An Opinion On Bros
March 23, 2015
“Bro, do you even lift?”
Many of you have probably heard this question. Some of you might think it sounds ridiculous. You might even ask yourself, “Who actually says that?” Before I go any further, let me say that this is not about working out. I have nothing against working out. It is just that working out is one of the common bonds and a typical point of emphasis among “Bros”, and THAT is exactly what this post is about. This brief post is about the Bro: what a Bro is and what we can do about the growing Bro problem.
You are probably familiar with the term, but in case you need a more thorough definition, let’s look at what Wikipedia says a Bro is:
A male youth subculture of “conventional guys’ guys” who spend time partying in ways similar to each other. Although the popular image of bro lifestyle is associated with sports apparel and fraternities, it lacks a consistent definition. Some aspects vary regionally such as in California where it overlaps with surf culture.[1] Oxford Dictionaries have noted that bros frequently self-identify with neologisms containing the word “bro” as a prefix or suffix. Analyses into the subculture have identified swimmer Ryan Lochte and television character Barney Stinson as recognizable adherents.
The bro has been a longtime fixture of pop culture. Some say it started with the movie Animal House, others say ESPN was the advent, but I say you can trace the roots of Bro-dom all the way back to King Henry the VIII.
“Why such a fuss with Bros? What’s the big deal?” The big deal is that Bros are slowly taking over the world! Ok, maybe they are not taking over the world, but they are certainly outnumbering gentlemen at a very fast pace. “Gentleman? You mean like the international smash hit by South Korean recording star Psy?” No, definitely not that kind of gentleman. I am talking about the exact opposite kind of gentleman: that drab, boring, archaic term associated with men of good character. Gentlemen, not boys, not “guys” or “bros”, but gentlemen, are the type of people that have others in mind. Gentlemen are considerate, and humble when they speak AND when they act.
So come on Liberty, lets band together and boycott the word Bro, and I don’t mean boycott in the way Elton John Boycotted Dolce & Gabbana. I mean let’s actually stop using the word bro. Instead, let’s start by referring to each other by our actual names more often. If Liberty as a community could transform from a Neanderthal statement such as “Bro, do you even lift?” to something like “Hey Brian! It is really good to see you at the gym today!” then Liberty would be a much better place. Although it seems like a small change, it would be a baby step in the right direction!