Analysis Of Charles M. Blow's 'This Is A Man Problem'

In Paul Theroux’s article “The Male Myth” Theroux makes a point that he does not like the stereotypes placed on men in today’s society. Theroux’s article is focused on exposing the stereotypes that men face and the reasons for their occurrence. He claims that writers and many others are directly affected by the expectations of masculinity that are thoroughly incorporated in America. The ideas of masculinity are deeply rooted in high school sports, in the view of the president, and in many other areas. Theroux attempts to prove that being a man in American is, “…pitiful, a little like having to wear an ill-fitting coat for one’s entire life.”

In chapter 12, Jackson Katz talks about how awareness of violence against women needs to be introduced to boys at a young age. A large reason for this is how our society puts boys above girls. “Everywhere you turn, you see manhood equated with power and control – of other men as well as women” (Katz, 2006, 229). Katz talks about how everyday things effect young boys into thinking that they are superior: in super hero cartoons, music, and even nicknames of NASCAR drivers. Katz also states that boys get the message that any sign of feminine qualities is not good and that they need to be masculine at all times (Katz, 2006, 229).

Explicit sexism in America has turned into implicit sexism. Men still objectify women and treat them as if they exist for their own pleasure. Recently, women started the Me Too movement, encouraging victims of sexual harassment in the workplace to bring their stories to light. Producer Harvey Weinstein and Today Show host Matt Lauer both lost their jobs due to sexual harassment allegations during the Me Too movement. While the Me Too movement is very controversial due to the indefinable limits of sexual harassment and assault, it is making men think twice about how they should treat women and making them change their actions by showing them what happens when they get caught.

In, Checking My Male Privilege, Charles M. Blow expresses one of the many biases between males and females. He addresses the issue of men molesting and sexually assaulting women around the world, and stresses most men don’t have to worry about being harassed, “This is one of my male privileges, and I have to check it.” (Blow). Charles advocates for women who have been taken advantage of. Even Charles’s own daughter has experienced sexual harassment.

In Michael Kimmel’s “Manhood in America: A Cultural History”, he provides a broad, heavily researched cultural history of the development of manhood and the definition of masculinity throughout American history. Beginning in the 19th century and ending in the present day administration of Barack Obama, Kimmel identifies that over time society has demanded more and more that the common man be “self-made”. Kimmel’s overall goal in writing this book is to introduce a new concept of masculinity that eliminates the battle that every man faces when trying to achieve so-called “manhood”. He explores the natural instincts that men have and how these instincts are affected by self-control, the surrounding environment, and overall levels of happiness.

Over the past few years, the phrase “toxic masculinity” has been heard more and more when describing issues related to men. However, when taking a closer look at the definition, it becomes difficult to understand the meaning. In the article “Toxic Masculinity Is a Harmful Myth,” Richard Reeves describes the broadness of the idea of toxic masculinity. He’s effective in doing so, explaining how general the term is. The idea is described as anti-social behavior by men, which doesn’t explain what toxic masculinity is in detail.

Holloway begins her essay by stating the traditional standards for both men and women, stating that “If we are honest with ourselves, we have long known that masculinity kills men” (1). She then defends her argument with a brief description of struggles the men go through with their health and mental health that are indirectly caused by masculinity. Holloway then dives into fields of scientific data to break down how the idea of masculinity is built into a child’s mind and how this process is damaging to the young boy’s mind. Holloway ends her essay by reentering her earlier idea that most of the problems that men face with their health and their mental health is caused indirectly by masculinity. However, this time she includes more detail and more scientific evidence to reinforce her idea. Holloway states “ We have set an unfair and unachievable standard, and in trying to live up to it, many men are slowly killing themselves. We have to move far beyond our outdated ideas of masculinity, and get past our

No matter what, we are almost always talking about violence masculinity in America. Whether we are talking about the horrifying, high-profile mass shooting we have seen over recent decades, the far greater rates of murder and gun violence we see on a day – to – day basis that barely register in the national news, or the epidemic of sexual violence and domestic violence, the vast majority of this violence is committed by men, young men, and boys (Jackson Katz, 2013). Throughout this essay the topics covered will be how culture defines masculinity, according to the film, violent masculinity as a cultural norm, agents of socialization that teach boys how to be men, the cool

Have you ever heard about the #MeToo Movement? According to the Metoomvmt, the #MeToo Movement is founded in 2006 by Tarana Burke to help people who survived from sexual violence, particularly young women of color from low wealth communities, find pathways to healing. Using the idea of “empowerment through empathy,” the me too. movement was ultimately created to ensure survivors know they’re not alone in their journey. This movement was a big issue for people in the United States in 2017. TIME Magazine named the “Silence Breakers,” those who spoke out against sexual violence and harassment as part of the viral #MeToo Movement, as its Person of the Year (Metoomvmt). This issue is very important and delicate problem for society in the United

Furthermore, Bordo’s writing suggests another angle of masculinity by discussing the history of the development of the phallic object. In a period of the attempt to understand the phallic object, sexuality became an issue and embarrassment for the soul. An erect penis became the symbol for the lack of self-control and irrational desires. Bordo states, “Not surprisingly, the penis began to be seen as an object of shame, a rebellious little piece of flesh that kept pursuing the body’s irrational desires,” (Bordo, 90). This depiction ceased male superiority from paralleling sexual capabilities. This argument counters Kimmel’s by suggesting that the penis does not give power to a male-bodied person, but instead, the penis needs to be hidden from view to suggest intellectual potential and respect of an individual. This type of view can be considered “masculine shame”; however, this view

Firstly, Women are less privileged in today 's society because of the overwhelming numbers of sexualy based crimes and harrasments. Women face harassment on a daily basis, even in the western society women are troubled with the fear of these humiliating and often violent forms of discrimination. Sexual harassment and violence is a vast topic because of the different forms in which it takes. but the most common forms consist of catcalling, unwanted sexual

Porter, Katz, and Plait have very similar arguments. The problems lie within society’s cultural system. In order for there to be change adult men need to speak up and set examples. Instead of remaining quiet, men need to provide “powerful models of anti-sexist manhood to young men” (Katz). These expectations that society puts on men need to be diminished. It needs to be “made clear that sexist attitudes and behaviors are unwelcomed”

Injustices in this world infect people's lives like diseases. One in particular has not only developed over the years, but cases spring up in the most unthought of places. This injustice commonly known as sexual harassment affects women, children, and occasionally men all across the globe. There are many aspects when it comes to sexual harassment including its background, opposing viewpoints on the popular belief, the popular viewing, sexual harassment in today's society, solutions to the problem, and what the future would be like without this injustice on the world's hands.

Being a male in today’s society is not about living and enjoyment, it has become more of a task. Social pressures and media have made it difficult for males to live a life in which they are not being pressured to act or perform a certain way. In order to reassure themselves of their masculinity, violence has become the main method in assuring themselves and those around them that they are powerful. Not only is this violence being perpetrated against others, but self-inflicted violence also exists. The violence being used is not only physical but it is emotional abuse as well. Masculinity has forced many males to perform in ways that are detrimental to their own health as well as their loved ones. Furthermore, it has also put males in the

Masculinity, a seemingly simple concept. Yet, when examined more closely, it is clear that masculinity is constantly changing in its definition as well as in its most basic essence. Throughout the years, one can see this evolution firsthand by looking back at the men who have been portrayed in popular media in the United States of America. From the suave Don Draper types of the 1950s to the more casual, educated, and easygoing men- with perfectly chiseled abs, of course- that are portrayed in media today, the difference is clear. This drastic, yet unsurprising, shift in ideals, as well as the exponential increase of media consumed every day, has led to a change in how “masculinity” is perceived, as well as how it is enforced by society in the modern day. Alarmingly, this trend has led to the birth of so-called “toxic masculinity”, a bastardization of the original ideas behind masculinity which has created an enormous, detrimental effect on society as a whole. As defined in the article The Difference Between Toxic Masculinity and Being a Man, toxic masculinity is “manhood as defined by violence, sex, status, and aggression. It’s the cultural ideal of manliness, where strength is everything… where sex and brutality are yardsticks by which men are measured,” (O’Malley) This is a clearly displayed truth, and it’s astounding to see how even from a young age boys are taught not to show emotions other than anger, conditioned to believe that being “like a girl” is the worst possible