Saturday, April 24, 2010

BLOG 6

2A. In the reading Heasly’s: Queer masculinities of Straight Men
I can really apply this to a man in my life. This idea that men consider other men to be gay because they do “gay-like” things for example if they support gay rights and if they do not like sports they are portrayed as gay. My best friend is what can be called the “gayest-straight man” there is. However, in high school because he like music theater, dance, and he is a huge supporter of equal rights and supports gay rights, a lot of the boys/men in high school would refer to him as gay. I think it is weird that men are so negative and uncomfortable with men who have “gay-like” qualities. I also think it is a little funny how some men feel so uncomfortable with someone who is possibly gay. It is also funny how they feel that their masculinity in some way is threatened by the presents of somebody who portrays to be gay.

1A. To me it was really interesting and new was the idea that effeminate was so bashed upon in both the straight culture and the gay culture, something pointed out in Sissyphobia… I thought it was different how gay men bashed on other gay men for being “too gay” or more of the concept of being to feminine, I think that because gay is connected to being feminine which is “girl behavior”. I believe that maybe that is why is it looked down upon. To be a woman is considered to be weak and this is why being to feminine is so bad because no one wants to be considered weak. I also think it is sad that not all the gay community unites, because in reality they are all the same and all want to be equal and not be discriminated, however, they discriminate within each other, which I think is sad.

1B. An idea that makes sense to me is what Hennen’s points out in Bear, bodies are shaped by the type of work done I think this is true bodies are shape by what people do everyday. I also think that it is true the working class man has the stereotype of being hyper-masculinity. However, there are people that have very no physical jobs are still able to keep a good shape.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Blog #5

Blog #5
2a. hooks talks about loving men and how men do not really show emotion and she gives the example of her mother and father relationship “…Mama’s anger masks her fear that any day now she could die and wouldn’t have ever left loved by the man she dedicated her entire life to pleasing…”(hooks ch.11). I can really connect to what she is saying to men in my life, I have an uncle and he is so emotionless he hardly explains what he feels and never says how he is feeling. I do feel that when he and my aunt get into a fight, I feel that she is feels that after being with him for 25 years of being married she has never felt that love. I feel that after so many years of marriage she is still like a young girl craving for her boyfriends attention. It is sad how she has been married with my uncle so long and still she does not have the little small emotion of love, I do not doubt that my uncle loves his wife, but, would it me so hard to say it once?

1b. hooks points out something that is a new perspective to me that makes this significant point. hooks talks about how in a way she feels sorry for men because they see how patriarchy wounds them yet men remain exact to the patriarchy culture. (ch. 7) A lot of men cannot live up to the “being a man” standards, and they are considered outsiders, they are even isolated at times. But, instead of trying to fight against the system and those standards, that are out of reach and only destroy men, they go way out of their way to try to fit into this “real man” box. It is kind of say that something that hurts a man so much but yet they want to do anything to be part of that culture.

1c. Thomson points out that to start making difference in our young men’s lives we have to start socializing boys like girls and do not really agree with this idea. I think that just because girls are raised to show more emotion and have different behaviors it does not necessary take them away from that patriarchal thinking. Many women are born and brought up with that patriarchal and misogyny thinking. I just do not believe that because you are born and raised a girl that your are automatically going to be this non-patriarchal feminist person. I believe that both girls and boys should be raised them same, that girls when they are little should do some “boy” activities and boys should be involved in some “girl” activities. I do not believe that by raising our boys like girls would solve the problem, mostly because a lot of the women in our society who are raising our kids are still founded on concepts of misogyny and patriarchy.

1c. Katz points out something that I can really connect it with a male in my life my brother. Katz talks about how men are uncomfortable with other men’s abusive behaviors, and how men would like to help the cause, but, they do not know how or where to go for ideas or events. Recently after the kid knapped Chelsey King, my brother was so mad at the man so murder and rapped Chelsey King and he said “I wish there was a way to help either a way to help the family or a way to help stop other similar cases…” I think that a lot men really dislike men who abuse of women and it is frustrating to men that they feel like they cannot help the issue. Maybe it there was more awareness about the issue maybe more promotion, I think that would help men become aware and want to participate in the issue of abuse towards women.