In the article The Myth of the Cowboy, Eric Hobsbawm argues that the tradition of the American cowboy has become an invented myth. All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy explores the journey of John Grady Cole and Lacey Rawlins, who leave Texas and travel to Mexico where they acquire the cowboy lifestyle. The text could fit into the same category Hobsbawm describes but it also serves as a more realistic and honest description of the cowboy experience.…
In this essay called “The High Cost of Manliness” written by Robert Jensen, a journalism professor at the University of Texas, in Austin, he tells us that “if we could get rid of the whole idea of masculinity, we have a chance to create a better world for men and women.” He states that it’s not easy to be a man in our society, especially with the demands that come with the dominant conception of masculinity, which is where men are perceived to be tough, competitive and aggressive and must show those qualities in order to prevail as a “real man.” He mentions that DNA does play a big role in a person’s behavior and that our genetic endowment is influenced by culture. The guys that don’t meet these expectations and who are caring and show compassion toward others are often called sissies, fags, or even girls. Jensen states that culture also seems to be linked to a recurring intellectual fad called “evolutionary psychology”, which creates a gender difference between men and women, and thus making it necessary to choose which gender distinctly shows more masculine characteristics than the other. For example he reminds us of the 9/11 World Trade Center tragedy when male firefighters rushed into burning buildings, risking and even sacrificing there lives to help save others, and recognizing this as a sign of strength and masculinity, who is to say that women wouldn’t have done the same if put in that same situation. Jensen explains that the reaction to rush in a burning building to help those in need by those firefighters was “simply human” and for society to automatically assign these type of human qualities to a specific gender is “misguided and demeaning to the gender that is assumed not to possess these qualities.” Yes there are obviously physical differences between men and woman such as size, and reproductive organs, but he says when you think about it, men…
Throughout the decades, human beings from a small age start learning the characteristics of a male and female. Whether it is from media, clothing and to the way one is brought up, society has similar views of what it means to be a man or a women. Men are envisioned to be strong, aggressive, successful, and someone who avoids feminine characteristics. Women are perceived to be submissive, delicate, passive, dependent, vulnerable, having the ability to care for children and at times worthless. These views of gender identity have been engraved in humanities minds due to the amount of exposure to television, advertisements and the way one is raised in their households.…
They would shoot at anyone who conveyed the wrong message to them and this was seen as “[giving] free vent to the worst passions”. In these cases Cowboys were looked upon as dangerous men who were reckless, but overtime the American Cowboy started to change his behavior. No longer hot headed, the Cowboy has ceased violence almost completely. Since the attrition of buffalo speedily decreased, cattle was now the dominant power, and this proves how the American Cowboy starts to change. Also Cowboys were not just men from Texas, the business started booming and became a woman’s job as well. These women were referred to as “ Cattle Queens”. Besides the women now being apart of this business, many men including Englishmen, Scotchmen, Frenchmen and Germans have taken part in the Cowboy lifestyle. In conclusion, having all non volatile people of all genders and descents has changed the way of the original…
Have you ever seen a typical American Western Movie? If so, I think it’s not difficult to form an image of western cowboys in your mind. Then what do they look like? A boy, wearing felt hat and riding boots with dagger and handgun on the waist, press his two legs powerful which makes the horse speed away. In a word, west cowboys are the heroes on horsebacks. Because of the lifestyle and behaviors of them, western cowboys have become a sign of liberty, bravery and adventuresome. From the old cowboys make influences on American culture gradually which can be seen from not only work of art but also their paraphernalia and ideas on values.…
Most people, though, do naturally and unconsciously “do” the gender they associate themselves with, and negative sanctions should not be imposed on those who do not follow the societal gender norms of acting and/or behaving tough and “manly” as males are socialized to do and putting on makeup and having more of a gentle tough as females are told by society to do. The men Judith Lorber saw carrying infants on the bus and subway both received approving smiles from other citizens who were also “doing” gender, but they noticed…
The main lesson Brym and Lie draw from the story of baby Bruce is that…
Biology alone determines whether a person is female or male, not culture, but cultural myths outline the roles women and men play in society. These cultural myths constitute to the lack of differentiation between sex and gender, imposing the idea of nature versus nurture. While one is born either female or male due to biology, one’s culture ultimately makes one into a woman or a man. Society has predisposed images of what it means to be feminine or masculine. These gender roles limit the individual’s potential, making humans into performers that must conform to their “appropriate” roles. Being a man should not rely on appearing dominant, aggressive, or never admitting to weaknesses, nor should a woman’s life depend on her reproductiveness…
For this purpose, Julie Zeilinger’s article on “Guys Suffer from Oppressive Gender Roles Too” discuss the limitations in male and female roles. Zellinger explains that “ In this society, adhering to the standards imposed by masculinity means never developing your true identity, never taking the opportunity to find out who you really are” (539).…
In the essay “Men - It’s In Their Nature,” Hoff Sommers states that although the “radical masculinity” should be addressed and civilized, it should not be eliminated because it is something natural and without it men would not be able to protect women and society. She argues that trying to make boys behave like girls does a disservice to boys’ natural talent. As Hoff Sommers claims, it is more of “men’s nature” and what society has to do is to civilize and handle the natural masculinity in men.…
One of the biggest problems today’s society has is change. Society fears the oncoming storm of liberal ideas as well as the ever changing mass of people who aren’t afraid to speak up about topics like “gender”, which is arguably as broad and debatable as they come. The amount of people educated in this topic, however, is not so extensive. Many people only have knowledge of what a man and woman should be based on their society’s rules. Others understand and accept that “gender only exists as a comparative quality” and choose to not divide “certain types of behaviors … as masculine or feminine” (Scantlebury). The problem of gender stereotyping and normalization has become more recognized over the…
In her essay titled “About Men”, the author ,Gretel Ehrlich, talks about the stereotype that cowboys have. She says that they are too simplistic. Most people believe that cowboys are tough and quiet men that live lonely lives. The author believes this stereotype is so not even close to what real cowboys are. Gretel sees the simplistic and popular image that cowboys posses, and even men in general, that is reduces the complex duality of their nature to just simple, lifeless, characters. The author furthermore states her point by saying that the role that cowboys have is much harder and complex then what the movies portray. Their jobs require arduous work from their body and heart, and rewards long work hours and little pay. For the author is a disservice what media does to cowboys, their simple stereotype is an insult to their job.…
Today’s television shows have made an effort to stray from the classic American family and the gender roles within it. While gender roles aren’t as evident as they use to be, that’s not to say they do not exist. The Brady Bunch is a perfect example of gender roles existing even in a non-traditional family in the 1970’s. In a more current show, Full House, we also see a non-traditional family without a mother, but after looking closer I found that gender roles are still there.…
In order to deconstruct these harmful notions of what it means to be “a real man”, however, femininity must not be seen as the other end of the pole – a source of weakness. If femininity is a negative trait, then being effeminate, or showing womanly characteristics as a male, will be seen as unmanly.…
Gender roles are expectations of how a person should act, dress, and talk based on his or her sex. A majority of people conform to these roles at an early age, and will continue to carry these beliefs, often unconsciously, around with them throughout their lives, and these beliefs can affect people negatively. The message that gender roles send is that in order to be part of society, you must fit into the predisposed mold for your gender, or most importantly, what society deems as acceptable. But at the same time, try to incorporate individuality and establish a sense of self.…