Congratulations, Television! You Are Even Worse At Masculinity Than Femininity

Click the title for a link to a great NPR article on the ineffective representation of masculinity in television. It mainly critiques a new show, How to Be a Gentleman, that premieres on CBS tonight and literally is about one man training another to be a "real man". I can't think of anything more pertinent to this class!

My Love Hate Relationship With Feminism

Today has been a tough day for me. I have a lot of anger, better explained as rage, directed to men. Before this class I was one of those people that rationalized masculinity and its oppressive nature as "boy will be boys" and "this is how men act". I am not going to go into detail of where most of this anger originated, but to provide some background from the age of 7 i promised myself I would not be "that girl". The images of women I had were very feminine, loving, and strong women but at the same time inferior. From this age I knew I would not have a man dictate how I live my life. I remember the exact day where the seed to this rage was planted and from this day on I became power hungry. I wanted control. I wanted independence. I did not want to be weak therefore I could not be feminine.

Fast forward to the present I have not done so bad for myself. The point I wanted to make is that after taking this class I have become more deeply disgusted with the system/society that has allowed these ideas of masculinity to dominate. I am now concious that instead of rebelling to this gendered image of a female I have done nothing more than attempt to be more masculine. And well we have thoroughly discussed and will continue to discuss how oppressive our American culture has constructed masculinity.

I love this class because I am learning. I love this class because I am becoming more aware. I love this class because it is relevant. I feel priveleged to say that I am receiving the type of college education that many of my peers miss out on. Then again I hate this class because the behavior that I used to excuse is now something I can no longer tolerate. I hate that I can no longer be one of the boys without being disgusted by how many of "my boys" think, speak, live! Days like this I love/hate everything that I have learned. I have a stronger drive to become an activist, but a deeper confusion of who I am or need to be.

Dr. Pepper is Not for Women

Advertising executives sit around all day trying to think of clever ways to get consumers to buy their product. Dr. Pepper TEN should be easy enough. It's Dr. Pepper! With ten calories! Luckily, in America, we love learning new ways to lose weight. Ta-dah! Easy sell, right?

It must be much more complicated than I thought. For you see, Dr. Pepper TEN is not for women. The site doesn't say why. I can only imagine that should a woman take a swig of Dr. Pepper TEN, she'll have sudden desires for motorbikes, wrestling, and beer, and that would ruin everyone's precious sensibilities of masculinity and femininity. On a lark, I'll take a guess that Dr. Pepper TEN plans on advertising itself as a MAN's drink. Since, you know, men and women are the only genders to exist in the lovely binary paradise that is commercials.

If you think that Dr. Pepper TEN can, in fact, be consumed by women, here's some ways to contact customer service.

Telephone: 1-800-696-5891

Online Customer Service Form: http://www.econsumeraffairs.com/am_bev/contactus.htm?F1=drpepper

Also, ladies? Feel free to ride motorbikes, watch wrestling, and drink beer. It's all good.

"Straight White Male" by Andrew Jackson Jihad

Alright guys, I was at a show tonight and one of the bands, Andrew Jackson Jihad, played a song that fit beautifully with a lot of what we talk about in class. I've provided a link to a youtube video of the song if you click the title of this post. The quality isn't great, so if you have a service like spotify that might be a better option. Here are the lyrics (and fyi, there are some swears in case that bothers you):

I am white and I've got everything I need.
No one clutches their purse when they're in a room alone with me
and I can drive through any neighborhood
I please at any hour and the police don't do a thing.

Chorus:
So if I see a penny on the ground,
I leave it alone or fucking flip it.
I'm a straight white male in America.
I've got all the luck I need.

I'm a guy getting paid more than a girl with a degree
and I can walk down the street at night and no one wants to rape me.
And I can get a girl pregnant and just as easily flee.
Just like my straight, white male dad did to me.

(Chorus)

I've got a pile of broken mirrors and I'm walking under ladders
and I'll spill a ton of salt because to me that doesn't matter.
'Cause my skin and my gender and my orientation
are the best things to have when you live in this nation.
I recommend it highly.

(Chorus)

Shit's gonna work out for me.
I'm a straight white male in America.
I've got all the luck I need.

As With Most Men

Click the link to watch Mark Gonzalez's spoken word piece 'As With Most Men'.

Here's a transcript for those that need it:

"As with most men it is easier for me to give hugs than to accept them

Lest the truth be known that men are nothing more than emotional sky-scrapers built with glass infrastructures spray painted the colour of steel and nick named strength

Strange isn’t it?

What walking contradictions are we called men

Men are taught to colonise at the age of 5 through gangs like cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians

At the age of 8 we are given helmets, and told to
hit each other in the head with it, bleed but do not bleed, cut but do not cry, be a man, join the military, die for your country

And if death comes to you look it in the eye and say “bring it on motherfucker I fear nothing…but intimacy”

When it comes to intimacy men quiver like fault lines,
crumble like cities

What walking contradictions are we called men.

Men sign peace accords while abusing their wives, Accept the Nobel Peace Prize while reducing health care, Pledge to rid the world of terrorism while simultaneously denying government aid to any country that defends a woman’s right to choose

During the 1970s, the US government forcibly sterilized an estimated 50% of the indigenous population of America’s mid-west, telling them the process was reversible.

Can you say ‘biological terrorism’?

And in a global war against terror maybe testosterone is the real terrorist

And if so, how many of these star spangled singing,
flag waving citizens would continue to do so if terror was not racialised. But gendered?

Would the US military turns its guns on itself
For its sex crimes throughout South East Asia, Africa and the Americas?

Would MTV be firebombed for its objectification, hypersexualisation of our womens of colour’s bodies?

Would we stop looking towards the Muslim world for misogyny and instead turns our sights to Madrid, Montreal, New York Los Angeles

And now I understand my sisters when they say “every woman has a story that’s been told a maximum of once or maybe less”

And that is why you will never hear me call a women slut, bitch or dyke. No matter what she does. Cuz I do not blame her.

I blame the men who have emotionally and physically raped her. I blame these corporations whose images tell her they hate her. And I put my arms on her shoulder and tell her how grateful I am to God that she created her.

Men take note this is how you give love this is how you receive hugs

Press flesh to flesh ‘til breasts crumple

Like emotional origami."

Are Men Finished?

Found this the other day. You can read the transcript of the debate by clicking on the link at the left (it's in a PDF format). Does anybody else have thoughts on the debate?

Allowing Teenage Boys to Love Their Friends

I found this article on the New York Times website. The article discusses the book "Deep Secrets: Boys' Friendships and the Crisis of Connection" by NYU professor Dr. Niobe Way. The article highlights boys fear for being seen as "too girly" or gay for expressing or feeling attachments to one another. The article also notes boy's lack of expression of vulnerability and how these stereotypes are reinforced in our society- it reminded me a lot of the "Dude, You're a Fag" article we read for class from "Men's Lives". Dr. Way's book is a compilation of 20 years of interviews and reminded me of a format similar to "Men Speak Out". Exciting news is that it is ALREADY being taught at three different schools and required reading for faculty at another- just one step closer to exposing and dismantling patriarchy's harsh effects on men and boys and solving the male crisis.

Hip-Hop has translators!

Just in case you always wanted to know what was really being said during a rap battle, Two guys figured out a way to do so. Funny or stereotypical? You decided.
Hip Hop Translation

Caveman Rationale

In watching the series premiere of the new sitcom, Whitney, I thought it was very interesting to come across this reference to caveman masculinity.  I always thought, after reading the Caveman Masculinity article, that this was something relatively common and very interesting, but I have never noticed it so much in popular culture until now! This man's rationale is seriously flawed, as he implies that men are inherently against monogamy. I do love how Whitney's boyfriend replies to his ignorance, though!

VIEW CLIP HERE

"If cavemen were monogamous, there would only be like six people."

The Short Man Stigma

Thought I'd post this interesting Bitch Magazine article. It discusses the gap in pay for short men when compared to that of taller and average men. It also briefly discusses the social stigma and, often, demasculization of shorter men.

The Role of Hip Hop (Or Lack Thereof) in My Life

Last night in my Theories of Masculinity class, we discussed black masculinity and subsequently discussed the effect of hip hop music on the black community and the world and vice versa. One of the topics brought up was the staggering percentage of white hip hop consumers. As I think about a few of my white friends, I realize how much they utilize rap in their everyday lives. They freely use the word "nigger" in the "rap context." While I am positive they understand the historical context of the word and that they are not attempting to use it in that way, it still agitates me. Why must we continue to use words that have the ability to subjugate a group?

Granted, I have never been a hip hop fan because of the sexist statements that emanate from the music (at least most of the music I have heard). Also, I have and never will be a proponent of the word "nigger" being used by anyone because of the hurtful historical connotations (once again, i am sure that not all of the rappers utilize this term). These reasons have always been my central reasons for trying to ignore the music. However, while I understand that some rappers do express their previous upbringing or lifestyle, their statements perpetuate themselves throughout the global community. The idea that scantily clad women and "bling" are upheld as the ultimate representatives of a man's worth is devastating and sad. It is not a healthy message to perpetuate ONE image of black men and women.

These images of rappers are circulated everywhere from television to video games. In fact, as I watch a couple of friends play a rap karaoke video game that plays the song with the corresponding music video, I am totally disgusted. While many of the words are cut out, the images are still present. Furthermore, it has a "Teen" rating which means that any child could convince his or her parent to buy the game. Beyond that, any child could just go on YouTube and hear the uncut version of the song. This is one of the negatives and positives to the global community we live in. Easy access.

UCF Men Can Stop Rape Facebook Page

Join our NEW Facebook Group!
:o)))

Being Gay in the Hip Hop Community

"To date, there hasn't been a single mainstream rapper to publicly state that he or she is gay or bisexual."


This article talks about coming out as gay within the Hip Hop Community. While it generally reiterates issues we've already spoken about in class, I was particularly glad to see the call on the Hip Hop community to be more receptive to homosexuality. It directly points out that more people would come out and be true to themselves if the community was more receptive and compassionate. It's the responsibility of the community to make a safe safe for people to be themselves... we cannot expect the individual to put themselves in a dangerous situation just for the sake of "coming out."

Bisexual Men Walk Among Us

Shocking, isn't it?

Although a study in 2005 said that there wasn't sufficient evidence to prove the existence of bisexual men, new research has been put forth to suggest that they do, in fact, exist.

It took six years, sure, but it's good to know that science no longer erases the sexual orientation of very real men.

In Marcus C. Tye's essay "Bye-Bye Bi? Bailey, Biphobia, and Girlie-Men", the writer notes the shortcomings of the 2005 study and its media coverage. The media seemed rather keen on shoving the straight-gay binary and completely ignoring the fluidity of sexuality.

Okay, it's 2011, a new study has been released and NYT has published an article that addresses the existence of bisexual men. All good, yes? Perhaps. But the scientific method of gauging one's sexual orientation by how the subject tests' penises react to different types of porn is still limiting.

The president of the Bisexual Resource Center in Boston, Ellyn Ruthstrom, says it best with her quote in the NYT article:

“This unfortunately reduces sexuality and relationships to just sexual stimulation. Researchers want to fit bi attraction into a little box — you have to be exactly the same, attracted to men and women, and you’re bisexual. That’s nonsense. What I love is that people express their bisexuality in so many different ways.”

It's great that bisexual men exist, scientifically speaking. Nonetheless, we still might want to reevaluate how we quantify or measure sexual orientation.

Perhaps in another experiment, we can study the existence of Women's Studies majors. I've already got a great headline: Philosophy, Political Science, or Lying?

My boyfriend shared this with me tonight because he was shocked at how offensive it was. So I thought I'd share it here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUAw2sQozfg


There's quite a few other videos along the same "manbulance" theme. My main thought on this whole advertising strategy is (other than finding it offensive) that I'm confused as to why a company would willingly alienate a huge product base? Are women incapable of eating a slim jim?

Black Stacey; Saul Williams

I'm what you call a "shower performer." I entertain entire Broadway musicals in my bathtub. It's a fucking production--lights, props, curtain call and all. But tonight, instead of my usual line up of whimsical, feel-good, all-the-world-is-candy-and-rainbows line up, I found myself humming along to Black Stacey. Maybe it's all the man-talk lately, but I've definitely been gravitating towards this song for the past couple of days.

I'm a huge fan of Saul Williams. If you haven't seen any of his other work, I highly recommend doing a quick youtube search. I DARE you not to love this man. (Note: It's very difficult, if not entirely impossible)

Lots of ideas regarding masculinity, black-male identity. Best of all, it's a call to action.


(Lyrics)

I used to hump my pillow at night
The type of silent prayer to make myself prepare for the light
Me and my cousin Duce would rank the girls between one and ten
And the highest number got to be my pillow's pretend
Now I apologize to every high ranker
But you taught me how to dream and so I also thank you
I never had the courage to approach you at school
We joked around a lot and I know you thought I dressed cool
But I was just covering up
All the insecurities that came bubbling up
My complexion had me stuck in an emotional rut,
like the time you Flavor Flav'd me and you played me
"Yo Chuck,
They say you're too black, man."
I think I'm too black
Mom, do you think I'm too black? I think I'm too black
I think I'm too black,
I think I'm too black, black, black, black, black

Black Stacey
They called me Black Stacey
I never got to be myself 'cause to myself I always was
Black Stacey
In polka dots and paisley,
A double goose and Bally shoes,
You thought it wouldn't phase me
I was Black Stacey
The preacher's son from Haiti
Who rhymed a lot and always got
The dance steps at the party
I was Black Stacey
You thought it wouldn't faze me, but it did
'Cause I was just a kid

I used to use bleaching creme
'Til Madame CJ Walker walked into my dreams
I dreamt of being white and complimented by you,
But the only shiny black thing that you liked was my shoes
Now, I apologize for bottling up
All the little things you said that warped my head and my gut
Even though I always told you not to brag
About the fact that your great grand mother was raped by her
Slave master

Yeah, I became militant too
So it was clear on every level I was blacker than you
I turned you on to Malcolm X and Assata Shakur
Iin the three quarter elephant goose with the fur
I had the high top fade
Wwith the steps on the side
I had the two finger ring, rag top on the ride
I had the sheep skin, name belt, Lee suit,
Kangol, acid wash, Roscoe's chicken and waffle.

Black Stacey
They called me Black Stacey
I never got to be myself 'cause to myself I always was
Black Stacey
In polka dots and paisley,
A double goose and Bally shoes,
You thought it wouldn't phase me
I was Black Stacey
The preacher's son from Haiti
Who rhymed a lot and always got
The dance steps at the party
I was Black Stacey
You thought it wouldn't faze me, but it did
'Cause I was just a kid


Stick up, ha ha ha stick up
Stick up, ha ha ha stick up
They say I'm too black
They say I'm too black

Hold up, y'all
Here we go

Now here's a little message for you
All you balla playas got some insecurities too
That you could cover up, bling it up
Cash in and ching ching it up
Hope no one will bring it up
Lock it down and string it up

Or you can share your essence with us
'Cause everything about you couldn't be rugged and ruff
And even though you tote a glock and you're hot on the streets
If you dare to share your heart, we'll nod our heads to its beat
And you should do that, if nothing else, to prove that
A player like you could keep it honest and true
Don't mean to call your bluff but
mothafucka that's what I do
You got platinum chain then, son,
I'm probably talking to you
And you can call your gang, your posse and the rest of your crew
And while you're at it, get them addicts and the indigent, too
I plan to have a whole army by the time that I'm through
To load their guns with songs they haven't sung, like,

Black Stacey
They called me Black Stacey
I never got to be myself 'cause to myself I always was
Black Stacey
In polka dots and paisley,
A double goose and Bally shoes,
You thought it wouldn't phase me
I was Black Stacey
The preacher's son from Haiti
Who rhymed a lot and always got
The dance steps at the party
I was Black Stacey
You thought it wouldn't faze me, but it did
'Cause I was just a kid

Black Stacey
They called me Black Stacey
I never got to be myself 'cause to myself I always was
Black Stacey
They call me Black Stacey
Ah, Black Stacey
Ooh, Black Stacey
Ooh, Black Stacey
Move Black Stacey
Shake Black Stacey
Make Black Stacey
Cry, cry
No, not I.

Bronzi di Riaci

Here are the Italian "male ideal" statues referenced in class tonight... Google "bronzi di riaci" for more. I am going to read more about them before commenting but wanted to post the pics I found while we were still thinking about Mr. Perrotte's talk about Italian masculinity (which I would love to hear your thoughts on, by the way).

Surprise--Another Sexist Ad from a Beer Company

Well isn't this lovely? Dr. Santana (Director of Women's Studies at UCF) spoke last week about gender and advertising and brought in several sexist ads for discussion--including this one. I'm linking it to an article which briefly discusses/critiques it, but it reminded me of our discussion about "caveman masculinity" and a comment in tonight's class about colonialist-inspired masculinity. Unfortunately one does not have to look far to find ads as explicitly offensive as this, even--or maybe especially--today. This saddens me not only because I am reminded of how socially acceptable sexism and racism continue to be, but also because I actually enjoy Dos Equis and now I am going to have to stop drinking it. Put your money where your mind is. Write letters. Tell your friends. Be critical consumers.

THE F WORD

A NEW PLAY COMING TO UCF (Hosted by NOW at UCF)

From the director, Krista Amico: 
"After working on The Vagina Monologues for three years, I began to discover that, although Eve Ensler’s fight for women was very successful, the issues faced by today's women now differ from those at time The Vagina Monologues was composed. Written in the 1980’s and primarily focusing on middle-aged women, The Vagina Monologues has made its rounds. It’s time for the younger generation to speak up about current issues; not just women on women's issues, but people on gender issues. Times have changed. Women have come a long way in the fight for equality. But progress has not fully erased issues of sexism and gender bias. Changing times bring changing problems. It’s time to discuss those problems. It’s time to whip out the “no-no-not-at-the-dinner-table” conversations. The F Word is about redefining current women's issues within our college community, about giving everyone a chance to speak out. The purpose of the show is to open up a dialogue about these often unspoken concerns, as well as bring to light the many different programs provided to offer aid for such problems. Just like Eve Ensler, we want to reclaim a word. This time, the word is 'feminist.' We want to hear what you have to say. So spread the word. The F-Word."

SUBMISSIONS

We are looking for any and all commentary pertaining to modern women's issues. If you have something to say on the subject, please tell us, be it an inspiring, life-changing, or downright hilarious story. All perspectives are wanted and welcome: male, female, transgender, straight, bi, and every color of the rainbow. What issues are still relevant today? What is feminism now? What does feminism mean to you? Using these anonymous submissions, our creative team can gather a broader understanding of the outlooks on current women's issues within our university. The stories that you share with us will be used to create a devised play, called The F Word as a reference to the taboo surrounding the word 'feminism.' The show's goal is to reflect contemporary women's issues that occur every day on our campus and in our lives. We want to give the community a voice.

Drop off your stories in the locked boxes located on the first floor of Colbourn Hall 118 or catch up in front of the Student Union on Wednesday with NOW. This is a safe place in which to express yourself freely. There is no need to censor. Your stories will be kept completely anonymous. The locked boxes are picked up every day and your stories go straight to the stage manager and director, after which they will be placed into a submissions file. 

If you would rather email your submission, you can directly email the director: thefwordmovement@gmail.com

THERE WILL ALSO BE ACTING AUDITIONS! CHECK THE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS!

Music and Masculinity

In researching popular culture/music and masculinity for one of next week's readings, I came across an interesting article regarding masculinity in popular music. I just thought I'd share a link to this article, which is interesting and also poses a different perspective about masculinity and music. The author, Cristophe Den Tandte looks also at the idea of the male homosocial within popular music/culture.


The article is titled "From Craft to Corporate Interfacing: Rock Musicianship in the Age of Music Television and Computer-Programmed Music," by Cristophe Den Tandte. You can find this article through the UCF Library Database systems (MLA International Bibliography or JSTOR). Just search the author's name and/or the title of the article. The first one or two sections are about masculinity and music.

Neuroscience: A Connection Between Sex And Gender

In this article scientists look at brain activity and hypothesize that there is a link between an individuals sex and the way they think/act. Their findings support the idea that in parts what we constitute as gender may be biological. Their research is restricted by the use of MRI scanners and PET machines that are immobile. The subjects are then given scenarios and are not taking part in real life events. Continued research would be interesting. How much of what different sexes think is linked to biology and how much is it taught? While reading this I wondered maybe males use different parts of their brains because they are socialized to think a certain way from birth.
What do you think?

Manhood in the Age of Aquarius

Tim Hodgdon explores masculinity in two counterculture hippie-based communities from 1965-1983. I haven't read it all yet but so far it has proven to be very interesting and highly relevant to our course content.

The Role of Men in Religious Terrorism

A Feminist Looks at Masculine Rage and the Haditha Massacre by Kathleen Barry

Pro Wrestler Turns Star Volunteer: Mick Foley Brings Different Voice to Rape Crisis Group - ABC News

Pro Wrestler Turns Star Volunteer: Mick Foley Brings Different Voice to Rape Crisis Group - ABC News

Renaissance Male Project

Jewel Woods, feminist author and noted gender analyst, presents on the intersectionality of gender, race and class, and how identities are formed within complex social systems.

Starting to Define Healthy Masculinity

Starting to Define Healthy Masculinity

by Patrick McGann, Director of Strategy and Planning, Men Can Stop Rape

When I typed in “defining healthy masculinity” to do a Google search, the first link that came up was to “Choosing Healthy Masculinity and What That Means” on the Men Can Stop Rape Web site, and I thought, oh, good, maybe we’ve already defined it. “Healthy masculinity” seems to be a term gaining credence in world of gender-based violence prevention. I use it all the time. We’re all about healthy masculinity, I say. And I mean it. Even if I don’t know exactly what it means.

Joe Samalin (2009), my colleague who wrote “Choosing Healthy Masculinity…” gives examples – it “is a group of high school boys volunteering at a local domestic violence shelter, it is straight and cis-gendered college men partnering as allies with LGBTQ student organizations, and it is the enlisted men and officers in the Air Force who come to us for training on how to create safer workplaces.” But when it comes to defining it, he claims “there is no single definition or ideal of healthy masculinity—there are as many definitions as there are men.” I love Joe; it’s an honor to work with him, but that is a lot of definitions.

So is healthy masculinity a kind of “I know it when I see it” thing? Or is it, “You do your healthy masculinity, I do mine”? Maybe it’s the recovering academic in me, but I’m feeling definition-deficient. Maybe I’m holding onto some grand ivory tower illusion that a definition will help solidify our shared understanding of the term.

I did manage to track down one attempt to define healthy masculinity. Michael Obsatz (2003) takes a stab at it, listing 15 qualities, all of them beginning with P:

1. Purpose

2. Power for and with, not over

3. Passion

4. Paternity

5. Piety

6. Persistence

7. Presence

8. Patience

9. Pardon

10. Partnership

11. Pliability

12. Playfulness

13. Peacemaking

14. Politeness

15. Perspective

He goes onto explain each of the 15 in a sentence or two. While I am a fan of the letter P and while I appreciate his comprehensiveness, I was hoping for a little more compactness. So, I’ll attempt something briefer, with the recognition that it’s very much a definition in progress. Healthy masculinity:

• involves the ability to recognize unhealthy aspects of masculinity – those features that are harmful to the self and others

• replaces risky and violent masculine attitudes and behaviors with empathetic behaviors and attitudes that benefit men and others

• is based on supporting gender equity and other forms of equity

• includes social and emotional skills used to positively challenge in yourself and in others unhealthy masculine attitudes and behaviors

Anyone else out there feel the need to define? If so, indulge your elucidation tendencies and say what you would keep or change about these two definitions of healthy masculinity.

REFERENCES

Obsatz, M. (2003). From shame-based masculinity to holistic masculinity. Retrieved May 12, 2011 from the Anger Resources Web site: http://www.angeresources.com/shamebased.html

Samalin, J. (2009). Choosing healthy masculinity and what that means. Retrieved May 12, 2011 from the Men Can Stop Rape Web site: http://www.mencanstoprape.org/info-url2699/info-url_show.htm?doc_id=1090665

Patrick McGann, Ph.D. has been involved with Men Can Stop Rape (MCSR) since the organization’s inception in 1997. As Director of Strategy and Planning, Patrick co-authored a sexual assault prevention strategy for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in 2008 and oversaw the development of the HURTS ONE. AFFECTS ALL. public education campaign for DoD in 2010. He regularly gives presentations across the country on engaging men in the prevention of gender-based violence.

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Princess Boy

"Princess Boy"--is it just about tolerance or reeducation?

And maybe, just maybe, there needs to be an "attack on masculinity"...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/04/princess-boy-dyson-kilodavis_n_804133.html

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/living/2011/04/19/drew.princess.boy.hln.html
(forgive the required ad viewing...)

Becoming a Man Program in Chicago

National Public Radio aired a story today about a youth program in Chicago meant to curb gang-related violence. The program, Becoming a Man (BAM), appears to focus on gang-related crime from the perspective of gender, seeking to reduce recruitment of adolescent boys into gangs by underscoring healthier outlooks regarding masculinity.

Interestingly, the article does not heavily focus on the gender details, although one specific section does stand out:

DiVittorio [the program's creator] says the violence in the neighborhood makes one aspect of BAM critical. He calls it "men's work," where students sit in a circle and discuss their feelings — a topic that many consider taboo, he says.

Here is the link to the entire article, and here is some more information about BAM.

Men and Masculinity Conference in Tallahassee, April 1-3, 2011!

The 36th National Conference on Men & Masculinity (M&M), "Breaking Out of the Box: Changing Perspectives & Redefining Masculinity" will address men's perception and misperception around issues concerning consent, rape, and bystander intervention. Please join us at Florida State University, Talahassee, FL, April1-3, 2011, for an exciting conference in support of local initiatives.

The conference programming addresses a broad range of issues and social norms pertaining to men and masculinity and the analysis and prevention of sexual assault.  NOMAS emphasizes the interrelated factors of societal abuse of power and domination in the forms of sexism, racism, homophobia, classism, anti-Semitism, able-bodyism, ageism and other oppressions that influence social inequalities, the construction of gender, and the perpetration of all forms of violence.

Who attends?

• Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Professionals and survivors
• Anti-Trafficking workers
• Campus Professionals
• Public Health Professionals
• Child Abuse Prevention Professionals
• Gender Studies professionals and students
• Sociology, Anthroplogy and Psychology professionals and students
• Therapists and social workers
• Students, Campus, Community, and Youth Organizers
• Male allies to the women's and ending violence movements
• Faith communities working for social justice
• Legal and Justice System professionals
• Activists and all others who are interested examining the intersections of social justice issues (e.g., gender, sexual orientation, race, culture, ability)

Teachable Moment in Tucson: Guns, Mental Illness and Masculinity

Article from Huffington post about the Tucson shootings. Definitely worth the read. Leandra

The Manslater

This is pretty funny, but there's certainly a lot going on it. Some things I found really interesting:

1. Although it capitalizes on the joke that "men don't understand their girlfriends because women are incoherent," the video is not entirely one sided. It does at the end acknowledge that men can be difficult for women to understand, too (although, to be honest, this part of the video does feel a little tacked on, and subtly reinforces the idea that men say what they mean while women do not)

2. The translation voice is completely different (naturally!) for men and women. Note how the translation for men is ungrammatical, terse, and caveman-like, while the one for women is eloquent, refined, and verbose.

3. The video only shows examples of male-female communication problems that deal with relationships; aren't there more general communication breakdowns between men and women?

4. What about male-male and female-female translation devices? Certainly we face communication barriers with members of our own gender identity every day. Why is the prospect of this kind of device not as humorous?

Nice article on talking to boys about dating violence

NAIR?

I found this beauty at America's gem of a supermarket: Wal-Mart. The funniest part is since it removes Mens hair specifically, it's called a "speed cream", leaving some slow shavers in the dust. Sorry.

Happy Holidays!

Cosmomasculine

This struck me as ridiculous, but not surprising. I am not an avid-Cosmo-reader by any means, but my opinion stems from the minutes I spend at Publix flipping straight to the "Confessions" article (so addicting!).

But *AHEM*

I feel one of it's strengths is the responsibility they've put on American women to maintain these unrealistic roles or else they are inadequate beings! (Along with contributing to women's unhealthy body image, class issues, and gender roles, blah blah but I digress).

In the sake of Masculinity, the above article is about Cosmo's "Hottest Commercial Guys", along with a tiny analyses of each stereotype. I know it's parody, but it's interesting to see what a "Cosmogirl" finds attractive in their "man".

(And was it me or did it seem strange that "The Listerine Guy" made it in.)

Lady Gaga in Bitch Magazine

So I came across this article not too long ago which focuses on Lady Gaga and her persona seen in a feminist point of view. It's pretty interesting and maybe you could form your own opinion as well:

http://bitchmagazine.org/post/pushback-at-the-intersections-lady-gaga-and-feminism

"Manly" Animes

Earlier this semester I went to a video gaming and Japanese animation and pop-culture convention named EXPcon in St. Augustine. I noticed a similar panel that was featured in this convention that was in the convention, Anime Festival Orlando, that I went to back in August. This panel discussed "manly" animes.

While I'm not oblivious to the horrible gender norms that are perpetuated through Japanese media and pop-culture, I was not aware of two of the animes that were featured in these two different but similar panels. These animes are named "Fist of the North Star" and "Golgo 13". Both of these animes came out during the mid-1980s and feature high amounts of violence and subjectification of women. "Fist of the North Star" is about a warrior living in a post-apocalyptic world who has the ability to kill his foes from the inside-out by pressing on certain pressure points on the body. "Golgo 13" is about a womanizing professional assassin.

Both of these animes are widely popular amongst men in the anime community. I have never seen any of these animes, nor do I have any wish to do so. Here are two videos that I viewed at the conventions I went to this year:

"Fist of the North Star"

"Golgo 13"

Response to the Ugly Truth film review

I had read this blog actually before I even saw the movie. The movie I actually did love and thought it was hilarious. But I thought Wendy had done a great job at picking up on the way the movie depicts how its supposedly ok for men to have responses to relationships the way he does in the movie. And how funny that he ends up getting the girl at the end of the movie as well! One part of the movie that stood out a little more in mind after reading the review was the dinner with all the big-wig executives. Either though the woman in the movie is not only a main-character and in charge of the whole show they do, she is continually spoken over and ignored for what she has to say and they are much more interested in what the man has to say, even though a good majority of it is very sexist. Other things about the movie that I think made it a good choice to review was how she had to change not only her image to impress a man, but her personality also. It's upsetting to think that we as women can't have someone like us for who we are, rather than what we could possibly be to be better. And I know that I have definitely seen other girls I know do the same thing in real life. They act like they are interested in something that they really aren't interested in at all, and have to appear more "sexual" in order to gain the attention of someone. It's really disappointing to think that this is what men like to have presented to them (not all men of course). And its even more upsetting that women feed into the idea. I did love the movie and think it was hilarious, but its easier to think its funny because it is just acting, its just sad that it unfortunately happens in real life to. It was a great movie to choose for the film review.

Feministing Interview with CJ Pascoe

(Click the post title to link to the interview at Feministing.)

I'm sure most everyone has seen this by now, but I just found it today (I haven't let myself check Feministing all week in attempts to focus on finals) and figured I'd share it here just in case. For relevance: CJ Pascoe authored Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School, an excerpt from which was one of our readings earlier in the semester. I found her discussion about what led her to masculinity studies as a concentration particularly interesting. It definitely raises some points for feminism as a movement to consider more thoroughly in moving forward.

New Song by Devo

Everybody loves Devo, and if you haven't heard of the band, I'm sure you've heard of the music ("Whip It" is a huge 80's song). On the way to work the other day I heard one of their newest and it was pretty catchy. It's called "Don't Shoot (I'm a Man)", and my analysis was it being about a "superhero" character getting up and doing his normal routine of work trying to save the world. Another interpretation I found was about a corporate male and the mundane life he leads. Either way, I'm sure I could be wrong, but I thought I'd post this to incite some thought and other interpretations. In relation to masculinity, it's another common example of male privilege, and the assumption that a male can only do this job. Then again it is "Devo", so who knows what it's really about.

Here are the lyrics:

I get up every day, it's a miracle I'm told

Somehow I live to work, so I hit the road

Squeeze into my hybrid car, drive as fast as I can

While I scan the rooftops, yeah I scan the rooftops

Don't shoot

I'm a man x2

I live in every city
All around the world

Sometimes it's way too hot

Sometimes it's friggin' cold

One thing's always the same

No matter what they say

There's way too many problems

Way, way too many problems

Don't shoot

I'm a man x2

You wish you were swinging from the trees

You wish you were slicing through the breeze

You wish you were king or a queen

You wish you'd hit the lottery

But wishing is for chumps

High hoping is for fools

They'll hunt you down and taze you bro

For playing with their rules

Don't shoot
I'm a man x2

I've got a big dilemma
To punt or go for broke

It's got me goin' sleepless

Well I'm about to choke

So let me ask you something
Answer if you can

Think before you answer

There is no correct answer

So Don't shoot, I'm a man
Don't shoot, I'm a man

Don't taze me bro x4

My Service Learning Project

For my service learning project this semester I've been working on a blog that discusses masculinity in music. I'm highly critical of my writing so I've been afraid to share this project until my blog had some substance. I was afraid that if I shared this early I wouldn't want to write about it anymore. It's still a work in progress that I'm hoping I will want to continue after this class ends. Here's the link:


http://masculinityinmusic.blogspot.com/

I hope you enjoy! Any questions, comments, concerns, and suggestions would be much appreciated!

Old Spice Commercial

So I'm sure most of you have seen this commercialsseveral times already. I know the first time I saw it, I thought it was funny because it was just completely ridiculous. As I watched it again, my feelings remain the same. I'm not sure if it's mocking this "real man" stereotype or actually feeding into what society has constructed as to be a "real man." Take a look and share what you think!

Commercial Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

A Girl Like Me

Yesterday I was flipping through channels before I had to go to work and I found a movie on Lifetime that looked interesting. It was called A Girl Like Me. This film was about a boy who felt he was a woman in a male body and eventually began to live her life as a transgender. Throughout the film it shows how hard life was for Eddie when she was younger before she began to look like a woman. Her grandmother refused to let her be the maid of honor in her sister's wedding and her uncle tried to force baseball on Eddie to try to make him more of a "man." This film was based on a true strory and Eddie was eventually killed by three teenage boys when they found out that she was actually male. The movie was very disturbing but the worst part was the court convictions at the end. Although the three boys were convicted of murder (one for manslaughter), he court refused to consider the crime a hate crime. As this was based on a true strory it got me thinking about the way society views transgenders, especially male transgenders. If this had been a crime against a black woman or male because of their race, the perpetrators would have been convicted of a hate crime. However, because this was a male posing as a female, the jury did not feel it was appropriate to call it a hate crime. And the defense lawyer was very adamant when trying to place blame on the victim for lying about her biological gender. I would highly recommend everyone to try and watch this film and possibly even place it into the curriculum of the class because it is very relevant, based on true events, and really shows, albeit sometimes a bit disturbing, how society views transgender men both inside and out of their own family circle.

Men’s Lib: To survive in a hostile world, guys need to embrace girly jobs and dirty diapers. Why it’s time to reimagine masculinity at work and at home.

This was a pretty interesting article in Newsweek.

Sissy Bounce

I forgot about the blog deadline, so I do hope I met the quota, but I've been intending to make this post for two weeks now anyway. Context: a few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I were talking about how we were going to work out our cross-country drive from here to Tucson when I finally permanently move there and we decided we wanted to take a fifteen mile detour on I-10 to New Orleans. The second I said that, we started a rapid-fire back and forth of things we wanted to do, and one of the things he said he absolutely could not miss was "sissy bounce." I looked at him like he was an alien and asked for an explanation, and he directed me to Google.

Here's what I came up with: "Take some of the most hypersexual bump-and-grind you can imagine, remove everything but the sexed-up chorus, speed it up, and then remove the sexual identity of the artist performing it. What, what? That’s right. Sissy Bounce artists are purposely androgynous, sometimes referred to as queer, sometimes transgendered, a very direct intent is to fuck with people’s heads about sexuality. It’s easy to relate, or be offended when you see one sex singing about the other. But with Sissy Bounce you have no idea. This makes the performances just as important as the music itself, which is perhaps why it’s stayed locked down for so long."

I find the idea of taking the gender out of the context completely so fascinating. It's not a performance art based on hyper-masculine stereotypes, as we saw played upon in Venus Boyz, or campy drag performances, as in basically every Pride Parade ever, or even "passing" for either gender. It's entirely predicated on the idea that you will never be able to tell, and therefore the art speaks for itself, taken out of the paradigm of gender role expectations, male or female. And because I believe that the further along we are in women's liberation, the more readily apparent it is that men are still tied to the social expectations for acceptable behavior, I find this especially transgressive, but also promising, in terms of turning attitudes on their heads. Anyway, it's apparently really big in New Orleans and I think it would be a fascinating thing to watch. Also, the title is linked to the first article and group of videos I found, so if you're curious, I would start there.

Incredibly Sexist Vintage Ads

25 Horribly Sexist Vintage Ads

I came across these ads when looking up material for class and thought to share them on our wonderful blog. I'm a fan of vintage advertisements, purely for their design aesthetic and how audiences were targeted, but when I saw these I was shocked and also reminded of how far we've come (or maybe not at all). The two that I found the worst are above, the first demonstrating hyper-masculinity and the subjugation of women being domestic and subservient to their "male" counterparts. And lo and behold, if these "ideals" were broken or rejected than some kind of punishment is due, thus the woman being bent over and "corrected". I'm not sure how this ad was received back then but apparently privilege and hegemonic masculinity are tied to the quality of your coffee (and the character of your wife!). Starbuck's would definitely not fly with this one.

The second advertisement immediately made my jaw drop, and considering our present era of obsession to image, this wasted no time in getting it's point across (did they skip the idea of "subliminal messaging?"). The message I got was basically "lose the weight women, so you can fulfill a gender role that General Mills' deems useful to your existence--being skinny in household"! The only thing left I think would be a crying baby on her hip and a laundry basket on the other, what do you think? This is left to assume that masculinity is defined by what's happening outside the window, the bread-winning white-middle class man working hard to pay for EVERYTHING, down to the glass cleaner she's using. And while he's downing philly cheesesteaks on his break with the guys, she's busy cleaning the house in her Sears size 6 jumper. But I digress . . .

For more click here!

New Book to add to Course Curriculum?

I don't really remember how I heard about this book, probably from some news report, but I thought it would be worth checking out for this course. It's called "Boyhoods: Rethinking Masculinities" and I'm seriously considering buying it over the break and comparing it with the text we've already covered, all of which I've really enjoyed. I think the whole concept and effect that "masculinity" has in our culture is so interesting and relevant to every individual.

Here's the link to amazon.com for the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Boyhoods-Rethinking-Masculinities-Ken-Corbett/dp/0300149840#_

Anita Hill vs Clarence Thomas

In another class of mine we have spoke about the case of Anita Hill accusing a supreme court justice of sexual harassment in the early 90's. We bought it up because apparently that man and his wife are wanting an apology from her to clear his name...ridiculous someone would ask for that after what she went through. I took some interest in the topic and found a news article on line and wanted to share it with everyone. I'm really not good with trying to make links but here it is..

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/10/20/scotus.thomas.hill/index.html

Survey found--Teens blame Rhianna for Chris Brown's abuse

So I know this is old news, but I'm always a little behind the pop culture curve. We already knew this, but the survey done by the Boston Public Health Commission confirms that we have a LOT of work left to do.

Here is the link to the original article--it' archived:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/2009_03_13_Survey_finds_many_Hub_kids_placing_blame_on_Rihanna:_The_beat_goes_on/srvc=home&position=also

What's the Alternative to Tucker Max? Many progressive young men are rejecting traditional and toxic notions of masculinity. But they're still figuring out what should replace it.

I found this article and it seemed interesting especially because we were having that discussion in the last class about the men's groups we have on campus and the MVP training and I wondered if any of these men's groups have the same problem it seems these men were having finding an alternative to replace these toxic notions of masculinity.

Bullies Attack Boy Cheerleader :(

Talking about male cheerleaders in class yesterday reminded me of this news report. It's so sad that this young man can't even enjoy what he wants to do! I really don't see the difference between cheerleading and other recreational sports like football or soccer. One of the many things that bothered me in this news report was his mother saying that she was expecting her son to be teased and other "normal" boy behavior such a black eye or a bloody lip. When she said the phrase "boys will be boys" I cringed. I can't wait for the day when violence isn't associated as being "normal behavior" for males, young and old.

Catch the entire story here:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/report-bullies-attack-boy-cheerleader-11737068

Mauro Perucchetti's Modern Heroes

Click for full-size image. More pictures located here.

Although I've recently become a big fan of comic books, one consistent caveat in my ability to enjoy them is their adherence in portraying male characters to a very privileged, restrictive form of masculinity -- namely, "masculine" defined as "white, conventionally abled, middle- or upper-class, and heterosexual." While I've seen numerous in-depth critiques of the portrayal of female characters in comic books (and rightfully so), I haven't seen the related issue of limited variety in images of masculinity addressed as fully or as often, which is one reason I was so interested by this sculpture by Mauro Perucchetti. Because of the confines of its subjects, the work doesn't address issues of race, class, ability, etc. as constructs of normative masculinity in comics. It does, however, provide an alternative reading of one of the fundamental relationships in the DC Comics universe that challenges this pervasive notion in comic-book culture that defines all men as hypermasculine and all masculinity as necessarily heterosexual.

Sport Privilege

After our discussion last night, I came home to watch one of my shows on my DVR. I am a fan of the Hellcats show on the CW about a college cheerleading team. This last episode, which is available to watch at http://www.cwtv.com/cw-video/hellcats/pledging-my-love/?play=f9bd97d9-0e18-414c-b870-f162710626ff , was very related to our discussion. It talked about the privilege of football players after it was found out that a certain start player was behind sending out nude photos of one of the female cheerleaders. The football player, the coach, the professor, and even the male cheerleader explained how he would not be punished for doing so because he was a football player. It also talks about how gay males are treated on sports teams. The player that sent out the pictures turns out to be gay, and when the cheerleader who's pictures were sent out around campus threatens to out him, she gets scolded by her teammate and boyfriend. They say that the punishment does not fit the crime because if he is outed he will not be able to play professional football. It is a very relevant episode to our last discussion. Everyone should check it out.

Dinosaur Comics

Some info on the Men Against Violence group featured in Macho!

You can buy the film here:
http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c527.shtml
Typical documentary priciness : (

You can find a lot of information about the group by searching "Men Against Violence Association Nicaragua" or "Hombres Contra la Violencia Nicaragua"

Some of the info I found...

In English
As presenters at a conference also with Dean Peacock:
http://www.awid.org/eng/Issues-and-Analysis/Library/Working-With-Men-to-End-Violence-Against-Women-in-the-Context-of-Globalization

An 'case study' on the Family Violence Prevention Fund site:
http://toolkit.endabuse.org/Resources/TheAssociation.html

Love this quote:
"How is it then that a group of men came together to challenge the culture of machismo and violence? Well, the Sandinista revolution gave us the opportunity to work in the struggle for social justice side by side with women, and some of us learned to work in partnership with women. We also learned to listen to women, and they have taught us that gender violence is a power issue embedded within the machismo culture. Thus, we realized that in order to build egalitarian and fair relationships we had to tackle our culture of machismo."

To read more about women in the Sandinista revolution, you can check out the book Feminism and the Legacy of Revolution: Nicaragua, El Salvador, Chiapas by Karen Kampwirth--available in the UCF library.

In Spanish
An interview with one of the founders Javier Munoz:
http://www.euram.com.ni/pverdes/Entrevista/javier_munoz_137.htm

And I think this article about the network of men's group started with the same organization:
http://www.europrofem.org/contri/2_05_es/es-masc/13es_mas.htm

They talk a little about la Red Nacional de Mujeres Contra la Violencia (National Network of Women Against Violence) and talk about a little about how the different organizations working on gender and violence in Nicaragua are related.

Peace y si se puede! :-)

Feminism Survey: Men on the Street

Watch this YouTube video about Feminism! In this video they interviewed men on the street to find out what they thought about feminism. I thought you might enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pdbnzFUsXI

Thanksgiving

Everyone loves the holidays because it is a time when families can get together and spend quality time. My family hardly ever gets to spend this time together because my uncles live in Kansas and rarely get to visit. However this past week they did for the holidays so that was great. Yet it has been awhile since I have seen them and it was an interesting Thanksgiving to say the least. As we sat together around the table (it is my mom, my sister, myself, 3 uncles and an aunt) I saw the way our family contributes to the idea of the man or men being in charge of the household while the women are expected to do the "women's work" in order to satisfy them. Not only did we eat steak for thanksgiving because my uncles didn't want turkey or ham, but my mom and aunt did all the cooking and I was chastised for not cooking with them. Number one, I'm not a very good cook, but number two, why do my uncles get to sit around and be lazy without helping but its wrong if I sit with them. After we ate dinner my mom and aunt began to clear the table and one of my uncles looked at me and asked why I didn't jump up to help, so I asked why don't you get up and help. My mom quickly stepped in and told me to help and I also got a nasty look from my uncle. Now don't get me wrong, I love my family very much, but until now I never really took the time to step back and see how we as a family contribute to keeping men in charge and making women subordinate...I also look at the demographic background and wonder if my uncles living in such a small town contributes to the idea that this is way things should be, but that makes it worse and even more sad that mindsets of people in different areas of the world (or the US in this case) can make it even that more difficult to understand why women and men in the household should be equal in their contributions to the family life. My uncles are planning another trip in march and I do have intentions of coming up with some ways to put them on edge with our "family time" and I will definitely do my best to force them to step out of the box (and that refers to the act-like-a-man box) to hopefully help them see what they are doing. It should make for a good trip and I have to say I am looking forward to it... :)