In my opinion I somewhat agree that in “Men Growing Up to Be
Boys”, yes media has a great influence over men and turning them into boys,
losing their admirable qualities associated with masculinity but there is more
than just media. In most eyes men are supposed to be this great care taker who
provides for his family, is the main bread winner who makes all the decisions.
Yet now a days it seems like that aspect is starting to fade away, with people
still living with their parents and not wanting any responsibilities associated
with growing up. I see this as circumstance and personal choice, some men are
great fathers and role models etc. yet just like women, nobody has to live up
to upheld standards of society anymore, the following of own path is mainly
what occurs now a days.
In a society where women are becoming more autonomous masculinity
still plays a major role. “Women may still bear the greater burden of domestic
work, but American males today do more at home than their fathers, and are
happy doing it” I agree with this statement because though men typically do a
lot of outside house work, like cutting the grass maybe painting the house,
building sheds and patios, but they can also take on roles in the kitchen
cooking and cleaning. So I see this as
an equal matter, where maybe the work isn’t the same but fair treatment goes to
both sexes on the work they do as a team.
“ Why You Shouldn’t
Have Children” argues that motherhood might not actually be the most noble
calling for women, as it is usually portrayed in our society. Many women see
themselves mainly at some point in life as child bearers, and when a woman doesn’t
live up to that expectation then questioning of her womanhood comes into play. What
the author is trying to say is that a woman’s worth goes way beyond being able
to bear children, being able to have the choice whether or not or when to have
kids is a personal prerogative and should be treated as such. Yet in our
society if a woman hasn’t had children by a certain age she is looked down upon
or seen as lesser than. Women might have more important goals in life or maybe
she is just trying to wait till she has a stable enough schedule for a baby, or
maybe she is just waiting for the right man; regardless of the situation choice
is power meaning you don’t have to live up to societal expectations any longer.
Yes, to some extend I agree with Lakshmi Chaudhry, author of “Men Growing Up To Be Boys”. Media has a strong influence on how everyone in society acts. And yes, boys are maturing much more slowly, but is that a bad thing? Chaudhy, keeps referring to men in the 50’s, where life was a lot different, a lot more simple. In today’s world you almost have to go to college to get a job unless you want to work at McDonalds the rest of your life. Furthermore, even if you go to college it is still hard to get a job when you graduate, not to mention you’ll probably have a ton of student loan debt.
ReplyDeleteIn Caitlin Moran’s “Why Women shouldn’t Have Children”, she explains that women have the choice to have different roles in life other than being a mother. That you don’t have to get married at a young age and start having children. You can choose a career or choose to not have children at all, and society shouldn’t look at you any differently. I agree with Moran, I personally do not like children, not to say that I will never have children I am just a very career goal oriented person. I believe that if you are going to have children than you should be there for them. And if you are going to choose to have a career then, don’t have children because your career is going to suffer and your child is going to grow resenting you.
Spencer,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your summary of these two readings, you captured the author’s voices in a clear and concise manner. “Men Growing Up To Be Boys” is about how the line that defines a boy and a man has become shifted, distorted, and blurry. I agree with the author, I believe that his explanation of a man’s role in the household has shifted. However, I believe that this shift is inevitable, especially with the rise in technology, media, and feminism. First, the rise in technology has given men(as a matter of a fact, men AND women) a strong want to be connected to the world through technology. This is why more men now a days prefer to be on some sort of device INSIDE rather than doing physical “old fashion” labor OUTSIDE. In his defense, there is no longer a definite NEED to be outside planting or killing food since technology does this for them now. Second, we all know that the media has a strong influence on both men and women. By portraying male fantasies on television, it creates an imprint inside of every man subconsciously whether they believe it is right or not, thus creating a stronger “want” for “metrosexual” materials. Lastly, the rise in feminism has some-what lowered the stereotypical role of a man to be the one and only caretaker of the family. There are more “stay at home” dads now than ever before in America, which is continually growing to be a more widely accepted term. With women taking on more responsibilities inside and outside of their regular domestic duties, men do not carry as much stress on their backs; therefore they allow themselves to relax more at home and at work.
I think that "Men Growing Up to be Boys" is something that is highly appealing to males growing up especially in this generation. Although I do completely agree with the fact that men are seemingly becoming to be less mature as they grow older, this is only happening because of the constant desire to be masculine. The word masculine comes with many stereotypical attributes which can directly lead a man to grow up into a boy. What especially bothers me is that you can look around and constantly see boys trying to seem older while you can also look around and see a man trying to seem younger. This directly correlates with the way the media portrays masculinity in the public's eye. Raquel, I agree completely that the subconscious of males plays a vital role in the distortion of the masculine image. Advertisements take advantage of the subconscious desire to be masculine and pushes men towards purchasing their product whether men are aware of this or not. This desire for men, rooted in the media, is primarily relevant based on cultures. Here, in the United States, public image and social norms consistently rule society. Although the need to be masculine is seemingly decreasing, the problem still leads to advertising companies rooting their televised commercials in "masculine" images. These images can range from a character doing something very "manly" while using their product to the product causing attractive women to approach you. Both, although extremely ridiculous, are highly successful for their sales so they will only continue to get more absurd as sales increase.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Chaudhry makes some excellent points in “Men growing up to be boys” however I would say that it’s not just the media to blame for the downward spiral of men’s masculinity. Things have changed from the last generation to our current generation, but is that really an excuse for men to lose some of their more admirable and masculine qualities? I believe the men themselves have all the power to decide who they want to be. Most are opting out of responsibility and the transition into adulthood because they believe it is an easy way out. But let us not forget the ones who are hard-working, and were raised by their fathers before them to be more honorable men. I found it interesting that Chaudhry mentioned how woman now are the “caveman” now, waiting to find a man for commitment when men these days are running from commitment. He goes into a lot of good examples that I think most people could see in boys today.
ReplyDeleteIn Caitlin Moran’s “Why Women shouldn’t Have Children”, I loved that she wasn’t trying to convince people not to have kids, but rather give them the realization that they have a choice. I think most women these days forget that it really is their choice. Just because your mother wants grandkids, and all your friends and sisters are getting pregnant, asking when you’ll pop one out, doesn’t mean you should have to if you don’t want to. I personally love kids and hope to have some one day, but as Moran would say, that doesn’t mean I’m any better than people who won’t have children. Although children really do change your life, you’re not missing some big realization of life. Motherhood has “…no more inherent worth than a childless woman simply being who she is, to the utmost of her capabilities.”