Dave Berry's Essays: Guy Characteristics

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.

In the article “Bros before Hos: The Guy Code”, by Michael Kimmel he writes about many different standards and ideals that young men must live up to, to be accepted in today’s society. The article talks about genders, at different ages sixteen to twenty six and how it is directed towards anyone that wants to know more about genders and how it can relate to masculinity and men. It was also based off of a book that he had written in the late two- thousands. According to (Kimmel) young men must live and abide, by a set of rules known as the spectacular “Guy Code”. The “Guy Code” was created to help understand why young men feel and act the way they do, and how masculinity may be perceived in their cultures. The code has been instilled into many young men around the world by their peers, family, and media at the age of four, or maybe even when a child has developed somewhat of a understanding. Being taught how to be masculine at a very young age is important to teach your child, it helps them discover who they are as a person, and who they are supposed to be perceived as, and how to find their inner virility as a young male. Kimmel also uses exemplification to help explain how the “Guy Code” is a collection of attitudes, values, and many traits that are together to help compose what it really means to be a man. The code lets us know how men are not suppose to cry, and how they are not suppose to be or act like sissies. But how men must be very

Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist whose syndicated column appears in more than 500 newspapers. Barry’s published works, totaling more than 25, include ‘Stay Fit and Healthy until You’re Dead’ (1985), ‘Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway’ (2001), and ‘Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys: A Fairly Short Book’ (1995). The preface to Barry’s book ‘Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys: A Fairly Short Book’, ‘Guys vs. Men’, is his perspective on the difference between “Guys” and “Men.” While both words no doubt bring to mind an image of a human male, they are very different in there description of that male. First, guys like to buy “neat” things that they don’t really need. Also, guys like a really pointless challenge. Last, but not

In Michaels Kimmel's article, Bros before Hos: The guy code. Kimmel is a professor at of the state university of New York. He identifies the key components of how masculinity is formed, in American society. Kimmel analyzes how the guy code implies to the development of a young child to a grown man and how the ideal man should be shaped. He explains how this idealistic ranges to the ages of sixteen through twenty-six. Kimmel starts off in the article addressing the problem he sees and four main rules of masculinity, based on the findings of a psychologist, Robert Brannon. Kimmel enforces how the guy code can create emotion barriers for men to show emotion because of the renfecomnet of society and the difficulty of not breaking the code’s rules.

A short essay “ Guys vs. “Men” written by Dave Barry, presents Dave’s perception on the difference between “Guys” and “Men”. Dave presents his essay in a comical way that generalizes the “men” vs. “guys” and also gender biased generalization. Dave argues that men hold too much of responsibilities and many expectations in which guys do not and they live happier life. One of the methods he uses to support his argument is a comparison. Other method he uses is the description of how he views “men” vs. “guys” and gives his perspective. And the last method he uses to further his argument is the use of hyperbole, exaggeration through out the essay.

The myth that boys in today’s society are encouraged to follow this “Guy Code” in order to be accepted amongst their peers, friends and family members can cause great emotional side effects. In “Bros Before Hos”: The Guy Code” by Michael Kimmel, he did a survey amongst college campuses and the question was simple “what is a man?” and the responses were pretty predictable. A few phrases stood out amongst this “Real Guys Top Ten List”: “ Boys Don’t Cry”, “Size Matters” and “Take It Like A Man” (Kimmel 462). All these phrases feed into this myth that men are to be aggressive and strong at all times. This “Guy Code” that is spoken of is a gathering of values, attitudes and traits that describe what a man is to be (Kimmel 462). Boys in todays day

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

When someone is thinking of a man, what do they think? Strong? Brave? That’s what most people think; in reality that is a very false image. In “Bros Before Hos: The Guy Code,” Michael Kimmel, talks about what it means to be a man and what it takes to be a man in today’s world. Men are pressured into what they “should” be. If they don’t follow certain unwritten rules, which include: not asking for directions, not giving up, not showing fear, or any signs of emotional weakness, such as tears; they are considered less than a man, a wimp. A real man must be aggressive and brave, he must defend his territory: status, family, possessions. Men blindly follow the Guy Code, they must comply in order to be part of the pack, to fit in.

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

“Friend stopped, stood still, and braed himself.. see I’m no chicken” (Katz 221). Male maturation is a very complex sophisticated process. In “How Boys Become Men” Jon Katz takes on the challenge and head ache of analyzing this process. He explains how learning one of the central ethics of the gender is experiencing pain rather than showing fear and emotion. We do so by taken on challenges because we feel obligated to in front of our friends in order to not look cowardly. How we demonstrate machismo and lack commitment, how we do whatever we can to fit into the society around us and are willing to do anything just to resemble coolness and absolutely no tolerability of getting pushed around. It called Guy Code, a set of

Guys vs. Men is an essay written by Dave Barry that discusses various characteristics that guys possess. This essay is an extraction taken from his book, Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys. The author claims that males should be referred to as guys instead of men — which according to the author has negative aspects attached to it. The characteristics of guys presented are that guys like unnecessary complex stuff, they like pointless challenges and they do not have a strict moral code. The intended audience for this essay are females because through this essay, Dave Barry attempts to inform the reader about some of the characteristics of guys that are often misunderstood.

What makes a man, a “man”? Is it how much money he makes? The car he drives? The life he lives? Or, the amount of “Masculinity” that he shows? These are some of the stereotypical question that becomes the ideas of what men should have or strive to achieve. In Post-Princess Models of Gender: The New Man in Disney/Pixar by Ken Gillam and Shannon R. Wooden, they bring forth the ideas/thought of what the characteristic of men should be, by the overly influential control Disney and Pixar have on us and our future generation. Similar to what Matthew Immergut, in his article Manscaping: The Tangle of Nature, Culture and the Male Body, they both share ideas on the thought of man. The argument addressed in the question is either the way we view masculinity should be changed or not to determine us as men. In which the answer is, yes it should. Male or man, is a gender identity which show/ categorize, us separate from our female counterpart, Female or woman. But then are criticized on their place a “males” by getting in situation the emasculate them. Just because men independent or allowing for help, either overly sensitive or possess a lack of emotion, or whether or not “he” shaves his body or not should deter what the worlds thought on his masculinity

What does it mean to be a man? Is it the way a person conducts themselves? Perhaps an ideal male is tough, assertive, and physically appealing. In his article, “What I Learned in the Locker Room” Steve Almond introduces the idea of what makes a man masculine, and more specifically, participation in sports as an indication of a male's masculinity.

“Men are thought to be physically tougher, more aggressive, more rational, better able to handle sex without love, and more likely to be successful at work by virtue of their greater will to win.” (Nicholson, 1993, 2)

In the 1994 comedy-drama “Forrest Gump”, life is compared to a box of chocolate “because you never know what you are going to get”. Some women are finding the words life and men easily interchangeable in this analogy. They say it is hard to categorize what is on the inside of a man based on how things seem from the outside of them. For example, there are some who are looking as if they have it all together, yet behind closed doors, they are self-righteous, argumentative, and disrespectful. On the other hand, some are the complete opposite. They are humble, nonaggressive, and respectful. As a result, it is difficult for a woman to find individual distinction in her preferred type of man because there are certain characteristics that appear in almost every one of them. Among these commonly attributed characteristics are ambition, pride, honor, competitiveness, and a sense of adventure. Therefore, a woman must assess the strengths and weaknesses of the varying