That negative assessment of maculinity is not at all what I took from Gilmore's book: "the natural state of young males is apathy, self-indulgence & laziness."
David Gilmore is an anthropologist who conducted the first-ever cross-cultural study of concepts of masculinity.
He found that despite obvious differences between cultures, virtually all share a common ideal of what it means to be a Good Man.
They all have the expectation that the good man performs what he calls the three Ps: protect, provide, and procreate. Raise a family. Build into the next generation.
This is very encouraging. Because men are made in God’s image, all around the globe they seem to understand that their unique masculine strengths are not intended to enable them to get whatever they want but to protect those they love—to provide, protect, and sacrifice for those they love.
@robkhenderson on the inimitable David Gilmore's *Manhood in the Making*: