Poor Dan Fagan

I thought maybe that all of the criticism of Dan Fagan had caused him to work on his writing, or at least find others to help him clean it up. But yesterday's article was like the first one. Just a lot of inconsistent ranting. But I have this hypothesis that might help explain Dan's problem. I even went online to listen to his radio show. It says June 4th, but it talked about preparing yesterday's article so it wasn't June 4. And as I'm checking it now, it sounds like it's today's show.

Anyway, if we look at last week's article, we see Dan praising his Dad as this great man, who modeled for him what a man should be. And then he went on to lament that men aren't like that. But what did his dad model?

He modeled a life of character, integrity and honesty. But most importantly he showed me how to treat a woman.

When a man is a real man, he does more to help build a better society than a hundred thousand government programs.

Manhood is not about I. It's about service, sacrifice, devotion, selflessness.

Manhood is about respecting, honoring, and yes, even loving.

Now if you read these columns and listen to Dan on the radio, which of these did he learn?

I guess we can give him credit for honest - I believe that he believes what he says. At least the moment he's saying it. And he doesn't hide what he's thinking, no matter how outrageous. And he certainly believes that government is useless. But what about the rest?

Treating a woman? Well, on the show, one caller said that Dan always said he was terrified of women. Dan protested and said he certainly didn't understand them and said they were emotional and often crazy. Hmmmmm. Is that how his Dad said to treat women? Is that respect? honoring? He did claim that he loved everything about women - just before he started saying they were emotional and not understandable. I suspect Dan if your dad really did teach you how to treat a woman (and he really knew how) then women would be falling all over you and you wouldn't still, at your age, be out looking for "a woman willing to procreate with [you]." I don't think he scores high here.

What about service, devotion, and selflessness? Again, that quote, "If I ever find a woman willing to procreate with me..." I take it he isn't doing his service, devotion, and selflessness at home with his family. And he certainly isn't doing it on his talk radio. On his radio show, contrary to what he says his father modeled, Dan is all about "I". It's his unexamined, self-centered opinions, and his own made up facts. ("Hand-made" is often a good thing Dan, but not when it comes to facts.) In fact (you could check it, but the tape's not online anymore) one comment on the radio show I heard was about liberals taking off from work to go protest the Knik Arm Bridge. "They all probably work for non-profits so they can take off work, not like a real job." So, people working selflessly, in service to others don't have real jobs? That's completely not what he wrote last week about what his Dad modeled.


On the Friday show, his dad calls in, and afterward he tells his co-host, that his father loved everyone and made friends easily and he wishes he could be like his father that way. Hmmm.


So, my hypothesis is that Dan doesn't feel too good about himself. His role model was this perfect man (at least in Dan's mind) whom everyone loved, and who treated his wife and daughters with constant compliments. (What about his son? Dan didn't mention the son getting compliments.) He worked hard and selflessly for his family.

But Dan is still looking for a wife. So he's failed already in being a good family man. He's not respectful, he's not selfless. He's so into "I" that he can't even imagine how those evil liberals could possibly believe the nonsense they believe. Dan is far smarter than any of them. He has it all figured out. Oh dear. Dan just doesn't live up to that great role model he's just praised as the kind of man we need to make this country work right." Is Dan really ranting against the world because he can't face the fact that he doesn't live up to the expectations set by his Dad? According to Wikipedia

psychological projection (or projection bias) is a defense mechanism in which one attributes to others one’s own unacceptable or unwanted thoughts or/and emotions. Projection reduces anxiety by allowing the expression of the unwanted subconscious impulses/desires without letting the ego recognize them.

Could this be Dan really talking about himself:

But where are the men today? Why are so many obsessed with their own needs instead of their families?

Unlike Dan, I'm just speculating a possible interpretation. I'm not offering my speculation as the Truth. I'm just putting together the evidence that shows his inconsistencies, shows that what he writes or says in one place, does not reflect what he writes and says other places. As I see it, he professes one set of values, but his behaviors demonstrate another.