Defining Masculinity Essay
Drew DeSalvo
VWMS
AP Lang
13 February 2015
Defining Masculinity Essay When “books for men” is typed into Google, one of the first resources that appear is called “Cool Books for Tough Guys.” The negative stereotypes about women tend to be well known and popular, the scandalous clothing and inappropriate behavior, but people do not usually consider associating the male gender with “toughness” as a negative correlation. For males that prefer literature and art to football and guns, the stereotype that to be “manly” you must enjoy sports and violent activities is extremely negative. “Even the expression ‘Be a man!’ strikes me as insulting and abusive. It means: Be stupid, be unfeeling, obedient, soldierly and stop thinking” (Theroux 568). Professional football players are typically thought to be “manly,” and these NFL players have been extremely present in the media recently, not in a positive manner. In February of 2014, Ray Rice was arrested for a “minor physical altercation.” Soon after his arrest, a video was leaked of Rice dragging his unconscious, then-fiancé out of an elevator. He punched her in the face and knocked her unconscious. This just solidifies the now negative stereotype of a “manly man.” People believe that violence is a necessity for a “tough man.” David Brooks says in his article Mind Over Muscle that “once upon a time, it was a man’s world… But then came along the information age. In the information age, education is the gateway to success. And that means this is turning into a woman’s world, because women are better students than men” (Brooks 577). Women are now known as more advanced academically and all around better students. A writer for the New Yrok Times stated that the “department of Education statistics show that men, whatever their race or socioeconomic group, are less likely than women to get bachelor's degrees — and among those who do, fewer complete their degrees in four or five years. Men also get worse grades than women”
VWMS
AP Lang
13 February 2015
Defining Masculinity Essay When “books for men” is typed into Google, one of the first resources that appear is called “Cool Books for Tough Guys.” The negative stereotypes about women tend to be well known and popular, the scandalous clothing and inappropriate behavior, but people do not usually consider associating the male gender with “toughness” as a negative correlation. For males that prefer literature and art to football and guns, the stereotype that to be “manly” you must enjoy sports and violent activities is extremely negative. “Even the expression ‘Be a man!’ strikes me as insulting and abusive. It means: Be stupid, be unfeeling, obedient, soldierly and stop thinking” (Theroux 568). Professional football players are typically thought to be “manly,” and these NFL players have been extremely present in the media recently, not in a positive manner. In February of 2014, Ray Rice was arrested for a “minor physical altercation.” Soon after his arrest, a video was leaked of Rice dragging his unconscious, then-fiancé out of an elevator. He punched her in the face and knocked her unconscious. This just solidifies the now negative stereotype of a “manly man.” People believe that violence is a necessity for a “tough man.” David Brooks says in his article Mind Over Muscle that “once upon a time, it was a man’s world… But then came along the information age. In the information age, education is the gateway to success. And that means this is turning into a woman’s world, because women are better students than men” (Brooks 577). Women are now known as more advanced academically and all around better students. A writer for the New Yrok Times stated that the “department of Education statistics show that men, whatever their race or socioeconomic group, are less likely than women to get bachelor's degrees — and among those who do, fewer complete their degrees in four or five years. Men also get worse grades than women”