Tough Guise 2 Essay

Individual & Society – Film Assignment: “Tough Guise 2” 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. What does the term “tough guise” mean? It refers to the front that mainly youth boys put up to make them a real man. In the film, Katz asked young men what it meant to be male and these men responded with things like strong, independent, powerful, in control, tough, athletic, and a stud. For those who don’t conform, they would be called wimp, pussy, queer, bitch, emotional, and fag. There were given a lot of pressure to become the role of a man; especially colored men. Men see violent masculinity as the cultural norm crucially due to media. There’s a growing connection in society between being a man and being violent (Jackson Katz, 2013). Family, media, school, and peers are agents of socialization that are teaching boys how to be men. Due to the media, we see films such as “A History of Violence”, “The Tree of Life”, “Gran Torino”, “Shark Tale”, and “How to Train Your Dragon” showing what they believe is masculinity. The films “A History of Violence” and “Gran Torino” have