Indiana Jones, Han Solo, And Manliness

Indiana Jones and Han Solo. Two characters, one actor, and the heroes of an entire generation of men. Harrison Ford's portrayal of the Nazi melting archaeologist and arrogant but lovable smuggler influenced Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers in very deep ways. As boys, we were looking around for someone to teach us how to be men. Some of us had wonderful fathers, grandfathers, and uncles that filled these  roles. The rest of us had absent dads and looked around for someone to show us how to swing the dong, (metaphorically). Star Wars and The Indiana Jones films were HUGE when I was a kid. I look around at the men of my generation who are adults now, many with sons of their own, and I see traces of Dr. Jones and Han. Just like the film left on the toilet bowl after a bachelor party.

So, with that in mind I conducted a wildly unscientific survey of my good male friends on the Facebook. I asked if they agreed that Han and Indi were the defining male archetypes of our generation and which one influenced their idea of masculinity more and why? I got some pretty interesting answers. For example, several friends mentioned that Mad Martigan from Willow or older heroes like Clint Eastwood were a bigger influence. Still, most agreed on my Han/Indi premise. Like all archetypes, none of us can ever really achieve Indi or Han level coolness. The best we can do is aspire to do our best. It's like living up to the constitution, the Bible, or the teachings of Bill and Ted. Anyway, here is the comparison between Dr. Jones, Han Solo, and masculinity.

One thing that was consistent among my buddy's answers was that Henry Jones, Jr. was the better man. He was not just a guy who kicked a lot of butt, but was also a scholar and professor. Indi was certainly cocky like Han, but he could occasionally be humble. For example, in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant, The Grail, The Shankara Stones, and even those redonkulous Crystal Skulls, he understood and respected their power. Indi also found an orphan on the streets of Shanghai and adopted him as his sidekick. Sure, he put Short Round in some precarious spots and he almost died several times. But hey, no parent is perfect. A lot of friends also said that when they were younger, in the selfishness of childhood and the arrogance of adolescence, they looked up to Han more. However, now as adults they hope they can be more Indi-like. One thing I will say about both characters is that they have similar attitudes towards women: Shut up princess and kiss me!

Don't get me wrong, everyone loves Han Solo. Harrison Ford is incredibly charismatic as the scoundrel smuggler. He's the classic bad boy, (no small reason why Leia fell for him). Leia tells him,"I love you." Han replies,"I know." Pimp! Look, it's easy to admire the bad ass, especially because most men's lives are so not that. We all secretly wish we could be pirate gunslingers traipsing across space with our giant dog. What my buddies mostly pointed out was that as cool as we all think Han is, he's no one to emulate. If Han continued the way he was, he and Leia would most certainly get divorced and he would have ended up a fat old drunk blabbing on about when he was cool. Still, we all secretly daydream of our inner Han even if we don't let him out to play. Oh, and Han shot first.

Article By Jack Tomas
http://www.jacktomas.com >