Blog Assignment #12

Frida Ottersgård and I worked together on this assignment.

1. What does the climactic scene of “the Wizard of Oz” as shown in the program reveal about masculinity according to Jackson Katz?
   Jackson Katz states that the scene is a metaphor for the “tough guise” (TG) he is trying to describe. That the Wizard of Oz is only showing us his wondrous magic whilst  his humanity or vulnerability is hidden “behind the curtain”. This to illustrate that masculinity is only a guise, a show or a facade.
2. What is Katz’s definition of “tough guise”? Why do young men take on “tough guise”?
   Katz states that masculinity is a projection and mask used to hide male vulnerability and calls this mask the TG. Men take on this TG to protect themselves from oppression dealt by their own peers.
3. What qualities are defined as manly by the young people interviewed in the program? What terms are used to define the “unmanly” qualities? What do all these terms reveal about the concept of masculinity? How do boys learn such concepts?
   A real man should be tough, strong, independent and respected and if not fulfilling these qualities/criteria they will be called names such as wuss, wimp, fag and sissy.”Unmanly” qualities are such that are seen as female qualities; fragility, femininity and vulnerability. In other words “emotional” characteristics. Boys learn such concepts from TV, sports, normative culture, peers, music, lack of diversity in popular role models etc. – the list is endless. Examples of these are the Marlboro Man, John Wayne, Rambo, Ronald Reagan, Howard Stern and Ice Cube. However, what we need to think about is that this behavior is cyclical and non of the factors mentioned can exist on their own.
4. Consider the above question in terms of Swedish definitions of masculinity. How does Swedish media culture define masculinity? How does this differ from English media culture?
   We think Swedish media focuses less on looks and centers more on power, success and talent. Examples are Kurt Wallander, Mikael Persbrandt and Fredrik Reinfeldt – not particularly fit, but all possess some kind of charisma, are well-dressed and successful in their area of expertise. Also if you compare Fredrik Reinfeldt and Barack Obama you can see who is more attractive (Obama). A study has shown that it takes undecided voters in America less than a second to decide who they are voting for after they have seen their faces, quite the opposite of how we do it in Sweden. We can look at the Skarsgård family. Abroad Alex, the obviously good-looking son has gained greater recognition than any of the other brothers or the father in regards to masculinity (thanks to his looks). However, the father has had a much successful and interesting international career and is seen as more masculine than his sons in Sweden in contrast to the US. We are not saying that Stellan is seen as less of an actor, but in regards to masculinity his son fits their criteria better (young, strong, good-looking, tall, dominant, confident etc.).
5. In what way(s) have the images of men changed over the past 50 years? In what way(s) have the images of women changed over the past 50 years? What could be the reasons for these changes and what would a comparison between these images tell us about the culture in the States?
   Men have been associated more and more with violence, much of it portrayed against women or feminine males. Women have become objectified. On the other hand, men have also become more liberated due to role models such as the baseball player Mark McGwire and characters in movies such as Boys N’ The Hood, the Full Monty and Goodwill Hunting, and through the growth of female role models as a result of the women’s rights movement females have been able to get away from the housewife ideal. These changes have happened because of greater awareness and activists. However, the negative aspect of the evolution shows that the old oppression that used to be plain stereotypical has grown into actual social restraints of a much more severe kind.
6. What are the reasons for violence directed towards gay men? What messages does violence towards gay men send to heterosexual men?
   Those who appear to be “real men”, but actually are just putting on this TG feel threatened by something that counteracts this guise. Homosexuality challenges the power of the heterosexual TG barrers. This violence shows that heterosexual men who feel insecure or in the least bit “faggy” that those traits are not acceptable.
7. Why do men of color need to adopt ‘tough guise’ according to Richard Majors, the author of “Cool Pose”?
   Because they have to defend themselves against the harsh life surrounding them.
8. What is the reason for white suburban middle class kids “acting black”? How do black men get their idea of manhood? What does this reveal about masculinity?
   Jackson Katz mentioned that there is a proper lack of black role models who aren’t illustrating the TG and as Hip Hop and Rap increased in popularity so did the “black attitude”. White suburban middle class kids who like the music looked up to the artists and copied their style. Black men are almost always portrayed as criminals in all media, which then becomes their reachable image. Here the link between masculinity and violence becomes extremely apparent.
9. This film is now pretty dated, with many cultural references that need renewal. Can you make some suggestions about more current films/TV shows/media figures that Katz should include in a possible re-make of his documentary? How have things changed? How have things stayed the same?
   TV shows: 90210, Gossip Girl, the Vampire Diaries, True Blood (extra emphasis both on dominant males and women)
   Movies: Transformers, Not Another Teen Movie, Pretty Woman (strong emphasis on powerful men saving powerless women), What Women Want, the 40-Year Old Virgin, the Ugly Truch, He’s Just Not That Into You, the Avengers (every Marvel movie ever made), Troy
   Media figures: Mitt Romney, Bill O’Reilly, George Clooney, Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), Matthew Terry (Calvin Klein Superbowl commercial)
   We still see the same pattern that developed during the 90s. Women are getting thinner, men are getting fitter. Masculinity is still defined as being tough, strong, independent and respected. Women are still objectified and portrayed as victims of sexual assault. As these problems are getting bigger the resistence is also growing, but neither seems to come to an end.

Killing Us Softly – Discussion Questions

Killing Us Softly Discussion questions with Frida

 

2. Do you feel that our ideals of femininity and masculinity are learned or natural? Why?

We strongly feel that they are learned, and that this process starts very early. Your parents dress you up in certain colors and surround you with certain ideals. Girls dance, boys play soccer. These are the stereotypes, but it is slowly changing, as people realize the effect and want to oppose it.

In commercials girls are seen playing with dolls and boys with cars. That is how media portrays the gender difference.

Evolving into adolescence, values and stereotypes have already been asserted to and affected individuality. People evolve together in mass productions, instead of embracing their own individuality. High school, media and external factors have already shaped you, and the exceptions, the “pure” individuals are mocked and made fun of because they have not embraced the mass produced ideal.

The actual femininity and masculinity comes from what we learn from media, but is accentuated when the people around you who have adopted this way of seeing the world stresses the importance. Biology has become inferior to “the way it is supposed to be”. Genes that make you fat? Hell, become skinny anyway.

Masculinity stems from the same ideals. Media portraying strong, buff males in power – of course that is what they are supposed to be like…?

 

16. Do you feel that the media reflect or create the ideal image of beauty in our society? Or do you think it’s a bit of both? Explain what you mean.

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

As mentioned, media coverage shapes our community, which in turn shapes the next generation, which shapes the next generation’s media coverage and so it continues.

Media latched on to what was popular, but like a cancer it grew and grew. Now that our world is more internet-based and media-influenced than ever, the media business has “taken over”. It has become an industry independent of the brand or product they are supposed to sell. The aim is not only to reach their demographic in order to increase sales, but to put something out there that is outrageous. Something that will go viral to get the coverage they need. A commercial which illustrates the perks of buying that product is considered useless, in comparison to a commercial that plays on the sexiness or the allure of the product. For example, Lidl and Ica. While Lidl focuses on the prices of the products, Ica has created a story surrounding the products. How much of the actual products is the focus of the commercial? Commercials are more and more looking like videos with a great deal of product placement.

 

19. What is the relationship between dehumanization, objectification, and violence?

(Dehumanization of gender roles)

Dehumanization, which itself leads to objectification, is scientifically proven to cause violence.

Removing the features that make someone human leads to us being able to distance ourselves from seeing that body as a person. We can see female bodies in media without faces, arms and legs. Guys are attracted to that OBJECT, having had everything that makes it a person robbed, removed.  They see a body, an object. How is this different from a picture of a life-sized blow-up doll? Both are used as an external THING, there for one’s pleasure.

In the case of men, dehumanization has been turned into the lack of “feminine” emotions. They are only to be strong, powerful, not show any weakness, compassion or humility. Brutal masculinity becomes the ideal and it is not hard to grasp how this can easily turn into violence. Men are encouraged, if not even told, to be brutal, be “masculine”. Media is putting a gun in their hands, telling them it is okay to pull the trigger.