RA #3 The Death Of Macho

     “The Death of Macho” is an essay by Reihan Salam about a big change in power that our world is experiencing; the change of power from men to women.  He discusses the enormous part that men have played in the global recession, stating that many economists refer to it as the, “he-cession”.  Men have played such a large part in the stock market and Salam claims that their “macho” attitudes have been the fuel to many bold investments.  This shift in power has the potential to help or devastate our world and economy depending on how the men react to it.

     Salam uses Logos frequently throughout the article, mentioning different facts about employment rates and wage differences between men and women.  He also brings up facts about the efforts of several countries, China for example, who are trying to save their male workforce by subsidizing manual labor that is predominantly worked by men such as construction, “[M]ore than 90 percent of the Chinese stimulus is going to construction: low-income homes, highways, railroads, dams, sewage-treatment plants, electricity grids, airports” (634).  Salam exemplifies his points about the attempt to save mens jobs by backing them up with facts.  China is using 90 percent of a $596 billion economic stimulus package to save jobs of physical labor for men because women are taking the majority of jobs that require an intellectual background.

     A main point that is brought up is the effect that this power shift will have on the world which completely depends on how men react to it.  He uses compare and contrast   in order to discuss the potential effects the world would face if men reacted by accepting the power change as opposed to resisting the change.  He states that, if men resisted, they would build up anger.  He presents examples of other countries whose men vented anger with extreme measures, “think of the KGB nostalgists in Russia or the jihadi recruits in search of lost honor, to name just a couple” (633).  This result could be devastating because the entire world is inevitably going to experience this power change and we could be in for a time of extreme tension and possibly a very violent resistance.  

     There is a very strong Pathos appeal used in Salam’s writing.  He discusses the concerns involved with this major change that is happening in the world.  At first he talks about the necessity of more control in the economy by women.  Men do not make reasonable decisions in many economic cases due to the high pride they have in our “macho” culture.  Although women may do a better job, the potential resistance of men to a changing culture may harm women because men will act out in radical ways in attempt to save their power grip on our world.  This can potentially be very scary when thinking about other ways men have expressed their anger in masses.

     Reihan Salam provokes the mind by talking about the inevitable changes our world will experience and the effects that these changes might have.  He presents two options for the men in our world and what he thinks will happen depending on which reaction men decide upon.