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How is masculinity socially constructed
How is masculinity socially constructed
Violence in media effects society
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Tough Guise 2 was an extremely interesting movie that discussed male violence and the American culture. I was overly intrigued by how this movie would play out. I went into it thinking they probably would have just blamed violent video games and movies or TV shows, but this was so much more than that. Tough Guise 2 began by illustrating the issues of de-gendering in news stories, articles and headlines regarding violent crimes. This would include stating “The shooter” or using some other generic phrase to describe the person who was the main cause of these crimes when, in fact, men are the leading cause of most of these crimes. De-gendering brings the issue away from just one gender and instead places it as a crime of a specific group, usually of age or race. The fact that we are constantly glossing over that most violent crimes are played out by men is probably one of the most important things touched on in this video. This also leads into the fact that people interpret male violence and aggression as natural. They’ll pin it as something hardwired from ‘the hunter-gatherer days’. Often times they’ll also blame it on media violence, such as graphic video games, movies and TV shows. This is something much broader than that.
Male aggression and violence is often times seen as normal and natural is because we, as a culture, encourage it,
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Tough Guise also backs the point that gender performance is a very culture heavy. The main point to tie in with the class would probably have to be that the way these men act is because of a cultural construction of gender that states that all men are supposed to be violent or aggressive. This then sweeps the main issue of cultural conditioning under the rug. All in all, Tough Guise 2 was an enlightening and interesting video. I would strongly suggest that everyone watch this film at least once because it provides such heavy insight into how we shape each other’s
As described in the film “Tough Guise 2”, the U.S. is both obsessed with and is a victim of its own culture. On one hand, movies and video games that glamorize violence and books that argue that violence. Additionally, many other films and books highlight that violence is a core aspect of male masculinity and argues that men are losing it through the empowerment of women and the loss of employment. At the same time, the United States has suffered through countless gun-related deaths and the mainstreaming of media such as Bum Fights, where actual homeless people are assaulted on camera. But due to the politicization of the issue of violence and the news media to properly explain the issue to the U.S., many people are taught that violence stems from the youth, which is only part of the broader picture. Instead of identifying and preventing the largest source of violence in the country, young white males, the focus is instead shifted toward the potential of violence of young men of color in poor urban
Question: How females and males are portrayed in the movie? Does the film reinforce stereotypes of gender or does it take an alternative turn?
Throughout millenniums, people have tried to figure out the causation for human behaviors. Michael Kimmel and Dave Barry have written pieces focusing on this subject, particularly about men. In the excerpt “‘Bros Before Hos’: The Guy Code” from Michael Kimmel’s book Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men, he wrote that men act they way they do due to other men’s judgements. In the introduction “Guys vs. Men” from Dave Barry’s humor book Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys, he wrote that guys act they way they do because of strong internal drives and lack of deep thought. Although both Kimmel and Barry have similar views on the actions of men, they have different approaches to the reasoning behind their actions: Kimmel believes they are caused by fear of breaking societal norms, and Barry believes they are caused by guys’ internal drives.
Laura Mulvey claims that the camera is almost always masculine and that all women in these films are objectified and punished if they don’t please the male characters by obeying gender roles. Carol Clover, however, believes that there is more to Mulvey’s claim. Clover argues that the boys of the film also die, insinuating that punishment does not just fall on the women. She also argues that the camerawork and the film itself are about gender fluidity; both boys and girls can identify with any character of the film, be it the killer, a boy, or the final girl. Sexual ambiguity, especially in regards to the first-person camera work, are the focus of the films. To some extent, I believe both women’s claims. However, I believe there is more truth in Clover’s argument due to the fact that retributions are inflicted upon all characters regardless of gender. Yet, it does seem that women in horror films have a special place in terms of their sexuality and roles for the film. The women have ambiguous gender rules as evident by the final girl. Her act of fighting is considered a masculine activity. These masculine activities performed by females seem to be more acceptable in these films than if a male was actively portraying something feminine, such as cowering in fear. This gives validity to the argument that being masculine or
Physical violence is also very common behaviour in the movie. For example, the very first scene shows a violent altercation between three soldiers and a gang of local thugs. Physical violence is the fundamental way in which the whole society behaves. The men use it to show that they are “macho,” so they beat up those who are weaker than they are, especially women. For example, Vinnie, the leader of a street gang, physically and verbally harasses a young prostitute named Tralala. In the most violent, nasty, and horrible scene in the movie, Tralala is gang raped and beaten by over a hundred men in a garbage dump. Many of the men in the film are homophobic and sexually insecure, and they act out their hostility and insecurity by beating up gays. They have problems at work and go out on strike. But their strike is full of violent incidents: they get into fist fights, they blow up trucks, they beat up cops. Whenever they have a problem, they use violence to deal with it.
Violence is the way men gain control and they use this in many different areas. They are wrapped up in a vicious cycle as Johnson stated. Men fear being controlled and they assert that control by using violence to create a fear. When men feel emasculated, which they often do in relationships, things take a turn for the worse. The most interesting part of the whole thing is relationships are supposed to be a place where one another connect. They are supposed to be vulnerable to each other but yet many men are still unable to do this. This shows that the idea of being the most masculine is embedded deep inside and is almost like a disease whose symptom can become domestic violence.
...he murders. And then in the end, the lone female character breaks the gender mold she had been stuck in throughout the whole movie and gathers enough strength to defeat evil and save the loved ones she has left. The movie is a perfect example of the wide range of horror films and the emphasis on the gender roles portrayed in the movie shows just how the American public views gender; both on and off screen. In society, women are often viewed as the weaker gender; typically being thought as more sympathetic than males who are viewed as strong and powerful. Since film is such a large part of American culture, the content of the movies shown on screen generally holds true to how Americans actually perceive gender roles. Through the portrayal of Sidney Prescott as the heroine in the film, “Scream” shows the public that females are capable of being just as strong as men.
Jackson Katz is the founder of Mentors in Violence Prevention which is an education program that has been focused on military and sporting organizations in attempts to put a halt on gender violence. Other than being an educator, Katz is also an author and filmmaker. In 2013, he produced the film Tough Guise 2. In this film, Katz reviews the normalization of male jurisdiction in America. The film looks at the messages of gun violence, sexism, and bullying that are sent to men throughout their entire life. Tough Guise 2 argues the statement that male brutality is a rooted back to our cultural standards of manhood. A pivotal point of the film is that a male’s masculinity is not just handed to them, it must be earned. During the course of the film, this point is supported by examples such as gun violence, homophobic messages and mass shootings.
Growing up as a male, they will mainly hear these sayings all the time, “Be a man,” “Don’t show emotions,” “Don’t act like a girl,” “Be cool and better than others” and “Grow some balls.” There are many other things that have been said but I am pretty sure you get the point by now. Living in today 's society, in other to have that man box they have the obligation to prove their manliness. It controls and takes over their box. Especially during school, seeing all the bad males being favored for being mad, this makes the younger generation look up to them and want to be like them. Males are known to look for trouble, they don’t know why they do it, but it feels right when they do it because it 's the only way they can “earn” respect from friends and outsiders. Every male feels they deserve respect, they will try to get it no matter what, “Respect is linked to violence,” Dr. Marshal stated in the video “The Mask You Live in.” Males are aggressive, it’s like a special trait they’re known to have. IF violence I the only way they can get respect, then that’s what is indeed to happen. Males mask their feelings, and push everything out with actions. There is no need to be weak if they know can they can man up, “If I can man up, why step down from that,” said a student in the video “Mask You Live In.” Males know they can be superior, rough, the
If a man possesses the masculinity that society claims he should have, he may still experience many emotional issues within himself. After a man has been taught that domination is the key, they may develop a sense of aggression. Aggression may also follow the fact they men hold all of their feelings into to protect themselves from the schemas. Men have been seen to use violence in their past to solve their issues. In the documentary, one of the prisoners in the group session spoke about how he was in jail because all of his emotions that had been bottled up become uncontrollable in one instance. If a boy or a man does not contain the masculinity expected, he may become bullied and out-casted. The continuation of discrimination toward a boy may cause suicidal thoughts. On top of being bullied for not being a powerful man, he may still be trying to hold in his emotions to prove that he
Society influences the socioeconomic inequalities between people, which usually results in differing social and cultural norms surrounding violence. These norms might include male dominance over women, while certain cultural norms might support violence and claim it to be a reasonable method to resolve conflicts in neighborhoods. We see this shown in the film because they talk about how violence is a two step process. The first part is the thought that, ‘I have a grievance with someone’, and the second part is that the grievance justifies violence (James et al.,
“The concept of toxic masculinity as used in the social sciences indicates that traditional American and European society tends to promote a certain set of masculine behaviors that can be harmful to men, women, and society overall”. It is associated with detrimental social and psychological effects. This norms includes dominance, devaluation of women, extreme self-reliance, and suppression of emotions. We all know that the gender based violence is a systemic problem that has historically conformed to masculinity norms in the society. But according to the theory of toxic masculinity no one can claim that all men are rapist or abusers; rather it states that men have the capacity to become violent if they are pushed into a role of masculinity
Male aggression is all too common in every society, and unfortunately, 85% of all serious crimes are created by men. For the most part, men let their testosterone get the best of them, but lashing out and being destructive. According to the psychology book aggression is, “hostile or threatening verbal actions, such as challenges, threats, boasts, and physical attacks (Rathus).” This is not to say women are not aggressive, but science proves that males show more signs of aggression than females. Aggression affects males in different ways, but in the film Billy Elliot, directed by Stephen Daldry, which accurately portrays how aggression of a father almost ruins a family completely.
As everyone knows, within the human race there are males and there are females. We all figure out what our gender identity is at a young age. For boys, male toys like building blocks and trucks and sports like baseball and soccer help a boy form into what society considers to be a man. Society believes that boys should grow up to be strong, dependant and bread winning in order to be a real man. These social standards that are expected from boys, can also be explained by social roles. We are cast into social roles at the moment we are born. These social roles construct boys to be a certain way and follow the set boy code. Boy’s are taught to stay clear from emotional openness, vulnerability, and dependance. We are also taught to not let others know when we feel scared , depressed or when we are happy and in love. The most important rule altogether for boys, is to stay away from anything that people think of as being feminine. Society has made it clear that in order to be a ‘real man’, you must be a leader, successful, in control, confident, d...
It focuses on the role of cultural and societal norms, structure and messages. For instance, there are some theorists who hold that media such as video games or television contribute to escalation of this behavior by desensitizing messages of violence. On the other hand, there are some who hold that the ways in which children and women are sexualized and depicted as passive and submissive through films, advertisements or television programs might contribute to them being victims of sexual predators. There are also other theorists who believe that men are socialized to dominate, aggressive or conquer children and women leading to development of the behavior demonstrated by sexual predators (Aigner & Eher,