The way I see it, Michael Moore must be Kim du Toit's favorite American Male. Who better than Moore personifies the fat, ugly slob as hero? It takes a real man like Moore to stand up, display his idiocy to the world and not hide in shame. Hell, Moore even owns guns.

If Moore is the standard by which I'm supposed to judge myself, count me out.

Kim du Toit can call me a pussy if he likes, but I'm sure he has no more testosterone than I do.

I'm sorry, but I don't consider slovenliness a manly virtue. Nor do I endorse violence just because "that's what men do." I also believe it takes a man to admit he's not perfect and strive for self-improvement. There is nothing feminine about wanting the things that go with good personal hygiene, a pleasant demeanor and an ability to express yourself beyond a few guttural grunts and belches. And what goes with these "improvements"? Well, if you play your cards right, career success, more money, a better standard of living for you and your family, fewer medical bills, a better class of friends and fewer run-ins with the law, just to name a few things.

That said, Mr. du Toit is right when he talks about pussification as an increasing media trend. In other words, I don't endorse his vision of what makes a man a man, but I do agree that our society increasingly devalues manliness. And that trend is troubling.

Like Mr. du Toit, I find the Cheerios commercial revolting. I do find a father like Ward Clever more admirable than Al Bundy. John Wayne is the prototypical American male, but contrary to the old joke, he did know the difference between a horse and a woman and which one to kiss. But there is also another kind of American male whose preferred adult beverage was something other than beer, and who understood the virtues of sartorial splendor — a man who would probably get a kick out of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy — and that is Frank Sinatra. I dare any man to call Frank a pussy. You certainly couldn't call him that to his face and keep all of your teeth.

A man should be a man. A man should stand for honor, open doors for ladies, defend his values, protect his family and cherish truth and justice. A man isn't afraid of violence, but only in response to an unjust provocation, not as expression of aggression. A man appreciates women and their beauty, but not in a leering, boorish fashion. A man knows the difference between vermouth and port, a corona and a panatela, a chop block and a clip, and which end of the remote to point at the teevee. But that doesn't mean a man shouldn't also know to avoid mixing stripes and plaids, or not to wear saddles and shorts to a black-tie dinner. Being a man is more than just sloth and self-absorption. Being a man is an art, and it's a work of art that no man ever stops trying to perfect. And if he can pick up a few tips from five queers on basic cable, he's not going to channel surf for the latest WWF broadcast.

Is the media trying to turn American men into a gaggle of wuss-loving pansies? Yes. But the image of maleness Kim du Toit is trying to promote is far more beastly than this man can stomach.