About two years ago, Bushmaster Firearms rolled out a new marketing campaign for its AR Platform assault rifles. It apparently started as a sweepstakes that looks to have evolved from there. It consists of a series of “manhood questions” that are designed to elicit responses that prove the test taker is a “real man”. Anyone who passes the test gets a “Man Card” to show off to all his friends. If a man is caught behaving in an unmanly way (such as doing Pilates or spending more than $8 on a haircut) his friends can revoke his Man Card. Source.
Based on the test and reasons for losing one’s “Man Card”, it appears that Bushmaster’s target demographic is a manly man’s kind of man. But while the double entendre is certainly worth a chuckle, Bushmaster’s lame marketing campaign demonstrates that whoever is in charge of its advertising knows nothing about being a man and even less about gun ownership. To suggest that all it takes is a boner-inspiring assault rifle to be a man or even enhance one’s masculinity is spectacularly stupid and woefully ignorant.
Look, if owning an assault rifle is your thing, good on you. If you are a collector, use one for hunting, or even just think they’re fun to shoot – fine. Far be it from me to sniff at that. You can become Burt Gummer for all I care. The point I’m trying to make is that a weapon is not a direct correlation to one’s masculinity and will not turn a whiny beta male into a supreme alpha dog. By telling men that masculinity depends on owning a really big gun, Bushmaster is no better than feminists telling women that men find a “plus size” potty mouth in flip flops attractive. Purchasing an assault rifle out of a desperate need to prove one’s maleness is the epitome of pathetic. An assault rifle will not increase masculinity any more than a life-sized Tonka truck will.
