virile man

Social media introduced me to Cannon's quest to exemplify what he calls a "virile man," but I mostly ignored the commentary on him until it found its way into my circle of friends.

But as Blight points out, while in the 1850s the historical Douglass’ “public image was of a virile man of the world, holding audiences in rapt control with words as well as charisma,” behind the scenes, he was frequently ill, broken-down, and overworked.

In her purple prose, Rand romanticized the capitalist predator as a handsome, virile man whose towering intellect justifies his massive ego and disregard for the common masses.

Over the years her batty claims have included that a woman’s brain can allow her to become pregnant if she so desires, even if she is using birth control; that women’s intellects and creativity are dependent on their sexual fulfillment and, specifically, the skillful ministrations of a “virile man”; and that writing a letter to a breech baby will induce it to turn right side up.

The story is set entirely in the past, but its depiction of the stubborn delusions that fueled American expansionism — and the ways in which “proving up” comes to mean both having a home and being a virile man — feels entirely current.