"The Male Myth"

One of the ideas introduced by Theroux in "The Male Myth" is that the essence of masculinity resides in the fact that men enjoy being among themselves. There is clearly no room for women in that picture. For this reason, "maliness" goes against nature. According to his own word "... that is also why there is no maliness without inadequacy- because it denies men the natural friendship of women." He supports his idea by taking the example of athletes, and more specifically team-athletes such as basket ball players. This is a good example of what "maliness" can be because basket ball players (like any other player in a team sport) do stay between themselves and enjoy it. When, for instance, they win the play-offs and cry, do you think they will give a call to their spouses, mothers, daughters or whatever women they might have in their entourage? No, they "celebrate" between themselves. Eventually, way down the road, when the emotions have passed, they will think to the opposite sex to celebrate in a totally different way. In that way women are taken as sexual objects used to satisfy a sexual need rather than sharing an emotion, which corroborates with Theroux's idea when he says "It is very hard to imagine any concept of maliness that does not belittle women..".  Another example that he takes to support his idea is the "Boy Scouts", saying that society is trying to put you in that quest for "maliness" from a very young age, either by sending you to the "Boy Scouts" or to "boy's camp". Of course as the name suggests there is no diversity involved. No questions about the opposite gender must be ask. These environments are meant so as to make you think 'boy', eat 'boy', sleep 'boy' and enjoy it! According to Theroux that is the anteroom of "the marines", another group of manly men. The only hitch I might find to that example is that now we have women in the marines corps , since WWII, so it doesn't perfectly fit Theroux's idea of masculinity ("celebrating the exclusive company of men, while denying the natural friendship of women"). Basically, Theroux gives us an image of masculinity that goes against what the majority of people thinks. Where everyone would see strength in masculinity, he simply sees weakness.