Discussion : Class Perception Analysis – Manliness
wikiHow has the following jewel of information on the difference between masculinity and manliness :
“Manly is an adjective used to describe the physical and psychological characteristics of individuals traditionally associated with men, such as courage and strength. Manliness differs from masculinity in that as the latter refers to a simple biological predestination, the former is often used to describe the more sublime ideals of qualities traditionally specific to men. All males are masculine in that they are sexually male. Yet manliness looks down upon males not exhibiting full characteristics of manliness. Standards of strictly masculine and higher manly behavior have changed over time and vary a great deal depending on cultural values, upbringing and personal beliefs.”
The rest of that article is pretty messed up.
Examine the following male characters. Which one is the least manly? Why? Discuss your choice with your peers.
A – Sniper
B – Engineer
C – Puberty Galore
Stumble it!
Murdoc responded on 25 Sep 2008 at 8:29 pm #
By C – Puberty Galore do you mean the scout or Mrs Portal?
Sniper is least Manly and Mrs Portal is the least Masculine.
Because:
Sniper has no courage as he is always hiding away at long range taking pot shots.
Mrs Portal is the least masculine because she has big pouty lips.
Jilock responded on 25 Sep 2008 at 10:39 pm #
Scouts.
Retro responded on 25 Sep 2008 at 11:30 pm #
Deffinately the sniper. The sniper is a coward sitting so far away and aiming at my head.
The scout may not be manly in the physical sense, but having a Napoleon Complex instantly makes you manly.
A. Warrior responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 1:00 am #
That scout is touching his crotch while looking at Chell…
Murdoc responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 1:45 am #
Well spotted AWarrior, its a bit of a Michael Jackson pose isnt it.
hee hee, chamone.
B. Warrior responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 1:48 am #
The Soldier is the most manly. Who else shoots a ROCKET at THEMSELVES (pretty much) to fly hundreds of feet into the air?
Pad See Ew responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 1:55 am #
Oh man, those shots are great. Especially the Engy. Hey – fatherhood is as manly as you can get. Unless it really IS just a doll he’s holding.
minespatch responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 2:22 am #
I can’t help but feel like I’m watching a Hellboy moment when I see that Engi holding a baby.
X)
Max responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 2:39 am #
I have to say, I think that the scout is most manly. He’s the only class you can find to run straight at a heavy swinging a melee weapon and screaming.
KoreRat responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 3:12 am #
Is the Engie holding a knife in his other hand? With the baby. Infront of the stove. Umm…
But based on their ingame status, I would say it is pretty close between Sniper and Engie. While the Sniper does stay far away in combat, he at least deals in it himself. Where as the Engie builds machinces to do it fo him, he doesn’t even do most of his killings.
alexholic responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 4:37 am #
@KoreRat – I think Engie’s holding a pan in the other hand. Which may be on par with holding a knife. Either one’s a modest proposal, I’d say.
As far as in-game goes, I think Sniper is the least manly class. The majority of his time is spent far away from any big danger, zoomed in and strafing side to side to pick off anyone who stands still for more than a few seconds.
But if you’re looking at them from Valve’s perspective, and using the “Meet The…” videos as cannon, then I might be more inclined to say that Engie is the least manly. The Scout is overflowing with machismo, albeit immature. The Sniper’s video shows him as a solitary figure, but not necessarily a coward. He seems more like a friend’s dad who works in HVAC that you’re tagging along with for a day on the job. Engie’s video has some pretty un-manly elements. He’s stumming a lonesome song on an acoustic guitar by the fire, he waxes poetically about the nature of problem solving, and he seems to appreciate the simpler lifestyle that he grew accustom to in quite little Bee Cave, Texas.
But then, outside of these three, I’d have to say The Spy is the least manly. Although he one of my all-time favorite classes to play, there’s something to say about a class that’s designed to get the majority of it’s kills by sneaking up from behind and then running away. Then there’s all the obvious stuff; the cleanliness (”you got blood on my suit”), the delicate cigarette flicking, the being French. etc.
alexholic responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 4:41 am #
also, look at Chell’s little baby arm!
Paper Shadow responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 5:02 am #
Wow, that artical is messed up…
How do you become distinctive?
Buy a gun.
Go hunting.
Play a contact sport such as football.
Be assertive in meetings at work.
Seek competition and revel in your new-found competitiveness.
Talk trash in every competition possible.
If only the bottom works, we whould have more mainly men then little pre-teen babies in TF2…
Paper Shadow responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 5:06 am #
Oh, sorry for double post, but as for your ’social experiment’, I think they are all as manly as each other. The Sniper seems to be the least mainly, but he has, as the artical says:
Emotional:
Unemotional and stoic are words typically characterizing the manly
To be overly emotional is to lack control of one’s self and environment
An assertive leader that others look to is in control of his emotions
It is manly to be a calm, emotional support for the fairer sex, not to be a weepy, needy equal
Intellectual:
Manliness is logical, intellectual, rational, objective and practical, not overly emotional, intuitive, or concerned with others feelings
…That’s stupid…
Pyrit responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 5:30 am #
Out of those three, Sniper I’d say. You know when people say to you “why don’t you say that to my face” ? Yeah well, the Sniper would run 100 miles than do that.
But out of all the classes, I always found the Medic to sound a bit wussy. He’s also quite weak by himself, so I guess that adds to it. It might just be because I think his voice sounds quite high pitched when he dies or when he’s yelling “everyone! I am on fire!”…
UberOgden responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 7:01 am #
I reckon Chell’s the manliest of the lot. Look at that tough-as-beans scowl!
The Chicken responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 7:12 am #
The engy is least manly
Spindrift responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 8:53 am #
Well, of these three given examples, I’d have to say it’s the Sniper.
I mean, consider the normal sniper: he’s a rugged, independent, outdoorsy fellow. He’s used to peeing in jars and probably builds up a nice and masculine funk during his weeks alone in the outback. He’s got a huge knife and fingerless gloves. That’s all really manly.
But are those purple jeans on the clothesline? I think they are.
Purple. Jeans.
Dontrush responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 10:05 am #
@korerat
Isn’t building stuff manly?
minespatch responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 2:20 pm #
@Max:
That, and screaming like a girl in that “Meet the Sandvich” video.
Mooman responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 4:49 pm #
We still don’t know why Chell has bulimia in that pic.
The Ninjabread Man responded on 26 Sep 2008 at 11:53 pm #
Woah hold up the crazy insults laid out at the Sniper here. The sniper has the same problem as the Spy in they are only good for one job and can do a lil impact if it goes wrong (even though macheteing does own). But Engi is least manly because he may as well sit in an armchair for all the good he actually does with his own two gloves and what the fuck is going on with the scout staring at Puberty Galore’s ass/arse/anus/butt/bum/ahole/brownhole/bumcheeks
Gray responded on 27 Sep 2008 at 2:15 am #
Engineer…least manly?!?! Bullcrap! He spends his time building machines of death then sits back while having a beer and laughing at all the people that bum rush his inventions and get blown up for it. Not only that, but he has some serious guitar playing skills. He’s like a cowboy, except with several hard science Ph. Ds. Besides, fatherhood is the epitome of manliness. You’ve successfully ensured your genes are passed on for another generation. Comparing that to a guy who’s probably had sex with nothing but his hand because he’s spent several months out in the wilderness, the Engineer is definitely more manly.
Now, if we’re discussing unmanly classes, then the Spy is definitely the most unmanly class out there. The guy is prissy, a neat freak, and…judging from all the TF2 rule-34 content out there, most likely gay for the Medic.
Prio responded on 27 Sep 2008 at 7:44 am #
The engineer beats spies to death with a wrench. If that isn’t manly, it’s at least pretty cruel. Also, he uses the wrench because he’s too lazy to switch to the shotgun, and laziness is supposed to be manly.
However, consider that the supposedly unmanly Spy is the only class that does not always start screaming and crying in alarm when on fire. “I appear to have burst into flames.” You ever been on fire? It kinda hurts. Maintaining that level of stoicism is pretty manly. Maybe it’s just insanity, though, ‘cuz you have to be crazy to go deep into enemy territory with 125 hitpoints, a six-shooter, a knife, and no backup.
General Balls responded on 27 Sep 2008 at 11:33 am #
Why is it that manliness always seems to come at the expense of intelligence? Of all the characters in TF2, only the Sniper and Engineer have the brains to do the killing from a distance, be it through high-powered rifles or second hand through Machinery.
The Sniper and Engineer may not be very…uhh…”butch”, but they’re the most intelligent fighters out there on that field.
Prio responded on 27 Sep 2008 at 12:25 pm #
You seem to be confusin’ intelligence with craven cowardice there, Balls.
’sides, “second hand through machinery”? Does that mean the Heavy is intelligent? He doesn’t exactly grind most of his victims to a pulp with his bare hands.
Although it’s true that the Heavy appears to have a thing for mathematics and economics. So you may be on to something.
ZzRocketzZ responded on 28 Sep 2008 at 3:06 am #
@ General Balls:
Well said…the smart ones sit back and let the dumb ones get killed….
But what about that crazy Demoman? Where does he fit in?
He does drink and play with high explosive devices…if thats not manly, i dont know what is…..ha.
XSatiram responded on 26 Dec 2008 at 4:17 pm #
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Acefighter responded on 14 Mar 2009 at 1:05 pm #
Inventing your own death machine and watching it mow people down while you protect it from French assassins is pretty damn manly. If you have ever seen the famously destructive Offensive Engineer in action, you have very little right to call him “least manly”. Sniper, I’d say, is least manly. While sleeping in water buffalo corpses is pretty manly, he spends his time ingame either inching around with his head stuck in his scope, then rattling off a bit of pitifully weak automatic fire whenever someone comes to him, then running. Scout is between the two. He’s whiny, acts and sounds like a kid on XBox Live who just learned his first swear, and acts like an asshole to everyone, and the Sandman is just fighting dirty, but he’s pretty damn brave, too.
Really, I think, with this selection, in order of most manly to least:
Offensive Engineer
Scout without Sandman
Turtle Engineer
Scout with Sandman
Sniper