The Crisis of Masculinity: Part 1
[This is the first of a series of postings commenting on a thin variety of proposed evidences of this larger cultural problem]
"What's the Matter?"
Utterly great piece in the DailyKos diaries by lorraine: Thomas Frank, Class, and Masculinity, working from Thomas Frank's article "What's the matter with Liberals?" Frank builds his thesis that the Repos have succeeded in co-opting the once liberal fight for the Little Guy, the working American who, by their sweat and toil, and by the divide between Republicans hemselves and the sense that they've got a say in the country's direction. The thesis is that the Republicans have repurposed traditional Demo territory of the Little Guy- that the Republicans have overtaken the stance of the lower and working classes at the same time that they have preserved the forces of the upper and controlling classes.
Lorraine takes up the important work of the related, and potentially greater problem: This transmutation of control over the classes just doesn't make sense as much as What's the Matter with Kansas tries to make it. The problem has to do with a deeprooted scar in the American psyche. Do partially to the increase of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy's assertive nature, and due partly to an increase in global authority and a decrease in a sense of personal empowerment and ability, as well as countless other variables and conditions, we are witnessing the cultural effects of striking back.
The Crisis of American Masculinity: The Eroding Control of the American Male
This lengthy blog-entry will lightly examine several nuggets of support for this greater thesis, starting with:
Bush's iPod and more
One Woman, no minorities, and mostly country tunes and rock tunes from the 6os and 70s. Partly just a limite music selection, but partly, also, part of a greater limited world view. Bush's iPod is just an inroad into the masculine psyche of our President, and more importantly, the way that culture relates to him. Recall this poll?
Yes, far more Americans wanted to have a beer with Bush than Kerry [half of those who wanted to drink with Bush just wanted to get Bush drinking again]. Bush is a regular guy, a guy who knows how to get things done and kick back. He's the Little Guy for the New Millenium, with his "With Us or Against Us" 'tude and his high noon hero 48 hour declaration to Black Hat Hussein and Sons [The Dimestore Book Sleeve would read: The son of a prominent wild-west rancher, whose father spent years of border wars with a distant rogue rancher, inherits the ranch. After a series of devastating circumstances, the boy declares 48 hours until war, and tells the rival rancher and his male progeny (The women don't count in the Wild West) they must leave or be killed. How will this war between the ruthless men and their sons in the wild west conclude? All these thrills and chills and more in Arbusto! ] and his claims toward Compassionate Conservativism[forgotten '01]. Bush is the Little Guy, but he's finally made it to the top [after all those years of toil...].
So he's on top, and the American Little Guy, who feels held back from his beer-guzzling, Molly Hatcheting days, sees some things about the world which are very distressing to him: if he loses control of these things, there's no saying what the American Man will become, and he's not willing to let that happen. And, typical of negative reactions, the American Man can't admit error at in point in his judgement. It is a cognitive dissonance, a rift in perception, and it always leads to over-reaction, high-levels of stress, one-dimensional problem solving perception, and limited acceptions of other's views. So this Crisis in American Masculinity is one that affects the world, as well as our homes and families. It is potentially limitless, uncontrollable to an extent. It is illogical and unreasonable; it is a push backward in time, before the loss of all of these things through two millenia of masculine control.
Gender is not an issue of bioloigical sex- it is a power relationship that is rooted in tradition and has typically been anchored to sex, but it is a constructed power relationship. In America we see the world twisting around these traditional genders and gender roles. My argument, building from Lorraine and many others, is that the loss of control in the American Male has brought forward great and far-stretching anxiety in many if not all aspects of our culture.
As Jiggavegas has said to me: There is room for the Masculine in this debate, and the fact is that the loss of Masculinity is not inherently good.
The problem arises when the Masculine reaction to this loss is just that: irrationality and brutality in a reactive fear of the loss of power and control.
-----
[Tune in Next Time for a posting that looks at the seedy cultural underbelly of the Anti-Abortion Movement as well as other issues and how they relate to this Exciting Topic! Plus, in postings to come: Some Notable American Males Mid-Crisis; Or At Least Symbolically So!]
"What's the Matter?"
Utterly great piece in the DailyKos diaries by lorraine: Thomas Frank, Class, and Masculinity, working from Thomas Frank's article "What's the matter with Liberals?" Frank builds his thesis that the Repos have succeeded in co-opting the once liberal fight for the Little Guy, the working American who, by their sweat and toil, and by the divide between Republicans hemselves and the sense that they've got a say in the country's direction. The thesis is that the Republicans have repurposed traditional Demo territory of the Little Guy- that the Republicans have overtaken the stance of the lower and working classes at the same time that they have preserved the forces of the upper and controlling classes.
Lorraine takes up the important work of the related, and potentially greater problem: This transmutation of control over the classes just doesn't make sense as much as What's the Matter with Kansas tries to make it. The problem has to do with a deeprooted scar in the American psyche. Do partially to the increase of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy's assertive nature, and due partly to an increase in global authority and a decrease in a sense of personal empowerment and ability, as well as countless other variables and conditions, we are witnessing the cultural effects of striking back.
The Crisis of American Masculinity: The Eroding Control of the American Male
This lengthy blog-entry will lightly examine several nuggets of support for this greater thesis, starting with:
Bush's iPod and more
One Woman, no minorities, and mostly country tunes and rock tunes from the 6os and 70s. Partly just a limite music selection, but partly, also, part of a greater limited world view. Bush's iPod is just an inroad into the masculine psyche of our President, and more importantly, the way that culture relates to him. Recall this poll?
Yes, far more Americans wanted to have a beer with Bush than Kerry [half of those who wanted to drink with Bush just wanted to get Bush drinking again]. Bush is a regular guy, a guy who knows how to get things done and kick back. He's the Little Guy for the New Millenium, with his "With Us or Against Us" 'tude and his high noon hero 48 hour declaration to Black Hat Hussein and Sons [The Dimestore Book Sleeve would read: The son of a prominent wild-west rancher, whose father spent years of border wars with a distant rogue rancher, inherits the ranch. After a series of devastating circumstances, the boy declares 48 hours until war, and tells the rival rancher and his male progeny (The women don't count in the Wild West) they must leave or be killed. How will this war between the ruthless men and their sons in the wild west conclude? All these thrills and chills and more in Arbusto! ] and his claims toward Compassionate Conservativism[forgotten '01]. Bush is the Little Guy, but he's finally made it to the top [after all those years of toil...].
So he's on top, and the American Little Guy, who feels held back from his beer-guzzling, Molly Hatcheting days, sees some things about the world which are very distressing to him: if he loses control of these things, there's no saying what the American Man will become, and he's not willing to let that happen. And, typical of negative reactions, the American Man can't admit error at in point in his judgement. It is a cognitive dissonance, a rift in perception, and it always leads to over-reaction, high-levels of stress, one-dimensional problem solving perception, and limited acceptions of other's views. So this Crisis in American Masculinity is one that affects the world, as well as our homes and families. It is potentially limitless, uncontrollable to an extent. It is illogical and unreasonable; it is a push backward in time, before the loss of all of these things through two millenia of masculine control.
Gender is not an issue of bioloigical sex- it is a power relationship that is rooted in tradition and has typically been anchored to sex, but it is a constructed power relationship. In America we see the world twisting around these traditional genders and gender roles. My argument, building from Lorraine and many others, is that the loss of control in the American Male has brought forward great and far-stretching anxiety in many if not all aspects of our culture.
As Jiggavegas has said to me: There is room for the Masculine in this debate, and the fact is that the loss of Masculinity is not inherently good.
The problem arises when the Masculine reaction to this loss is just that: irrationality and brutality in a reactive fear of the loss of power and control.
-----
[Tune in Next Time for a posting that looks at the seedy cultural underbelly of the Anti-Abortion Movement as well as other issues and how they relate to this Exciting Topic! Plus, in postings to come: Some Notable American Males Mid-Crisis; Or At Least Symbolically So!]
posted by General Stan at 7:42 PM
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