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I managed to get a bit of work done today in-between booking and researching my guest for tonight's RHLSTP. I am writing a book about men and international men's day, hoping that this might be the way to finally stop people asking THAT question (on THAT day) and maybe find a way to make International Men's Day a thing that we'd all like to be a part of.
It's a short book of just 20,000 words and I am aiming to answer 19 pertinent questions, whilst also being funny, So (including the introduction) it's 20 chapters of about 1000 words each. Which I need to complete by the end of May. So far I have first drafts of 2/10. With six weeks to go. And I am down to a two and a half day working week. And a working day realistically has five hours in it.
It's all perfectly possible. But I am glad it's a short book.
Today I looked into whether the one in eight men who believe they could take a point off of Serena Williams in a tennis match were correct (spoiler - they were not). Male over confidence is hilarious until you look at the news and realise what it can lead to. Weirdly the coronavirus has heightened how important it is to overcome the macho self-confident bullshit that some of our leaders are spouting and have people in charge who can acknowledge their weaknesses as well as their strengths and be able to delegate the stuff they're poor on to actual, factual experts.
Interestingly (though it may be too early to call) it looks like countries that are run by women are doing better, possibly because female leaders are not viewing this as a macho war that they have to win, but a problem that has to be confronted with science and logic and not an appeal to a country's indomitable spirit or the leader's expertise on every subject.
It's not that women are necessarily our saviours (though they might be), just that taxi masculinity will be the undoing of us all if we can't do something about it. A man would be equally capable of running a reasonable government (and there are a couple that are doing so), but not if he can't control that part of him that (basically) wants to ask when international men's day is.
But still a long way to go til I have this finished and my arguments properly worked out. And even then, if I am going to follow my own credo, I have to acknowledge that I might be full of shit. But if the book can make a few other men consider that as well, and maybe revel in their ineptitude, then it will have been worth doing.
And I am trying to keep it light. But luckily men are ridiculous and that makes it quite easy to bring out the laughs.
RHLSTP with the Reverend Richard Coles (recorded last November) is now up here
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