Dude You Re A Fag Summary

The ethnography, Dude You’re a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality In High School, written by C.J. Pascoe observes the roles of gender and sexuality in high school. Pascoe’s main goal was to study the interaction between sexes and how males constantly feel the need to be superior to females; she figured there was no place better to study these topics than at your average high school. In her 18-month study at a high school in California called River High, Pascoe examined masculinity and how it is constantly stressed and protected by young men. Throughout the ethnography it is clear that heterosexuality is stressed in a high school environment. The idea of male dominance in Pascoe’s work is not only presented through the behavior of the students, but also through the language and dialogue.

The author approaches her topic of study in a creative way. The author has the ability to take the information given to her and make it have greater meaning.

Pascoe gives larger importance to the things that are presented right before her eyes. Pascoe’s writing is also very interesting and relatable. Being a high school student just last year, it was inevitable that I was going to compare what my high school was like to the one that Pascoe was studying. The author does a fantastic job in paying close attention to specific details throughout the every day life of a high school student. By incorporating actual dialogue from students and behaviors that they engaged in, as well as behaviors the staff of the school has engaged in, the audience is able to feel as though they were along side the author while she was doing her research.
A main part of Pascoe’s observations consisted of the language the students used. Pascoe came up with the idea of a “fag discourse,” which not only applied to homosexuals, but also to males who were heterosexual but just not manly enough to some of the young males. In this society, the word “fag” does not only apply to homosexuals, instead it is just used to insult a person who did something less masculine. I think it is interesting that before I read the ethnography and really thought about how the males were treating each other, everyone had just focused on the females as being the ones who were vicious and horrible to one another in high schools. After Dude You’re a Fag and analyzing Pascoe’s observations of the males in River High, my views on the situation have altered. I have realized that the men are also brutal, if not worse than females, to each other and to young women.
In order for Pascoe to be successful and for her work to be accurate, she had to make sure that she fully immersed herself in the high school life.

In the appendix of the ethnography, Pascoe tells her readers essentially what kind of person she is and how she collected her data throughout her studies. In the appendix, she identifies what her own experienced were like while at the school. Although at times it was probably hard for her, Pascoe had to no choice but to also deal with the students just like if she were another student or teacher. Even though it was important for the author to stay gender neutral throughout the entire time she was observing the school, there were times when this was exceptionally difficult for her. In this section of the writing, the author identifies a time in her research when she personally felt intimidated and invaded by one of the boys and how she dealt with the situation. It is interesting to see that even Pascoe fell victim to one of the young males during her 18-month period at the

school.
Pascoe’s devotion to her work for 18-months was certainly worth the long hours. She did an extraordinary job submerging herself in the high school environment. If I were able to speak to C.J. Pascoe I would ask what she would do if she were an actual female student at River High. I would ask her what kind of person she would be, or what group she would be apart of after seeing just how brutal the males are to each other and to women. Would she try and make a change in how society is functioning?