What Is a Man? | Renegade Cut 

I'm not going to click "Approve" on your meme. Sincerely, the moderator.

"Elementary students are not given the full picture of the world." You'd be amazed at the number of people who've never moved past that point in their lives.

one of my favourite quotes, from naomi alderman - “Gender is a shell game. What is a man? Whatever a woman isn't. What is a woman? Whatever a man is not. Tap on it and it's hollow. Look under the shells: it's not there.”

It's bizarre to me that we lie to children when we just end up having to go back and correct what we taught them in the first place.

Worth pointing out that those stats are only the intersex or trans who both know and are comfortable reporting their status as such. Odds are very good that those numbers are higher in reality.

"Even elementary school kids know there are two genders" Yeah, and when I was in elementary school, I learned that red, yellow and blue are the primary colours. Then I tried to mix purple and got brown. Other things I "knew" as a kid include: Romans only wore white, when you watch too much TV your eyes become rectangles and Africa is just a single country that somehow consists entirely of desert. Also, history goes like this: Stone age (everyone lived in caves), Rome and Greece (other places didn't exist), middle ages (everything's dark and terrible), then came the 70s-80s (when my parents were young) and then today. I had it all figured out already, no reason to learn more!

Man, Dracula's monologue got really deep over the years!

As a trans man this makes me very happy and hopeful for the future knowing there are people like this channel out there

Well if it's all about labels, make mine 'Dude'. “I have no objection to anyone’s sex life as long as they don’t practice it in the street and frighten the horses.” - Oscar Wilde

1) I think a lot of traditionalists are feeling the world crumbling underneath them, all the things they thought where solid, dependable and set are turning out to have been built on nothing. God, faith, gender, sexuality, The curse of freedom and the individual responsibility to find meaning, morality, purpose and identity in their life are sometimes overwhelming. That's when the fear sets in. 2) It's not helped that many of the things that have been part of what makes traditionalist men feel like men are vilified, for their damage to society, Aggression has (to mention only one criticism) been rightfully criticized for it's role in the treatment of women in society. But on the other hand aggression has also, when applied correctly, been part of helping social movements succeed. For example when a company employs union busters or gets help from the police to stop strikes and blockades, then aggression might be called for in service of the working class.

Traditionalists is the perfect word to describe such people. The entire mindset of conservatism is to keep things the same. How many times have we heard someone say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it?" They think "Well, tradition is good by its very nature! Why would we ever want anything to change? Just keep doing the same things forever!" It's all about comfort.

11:45 In elementary school I learned about WW1 and how it was a border conflict between France and Germany with Belgium as collateral. Boy oh boy was that a limited view of the subject.

Today I learned it's OK not to feel like I fit in a "box". I've been struggling with feelings that I couldn't understand or put into words. Thank you very much for this!

this video essentially covered the 'gender' lecture of my sociology class, which I thibk is pretty cool! of course, I encourage everyone to do thir own research, but this information is pretty much the same as that which is being taught in college currently (or at least, last fall). also, thanks for actually mentioning nonbinary people, even in trans discussions we're always left out and it's irritating because we have just as much to talk about, if not more, than binary trans folks when it comes to gender.

My favorite film used for gender theory analysis? Hell yes!

Wow, apt timing, I'm planning to come out as a trans man to my therapist today. Hopefully I don't have to give him the 101, but it was great to hear you talk about men today.

To be honest, seeing the spectrum of what manhood can be and the spectrum of what womanhood can be... I'm not sure what being a man means. By all definitions I know of I'm a man, but some really rigid ones I would probably not be a "real man". I'm cis het, but I'm a generally gentle and soft dude.

These videos always make me nervous but it’s a good topic when you do your research.

Here's the thing. I live in Brazil and your videos are, due to the language barrier, not appreciate as it should. I'm formally asking you the permission to translate your work to Portuguese and published with you name only. If it's ok to you, I would like to do it not only with this video but several others. Again, only with your consent. These articles would quickly reach the academy but is very important that you get the recognition of your work. I'll wait your response. Our country needs to better the progressive agenda even mora now that we have a extrem right as Bolsonaro

Let's hope you don't get too much flak for talking about intersex issues. I'm intersex(partial androgen insensitivity syndrome) and get a lot of flak from people who enforce the binary.

Absolutely adore your use of "ne'er do wells" in this video and plan to use it as such in the future.

Every time I come across videos like this, I feel a bit more hopeful about the future of gender... Thank you... Sincerely, a non-binary trans person

Do Americans only learn about intersex people in higher education? Its so weird to me cause we learned about most common intersex conditions in middle school in my country.

As a wise Lizzo once said "If you feel like a girl then you real like a girl".But also it sucks that the most minimal display of allyship makes me feel validated and satisfied because of how blatant and common people with even the tiniest bit of social influence doing the opposite is.

Thanks for including the definition of asexuality. I wish more people would talk about ace and grace people

I didn't know that there were other combos past xx and xy until like two years ago and I definitely took college level biology classes that I actually did well in. Felt like a real dipshit when I found out.

as a trans man, those questions are fascinating. what is a man indeed? what am i transitioning to? trans men are very often kept away from things that help men shape their understanding of their own manhood (for example, all the staples of growing up as a boy, like having your dad teach you how to shave your beard) and we have to piece it together on our own we are self-made men in that sense, in the sense that we have to figure out for ourselves what being a man means and what masculinity looks like

nothing taught me more about the varieties of sex and gender than my university biology degree

I remember we had a lesson on chromosomes that included sex chromosome variations, in fifth or sixth grade. But that's here in the socialist hellhole that is Sweden. Seriously, this is a great video, one of the best I've seen from you (and you consistently produce quality stuff).

really grateful I stumbled onto this channel So many people in the comments are happy with your breakdown of this topic and your understanding of it. This is amazing.

12:18 I appreciate my elementary teachers for being honest unlike so many others. I was taught about how California-area was discovered far before Columbus came. I also learned about slavery far more than others, I knew Harriet Tubman as Moses before I knew the lore of The Old Testament.

One of my favorites from you. So well laid out and concise. Keep killin it.

your videos are always so concise, on point, and well defined so that anyone can understand them, thank you for your work

I'm Gen X, I'm down with gay and transgender. I can wrap my head around that. Non binary is new to me. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it. I guess I'm not as cool as I thought I was.

What makes a man? Better question, what makes a good person? Providing what they can, helping how they can, and protecting those they care for in any way they can. These are traditionally attributed to the 'masculine', but are certainly not limited to cis males. A good person does what they can for the betterment of others regardless of gender identity, sexual identity, or race ethnicity. This is more of a philosophical view than the social science views expressed here.

Leon keep up with this amazing content!

I... actually have no idea what makes me feel I am a man. I just... know I am one? I've never really thought about it. I suppose, as the husband of a non-binary masculine person, I probably should think about it.

I can't thank you enough for covering topics like that so well and succinctly!! Thank you for helping fight the good fight

This is the best video on this. And I’ve seen many and intend to see more and I know none will break it down as well as this. Thanks.

This is the best gotcha video I have ever stumbled upon, and as an agender folk, I deeply appreciate your deconstruction here (along with your other videos, they're all great!). Keep up the great work!

Just discovering your content and its wonderful stuff! I thank you for it.

I’ve been watching nothing but movie analysis videos so when RU-vid suggested this one I assumed it was an in depth look at The Big Lebowski. I had no idea what I was in for. 5 minutes in I paused it, went to the channel & subscribed. Well done my dude. Well. Done.

I love your analysis. It may not be new or flashy but its deep and complex. I will showing this to many of my worker colleagues. Brilliant

another delicious serving of great takes~!! thank you ^_____^

I'm not a woman I'm not a man I am something that you'll never understand

I still remember the last video you did regarding the Big Lebowski, I ended up using as a source for a sociology paper I did in community college on the movie. Keep it up Leon!

Really enjoy all of your videos but I think this is one of your best yet.

Totally spot on, is like asking what makes me a Mike? Or a Julie? Or a Hendrick? That's just how they call you, nothing more than that.

Thank you Leon. This is very, very good.

The dude agrees.

Bless you, Leon for educating us on these important topics.

Thorough analysis of an important topic, great work, as always! And all that with the dude running in the background, what is there to say... Glorious!

God I love you, I have all the questions and stuff. Your deep dives offer so much insight, thank you

My weekly reaction to RC videos: “New shit has come to light, man.”

Wonderful essay. So glad I found your channel!

: The identity spectrum is pretty rad. I like it precisely because it makes no definite claims as to what it's worth (unlike the loaded question "what is a man". But that only happens when highly specified labels are not a part of the discussion surrounding identity. I believe that many people who aren't comfortable with traditional standards regarding masculinity, sexuality, anatomy wanted to find specific points on that spectrum that applied better to them. Then, they start fighting for their right to culturally legitimize that point on the spectrum, in order to bring about that experience of comfort mentioned in this video. That's cool and all - if that's their way to become liberated, that's their way - but my god, I could never make that level of commitment when it comes to defining myself. I found it to be so anxiety-inducing that it become a waste of my time and energy than anything promising. I suppose that's why I love this film so much - everybody and nobody is truly identifiable. Everyone is their own spectrum, especially when compared to the traditional standards of masculinity, and I don't have to try and pin any character down to a singular point. I much much prefer to be a slacker in regards to this identity business. As odd as it is to argue, and this is just like - uhh - you know - my opinion, man...being a firebrand about it is like being a nihilist. Sounds exhausting.

My god I need to watch Big Lebowski again. It's been literal decades(!) :'(

brief shoutout to that asexuality is ALSO a full spectrum. Some are sex-repulsed, some want sex sometimes Just a little PSA

It is pretty nice that you even mentionend ace people because to often we are just ignored like intersex people^^.

This causes me some serious questions about my own gender. I agree with the thesis that manhood is a club and that there is no biologically sound way of defining genders. I also don't feel like a member of this club, at least fully. I do hold some toxic elements and am raised to see gender trough such binary, yet I also feel that my own expressions of manhood are often unwanted and feel alianating from what kind of person I want to be. Similiarly I feel the role of a man too limiting, and don't feel that I match the description well enough - and I also don't want to match it in future. Yet I don't feel that I lack gender, as I always image that much be a feeling of somekind, other than just resistment toward ones assinged gender. But neither do I identify with any other gender, or feel that my gender-identity is fluid - sure I sometimes do gendered acts of many kinds, but having a gender-identity build on those also doesn't feel logical - I feel these acts shouldn't be tied to gender. I also don't resist absolutely all masculine attributes, and actually like some of them, like having a beard - yet defining my gender trough those both misses the mark of social manhood, and also feels forced to some extend. And again, I don't think these traits should be tied to one gender. Can I just say I wish to abolish gender, as an answer for someone asking my gender? Is that a valid answer? Or do I have to choose a gender I disslike, or build an identity around not having a gender?

This video just makes me want to watch The Big Lebowski.

I was raised by a Silent Generation father who stood up for LGBTQ+ in the 60's, and taught me that women are equal to men. So the concept of gender roles was not something I dealt with in my home. When you state in the video "What makes you feel like a man? or What makes a person feel like a woman?" I have no idea how to answer that. My first instinct is that being able to pee standing up makes me feel like a male, but I'm aware there are females who can also pee standing up so I don't have an answer.

Love this video, so refreshing. I'm now subscribed

Trans rights ❤

Great video as always! Just a heads up, the American Psychological Association (APA) publishing manual says to avoid using the term "homosexual" as it's rooted in pathology and only really used by the religious right anymore to avoid using the word gay (they use it because it's based in pathology). Same-sex sexuality is what I use. I'm a grad researcher in lgbtq issues primarily so it comes up a lot. Keep up the good work!

This is the best video on gender I've ever seen. Truly amazing, thank you!

you basically summed up and even surpassed my Introduction to the History of Contested Sexuality class from 20 years ago in a 20 minute video. beautiful

Really useful resource Leon.thank you.

This video is very informative and well put together. I love it. Just one thing, a lot of bisexual people don't think about they orientation as attraction to two sexes, they defined it as attraction to the same gender or a different gender, or attraction to two genders (non binary and female, for example). But overall a great video.

comment for the algorithm because this is a very, very good vid

I don’t know how much I needed to hear this right now because even sometimes I question who I am and removing the binary really helps at least except myself as I am even if I don’t always know what I am

I once did a survey where it assumed there was only two hair colours. It was hilarious. REDHEADS EXIST DAMMIT

Brilliant. (if it's not evident by the timestamp of my comments, I am down the rabbit hole, watching all these videos)

Inspiring. Thanks for the mind opening content.

Love your content !! Thank you!!

Luv from Portugal 🇵🇹 Luv ur reviews!❤️

I really did not expect Arnold to be the man that kid was addressing.

Okay, I've never seen the Big Lebowski, and I cannot conceive of a cohesive narrative from a film that contains all the scenes this video uses clips of. Is this movie just an acid trip?

A little off topic but I always wondered why Gender Studies became the biggest punching bag in academia for non academics. Like, there are so many absolutely useless courses out there, like really pointless stupid courses, but the one that discusses gender, something relevant to everyone, is somehow the worst one. Little bit revealing.

This is really good. Liked!

This was ridiculously helpful. Thank you.

Love that music at the end

I love this video so much, thankyou

Is anyone planning to surreptitiously play this as the in-flight movie whenever Shapiro et al flies? There have to be a few anarcho flight attendants, right?

Amazing video, I only wish you more explicitly referenced to the big lebowski and how these ideas were supported by it.

Great episode!

Outro is best yet!

was just having a similar convo with peer group.

You’re asking a lot of your audience. I think that’s a good thing.

Fantastic video!

Thank you for the video. I would like to share what I learned in my intro to human physio about how even people with "normal" chromosome pairs XX and XY can manifest different primary and secondary sex characteristics. Suppose you have XY chromosomes, your body produces relatively high levels of testosterone, but the gene that codes for testosterone receptor has a mutation. You now have testosterone coursing through your blood but your cells can't take it in and hence your Wolffian (proto-male) ducts degenerate in utero, you are born without the internal plumbing system of a male and without a defined external penis. Or maybe the gene that codes for the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase is mutated so you can't convert testosterone to its active form of DHT. Again, same effect. Let's say you have XX chromosomes but your adrenal glands secrete more than usual amounts of androgens (congenital adrenal hyperplasia). Since external genitalia is determined solely by testosterone levels, you develop a phallus in utero and high adrogen levels also preserve the Wolffian ducts. However the Mullerian Inhibiting Factor (MIF), coded by a gene on Y chromose, is still absent in your body so your Mullerian ducts (proto-female) do not degenerate and you are born with both sets of internal genitalia. Resistance to hormones is not a binary by itself either. Some individuals have a higher resistance and some lower. Even apart from all of this your cells may, as they very often do, separate abnormally. So even if you had XY chromosomes as a fertilized egg, some parts of your body might lack a Y chromosome and hence not have testosterone receptors, while others do. This might seem confusing and detailed but this is just the tip of the iceberg. The take away message is nothing about life is ever simple. Also do your own research and don't hesitate to correct me please, I'm not a qualified medical professional by any means.

Thank you for making this

I love the hair argument!

Thanks for the Ace shoutout! I’m a biromantic Ace :) ♠️♠️🏳️‍🌈

I don't know why this never occurred to me before, but the traditionalist view of gender binary is the precise intellectual equivalent of the question "Have you stopped beating your children?"

After watching this vid, Dylan's "The Man In Me" takes on a whole other meaning in the film for me.

What man? Which man? Whose the man? When's a man a man? What makes a man a man? Am I a man? Yes, technically I am

It's been a long time coming

this is to good. love it and agree

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And-which is more-you’ll be a Man, my son!