Evolving Masculinity Or Not?

Evolving Masculinity or Not??

In the starting of Unit 2, we are in the works of analyzing toxic masculinity. We are studying the articles “The Boys Are Not All Right.” by Michael Ian Black, “Not Your Father’s Masculinity.” by Matt Labash, and the documentary Tough Guise 2 by Jackson Katz. 

Jackson Katz, an American educator, film maker, and creator of a gender violence prevention and education program, brought up many important and urgent topics regarding toxic masculinity. Through years of observing and analyzing mass shootings, bullying, homophobia, and gun violence, Katz has been able to gather data and deeply analyze the reasoning for all this. 

One of the things Katz said in Tough Guise 2 is that should have a lasting effect on people is that there is a difference between being a man and using violence to prove you’re a man. A big part of toxic masculinity is believing that using violence is what a real man does. Take a fight for example. If two boys are fighting and one of them loses, more often than not, the boy that lost the fight will be called a wimp or get name called, while the other boy will get praised and told good job! There was a video clip in Tough Guise 2 where the dad told his son to hit him even though the son didn’t want to. He wanted to teach his son how to be tough. Then when the boy started learning from the dad how to fight and actually started punching, the dad said “good job son”. I see this with my brother and my dad all the time, especially with sports. My brother is very athletic but he is also very skinny and not so tough when it comes to getting hurt. Any time my brother cries my dad automatically tells him so suck it up and that he’s being a baby. Just like the father and son scene from the movie, my brother and my dad, this way of acting should not be normalized between father and son. This just adds to the toxic masculinity in our society.

 There was another scene from a movie shown in this documentary that was of two Native Americans and one of them was new to the tribe. The guy joining the tribe was very smiley and happy. The other guy already in the tribe told him that he has to look mean or people won't respect him. I believe that this is an instilled notion in America and it needs to change. 

Jackson Katz’s analysis of toxic masculinity and the reasoning behind it is very effective. He displays videos of newscasters talking about the wusifying of America, as well as the heart wrenching news reports of these mass school shootings. He shows real life statistics and examples of toxic masculinity. Then he explains how these incidents are so effective, unacceptable, and how boys actions in turn need to change. 

Michael Ian Black, an American comedian, actor, writer, and director, also wrote and discussed toxic masculinity. His op ed is about how boys express themselves and their emotions, but it’s also about how boys/men are trapped in this outdated model of masculinity and working toward change. Black’s Project aims to spark change in toxic masculinity with the use of real life examples and stating what we can do to make that change. 

I think a big point made in “The Boys Are Not All Right” op ed was “Boys, though, have been left behind. No commensurate movement has emerged to help them navigate towards a full expression of their gender. It’s no longer enough to ‘be a man’ - we no longer even know what that means.”  This is so true. I see women's empowerment and movements for women all the time on social media. Never do I see boys encouraging boys through movements. They just encourage one another through wrestling, sports, etc. Never for just expressing themselves and being boys. There was no movement to help boys navigate how to express themselves. In the future society could work away from toxic masculinity by using this as an idea. 

Another quote from this op ed that will stick with people is this “Too many boys are trapped in the same suffocating, outdated model of masculinity, where manhood is measured in strength, where there is no way to be vulnerable without being emasculated, where manliness is about having power over others. They are trapped, and they don't even have the language to talk about how they feel about being trapped, because the language that exists to discuss the full range of human emotion is still viewed as sensitive and feminine.” Everyone knows that the language someone uses greatly affects how we view that person, but in the case of boys expressing their emotions being feminine, that is not okay. It just adds to the case of toxic masculinity. Also, talk about an outdated model of masculinity! Toxic masculinity has been going on for forever! Think about the men in your life. You can see the chain. My dad instills these rules and traits in my brother, my grandpa instilled them in my dad, and so forth! Back in the day it was way more acceptable to call someone a faggot or a wus. Name calling and gay bashing is still happening today, just with different words. Now it’s “you’re so gay” or “pussy”. This is not okay. Instead of guys bringing down other guys, they need to empower each other. Then can move towards a less judgemental  and accepting society. 

Michael Ian Black does an awesome job of analyzing toxic masculinity effectively. He states the problem and then leads to the solution. Also he shows direct examples of toxic masculinity. For example he talks about how girls are encouraged and told they can do anything, so they outperform boys in school at every level. He stated that boys are always the ones involved in school shootings. 

I love how at the end of “The Boys Are Not All Right”, Black says “I would like men to use feminism as an inspiration, in the same way that feminists used the civil rights movement as theirs. I’m not advocating a quick fix. There isn’t one. But we have to start the conversation. Boys are broken, and I want to help.” 

Matt Labash, an American author and journalist, wrote about the topic of toxic masculinity in his article “Not Your Father’s Masculinity”. Matt Labash’s op ed is about how the concept of masculinity needs to change, but it is also about overcoming toxic masculinity and letting people from any gender be themselves without these societal rules. Through surveys and just being observant, Labash comprised reasoning and analysis for toxic masculinity. 

One of the things Labash talked about in “Not Your Fathers Masculinity” was #MeToo scandals. He said “But after years or #MeToo scandals, which have revealed weirdos and perverts and sex criminals, ‘toxic masculinity’ is now regarded as tautology in some quarters. In more than a few tellings today, just to be a man is to be toxic.” This says a lot in terms of actions of men and what is taught to them. 

Matt Labash brings up a survey that was done on masculinity. In GQ’s survey of attitudes on masculinity, 97 percent said they felt masculinity was changing, and 30 percent of men said that they were confused by the changes. What was really interesting was the fact that when men were asked what’s hard about being a man, they said, “having to listen to people who aren’t men or who are ashamed of manhood, constantly telling me how to be one.” As GQ said “They’re still living as men undefined by non men.” 

Matt Labash’s analysis of toxic masculinity and the reasoning behind it is very effective. He talks about other professionals and their take on the topic. For example he said “There’s a comedian Hannah Gadsby, who suggests men scale back their confidence, refrain from sharing their opinions, while looking ‘to traditional feminine traits’ and then ‘incorporating them into your masculinity.’” Traditional feminine traits is an interesting way of putting it. Whenever I hear traditional feminine traits I always think of a story my brother told me. After school one day, my brother was so shocked and amazed. There was a boy at his school who would always wear makeup and wear dresses. This boy wasn’t scared of what people thought of him. He expressed himself however he wanted and he overcame toxic masculinity at such a young age. No one bullied him or called him names. This story really makes me hopeful for the overcoming of toxic masculinity in our society. 

“Not Your Fathers Masculinity” ends with this quote by Mr. Abbey. “It’s the difference between men and women, not the sameness, that creates the tension and the delight.” Our diversity is our strength and as a society we need to work away from the toxicity of the norms for each gender and just be accepting of one another as humans.