George Graham

Sexiest Man in the World?

People Magazine claims that country-and-western singer Blake Shelton is the “sexiest man in the world” and that has sparked complaints because he is white and male.

I cannot describe how this kind of thing depresses me.

First of all, who in their right mind believes there’s a “sexiest man in the world”? If anything in the world is subjective it has to be sex. To some women in Shakespeare’s play, Richard III was the sexiest man alive. And he was – from his own description – a mess.

Standards of physical attraction vary widely from culture to culture. And from person to person.

Look around you and you will see wedding rings on the fingers of men and women who would never appeal to you. Obviously, they’re sexy to someone – or were sexy at some time.

According to an article my nephew Chris sent me, People Magazine’s critics argue that:

… the choice indicates that People Magazine is itself racist and part of the white supremacy movement to elevate white people above people of color.

A writer for Salon goes even farther, claiming that;

… it reinforces and celebrates toxic white male sexuality and elevates a white man to a position of popular acclaim.

Obviously, this is nonsense. Does the Salon writer expect the magazine to name a female  “sexiest man in the world”?

What the feature says to me is that People Magazine’s editors are really, really silly and their readers must be severely brain damaged.

The article Chris sent me – “by Paul Craig Roberts with added notes by Lasha Darkmoon” – is even more bizarre than the People Magazine feature. The headline – “Are Whites Being Set up for Genocide – is ludicrous. The suggestion of a conspiracy to wipe out the white, male rulers of American culture is plainly preposterous.

This kind of silliness trivializes a real problem in our society, a problem that has deep-rooted and complex origins. Solving it will take time and sober consideration – not nonsensical conspiracy theories.

Here’s the article.

About the author

gwgraeme

I am a Jamaican-born writer who has lived and worked in Canada and the United States. I live in Lakeland, Florida with my wife, Sandra, our three cats and two dogs. I like to play golf and enjoy our garden, even though it's a lot of work. Since retiring from newspaper reporting I've written a few books. I also write a monthly column for Jamaicans.com