“Boys will be boys,” a commonplace phrase that constitutes a diffusion of responsibility away from the male perpetrators of aggressive attitudes and behaviors, supports a dangerous rhetoric that a young male transitioning into adulthood will perform acts of aggression, display a detached and uncaring disposition, and develop attitudes of intense homophobia and sexism as part of a biological norm of that stage of adolescence, a stage of life comprising a larger and larger part of young man’s life, ages 16-29. Kimmel challenges this rhetoric, arguing that there is an underlying culture of entitlement (as the gaining of equality by other groups such as women and minorities are perceived as a threat to privileges that the white man “deserves,” a zero-sum game of status) that is supported by a culture of silence (of refusing to bear witness to other men’s transgressions, which is perceived as support) and a culture of protection (in which communities shield “their” guys from the harsh implications and accountability) which allows these behaviors and attitudes to persist. Kimmel argues that…
The article written by Michael Messner explores what are some true contributing factors that prepare a young boy in male-hood leading up to masculinity. He analyzes how creating the male masculine identity for a young boy can be a result of participating in organized sports. He conducted his research starting out with interviewing 30 male athletes who mostly played baseball, basketball, football, and track. Each interviewee was retired and had at least been an athlete for 5 years.…
Children tend to adopt their gender identity in their early life and develop preferences on how each gender should play their role. These media messages given out to such young children play such a powerful role in shaping gender norms. Our media these days stresses on girls of today’s society on how to depend on a man and for boys to be strong tough…
In the article “Boys Will Be Boys”, Barbara Kantrowitz and Claudia Kalb, the authors introduced boys are different from girls by a story at the start, and then describe that boys and girls really come from two completely different “planets”, and give some statistics to back this up. Boys and girls have two different “crisis points”, which are stages of emotional and social development, where things can go seriously wrong. Kantrowitz and Kalb both think that boys aren’t get enough attention as girls and boys should needed more help because they are the ones who are more likely to have discipline problems at school and more likely to commit violent crimes and end up in jail. The following, Kantrowitz and Kalb use many interesting stories and statistics, to help the reader understand the difference between boys and girls, like embryonic stage and infants. Later on in the article, another big difference that is pointed out by the authors is that boys and girls develop physically and intellectually at a very different rates. The authors think that parent is vital in the boys growing up. Because parents can do many things to teach their children like call a family meeting, specifically with boys. In the last of the article, Kantrowitz and Kalb wish the parents of boys should go with the flow, and get the conclusion “Boys will be boys. And we have to let them”.…
What makes a real man? A very traditional idea of it is that men are strong, be responsible the protectors, the providers and aggressive. In our society, we always hear people says men must fight for their lovers and nation, men should take care of the family, and man should living for competition. In the essay "Giving up the gun" by Andre Dubus and "How to tell a true war story" by O'Brien, authors indicate that manhood must be earned through moral character, Patriotism and hard work..…
Manhood in western societies is pre-programmed, pre-packaged and forced-fed to boys from birth to adulthood. Historically the puriest example of a real man was the military standard. Military manliness dictates that a man must be strong, both physically and mentally, a man must be unfeeling and must be loyal to their fellow commrades. Men must show a certain level of respect for women but never acknowledge them as equal.…
Being an adolescent in the body of a male is very difficult as Rebecca Walker described in her essay, “Putting Down the Gun”, as her son struggles to “fit in” in his middle school. She says “...I would have to devote to ensuring that my son’s true self would not be entirely snuffed out by the cultural imperative”. In society, many are consumed by its expectations and what it wants them to think. As a mother, Walker has to ensure her son does not change who he is for the…
Masculinity and the ideals of manhood are not universal; place and time are factors of masculinity and hegemonic masculinity is no different. According to R.W Connell hegemonic masculinity is the one form of masculinity in society that has the most authority and influence on boys and men of that society. This form of masculinity sits at the top of the masculinity hierarchy and as a result those who attempt conform to hegemonic masculinity not only gain an advantage and privilege over other forms manhood but also over both genders (Connell, 171). However, because hegemonic masculinity is an unattainable ideal, men often go to extremes to confirm their masculinity to themselves and other men in their lives. Using the articles "’Talk About Strenuous…
Societies beliefs and expectations about what behaviors are appropriate for males and females have a lot to do with their maturation stages. Boys are socialized toward achievement in the world of accomplishment. Physically mature boys appear to be more competent achievers and better able to meet society’s expectations for males. Late-maturing boys may appear useless in this affection, and this could be hostile to their self-esteem. Boys are also socially or culturally influenced to be like kids. For example, how men are always asked how many women have they been with or how many girlfriends have they had, unlike girls who are expected to be perfect and pure. Girls, on the other hand, have difficult early maturation because girls go through…
I had read an essay titled “Act Like A Girl” by Dominique Freeman. The essay explores the issue of gender roles in our society and families. Freeman tells her readers of events in her life when her mother would force ideas of what a girl should look like and act like upon her. Freeman considered herself a total tomboy, which is the opposite of what her mother wanted her daughter to be. I know of many cases when women are not being accepted as who they really are because they do not fit into the stereotype of a “woman.” I had the idea of getting a male’s perspective of the issue. I wanted to interview a male who has experienced similar experiences with not being accepted because he was not the stereotypical “man.”…
No matter what, we are almost always talking about violence masculinity in America. Whether we are talking about the horrifying, high-profile mass shooting we have seen over recent decades, the far greater rates of murder and gun violence we see on a day – to – day basis that barely register in the national news, or the epidemic of sexual violence and domestic violence, the vast majority of this violence is committed by men, young men, and boys (Jackson Katz, 2013). Throughout this essay the topics covered will be how culture defines masculinity, according to the film, violent masculinity as a cultural norm, agents of socialization that teach boys how to be men, the cool pose and the pressure to conform, the ‘ratcheting up’ of what it takes to be a real man, and effects on males’ understanding of their masculinity, as well as the short and long-term effects on the lives of men and women, and on society.…
Men and women in our culture are constantly forced to act a certain way. Humanity takes joy in dictating how each gender should behave. In Jock Culture by Robert Lipstye and Strong Enough by Wendy Shanker, we learn countless pressures and insecurities both women and men face in today’s society. The tension placed on both men and women to meet a certain standard often lead to catastrophic outcomes. Unfortunately, both men and women constantly feel the pressure of fitting into society’s norms, and fitting into these norms comes with many consequences.…
Through watching this short documentary I have learned and acknowledged how we are so easily influenced and shaped through a variety of things: family, community and media. Numerous kids around the world learn at an early age to put on a so called "front" or "guise" to show only the certain parts and qualities that a tough guy possesses. At the beginning there was a clip where young boys defined being manly as: being tough, powerful, athletic, muscular, and stud. If you did not fit into this category then the names that you were associated with were: wimp, fag, and sissy. The family and community have a huge part in shaping kids this way, but the biggest influence in the media/ television. For example, kids view Latinos or Mexicans as boxers and Asians as martial artists or even as criminals. This gives them an image of male dominance, power, and also control.…
Parents dress the girls in pink and the boys in blue. Once children are cognitively capable, they themselves begin to contribute to the conformities of gender identity. Every parent hopes and prays that they will have a “normal” child, one that fits into today’s societal standards. This is why there are so many issues and complications that arise when an adolescent begins to push the boundaries of gender identity. There are invisible borders of what is and isn’t accepted by the general public. Gender determines how you dress, how you look, and how you act. However the most disturbing of gender determination is the fact that it controls how you feel, whether you are sensitive and emotional like a girl or tough and aggressive like a boy, you’re feelings are constantly being judged on a scale of appropriateness. Gender conformity is everyday behavior that conforms to norms and expectations that are related to a gender. Gender nonconformity is behaviour that is considered unusual and abnormal for a gender.…
Growing up in our society and transforming into various norms, values and beliefs, is revolutionary amongst young men and ladies, and today I will specifically focus on young men. My little brother is 12 years old, he is already expected to “act like a man” or “man up”, and He will be told to show no weakness. This kind of advice will hinder my brother from becoming a “true man”. According to tough guys 2 by Jackson, Katz 86% of armed robberies are committed by men, 77% of aggravated assaults are committed by men, 87% of stalkers are men, 86% of domestic violence incidents resulting in physical injury are perpetrated by men, 99% of rapes are committed by men, Men commit approximately 90% of murder, and over the past 30 years, 61 of the last 62 mass…