Phillip Massa
February 20, 2012
Uy
Blog 4
When I
was an undergraduate, I read this article in my sociology of gender course.
After reading it from the prospective of an educator my concerns regarding the
sanctity of manhood have drastically increased. Masculinity , in its essence,
tends to be misunderstood as a naturally inherited trait that all boys have. As
Kimmel mentions, “the structure at the bottom of the male psyche is still as
firm as it was twenty thousand years ago.” Twenty thousand years ago?! How frightening
is it that some mainstream authors think that masculinity is as it was more aggressive
times. What about homosexuals, transgender, or a simple boy who doesn’t fit those
masculine characteristics? This leads these boys to be persecuted by their
peers who view masculinity so one dimensionally. On the flip side there is no cemented
conception of masculinity that is forever changing in society. For a young boy
it is challenging to understand where you fit our how you meet the label of a
male. What makes masculinity even more confusing is what each individual values
differently in masculinity. As an educator it’s important to understand what
each boys go through and why they act the way they do in the classroom. For example
it’s not all uncommon to hear boys boasting about their accomplishments in
sports, games, and girls. This is to impress their male peers an avoid any
conception of femininity. What tends to happen is men see anything a feminine as
homosexual. Boys tend to lay their identity alongside other boys, but they can’t
be with other boys. Kimmel’s article teaches us a valuable lesson in
understanding the complex male identity and why some bullying may exist. In
fact when I was a high school student I can remember so many of my male friends
presenting a successful male front. Some of them were so homophobic that it was
somewhat unbearable. Ironically one of them today is actually as homosexual;
this gives Kimmel’s argument merit. What important to point out is the boys who
don’t necessarily meet the criteria for a masculine male. As educators we have
to identify bullying and try to understand why bullying occurs. A recent
statistic shows that 7% of young males in America die by suicide. Why are these
boys pushed to such a decision that ends their youthful lives? Could it be that
the feel persecution from their peers for not obtaining the ideal or socially
acceptable masculinity? As teachers we have to power to prevent these tragedies
from occurring, or at least reporting such activity to administration. We can’t
make assumptions though, because we could create a rift between our students.
However, the beauty of getting to know our students is earning their trust and
knowing what they’re going through. We can’t prevent everything in our
classroom and we certainly should become so heavily involved personally.
However, being knowledgeable of masculinity and its complexity can help us
understand the dynamics of the classroom.
Hi Phil,
ReplyDeleteI liked your reflections on this issue and particularly some of the "real-life" observations you have had and made.
I cannot help but think of this scenario: Rather than "falling into" the "Market Capitalist" male stereotype ourselves by going along with "the pack," can we advise a male student to participate in extracurricula activities that may be "at odds" within the frame of this model—i.e., can we suggest to a boy / young man to "go for it" with respect to both learning the flute, let's say, AND joining the football team.
Of course, the peer pressure would be enormous, never mind practice schedules, etc. It would be, I think, quite a "test," of masculine security to see if this hypothetical student could successfully pursue both.
I, too, thought the Kimmel article was extremely helpful in explaining, and allowing us to look at, ourselves.
Again, you prove that one of our greatest tasks in education isn't in presenting plans, but in understanding our students. As important as it is to stand up to bullying, I think it is equally important to provide support for the targets. It's not just wrong to make fun of someone because they are gay, or weird, or whatever, it is wrong to assume that these things make a person inferior or in a position to be insulted. We are public figures, we are cafeteria celebrities, and it is our duty to provide ourselves as positive influences to those who would witness us.
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