BIS224

Everyone: Read all posted reflections and respond to at least one of them (100-150 word comment)

posted:

The documentary and the readings as well were very instructive. They presented aspects of gender and the way society approaches it in ways that is not seen in mainstream media. I believe many people look at others that do not fit the normal gender binaries and judge them because society reinforces that there are only certain ways people should be and act; anything else that is outside the rigid box is bad or unnatural. In the documentary Tough Guise 2: Violence, Manhood, and American Culture the director wanted to explain how masculinity is and the performance of it is not one dimensional. His argument is that many things affects how people behave; for example, popular culture, such as movies, books, video games and the news push these definitions of what it means to be a male and anything less in unacceptable or worse, repugnant. I do not advocate for any kind of violence but social norms need to be changed. I agree with his conclusion that in order to change the way men act is to change the view males have towards themselves and towards other males. We need to loosen these rigid definitions that society has imposed upon itself and others.

            The readings reinforce the problem the movie touched upon. There is an issue with having labels and rigid definitions of what people should be like because they are part of a certain demographic. People are not objects or simpleminded beings; on the contrary they are complex beings that are very different from one another so there should not be expectations that people will fit in certain categories just because society deems it normal. The Intro to Female Masculinity chapter goes back and forth between female masculinity and male femininity. It presents the fact that both ways of behaving are unnatural and that male masculinity is the only acceptable one. Again, this is a problem because society does not accept anything that steps outside the line, be it a male acting in a slightly feminine way and vice versa. It is important to try and make people understand that people do not come only in two forms and that they will differ. In The Cost to Tell the Truth reading we can see that again people are judged for being different. There is a certain definition that is attributed to a very feminine woman and another definition to one that is less then feminine. The article says that it happens because of the stereotypes that people have for others when it comes to gender, race, class, body type, age etc. I agree with the author, who has the authority to make judgments and define what is acceptable. People should not be forces to be something they are not.

Question: We see this discrimination happening every day on the news or in movies, sometimes subtle, other times more obvious. These norms are so ingrained in todays society that it feels unattainable to make the world more acceptable of people being different. In your opinion what would be a first step in changing this rigid society?