Pick One: Child Molester, Simp, or Womanizer

Nowadays, it is easier to find a positive depiction of the black plague than a proper gentleman in popular culture. In contrast, I cannot deny that pop culture writers make an excellent point on the worldwide carbon footprint reduction the black plague produced. However, upcoming men, boys, and society are worst off without the stabilizing influence of the classic gentleman. Today we see “toxic masculinity,” “deadbeat dads,” child molesters, simps, and womanizers all running around being called men. Are these “men” supposed to be our role models? No, thank you, fellas; in fact, boys and young men today are also rejecting them. We all instinctively know that we could be our best selves without putting women down, crushing other people, while fulfilling all of our responsibilities. 

Gentleman vs. Legacy Gentleman

What do we mean by Legacy Gentlemen? First, let us start with the Gentleman part. Today gentleman at best is a term that means nothing special. Many people see gentlemen as interchangeable with “guys,” “boys,” “homies,” “bros,” or men. At worst, it conjures the image of the dudes shaking dollar bills at “Gentleman’s Club.” So, to ensure we are working from the same sheet of music here is a definition. A gentleman is a man with excellent manners, who has an above-average understanding of situational etiquette, keeps his cool in most situations but can respond appropriately if force is necessary, knowledgeable, and capable of many things scholarly and manual, properly courteous, and possessing high moral standards. The above-listed qualities of gentlemen are open-ended and vague because they change over time and are influenced by the popular culture in which the gentleman resides. Also, notice the limiting qualifiers. We are talking about real people who are not perfect and will make mistakes, but perfection is the goal. How is a Legacy Gentleman different? Firstly, all generations Boomers, X, Y, Z, Alpha, and beyond are needed as Legacy Gentlemen. Legacy Gentlemen have the mindset, do the work, and teach the values that 1000 years from now, men, women, and children will look at and say yes, we need more of that in our lives. The quest to build and teach these qualities far and wide is the mission of the Legacy Gentlemen community. Come on this journey with us.

Why This Consumes Me

I am a Black Gen X man born in the Midwest but grew up in Atlanta in the 1990s. I was raised by my divorced mother and my two sisters. So, my positive male role models were the men my mother put in my path: United Way big brother and Boy Scout Masters. Later, the men I put in my path were coaches, teachers, professors, then as an adult; I found mentors. Notice I said positive, meaning people who objectively helped me learn a skill that made the world better and grew my strength, knowledge, or moral sense. Far too often, I ran with and followed the lead of destructive role models. When I did, my life and the people around me were worst off. As I moved to adulthood, then becoming a husband, then father, the positive role models are far and few in-between. Heck, my few positive role models, actors, athletes, singers, and business leaders eventually were shown to be worse than some of the convicted criminals I used to run with in the streets. The realization that the larger-than-life icons failed me and that the everyday heroes are the ones who can make the real difference in the life of children and young adults. I made a commitment to God to be a man of value and principle and to teach those principles to as many people as possible. I want everyone I meet to dress like, speak like, and do the same things the men who changed my life did. This is my passion, raising the standards of behavior for men today to make better men.

In The Pipe and Smoking it

Yes, my goal is to transform every man into a Legacy Gentleman. Every little boy, every teenage young man, every man just starting on their life’s journey, and every grey-bearded man into a Legacy Gentleman. I know this is an enormous task; some might call it a pipe dream. Nevertheless, this is the never-ending mission of Legacy Gentleman. So, I will take this dream and put it in my pipe and smoke it. Please take a second, breathe it in. That is the smell of thoughts, looks, and actions changing into the gold standard, which will last for the next 1000 years. This is going to happen, do not miss the train.