Pre 9/11

Time, 11 June 2001 

Some differences are more different than others

Across analyses spanning 122 attributes from more than 13,000 individuals, one conclusion stood out: instead of dividing into two groups, men and women overlapped considerably on attributes like the frequency of science-related activities, interest in casual sex, or the allure of a potential mate’s virginity.

from: "The Tangle of the Sexes" 20 April 2013

The sexes have more in common than in difference, but that doesn't stop us from using sex as one of the key organizing structures of our society. Why do some difference matter so much more than others? What is at stake when we hold so fast to certain definitions that weight certain differences so heavily? Can you think of other cases where humans think very differently about groups that actually share more in common than they differ?

Confidence and the Penis within the Music Industry

When expressing masculinity within the music industry what is most often talked about is how large the musicians' penis is or how many women they had sex with.
However, Machlemore's song, Penis Song, takes a different perspective and tone.

What are your rections?
How is this song is similar or different from the way some musicians present masculinity?

Last night I attended the event Night of Noise: Hip Hop Against Homophobia presented by the Boys & Girls Club and Harmony Cafe GLBT Services. The special guest for the event was Gunate (the spoken word artist whose work professor Matty presented on the second day of class). Last night Guante performed a spoken word piece entitled "Handshakes". Gunate begins by addressing the cultural association of one's handshake tied to one's masculinity. It is interesting to think about because this is one of few instances when one can assess another's masculinity through touch (fighting, hugs, pats on the back might be other examples, but how often do they actually occur/are seen as acceptable?). The characteristics Guante mentions are usually things we assess though senses other than touch, such as what we visually see as masculine, what words are used and how they express masculinity to a listener, and the smell of masculinity (axe cologne, woodsy, sweaty, etc.). This poem presents the idea of masculine strength as correlated with a physical reaction (purple fingers, weakness of hand being crushed). Through the physical interaction Guante is drawn to thoughts about his own masculinity in terms of what is hegemonically acceptable: drinking and enjoying beer, knowing a lot about cars, cooking the best steaks.

Then Guante addresses the claustrophobic nature of maintaining different forms of masculinity. He asks "Don't you feel tired of acting this way? Putting on this facade? Trying to make people see you a certain way that might not even express what you find valuable about you?" The idea of the panopticon comes to mind, that men are constantly being watched and have to reaffirm their acceptable masculinity daily, leading to self-surveillance. Guante then addresses masculine gentleness and how deprivation of gentleness by social expectations of masculinity can cause men to feel pressure to conform to ideals of hegemonic/culturally acceptable masculinities.

I find this poem very powerful, especially the end after the build up when Guante says "how incredible it can feel to let go". Letting go of the pressures of conforming to acceptable masculinities can result in more rewarding life experiences detached from worries about what others think.

How Porn is Affecting the Libido of the American Male

This week as we talk about masculinity and bodies I found some interesting information concerning the "Porn Industry" and the effects it is having on men in America. We all know that this is not something new, porn has been around longer then our generation. However as our world continues to advance we can see a connection between accessibility to porn via. technology. Media and the Internet perpetuates the idea that men are obsessed with sex, their size and the performance of their manhood. Whether this may, or may not be true for some men, porn addiction has only continued to increased with the development of technology, becoming a regular activity for 70% of men in America. Pornography statistics state that the average age a child first watches porn is 11 and show kids beginning to navigate the web (after being introduced to the Internet) by age 7. In relation to technology; sex, porn and promiscuity work to define masculinity and with the help of the media, continues to influence our cultures perceptions of what makes a man, a man. 

I would strongly encourage everyone to read the article I've hyper-linked! If you are short on time, I ask that you at least watch the short clip I've attached. This short TED talk is given by Philip Zimbardo,  titled "The demise of guys?" and talks about the disconnect between men and women, due to technology/ the porn industry. 

  

I hope you find this interesting!

 

 

 

 

A TV-Show Predicament

I just wanted to relay a conversation I had this morning with a member of the board of trustees who works in advertizing. He shared that he worked for Disney, which got us talking about the process of choosing what scripts and shows to produce. I asked him if he was aware of any discussion on the production side of what types of shows should be produced in order to impact certain demographics. I mentioned that many soap operas in South-East Asia will target certain demographics, primarily house wives, with the intention of promoting gender equality (or some weird version of that) and these effects have been seen to occur. But what he said was that most tv show scripts will be made in the US or in the UK and then filtered through other tv agencies around the world who then tweak the plots to make it more culturally relative. For example, they will eliminate meat-eating from the shows, or promiscuity etc. And the main agencies will start to make their initial scripts easier for this tweaking to be done--which makes it extremely difficult for controversial protagonists to enter mainstream US media. Relating to our discussion a few days ago about how we can dispel Western notions of Islamic masculinity, we see how complex it becomes to have main characters who are Muslim when companies around the world are supporting screen writers to make their characters as simplistic as possible.

Jamaican Masculinities

I still have alot to learn about my Jamaican culture and its prevalent gender issues. However, I can safely say that I am getting the tools to unpack and analyze the gender issues in my country. In light of presenting on Jamaican Masculinity ,  Shari and I found some very interesting articles and videos about the various forms of Masculinities in Jamaica . One in particular ;"  Jamaican  Masculinity: construction and consequences " contributed by Keon West in The Gleaner ( one of our national papers) examines the constructions of the Jamaican masculinities,  the negative consequences and a plausible solution to redefine Jamaican masculinity. For our purposes, the article is accurate enough to give us a synopsis of the relationship between Jamaican men , their sexualities, sexual violence , gendered expectations , homophobia , anti-feminity, high homicide and sexual assault cases that has caused some  moral degregation of Jamaican society.  Also, West relates socio-economic issues and reluctance to acquire an education and legitimate sources of income that  putsJamaican masculinity into a severe crisis.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100321/lead/lead9.html

Is it okay for masculine men to cry? I believe so, for sure! This is one perfect example.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0Syl5YGrQk

Kevin Ware played a key role in this season for Louisville's basketball team. In the elite 8 he had one of the worst injuries anyone has ever seen. He broke his leg, but it was alot worse than that. This is a interview with Kevin after his surgery on his thoughts about his teamates and about the upcoming final four. I thought it was a great video, and shows true masculine emotion. Some people dont think men should cry, but this is so real and how things should be.

Enjoy,

Davis

Harper Lee High School

Do any of you listen to the radio show This American Life? If not, let me be the first to introduce you to this hilarious, awkward, hilariously awkward, touching, and inspiring story-hour. These wonderful and occasionally wacko stories will reaffirm your faith in public radio and make you fall in love with host Ira Glass. Almost as cool as the show itself is the fact that there is an online archive with free podcasts with every one of its shows since 1995, so get at it. But first I want to tell you about an especially good one relating to masculinities that I listened to over spring break. I have been looking for reason to give it to you all since then, and I think this week’s topic relates well to it.

This episode is called “Harper Lee High School,” and it came out in late February. The episode is in response to recent gun violence, but is not a direct call for policy change—rather, the program takes a closer look into the reality for families living in the US where gun violence is a daily fear. The program is created over number of months, during which selected staff reporters developed relationships with students and staff at a high school in inner city Chicago called Harper Lee High School. The radio show chose this school specifically because during last year alone 29 students died as a result of gun violence

As you may have guessed, the neighborhood surrounding Harper Lee High School is one exhausted by gang violence—a culture that is more normal to Harper Lee students than not. Students who are interviewed discuss how they are assigned to gangs simply by their position on the block. And this gang culture is a pressure primarily facing young men.

The reason that I think this episode fits in with this week’s topic of cross-cultural masculinities is because it explores how sub-cultures grapple with the phenomena of the global hegemonic male. Just as Muslim masculinities are formed in part in reaction to colonial ideas of masculinity, so do African-American communities create a unique version of the hegemonic male. This pervasive image of the white, strong man that inculcates Western media plays an unseen role in forming this hegemonic masculinity that reigns in gang territory. This new version of masculinity seen in gangs is firmly established in its separateness from the white ideal, yet retains elements of this influence.

I encourage you to listen to it! Here is the link to the online streaming.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/487/harper-high-school-part-one

Happy listening,

Inanna

Bible Believers

Here is what I was talking about on Friday. The man I was speaking about as the "masculine" hegemonic man starts around 26:45. I am a fangirl of Russell Brand - but it won't hurt my feelings if you don't watch the entire episode :)

BrandX Episode 21: Bible Believers

It gets better after the break. We see a nice display of what is seen as "masculine" between Russell Brand and our two other guests. Enjoy!

Another bastion of masculine homophobia changing its stripes?

This article in Salon argues that the world of hip-hop is moving away from the homophobia of the past. Says Brother Ali:

My use of the f-word more than a decade ago in the song ‘Dorian’ off Shadows On The Sun continued to echo in a space in which I no longer dwelled … My world was pretty small and bleak when I wrote that album. Since then I’ve been fortunate enough to tour the world, read James Baldwin and develop deep friendships with musicians whom I love and respect and who are openly gay.

Hey everyone,

I found this image and thought it was really striking.  I'd like to hear some reactions to this image.  Do you feel this person is completely wrong, or does he have a point?

In addition, I think it's interesting to see this individual's interpretation of what a "real man" should be.