'OLD YELLER': A BASIC SENSITIVITY TRAINING FILM FOR GUYS-WE REALLY NEED IT

‘Old Yeller’ is a timeless classic. It is also one of the best ways for guys to connect with their feelings and become emotional adults. Most guys are emotionally challenged by female standards.

In short, we just don’t get it and probably never will. We are controlled by basic instincts, whether that means a need for a cheeseburger or a happy ending to a drunken night on the town. A happy ending that includes female companionship.

We rarely try to figure things out on an emotional level. Unless that emotion is a heart-breaking loss in a playoff football game and the train-wreck of despair that follows these events. But the aftermath of these events is simply an examination of the game as it played out for us.

That is why we need to watch ‘Old Yeller’- probably several times.

Old Yeller has all of the elements that women want to see in men. Bonds of deep affection and unconditional loyalty run throughout the entire movie.

Old Yeller is the perfect male ideal for women, and the bonus is that guys like the mutt at least as well as women.

So the lesson that the big furry lug has to offer is fairly basic: Be true to the people around you and be willing to have their backs when the trouble starts. Old Yeller knew the game and he was willing to get very involved when necessary.

Oprah will never be able to deliver this message to guys, but Old Yeller airmailed it. Here is one of the greatest wingmen in the history of wingmen and he has floppy ears and a tail. He should have lived forever, but Uncle Walt Disney chose a different path for Old Yeller. He was destined to be a sacrificial lamb and subsequent role model for future generations of guys.

The ending involved some hard choices because a rabid Old Yeller was a dangerous dog, so he had to die. It was the last act of kindness available to his young human friend for the dog. He had to cap Old Yeller and it was a heartbreaking end to the movie.

The tragic ending provided a perfect moment where it is okay for a guy to be emotional. It is great training for guys to be the sensitive creature that women seek in relationships. The beauty of ‘Old Yeller’ is that it is a rare example of a movie where guys can be emotional without consequences. Plus it is a rare example because, in reality, women are not fond of guys who are overly sensitive to everything.

Neither sex is hard-wired to accept that concept.

COMMENTS

BILLI:"agreed. This is the one time men can openly say they have all cried without shame, because as long as they are in a group, its acceptable."

ROB:I watched this as a 5 or 6 yr old and cried my eyes out. There is no way I could watch it again. It was on about a year ago, my son and daughter watched it, and they laughed at me when I refused to. I think they now understand why!