Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Paper #2 Final Polish


December 10, 2012

Dear Rupert Murdoch

It is in human nature to want a governing force with the interests of all citizens in mind to create a more utopian society, and this notion of catering to a specific demographic is outdated and oppressive. There have been numerous circumstances throughout history of tyrants and greedy men in power who have blatantly used their influence to benefit their personal gains with no regard to the well-being of the people they claim rule over. This rule, in the modern era is not exclusively the President, the Military, the House or the Senate. No, the power is in the control of the constituencies of these Governmental processes, the owners of the fortune 500’s and those who feel it is their right as the wealthy, to get what they want. Inequality is a common enemy to all the human race and anything that can be done to combat it should be considered admirable. Discouraging education, healthcare, women’s rights and the staples of life to women and minorities is in itself the war every human is fighting. This is a balancing act between allowing those who deserve opportunities a chance to make a difference while maintaining a beneficial ruling class with those in power acting responsibly. Masculinity in society is a powerful tool used by those in control to retain the status quo of the culture and reap the benefits that come with oppressing the less fortunate.

The working class has been dominated by men until recent history, and while this is considered a social norm we can never see true equality at home. The culture of the world is changing with new jobs in new fields being created every year. We have a need for a diverse work force with a variety of different skills that do not necessarily cater towards men and their masculinity. Rather than having the men be the main bread earners there should be an equal balance between the sexes as to what their individual responsibilities truly are. Already, we are seeing women snatching a vast number of jobs as they become available because they are qualified and have the need to make a name for themselves. According to the Educational Attainment in the United States:2010, 36 percent of women ages 25 to 30 hold bachelor’s degrees or higher, while men hold only 28 percent. This alone proves that women are preparing for a work force shift that men are not ready for. They are getting their education, motivation and equipment needed to not only enter the workforce, but take control of it. The notion of a stay at home mom is disappearing while in many fields women are holding more jobs than men. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women now hold 51.4 percent of managerial and professional jobs—up from 26.1 percent in 1980. The man with the weight of the world on his shoulders is simply disappearing. It is interesting, seeing these changes come about, in the short 22 years I’ve been around I have seen more and more families since 1990 who either have both parents working or the mom working while the dad takes care of the children. That man whose sole responsibility is earning is an outcast, he stands alone in a world where joint responsibility is quickly becoming a social norm.  So, with women getting more prepared to work and taking more available jobs we see how it is imperative for men to stop fighting this clearly evident movement of women in the workforce and learn to relinquish their testosterone based power struggle when it is in the best interests of an entire nation.

Greed and power seem to coincide in every culture and those that suffer for it are the lower and middle class when their needs are not being met by a masculine driven ruling class. Rather than having one demographic making decisions for an entire populace it should be more equally dispersed to reduce the overwhelming odds for or against a bias cause. The recent depression was caused by greedy men spending frivolously with no consequences which resulted in the majority of the working class paying for it. Having more women and minorities in power would reduce this unchecked greed and provide more equality for a vast demographic. We have seen instances of women in power throughout Europe and Asia and the apparent good they have done for their countries. Iceland is called the most feminine place in the world and after the bank crash in 2008 they had to go into crisis mode. After firing a number of male administrators and replacing them with women, along with not bailing out 3 of their biggest banks, Iceland fared much better than other European nations. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as of 2012 Rwanda, Andorra and Cuba all have a majority of women that are occupying lower house seats and there are many others that are approaching very quickly. With the world moving towards a fresh look at women in power we see results and attitudes shifting towards the better for equality and general well-being. Now, not all men seem so gung-ho to refute this feminist movement and reduce the male power monopoly. In fact, since the birth of this country we have seen numerous prominent male figures get involved in the feminist movement for example “men such as Thomas Paine, John Dewey and Ralph Waldo Emerson supported women’s campaigns for property rights, equal access to education and suffrage” (Kimmel and Mosmiller 1992). During a lecture on women’s suffrage Emerson continued his support by saying “[L]et the laws be purged of every barbarous impediment to women” (Emerson 1992: 219).  If the general consensus around masculinity is that educated, successful and influential men are joining this movement for whatever reason be it rational or not, there is merit to it. This merit adds power to the movement allowing the idea of a more diverse ruling class to take form in the minds of all citizens.

Fox News is a shining example of the media portraying a completely dysfunctional modern perspective of women, minorities and masculinity. From The Five to Fox and friends, this news organization reinforces ancient gender roles through every station they put on the air. The men are white, the women are slow but attractive, and in every single piece of what they call journalism they manage to subliminally brainwash their die-hard viewers to believing what they say is truth through rhetoric and playing on previously established social biases. This news organization has lost all credibility and merit through their backwards views and support of backwards people. Recently, the infamous Suzanne Venker was welcomed back to Fox and friends, after her declaration on the fictional “war on men”, to give her views on women’s roles in the home, workplace and to her husband, she argues that “ women “like to gather and nest and take care of people” while men “are hunters: they like to build things and kill things.” As a consequence, she maintains a man’s place is in the office; “his” woman should simply “surrender” to his rule” (Zack Baeuchamp). Perhaps if we lived in caves and relied on roaming herds of buffalo to survive this perception of a woman might have merit. But, by modern standards any free thinking human being completely rejects this notion. Not only are these views a massive generalization of women and men, they are insulting to any woman who perceives herself and is perceived as independent and has a rational understanding of not only relationships but how men truly do operate. Rather than fox attempting to retain the masculine status quo in which it was bred, where women were objects, men were white and people actually watched it’s programing, can’t the conservative agenda be portrayed within the parameters of this culture and this reality? The simple answer is, as long as the needs of the owners are being catered to, the country can burn. A disconnect must be made from the supplier to the news story, news is not a tool to be manipulated into a weapon, it is just a tool every citizen should be able to rely on.  Fox news is dying, and with it so are it’s viewers. According to the Politicususa, CNN and MSNBC saw their ratings increase in 2011, while Fox saw a 3% drop. The average viewer for Fox is 65 and they have the lowest ratings by far for the younger viewer. If this News organization is any indication of the growing support for equality, based on the endorsements Fox has, there is still hope for equality and a less masculine driven media in the future.

How women are perceived is a mixture of a self-perpetuation by individuals who see an easy road to what they want and how that is all tailored to what men want because they hold all the prizes. Masculinity thrives on these pretenses by allowing women to make their own rules as to who is on top through the lens of a male perspective. This comes in varying forms, from wives submitting to their man’s rule to selfish, success-driven single women who use their sexuality to hold some invisible title of dominance. Masculinity views these women as objects to a man’s needs for success in the eyes of other men, a completely natural cycle to show who is dominant. The byproduct of this nature vs. nurture approach is an increase to men’s entitlement to women and power, which seemingly separates all classes and walks of life at a fundamental level. Rather than having women of certain classes and social standings deciding what they want and how to get there for all women, it should be a universal understanding between women about their struggles and what a common goal for all of them could be, in this instance : equality in the home, work force, and in their relationships with men. This movement of women as equal citizens cannot possibly come to fruition if there are those still trying to claw their way up the social ladder or submitting to the objectivism of a poor relationship. Both genders are susceptible to this easy path of playing off the advantages you have as opposed to working hard and showing moral fiber. The ignorance of not seeing the bigger picture by thousands if not millions of women is disintegrating this feminist movement by reinforcing men’s perception of women and women’s own perception of themselves.

Men have the opportunity to change the face of this planet and the future of the entire human race, and all that is required of them is to relinquish power that they have proven incapable of handling on their own. As the geography of the planet changes, the human race must adapt in order to survive. The same can be said for this new generation of workers and a new era of equality. Learning from our mistakes is one of the most valuable tools we have been given and to squander that gift is committing to ideals that will limit us. Masculinity is what we make it to be, our living standards are what we make them to be and if our goal is to make a better society for all humans our definition of masculinity must coincide with that of equality and understanding.

Sincerely,


Ethan Ahlstrom

Paper # 2 annotated bibliography


Annotated Bibliography
Ashe, Fidelma. The New Politics of Masculinity: Men, Power and Resistance. London: Routledge, 2007. Print.
Fidelma Ashe is a current instructor of at the University of Ulster where she teachers Political Ideologies, Political Theory and Political Identities, and American Politics. She has written a number of published works on politics and gender roles and got her BSSc at Belfast University followed by her PHD. In this book she outlines the issues surrounding men and masculinity with respect to the political effects of feminism in the new world. This work is meant to explain how the new politics of masculinity is rooted in the claim that the social, political and economic conditions of capitalist societies have " exerted pressure on men's traditional roles and identities, producing a generation of men less secure than their fathers were about their place and function in society"(1). Meant for people seeking an explanation to how and why this apparent decline in men's confidence in society is being manifested. This is relevant to my topic because it outlines the limitations created for the opposite sex, by the opposite sex. It illuminates a question where the answer is in the question itself.

Beauchamp, Zack. "Fox News Op-Ed Says Women̢۪s Nature Is To Be Dominated By Men."ThinkProgress RSS. N.p., 7 Dec. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.
Zack Baeuchamp is a reporter for thinkprogress.org. He has contributed to Andrew Sullivan’s The Dish, Foreign Policy and Tablet magazines. He has 2 B.A’s in Political Science and Philosophy from Brown university and an M.Sc in International Relations from the London School of Economics. His audience in this piece about women’s anti-feminism is for both men and women who clearly don’t agree with the notion and find it typical of Fox News. This is different from my piece from Jason Easley because it illuminates the intricacies of Fox New’s fallacy. It shows why Fox news is losing credibility and why they are going down every year. For my thesis, it amplifies the idea that Fox is run by a masculine driven agenda that simply uses a tool like Fox News to spit it’s conservative garbage.


Easley, Jason. "Viewers Continue To Flee Fox News as Ratings Drop for a Second Straight Year." PoliticusUSA. N.p., 19 Mar. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.
Jason Easley is a regular contributor the Politicususa website. He has written numerous articles on Fox news, conservatism and general bologna we have been getting from the far right. Easley writing this article on Fox news to his fellow Fox haters as one more thing to be disgusted by Fox with. This work helps me centralize my topic around my intended audience: Rupert Murdoch. It is gives my paper credibility in stating facts about Fox and it’s demographic decline and how that can be related to it’s bias, amateur journalism that is clearly lying to it’s viewers and how that is a byproduct of the sexist ownership and obvious subordination to it’s agenda.

"Women in Parliaments: World Classification." Women in Parliaments: World Classification. N.p., 31 Oct. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.
Women in national parliaments is a trusted statistic website that gives information on various governmental functions worldwide. It shows how there is still a large gap between equality in Government but there are places in the world that are beginning to turn more feminist and have benefitted for it. This website helps back up the idea that the world is run by men and they have not done enough to solve problems. The audience for this site is most likely curious folks like myself who like information on the global state of the world’s governments.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Paper #2 Final Draft


December 2, 2012
Dear Rupert Murdoch
It is in human nature to want a governing force with the interests of all citizens in mind to create a more utopian society, and this notion of catering to specific demographic is outdated and oppressive. There have been numerous circumstances throughout history of tyrants and greedy men in power who have blatantly used their influence to benefit their personal gains with no regard to the well-being of the people they claim rule over.  Inequality is a common enemy to all the human race and anything that can be done to combat it should be considered admirable. Discouraging education, healthcare, women’s rights and the staples of life to women and minorities is in itself the war every human is fighting. This is a balancing act between allowing those who deserve opportunities a chance to make a difference while maintaining a centralized government with those in power acting responsibly. Masculinity in society is a powerful tool used by those in control to retain the status quo of the culture and reap the benefits that come with oppressing the less fortunate.
The working class has been dominated by men until recent history, and while this is considered a social norm we can never see true equality at home. The culture of the world is changing with new jobs in new fields being created every year we have a need for a diverse work force with a variety of different skills that do not necessarily cater towards men and their masculinity. Rather than having the men be the main bread earners there should be an equal balance between the sexes as to what their individual responsibilities truly are. Already we are seeing women snatching a vast number of jobs as they become available because they are qualified and have the need to make a name for themselves on their own. According to the “Educational Attainment in the United States:2010” 36 percent of women ages 25 to 30 hold bachelor’s degrees or higher while men hold only 28 percent, this alone proves that women are preparing for a work force shift that men are not ready for. They are getting educated, motivated and properly equipped to not only enter the workforce, but take control of it. The notion of a stay at home mom is disappearing as well with numbers of employed women holding more jobs in the United States than men. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women now hold 51.4 percent of managerial and professional jobs—up from 26.1 percent in 1980. So, with women getting more prepared to work and taking more available jobs we see how it is imperative for men to stop fighting this clearly evident movement of women in the workforce and learn to relinquish power when it is in the best interests of those capable and prove to get results.
Greed and power seem to coincide in every culture and those that suffer for it are the lower and middle class when their needs are not being met by a masculine driven ruling class. Rather than having one demographic making decisions for an entire populace it should be more equally dispersed to reduce the overwhelming odds for or against a bias cause. The recent depression was caused by greedy men spending frivolously with no consequences which resulted in the majority of the working class paying for it. Having more women and minorities in power would reduce this unchecked greed and provide more equality for a vast demographic. We have seen instances of women in power throughout Europe and Asia and the apparent good they have done for their countries. Iceland is called the most feminine place in the world and after the bank crash in 2008 they had to go into crisis mode. After firing a number of male administrators and replacing them with women along with not bailing out 3 of their biggest banks, Iceland fared much better than other European nations. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as of 2012 Rwanda, Andorra and Cuba all have a majority of women that are occupying lower house seats and many others that are approaching very quickly. With the world moving towards a fresh look at women in power we see results and attitudes shifting towards the better for equality and general well-being. Now not all men seem so gung-ho to refute this feminist movement and reduce the male overall power monopoly. In fact since the birth of this country we have seen numerous male figures get involved in the feminist movement for example “men such as Thomas Paine, John Dewey and Ralph Waldo Emerson supported women’s campaigns for property rights, equal access to education and suffrage” (Kimmel and Mosmiller 1992). During a lecture on women’s suffrage Emerson continued his support by saying “[L]et the laws be purged of every barbarous impediment to women” (Emerson 1992: 219).  If the general consensus around masculinity is that educated, successful and influential men are joining this movement for whatever reason be it rational or not, there is merit to it. This merit adds power to the movement allowing the idea of a more diverse ruling class to take form in the minds of all citizens.
How women are perceived is a mixture of a self-perpetuation by individuals who see an easy road to what they want and how that is all tailored to what men want because they hold all the prizes. Masculinity thrives on these pretenses by allowing women to make their own rules as to who is on top through the lens of a male perspective. Ultimately it is causing self-inflicted wounds to women as a whole thus holding back entire nations. Masculinity views these women as objects to a man’s needs for success in the eyes of other men, a completely natural cycle to show who is dominant. The byproduct of this nature vs. nurture approach is an increase to men’s entitlement to women and power which seemingly separates all classes and walks of life at a fundamental level. Rather than having women of certain classes and social standing deciding what they want and how to get there, it should be a universal understanding between women about their struggles and what a common goal for all of them could be, in this instance : equality. This movement of women as equal citizens cannot possibly come to fruition if there are those still trying to claw their way up the social ladder, both genders are susceptible to this easy path of playing off the advantages you have as opposed to working hard and showing moral fiber.
As a competitive race, we have always enjoyed sports and idolizing certain skills and abilities. This in itself doesn’t aid in the separation of equality but does outline masculine traits that help define cultures. In the United States American football is vastly popular and in some cases can be perceived as a religion which results in many families integrating masculine competition into their daily lives. Approaching life from a competitive stand point not only gives people a one sided and ignorant view on how to approach problems but how to approach people, particularly women.
This idea of sports playing a role in masculinity is dwarfed by the obvious employment of video games, movies and music in society. All media seems to revolve around bettering yourself through material goods, drugs, strength, power, money; essentially everything you truly don’t need in life is being advertised at every corner. This constant bombardment of simply wrong undertones has given people of all ages wrong impressions of what they need out of life. Saying men need to be stronger, more independent and have everything under their control and women need to be sexier, younger, able bodied and also more independent shows who is really running this garbage and what their end goal truly is. Everything you see in the advertising world is run by those in power, those who seek to control and influence for their own personal gains which is drastically spreading inequality in solidifying what they believe masculine and feminine means and how they can use that definition to their advantage.
Men have the opportunity to change the face of this planet and the future of the entire human race, and all that is required of them is to relinquish power that they have proven incapable of handling on their own. As the geography of the planet changes, the human race must adapt in order to survive. The same can be said for this new generation of workers and a new era of equality. Learning from our mistakes is one of the most valuable tools we have been given and to squander that gift is committing to ideals that will limit us. Masculinity is what we make it to be, our living standards are what we make them to be and if our goal is to make a better society for all humans our definition of masculinity must coincide with that of equality and understanding.
Sincerely,


Ethan Ahlstrom

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Rough draft #2


November 24, 2012
Dear Rupert Murdoch:
It is in human nature to want a governing force with the interests of all citizens in mind to create a more utopian society, and this notion of catering to specific demographic is outdated and oppressive. There have been numerous circumstances throughout history of tyrants and greedy men in power who have blatantly used their influence to benefit their personal gains with no regard to the well-being of the people they claim rule over.  Inequality is a common enemy to all the human race and anything that can be done to combat it should be considered admirable. Discouraging education, healthcare, women’s rights and the staples of life to women and minorities is in itself the war every human is fighting. This is a balancing act between allowing those who deserve opportunities a chance to make a difference while maintaining a centralized government with those in power acting responsibly. Masculinity in society is a powerful tool used by those in control to retain the status quo of the culture and reap the benefits that come with oppressing the less fortunate.
The working class has been dominated by men until recent history, and while this is considered a social norm we can never see true equality at home. The culture of the world is changing with new jobs in new fields being created every year we have a need for a diverse work force with a variety of different skills that do not necessarily cater towards men and their masculinity. Rather than having the men be the main bread earners there should be an equal balance between the sexes as to what their individual responsibilities truly are. Already we are seeing women snatching a vast number of jobs as they become available because they are qualified and have the need to make a name for themselves on their own. According to the “Educational Attainment in the United States:2010” 36 percent of women ages 25 to 30 hold bachelor’s degrees or higher while men hold only 28 percent, this alone proves that women are preparing for a work force shift that men are not ready for. They are getting educated, motivated and properly equipped to not only enter the workforce, but take control of it. The notion of a stay at home mom is disappearing as well with numbers of employed women holding more jobs in the United States than men. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women now hold 51.4 percent of managerial and professional jobs—up from 26.1 percent in 1980. So, with women getting more prepared to work and taking more available jobs we see how it is imperative for men to stop fighting this clearly evident movement of women in the workforce and learn to relinquish power when it is in the best interests of those capable and prove to get results.
Greed and power seem to coincide in every culture and those that suffer for it are the lower and middle class when their needs are not being met by a masculine driven ruling class. Rather than having one demographic making decisions for an entire populace it should be more equally dispersed to reduce the overwhelming odds for or against a bias cause. The recent depression was caused by greedy men spending frivolously with no consequences which resulted in the majority of the working class paying for it. Having more women and minorities in power would reduce this unchecked greed and provide more equality for a vast demographic. We have seen instances of women in power throughout Europe and Asia and the apparent good they have done for their countries. Iceland is called the most feminine place in the world and after the bank crash in 2008 they had to go into crisis mode. After firing a number of male administrators and replacing them with women along with not bailing out 3 of their biggest banks, Iceland fared much better than other European nations. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as of 2012 Rwanda, Andorra and Cuba all have a majority of women that are occupying lower house seats and many others that are approaching very quickly. With the world moving towards a fresh look at women in power we see results and attitudes shifting towards the better for equality and general well-being.
How women are perceived is a mixture of a self-perpetuation by individuals who see an easy road to what they want and how that is all tailored to what men want because they hold all the prizes. Masculinity thrives on these pretenses by allowing women to make their own rules as to who is on top through the lens of a male perspective. Ultimately it is causing self-inflicted wounds to women as a whole thus holding back entire nations. Masculinity views these women as objects to a man’s needs for success in the eyes of other men, a completely natural cycle to show who is dominant. The byproduct of this nature vs. nurture approach is an increase to men’s entitlement to women and power which seemingly separates all classes and walks of life at a fundamental level. This movement of women as equal citizens cannot possibly come to fruition if there are those still trying to claw their way up the social ladder, both genders are susceptible to this easy path of playing off the advantages you have as opposed to working hard and showing moral fiber.
As a competitive race, we have always enjoyed sports and idolizing certain skills and abilities. This in itself doesn’t aid in the separation of equality but does outline masculine traits that help define cultures. In the United States American football is vastly popular and in some cases can be perceived as a religion which results in many families integrating masculine competition into their daily lives. Approaching life from a competitive stand point not only gives people a one sided and ignorant view on how to approach problems but how to approach people, particularly women.
This idea of sports playing a role in masculinity is dwarfed by the obvious employment of video games, movies and music in society. All media seems to revolve around bettering yourself through material goods, drugs, strength, power, money; essentially everything you truly don’t need in life is being advertised at every corner. This constant bombardment of simply wrong undertones has given people of all ages wrong impressions of what they need out of life. Saying men need to be stronger, more independent and have everything under their control and women need to be sexier, younger, able bodied and also more independent shows who is really running this garbage and what their end goal truly is. Everything you see in the advertising world is run by those in charge, those who seek to control and influence for their own personal gains which is drastically spreading inequality in solidifying what they believe masculine and feminine means and how they can use that definition to their advantage.
Men have the opportunity to change the face of this planet and the future of the entire human race, and all that is required of them is to relinquish power that they have proven incapable of handling on their own. As the geography of the planet changes, the human race must adapt in order to survive. The same can be said for this new generation of workers and a new era of equality. Learning from our mistakes is one of the most valuable tools we have been given and to squander that gift is committing to ideals that will limit us. Masculinity is what we make it to be, our living standards are what we make them to be and if our goal is to make a better society for all humans our definition of masculinity must coincide with that of equality and understanding.
Sincerely,
Ethan Ahlstrom

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Annotated Bibliography

Ashe, Fidelma. The New Politics of Masculinity: Men, Power and Resistance. London: Routledge, 2007. Print.
Fidelma Ashe is a current instructor of at the University of Ulster where she teachers Polical Ideologies, Political Theory and Political Identities, and American Politics. She has written a number of published works on politics and gender roles and got her BSSc at Belfast University followed by her PHD. In this book she outlines the issues surrounding men and masculinity with respect to the political effects of feminism in the new world. This work is meant to explain how the new politics of masculinity is rooted in the claim that the social, political and economic conditions of capitalist societies have " exerted pressure on men's traditional roles and identities, producing a generation of men less secure than their fathers were about their place and function in society"(1). Meant for people seeking an explanation to how and why this apparent decline in men's confidence in society is being manifested. This is relevant to my topic because it outlines the limitations created for the oppoiste sex, by the opposite sex. It illuminates a question where the answer is in the question itself.

Hanlon, Rachel L. "India's Views on Gender Roles." Asian Culture (2007): n. pag. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://www.helium.com/items/1014741-indias-views-on-gender-roles?page=2>.
Rachel Hanlon is a mother of three, winner of multiple awards in jounralism and an avid reader. She has written multiple articles and provides a healthy perspective from an educated consumer. In this article she explains how India's culture and religion have created a rather oppressive world for women where they have limited resources to education, healthcare and individualism. She writes "Indian women usually suffer from a low social status compared to men and are sometimes treated negatively. But on the other hand women are revered in Hindu practices with many ceremonies dedicated to them, but Indian society and laws still fail to treat women with equal rights as men" (1). This will give an inside look on the effects of masculinity in other cultures. Not only through the obvious inequality that is seeded within the culture but how this inequality effects the society as a whole. This work differs from my other citations because of its specificity to India and women's rights.

Louie, Kam. Theorising Chinese Masculinity: Society and Gender in China. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2002. Print.
Professor Kam Louie was Chair Professor of Chinese Studies at Queensland University and has written multiple books on Chinese culture. In this piece she outlines the definitions of masculinity through our the Chinese culture past and present. Her most important note is that about the dichotomy of wen and wu which is the scholar and the martial artist and how their roles of masculinty differ in some aspects but are congruent in other and how this affects the culture as a whole. She notes " Chinese masculinity, it will be shown, can be theorised as comprising both wen and wu so that  cholar is considered to be no less masculine than a soldier" (11). This gives a general understanding of the Chinese culture and the categorization of men in society, ranks held and honor given. Knowing that, this article will allow me to outline how a different culture gives precedence to certain traits and skills and how that affects the women of the culture. This differs from my other articles because it takes a look at masculinity from a completely different lens from that of India and North America which will allow me to elaborate on the differences and similarities between cultures.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Proposal

Masculinity: Who made that up?
Masculinity and Femininity have always been around. It is written in our genes that there are certain roles that are to be played by each sex. The power given to these two terms is what defines them and what defines the culture in which those definitions take effect. This leads to a mis-communication or overcompensation of the flawed power given to these terms to find there place in an ever changing global society. Faith in these flawed powers leads to inequality and general misunderstanding of the true roles each sex plays which results in a fundamental breakdown in the inevitable progression to an utopian society which all rule driven humans seek. I plan to illuminate these powers and the effects they have in certain societies and how they are constantly combating our want to progress. I will use Kimmel's "Bro's before Ho's" to magnify what he believes these flawed powers are and how he sees their effects being played out in society. The evidences provided will be abstract in the sense that it is not tangible to those who don't look for it or those who choose not to see it, yet it will show exactly how gender roles can and do hurt the human race. The bulk of my argument will be backed up mostly through the use of pathos to convey the realty of these powers and their effects on people on a global scale

Sunday, November 4, 2012

RA 3- Salam

In Reihan Salam's article written in 2009 titled "The Death of Macho", he explains how a male dominated society is beginning to decline and recede to an equal gender society and how the engrained ideal of macho is beginning to diminish. He notes that the recent recession is the consequence of male incompetence in the financial capitalism world and how men can either accept the fact that women will soon be equally responsible for financial security if not the main caretakers. Salam is writing to anyone who cares to listen, generally those who are obsessed with their ideals and refuse to accept the way of the future tend not to listen to radical new theories based on fact or not, so his message will not be heard universally and arguably to those who need to hear it most. Salam wants to see a more successful society and believes that equality is of the utmost importance if this is to be done. Salam states there are now only two choices left to men "adaptation: men embracing women as equal partners and assimilating to the new cultural sensibilities, institutions, and egalitarian arrangements that entails." or " resistance. Men may decide to fight the death of macho, sacrificing their own prospects in an effort to disrupt or delay a powerful historical trend" (633).

Salam uses pathos by making connections of the oppression women face in other countries such as Russia and China and yet are still upholding jobs and taking in money to support their families. There are 10.4 million more women than men in Russia and yet they still make less money and are exposed to sexual exploitation at work and hypocrisy at home while having the highest working age women employment rate than any other country. Salam explains "Puttin has aided and abetted these men, turning their nostalgia for the lost macho of Soviet times into an entire ideology" (634). Which translates into a resistance to this new movement resulting in all around loss of total income and a drop in their economy and country-wide health and satisfaction. This is the result of flawed and outdated ideals that eventually hurt everyone and is translated to his audience as being the tell tale signs of a new world with new ideals.

The author uses logos by describing the problems in the current economy with job losses and general sociological changes that have been products of the recession both here in the US and in Europe. He recites " soon, there will be three female college graduates for every two males in the United States, and a similarly uneven outlook in the rest of the developed world" (630). Salam calls this a "he-cession" which means it is not only a loss of jobs for men, but a loss of this so called "macho" which is results in an increase in the need for females to step up. Men are not suited for the jobs that are becoming available in this new world while women have been preparing and are ready to accept responsibility that men are not. This back up the theory of this new world change where men choose to resist and lose out or adapt and reap the benefits that it entails.

Salam's use of this term "macho" is an important factor in his persuasive writing. It encompasses not only the ideals in the "guy code" but it represents a flawed perspective on the current roles in society in regard to working families and what is the sociological norm. Salam explains "the problem of macho run amok and excessively compensated is now giving way to macho unemployed and undirected- a different but possibly just as destructive phenomenon" (632). The buying in to this idea of macho and social norms is causing self-inflicted wounds on men around the globe and hurting women trying to make a name for themselves as individuals and as an equal gender which is resulting in an overall decline of socials acceptance and household income. Disturbing and real, this irresponsibility of men to accept reality and move on accordingly will hurt the global society and lead the U.S to an even more divided country, adding another reason to manifest hatred and inequality. This is portrayed by Salam in his constant use of "macho" derogatory or not.

This article is effective and interesting and holds a message that would not be wise to disregard. It is obvious that the global economics and sociology is changing, and those that refuse to listen or even hear it will be left in the dust and end up regretting it. The world moves quickly and this is just one example of how those who are too out of touch to understand it and refuse to acknowledge it are the perpetuators of problems that cannot be rectified without support.