Masculinity
The Model Man Isn’t Some Abstract Concept. See for yourself.
It’s not this guy.
Not him either…
It’s Harrison Ford.
For argument’s sake, the ideal white male is Harry Ford.
The ideal black male is thereby Denzel Washington.
And…the Latino version, is John Leguizamo.
Why Ford? I could say it’s his range of expressions and the dynamic performances. But that’s the case for the other two and a handful of others worth watching.
But have you seen Ford on “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend”1?
For black men, the ideal is Denzel. Why? He didn’t slap Chris Rock, but he’s as successful as if not more successful than Will Smith. Pretty much comparable star power. Plus with movies like the good remake The Taking of Pelham 123 with Travolta. Denzel can do the super spy thing( Seen Safehouse?) and be your average everyday type of hero.
Why Leguizamo? Have you seen him in Critical Thinking or that thing about Latin history with the chalkboard2 or Chef?
While I do have a Mask of Zorro poster on my bedroom wall, I was remiss in drafting this so I’ll mention it here: Antonio Banderas also fits. (almost too well)
But don’t let my white Polack/gypsy3 ass decide. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s don’t be the whitey deciding stuff for people of color.
That’s a Greenlight4 of my own making. Thanks to Matthew McConaughey’s book for that inspiration.
You may have noticed that these examples are all screen actors. It works because they’re easily observable in full technicolor panoramic IMAX style glory. Call it a low hanging fruit kind of thing.
To the good people of Wisdom of Crowds here on Substack, thanks for the insightful impetus:
Harrison Ford on Conan’s podcast https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/harrison-ford-roasts-conan-o-162001574.html
Latin History for Morons https://www.npr.org/2019/12/15/788195270/john-leguizamo-on-latin-history-for-morons
Polish/Romani heritage is in my blood somewhere. It’s been a longstanding through line. And as someone with the heritage I feel like Gypsy though it denotes a negative connotation of scandalous nomads, ownership of the term Gypsy for me is akin to—for better or worse—an honor. Nomadism is a point of pride indicative of a people who adapted to hardships and thrived against tough odds.
The McConaughey book: Greenlights
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenlights_(book)
Nice take on the meaning of the word Gypsy.
I have heard Matthew reading some of his book, but didn’t get around to finishing it. That’s on tonight’s to do list. Good stack!