The documentary examined masculinity in the United States culture and the media and how it affects people's opinions and behaviors, especially for males. The mold of what makes a real man is causing males to be violent and emotionally closed off. Men tend to believe that masculinity equals invulnerability and this could cause covert depression. Men tend to be more violent against other man than women. Its more outrageous when women commit violent crimes then when men do. Masculinity affects minority men in a different way because they feel life it is all they have to survive and seem powerful. The concern is that masculinity is inflicting negative traits on society, especially males. The hope is that males will be able to see that its ok to express their emotions and to be human. I feel like masculinity is a problem in our society. Many of the boys i know rarely show emotion when they are sad or hurt. In fact, a lot of the guys I know seem uneasy when they see someone crying.
Important Points From the Video: The Video identifies several cultural developments in the past 30 years that are in part responsible for the current levels of date rape, domestic violence and school shootings.
The wizzard of Oz is cited as a metaphor of how men wear a mask that is disguise of being tough, a tough guise.
- Katz asked young men what it mean to be male and got replies like, strong, physical, independent, in control, powerful, athletic, and tough.
- Media are crucial to constraining men to seeing violent masculinity as the cultural norm, there is a growing connection in society between being a man and being violent.
- 85% of murders are by men, 95% domestic violence are by men, and 99% of rapes in prison are by man.
- The invisibility of masculinity is played out, media say it is "Kids Killing Kids" not that it is boys killing boys and girls, not girls doing the killing, and so must be tied to masculinity.
- Katz says that what needs to be visible its how violent masculinity is visible is the first step to seeing how it operates in the culture.
- The video explores the construction of violent masculinity and the connection to violence and suggest some answers.
- Some of the possible solutions that Katz mentions is that we must change the "Cultural Environment" so to being men must have the "Courage" to work with women and speak out. They need to see a more honest portrayal of male vulnerability. Girls and women must show they value men who reject the tough guise.
I feel that it is important for films such as Tough Guise to be shown in all schools around the country to enlighten those who may not see the critical and immediate danger that is facing our society when it comes to violence. By allowing an up close to look at issues that affect each of us we can move closer to being rid of violent attacks upon those who are in educational environments.
My Overall reaction to the video propels me to look deeper into the problems that are facing our schools and students in to making a positive move towards making changes. By viewing this video we dont have to take a back seat to the events and crimes that may affect our immediate communities. We lean to be ready to identify threats so that we can better address problems and issues with those around us. People can learn about violence for all racial backgrounds. I think that by showing violent behavior to be a multicultural and national epidemic that it takes the horrible deed of violence off the race of people and places it where it belongs with the individual who practices bad behavior.
The article explains the three commonly recognized aspects of sexual orientation which are
- Heterosexuality (sexual attraction to people of the opposite gender)
- Bisexuality (sexual attraction to people of both the male and female gender)
- Homosexuality (sexual attraction to members of the same gender).
Sexual orientation differs from sexual behavior in that it involves an individual's feelings and perception of their own sexuality. On the other hand, sexual behavior or the act of sex may or may not express an individual's feelings or self concept. The author implies in the article that either heterosexual or homosexual is implied from the time of birth and that there is little chance for one to change their pattern in the course of their lifetime.
