On straight boys who crush on Jack Bauer
Posted at 3:02 PM Nov 21, 2008
By Bonnie Ruberg
Over at Salon, Heather Havrilesky writes about the virtues of 24: Rememption, a movie-length dose of Jack Bauer meant to tide over fans until the release of the new season this coming January. While viewers swoon over the endlessly badass Bauer, I'm busy being baffled by the sheer number of straight boys I know who have man crushes on Keifer Sutherland. One of them has a Keifer shirt, a Keifer mug, and the desktop on his laptop is a giant shot of Keifer's face. That's one serious man crush. Come on, the man's name is "Keifer"!
What is it about this guy that so appeals to other guys? Sure, he's pretty impressive -- combating terrorists, saving the world from nuclear bombs -- but he's also not a traditional hero. He's not muscular or indestructible. He is, however, fast, smart, and uncannily capable of staying awake for long periods of time without eating or drinking. Is that what you boys admire? Someone please explain this to me.
Comments
OK, I'm gonna admit it. I have a Bauer mancrush too. Not near as bad as your friend you described there, but it's there.
I think it's what you described, actually. He's not muscular or indestructible. For the most part, he's realistic. This is a guy who COULD exist. Sure, it's far fetched, but it's a LOT more realistic than the 'traditional' hero. He's the badass that we imagine we COULD be. Does that make sense?
Posted 11/21/2008 at 04:31:50 PM"Jack Bauer is a man of action.
Posted 11/23/2008 at 01:30:45 PM"In moments that require him to make instant decisions (he has many of these moments throughout the course of one single day), he makes them, and they are not easy decisions (if they were easy, he'd be living my life). He then deals with the repercussions... which often involve more tough decisions.
"He doesn't care about what price it has on his soul. All he needs to know is that it's for the greater good."
(From the liner notes of the new biography I'm writing. It's entitled: "My Man Jack: He Has a Bauer Over Me"... It should arrive in stores early next year. But no, I wouldn't say I have a man crush on him.)
I think the reason we have man crushes on him is the fact that he's a "man's man". We feel secure in our sexuality, because he epitomizes what we would like to be. Anyway, for those of you who have crushes as well, I just ordered a sweet Jack Bauer for President shirt from www.PantherTees.com. They have a bunch of Jack Bauer stuff. They said not to tell anyone, but here is a 10% discount code, pts10 (it is case sensitive, so copy and paste it). Enjoy!
Posted 11/24/2008 at 01:41:55 PM