Mankind
Been feeling a bit pessimistic about feminism lately… thinking that maybe it is more about women’s advocacy than it is about gender equality. Which is… well, fine I guess. Just somewhat less inspiring than the hope that gender would cease to be a handicap for anybody.
Regardless, today I was reading an interview with Sir Edmund Hillary, who with Tenzing Norgay was one of the first human beings to summit Mount Everest. I don’t have a solid answer to that gnarly question: “what is a man?”, but I think Hillary certainly embodies a masculine ideal. This quote stood out to me:
I think motivation is the single most important factor in any sort of success. Physical fitness is important, technical skill is important, and maybe even the desire for money is important in some respects. But a sort of basic motivation, the desire to succeed, to stretch yourself to the utmost is the most important factor. Certainly in the field of exploration, it’s the thing that makes the difference between someone who does really well and someone who doesn’t.
He’s a rather handsome fellow too, don’t you think? Not that I can be even vaguely objective with all this adventure-envy pulsing in my veins …
and of course he is the conqueror of mt. everest.
grunt
he done put that ornery piece of rock and ice in its Place.
so how does junko tabei fit into the picture of adventure-envy and gender roles?
and props for dropping tenzing noray’s name, but what of his manhood? i don’t think masculinism is the only -ism at work on the everest scene.
“Mt. Everest’s quiet conquerors: the Sherpas of Nepal”
fwiw, this post is a great example of one of your strengths as a blogger – short and thought-provoking while still revealing clear glimpses of You. thanks.