Sen. Tom Coburn cries on the floor of the Senate
In response to Senator Tom Coburn (R - OK) crying during his Senate hearing speech to confirm Judge John Roberts to the SCOTUS, AnkleBitingPundit wants to go Godfather on Sen. Coburn and slap him in the face and yell, “You can act like a man.”
Bulldogpundit asks, “When is it OK for men to cry in front of other people?” His list includes:
Birth of a Child
Death in the Family (including a pet)
When the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team Beat the commies.
Illness to a close family member or friend
Playing your last high school or college sporting eventDuring the following movies:
“Field of Dreams” (only the last scene when he’s playing catch with his Dad)
“Brian’s Song”
I agree with all of those, except for during Field of Dreams. I grew up without a father, so that whole father/son playing catch moment at the end holds no emotional weight for me.
I would add the following times when it’s OK (or was OK) for a man to cry in front of other people:
- During the 3-volley salute or the playing of taps at the funeral of any Soldier.
- While watching the Twin Towers burn, watching American citizens jumping from those towers, and then watching the towers fall
- While visiting Arlington National Cemetery or the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC
- If you’re a Soldier, it’s OK to cry when your feet touch US soil upon returning from a war-time deployment, and when you hug your friends and family for the first time in a long time.
- If you’re the father, husband, or son of a Soldier, it’s OK to cry when your Soldier leaves for war, and also once they make it back home from that war.
Losing your home and everything you’ve ever owned to a fire, a flood, or another natural disaster is a valid reason for tears, too.Thanks to a comment by Ymarsakar in the Comments section, this one needs to be deleted. Read the comments to find out why.- I cried during President Reagan’s funeral, albeit in the privacy of my living room.
- I might have also let loose a tear while watching Cal Ripken break Lou Gehrig’s consecutive game streak in 1995
When else is it OK for a man to cry in front of other people?
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UPDATE: Hearing bagpipes play Amazing Grace at the funeral of a hero (a fallen police officer or fireman usally).
UPDATE II: Welcome Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal readers. We’re currently a little pre-occupied with Hurricane Rita down here near the Texas coast, but we’ll resume regular non-hurricane-related (hopefully) blogging next week.
How do you know, Robbie, what motivated those tears? I saw them too. He’s a physician…he has seen suffering…he’s humanitarian. What the F is so wrong with tears? Let him cry. What the F would make Kennedy cry? Losing his stolen ggfather’s money?
Left by dianne on September 13th, 2005 at 10:15 pm