Criteria for being a real man:

1) Military service

2) Primary caretaker for elderly or disabled person that's NOT your vocation -- so like a parent or other family member.

3) Worker in some way in a war zone -- construction, journalist, whatever.

4) Married, active father to 2-4 children. You must live in the same house with those children and the mother, and you must take care of them financially and emotionally. You can't be a BAD father and be a man. You also do not have to procreate. You could be a father to them by adoption or marriage (wife had kids from previous marriage for example). Need at least 2 to fully feel what it's like to be a father, and more than 4 just allows the kids to take care of themselves too much, so 2-4 kids is the range. Now, if you had 4 and then one moves out and you had a 5th, then I'd accept that.

Those are the main ways to be a man. I would consider others if you want to provide them.

A single guy though who never has children and works to support himself and his lifestyle and doesn't fall into any of the other criteria I spelled out isn't a real man in my opinion. To be a real man requires serious responsibility, and that isn't fully realized for most people unless they are a GOOD father to 2-4 children.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3951469&forum_id=2#35857896)

At least 6'2"

At least 200 lbs

At least 8"

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3951469&forum_id=2#35857925)

230

Don't spin like rat

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3951469&forum_id=2#35877777)

And by your criteria trumps not a man? Ljl

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3951469&forum_id=2#35857981)

By Jeff Klima

Ernest Hemingway once famously said that in order for one to be a man, a guy had to do four things: 1.) Plant a tree 2.) Fight a bull 3.) Have a son 4.) Write a book. Now that sounds like a damn good list, and it does sound manly as hell, but it also sounds outdated as hell.

Whether Hemingway meant for the list to be taken literally or metaphorically doesn’t really matter because we, as a society, are fascinated with both making lists and attempting to live by them. Me especially. Currently my five favorite films are 1. Network 2. Point Break 3. Adaptation 4. The Blues Brothers 5. Jaws. Don’t expect that list to be the same next week though — I am constantly watching and re-watching films that find their way in and out of my heart. My five favorite books? Well that’s a whole other article. But I’ve been fascinated with Hemingway and his odd little checklist for quite some time.

The first rule, Plant a tree, if taken non-literally seems to contradict with the third rule: Have a son. And for that matter, in terms of metaphor, rule three and rule four are at odds. They all deal with the idea of spreading one’s seed and creating something that endures. The only stand-alone measure of Hemingway’s manhood was to fight a bull — to persevere in the face of danger. If one wanted to create the argument that Hemingway was speaking on a higher plane, then one would logically have to reason out instead the values that Hemingway was inferring. So naturally his list then becomes: 1.) Maintain the balance of the Earth 2.) Test your mettle 3.) Carry on your family name 4.) Do what you love. But you know what? That sounds like the least manly list ever. Step five should involve sipping a latte and getting your asshole bleached. And to that, I say, “No way, Hemingway!”

Taken literally, as it should be, the list, unfortunately, is almost as bad. All four things read like a quick checklist that Hemingway scribbled out right before he unloaded the round of buckshot through his parietal lobe. “Ugh ... ugh... shit, lets see ... I fought that bull one time— that was pretty badass. I’m an author, so I’ll put something about the manliness of book writing ... I’ve got three boys, so that’s a lock ... hmm... fuck it, plant a tree ... yeah, why not.” Do you believe that Hemingway made his list before he fought a bull? Neither do I (Incidentally if you said “yes” there, go to hell). One of his steps to manhood could just as easily have been 2. Jump a motorcycle over a shark tank. In this day and age, it’s probably a more achievable task and it seems equally as manly.

So if Hemingway’s list doesn’t really hold up in this day and age, how then is a boy like me able to become a man? Well, by God, I’ll do what any man-in-waiting worth his salt should do. I’ll make my own damn list.

First up, forget the son. Hell, I don’t want any kids, they’ll get in the way of my lying around naked ... and if they don’t, well they ought to ... that’s just weird. So rule three for me becomes instead: Eat a hamburger that wins you money. It doesn’t have to be the biggest; it’s just got to get you paid.

Now rule two is a good one, but too hard to accomplish without getting PETA on your ass, so out of necessity our litmus test for bravery becomes: Punch out a terrorist. I’m sure this would have been on Hemingway’s list if terrorists seemed as common a threat back in his day. Now, ideally, the terrorist would be trying to kill innocent people at the time you punch him out, but if it so happens your “terrorist” is a 46-year-old white guy wearing a Hawaiian shirt in a bar when you happen to be there, drunk ... well, this one is open to some interpretation.

Planting trees is so 1993 — this is the age of technology and big hamburgers. These days you want your rule number one to have some gusto! And so now we have: Rule 1. Destroy a car with a sledgehammer. Not bad, right?

And now for the last rule: Write a book. Well it just so happens that writing a book was manly then, and it’s manly now. In fact, it’s probably the manliest thing you could ever do (short of being a fighter pilot, but that’s a whole different ballgame). So rule 4 stays. If you don’t like it, well, lets just say that being a man isn’t for everybody.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3951469&forum_id=2#35866298)

We're talking about being a man not an intellectual.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3951469&forum_id=2#35866334)

2. Kill. It can be a person, an animal, or someone's dreams, but without knowing the feeling of taking a life, you can't live your own to the fullest.

3. Deadlift at least 3 plates - a surprising number of people can't do this, and it's far more useful in day to day life than benching 1.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3951469&forum_id=2#35877730)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3951469&forum_id=2#35877799)

- has penis

*SJWs furious*

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3951469&forum_id=2#35878076)

Here is a better one:

1. takes charge and leads (doesn't have to be all the time but has to be a capability).

2. Loyal to his friends (of which he has several close ones that have lasted years).

3. In shape (doesn't have to be ripped but can't be fat)

4. Mastered his craft, whatever it may be.

5. Spends his time building something that will last longer than he will.

6. Contributes to society in some sort of way (e.g., not just about making bucks).

7. Has a sport in his life that he is good at. Competes a lot and enjoys it.

8. Drinks but in a controlled fashion.

9. Chest hair

10. Has a dog but not an over the top "bully breed" or some puny little hamster thing.

11. If he has a wife and/or kids, he is the rock.

12. Takes care of his elders.

13. Sticks up for the little guy.

14. Is passionate about something and spends time doing that thing well.

15. Tips well.

16. Well traveled but not showy.

17. Calm

18. Contributes something to this world that unequivocally would not have been there had he not lived. Maybe it's his children. Maybe a company. Maybe one wrought iron support beam placed perfectly in a 70 story building. Needs a legacy of some sort no mater how big or small.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3951469&forum_id=2#35878613)