Masculinity Ethical Dilemmas
The unethical implications of a culture that supports hyper masculinity
“It’s just as hard to be Ken as it is to be Barbie.” Many would argue that this statement is blatantly false. They would contend that living in a male dominated world guarantee’s a women’s rattled with challenges regarding discrimination, sexism and equal rights. To invalidate women’s struggle in today’s society would be foolish and inaccurate. However, the statement above does not claim that women are not discriminated against; instead it attempts to validate the idea that men, in today’s culture, also face challenge. Challenges that may have a direct correlation to the struggles of their female counter parts. If one considers masculinity in today’s society, we currently exist in a culture that promotes the systemic internalization and blocking of all emotion in young men (Guittard 2015). We ostracize men who articulate their feelings, who use clothing as an outlet for self-expression, who cry when they’re hurt and who decide to nurture their children while their partner goes to work. We tell …show more content…
young boys to “man up” and that “big boys don’t cry”. Yet, we wonder why men grow up to discriminate against women and act out aggressively.
The current process of isolating young men emotionally is incredibly unethical. It has led to pent up frustration, anger and oftentimes violence against oneself and others. According to the Huffington Post article “The State of Masculinity in America and the One Film Every Man Must See” the dramatic rise in the past few years in bullying, rape, murder, should be warning enough that we as a society aren’t doing enough. By not questioning our societal definition of masculinity and what it means to be male, we are failing our young men and as an effect failing our women as well.
Moreover, masculinity is not the problem in and of itself.
According to Amanda Marcotte, a politics writer for Salon “Masculinity, usually associated with competition, logic, rational thinking, boldness, action and strength — is only a problem when it’s operating in excess.” When discussing masculinity it’s imperative to mention the difference between “toxic masculinity” and “masculinity”. There are indeed forms of masculinity that are not toxic. Marcotte explains, “toxic masculinity is a specific model of manhood, geared towards dominance and control. It’s a manhood that views women and LGBT people as inferior, sees sex as an act not of affection but domination, and which valorizes violence as the way to prove one’s self to the world.” (Marcotte 2016). This ideology is unethical because it continues a pattern of segregation as well as a culture of violence and aggressive that invalidates male
emotion.
Criticizing masculinity doesn’t mean pitting males against females or vice versa. The idea that masculinity is exclusive to men and femininity exclusive to women is at the very root of the problem. Both male and females carry masculine tendencies and the same is to be said for femininity. Today’s culture has deemed qualities such as; sensitivity emotional expression, receptiveness, gentleness, communication and nurturing to be feminine. And in general, these qualities are perceived as weaker than their masculine counterparts. In order to remedy the unethical implications of a hyper masculine society and put a stop to the cycle of female inferiority we must decide as a society to no longer accept narratives that bid females and males against one another. We must promote ideology that specifies men are allowed to have emotional needs and to display “feminine” qualities. By breaking down ideas like; in order to be an effective leader you must be hard and uncompromising and never gentle and compassionate we are equal the playing field between men and women. When we enforce hyper masculinity we play into a narrative that says men and women are opposites and they share no similarities and that women are below men. By allowing men and women to embrace their similarities we encourage collaboration, that may remedy much of the isolation and aggression we currently experience between the sexes.
“It’s just as hard to be Ken as it is to be Barbie.” Many would argue that this statement is blatantly false. They would contend that living in a male dominated world guarantee’s a women’s rattled with challenges regarding discrimination, sexism and equal rights. To invalidate women’s struggle in today’s society would be foolish and inaccurate. However, the statement above does not claim that women are not discriminated against; instead it attempts to validate the idea that men, in today’s culture, also face challenge. Challenges that may have a direct correlation to the struggles of their female counter parts. If one considers masculinity in today’s society, we currently exist in a culture that promotes the systemic internalization and blocking of all emotion in young men (Guittard 2015). We ostracize men who articulate their feelings, who use clothing as an outlet for self-expression, who cry when they’re hurt and who decide to nurture their children while their partner goes to work. We tell …show more content…
young boys to “man up” and that “big boys don’t cry”. Yet, we wonder why men grow up to discriminate against women and act out aggressively.
The current process of isolating young men emotionally is incredibly unethical. It has led to pent up frustration, anger and oftentimes violence against oneself and others. According to the Huffington Post article “The State of Masculinity in America and the One Film Every Man Must See” the dramatic rise in the past few years in bullying, rape, murder, should be warning enough that we as a society aren’t doing enough. By not questioning our societal definition of masculinity and what it means to be male, we are failing our young men and as an effect failing our women as well.
Moreover, masculinity is not the problem in and of itself.
According to Amanda Marcotte, a politics writer for Salon “Masculinity, usually associated with competition, logic, rational thinking, boldness, action and strength — is only a problem when it’s operating in excess.” When discussing masculinity it’s imperative to mention the difference between “toxic masculinity” and “masculinity”. There are indeed forms of masculinity that are not toxic. Marcotte explains, “toxic masculinity is a specific model of manhood, geared towards dominance and control. It’s a manhood that views women and LGBT people as inferior, sees sex as an act not of affection but domination, and which valorizes violence as the way to prove one’s self to the world.” (Marcotte 2016). This ideology is unethical because it continues a pattern of segregation as well as a culture of violence and aggressive that invalidates male
emotion.
Criticizing masculinity doesn’t mean pitting males against females or vice versa. The idea that masculinity is exclusive to men and femininity exclusive to women is at the very root of the problem. Both male and females carry masculine tendencies and the same is to be said for femininity. Today’s culture has deemed qualities such as; sensitivity emotional expression, receptiveness, gentleness, communication and nurturing to be feminine. And in general, these qualities are perceived as weaker than their masculine counterparts. In order to remedy the unethical implications of a hyper masculine society and put a stop to the cycle of female inferiority we must decide as a society to no longer accept narratives that bid females and males against one another. We must promote ideology that specifies men are allowed to have emotional needs and to display “feminine” qualities. By breaking down ideas like; in order to be an effective leader you must be hard and uncompromising and never gentle and compassionate we are equal the playing field between men and women. When we enforce hyper masculinity we play into a narrative that says men and women are opposites and they share no similarities and that women are below men. By allowing men and women to embrace their similarities we encourage collaboration, that may remedy much of the isolation and aggression we currently experience between the sexes.