire male status symbols.
  • He has an admirable physique.
  • He has athletic prowess on the court, field, rink or diamond.
  • He is versed at exploiting women sexually.
  • He is adept at domineering women physically.
  • He has the ability to successfully shrug responsibilities.
  • He has the ability to make babies.
  • He has the ability to hold his liquor.
  • He has the ability to handle his drug use.
  • He has the wherewithal to get away with criminal acts.
  • He has the ability to control or manipulate others.
  • He has the ability to beat the system.
  • He is over eighteen years of age.
  • He is a bona fide thug, rapper, shot caller, baller, etc.
  • He has the ability to handle incarceration.
Who is Responsible For Subverting Manhood?
Those who have had the most devastating effect are: (1) The Media, Music and Hollywood - The influence this group has had in subverting manhood is undeniable and immeasurable. The role models for the average young boy and teen male are found on MTV, BET, WWF, the basketball court, football field, baseball diamond and the hockey rink. Ironically, many of the prominent males they admire are very blunt in declaring that they are not trying to be anyone’s role models! To prove their point, their lives are riddled with drug and alcohol addictions, paternity suits, divorces, domestic violence, arrests, infidelities, public vulgarity, rebellion, suspensions, fines and other erratic and bizarre immature behaviors.

Music is another primary influence that shapes how these young males will conduct themselves when they reach adulthood.

Remember how subtle satan is?

Using the sophisticated guise of rap music, hip-hop and gangsta rap, satan has been able to effectively inspire many African American males to forgo manhood.

Instead of manhood, they opt to imitate the thug spirit. To these young males, being a thug is like a badge of honor! The definition of a thug is: 1. an aggressive young criminal 2. a deceiver 3. a robber 4. a cutthroat 5. a hoodlum. The devil has successfully used music and the hip-hop culture to trick these young males into seeing themselves as criminals, hoodlums and cutthroats.

The resultant effect: A report published by the Washington-based Justice Policy Institute, says the number of black men behind bars has grown by more than five times in the past 20 years. Even worse, according to the study, there were 791,600 black men imprisoned in America in the year 2000, compared to 603,032 enrolled in college or university. That is called a mass subversion of manhood!

These role models aggressively defend their lifestyle and mission in life. They can be seen and heard glorifying the concept of being a pimp, player, baller and shot caller. Those are all seductive synonyms for thug. These males defiantly mock God, despise morals, laugh at education and refute self-control. Their music is clearly misogynistic and violent. Their mantras are, “Get rich or die trying,” and “… don’t love them hoes!” They make tons of cash, no one can deny that; but what kind of road map and legacy do these pimps, players, ballers and shot callers, leave?

The answer is mayhem, incarceration, feuds, rivalries, violence, death and murder. If you asked them, most of these males would swear that they exemplify manhood. They are so convinced that they insist on persuading other males to follow in their footsteps. Can we really expect a young man to conduct himself as a real man after being indoctrinated, then subverted from manhood by the likes of the aforementioned males?

(2) Dysfunctional Household – A dysfunctional home is one that is headed up by a sexually indiscriminate male, promiscuous female, criminal, abuser, alcoholic, drug addict, or by someone who is unstable: spiritually, mentally or emotionally. These households are gridlocked with domestic violence, tension, abuse, neglect and sexual immorality. Boys who grow up in these type of households rarely receive any training, let alone manhood training. They are left to their own imaginations and they become ticking time bombs, (See Proverbs 29:15). By the time these boys reach adulthood, they have been fed a heavy dose of subverted manhood.

(3) Fatherless Households –
These boys grow up with no spiritual, moral or mentally strong male role models. The average female in their lives have good intentions. But a woman can no more teach a boy how to be a man anymore than a man can teach a girl how to be a woman. Simply stated, fatherless boys often grow up to be insecure treacherous males. Boys raised in fatherless homes increase the rate of illegitimate births, they inflate the divorce rate, and they are one of the primary reasons that our prisons house more criminals than any country in the world.

My staunch critics will demand that I provide statistical data collected from expert demographers, adjunct professors and other scholarly fellows to prove my statements. As impressive as that would be, I’m not going to do it! Not when I can point you to the statistics recorded in the 3 rd and 4 th chapters of Isaiah. There you will find a community that was unraveled by unwed pregnancies, teeming with single mothers and bursting at the seams with an overabundance of fatherless homes. The devastating results are the same results which are revealed anytime a community, church or nation of people subverts manhood.
  • The children rise up and rebel against their elders, Isaiah 3:5 
  • The males blatantly refuse to lead, Isaiah 3:7 
  • The people boldly sin against God, Isaiah 3:8
  • The children brazenly commit criminal acts against society, Isaiah 3:12 
  • The females head the households and lead the churches, Isaiah 3:12 
  • The females choose the path of promiscuity over virtue, Isaiah 3:16 
  • The males are murdered at an alarmingly high rate, Isaiah 3:25 
  • That community, church or nation of people comes under the judgment of God, Isaiah 3:14
Where Do We Go From Here?
First – we must reject all opinions, interpretations and variations of manhood. That means rejecting the thoughts and opinions that the psychologists, experts, professors, feminists, therapists, ungodly men, unlearned ministers, rappers, rock stars, single mothers and sports icons are telling us about manhood.

Our instructions about manhood must come from our creator, the Lord God Almighty, and Him only! He reveals those instructions to us from one source - the Written Word of God. We must accept no substitutes, alterations or adjustments from anyone, male or female, (See Revelation 22:18-21). Until you take that stance, your manhood will always be subject to emasculation, (I Kings 22:1-25).

Second - You must understand this indisputable fact. When a young man is not trained by men in the principles of Mastering Manhood, the default will always be that he will resort to meandering manhood, (See I Samuel 3:13).

Third – Learning to master manhood is a process that involves intense indoctrination, (See Proverbs 4:20-27) consistent training, (See Proverbs 4:1-4), and mentoring by both instruction and by example, (See II Kings 2).

Finally – As a man, you must play your part by making an ironclad commitment to train up the young men. This mandate comes from God Himself and it was placed squarely upon the shoulders of the men, (See Deuteronomy 6:1-7 and Psalm 78:1-8). That means, whether they are your biological sons, stepsons or young men in your church or community, you have a biblical responsibility and obligation to train them. As you play your part, we will stem the tide and reverse the subtle subversion of manhood!


Welcome To Oudney Patsika's Blog: Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World: In today’s media-driven, distracted culture, your message must be amplified to reach a larger audience.

Contact Us through the Chat with WhatsApp widget below.
Previous Post Next Post
avatar
Oudney Patsika Online
One of the primary goals of Oudney Patsika is to use media to change the cultural narrative. He aims to impact today’s culture with more accurate, responsible, and positive media stories about Christianity and the Church. Get In Touch Today!
WhatsApp Chat