Men Are Wonderful Entry 4: In Their Brute Strength

Brute strength has become synonymous with fear, I know. We can be honest about the fact that brute strength has been used (in some instances) to inspire fear through the abuse of women, families, and people groups. However, brute strength also does good things. Why are we only talking about the negative applications, when MOST MEN (don’t believe the hype) are using this asset to do something wonderful?

When we talk about baked potatoes, we never talk about how baked potatoes wrapped in foil are now one of the leading causes of foodborne botulism. We talk about all the stuff we load them with — the butter, the sour cream, the cheese, the bacon, the salt and pepper, the garlic, the crab meat — and how great baked potatoes are, how yummy. No one spends hours and hours talking about the negative manifestations of the baked potato in society. And yet, we have taken one of men’s greatest strengths — their ability to exert brute force — and reduced it to a lower worth than a warm spud.

Let’s explore for a few minutes the beauty of men’s brute strength.

1- A Battering Ram as a First Responder

“Stay right there! I’m gonna break down the door.”

Set aside for now the fact that 11–12% of firefighters in the US are women now because this article is not about them (though we appreciate them too). This article is about the majority 88% of male, first-responder, firefighters who showed up to 351,000 home structure fires in the years 2016–2020. In law enforcement, 73% of your US first responders are males. The US full-time FEMA workforce — disaster response — is a little more evenly balanced (men at 59%), but I feel confident saying men are more likely (based on statistics) the participants breaking down doors, jumping into or being lowered into floodwaters to lift out victims, turning over chunks of concrete, and crawling into collapsed buildings, pulling out survivors.

The chances are that if you’re stuck somewhere and you need someone to break down a door, or come through a wall, or lift a building off you, or piggyback carry you out of the rubble, that person is more likely than not (based on statistics) going to be a man. And you know what? We women, we love you for that.

2- A Stretcher Offering A Loving Lift in Times of Need

“Don’t Move. Let me help you.”

I know. A sprained ankle isn’t that big of a thing. I mean, I can limp along until I can help myself, sure. But, I can’t lie: there’s a huge benefit to having strong arms lift me up (or shoulder me) to a spot for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Men turn themselves into makeshift stretchers in our time of need, and quite a few of them enjoy carrying their women or their children to their places of safety or recovery.

Think back through trips and falls, breaks and sprains, drunken stupors, flattening flu viruses, emergency room runs, maternity ward arrivals, and fainting spells. Of course, women are present and we appreciate them. But who’s doing the stretcher work? More often than not, it’s a man scooping you up (or propping you up, or shouldering you up) and carrying you along to a more desirable place. It’s Dad grabbing Mikey after he broke his foot jumping out of the treehouse and carrying him to the car. It’s Dad rushing the family dog with the uncertain injury into the vet’s office.

Sometimes it has to be Mom, especially when there’s only Mom, but when there’s a wonderful man present, Dad’s the stretcher.

3- A Demolition Man in Times of Renovation

“Back up. I’m just gonna whack it.”

Home maintenance and renovation… I just want to be honest guys. It’s a pain. My mother made sure I had certain skills so I wouldn’t be helpless as a young single, so I know which basic tools to use for which things. I can put up sheetrock slowly if I had to, and I can change toilet seats, and do basic plumbing and basic electric work… simple things. I can certainly tear something down if I had to do that.

But guess what? I don’t want to. And when I’m using a screwdriver, my hand gets tired quickly and I have to take breaks. And swinging a mallet tires out my arms and shoulders. And, I don’t like climbing up and down ladders. And I really don’t want to replace shingles on the roof. I don’t even like painting the walls, honestly. I mean, I’ve had to do it, but I don’t like it. I like it in theory, like when it’s being discussed and I’m imagining the end product, but in practice… I’d rather not be the one doing the work.

What a wonderful thing it is to have a man around who says things like, “I’m going to call the guys and we’re going to knock this out on Saturday. You just go and do what you need to do.” And they’re in there, the guys, for four hours… five hours… six hours… laughing about things, maybe swigging a beer or two, sweating, pulling out old cabinets or whatever, and installing new molding or changing the bathroom fixtures.

And I’m at the mall, honestly, buying Bath and Body Works products and discount sweaters. Or I might be at the grocery store picking up Similac and diapers. Or I might be at the church getting things ready for Sunday morning. But with that wonderful man in place, you know what I’m not doing? I’m not doing demolition and renovation, and I love him for that because I don’t want to do that.

Quite frankly, he’s got more brute strength in him for that kind of work, and I just LOVE that about you men. We women love that.

Brute Strength Makes a Big Difference!

When we are laughing at sketch comedies that make men out to be empty-headed blunt-force objects made for hitting things, maybe we’re just kidding… but maybe we’re closing ourselves off to one of the characteristics in men that makes us very happy. Dudes are strong. When things need to be rammed or lifted or thrown or pulled down or held up or fixed, men can ram, lift, throw, pull, hold, and fix for much longer periods and with much greater speed and efficiency than most women can! And guess what? We women really, really love men for that.

It is wonderful that you use your brute strength so often in the service of our safety, our comfort, and our happiness.

Keep reading the Men Are Wonderful series with Entry 5: Custodial and Co-Parents.