The male-dominated culture in America has a problem with violence and what it means to be a man.
Violence is something that is fostered and implanted in the minds of men from the day they are born.
The media tells us that if you're not dominant enough, you aren’t masculine enough. If you’re not strong
enough, you aren’t manly enough. If you openly express your feelings, you’re not manly enough. What
people fail to realize is that men experience just as many emotions and have the same emotional depth
as women do. We need to implant a culture that fosters a change in the way young men act towards others.
For example, in American culture, Donald Trump would have been viewed as tough and masculine
throughout his presidency. His “grab them by the pussy” way of dealing with other people has earned him
relentless loyalty from his voters. When Barack Obama gave a tearful response to the Sandy Hook
shooting, he was relentlessly criticized for being too emotional, feminine, and weak.
Violence is something that is fostered and implanted in the minds of men from the day they are born.
The media tells us that if you're not dominant enough, you aren’t masculine enough. If you’re not strong
enough, you aren’t manly enough. If you openly express your feelings, you’re not manly enough. What
people fail to realize is that men experience just as many emotions and have the same emotional depth
as women do. We need to implant a culture that fosters a change in the way young men act towards others.
For example, in American culture, Donald Trump would have been viewed as tough and masculine
throughout his presidency. His “grab them by the pussy” way of dealing with other people has earned him
relentless loyalty from his voters. When Barack Obama gave a tearful response to the Sandy Hook
shooting, he was relentlessly criticized for being too emotional, feminine, and weak.
Our culture perpetuates certain characteristics of what it means to be “masculine” throughout our daily
lives and interactions with other. The easiest way to foster our culture’s infatuation is through the media
and entertainment aspects in our everyday consumption. For example, the Media Education Foundation
estimates that by the age of 18, a child will have witnessed over 2000, 000 acts of violence, including
16,000 murders, through the media outlets they are exposed to.
lives and interactions with other. The easiest way to foster our culture’s infatuation is through the media
and entertainment aspects in our everyday consumption. For example, the Media Education Foundation
estimates that by the age of 18, a child will have witnessed over 2000, 000 acts of violence, including
16,000 murders, through the media outlets they are exposed to.
Masculinity is a social construct. In mainstream society, men are not born, they are made. For instance,
men can prove themselves worthy of manhood by pursuing high-status careers, being competitive
in sports, having multiple sexual partners, and engaging in risky, adrenaline-fuelled activities
like skydiving or motocross racing. Many of the mass shooters in history are seen as outcasts and social
rejects of society, who have trouble making social connections and establishing relationships with
opposite sex. The Columbine shooters, for instance, were victims of bullying and public humiliation.
Another shooter, Elliot Rodger, wrote a manifesto in which he blamed his virginity on the “cruelty of
women.” The main cause of toxic masculinity stems from the media standards that set the bar as what a
man SHOULD be, and the coming realization of not meeting those standards.
men can prove themselves worthy of manhood by pursuing high-status careers, being competitive
in sports, having multiple sexual partners, and engaging in risky, adrenaline-fuelled activities
like skydiving or motocross racing. Many of the mass shooters in history are seen as outcasts and social
rejects of society, who have trouble making social connections and establishing relationships with
opposite sex. The Columbine shooters, for instance, were victims of bullying and public humiliation.
Another shooter, Elliot Rodger, wrote a manifesto in which he blamed his virginity on the “cruelty of
women.” The main cause of toxic masculinity stems from the media standards that set the bar as what a
man SHOULD be, and the coming realization of not meeting those standards.
The violent, male dominated culture that dominates the media, along with our fascination with guns,
are two deadly chemicals that cause an explosion when mixed with each other. In a culture where
violence and masculinity go hand in hand, everybody is a victim. The young men who consume
media products on a daily basis are victims because they are often told to change who they are to fit
society’s definition of man. The victims of the heinous acts, portrayed in the media and copied in real
life, did nothing to deserve the death they suffered.In order to curb the violence from not just guns,
but as a whole, we need to have a stricter ruling on the kinds of content the general public is allowed
to have access to. There should be tighter rating systems that are stringent in the kinds of content that
certain age groups are being shown on a wide scale. Media agencies need to target entities that cater to
pre-teen males and young adult males because they are the ones most susceptible to the kinds of
violence we are exposed to in the media. There needs to be change in the outlet for young men and the
kinds of information they consume.
are two deadly chemicals that cause an explosion when mixed with each other. In a culture where
violence and masculinity go hand in hand, everybody is a victim. The young men who consume
media products on a daily basis are victims because they are often told to change who they are to fit
society’s definition of man. The victims of the heinous acts, portrayed in the media and copied in real
life, did nothing to deserve the death they suffered.In order to curb the violence from not just guns,
but as a whole, we need to have a stricter ruling on the kinds of content the general public is allowed
to have access to. There should be tighter rating systems that are stringent in the kinds of content that
certain age groups are being shown on a wide scale. Media agencies need to target entities that cater to
pre-teen males and young adult males because they are the ones most susceptible to the kinds of
violence we are exposed to in the media. There needs to be change in the outlet for young men and the
kinds of information they consume.
