Learning and analyzing chapter 5-8 disparagingly examines roughly theoretical perspectives that attempt to explain how men become men and their masculine forms. These theories include sociobiological, psychoanalytical, cultural, anthropological, and many others. A person’s ethnic or cultural background can form a man’s definition of masculinity. I believe that the author summarized each theory where he points out the strengths and weaknesses of each. One particular quotes that stood out to me can be found on pg.114 in the text “A man defined his identity not just in the workplace but through modes of enjoyment and self-fulfillment outside the workplace outside of it” (Kilmartin). This quote is powerful to me because men is always stereotyped …show more content…
as the provider and if they are not the bread winner in the family then they are ridiculed. However I think that work does not always provide people with happiness but things outside of the work force can give you fulfillment in living a happier lifestyle. In chapter five it gave great information on men from different ethnic backgrounds and some of the hardships that they still face today. In society and the media men from all races still deal with society’s perception of how they should be, look and even work. As an African American female it breaks my heart to see men of my race killed from police brutality, incarcerated, absent from their families and even dropping out of school. To others, many would not see the correlation but I believe because of history and society’s thinking they will continue to suffer unless people change their mind set and educate themselves about the African American race and other races as well. Another topic that was interesting to me, which is covered mostly in chapter 6, was how men acquire gender strain and experiencing the fear of exhibiting feminine qualities that can turn into a phobia. Men are afraid to seem of let anyone think that they are homosexual. Many people use to have bad perceptions of homosexuals, which include them painted as mentally ill. Immoral, vulgar or dangerous are probably connected to the strong conservative Christina roots of mainstream U.S. culture. However, shunning and developing phobias against people who have these inclinations, justifies a man’s masculinity and power. It can be biological or socially learned, but we will never know for sure. Men’s behavior is subsidized to the different effects of people’s lives. In chapter 7, it talks about the inner reality: phenomenon perspectives on male development.
In this chapter it covered topics such as humanistic theory, humanistic theory and masculinity, existential theory, existentialism and musicality. It begins talking about the phenomenological psychology emphasizes the importance of the individual’s sense of self and the ability of the human beings to attract fulfillment. It then moves on to how the gender model theory is based in humanistic theory. It ends looking at the existential viewpoint, of traditional masculinity contains positive and negative influences.
In chapter 8, it titled “It never lies, and it never lies still: emotion and masculinity. This chapter explores the topics of sex and gender comparisons in emotional expression, anger,
self- disclosures, origins of restrictive emotionality, role theory, consequences of restrictive emotionality, alexithymia and consequences of these topics. The chapter talks about how emotion is the center of human experience but not including anger. Men are less expressive and self-disclosing than women. However male expressiveness can be increases as functions of more progressive gender roles. But, restrictive emotionality is strongly influenced but the expectations of social settings, the creation of nontraditional setting with alternate expectations holds a great deal of promise for improving quality of men’s emotional lives (Kilmartin,
…show more content…
176) After watching the videos over chapters 5-8, I would have to say my favorite video was "No Homo" - Masculinity, Homophobia, and Hip-Hop Culture” from chapter 6.
The video briefly discusses how the term “no homo” which was derived from hip hop culture, particularly in East Harlem slang in the early 1990’s. In the early 1990’s the slang was used my many hip hop artist and rapper such as Cam’ron, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z. These artists and many more used the meme in popular songs that soon made it a trend to say “no homo”. It also meant that straight men made a clear distinction that they are not a part of the gay community. The term was used to distance themselves from bisexual men, closet and stereotyped gay men. It was and still is one of the most popular uses meme in today’s society whether it’s in print media, social media or the urban dictionary. The use of these terms can lead to misinterpretation of imagery, purpose and meaning. I liked this video because this meme is a phrase that is used so loosely in my generation. People are always quick to say “no homo” when say a phrase that can lead someone to think that they are homosexual. There have been many criticisms over the last ten years when using this term and its context. Gay rights advocates have been openly expressive on banning and opposing the use of the term. I can remember Dr. Marc Lamont Hill (was a contributor to Fox News at the time) spoke out on his personal website against the use of the mem. People also
believe that the term is used interchangeably meaning to cover up that a man is homosexual but appear to others as straight. Many people refer to these types of men as closet men. A lot of my peers what the infamous show the Boondocks. Yes I have seen it before myself. If you are not familiar with the TV show, it is an American adult animated show that premieres on Cartoon Network late night programming block, Adult swim. This show raised an eyebrow when it aired and episode (episode 19) dedicating to the usage of the meme “no homo”. The episode portrayed a man who was supposed to be a misrepresentation of play writer and entrepreneur Tyler Perry. Who was portrayed as a closeted homosexual who used the meme (no homo). Mr. Perry definitely was upset and took action and the episode was never aired again. I can remember my reaction seeing the episode of how television has no boundaries. From the video yes there is a clear definition and history of the word but has the meaning changed over the years? As generations emerge and grow from each other, the term “no homo” will surly fade away. I believe that using the term is irrelevant to use because of the openness and comfortably of many gay people. However not everyone is comfortable with the gay society and as a result of that will continue to use the word. Over all in the chapters 5-8 discussed various topics but I choose to talk about men and homosexuality because it is definitely an issue that is publicized in the media today. I believe the more you educate yourself on the topic, the more knowledgeably people will become. Many of my friends, male and female use the word as well. Though its history lies with men, women use the term as well. In my opinions women use the term to set them apart as well letting other know that they are a heterosexual female. Many would disagree with me saying women do not use such term but the bigger picture is the word should not be used at all and it is not used as more derogatory than anything.
In Kimmel’s essay “’Bros Before Hos’: The Guy Code” he argues that the influence of society on masculinity is equal to or greater than biological influences on masculinity. In the essay, Kimmel uses various surveys and interviews to validate his argument. He points to peers, coaches, and family members as the people most likely to influence the development of a man’s masculinity. When a man has his manliness questioned, he immediately makes the decision never to say or do whatever caused him to be called a wimp, or unmanly. Kimmel’s argument is somewhat effective because the readers get firsthand accounts from the interviewees but the author does not provide any statistics to support his argument.
In the text, The High Cost of Manliness, writer Robert Jensen discusses the harmful effects of having male specific characteristics such as masculinity. It has come to his attention that men’s actions and ways of living are judged based upon the characteristic of being manly. Jenson argues that there is no valid reasoning to have characteristics associated with males. Society has created the notion that masculinity is the characteristic that defines males as males.
Manhood had not always existed; it was created through culture. Depending on the era, masculinity claimed a different meaning. But in all of its wandering definitions, it consistently contains opposition to a set of “others,” meaning racial and sexual minorities. (pp.45) One of the first definitions was the Marketplace Man, where capitalism revolved around his success in power, wealth, and status. A man devoted himself to his work and family came second. Although this is one of the first standing definitions, it still finds its spot in today’s definition, where masculinity consists of having a high paying job, an attractive young wife, and
Individuals may or may not go through a situation where they would enjoy nothing more than to yell, scream, or even fight another person for something that he or she said or did. It is challenging to hold back such intense emotions, but it is the wise thing to do in order to avoid further conflict. In Carolyn Kizer’s “Bitch”, the speaker demonstrates holding back her emotions in front of her ex-lover. It was tough for her to do so because she wanted him to understand how she felt. Overall, Kizer establishes the importance of being the better person by holding back one’s feelings in order to avoid further consequences. She illustrates this through portraying the speaker’s true emotions, revealing information of her ex-lover, and showing how the speaker carries herself on the outside.
Beloved by Toni Morrison and A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry tackle issues of masculinity. On pages 125 to 138 and 147 to 149, Morrison illustrations in Beloved how white power structures and the sexual fetishism of the black man’s body, which were established by American slavery, emasculates the black man. On pages 143 to 144 in A Raisin in the Sun, which takes place between World War II and the present, portrays a peculiar mindset of a black man, and his fight to define his masculinity within a matriarchal family structure, a product of American slavery. The language in Beloved and A Raisin in the Sun, underlines the products of the societal structures of slavery effect on black masculinity.
An article entitled “How Boys Become Men,” written by Jon Katz was originally published in January, 1993 in Glamour, a magazine for young women. This article details the process of a boy growing into a man and mainly focus on the lesson boys learn that effect their adult lives. These lessons are about how to hold back emotions and never appeared sensitive. The author includes examples of his own experiences as a boy to convey to the reader the challenges of growing into a man. Through the various stories of young boys, the author is trying to prove that the men are insensitive because they had to learn to hide their feelings during the stage of growing up with other boys. The purpose of the author is to explain the women of the world, why men appear to be emotionalist and “macho.” The author’s main idea of this article is to explain why men are insensitive and to help women understand why men sometimes seem “remote” and “uncommunicative.”
... E Glenn, and Nancy B Sherrod. The psychology of men and masculinity:Research status and future directions. New York: John Wiley and sons, 2001.
He gives little credibility to the "not all men statement, addressing that while informative on an oppositional attitude, it does not do anything to address the sometimes toxic aspect of growing up as a man. The two stories are alike in the sense that people agree men can be, and sometimes are, violent. There are certain expectations placed upon a man as he grows and strives to be masculine. However, the stories diverge on a course of action.
A raging, oncoming freight train is roaring down the tracks around a slight bend bearing towards a helpless, vulnerable damsel in distress that is tied to the railroad tracks with only seconds to spare. She only has one hope: Superman. Faced with this nearly impossible situation what does Superman do? Naturally, he jumps in front of the locomotive head-on, putting his life in danger, and stopping the train with a screeching halt just inches away from the young lady, of course. What could be more heroic or courageous than succeeding during a dangerous situation? Nothing. As Superman demonstrated, these situations present the chance for traits of masculinity to be displayed. Now, not all situations may possess the severity or extremity of the situation that Superman handled but in all situations that are somewhat perilous masculinity is often associated with the attributes brave, bold, muscular, virile, and forceful, as well as many more. Masculinity requires facing challenges head-on and defeating the dangers; no second guessing, no hesitation. Get the job done. In various short stories from Benjamin Percy’s book Refresh Refresh the male protagonist is always presented with dangerous situations to display his masculinity through his courageous actions. This is executed during multiple different situations, but is often the result of saving a female character. The male protagonist rises to the occasion when an opportunity presents itself, but often they are responsible for creating the dangerous situations. These stories seem to verify Germaine Greer’s view that she expresses in her work Masculinity that “Masculinity requires the creation of dangerous situations, actual or symbolic.” (898)
“Bartleby the Scrivener,” by Herman Melville, and “Hills Like White Elephants,” by Ernest Hemingway, both present us with the theme of expressing one’s emotions to others and expectations placed upon us by societal gender roles. Bartleby is thought of as strange man by his peers, because he shows his emotions while working in the dog-eat-dog world of Wall Street. In comparison, Jig is also shown as an emotional character, due to the fact she expresses her concern with the decision of her abortion. However, Jig must suppress her emotions in order to please her significant other, because her male counterpart is unaware of how to acknowledge her emotions. These representations show that sex does not play a role when it comes to being an emotional
The chapter I have selected talks about the book as a study of a uniquely human emotion, not the familiar emotion embarrassment, but by different events that follow the emotion. These emotions can be anywhere from being dramatic to being funny to being careless to being even sad. These emotions can follow anything that’s ordinary or everyday behavior. Most people don’t even experience this as children until they mature and gain Socialization skills and cognitive skills of a young adolescence.
In many cultures, expectations are put upon men and women. From birth, boys are expected to be masculine and girls are expected to be feminine. These expectations follow us into adulthood. Although these expectations vary widely, in the United States, more masculine characteristics are valued (Michaelson & Aaland, 1976). Leadership and assertiveness, and other masculine characteristics are valued in work environments and other areas, while more feminine traits such as excessive expression of emotion can be less valuable. However, a combination of these characteristics, or androgyny, allows people to have important leadership skills, but also have empathy and consideration for others, and the ability to address different situations appropriately. Michaelson and Aaland defined androgyny as a combination of self-assertivity and relatedness, self-assertivity being the more masculine characteristic and relatedness being the more feminine trait. It is a combination of sensitive behaviors and controlled emotions. They described masculinity as agency, or having more emotional control and independence, and femininity as communion, or being sensitive to other people. Androgynous people showed characteristics of both.
He explains that boys hide their feelings they may seem normal on the outside but on the inside they are hiding something. When they are asked if anything is wrong they say no everything is just fine. This is because ever since the boy was a child he has been taught not to express his emotions. Little boys are made to feel ashamed of their feelings. Also society places an emphasis on boys separating from their mother at an unnecessarily young age. Often the result of all this is that the boys decide to be silent. They learn to suffer quietly and retreat behind the mask. This is why the boys do not express their feelings, because they are told not to. What tells them not to is the boy code. It says the men should be stoic, stable, and independent. Boys are not to share their pain or grief openly. Also this code says the boys should be daring and do risky behaviors. The most traumatizing code is the fact that boys should not express feelings which might be mistakenly as “feminine” –dependence, warmth, and empathy. This causes boys to never act this way and hide these feelings. These are the reasons the “mask” is formed over the boy.
The expression of emotions is a natural human behavior, exhibited from birth until death. Emotions give a name to the multitude of feelings and moods that a human being will experience throughout their life. Why then, does society discourage this expression? Especially for boys, the language surrounding the expression of emotion is extremely negative: “Boys don’t cry,” “Man up,” and “Grow a pair” are just some of the phrases that have traditionally been commonplace when raising young men. Even young girls are subject to harmful opinions regarding the expression of emotions, commonly being dismissed as “melodramatic” or “overemotional.” Only recently have the academic and societal spheres begun to challenge these everyday beliefs. Certainly
Masculinity and femininity are two terms, which have been interpreted differently throughout history. Both the males and the females have responsibilities and duties but these duties differ based on one’s gender. Gender has played a prodigious role in the economy, politics, and the society. Everyone starts making interpretations of the strengths and weaknesses based on one’s gender. These interpretations are not always based on his or her ability but is usually based on his or her gender. Males tend to be judged as extremely strong and unfashionable in terms of appearance. Whereas, females are judged as expensive and very fashionable. Males and females both differ in their abilities and their enjoyments. Fashion, entertainment, and strength are three topics, which are used to define masculinity and femininity in the 21st century.