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| Source: Amazon.com |
From the book’s cover:
Everyone's life is governed by an internal code of conduct. Some call it morality. Others call it religion. But Bros in the know call this holy grail The Bro Code.
Historically a spoken tradition passed from one generation to the next, the official code of conduct for Bros appears here in its published form for the first time ever. By upholding the tenets of this sacred and legendary document, any dude can learn to achieve Bro-dom.
Synopsis:
I will readily confess to not watching much of the TV series, "How I Met Your Mother," though I do sit through it if there is nothing else on and if I have nothing better to do. And even sometimes if I do have better things to do, but just don't want to do that other more appropriate task. Let's face it, television can be an effective manner of escapism from all those annoying elements of real life that we find ourselves wishing to shirk from time to time.
Where was I? Oh yes, I was writing this review. Who’d have thought that? Anyway, The Bro Code, written by the character Barney Stinson - ably played by Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie!!) - arguably one of the brighter lights of "How I Met Your Mother," was worth a quick breeze through. What we have here is an amalgamation of the laws that the strikingly heterosexual character in the show defines as the way in which men should interact with each other. But never call each other a "Bro," Stinson points out, as that is not an acceptable form of address between true Bros.
A high emphasis in the book is placed on materials having to do with the process of "picking up chics." In fact, in one of the book's more memorable portions, Stinson claims to have actually seen a copy of the fabled, but oft-thought apocryphal "Chic Code," while at a woman’s apartment for a coital visit. This is like the female version of The Bro Code, and basically is like the opposing teams playbook.
But as usual, I'm digressing here again. Can I effectively summarize The Bro Code and its contents in a paragraph or so? Probably not. So why am I writing this review? Why not? I read the book. I found it humorous, and in places spot on. For instance, the cardinal first rule of The Bro Code, called appropriately "Article One," is the long cherished chestnut "Bros before Hoes." I have to agree with this one, even if I have few of what may be termed "Bros," and even fewer experience with what may be termed - and forgive the euphemism - Hoes. The key component, in my estimation, is loyalty. After all, as Stinson points out (and I'm paraphrasing here, but closely enough to pass along the gist), the manly sport of chasing women -and scoring with them, it is implied - has to have its own inbuilt rewards. Really, what other reason would any sane man have for for pursuing the biological process that leads to babies, which for all intents and purposes are smelly and gross little bundles of entropy and anarchy? On the other hand, guys have no innate attachment to each other, and so loyalty to another "Bro" is a higher form of companionship than to a woman. Stinson points out that the ancients recognized this, with their emphasis on the comradely bond between men, though they did take this bond a bit too far in this reviewer's opinion (such as the Greek propensity toward physical intimacy with younger men... those Greeks were odd ducks, to say the least).
Ok, I'm wandering here again. Let me take another run at describing The Bro Code in as short an exposition as possible. What we have here is a collection of rules that Bros should live by, all things being equal. We have such practical dicta (that's two or more dictums, I looked it up) as "Always face straight ahead when standing at the urinal," and "A Bro shall always know the reigning champions of the Super Bowl, the World Series, and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition," and the emphatic "A Bro shall not sleep with another Bro’s Ex." And of course, that old practical standby: "If a Bro shall inadvertently make contact with another Bro's 'undercarriage,' both Bros will agree to say nothing and pretend it never happened." And that's just a sampling of the many wise sayings the book has to offer. From this sampling, you should get the overall picture. It goes on like that for over 150 Articles, with seven or eight Amendments thrown in for good measure.
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| The "author," Barney Stinson. / Source: FanPop.com |
What I liked about it:
The audiobook is read by Neil Patrick Harris, the aforementioned actor who plays the role of Mr. Stinson in the TV series. Without Harris's vocal inflections and emphasis, the book probably wouldn't have been half as good (in its audiobook format), in this reviewer's estimation.
Also the book does contain some true nuggets of practical wisdom for being a "Bro" in our modern era. Even if you are not in a position to be chasing women (such as this reviewer, who has a wife, a daughter, a mother and a mother-in-law and even my dog is a girl - far too many women in the female-to-male ratio in my estimation, but hey - whattya do?), there are many pragmatic sayings in here, some of which I have already mentioned. Another good one: “A Bro shall never dance with his hands anywhere above his shoulders.” In my humble opinion (that’s IMHO in textspeak, which I rarely use, by the way), dancing with your hands in the air is for women. Face it, that's one way in which we guys get to enjoy the female form. Am I right, men? But nobody wants to see a man with his armpit hair sticking out. Never.
In all seriousness, the book did have some really good practical points, especially the emphasis on using protection when engaging in sexual relations with someone who is not your spouse or committed partner (a given in this case, as the book implies that marriage is death and long-term “hook-ups” are not advised, but that fits the TV show character’s ethos, so...). This is not only socially practical but also just plain respectful, in this reviewer's opinion. If you gotta put heavy emphasis on shallow relations between men and women, at least have the good sense to promote the practice of safe sex. Kudos to the book for that.
The Amazon.com advertisement for The Bro Code (I couldn't get an embedded version, so if you want to watch the clip, you gotta follow the link).
What I didn’t like about it:
I can't say I agree with the book 100%. After all, it is silly and frivolous read at best when compared to the deeper philosophical treatises of human history (yes I’m being pedantic, I know). I confess to being impressed by the material, but I must disagree with a few specific rules. For one, the observation that, “A Bro shall never spell check.” Sorry, but as a freelance amateur writer and a connoisseur of other people's work, I gotta toss that one out of consideration. For one, it is my stated impression that there is too much textspeak in our modern world. If you want to use textspeak, that alone is bad enough, but don't perpetuate confusion and lack of clarity by writing sloppily and then not using the tools you are given for shining it up ( a new drinking game: take a shot whenever Wong mentions textspeak! That’s twice in this article alone, kids). Although I might add an appropriate clarification to this rule by changing it to: “A Bro doesn't spell check, but a Bro also makes sure he said what he meant and spelled it correctly in the process.” How's that, Mr Stinson?
There were a few other Articles I diverged from personally, but this is a good enough example to prove my case, I think. In a nutshell, this book isn't without flaws, nor is it foolproof. Therefore it should not be taken as tried and tested gospel in all respects.
And besides, it could easily be argued that, though he is often smooth, Mr. Stinson is not the ultimate in manly virtues. After all, the need to lie to women to get them into bed doesn’t fit the true model of a man’s man, though it is true that guys have been telling it false for years just to get their freak on. Just goes to show that art imitates life, as sad as that might be.
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| I'd totally watch that movie. You'd never believe that it could be predictable after that moment of revelation. You'd be waiting to see if the killer would wait and jump out from under the bed at 4:20 AM instead, or if paperclips were really his one weakness. / Source:WeHeartIt.com |
What I learned, if anything:
Besides the obvious, i.e.: the tenets of the "Bro Code," I can't say as I really learned a great deal that was fundamentally new to me personally. There were some postulates put forth that I can honestly say I hadn't thought of before, but I can't recall any right off the top of my head to provide the reader at this time. Suffice it to say that the book is full of good advice for the western man, as long as you don't take it too seriously.
Recommendation:
I'd recommend it as a light read. And counter to one of the book's recommendations, I'd also recommend women read it if they are the least bit curious on the subject. Not that you ladies can take it as a road map to a man, but that you instead might better understand some of the things men think about. There was nothing in there that doesn’t cross a man’s mind, at least from time to time, and therefore it is worthwhile, despite it’s flaws.
I'd say The Bro Code was an interesting exploration into the social psyche of men. To sum up, The Bro Code is full of humor regarding the masculine condition and is not a long read. Those are two things that make any book worth reading, in my opinion. Just don’t take it completely at face value.
Learn more about The Bro Code, by Barney Stinson, on Amazon.com
I promise to go do some homework or something now. I really do have more of a life than this blog, I promise. Really. I'm not just a pathetic and deranged two finger typist (world's fastest two finger typist, an old boss of mine used to quip) who has no friends and so sits alone on dark nights and laments the downfall of western society on his computer. No, there is a whole other side to me than just that.
The parting comment:
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| Source: LolSnaps.com |
One point for honesty, negative 100 points for pure lying evilness. Your kharma is poor, Jack. You'll come back as a bus bench outside a rendering plant, if you're lucky.
It may be bros before hoes but then it becomes Wifey before Bros.
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