Many different people have very different perceptions on what it is to be a man. Since history began, different cultures have had different perspective on how to be a man and what a man is. The definition of a man had varied from ability, performance, and behavior. Some see manliness as acting foolish and overbearing. Others see being a man, as being a strong and courageous individual. This second version of being a man is the one all men should seek to be, but is not the most widely accepted version of manhood. The common stereotype of being a man can have a lot of consequences on society and men themselves.
A good portion of Americans have a more negative perception on the definition of manhood. Many Americans see being a man as always being unemotional, always picking a fight, and always having to be on top. Theroux describes in his essay that any study could find that the process of being a man is right-winged, cowardly, and neurotic (224). Many parents try to adapt their young boys to this American perspective. Many parents will force a lot of competitive sports and a lot of other methods just to satisfy this stereotype. Theroux describes his very own experience as a child. When he was a teenager, he was pushed and urged to take up a sports, play outside more often, join the Scouts, and even urged to read less. This shows the urge parents had to raise their boys to fit the stereotypical perspective of a man. Parents even went to the length to send their boys to boys camp, if they asked too many questions about their sex or became a little “abnormal” to them. Theroux talks about the difference in the way young boys and girls are raised. “In a sense, little girls are traditionally urged to please adults with a kind of coque...
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...l change for the better or worse. However, the current beliefs that being a man means to be overbearing and ignorant prevail. The only way to determine that that changes, is to try and take a different role as a man. Violence against women and other groups will continue as long as men try to fit into the stereotype. Men themselves must take the first step in breaking the stereotype, when this happens, the possibilities will be endless.
Works Cited
Theroux, Paul. “Being a Man” “The Norton Reader” New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2008. 223-225. Print.
Ulbrich, David J. "The Image of Man: The Creation of Modern Masculinity. Journal of Men’s
Studies, 1997. Web. 3 Jun. 2010.
Oystein G Holter. "Proving Manhood: Reflections on Men and Sexism. Contemporary
Sociology, 1998. Web. 3 Jun. 2010.
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