Jackass sey di worl' no level. Jackass sey man cyaa do whe de ooman dem do an still be a man.

Y'all know that song, Jackass is sure, which cautions, "girls you can't do what the guys do no and still be a lady". Serious thing, is it not, because if she sleeps with every man who is willing to do the nasty with her, like how many a man will bed every woman who gives him half a chance, then sure as hell she is not royal, not in the public eye ('cause by then, a camel could go through the former needle's eye. Heh heh. A joke. Yu know Jackass rate woman and don't mean no harm, but sometimes, he can't help himself.)

But there should be the flip of that song, where someone sings, "guys you can't do what the girls do and still be a man". But then, maybe it is so obvious that there isn't even a need to sing the tune. And mostly the 'can't do' surrounds bonding, emotional stuff and talking about sensitive situations.

Like how a woman can say, "I'm gonna go out with my girlfriends tonight". Not an eyebrow will go up, because it is a given that her gal pals are her girlfriends and there is not a hint of a 'fire bun'. But let a man say, "yow, me an me boyfren' dem ago roll tonight" and see the torches come out for the gashing and lighting. (Jackass know that even the thought mek some a oonu a bun a big fia fi Jackass arready, too. A life. Hampa deep. Can bear de load. An' me no waan ear no one a laugh bout 'wha hampa' eida.)

Hell, a man can hardly even say another male is his friend. It has to be his 'thug', his 'dog', his 'bredren', his 'me know im from long time'. It is not that it is necessary for a man to declare his 'boyfriends', but in total rejection of the notion of a hint of undue closeness, there is all this false distance that is created in name.

Then there is the leeway to cry. To just feel hurt and let it out, instead of hitting someone, hitting the bottle or hitting the road. It is cool for a woman, but for men, not even at a funeral are they allowed by the unspoken rules of 'you can't do what the girls do' to bust a tear. There are all these dark glasses and this standing outside the church, everything to avoid letting a little water leak out.

And let a man be emotionally hurt and talk about it in terms that do not include shooting and slapping and burning. Women are cool. They can say, "it hurt my sense of self and eroded my self-esteem instantly". But can a man say, "that comment invalidated my years of attempts to be successful at what I do". He would be laughed out of his boxers.

He has to say, "a bway dis and me ago deal wid im case".

So where does all that leave us? In a situation where the world is crying out for men of a different ilk from the super-macho stereotype, but when the alternative presents itself it is so strange that it is disregarded, discouraged, disrespected.

Jackass sey di worl' no level. Jackass sey it betta fe man an' man if dem jus' hol' on a try no do nutten whe de ooman dem do, 'cause dem same onee wit un roun' dis im up.