Violence and Masculinity

I feel the articles we read and the movie we viewed both contained some interesting points on violence and how we view masculinity. It does seem undeniable that masculinity is often associated with a 'tough guy' persona, and thus is shown in tandem with violence in various media imagery. This can, and surely does, lead some men to have a warped view of what masculinity is, feeling they have to behave in a violent manner to gain respect and be thought of as a real man. From that standpoint, I do feel that it is cause for concern that so many boys associate violate behavior with masculinity. I think this is best fought, not by government regulation, but by more complex and honest media portrays, which can be very effective. The video gave a good example in Good Will Hunting, and as a movie buff, I can attest to the fact that film and television is taking a more complex look at what it is to be masculine.

Masculinity and Society

What does it mean to be masculine? What attributes does one need to have in order to be thought of as masculine? According to our class survey, the top two traits of a masculine person are having muscles, and having an interest in sports and athletics. I wasn't surprised by the results, but that doesn't mean I agree with them completely. Society tends to place value in superficial things, and I can see why having muscles and being into sports gives the appearance of masculinity. And it's fine to have those traits, but I don't view them as necessarily crucial. Being crucial to masculinity, in my opinion, is having that basic instinct to protect the weak and innocent, and that drive to provide for ones' family. Those are the the things we should be looking toward in regard to masculinity, as I believe those traits define what it is to be a man.

Evolving Porn Industry

I just came across this very interesting article from ABC news. One way to boost porn DVD sales? Celebrity scandal. The article talks about one specific company that is enjoying good sales because of its unique celebrity and spoof content. It makes sense. People are willing to pay for exclusives, something that can distinguish it from the 'normal' free porn found on the internet.

Porn and Society

The question of what the proper role of pornography is in our society is a difficult one. To start off with, I'm not sure there is a "proper" role of porn. Porn, at least my conception of it, is never really proper. It has no conceivable social value. That said, it's not going anywhere. Porn is always gonna be around. I think that we need to recognize that fact, but also set some boundaries. For one, porn should only be intended for and target toward adults. Those depicted in porn need to be doing so of there free will, and of legal age. Other than that, porn should not be made illegal. We live in a free society, and I feel porn is therefore protected under the first amendment.

I'm not sure anyone benefits from pornography, aside from those who profit from it. To be sure, people can be, and are, harmed by pornography. Children and young adults can become exposed to such material, making them deal with concepts and actions not befitting their maturity level, causing confusion and possible psychological problems. Porn can become an addiction, and lead to relationship strain. Men may develop a warped sense of sexuality, and therefore want to engage in rather bizarre practices, or look outside of his relationship for fulfillment. Ultimately porn is a vice. It's something that will never go away, thus efforts to prohibit and restrict it can be counterproductive. The implications of it, however, are very real, and should not be ignored.

Starting off...

I found both "Why don't we like our bodies?" and "Only 2% of Women..." fairly compelling. Our view of beauty, our cultural definition of it, is not healthy. It's not realistic and therefore almost impossible to achieve, which is surely the point of the media in pushing such a standard. If real beauty is never completely achieved, you have a continual consumer segment for products that aid in the quest. Therefore I don't find it surprising that only 2% of women find themselves to be beautiful, what normal intellectually honest women can say they are beautiful compared to the likes of Natalie Portman or Keira Knightly?

Physical appearance surely goes a long way in making one beautiful, that can't be rightly denied. At the same time, our fixation on it has diminished the other important aspects that go into making a women beautiful, namely personality and character. Perhaps in that way, the beauty we strive for should be less of that of a model, but more of a Jackie Kennedy type.

I don't think it's a stretch to argue that, as "Why don't we like our bodies?" argued, these unrealistic expectations we've placed on ourselves has led us to almost hate our bodies. I don't feel it's the primary motivation behind horror movies, people just have a fixation on violence, but it's certainly a factor in the increasing levels of such horrific depiction, as the Saw series is evidence of.