Since the study that supposedly shows Oregon 49th in business taxes seems to some to justify jacking up business taxes, maybe this fine study justifies outlawing hybrids, bike lanes, lattes and goatees. It just might be a fair trade-off. Bob

Hmmm. Could that be why Portland is also the unhappiest city in the country? Maybe it's just the female half that's unhappy.

Though there are a lot of manly lesbians strutting around N. and SE PDX.

What's interesting to me is how they measure "manliness." I'm not sure anyone in Portland -- of any gender or sexual orientation -- fits the bill.

New York City ranked at the bottom of the list

'nuff said.

"maybe this fine study justifies outlawing hybrids, bike lanes, lattes and goatees."

bike lanes? what do they have to do with sissyhood? I bet you that the average cyclist could kick the average motorist's ass. I do mixed martial arts, so I know I could.

I bet you that the average cyclist could kick the average motorist's ass.

Well, I'm both and can't even kick my own.

I bet you that the average cyclist could kick the average motorist's ass. I do mixed martial arts, so I know I could.

Yeah, but your full-body yellow and red leotard cancels that out.

If they factored in beer consumption (another manly activity, when done by people of any gender) we woulda done better.

And Jack, check out George St. Pierre's fight shorts, or Rashad Evans's, or Anderson Silva's. Lots of Lycra. But very manly men.

I wonder if the fact that Sperling is based in Portland has any bearing on the outcome.

"martial arts contests are parodies. Real fighting is when you put aside rules, uniforms, and boasting and lay your life before your opponent. don't waste your time on contests."
--Bruce Lee

or wait; maybe this article's actually a stealth dumbness index, and commenting on it is part of the study. uh oh.

George St. Pierre's fight shorts

With a name like that, you have to know how to fight.

Are those jousting on political blogs like this one mostly men? I've got the feeling they are. Maybe to beef up the manliness of this blog...you could put on some political boxing matches.

Mixed martial arts? Is that like pruning your bansai tree while you practice tai-chi? Does it come with an ITG badge?

I like kim-chi tacos, does that count?

Monster truck rallies? What, they couldn't include other activities of 'manly compensation' in their criteria?

Let's brainstorm for them... Gun fetishes per capita, Hummer H2 sales, utilization of giant Mag Lite flashlights, popularity of triple-patty burgers at McDonalds, or preference of RVs over tents? What about sales of those trailer hitches shaped like giant scrotum??

Living here in Portland, I'll need to do some soul searching to keep my girlfriend satisfied with my manliness... perhaps I'll buy an elephant gun to bring down that elk I've been after. That'll show her and Bambi's tramp of a mother. Rrrraaarrrr!

Since the study that supposedly shows Oregon 49th in business taxes seems to some to justify jacking up business taxes, maybe this fine study justifies outlawing hybrids, bike lanes, lattes and goatees.

What? How does that follow?

This fine study obviously doesn't mean we should outlaw these things.

It means we should tax them.

Along with cell phones and bicycles.

That'll show'em we're not pantywaists.

After reading that comment about Elk hunting, I've decided that I must finally go hunting. I've collected a whole bunch of vintage and antique firearms over the years...enough to make the Californicators that blight this fine State wet their panties in horror...now it's time to go the extra mile. The extra mile on the March to Manliness.

Dunno if I still qualify for the ranks of the truly Manly, though. I have enjoyed painting my fingernails over the years and also collect stuff like Joy Division records and Theremins, so that probably cancels the gun nut thing out.

It wasn't as if Bruce Lee started fights with random gangs of street thugs in order to practice. Full-contact continuous sparring is the method that most closely approximates actual fighting, however limited it may be. Bruce Lee wasn't even known to spar with anybody. He was an actor, more than anything.

Re: Georges St-Pierre -- Really, more of the same "The French are effeminate!" nonsense? Watch his fights.

I don't wear spandex (well, okay, somethings under my shorts on really long rides).

I think the manliness quotient starts with the Mayor? Enuff said.

I saw Georges St. Pierre at Darcelle XV once. what a show! she sang a duet with a Bruce Lee impersonator. it was manly. they wore spandex jackets. i think everyone should have them.

Another instance of an Outsider trying to impose his own values on Portland.

Monster truck rallies are "manly?" Maybe if Neanderthals represent your ideal of manhood.

Why not outdoor sports as a measure of manliness: mountaineering, skiing and snowboarding, marathons (running, biking, etc.), whitewater rafting and kayaking? And how about sales of camping and outdoor gear instead of tools? Portland would come out at or near the top on that manliness scale.

Since moving east of the Cascades, I have dropped most of my predudices against big trucks and "rednecks". It is common in places like Pendleton to find people who see Portlanders prejudiced and not realizing it.
Outdoor sports are a great way to relax and have fun. but obsession with them has little social utility. Guys with tools can help the rest of us fix things.

At issue is prejudice against Portland men who apparently are not "manly" enough because they don't go to monster truck rallies often enough, or buy enough tools at hardware stores. Women buy tools and fix things, too. Why is this particularly activity deemed manly? And what is the social utility of monster truck rallies?

Did Neanderthals invent lift kits?

Just a wee bit of judgement there, Audaciously Hopeful. You don't really believe your Prius (or is it a Saab, or a Volvo?) makes you a superior human being, do you?

Cynthia is right: the politically correct are some of the most prejudiced people around. Given they are mostly friends with those who share their prejudices, they are blind to the irony.

Re: average cyclist v. average motorist fight

The average motorist has much more carrying capacity in their vehicle for ordinance and weaponry.

Don't come to a gun fight armed with your fists.

I don't drive a Prius, Saab or a Volvo.

I just happen to believe that men who climb Mt. Hood, fight forest fires, bike to work, etc. are more manly than a bunch of guys who sit on their behinds at monster truck rallies, which I do think are just one rung above the abhorrent sports of cockfighting and dogfighting.