how masculinity creates a culture of violence

how masculinity creates a culture of violence

It is crucial to contemplate how masculinity creates a culture of violence, affecting all genders when tackling the intersectional features of the ways masculinity and femininity are socially constructed and institutionally reproduced to contribute to sexual abuse. Jackson Karts and Jeremy Earp and Jane Doe in their books “It’s the Masculinity, stupid!” and “The Ultimate Rape Victim” examines the violent and hostile environment that the society has forced on women. The authors developed a culture that shows that any non-aggressive representation of male identity and hyper-masculinity can generate a crisis of masculinity—as a result, making women victims of sexual violence in an attempt to maintain socially constructed gender dynamics and gender roles. Therefore, both genders must eventually reconcile new identities with how the society label, shame, and view them.

She was wearing indecent clothes or was at both the wrong place and time are some of the common statements people make after a woman has been a victim of sexual violence. Furthermore, after an incident, “a raped woman is framed socially and within the law as something broken. Neither Madonna nor whore” (Doe 541) instantly because someone else did that to her. She is rejected and uncomfortable around others. Her previous identity is not only ruined, but society also makes it impossible for her to forget the incident. The constant reminder by the community also makes it challenging for sexual violence victims to forget as they are compelled to “return to that moment, that night of terror and helplessness” (Doe 542). The worst is that men are always freed from any responsibility, while women are humiliated and disgraced. This attitude, however, only strengthens the standardization of sexual violence and toxic masculinity.

Every society and culture have concepts of what masculine means. For instance, many cultures associate masculinity with a man in control-the the hyper-masculinity identity. Kart explains that the majority of white men have a personality and emotional investment regarding specific styles and ideology of manhood (Katz and Earp 192), proposing that this form of education has led to inflexible expectancies of gender dynamics. Explaining the concept in terms of politics, the two authors (Karl and Earp) argue that Donald Trump’s ability to appeal to the white people was because he portrayed an image of the hyper-masculine. Trump, when during his speech, maintained a hard and composed demeanor, unfiltered way of expression, aggression, confidence, and force (Katz and Jeremy, 193). Hyper-masculine teaches men to be tough all the time; that they cannot openly express their emotions, and that anything other than that makes them weak or feminine. Jeremy explains that people did not care about Trump’s words, but rather the way he spoke the words full of confidence, force, and aggression (193). Taking advantage of this, Trump only had to impress men to achieve his goal. He openly disrespected and rendered women inferior. Therefore, legitimizing and emphasizing the notion that hyper-masculine identity is the appropriate one. However, when this hyper-masculine identity is threatened, it manifests as violence towards the vulnerable, in most cases, the women. This because of the need to regain control and the rise of the crisis of masculinity. This violence, in return, takes away the woman’s identity. Socially, the victim is regarded as a raped woman but not an independent, self-defined woman.

Education is one of the solutions that would assist people to break the link between masculinity and violence and lower the negative impact of toxic masculinity on people of all gender. Education is essential because it helps people build opinions and points of things in life. However, for this to be successful, it must start early. Both genders must be re-educated about the new socially acceptable behaviors and conducts. The film The Mask You Live In (2015) reveals the definition of man in modern society, which narrowly defines masculinity. Education supply people with knowledge that not only empowers them but also encourages them to stay true to themselves. The mentality of a man being aggressive, calm, and collected, powerful, confident among others should no longer be present in society. A new generation of healthy men and young boys need to rise to stop this violence towards women.

Another solution is gender equality: equal rights and opportunities for all. Gender inequalities leads to an increase the risk of violence by men against women and hinder the capability of those affected to look for protection. For instance, men naturally are constructed to believe that they are more powerful, contributing to abuse and discrimination that women have been subjected to by them. Gender equality, therefore, is indispensable because it stops violence against women by challenging stereotypes that give men power over women.

Community interventions is another solution that can help break the link between masculinity and violence and reduce the negative impact of toxic masculinity on people of all gender. These interventions can deal with issues like gender norms and attitudes through, for instance, campaigns and movements that fight against women violence, in return, empowering men to collaborate with women in the fight against gender-based violence. Community interventions can also help to remove the traditional “cultural ideals of manhood” (Katz and Earp192), which is the key to eliminating toxic masculinity.

Society creates identity issues and sends unclear messages concerning gender stereotypes for both genders. Women worldwide have become victims of sexual violence to uphold socially constructed gender dynamics and roles. Women must strive to build new identities depending on how they are seen, branded, or disgraced by society. Karl and Earl and Doe reveal that the crisis of masculinity results from any non-aggressive representation that encourages young men and boys to be dominant, violent, and disconnect from their emotions. Education is necessary to help overpower socially constructed behaviors that lead to sexual violence. Therefore, it is upon society to create a new generation of young men and women to assist in eliminating this culture of toxic masculinity.

Part II

Cissexism:

Cissexism is discrimination against transgender people. Reports show some forms of this discrimination to include but not limited to believe that trans-people have some diagnosable mental disorder, refusal to acknowledge that people can be transgender, verbal, or physical assault. In the course reading, “Transwoman Manifesto” by Julia Serano, it is evident that the primary reason why transgender people are discriminated against is that they are considered as deviants of societal norms. Many cultures oppress people who do not adhere to the gender binary. For instance, some cultures have separate parks, hospitals, public restrooms, or schools for transgender people. Serrano mentions that the justification of this discrimination against these oppressions is based on the assumption that “the trans person gender is not authentic because it does not correlate with the sex they were assigned at birth” (13). This condition is not a good thing as it leads to inequality. What this means is that cissexism leads to an imbalance against people who are breaking the gender binary. People must understand the significance of equality. A transgender person is also a human being like everyone else. Therefore, they deserve all the opportunities and rights like everyone because failure to uphold such will only lead to inequality. The discrimination of transgender people can lead to inequality in outcomes and opportunities such as equal access to employment or education, which has a crucial role in determining variations in human well-being.

Word Count: 236

The social model of disability:

The social model of disability refers to the exclusions, obstacles, and negative attitudes that society places on people with disabilities to prevent them from full participation in society. The social model of disability brands the community as the creator of disability because the majority of the disabled individuals can act and perform the same as the non-disabled. An example from the course reading is from the text “Understanding the Social Determinates of health.” In this reading, it is evident that it is social determinants like poor housing, social exclusion, inadequate health systems, and poverty, among others, which causes ill health (477).

Determinants of health are physical, social, and economic conditions that influence the health and well-being of individuals. The World Health Organization claims that these factors are often the basis of unfair and unavoidable differences in health status between and in nations. This because they affect both working and living conditions that take hold of a person’s usual standard of living. An individual surrounding (place a person is born, raised, or works (476)) also leads to the burden of health disease and causes significant health inequalities in the communities. For instance, individuals’ income, educational background, social status, employment and working conditions, and access to health services can cause inequality to women and people with low income or education levels. Moreover, these determinants of health can lead to inequality because they account for the differences in access to care, power, and even health.

Word 248

Reproductive Justice:

Reproductive justice is a support system that gives women the right of choice about their families and gender for their networks and themselves. It offers support to women ranging from those who do not want to have children, those who want their children in a healthy and safe environment, to those who want children. For example, in the course reading, “what is reproductive justice?” Rose Loretta discusses how it is the human’s right to have control over her reproductive system. In the article, the author proposes that the community should build a system that enables people, especially women, to make the best decisions regarding their body, gender, and sexuality (526). In the article, it is mentioned, “one of the key problems addressed by reproductive justice is the isolation of abortion from other social justice issues that concern communities of color.” These issues, including disability rights, the environment, economic justice, immigrant’s rights, and discrimination based on sexual orientation, and race, among others (526), have a direct impact on a woman’s decision-making process. Reproductive justice helps to prevent gender inequality by putting in place support systems that allow women to have the right over their reproductive systems.

Additionally, it ensures that women and young girls are not treated with inequality because of their sexuality, proliferation, body, and work, resulting from either abuse/lack of control or moving the concentration to conceptive mistreatment.

Word count 232

Neoliberalism:

Neoliberalism is an economic term that explains policies that regulate the market, such as deregulation of capital markets, elimination of price controls, removal of trade barriers, and the reduction of government control in the economy through privatization. It differs from liberalism in that it works against laissez-faire policies in the marketplace. Neoliberalism’s concern is on the efficient functioning of markets with appropriate measures and procedures. It operates by advocating for policies, which encourage a free market in all aspects of society. The drawbacks of neoliberalism include endangerment of democracy, the rights of workers, and the rights of countries to self-reliance. For example, in the course reading, “What is Neoliberal Globalization,” the author, Alison, stated, “neo-liberalism opposes government regulation of such aspects of production.” The article by Sasha Breger Bush, “Trump and National Neoliberalism,” also explains the concept of neoliberalism by mentioning that Trump is not the ideal president for the United States of America. Bush argued that Donald Trump could end neoliberalism because of his discrimination. It is no secret that Donald Trump is a discriminatory man because of his actions and speeches that have been widely viewed as a racial man. Therefore, with this, he causes inequality to people of color. Neoliberalism can also lead to unequal distribution of resources due to failure if government regulations in the market, leading to an increased gap between the poor and the rich, hence inequality.

Word count: 234