Are Men Obsolete? - Critical Essay Sample

Are Men Obsolete? Raises dramatical questions about the value of a man in the 21st century. The book whose title sound somehow ridiculous tries to argue the significance of a man in today's world. The argument revolves on who is better, man or woman, and how each has developed to become more superior than the other. The book, "Are Men Obsolete?" originates from the Munk Debates held on November 15th, 2013. The debate is guided by the topic, 'Gender in the 21st Century,' in which the question, 'Are Men Obsolete?' runs the debate (Rosin 29).

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The debate is led by four women who are both authors and writers of various books. This includes Maureen Dowd, Hanna Rosin, Camille Paglia, and Caitlin Moran. Though the debate does not merely conclude on any side, it does give deep insights and puzzle that leaves numerous questions on the obsolete nature of a man.

Dowd begins the debate in a humorous question by asking whether men are of any value since women no longer need men for finance or to reproduce. Her statement ironically refers to the time that men were known and recognized as the dominant species in the human race. It refers to a time that the men headed most of the occupations beginning from home, workplace, and politics. However, time has restructured this type of patriarchal system where women are gaining equality and taking similar responsibilities as men (Cullen & Murphy 23). Women were excluded in most occupations, but as of now, they occupied a similar position as men as well as fought in the same race. In a more astonishing way, women have become better in numerous roles such that they are tending to have great demand than men in some of these roles. In this account, men are facing a permanent decline, or in other words, men are becoming obsolete.

Roslin, who supports the motion with Dowd, explains that men are losing way behind the men in most of the things. For example, she exclaims how women have almost 60 percent of college degrees, how young women have higher salaries compared to young and single women (Collison,34). She continues to define how the majority of women-headed the workforce as of the year 2009 and the increasing households headed by married or single women. According to her, women have become the wage earner of the family, such that she even refers to these women as Alpha wives. Analyzing and evaluating the truthfulness of her statements, it is no doubt that most of this information is based on facts that have been revealed by various researchers.

Through the numerous campaigns and associations that emerged to fight for the girl child, the empowerment of the female gender has grown exponentially while that of a male is declining significantly. As of the beginning of the 21st century and late 20th-century, feminism became so popular such that in a very short time, women got their liberation along with numerous benefits (Davidson, 18). Hence, it becomes easy to join the battles field without much struggle, compared to their male counterparts. In today's world, women have gained the advantage gift that is full of policies and compassionate to help them climb the way up the ladder. This advantage does not make merely standalone but instead suppress the male by wrestling him down. For this reason, men maybe are facing permanent decline or simply becoming obsolete.

Moran and Camille have a distinctively different perspective on the question that men have become obsolete in the 21st century. In an opposing way, Moran despises his opposers' statements saying, "If men are obsolete, then I personally aspire to this level of obsolescence." Instead, she continues to describe men as significant people in society. According to her, almost 99 percent of the world's wealth is held by men, in which more than three-quarters have appeared in Forbes as the most powerful people (Rosin 40).

In a more rigid way, Moran says sarcastically, "If this is men becoming obsolete, I'm intrigued to see what they'll achieve once they've downloaded a software update." In a much significant way, Rosin has depicted men in a very powerful state. Surely, men have a big role in society. Over the generation, men have significantly led and established good leadership qualities that have helped maintain the humankind in order. In a counter-statement, Moran wonders how women would significantly grow into a more independent state such that they would never want a man. She rigidly stands out that women, no matter what achievements they make, they will still need the help of men alongside the procreation need.

Similarly, Camille despises the perspective taken by the opposers, as she contemplates how they could stop such absurd thinking. She seems fascinated by the feminists who see men as no longer necessary and blindly ignore the fact that men tirelessly labor to make the infrastructure that makes feminist's lives possible. She feels that women should consider and attribute their success to men who have worked very hard to see their dreams come true.

However, Dowd is not intrigued by this argument as she claims, "Norman Mailer once said, all women needed to be about a hundred semen slaves that they could milk every day. . . Dream on, Norman! All women need are a few cells in the freezer next to the cherry-flavored vodka, and we're all set." With this statement, it's clear how Dowd feels about men; that they are no longer significance as they used to be (Rosin 49). Nonetheless, Moran stands stills after listening to the provocative and reckless statements uttered by Dowd. Observing the interaction of the participants in the argument, Dowd and Roslin seem to have more varied facts that depict today's world. Women have become more educated and experts in different fields. With that, they have been able to fight for the same resources as men and competed for the same benefits. In addition, they have gained significant influence in places of work as well as leadership positions. With that, they have become vital members of the society who have not only played a critical role in their family, but also to the society at large.

As the battle comes to an end, those supporting the motion seem to have swayed more voters to as why men should become obsolete. Their perspective seems to have convinced many in the room who would not despise the fact that men have become obsolete in the 21st century when compared to women. The argument did not only revolve around one point but on ranged from various perspectives that showed how women have out-powered as well as outnumber the male species (Cullen & Murphy, 33). Even in the matters of finances, women have shown a significant rise, which in fact has put them high edge competition with men. Therefore, I feel that women in the 21st century may be significantly independent and overtaking men in most of the things. With this advancement and dominance, men may be slowly becoming obsolete as women rise.

Works Cited

Cullen, Pauline, and Mary P. Murphy. Leading The Debate For The Business Case For Gender Equality, Perilous For Whom?. 2019.

Davidson, Tal. "Hanna Rosin, Maureen Dowd, Caitlin Moran And Camille Paglia, Are Men Obsolete? The Munk Debate On Gender". Feminism & Psychology, vol 26, no. 4, 2016, pp. 508-510. SAGE Publications, doi:10.1177/0959353516658910. Accessed 17 Oct 2019.

Rosin, H., et al. Are Men Obsolete?: The Munk Debate on Gender. House of Anansi, 2014.

R, Collison. "Are Men Obsolete By Maureen Dowd, Caitlin Moran, Hanna Rosin, Camille Paglia: Review | The Star". Thestar.Com, 2019, https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2014/02/07/are_men_obsolete_by_maureen_dowd_caitlin_moran_hanna_rosin_camille_paglia_review.html. Accessed 17 Oct 2019.