Dave Barry’s essay Guys vs. Men is a humorous essay that intertwines both satire and wittiness. He claims that there are two ways of looking at males; as men and as guys. He defines men as the masculine characteristics attributed to males. Whereas he goes on to describe the certain characteristics, that are not necessarily ‘masculine’, which guys portray. These characteristics are divided into three categories (1) Guys Like Neat Stuff, (2) Guys Like a Really Pointless Challenge, and (3) Guys Do Not Have a Rigid and Well-Defined Moral Code. It is theses three categories that serve as Barry’s subclaims in his essay. The three most common rhetorical strategies used throughout the essay include; descriptions, figurative language, along with cause…
“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…
In “Bros Before Hos”: The Guy Code, Michael Kimmel discusses the ways that today’s society expects guys (males between the ages of 16 and 26) to behave. He spends a lot of time on “Guy Code,” a list of values that all men are supposed to have that have been summarized by Robert Brannon, a social psychologist of the 1970s. The first rule is “No Sissy Stuff,” meaning that guys shouldn’t show their feelings, and if they do it is considered a sign of weakness. The second is “Be a Big Wheel,” an idea that masculinity is measured by wealth and power. The third, “Be a Sturdy Oak,” says that guys should be reliable in times of crisis. And the last, “Give ‘em Hell,” implies that men should always take risks and show aggression.…
In chapter 1 of “Dude You’re A Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School,” the author mentions that “one of the ways a queer theory approach can bring studies of masculinity in line with other feminist theorizing is to uncouple the male body from definitions of masculinity.” What he means by “uncouple the male body from definitions of masculinity” is that the word male is normally associated with masculinity and in order to fully understand these theories we must stop genderizing the word masculinity. Instead, we must see masculinity as an organizing principle of social life (Pascue). It is important to decu…
“What I’ve been saying (and believing without realizing it) is that male value ultimately depends on reducing women to physical symbols of masculine superiority,” (Godsey 121). He makes continual references to the suffering that women have endured for decades, due to mans’ pleasures, and then abruptly returns to the society today. This exemplifies Godsey’s own personal confusion referencing his self- stability, causing doubt as to his credibility on the matter he chose to discuss, and his persona in general (ethos). As Godsey furthers to rant and rave about the mistreatment of men and the standards of masculinity that men must live to today, he completes each idea with attacks similar to “It’s like I’m a woman. My self-esteem frequently depends on how I see my body,” (Godsey 117). By making such obnoxious accusations, Godsey’s effectiveness plummets. He argues for the sake of women and their mistreatment by society, and then whips around and makes the worst of stereotypical announcements and on the behalf of women.…
To begin, if a man is not the big and strong, he is seen as weak, possibly “gay”. As in chapter four of Guyland, written by Michael Kimmel, guys can be ridiculed and harassed if they do not fit the norm of what a man is. In high school, it is a vital time for boys to show their masculinity. Kimmel gives many examples of the smaller, smart, socially awkward boys being mocked and made fun of. In return, many of these boys become suicidal or vengeful. As Katz quotes, over 85 percent of murders are committed by men and almost all school shootings are. Guys are taught to be the violent, intimidating and the dominate sort. Therefore, they are taught to get even.…
Kimmel explains that “homophobia—the fear that people might misperceive you as gay—is the animating fear of American guys’ masculinity.” (50) These young boys obsess over coming across as a “man’s man” and fear that failure to conform will lead them to lose their friends and become ostracized. These young men are forced to suppress their emotions and wear a “mask of masculinity” to disguise their feelings (53). Masculinity is something that these young men need to prove on a daily basis, and frequently, they take enormous risks to demonstrate their manliness. They engage in binge drinking, hazing, hazardous driving, and hang out in dangerous places. “Safety is emasculating,” and the pressures to engage in these dangerous behaviors are becoming higher and higher (51).…
Masculinity has many different definitions depending on culture. An article by Glenn Penny stated, “the term masculine often turns out to be a rather empty fluid adjective- devoid of moral or emotional meaning” (Penny, 222). Masculinity is viewed in a sexual manner in western United States culture, as well as the soldiers going to fight at war was a sign of masculinity.…
Exploring the construction of hegemonic masculinity, we go through a contradicting state of the definition of manhood. Although contradictions appear, it is socially adapted and able to reside without conflict. Take manhood as this, “We think of manhood as a transcendent tangible property that each man must manifest in the world” (Kimmel, 1994). Meaning that manhood is merely an idea which is drilled into a man’s head by society, “Gender, we said, was an achieved status” (West and Zimmerman, 2015) in other terms, manhood is a socially agreed upon idealization of how men should act or who they should be. In West and Zimmerman’s “Doing Gender”, Hegemonic masculinity is accomplished by the unavoidable categories of sex and gender and ways we act upon them; collaborating together in a socially constructed standard of how to be.…
Masculinity is defined as the attributes most commonly associated with men. The perception of men’s masculinity had been such an integral part of Roman society that it was insulting to be considered not masculine and therefore not a man. Society valued masculinity so much that in order for boys to become Roman citizens they had to learn to never be submissive. As such, masculinity was often a prerequisite for citizen status and privilege. Masculinity and sex were so interconnected in the values and ideals of ancient Roman society that being masculine was the most important part of a man’s sexual relationships.…
The American culture embraces masculinity through many aspects of their everyday lives. The way they conduct work in the work place, the principles of teaching young adolescents in school, and the largest factor, the mass medias pervasive involvement. Masculinity is defined by physical capability, financial independence, authoritarian values, and male dominance. These qualities are not completely supported by all men, but a large amount of society do embody these masculine ideals and notions. These notions do not embody the homosexual male community; they have an entirely different perception on what notions capture the essence of masculinity in the U.S society. In the institution of family, a masculine man is the bread winner, the engineer of a home, a strong provider, and a father. In the current U.S society, some of these standards have drastically changed. Many men are no longer the financial provider, but are “househusbands”, a new terminology being used to describe a husband who is a stay at home father while the wife works.…
Financial success and sexual prowess determines man masculinity. Society views men that has a lot of money, can provide for his family successfully, and has a lot of sex partners as masculine. If a man lacks these particular factors, he would think his masculinity is being threatened. The ideal man is represented through television, where African American men are portrayed to be tough, strong and a “player” and athletes such as Wilt Chamberlain who is looked at as masculine all because he has money and more importantly, he slept with almost 20,000 different women. Therefore, the young men and women who watches television and…
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.…
True women and real men are only the image that children have been brought up to become as they grow. Little boys aren’t always hardwired to like only dinosaurs and trains. This is just the same as how girls don’t necessarily choose to play with dolls. Even colors such as blue and pink are made to be associated for specific genders at an early age. The concept is just a grouping of stereotypical male and female characteristics that don’t necessarily always apply to individuals in either gender. Examples include such statements as that men must not show emotion and that men believe the most important thing is sex. Masculinity is also thought to be displayed by a man who is able to provide for his family by holding a job and excelling at a profession. However, a hate of having to commit and to always act tough in all situations isn‘t in all male genes. Sometimes men in many cases actually greatly value a woman’s loyalty. A female can be independent and successful without a husband or any other men in her life. They take up jobs and strive…
I personally agree with Michael Kimmel claim. We as men let the guy code control every aspect of our life. The subject Being a Man Among Men show us how the guy code are being imprinted in young boys life. In that process young boys are being verbal abuse for not following the guy code. Now the process of becoming a men is cruel and dangerous. Michael stated that men are more likely to have mental problems than girls.…