Masculinity Varies

Cason Honea

Communication of Gender and Sexuality

3/31/12

            In our new textbook we started reading, Dude You’re A Fag, there was a section in the first chapter titled, What Do We Mean By Masculinity, which discussed about how masculinity can come in different forms. When most consider the attributes that define a person who is masculine, we tend to associate with someone who is aggressive, dominant, strong, and perhaps even a leader. But, in this section of the book, the author broke down four different types of masculinity. The typical masculine description that I previously described is similar to what the author likes to call hegemonic masculinity in which the author describes as “the type of fender practice that, in a given space and time, supports gender inequality, is at the top of this hierarchy” (Pascoe, p. 7). Unfortunately, this view of and form of masculinity seems to be the most normal/dominant ones, which I feel is one of the bigger reasons that so much oppression exists among opposite sex, and even at times, race. “Hegemonic masculinity is very public through the mass media. It is not what men who are powerful are, but what sustains their power and what they support”( http://www.csub.edu/~jgranskog/inst205/connell.htm). I myself would have to say that I fit more in the description of complicit masculinity which “describes men who benefit from hegemonic masculinity, but do not enact it” (Pascoe, p.7). When I read this statement, two things that I immediately associated with it were bystander behavior, and white privilege. These two things I just stated are similar to complicit masculinity because they both deal with groups of people who perhaps benefit from either there race or gender, but do nothing to address the oppression faced by the opposite race or gender, because it is easy to just sit there and do nothing about something that isn’t really affecting you. But, in order for there to be more of an equality between gender and an acceptation of other sub-groups of gender, it is important that people who fit the description of a complicit masculinity utilize there hegemonic benefits in order to act as a liaison to address these forms of oppression to the oppressors themselves.

Sources

 http://www.csub.edu/~jgranskog/inst205/connell.htm

Pascoe, C.J. (2007). Dude You're A Fag, (p. 7). University of California Press.

             

Confusing something for something else.

Cason Honea

Communication of Gender and Sexuality

3/24/12

            There was an article this week in class that we had to read for our supplemental readings which was an exerpt from a book titled, The Trouble With Boys, that discussed how boys are more commonly diagnosed with ADHD than girls are. “According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2003, 14 percent of boys across the nation were identified as having ADHD by the time they reached their sixteenth birthday. And the percentage is continuing to grow. Between 2000 and 2005, the number of boys from birth to age nineteen who were being prescribed ADHD medication grew 48 percent”(Tyre Ch. 8). When I first read this statement, it made me think about my brother back when we were kids and how he was on medicine for ADHD when it wasn’t as common, and nowadays, it seems to be somewhat of a growing epidemic. As I continued reading, I remembered learning in class how gender is a product of communication and socialization which is instilled into individuals through family members as well as close friends and even teachers. I then began to assess what appropriate gender norms are in society and began realizing that the reason that boys are more diagnosed with ADHD is because their appropriate gender norm condones more of a rambunctious, aggressive, free spirited sort of behavior. If you really think about it, it all makes sense. From a young age boys are told go out and have fun, be active, be competitive, and be tough, while girls are more socialized in to more reserved behaviors, like learning to cook and clean, and always acting “lady-like” and being polite. So, when you put these factors into the equation, it is easy to see that boys were more socialized into an outgoing and active behavior whereas girls are more socialized into being polite and reserved. I found a question and answer section on addmtc.com, which had a question relating to this topic. The question was why is add/adhd more often diagnosed in boys than is girls. I feel that the answer that was given is somewhat similar to what I was discussing earlier about appropriate gender norms. “ADD/ADHD used to be recognized only as a childhood disorder. ADD/ADHD boys are more likely to be obviously hyperactive and explosive than ADD/ADHD girls, and they are more likely to be recognized and treated by physicians because their problems are more evident and severe. The incidence of ADD/ADHD in my medical practice study population of over thirteen hundred males and females of all ages (from 2 to 82 years old when first diagnosed), however, shows that females are equally as likely as males to have ADD/ADHD. Females are much more likely to be diagnosed in adulthood while males with ADD/ADHD are commonly recognized in the childhood or the teenage years by Pediatricians” (http://www.addmtc.com/boysvsgirls). So, it seems that the problem here is that there is an over diagnosing of ADHD in boys because their more hyper-active, outgoing behavior (which is an excepted normal gender behavior for boys) makes it more easy for them to be candidates for ADHD, even though they might not even have ADHD.

Sources

( http://www.addmtc.com/boysvsgirls)

Tyre, P. (2008) The Trouble With Boys, (Ch.8), Crown Publishers

Things aren't always what they seem

Cason Honea

Communication of Gender and Sexuality

3/17/12

     This week in my gender class, we got a more in depth look at some people who have made the transition from male to female or female to male. When most people think of the idea of this, they immediately look down on that particular person and tend to make comments on how "sick" or "messed up" they may be. It is almost as if some people just assume that these folks have chose to be this way when really it is quite the contrary. People who have decided to get these sex changes are born in that particular frame of mind. In the article titled The Scientist: A Transforming Field, Julia Serano (formerly known as Thomas) mentions that she always wanted to be a girl. "It was something that had been with me my whole life" (McCook, p.4).  It as well seems as if some people try to make it out as if these people are somewhat inhuman and not logical but in all actuality, some transgendered people are quite bright and it is there outside ways of thinking that give them a unique sense of intelligence. The article that I previously mentioned was about two scientists who have made gender transitions and both were very bright individuals. According to Ben Barres "Biologists in particular are very understanding of the concept of difference....They are used to thinking about problems from different angles and perspectives, and are innately interested in the way life responds to different environments"(McCook p.2). Unfortunately, not all people have the perspective of thinking outside of the box which sadly makes them misconstrue different as "wrong". "And many biologist feel like outsiders, either because they work on processes that few people in general population understand" (McCook p.2). If I could give any advice to people out there who look down on transgendered folks, I would just tell them to take into consideration that these people are born like this, and just like all other people in this world, they play an important role in society and as well can have the capability of having a brilliant mind.

Sources

McCook, A, The Scientist: A Transforming Field, (pgs. 2,4)