Tough Guise 2 Essay

When a man fails to live up to other’s expectations of being a “real man,” he is diminished and criticized for being a “woman.” Thus, starting at young ages, boys are fall into the misleading idea that respect is acquired by force. In fact, younger boys look up to men who display uncontrollable rage because these men evoke fear to those around them. Boys are taught that fear is equivalent to respect, and society’s perception of belligerent men only fuels their drive for violence. The phenomenon of posing - creating a false depiction of what men are truly feeling - showcases that this widespread performance of masculinity does not just stem from the media. The explanation of this projection of masculinity is oversimplified, and identified as cause and effect relationships between imitative violent acts from video games and movies. However, the actual truth is that the problem does not only lie in these few few places. It is everywhere, embedded deeply in

This research looks at the association of masculinity with violence, racism, power and the objectification of women, which has been around since early civilization. This study also shows how these concepts are still evident today in the media. Masculinity in the media is portrayed as muscular, violent, angry, aggressive, dominant, and warrior like. The rhetoric in media, as it relates to masculinity, has influenced the amount of violence in the world.

No matter what, we are almost always talking about violence masculinity in America. Whether we are talking about the horrifying, high-profile mass shooting we have seen over recent decades, the far greater rates of murder and gun violence we see on a day – to – day basis that barely register in the national news, or the epidemic of sexual violence and domestic violence, the vast majority of this violence is committed by men, young men, and boys (Jackson Katz, 2013). Throughout this essay the topics covered will be how culture defines masculinity, according to the film, violent masculinity as a cultural norm, agents of socialization that teach boys how to be men, the cool

Kimmel looks at both sides of the argument that video games and other media influence violence in young men in real life, but focuses on the perception that violent video games influence violent young men. In my third informal writing assignment reflecting on that chapter, I stated “I can see the side where it does have an impact of young kids, and I see it in my younger cousins when they can recite the cutscenes in the games they play, and see it when they play fight and pretend they are their favorite game heroes”, concluding with “Today’s violent games weren’t made to teach children how to kill, they’re only made for entertainment” (Brinkman-Sull). Before I took this class, and even at the beginning of the semester, I was extremely defensive of the criticism on violence in gaming, but after reading more into it, I realized just how deep in the industry the problem is– highly sexist notions in a lot of popular games. Many of them portray women as objectified beings, purely used for sex appeal and to attract the larger male gamer population. The male characters are also idealised in a similar way– typically portrayed as muscular, brawny men, with basic levels of thinking and reasoning. These brawny men are typically focused on one thing– complete the mission in whatever means possible. This kind of violent thinking is widely reflected throughout many other typically male-dominated organizations, including the

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

Each day, violence is pushed on children, teenagers, and adults. Yet we as a society continue to overlook the issue. We fail to ask ourselves the important questions. Why are there so many mass shootings, why are there so many unjustified murders, or why are men using masculinity as an excuse to become more aggressive towards woman sexually, and also towards men who don’t display what our modern cultures and movies tell us is manly? I believe that we don’t ask these questions not because we don’t want to hear the answers, instead because glorified ferocity has become a normal part of our everyday lives. So much so, that we think it’s just the way life is. After watching Tough Guise 2 it becomes clear that although violent action is the end result, our true problem lies within the horrible messages our movies present to us.

Society has a way of creating standards and expectations for the roles of men and women. The two videos Killing Us Softly and Tough Guise showed how society truly portrays men and women. The overall media system defines men. It is where they learn it what it means to be a “man”. In the video, Tough Guise, dominance, power, and control were the most commonly used adjectives to describe men. (1) Media not only gives men a certain role but it stereotypes certain races of men. Latinos are seen as boxers or criminals, Asian’s are seen as martial artists of sneaky criminals, and African Americans are seen as thugs or murderers. (1) Media directly associates violence with men. Violence has become an acepted part of masculinity. Young boys learn that if they don't want be be a “wimp” then they have to act out in violent ways. On the contrary, in the

The documentary “The Mask You Live In” by Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s shows a wide array of interviews and case studies of men and young boys showing them talking about the pressures of masculinity in the American culture, then that of young girls. This documentary shows how they handle and deal with the pressures and hardships of living up to this image of the American male. From a young boy, they are told to “Be a man!” “Don’t cry!” “Stop with the emotion!” and “Man up!”

In school when a boy is viewed as weak or not manly enough, they are teased verbally and physically. According to Michael Thompson, “boys will attack one another for anything that they think is not masculine”. By definition masculine is 1. Having qualities or appearance traditionally associated with men, especially strength and aggressiveness. 2. The male sex or gender. Boys tend to like more violence and aggressiveness.

In chapter 12, Jackson Katz talks about how awareness of violence against women needs to be introduced to boys at a young age. A large reason for this is how our society puts boys above girls. “Everywhere you turn, you see manhood equated with power and control – of other men as well as women” (Katz, 2006, 229). Katz talks about how everyday things effect young boys into thinking that they are superior: in super hero cartoons, music, and even nicknames of NASCAR drivers. Katz also states that boys get the message that any sign of feminine qualities is not good and that they need to be masculine at all times (Katz, 2006, 229).

A lot of males’ violent behavior and females’ complaisance can be accredited to family and institutional socialization. Parents usually raise boys on aggressive sports, such as hockey and football, which encourage violence. Girls, however, are generally brought up on "feminine" activities, dance and figure skating to name a few, which promote a gentle, polite nature. It is the rare parent that heeds their four-year-old son’s aspiration to be a ballet dancer by purchasing the child a pair of tights and a leotard. When a boy shows more interest in dolls than in trucks, his family may be distressed, and provoke him to reveal his "masculine" side. After striving for egalitarianism between the sexes for so many years, families still deter young girls from pursuits of hockey stardom, hoping to interest them in Pointe shoes. Displays of emotion by boys are often criticized for being "unmasculine", whereas emotional behavior in girls tends to be expected and accepted. As a result, boys tend to not only hide their feelings, but criticize friends for showing their emotions. Girls, on the other hand, encourage one another to express feelings and console one another naturally.

Today, most of the video games we see on the television or the internet are based on violence. Not only just video games itself, but the music we hear on the radio, the easy access to pornography, the things we see on the internet and in the films. First, we know that the media are teaching us that society wants us to become a certain way, such as for us women, we need to be feminine, sexy, nurturing and weak, and for men, it's more toward aggression, violence, masculinity, and dominant. And we learn all this by watching television, internet, movies, playing video games and even through rap music or just music in general and it's not easy to avoid society's expectation in our gender roles because it's everywhere and we see it every day, unless we change it and stop with the stereotypes. It's sad to think that, even though boys are born to be loving human beings, but by the time they are at a young adolescent age, they are already taught to be strong, and the mindset that places them with the society's gender roles of what it means to be a man. Every day, when I check the media/internet, I always see something that has to do with masculinity. For instance, a picture of men with a lot of women, rap music/picture that distributes a lot with money, gang, sexuality and expensive automobiles, video games that deals with high extent of hostility or a domestic violence, and it's funny because they make it

Violence is the intentional use of force or aggression against another person. Violence is another component of masculinity and the requirements to be a man. This is shown through the physical aggression males have when they get mad, or angry. Society is constantly telling boys to fight back. If a boy is getting bullied, they are supposed to fight the bully back. If a man gets in a fight at the bar, they are supposed to fight back. This aggression is also engrained in males from a young age. Violence can also be an example of a characteristic for a boy suffering from depression. Depression can typically lead to aggressive behaviours and cause a boy to misbehave. With violence being an aspect of masculinity, it can cause issues when trying to diagnose suffering teens with depression. By making violence a common attribute among boys, it decreases the likelihood of adults noticing those in need of mental health assistance.

Strong, Independent, Intimidating, Powerful, Strong, Independent, In control, Rugged, Scares people, Powerful, Respected, Hard, A stud, Athletic, Muscular, A real man is tough, Tough, Tough” These are the responses of young men when they were asked what they believed what being a man was in the movie Tough Guise. This is a movie by Jackson Katz who is an anti-violence educator. The media that is taken in by the young men in our society is a very violent one. The men in most movies are portrayed as violent, tough, powerful, and criminals. The roles played by these men create an image for these young men making it seem ideal to be like them. The media influences the men and makes them have the negative portrayal of what a man is supposed to be. Masculinity reaches many people by influence through others.

Today, entertainment surrounds people through their televisions, computers, phones and video games. Essentially, video games developed into several various genres causing today’s entertainment to crave an unique experience. But, violent video games, regarded as a controversial genre, causes more negative controversy within modern society due to its glorified scenes of blood, killing, sexual context, and language than its counterparts. Not only does this minimize their favorable factors but additionally, it generates a believable correlation between violent video