Bears Vs. The Bears

Have you ever wondered why all men act the same? In the reading “Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code”, Michael Kimmel critics what it means to be a man and the “Guy Code” they are expected to follow. According to Kimmel, masculinity is a problematic social construct that invokes behaviors that men tend to follow unconsciously. The unconscious behaviors that men tend to follow is know as the “Guy Code” that is passed down to them when they were young. Kimmel informs the audience, mainly women about the negative effects inflicted upon men due to following the “Guy Code”. Kimmel uses pathos and logos very effectively to paint an image of why men act the way they do and how it hurts them.

The Chicago Bears were not always the Chicago Bears; they first began as the Decatur Staleys. The Chicago Bears had many things that helped them be a successful team. The success of this franchise can be contributed to dedicated coaches, talented players, outstanding fields and teams with Super Bowl hopes.

In Paul Theroux’s article “The Male Myth” Theroux makes a point that he does not like the stereotypes placed on men in today’s society. Theroux’s article is focused on exposing the stereotypes that men face and the reasons for their occurrence. He claims that writers and many others are directly affected by the expectations of masculinity that are thoroughly incorporated in America. The ideas of masculinity are deeply rooted in high school sports, in the view of the president, and in many other areas. Theroux attempts to prove that being a man in American is, “…pitiful, a little like having to wear an ill-fitting coat for one’s entire life.”

A peculiarity he mentions after explaining the search for a specific gender partner is how, in the South where he is, gay men tend to seek “masculine” partners, which defeats the idea of gender roles in same-sex relationships. The concept of gender is defined as “the identity and roles associated with, and/or appropriated by specific persons, regardless of their biological sex,” (Rich, 2016). While the concept is different across cultures and time, a constant happens to be the grouping and automatic attribution of roles based on a person’s biological sex. The author challenges the idea of gender roles associated with biological sex, however, saying that these men in the South tend to seek boyfriends who are sporty and have other classic masculine characteristics. Mays comments that there are few actions or characteristics that can be classified as gender neutral as these can be in present-day society. Thus, in their case, if both partners will exhibit these masculine qualities, they will both, in turn, be forced to take up women’s roles to live normal lives, for example cooking and cleaning, which would lead to the canceling out of masculine or feminine qualities.

In Guyland, Michael Kimmel chronicles the journey of young males and the issues they face while trying to exert their masculinity and prove themselves to their peers. Based on interactions among North American males between the ages of 16 and 26, Kimmel has found that at an age where young men had previously prepped for a life of work and committed relationships, they are now living in “Guyland” where they spend their time drinking, playing video games, and having immature relations with women. Kimmel explains that these young men are “frighteningly dependent on peer culture” and “desperate to prove their masculinity in the eyes of other boys.” (30) These young men live in constant fear that they will not measure up to the ideals of

Roy Cohn and Joe Pitt represent the stereotypical gay man who refuses to publicly acknowledge his sexuality. They portray how gay men sometimes go to extreme lengths to deny their homosexuality. Both not only lie to others, but they lie to themselves. There is a certain sadness in the fact that some gay men desire the respect of strangers over being honest with themselves. Why do such a large number of gay men live lives in denial? The answer is simple. The answer is fear. Fear is the driving force behind many gay men's secrecy. The fear of how others may view them and the fear of how they will be received is overpowering.

The larger group was Dominated by all males, which is another thing I didn’t expect. You would think that the group would have at least one or two females in it, statistically speaking. The smaller group was female dominated with two females and a single male in it. I observed the male and he didn’t seem to follow his gender role4. This made me think because I have a gay friend and homosexual men seem to familiarize with females more easily than heterosexual males. Also I noticed a trend that most gay men spent most of their time being raised by their mother with a more distant or even non-existent father figure. It is probably not fair to make assumptions about the lone male in the group, but I’m assuming he fits in this stereotype5. The other thing I noticed about this group is that they all seemed to be equal; there wasn’t one that put themselves before the others.

It has been a while since the Chicago Bears have had a dominating backfield with multiple running backs. Previous seasons of injury and players being ridden to exhaustion have kept Chicago’s running game from playing at its full potential throughout a complete season. The Bears were blessed with the talents and abilities of Matt Forte, but this year could be the start of something amazing.

Steve Olson uses imagery, provides examples, uses tone, and gives counterpoints to help show that blue-collar men have made an impact in our everyday lifestyle. Steve Olson uses imagery as a rhetorical device. When talking about the blue-collar shirt men, he gives them a stereotypical image from the beginning. Olson states, “BCGs have been portrayed as beer-drinking, big bellied, bigoted rednecks who dress badly” (1). In our minds, it displays the image of a man with a big belly who does not dress to impress.

The Packers’ head coach is Mike McCarthy; he is better than the Bears’ John Fox. McCarthy has coached the team to the playoffs for the past seven years. The Bears have not been to the playoffs once while under the coaching of John Fox. McCarthy also has won more Superbowls. Fox has an outstanding zero Superbowl wins.

This activity functions as a reaffirmation of their heterosexuality and masculinity. Being able to push one’s body past its mental and physical limits is associated with stoic masculinity and has been compared to a utilitarian, well oiled machine (Cherney & Lindemann). Athletes use sport as an outlet for aggression and competitiveness. Therefore, this population is often stereotyped. However, certain populations challenge this norm through alternative activities. For example, quadriplegic rugby and wheelchair basketball utilize daredevil masculinity as a way of repairing men’s masculine identities (Cherney & Lindemann). In addition, the presence of potentially homoerotic actions can be found throughout sport, even though society denies its existence. In American football alone, men slap each other’s butts, violate personal space when tackling, and hug each other in celebration of victory (Cherney & Lindemann). On gameday, men celebrate the complicated nature of their masculinity, but outside of sport, they deny its

Within his piece, Guys Vs. Men, Dave Barry articulates the different perspectives available on viewing males. Throughout his piece he utilizes a satirical tone to showcase this idea. The audience that Dave Barry is attempting to convey his message to is the general public. I believe this to be an appropriate assessment as the level of language employed by Dave Barry, throughout his piece, lacks complexity. His use of satire also helps to identify the audience. This is because the use of humour can be seen as a way to capture the attention of a reader quickly in hopes that the reader continues, and ultimately finishes the article. Using these as evidence I can conclude the audience being targeted is the general public. Dave Barry’s thesis, which can be located in paragraph one, stating “that there’s another way to look at males: not as aggressive macho dominators; not as sensitive, liberated, hugging drummers; but as guys.” Within his thesis, Dave Barry expresses how the stereotypes that define a male are not the only points of view of a male. He conveys that there are other perspectives available on how males can be viewed, and one of them is simply to view males as guys. In his body paragraphs, Dave Barry proceeds to explain the various characteristics that make up, and are exhibited by, guys. The Characteristics he mainly emphasises are how “Guys Like Neat Stuff”, how “Guys Like a Really Pointless Challenge”, and finally how “Guys Do Not Have a Ridged and Well-Defined

When thinking of the word cheerleader one typically imagines a pretty, white, blond girl with pom-poms. No one ever imagines a male identifying person in such a way. If male cheerleaders do exist they are automatically considered a “fag” whether they are homosexual or not. Pascoe defines “fag” as “the opposite of masculine, whether or not the word is deployed with sexualized or non-sexualized meanings:” In our society cheerleading is considered a female sport and men who become cheerleaders automatically lose their masculinity and hence are deemed “fags”. In this essay, I demonstrate that anything that does not assert ones masculinity makes that man a fag regardless of their sexuality.

Breaking the Norms     When each of us was conceived, we did not have anything influencing our perception of the world. While we were growing up and still do this day, our surroundings influenced the way we think and the how we behave in our daily lives. We get ideas about gender roles from our parents, our teachers, television, books and even subconsciously. As part of a project to break the norms of society and push past peoples thresholds, I needed to figure out what made people feel uncomfortable. I thought for a moment and decided to tackle homophobia. I choose this topic because very few men are comfortable talking about the subject of gay men. It is my objective to better understand why men think the way we

Kimmel cites psychologist Robert Brannon for identifying the precepts of manhood and masculinity in America. These rules are as follows: “no sissy stuff,” “be a big wheel,” “be a sturdy oak,” and “give ‘em hell,” (Kimmel,