Toxic Masculinity Research Paper

Not only do the ideas of machismo harm men and their mental health, as it did for Oscar, it creates a false, harmful indoctrination of a man’s role in a romantic relationship. Due to the fact that the machismo ideals are so valued, women perceive the aggression towards them as normal and even loving. This mindset paves a way for women to experience abusive relationships and sexual violence as the norm in romantic

For multiple years, young boys and men have struggled to keep up with society's mental image of what a man should look, act, and be like. From the minute they are brought into this world, boys mostly always already have an idea of what they should be as they get older. They are brainwashed with the mentality that they have to be this rugged, strong, fit persona. And most boys will do anything it takes in order to achieve that attribute to feel some sort of acceptance by society. Having these ¨manly¨ attributes is not always what determines a boy from having the label of being a man.

When we talk about masculinity in America today we theorize that violence that happens more often than we like, from mass shootings or crime in general, including rape and murders in the real world and in the virtual thrill world of videogames and movies we find a parallel connection of masculinity as violent. Even though an overwhelming majority of violence is committed by men and boys we as americans rarely connect gender as a major key in violence. But when we lay out the plane lines about culture of violence were almost always hinting that it is a masculine trait that is a taught behavior. The modern society has conjured up the idea of the ideal man, that showing emotions is wrong but one must be charming, seeming smartish but more of an attitude of control showing that manhood has a hierarchy. Weakening the not so tough guy, society giving them labels to show they are outside of the gender binary.

Boys, as soon as they’re born, are held to certain stereotypical expectations; whether it be emotions, interests, or simply how they act or think, boys are indoctrinated to “act like a man”. David Sedaris’ “Loggerheads” shows excellent examples of these male stereotypes and how they can affect boys, mentally and physically, throughout their entire lives. Not only are young men anticipated to not express or discuss emotions, they’re held to the ridiculous expectation to have the same mainstream interests and hobbies -- sports, cars, video games, and women are just a few examples. If, for whatever reasons, a man is not interested in these specific areas or is overly-emotional, society shuns these men and paints them as being lesser and backward.

What the general public does not know, in relation to the spread of the ideology enforcing toxic standards for masculinity, is the why. People do not why men are expected to act in a violent way they just assume that is has always been this way, so they perpetuate the idea. People do not like to seem stupid so even if someone does not know why something is the way it is, like why men should be violent, they still believe it and understand stand it as a truth because they assume that is the way it has always been. Men in America culture have been using a system of values with no idea why for far too long. Their minds have been corrupted by an evil ideology that forces them to value themselves by how violent they

Multiple other places exist where young men learn these behaviors, such as community, school, and in their family; however, Katz argues that one of the most powerful influences is the country’s pervasive media. For example, as movies have progressed, men have grown larger as women grow smaller. Movies such as Rocky, Rambo, and even the Godfather show men as inherently violent, strong, and emotionally underdeveloped, and this becomes the ideal image for boys just as the beautiful, nurturing, thin woman becomes the ideal for girls. Similar to Sapolsky, Katz believes that in order to lessen violence, our society needs to show honest and diverse representations of males rather than blaming

Although it is common to see how women are misrepresented, the male population is also victimized by improper portrayal in the media. One could see that the view of masculinity promoted by the media is erroneous and brings about negative feelings in men such as self-doubt and inferiority. False perceptions of how men should be are conveyed in the article, “Are Men the Latest Victims of Media Misrepresentation,” stating that “the media industry tend[s] to characterize men as macho guys, skirt chasers and inept at parenting and relationships. While this may have historically been true, what our results showed is that these characterizations aren’t reflecting the behavior and aspirations of today’s men” (Casserly 1). From this quote, one

Tough Guise 1. What are some benefits to boys and men of putting on the “tough guise”? When is it an effective and adaptive response, and when is it self-destructive and dangerous to others? 2. Are there biological reasons why males commit the vast majority of violence?

Furthermore the manly stereotype affects all aspects of one’s life; whether it 's our social or professional lives. Lastly, this is the most dangerous aspect of the single story our society tells about men; that you have to be “manly” in order to become

This paper is going to be analyzing the documentary, Tough Guise 2, in relation to the movie, Fight club. Tough Guise 2 presented by Jackson Katz, analyzes violence caused by men as he questions why men act as they do. Katz’s goal is to raise awareness of the avoidance of toxic masculinity by teaching what he believes a “real man” is perceived as. Fight Club directed by David Fincher, is an example of the ultimate toxic masculinity Tough Guise 2 argues against. Both the movie and the documentary discuss how a man's influences, the importance of fitting in, and mental state play a role in violence.

Based on a study of a thirty-person Latino classroom, sixty percent said their parents resorted to violence when disciplining them. The definition of masculine can have 2 different meanings. One, being the percentage of male characteristics someone has, and two, how tough someone is. Certain cultures have sets of rules on how to grow and be a man. In the story “Fiesta 1980”, Juniot Diaz writes about a boy named Yunior who has trouble growing up in his Dominican family with an aggressive father that he grows upon.

Not only is this idea of masculinity toxic- it 's also unachievable. Men are constantly needing to prove themselves to society. This feeling of incompleteness can lead to many issues throughout their lives. Young boys don 't develop the kinds of relationships or emotional capabilities that they once had.

Unfortunately, toxic masculinity plays a role in every society, therefore many people, mostly men, put on a “mask” to hide behind in order to make a false impression of their best selves. No matter who it is, everyone has a way that they want people to know them by, which is why it plays such an important role. The book Lord of the Flies is a fiction text about a group of young boys whose plane crashes after it was shot down during a war. The boys turn from civilized to savages on their long journey on the island as they become less and less of a society. Toxic masculinity affects society in more ways than one and often is used to get ahead or to be seen as superior.

It is like our manhood is consumed by these ranks and by people who still remind us that we are not fit for society and that we do not deserve to be men just because we do things that are not considered to be manly enough. The brilliant minds of other men will change slowly, people will start to do things or start acting in a different way than men want others too. The problem is that men are afraid of other men because they think that they will reflect their image of manhood and how a man should act. They are afraid that these people who are homosexual or those who look and act like a women will ruin the image of manhood.

There is a lot of pressure on men in society to be manly; however, what exactly does it mean to be manly? Though many people have different opinions, a lot of them conclude that a man has to be strong and somewhat emotionless to be considered a man. This assumption can lead to Toxic Masculinity, which is “A false idea that men are expected to be as manly as possible” (The Hard, Adrenaline-Soaked Truth About 'Toxic Masculinity, 2017). Men are forced to face these assumptions not only from those around him, but also from people he might see in Media. Media reinforces Toxic Masculinity which in turn causes men to belittle women.