Our regular readers will know that we have often been puzzled by Paulie's odd desire to be associated with horses. We are no longer all that puzzled:

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Aside from the fact that the face here has been photoshopped very poorly (though Paulie doesn't seem to realize this), it's clear that Paulie has a thing for the Marlboro Man. Or, rather, the myth of the Marlboro man.


It's a reactionary and mythologized concept of the past that depict "real men" as rugged individualists whose self-worth was based on the physical labor they engaged in, the number of fights they got into, and the women they bedded.

And that is what Paulie wants his followers to view him as. A man's man.

So, when Paulie posts a picture like this....

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.... he wants his followers to think of him like this:

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And this:

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And, let's be honest, like this:

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The purpose of this article isn't necessarily to make fun of Paulie (well, not entirely) but to discuss the fiction that people like Paulie envelope themselves in because they can't really function in the world as it truly exists. Think about it. Is Paulie's romanticized view of manly men and, by extension, himself really all that different than these kinds of posts?

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We could have used a lot of other examples from other boneheads, but we think our readers will get the point here.

Paulie might be harkening back to a mythologized and reactionary past, but Goudreau, Marleau, and many of the others look to a mythologized and reactionary future where they are not failures, but the vanguard of a new civilization. But in the end the there is not a single bit of difference between what Paulie, Goudreau and Marleau have posted.

It's really very sad. These people are unable and unwilling to adapt themselves to a changing society so they imagine one, past or future, where they think they could be successful. And in the meantime society continues progressing.

No Kevin, women are not all vying for your attention and no, there will never be a government in Canada that will try to deport non-white Canadian citizens.

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No John, this is most likely not the last year of civilization (we can't discount a stray asteroid hitting the planet in 2012, but it seems unlikely) and it is not the beginning of the racial purge you seem to want to happen.

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No Paulie, you are not the Marlboro Man.

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We understand that the bleak reality of your lives might be hard to deal with, but you should consider giving it a try once in a while.