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