This quote stuck with me the most in the article. Unless we confront such assumptions from which masculinity is based on...how will we put an end to this? Everyday women struggle to uphold their femininity while also making sure their voices are heard and they are superior beings. Men don't have this problem. Men have the luxury of not having to wake up and prove their superiority--they are "the man". Or are they? See, it;s the men that think they have something to prove that don't believe this. It's these troubled men who believe that in order to fully obtain the respect they deserve as men, they need to do something that will make them feel like men--like the powerful, heterosexual, white men they know they are. And as Steinem argues, it is the white, heterosexual man who does this best. But why then, must they feel the need to "dominate" someone or something in order to feel accomplished? men are on a power high. They are hooked on the drug of dominance. I found the article extremely unnerving.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
troubled men...
"We will never reduce the number of violent Americans, from bullies to killers, without challenging the assumptions on which masculinity is based: that males are superior to females, that they must find a place in a male hierarchy, and that the ability to dominate someone is so important that even a mere insult can justify lethal revenge."
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I definitely think that these men do feel like they have something to prove. But who are they proving it to? I think it's to other men. They are trying to one-up each other; trying to be the one who is seen as being at the top. It's like once they get the taste of power they can't stop. They get hooked on it and need more. This is a luxury that men (mainly white men) get to have. It all ties into the system patriarchy that we all buy into.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the points made that patriarchy is built upon the assumption that males are dominant and therefore better than women. We see this a the major factor behind violence in the world today. Would violent attrocities occur everyday if masculinity was not defined as being the supreme, all powerful sex? It is interesting to consider the wider implications of this assumption and how it functions to keep women oppressed and in a state of fear of annihilation.
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