August 19, 2009, - 3:00 pm
Comic Book Sad Sign of Times: Zeta Male Archie Picks the Rich Sugar Mommy, Kept Man
Yes, Archie marries Veronica, the rich sugar mommy. And not Betty, a wife whom he can support and take care of. Why are we surprised?
This is the new dominant male in America’s younger generation–the zeta male slacker boy, whose wife has the money, the job, or both–and definitely the power and masculinity in the relationship.
Even though this big pop culture story is confined to the comic books, it’s a sign of the times. The comic book comes out at the end of August, the start of a six-issue story that fast forwards a few years with Archie picking Veronica over Betty and marrying her. As an Archie fan and comic book collector, in the past, I would have thought a cad, like Reggie, would marry Veronica, because only cads and jerks want to be kept men. But not any more. Now, everyone is doing it.
Lou Zers (Two Round Objets D’Art Missing)
Guys don’t want to be the man, these days. The alpha female is the wage earner, and guys are the slacker boys. Yes, the new “male” is the Zeta Male. It’s even prevalent in so-called conservatism where two of the most prominent people are 1) a selfish quitter Governor, whose husband is Mr. Mom and Mr. Grandmom, giving up his masculine job so she could pursue her career, and she is the one who’s now earning the big bucks; and 2) a commentator whose husband gave up his career for hers, and he’s Mr. Mom while she earns the big bucks and he stays at home (while this person attacked parents for “warehousing” their kids in daycare, in defending Sarah Palin she bragged that she reads her kids bedtime stories over a cellphone while getting on planes–nice).
And now FOX Reality Channel has a new show, called, “House Husbands of Hollywood,” which has the tag lines, “Meet the Home Boys” and “A New Family Arrangement.” The show’s website has household tips from these man-wives on how to keep the house clean for their wives and make lunch for the kids. Sadly, it isn’t new. And it’s not a passing trend, either. It’s becoming the status quo. Yup, as I’ve noted before, the alpha male is dead. And that means a trip toward a matriarchy, which never ends well.
This is the new paradigm. Men can feel comfortable being chicks. And Archie can laze around and be a kept man by Veronica. And you know what that means? The chick with all that Lodge money is gonna be the man in the relationship. Like many of the other Mr. Moms in America, Archie is now peckerless . . . checked the testicles at the door. A man-chick.
Oh, sure, they’ll probably give Archie some lofty-sounding career to pretend at. But the bottom line is Veronica Lodge’s money. He chose to go with the one who’ll fund him and his lifestyle nicely, and not the woman with whom he could actually be the alpha male and exhibit his masculinity.
Archie writer Michael Uslan is likening this to the Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston triangle. So, uh, when do they adopt the United Nations and say, “We’re canceling our wedding until gay people can marry?”
Don’t bet against lefty stuff like that in Archie either. We’re living in a left-wing world, where conservatives embrace faux conservatives who live like liberals. And Archie is just reflecting that.
(Can’t wait to read the absurdity. I’m sure it’ll be the comic book version of “Mad Men” hijinks.)
Even Jughead is upset by this. And who can blame him?
Tags: Alpha Female, Alpha Male, Archie, Archie Marries Veronica, Betty, Comic books, Comics, Death of the Alpha Male, faux-conservative Mr. Moms, Fox Reality Channel, House Husbands of Hollywood, Jughead, kept men, matriarchy, Mr. Mom, Reggie, Sarah Palin, Slacker Archie, sugar mommies, Todd Palin, Veronica, Veronica Lodge, Zeta Male, Zeta Male Archie
Deb, the only jughegads are those who work for Archie Comics!
Bob Porrazzo on August 19, 2009 at 3:06 pm