to get back on topic...
here is a bag i bought at felix in palermo soho
(felixba.com.ar)
I reallly really love it... and it's very practical because it can be either carried as a messenger or a briefcase. which is great when your shoulders or arm gives out. the quality is so nice with this like as if it was made in europe. However, it was very reasonable by US standards (albeit very expensive for Argentina)
I def think it's true that some men don't need to carry such things, such as in cities like LA where you just drive everywhere. For me, in either Boston or Buenos Aires, I have to use one to carry all of my books, snacks, etc around.