Study_of_Manhood_in_America

A Study of Manhood in America When one looks at masculinity, one thinks of power: power, strength, courageousness, valor and fearlessness. These traits define those (people) as masculine or manly, whereas the opposites of these traits define those (people) as feminine and weak. Someone who looks at masculinity in America, as Michael S. Kimmel did in his book: “Manhood in America: A Cultural History”; can see that masculinity takes various ways, shapes and forms. Kimmel, who is a sociologist at Stony Brook University, studies masculinity from a feminist prospective. From manly displays of the male body to sports and politics in America; manhood or masculinity in America can be defined by what we see. Manhood in America can be looked at through a variety of ways. The first way that Kimmel looked at was the physical aspect: through the male body. It was Kimmel, who explained that women were not the only people looking at the male body. Men were looking at their bodies too. Feminism which had embellished into women a sense of power, were looking at men’s bodies… (272). According to Kimmel, “men’s efforts to prove masculinity through bodily display would reach a fever pitch in the 1990’s…. into the new millennium” (272). But the fact is that with a “relentless economic squeeze of working men” (272) with a new “economic squeeze on middle- and even upper-middle-class men” (272) meant joblessness, layoffs, etc. Essentially, the male body “were of decreasing utility” (272). The economic squeeze coupled with increasing standards of masculinity, caused “many men to experience…. ‘Muscle Dysmorphia,’- the belief that one is insufficiently muscular” (273). It was Allan G. Johnson, who wrote in his article: “What Is This Thing Called Patriarchy'” which is a selection from his 2005 book “Privilege, Power, and Difference”; Men are assumed (and expected) to be in control at all times, to be unemotional (except for anger and rage), to present themselves as invulnerable, autonomous, independent…. always right, and in command of every situation, especially those involving women (252). In agreement with Kimmel, Johnson states: “Not to be overlooked is the insulting of males with names that link them to females—sissy (sister), girl, son of a bitch, mama’s boy” (264). Sports in America play a huge role in American manhood. “The world of sports has long been a masculine refuge, a pristine homosocial world of male bonding” (292). Although the facts are: most professional teams remain segregated by sex. The reality of it is, that there is an extraordinary “increase in female participation and female competence” in sports today (292). As Kimmel stated, “In every high school and college, there are plenty of girls who can run circles around many of the boys on soccer fields and tennis courts” (292). This may be a reason why there is/ has been a popularity boost in football. According to Kimmel, It’s not doing sports that seems to have increased among guys…. It’s talking sports about sports that has ballooned into a steady stream of 24-7 television, radio, fantasy leagues and Internet sites (292). Women may be doing sports more than or as much as men do, “but they don’t like to about it very much” (292). In agreement with Kimmel, Johnson notes that the record books are full of men who seize upon anything—from throwing Frisbees to extreme sports… as a way to create competitive arenas in which they can jockey for position and prove themselves among men (259). Politics in America has always been a staple that is “intimately connected” with masculinity well before the September 11th terrorist attacks (293). “Since the founding of the country, the electorate had always been assessing the manly strength and conviction of its leaders” (293). It was Kimmel who noted that “a strong hand and a firm resolve as well as virile restraint and a calm judiciousness… Have been necessary to steer the ship of state” (293). With the exclusion of women from the seats of power in the United States, has enabled America to become a “beacon of hope to millions around the world” (293). After September 11th, which changed America; masculinity has been under debate. Masculinity of both us, the citizens of the United States of America and that of the terrorists has been under constant debate as well. The masculinity of both us and terrorists has been shown in “contradictory ways: The terrorists are cowardly and diabolical; American men are courageous but peace-loving” (295).But as Kimmel explains later in the article: Globalization’s well dressed Homo economicus as been pushed aside by the reemergence of Homo Reaganomicus- the recharged militarized masculinity that proudly proclaims the United States not only as the world’s only true superpower but as the axis of an emerging global empire (296). So essentially, with the reemergence of that Reaganesque persona, “beholden to no one and accountable to no one….” (296), has it simply, but ignorantly put: “Our way or the highway” (296). Manhood in America has defined by these roles or objects can be seen everywhere one looks: television, the Internet, magazine ads, billboards, posters, etc. men put their bodies no display not just to impress women, but as a way to compete against other men. Doing sports is no longer an option. Not only do men do sports, but they talk about sports as well to combat the growing number of women “doing sports” as Kimmel put it. Politics, the realm of ultimate power, strength, the definitive test of self-discipline and control, and men. The major of laws in the United States of America come from men in power. It proves that no matter where you look in America… manhood can be seen everywhere.