The Inimitable T-Man

Off Topic
1

As others’ have noted in diverse threads the “a T-Man does this” is getting old. At its best, as I understand TC’s original intent, a T-Man is honest, loyal, openminded, compassionate and basically gives a damn.
What I see generally prevailing on the boards would tend to indicate that T-Men are myopic,
closeminded, homophobic, misogynistic bigots. Who first action is to think with either their fists or their dicks.

I thought the idea of being a T-Man was about not having to prove who you were, seems all the piss, wind and posturing would suggest otherwise.

2

I am not a “T-Man” so I can be a myopic, closeminded, homophobic, and misogynistic bigot all I want.

3

I’ve gotten this same feeling too, Iscariot, from many of the posts on this forum and I’ve often wondered whether the men really and truly feel this way or whether it’s just a show of macho bravado on their part. You know, “if I talk big and tough then I will convince everyone that I am big and tough”. What I find especially disconcerting is the “tone of voice” many of the guys use when they speak of women–often very disrespectful and oh so bitter! Is this truly how people feel, or is it just male, macho posturing? The only one’s who seem somewhat temperate and nice are the ones who are obviously married, older, or settled in committed relationships.

4

I could care less if I’m a t-man or not…its all posturing as far as I’m concerned. I’m a good person, I do my thing, I don’t go out of my way to make the lives of others miserable. End of story.

5

I’ll take your opinion with a grain of salt, GM. You also got offended by the “T or A” posts.

But yes, I think that people use the “I’m a T-Man” thing to justify prejudices they already had.

6

iscariot, I’ve also noticed the same thing. I think a lot of it is just macho bravado, but I also think that many of these clowns actually believe their own spin on what a good man is. I also agree that a lot of it is age related. There are some young guys on this forum who are bright, articulate and seem to have strong character. But so many of the young guys who contribute here have a lot of growing up to do. I guess some people are born to find maturity easily and for others it takes the responsibilites of getting older to instill it. I know for me it’s a life long proccess.

7

I’d say Demo Dick and Avoids Roids are t-men.

8

A T-Man is man at his manliest. He is like a caveman, a troglodite, a neanderthal and best exemplified by “The Man’s Show.” All this compassionate bull shit is for pansy liberals that should wear skirts.

9

Amen.

10

A t-man is “a caveman, a troglodite, a neanderthal and best exemplified by ‘The Man’s Show.’”?? So a t-man is an idiot? I don’t think so. A real man, “T” or other wise is “good”. A good husband, father, lover, brother, citizen and friend. Behaving like a sex-driven moron is not the mark of a real man; manliness is not defined by how you like to talk about tits, and although this is accepted male behaviour, adhering to macho stereotypes is not the behaviour of a real (t-)man. peace.

11

I got the impression that a T-Man was someone who was self-assured and would stand up for what he thought was right, but would also put his friends and family before himself and think before he acted – no matter how much his initial impulse would have been to kick in the teeth an offending party, he would refrain unless he was required to defend himself or others. He wouldn’t have anything to prove because he would know he was a man, and that the only opinions that mattered were his own and those of people important to him. Just my $0.02.

12

I’d like to be a T-man… or to be less general someone who is compassionate, honest, loyal, who perseveres and has good intentions. Problem is… my nature is a bit different, my blood… my genes just want to survive. You can’t fight your nature.

13

Simple “macho posturing” just to impress with no ability to “backup” - does not make a T-Man. However, somene who truly desires quality in all aspects of their life, not just in the gym. And has a sense of wonderment about life, a sense of humility and a want to continually set and achieve their goals - now that to me, is a T-Person.

14

Patricia, I agree with you completely here. I don’t know if you’ve ever read it, but my favorite all-time book is Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. One of the lines which made the biggest impressions on me was when Musashi said: “…make yourself into a silent, immovable giant. That’s what the mountain (Mount Fuji) is. Don’t waste your time trying to impress people. If you become the sort of man people can respect, they’ll respect you, without your doing anything.” I admit that trying to be macho is one of my weaknesses from time to time, but overcoming weakness is a lifelong process. Each and every day I remind myself that I am weak, know little, and have a long way to go before becoming the person I want to be. It’s what keeps me working hard and moving forward. Now I must go live in the mountains as an asthetic to perfect my swordsmanship and perfect my spirit. Nah, I’m too used to modern life :slight_smile:

15

I totally agree with what you said about Musashi. He understood what it was to be a T-man and to live life on his own terms. I just got done reading it and loved it. I think “The Writing Teacher” is my favorite chapter.

Anyway, i have a question for you. I was wondering if you could recommend anything else by Eiji Yoshikawa. I have already read Taiko and Musashi. Taiko was great too. Did he write any other epics like these that actually got translated into english? Any recommenations would be appreciated.

16

YES! We have that book! Also have Musashi’s Book of Five Rings. And another good read is the Bushido (Soul of Japan).

As for looking for other books by Yoshikawa, I would do a search on either Amazon.com or Powells.com (using "author name" search).

17

I went to barnesandnoble.com and searched for “eiji yoshikawa”, and was actually suprised by the results. He does have quite a few books that were translated.

  • Vagabond: Volume 1 (another tale in the life of Musashi)
  • The Heike Story
  • Fragments of the Past: A Memoir
  • White-Man in a Rickshaw; Famous and Forgotten Pre-War Writings on Japan

I haven’t read or heard any reviews on these, but considering the author I think they’re worth looking in to. I’ll probably check them out after I finish Taiko.

18

It’s nice to hear there are other people tired of the ‘T-man’ crap. The funny thing is, as Iscariot pointed out, it seems that the original intent of the ‘T-man’ was to exemplify all of the characteristics not found in the general populace. Drive, sacrifice, work ethic, respect, compassion, open mindedness… just a few of the traits that make a ‘T-man’ - in my opinion.

The funny thing is, lately, it seems that a T-man is just another dumb, think-with-my-dick, musclehead who thinks he owns the world because he has 18 inch guns.

Steve, there are a few 'real T-men' on this forum. I'm not going to name anyone because I don't want to make a mistake and leave anyone out. The funny thing is, Demo seems to get raked over the coals frequently for 'kissing up' to the women. It seems to me that he actually has a clue, and from what he says he's got a good woman at his side... so evidently he's doing something right.

I have to agree on Avoids as well. He and I have had our share of battles, but he has yet to be rude or nasty... not that he's a push over, but holds his own in a respectful manner. In other words he says 'Shut up Michelle' in the nicest way possible. *laugh*

I don't see either of these guys as a push over, they both just choose to treat other people respectfully. Yeah, they have both gotten nasty sometimes, but often the mud slinging is started by another party and they just return in kind.

No, I don't agree with everything TC says, and I don't think that his views about women are correct all the time, but I think this thread needs to be deferred to him, so he can tell us what HE intended it to mean.

19

how about being yourself?

20

Man, I know a lot of people that shouldn’t “be themselves.” Just Being Yourself can be a dangerous thing.