Today in class we watched the video "Tough Guise". I was a tad confused by the title but was genuinely open to the contents of the film. Within two minutes, I was completely captivated by the narrator. Jackson Katz talks to the camera in a simplistic way, but his information is stunning. He makes connections that I have never thought of or questioned in some aspect but didn't fully understand. The key argument that the film is based on is masculinity and the fact that it is or could be a pose.
Wow, I couldn't believe this. This whole idea that being masculine is taught to boys from birth, not a surprising fact, but that it is also a pose. I started to think in detail about this. They really are taught by birth what is "normal" and masculine for boys. How to act and feel, or more appropriately not feel. But what about after birth, teenage years? The media especially portrays "real-men" as being muscular, strong, independent, and so forth. Young men especially feel that they have to be a "real man" there is no other except able way. So in return, they do pose as being masculine. The concept is really not that shocking once you look at the evidence, but just saying it opens the topic up. After all opening up controversial topics is the first way to solve it.
1 comment:
Yay! I'm glad you find the film thought-provoking - I hope my classes do too when I show it on Wednesday. It seems like you've discovered Judith Butler's theory of performativity - you should wikipedia it. Gender is something you do, something you perform, and it is reinforced by cultural beliefs and social institutions all around us all the time. Fun stuff!
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