Robert Jensen The High Cost Of Manliness Summary

What is masculinity? This question is one that has stood the test of time when it comes to how modern society functions. Highly esteemed journalist, Robert Jensen, has done extensive research and has written countless articles on the functions a man has in society. In his article The High Cost of Manliness he discusses how “masculinity must prevail for a man to be a ‘real man’.” He goes on to make points about how being masculine is destructive towards modern society, family life, and ultimately women.

However is masculinity a male only trait? It is safe to say that the answer to this question is no. The idea that Jensen presents of male “tendencies toward competition, domination, and violence” could not be more far from the truth. There are plenty of instances in which a female could hold the exact aggressive, “king of the hill” mentality that Jensen corners the male sex into. Masculinity is not just a male or female trait, it is a human trait one that is not confined by gender or age, past or present. Jensen seems to be hung up on the idea that because you are masculine you are a factor is sexism, and how men interact

with other men.
The idea of sexism is a relevant hot button issue in modern society. Jensen seems to be under the influence that just because you’re a male and have a general masculine personality that you are a factor of sexism. Jensen says that “it leads men to seek to control “their” women and define their own pleasure in that control, which leads to epidemic levels of rape and battery.” So not only has Jensen made an outlandish generalization that all masculine men are contributing to an “epidemic” of “rape and battery. This not only is untrue but also it is slanderous to a man. To be truly masculine you need to have a general care for women. A real man is honest and holds no desire to harm a woman in any way shape or form. True men know how a woman should be treated and treat her that way. Also because masculinity is not only a male trait but a human one by Jensen’s definition men should be getting sexually assaulted just as much as women. What’s to say that a masculine female doesn’t have the desire to “seek to control “their” men and define their own pleasure in that control?” The standard of Jensen’s misunderstanding of masculinity and sexism has lead him to a false conclusion of how masculinity is perceived in today’s society.
In addition Jensen has strong opinions on how men view and treat other men.

Jensen’s view seems to stem from the primal dog-eat-dog mentality. Although this may be true in some rare cases in everyday life it is not. He says in the article that “men who don’t measure up are wimps, sissies, fags, girls.” While yes these words are generally thrown around they hold little to no weight to a man. These words used as jokes for the everyday male. Jensen goes on to say that “the worst insult a man can hurl at another… is the accusation that a man is like a woman.” This is undoubtedly false. Most confrontations between males begin physically, rarely to never is a fight going to break out from name calling. Generally name calling is ineffective because one men are numb to it and two a man is comfortable enough in his masculinity that words cannot phase

him.
While the basis of Jensen’s article is one that needed to be addressed, he went about it all wrong. His use of brazen generalizations of both sexes male and female made him misunderstand what masculinity is. Ultimately masculinity is a good thing. It creates division between the sexes. It allows us to be different. If every man was masculine and every woman was feminine the world would be a boring place. Diversity not only divides us but it can bring us closer together and create bonds that will last forever.