Masculinity In Jackson Katz's Film Tough Guise Two

Gender rules the world in mainstream America whether we like it or not. As we look through our gender glasses we see gender on an individual level that we also categorize. In the movie “Tough Guise 2- Violence, Manhood & American culture” we see some of the oldest perspectives know in gender; femininity and masculinity. When we talk about masculinity in America today we theorize that violence that happens more often than we like, from mass shootings or crime in general, including rape and murders in the real world and in the virtual thrill world of videogames and movies we find a parallel connection of masculinity as violent. Even though an overwhelming majority of violence is committed by men and boys we as americans rarely connect gender as a major key in violence. But when we lay out the plane lines about culture of violence were almost always hinting that it is a masculine trait that is a taught behavior. The modern society has conjured up the idea of the ideal man, that showing emotions is wrong but one must be charming, seeming smartish but more of an attitude of control showing that manhood has a hierarchy. Weakening the not so tough guy, society giving them labels to show they are outside of the gender binary. Giving american men the natural behavior to want to produce a manhood that is harsh but welcomed We see this want cultivated in today's pop culture from movies to tv shows that have hypermasculinized the idea of the ideal man being a womanizer on sexual conquest leading men in the real world to feel lonely because they can't meet the ideals men's quota.

In my opinion the false masculinity concepts from 2003 stated in Season of Life are still alive and even worse. From a very young age, children have the wrong idea what it means to be a man and chances are they never will. There is so much pressure on young kids to compete and be better than others. Often, you are only compared to someone else and because of this, young men come to false conclusions about manhood. Over time, they believe that masculinity is about athletic ability, sexual conquest, and economic success. Now with the evolution of technology the false masculinity has gotten even worse.

Survival is a pivotal condition that can reveal many different insights within the modern human condition through its revealing near death experiences. These kinds of experiences transformed the main survivalists in James Dickey’s novel, Deliverance. Dickey sets the arena for survival in a forest that is inhabited by murderous men who are in pursuit of the four main characters. These four businessmen men decided to take a canoe trip to temporarily get a break from their jobs, only to encounter death, pain, and most importantly survival. These conditions test each characters instincts, especially Ed, who is responsible for bringing the rest of the surviving men back to safety. This environment forces the men to make many decisions that often leave the men in a state of hopelessness and desperation. Through these traits they exhibit and situations they encounter, their masculinity is constantly being tested which can reveal their deeper insights and logic. Through

Newsom says that as a culture, the society is pushing men to treat women in a certain way. The Mask You Live In” shows us that many gender traits are solely created by the society and that the images of men that boys receive at home and from television, movies, games and video sport events that give confidence to them to be aloof and unemotional, dominant and to resolve issues with violence. “We want to strengthen that loving is not just a feminine trait,” says Jennifer Siebel. “My son is always grabbing ice or getting Band Aids and taking care of the worn out knees and elbows. It’s about growing him as an individual

Using the analysis from the film we can then explore and define the ideas behind masculinity to get better insight on this. Americas idea of masculinity is defined within the film as being assertive and constantly showing your strength. I say this because one part of the film the researchers begin to show us a video of a military man and showing us the strength that this man has. They also describe how super heroes are usually packed with muscles and are trying to save the world. So, masculinity could be defined as being strong on the outside and being able to defend yourself as well as defending the people around you while sacrificing your

Similar to Sapolsky, Katz argues that the media teaches men from a young age to be tough, aggressive, and not to show emotional vulnerability. This is what he calls the “tough guise” or the artificial definition of manhood that forces men to conform to society’s expectations by being “tough” and powerful and hiding their emotions. In the beginning of the film Katz shows interviews with various young males where he asks what it means to be a man, and all of them provide an answer referring to strength, such as “powerful,” “intimidating,” “strong,” and of course, “tough.” When asked what a male is called when they fail to live up to these expectations, the young men replied, “wuss,” “fag,” or “sissy.” Katz points out that this just one of numerous methods that society uses to contain young men in this “tough guise” box, using insults to drive them to perform the way they believe a man should. Multiple other places exist where young men learn these behaviors, such as community, school, and in their family; however, Katz argues that one of the most powerful influences is the country’s pervasive media. For example, as movies have progressed, men have grown larger as women grow smaller. Movies such as Rocky, Rambo, and even the Godfather show men as inherently violent, strong, and emotionally underdeveloped, and this becomes the ideal image for boys just as the beautiful, nurturing, thin woman becomes the ideal for girls. Similar to Sapolsky, Katz believes that in order to lessen violence, our society needs to show honest and diverse representations of males rather than blaming

“That dominant conception of masculinity in U.S. Culture is easily summarized: Men are assumed to be naturally competitive and aggressive, and being a real man is therefore marked by the struggle for control, conquest, and domination” (par. 4).

In the Western world, majority of the movies are normally preoccupied with the notion of masculinity that depict men as being the dominant gender with roles requiring them to exhibit male behavior, such as providing for family and fighting, while the women the inferior gender with roles requiring them to exhibit female behavior, such as supporting the husband despite his shortcomings. Anne Lee in his modern Western movie Brokeback Mountain (IMDb, 2015) represents masculinity in different relationships: masculinity as depicted by men who want to be in a relationship with women and masculinity as depicted by men who want to be in the same-sex relationship. In this movie opinions divide significantly concerning masculinity especially when looking at Ennis and Jack who are two gay cowboys trying to be in a secret homosexual relationship. In what follows, we will examine the representation of relationships of traditional Western masculinity in the movie

History has repeatedly given men privilege due to their physical advantages; yet it is these same advantages that have developed into “rules” or expectations that all men should conform to in order to prove their manhood. Michael Kimmel’s essay, “‘Bros Before Hos': The Guy Code” outlines the “rules” where men are expected to never show any emotions, be brave, act knowledgeable, be risk takers, be in control, act reliable, and be competitive, otherwise they would be showing weakness which is analogous to women. It is humiliating that men associate weakness with women; they should focus on the potential of the individual rather than their gender. Most insults toward men attack their masculinity because society finds it shameful for men to be

When thinking about your biggest fear what tends to come to mind? Statistically speaking, most people 's biggest fears are snakes, spiders, heights, even the dark. But, what if I told you that one of the men 's biggest fears aren 't what we think it is? The biggest fear most men are afraid of admitting that they have is the fear of showing emotion. Due to a very serious but not so talked about issue in this nation called toxic masculinity, most men aren 't comfortable with sharing their emotions, which creates an unstableness In behavior for the remainder of their lives. I hope to persuade you to read into the issues regarding toxic masculinity, and

Over time, the thought patterns of many individuals mould to believe only one perception of what is morally acceptable— a perception that is completely faulty. The ideology of the male body and demeanor is only one of the many societal norms constructed by the media, and it alone can result in mental health fatalities, mass violence, or the mere elimination of self-identity whilst attempting to meet the ever-changing ideals of masculinity. The continuous and stereotypical depiction of masculinity in the media has idealized invulnerability, toughness and physical strength as the sole qualities of a ‘true man’. As a result, the complexity of masculinity is flattened, and immense pressures are placed on individuals to meet requirements that are entirely faulty. According to Katz, cultures, topics, and even genders are not one-dimensional; in order to fully comprehend the meaning the entirety of something, one must look at more than its representation in the media.

There is a lot of pressure on men in society to be manly; however, what exactly does it mean to be manly? Though many people have different opinions, a lot of them conclude that a man has to be strong and somewhat emotionless to be considered a man. This assumption can lead to Toxic Masculinity, which is “A false idea that men are expected to be as manly as possible” (The Hard, Adrenaline-Soaked Truth About 'Toxic Masculinity, 2017). Men are forced to face these assumptions not only from those around him, but also from people he might see in Media. Media reinforces Toxic Masculinity which in turn causes men to belittle women. The types of media that encourage Toxic Masculinity are Television, Music, and Social Media.

Toxic Masculinity is the root of men’s oppression, and it requires our attention to be adequately addressed. This is because in the United States we teach boys that demeaning women make them more valuable to society. The idea is that women are only around to give men pleasure and to be seen as objects. In the documentary, we are also told by Joe Ehrmann that in addition to demeaning women we are taught that we need to strive for money and positions of power to obtain money with the help of media and film perpetuating the idea. He also added that if that we look at what society is telling boys, they will lose what is truly important in life. Adding to this, Madeline Levine says that she has had young children tell her that they want to be a

The article that my group and I decided to do was “Toxic masculinity is killing men: The roots of male trauma” by Kali Holloway. Many people do not know that by saying “be a man” can cause such a huge negative impact. In this article it explains how masculinity is toxic and how it affects the life of men. In the article it reveals all the effects of masculinity, how it starts, and ways how it is shown in society. From here on I will be summarizing the article, making connections, explaining my involvement in the project and a reflection of my overall performance.

In David Fincher’s, dramatic film “Fight Club”, Fincher develops satire to explain the masculinity of the main characters throughout the movie. Being masculine and or having masculinity, means qualities traditionally ascribed to men, as strength and boldness. Typically, men are seen to be strong, able to fight, have a large frame, and or be fearless. Men such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chuck Norris are seen to society as Masculine men. However, some develop their masculinity later than others. In comparison to men, women are seen to be more modest, tender, and self-centered. Masculinity Is the social problem that David Fincher attacks in the film simultaneously using satire.