Vanderbilt Univ. Warns Students: Bulging Biceps Forwards Unhealthy Masculinity


Self-described “anti-sexist activist” and filmmaker, Jackson Katz believes that sexual violence and domestic abuse are men’s issues, and that men would benefit from having the conversation he talked about. From there, he blamed “America’s narrow definition of masculinity” for the mental state of boys and men.

He showed clips from his film Tough Guise, in which Katz claims “there has been a ratcheting up of what it takes to be considered menacing in the 1980s and 90s.”

As evidence, Katz noted that G.I. Joe’s biceps have gotten larger over the years and that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone use bigger guns for their iconic roles as the Terminator and Rambo than did Humphrey Bogart in his 1930s and 1940s film roles.

‘The three most destructive words’ are ‘be a man’

Athletes and fraternity members are a risk to themselves and others because of the pressure put on them to act masculine, according to other events from the week.

One event featured a screening of the limited-release documentary The Mask You Live In, which blames “America’s narrow definition of masculinity” for the deteriorating mental health of boys and men.

“The three most destructive words that every man receives when he’s a boy is when he’s told to ‘be a man,’” former NFL player Joe Ehrmann says in the film. Now a minister, Ehrmann spoke on an all-male panel in 2013 titled “Breaking the Male Code” which was organized by Vagina Monologues writer Eve Ensler.

“Whether it’s homicidal violence or suicidal violence, people resort to such desperate behavior only when they are feeling shamed and humiliated, or feel that they would be if they didn’t prove they were real men,” psychiatrist James Gilligan, a professor at New York University, says in the The Mask You Live In.

Katz also makes an appearance in the film.

Following the screening, a Vanderbilt professor whose research focuses on race and sports told the audience “I should have hung myself or jumped out a window from my involvement in athletics.”

Gilman Whiting, who teaches a class called “Black Masculinity: Social Imagery and Public Policy,” blamed the hypermasculinized sporting culture in the U.S. for the intense pressure he faced.

Being a woman is more predictable than being a man because men constantly have to be ready to “prove it,” Whiting said.

The film isn’t without critics: A female gender-equity author said it’s “sensationaliz[ing] the issue being discussed” by taking statistics out of context and making several “alarmist” statements.

With the definition of manliness being so rapidly redefined in today’s society, the line between genders is becoming a distorted a mess. And nobody’s denying that sexual violence and domestic abuse aren’t serious topics. However, it’s a conversation that should be had without an ulterior motive. Men aren’t starting seminars aimed at defining femininity, so perhaps it’s time for men to once again be allowed to be men.

Source: thecollegefix.com

 



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