I just wanted to comment on a few points that got my attention as I read Manliness and Civilization.
I found it interesting how the media has always played a major role in distributing and re-enforcing a certain image, view or opinion. In pg 170 it says how newspapers called TR nicknames that criticized him for not being manly enough. What is shocking to me is how although, back then, information did not flow as fast as it does today with the help of the Internet, a single person's comment could still become so big as to make it to the newspapers, which then causes TR to take action into trying to change the image people had of him.
Also, Bederman states that "Teedie learned that male power was composed of equal parts kindhearted manly chivalry and aggressive masculine violence" (172). This reminded me a lot about the "rules of behavior" of a knight. I think I was reminded about this from Don Quixote, who insists that a knight must protect women and children and be able to undergo arduous fights while being full of good virtues. If a man does not behave this way he is not considered a knight... in this case, a man.
Other idea presented in this piece is how being manly is linked to power and thus to civilization.
This idea is somewhat new to me. How wars between races was considered by TR to be part of nature and seemed to be inevitable. He refers to "nature's quest to develop the most perfect men and women" (180) to justify the wars between Indians and white Americans. The purpose was for the races to compete and determine which race had the most powerful men. The most powerful men would be those who were involved in situations that tested their strength, courage, and their intentions to protect the weak; they showed their masculinity. Thus "the race that could best achieve a perfect civilization was by definition, the one with the most superior manhood" (184).
Then, as I read how TR, as a kid, found the dead seal and thought of the experience as an adventure because he felt he had the chance to be like the boys in his favorite books, it became an interest to me how children today are introduced to gender roles. But for the purpose of this article, how are children introduced to masculinity today? In TR time, he was introduced to masculinity by reading books that talked about the adventures of boys. Today, it seems that in the case of baby's most of the differentiation between boy and girl is simply shown by colors (ex: blue vs pink). But as they grow up the idea of masculinity in toys becomes stronger. I briefly looked at children's toys online and under toys for boys 2 yrs old include items for "pretend and dress-up"which include a "mini- work bench" that includes a hammer, screwdriver and other plastic tools. There also are, trucks, and trains. Under 3-4 yrs of age there are toys with more realistic colors such as a construction helmet with a lamp. Simple versions of superhero action figures are also introduced. Under 5-7 yrs old there are actions figures with more defined characteristics such as: big strong muscles, they carry complex technology, they carry some kind of weapon, they wear some kind or armor... From 8-11 yrs old, video games are more common and they depict the image of masculinity that we are already familiar with. Under this section there is also the appearance of toy guns. From 11 on, I strongly believe, the child has a good idea of how masculinity is portrayed by society, thus making them build an idea of how they should behave and who they should become.
6 comments:
Having a male and female sector in the toy industry definitely helps to solidify gender roles at a young age. Even more damaging though is the fact that people (most importantly, parents) are buying these toys in a gender-specific way for children. Gender policing in the home is probably the most influential form of gender identity creation. It makes me think of how my cousin's dad would flip out when my mom put nail polish on his two year old son after baby-sitting him (The two-year old had requested it :) or all the times that my mom reminded me what "lady-like" behavior is. These standards/norms can only be challenged if we start challenging how we buy into these ideas of "male" and "female."
I think children receive the identity from all forces in society. Before school age and video games, the home has a powerful influence in the identify forms of gender role. But is not just with the toys we give our child, it is how the roles of parents are in the household. Children learn by example, so if Dad is the one who does the yard work and the trash and mom is in the kitchen that is what a child sees. This goes beyond household chores. But society plays a role in all the interaction children receives through their life. My boy gets very different comments from people when he goes out in his princess dress than when he has a super hero cape on. Comments vary depending on peoples norms and standards, but most center around the ideas of masculinity that society imposes on even young boys.
With technology being such an important part of society now, we can definitely see the gender role expanding out of just the toy section into shows. There's shows like Bob the Builder which endorses manliness, and shows that have lasted for a while like Pokemon, where some 10 year old journeys become the greatest Pokemon master ever. So there's still the idea of proving manliness through pokemon battles and seeking to be the best in that show. I watched Pokemon when I was little, which is more accepted in society when a female does more masculine things, as discussed in class. But if a boy wears a princess dress like Jessica said, then that would be more of a problem in society. Then of course, there are a bunch of macho superheroes out there, rich and suave like Tony Stark, yet prone to violence and involved in weaponry advancements. So all these new movies with their awesome special effects can send this message of manliness to boys who are watching and are awestruck by just how cool these guys are portrayed, how admired they are, and how successful they are.
There are also a bunch of manly video games that boys are exposed to more frequently nowadays (and at younger ages too), like Halo. It would be foolish of me to try to explain this game though since I know absolutely nothing about it. All I know is that the main person is some soldier...maybe someone who's more knowledgeable can talk about manly video games.
Justine, I am no expert on video games, but do know Halo, but had to look up who Tony Stark is. On video games, Halo and such they are insanely violent to me and I cannot remember ever seeing that kind of violence when I was young. I have huge extended family and have noticed that violence has been increasing rapidly in video games since Atari and its simple baseball or ping pong games. What amazes me is the numbing and mesmerizing experience that young kids have with these games. It is so standard and normal now that Violence seems normal to them. Granted it is on a screen, and comes through many more forms in media and marketing...but there has got to be a learned, normalizing experience happening that is now a part of society that cannot be good as it transfers in minds and knowledge in real lives and history. My youngest boy is 3 and has not seen iron man or spider man or much else for that matter, but already has a clear idea of who these figures are and represent. It perplexes me as his exposure is limited, so I swear he gets it though osmosis somehow, which I guess is my point that children get it from everywhere. At preschool the playground, a bill boards , a friend and the impressions are huge. It is so infused into society that it is difficult to police from only one part of life, there are links and connections everywhere. The masculinity discourses are strongly ingrained in society and are difficult to combat. I really do feel the violence infused media and marketing is really horrible on society and we still have not seen the full effects of these yet on our future generations who will be politician and leaders that may just view Violence as a normal part of everyday life.
To add onto my Tony Stark reference, I watched Iron Man 2 again last night, and I found a quote relevant to the class. Vanko (the evil guy) said to Stark (the hero):
"Like all guilty men, you try to rewrite your history, to forget all the lives the Stark family has destroyed."
That basically sums up America and how we've talked about how the United States kind of ignores the fact that it's been a huge part of the violence that occurred throughout history.
Also, the fact that the movie refers back to the Cold War and how the movie differentiates how Stark was using these weaponry advancements for good while Vanko was using it for evil once again shows America in a better light. Of course, this is an American movie and therefore the American shall be portrayed as the hero, but this once again shows how this kind of media can affect young kids. Like the quote I mentioned says, it seems kind of like an attempt to "rewrite history."
Jessica, you're right; this normalization of violence has been increasing rapidly. I'm not a comic book expert so I don't know how strongly these Cold War references have been portrayed in the comics, but nevertheless this movie, with its wonderful effects and fascinating battle scenes, is just a new and improved way to influence these tech savvy kids today about violence, manliness, and the "American hero."
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