“The Return of the Pig” Summary

The article “The Return of the Pig” was written by David Brooks. The key point highlighted by Brooks is that male chauvinism is making a significant comeback in the modern society. This can be seen from rap videos on MTV, where young ladies are commonly referred to as “bitch” or “ho”. The nature of the shows on television such as The Man Show is a depiction of the returning male chauvinism in the contemporary world.

Many ladies are required to pose topless for magazines photos such as For Him Magazine (FHM) and the Maxim which have 2.5 million subscribers. In some instances, women pose topless on covers of these magazines, wearing only their lingerie and this is deemed an attractive aspect by editors (Brooks). Most men featured in these magazines hold cultural interests, such as having participated in prestigious chugging contests.

The return of men chauvinism is believed to be caused by the masculinity crisis, as some males feel that their authority in society is being threatened by women. Old magazines in the 1970’s and 1980’s have held significantly defensive positions in the face of feminist critique. Newest men’s magazines do not reflect any aspects of feminism. Retro-sexism is another significant style of the Maxim-style which is a self-conscious and deliberate joke.

Feminists are not the only ones to blame for the chauvinism because in some instances children read magazines such as the Maxim and watch rap videos which are destructive in nature (Brooks). Notably, retro-sexism also comes from an unexpected direction within society, hence complicating matters relating to chauvinism. The least privileged parts of the world are always extremely sexist, reactionary, and materialistic in their operations. The dynamic urban culture is notable for perceiving women as whores.

In conclusion, it is worth understanding that society is not run from the top or any other quarters. The attack on cultural elites by Feminists is similar to an attack on a monster that cannot be moved. It is fruitless to attack cultural elites because they are always one step behind and are always moving toward catching up with the actual innovators.