Patriarchy was better in the 80s
If I were a man, I'd be pretty embarrassed by the assertion, in this New York Times article, that my response to a world of progressive change and ideological conflict is Hulk Hogan. And/or Chuck Norris or Rambo.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/fashion/13bigguys.html
Although let's pause and enjoy the triptych photo of Hogan, Norris, and Stallone at the beginning of the article, which depicts Hogan, that hyperbole of masculinity, in a feather boa. Also, is it just me, or is he making a kissy face? And don't forget Norris's goofy Miss America Smile. Stallone is 110% macho, I'll admit.
Men, the theory goes, want to return to the world of their childhood, in which power meant a guy with inhumanly large biceps. This is especially interesting when compared to Gloria Steinem's recent assertion that "children are still raised mostly by women (to put it mildly) so men especially tend to feel they are regressing to childhood when dealing with a powerful woman." For powerful woman, read Hilary Clinton.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/opinion/08steinem.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
So regression to childhood is desirable to men only insofar as it exaggerates traditional gender roles. Makes sense. My problem is that some of the experts in the first article conflate a media generated stereotype of masculinity with the men who consume it. Just because a guy wants to go watch Rambo kill every terrorist in a 50 mile radius in 20 minutes flat doesn't mean that the guy thinks indiscriminate violence is the best political solution to real world conflicts. It's called escapism, folks. And there's nothing inherently wrong with it. I'd be the last person to deny the influence of culture on identity, and I think a little Rambo goes a long way, but consumers aren't passive slaves of the advertising industry. The article does at least acknowledge that Chuck Norris worship is massively tongue-in-cheek. And if professional wrestling isn't camp, I don't know what is. So I'd like to think that what's really happening is that men are acknowledging their infantile desire for a simpler world in which women wear aprons and men wear hats, either black or white, while simultaneously these men are aware that off-stage, that's not the way the world works, and it never really was.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/fashion/13bigguys.html
Although let's pause and enjoy the triptych photo of Hogan, Norris, and Stallone at the beginning of the article, which depicts Hogan, that hyperbole of masculinity, in a feather boa. Also, is it just me, or is he making a kissy face? And don't forget Norris's goofy Miss America Smile. Stallone is 110% macho, I'll admit.
Men, the theory goes, want to return to the world of their childhood, in which power meant a guy with inhumanly large biceps. This is especially interesting when compared to Gloria Steinem's recent assertion that "children are still raised mostly by women (to put it mildly) so men especially tend to feel they are regressing to childhood when dealing with a powerful woman." For powerful woman, read Hilary Clinton.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/opinion/08steinem.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
So regression to childhood is desirable to men only insofar as it exaggerates traditional gender roles. Makes sense. My problem is that some of the experts in the first article conflate a media generated stereotype of masculinity with the men who consume it. Just because a guy wants to go watch Rambo kill every terrorist in a 50 mile radius in 20 minutes flat doesn't mean that the guy thinks indiscriminate violence is the best political solution to real world conflicts. It's called escapism, folks. And there's nothing inherently wrong with it. I'd be the last person to deny the influence of culture on identity, and I think a little Rambo goes a long way, but consumers aren't passive slaves of the advertising industry. The article does at least acknowledge that Chuck Norris worship is massively tongue-in-cheek. And if professional wrestling isn't camp, I don't know what is. So I'd like to think that what's really happening is that men are acknowledging their infantile desire for a simpler world in which women wear aprons and men wear hats, either black or white, while simultaneously these men are aware that off-stage, that's not the way the world works, and it never really was.