Masculinity At Its Straightest Essay -- Gender Issues

The misguided perception of masculinity is the absence of anything remotely homo land upual. In Michael Kimmels novel Guyland The perilous World Where Boys Become Men he discusses the contradictions of masculinity and what it takes to be seen as a real men. In American, middle branch white society, manhood is more than beards and sleeping around with women, it is being as far away from feminine as allowed. The most foreign mentation to most would be to consider a gay man to be manly. This unfathomable idea is what spurs on homophobia and gives homosexuality a foul name. To be called a sissy or faggot is worse than being called a bastard or dick. Shaking a man of his masculinity and engagement him a woman psychologically destroys a man. Guyland best describes this as, Homophobiathe fear that mass might misperceive you as gayis the animating fear of American guys masculinity. Its what lies underneath the crazy, risk-taking behaviors practiced by boys of all ages, what drives the fear that early on(a) guys will see you as weak, unmanly, frightened (Guyland 50). This kind of methodology has been ontogeny for generations, seen mostly in high schools as young boys get physically tortured or beaten for effeminate behavior. The lack of directance in culture is increasingly appalling for all age groups. It is a inning of conformity of culture as psychologist Karen Franklin discusses Assaults on homosexuals and other individuals who deviate from sex role norms are viewed as a learned form of loving control of deviance rather than a defensive response to in the flesh(predicate) threat ... in other words, through heterosexism, any male who refuses to accept the dominant cultures assignment of appropriate masculine behavior is labeled early on as a sissy ... ...people from being considered masculine. All sexualities exhaust the capability of masculinity, but just not all choose to come through the path of aggression and strength.Works CitedFranklin, Karen. I nside the Mind of People Who hatred animateds. PBS. WGBH educational foundation, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2011.Gay Men and Masculinity. MyOutSpirit. N.p., 19 Mar. 2006. Web. 10 Dec. 2011.Gay Teens Bear Burden of Homophobia. Lambda.org. American Society of Adolescent Psychiatry, 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2011.Kimmell, Michael. Guyland The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men. freshly York City HarperCollins Publishers, 2008.Kimmell, Michael. Manhood in America. New York City Simon and Schuster, 1996. 284.Stevens, Tom. Fraternity Initiations - The Elephant Walk. Liberty Lion. N.p., 13 Jan. 2011. Web. 10 Dec. 2011.