The Guy Code

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The guy code is an emotional crippling philosophy that is targeting the young men of today's society in order to change them to fit an ideal model of what a man is. The philosophy targets young boys in the hopes of making them into a man that are emotionless, unless it's to get revenge on anyone who does him any type of harm. He is taught as a young man that anger is a noble emotion and the only one he can show because as a man he supposed to a rock to the world around him in the sense of not letting the pressure of the world get to him. Boys are also taught these things through the toys and commercials on how a man should truly act. Michael Kimmel’s “Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code” and Robert Watson’s “Hey, Toys ‘R’ Us, Stop Thrusting Gender …show more content…

Men are thought to ignore the pain and pressure as well as never ask for help. A young boy learns what it takes to be a man from the male figures in their life: Fathers, brothers, coaches, and teachers. “The response was consistent: Guys hear the voices of the men in their lives-- fathers, coaches, brothers, grandfathers, uncles, priests -- to inform their ideas of masculinity”(Kimmel). These young boys agree to conform to the guy code because humiliation and judgment of other men force them to act a certain way. These young boys then become men who are more likely to be depressed, have suicidal thoughts/actions, and suffer from physical, psychological, and emotional abuse because of society’s strict gender roles placed on them. Watson supports Kimmel’s argument on the male gender roles by showing how young children are having ideas of what a man should be forced down on them. The same thing is said for girls, companies sell specific types of toys to both boys and girls. “I got the message then and there. If you are a girl, your aspirations should be to play at elegance, nurture a baby doll, and practice cooking and cleaning. If you are a boy, you are to aspire to a persona of power. You are to build physically, train and excel”(Watson). Girls were told that essentially they should be housewives, just cook and clean and take care of however many children that she and husband decides to have while the boys are told that have to be strong not only physically, but mentally as well, that they have to be the breadwinner of the house and support his

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