Just been reading through the “James May Manlab” post and there seems to be a lot of negative views on it, mostly by the Top Gear hating types

So……what makes a man then?

This

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
‘ Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

and undo a SRAM quick link.
and take tyres off without tyre levers.

Slugs and snails and puppy dogs tails?

A Y chromosome.

Everything else is window dressing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man

For those that missed GCSE Biology 😉

A man can fix a TV by thumping it, same goes for White goods and occasionaly vehicles. A man chooses petrol lawn mowers over electric and won’t touch a flymo.

A Y chromosome.

And that is just gender. And only genetic chromosomal gender at that.

And has a garage full of 1/2 used cans of paint

A man can fix a TV by thumping it, same goes for White goods and occasionaly vehicles.

yes genitalia that is it

The rest is just pandering to a narrow view of male hetrosexuality that is just not true – Alex reid cross dresser and cage fighter which part is the manly part?

Hey!

Mmm, sure, that and a pair of testicles
– Jeffrey Lebowski

… or being able to smash a back door in with just your own body.

A mummy and Daddy having a bit of fun can end in a child which may grow into a man

Having a pr**k, and not being a pr**k?

Now I’ve started to think about it, the question gets harder and harder to answer…

I know plenty of people who would disprove the chromosome option, I personally know how to undo a SRAM Powerlink and whether you can get a tyre off is down to if you chose stupid piggin’ DT Swiss rims, isn’t it??

Maybe, it’s simply an identification – you know how you identify and ‘just go with it’.

(speaking as someone who has had to put a lot of thought into this over the last 30 odd years!!)

Rachel

keeping a thin piece of wood for stirring paint

nodding at coppers

etc etc

Greyman – weirdly, you may be on to something with the stick for stirring paint!

Nodding at coppers, though. Eh????

Nodding at coppers??

Coppers respectfully remove their hats and lower their eyes, when I walk past. **** right an’ all. They know their place…

Someone who nods at coppers is a grass and a NONCE.

keeping a thin piece of wood for stirring paint

I use an old screwdriver for stirring paint. Does that count? It comes in handy for opening the tins of paint as well; I guess its as close to multitasking that a man can hope for.

or a UC operative 😉

fecked if i know………. 😕

mostly by the Top Gear hating types

how could one hate something so trivial ?

You’re not a man unless you have a really good vice, bolted to a really good workbench.

In your big garage.

and whether you can get a tyre off is down to if you chose stupid piggin’ DT Swiss rims, isn’t it??

This is where you fail – a real man wouldn’t make excuses, just rip the tyre off with his teeth.

Here’s a picture of some kittens for you.

If you can’t manage to change a car wheel [without needing to wear gloves]
there’s no hope for you

A man is someone who doesn’t worry about how manly he is and doesn’t need to watch a TV to know about it

Boll*cks.

(see what I did there? 🙂 )

Oh and nodding at coppers makes it really hard to count change.

Maybe, it’s simply an identification – you know how you identify and ‘just go with it’.

tht may be more about gender than sex

This covers some of the basics.

stardust

You don’t know what makes a man? In just seven days I can make one for you.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U4QVCowisY[/video]

A total inability to consider that such a thing as an instruction manual exists

A willingness to take stupid risks just for fun

The desire to compete at just about everything when friends are involved. Fastest up or down a hill doesn’t matter, it’s all about whether you’re faster than your mates.

Utter incomprehension as to the existence of the X Factor, but a love of Britain’s Got the Pop Factor and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice

A belief that, honestly, chicks do dig scars. And the ability to say ‘chicks’ and keep a straight face.

Enjoyment of The Blues Brothers. Never have I known a film to split the audience on gender lines more neatly, though Bridget Jones works well in reverse.

The Blues Brothers has, at least, got some great music to listen to. I’m struggling to think what a guy would* get out of Bridget Jones.

* I can think of a few things they should get out of it, though…

Rachel

You don’t need to read the operating instructions, you just know
You don’t need to read the map, you just know
You know what RSJ stands for
The torque stats are more important than the colour (applies to anything)
Eyes are drawn to cleavage like a magnet, no matter how hard you resist
You don’t remember birthdays or anniversaries
Pictures of kittens make you feel nauseous
You don’t want to talk about your feelings unless you suspect that giving the impression of being “sensitive” will help you to get your leg over
You can’t pass a hardware shop without buying rawlplugs
You know what rawlplugs do and you understand terms like grub flange, molgrips and limited slip differential.
You can make a pair of pants last a week
Farting is to be accompanied by a round of applause or the phrase “I’ll name that tune in one”. Those who can light farts are granted hero status
Actually, the above things make a male, not a man. Manners maketh man.

does hugh grant not get his headkicked in in Bridget Jones? Liked that bit.

You know what rawlplugs do and you understand terms like grub flange, molgrips and limited slip differential.

Obviously not, it’s Mole Grips FWIW 🙂

Eyes are drawn to cleavage like a magnet, no matter how hard you resist

It is so true. No matter what the face above it looks like, or however inappropriate the situation may be…

Probbly Oedipal, deep down, or something.

I would genuinely love to know if it’s actually instinctive, or learned behaviour through social conditioning. I mean, would a Gay man find a woman’s cleavage impossible to ignore? Would another woman? Is it something even deeper than sexual instinct?

Well, I guess at one time, it meant lunch – important to any real man…