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If someone approached me and asked “Joel.what is the modern man?” I would probably answer, “You’re looking at him.” Some people just don’t comprehend what makes the modern man different from any other average Joe. The answer to that: State of mind. It is more of a philosophy than anything else, but to fully understand the concept, it is necessary to dig into the past of this movement.
Essentially, the first “modern men” of significance were the members of the Rat Pack. They were cool guys, sharp dressers who lived a nearly carefree lifestyle, or at least from an outsider’s perspective. They also had edge: Frank Sinatra had ties to organized crime, but none of that really matters. Even with that, Sinatra and the gang still out-class anyone living today.
The guys, especially Sammy Davis Jr., set the standard for how males should live, and it’s one which still stands today.
But then things changed, and many years later we were blessed with “Miami Vice.” It reset the standard, while maintaining the same intentions as the Rat Pack style. Granted, Don Johnson and Frank Sinatra have little, if anything, in common. But the “Miami Vice” guys, Tubbs and Crocket, changed the game, so to speak. They traded in Cadillacs and Lincolns for Ferraris and other more sporty cars. Although they weren’t as classy as the previous “modern men,” they got the job done and were revolutionary. Thank God for wearing loafers without socks.
And now, where does that leave us? The Rat Pack is gone, Don Johnson’s no longer in his prime and I wouldn’t spot Tubbs in a supermarket even if he came up to me, slapped me, and yelled “I’m Tubbs.” So, who exactly is setting the new standard for men? The truth is, there are too many to name, although Jude Law would probably be the frontrunner.
But what we, as modern men, need to do more than anything, is take notes. There are a myriad of films setting the example: “Ocean’s 11,” “Ocean’s 12,” “Rounders” and above all else “Swingers.” These movies are all about being a guy and going back to the carefree days of the Rat Pack and even Tubbs and Crocket to an extent. We, as a gender, need to pursue this lifestyle to the fullest, because when people look back on this era’s modern man, we’re going to have to stack up to Sinatra and Don Johnson, and that, my friend, is a tall order.
So let’s all take a step back, trade in your Geo Metro or Ford Focus for a Town Car or a Mustang, change into some decent threads, check your look in the mirror, and pursue the life that we as guys were meant to live. Because if we don’t, then we’re not just letting ourselves down, we’re letting down the future generations who will have no examples of what makes the modern man.
It’s kind of like what Vince Vaughn’s character Trent said in “Swingers”: “Who’s the big winner here tonight at the casino? Huh? Mikey, that’s who. Mikey’s the big winner. Mikey wins.” So go forth, and be the big winner.
