Four Blogs Chosen

Blog Number 5.
Blog Number 6.
Blog Number 7.
Blog Number 9.

Blog # 12 - Bromantic Comedy and Grazian's Article

"The Girl Hunt" and The Hangover had many similarities in male bonding, as Grazian calls it: a "homosocial group interaction" (324).  Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug's mission for a night they will never forget was literally a night they couldn't even remember.  They followed the steps of the myth David Grazian mentions, the first step being preparing for the girl hunt. They participated in a "collective ritual known among American college students as 'pregaming'" (Grazian, 326).  Before walking into the clubs, all four men gathered and made a toast on the hotel roof.  This is one of the many ways men get ready before going out.  It's a confidence booster, which means they'll be walking into the club feeling better than ever.  As a freshman said "pregaming consists of drinking...you don't have to purchase as many drinks while you are to feel the desired buzz" (Grazian, 326).  

This is not just males bonding but also a way of proving their masculinity.  In "The Girl Hunt," Grazian says "...masculinity is not innate but an accomplishment of human behavior that appears natural" (320).  Acting manly is just another factor that is included in this girl hunting process. It is also part of the male bonding.  This is something that Phil, Stu, and Alan from The Hangover did after their crazy night, when they were trying to find Doug.  

Grazian, David. "The Girl Hunt: Urban Nightlife and the Performance of Masculinity as a Collective Activity." Men's Lives. 8th ed. Ed. Michael S. Kimmel and Michael A. Messner. New York: Allyn & Bacon, 2010.  320-337. Print.

The Hangover. Dir. Todd Philips. Perf. Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Justin Bartha. Warner Bros Pictures, 2009. DVD.

Course Reflections

One assignment that I enjoyed was recording ourselves reading our first research paper.  At first I wasn't happy when the assignment was given to us, but as I started to do the assignment I ended up liking it just because it was an assignment that has never been given to me. It was a different experience and it was also interesting watching my classmates' videos as well.  Something I learned from this assignment was that it is always important to read your essays or any other paper out loud.  While I was reading out loud, I immediately noticed some errors; some that were not caught while I was just reading them silently.

An assignment that I didn't enjoy was doing an outline for our research paper.  Whenever I begin a paper, I don't take the steps that were done in this course.  Although it is quite helpful for others, when I started typing my paper, I didn't even look at the outline.  Knowing what my sources were about and what my thesis was, I just began my paper by referring to my sources and my annotated bibliography.

Blogger was very useful in this class. It didn't just make a connection with the student and the professor but it also made connections with other classmates, making it easier to communicate with them. All important documents were posted which also made it easier to refer to them, such as the syllabus.  It also made the class eco-friendly, since most documents were shared online.

I believe the assignments that were given were balanced, not too much of one thing. There were assignments that were connected to the movies that were watched and the readings.  There were different things being done and I don't think there could have been any other additional or kinds of assignments that may have been given

Final Draft of Research Paper #2

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First Draft of Research Paper #2

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Blog # 11 - Grazian: "The Girl Hunt"

Lisa had invited Glenda out for lunch, excited because Lisa wanted to tell her about someone she had met last night at a club.  Lisa was barely seen smiling or laughing and Glenda was curious why she was acting this way. So she asked Lisa what was going on.

Lisa: You should have gone out with me and my friends last night. I met this super cute guy at the club! I think I'm in love.
Glenda: Did you even talk to him?  You just met the guy and you barely know him.
Lisa: I know. But the way he spoke to me...and he even left his friends to be with me.
Glenda: Don't you think he just wanted to show off to his friends? Maybe trying to prove his other friends that he can get with a girl at a club? And not just one, but maybe many?
Lisa: Hm, well I don't know. I had just gotten there and he walked right up to me. So I don't think so. And once I walked in he laid his eyes on me and started commenting with his other friends.
Glenda: So he was there before you. Yeah, I think he was flirting with other girls while you weren't there.
Lisa: Why are you so negative? He is the man of my dreams!
Glenda: Because falling in love with a guy at a club is the worst thing that can happen. The club is no dating place, especially for guys. Haven't you noticed the other times we have gone out to clubs? The guys flirt with one girl then walk somewhere else to flirt with another.
Lisa: Could you stop ruining this for me? I even gave him my number. So he will call me back to set up a date.
Glenda: And did this guy give you his number?
Lisa: No. But he promised me he would call me back.
Glenda: Nope, he won't call you back. Or if you want you can wait for his call. But I'm promising you that what happened last night, for this guy was just a one night thing.

Part II of Research Paper #2 - Revised Thesis and Annotated Biliography

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Blog #10 - Response to Heroic Lives student's blog

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Final Draft of Research Paper #1

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Video: Reading Research Paper

Proposal and Preliminary Thesis for Research Paper #2

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Blog # 9 - Coltrane's "Fathering: Paradoxes, Contradictions, and Dilemmas" [Revised]

It is important to have a father figure in a male child's life.  As Scott Coltrane states in the reading, "when fathers are active in infant care, boys develop an intimate knowledge of masculinity" (453).  The father is in charge of teaching his child certain things about a man.  The mother won't do this, since women are all about softness and kindness.  If a child only has women surrounding him, he will become feminine and be seen as a sissy around other males.  Another reason for why a man should be in a child's life is that a boy will always need a man to talk to.  He won't be able to tell everything to his mother, no matter how much he trusts her.  If the father can teach his child things he can certainly talk to him about personal things.  There is a connection, not because they are family but also because they are both males.

Coltrane, Scott. "Fathering: Paradoxes, Contradiction, and Dilemmas." Men's Lives. 8th ed. Ed. Michael S. Kimmel and Michael A. Messner. New York: Allyn & Bacon, 2010. 432-449. Print.

Blog #8 - "Glass Escalator"

After reading "The Glass Escalator: Hidden Advantages for Men in the "Female" Professions" I came to the point that men are used to be seen as the leader, so this is why men have higher positions. Their "Glass Escalator" goes up faster than the women's and even if the women's escalator went the same speed as the man's, they'll bump into this "Glass Ceiling," where they see the highest position but are aware that they won't be able to reach it.

I believe this article would be a good source for a research paper. This article was written by Christine L. Williams, a professor at The University of Texas at Austin.  She studies and teaches courses in gender and labor.  I think using any article from Christine Williams would be a great source because she isn't only stating her opinions but also stating facts; she has plenty of knowledge of what she writes about.

When it comes to men being leaders in the workplace, this means they have more advantages over women.  Christine L. Williams says "many of the men and women I spoke to indicated that there is a preference for hiring men..." (213).  Just knowing that men are known to be more dominant make them more qualified for higher positioned jobs. If a women were to be in a higher position than a man he would look weak while the woman looks stronger. In most workplaces, this would look wrong, so this is another reason why men are seen getting promoted quicker than women.

Williams, Christine L. “The Glass Escalator: Hidden Advantages for Men in the “Female” Professions. Men’s Lives. 5^th ed. Ed.  Michael S. Kimmel and Michael A. Messner. New York:Allyn & Bacon,2001. 211-224. Print.

First Draft of Research Paper #1

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Revised Proposal and Preliminary Thesis

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Part II of Research Paper #1: Annotated Bibliography

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Blog Post # 7 - "Chicano Men and Masculinity" [Revised]

After reading "Chicano Men and Masculinity" by Maxine Baca Zinn, I noticed that the Chicano's masculinity is all about being better than the woman.  This is why machismo is brought up, where the man think he's is better than the woman.  He is the head of the household and has control over everything which means he is the dominant one.  I think this is how they prove their masculinity, by first having control of his family and wife.  Maxine Baca Zinn says "the machismo concept constitutes a primary explanatory variable" (24).  The family is like a hierarchy, the man being being first, the woman second, and the children below them.  It can be seen as a man ruling, which is the same exact view machismo.  If they wouldn't have control over this how would they be able to say "I am a real man."

Blog # 6 - Venn Diagram (Black Men vs Asian Men)

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Blog # 5 - Internment Camps & Slavery

Can the experience of internment camps, discussed by Espiritu, be compared to slavery, as Marable presents it? Why or why not? If these are comparable, how did these two event impact/shape masculinity of these two groups of men?

      I don't think the experience of internment camps can be compared to slavery.  I say this because Asian and Black men had different experiences which resulted in being seen differently.  Because of the internment camps Asian-Americans had lost everything, and when they had left the camp, they had to find a job in order to live. "Most men found work as janitors, gardeners, kitchen helpers, and handymen..."(Espiritu, 37).  These jobs were seen done by women, so Asian men were seen as weak and fragile.  Black men were slaves and had masters that had them do all the physical labor, while Black women were seen doing the housework. Manning Marable says "Black men were only a step above the animals--possessing awesome physical power but lacking in intellectual ability" (18).  Black men were seen more masculine not because people said they were strong, but also because people actually saw them do the work.  Asian men were seen doing things that don't require much strength which is why they were seen as a woman.

Part I of Research Paper #1: Proposal and Preliminary Thesis

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Final Draft - Photo Analysis

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Who's the Man?

The male in Theroux's "The Male Myth" and the Black male in Marable's "The Black Man: Searching Beyond Stereotypes" are equally masculine.  Both men are told what to do.  Marable's text mentions the Black male being a slave: "...the white man reluctantly looked to his Black slave to protect him and his property" (17).  White men told the slaves what to do, and the slaves had to listen to them.  It is something similar to what Theroux says: "The whole idea of manhood in America is pitiful, a little like having to wear an ill-fitting coat for one's entire life" (101).  Men have to wear a "coat," and that coat is everything that society tells them to do. How their behavior should be and telling them to complete certain expectations of society, because if they don't, they won't be a normal man.

• Marable, Manning. "The Black Male: Searching Betond Stereotypes." Men's Lives. Ed. Michael S. Kimmel and Michael A. Messner. New York: Allyn & Bacon, 2001. 17-23. Print.

• Theroux, Paul. "The Male Myth." Across Cultures: A Reader for Writers. Ed. Sheena Gillespie and Robert Becker. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 101-105. Print.

Blog # 4 - Marable's "The Black Male: Searching Beyond Stereotypes"

It doesn't matter if you're black or white, women need to work together to show society that men and women must be treated equally.  In the 1800's, Congress passed the Fifteenth Amendment giving Black males the right to vote.  Black and white women still did not have this right.  This happened while both Black and white women decided to get together and fight for the rights that men have.
Marable says that if Black males gained their right to vote before women did "...it symbolized the political advancement of Black male over white middle-class women" (19).  I agree with this statement, but I think in those times where Black men were still known to be less than white people, it didn't look right.  Black men were supposed to be seen as weak people, because of their race.  Women then started to get together and fight to have the same rights as men.  I think it made the white women mad because black men were seen as a threat to them.  I think they got tired of it and this is why they decided to speak up along with the Black women.

1st Draft - Photo Analysis

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Blog # 3 - "The Male Myth" by Paul Theroux

I agree with Paul Theroux's statement: "The whole idea of manhood in America is pitiful, a little like having to wear an ill-fitting coat for one's entire life." (101)  Reading that quote, I understand that the"ill-fitting coat" is all the expectations that people have over men.  The sports men play, the way men act, and even the job that a man has has to seem right to society.

I do disagree about society having these certain expectations of men because then men won't be able to things freely.  If they did do something differently than other men, they would have to think twice about it because it may not seem manly to other people.  I believe that just like women get to do whatever they want, men can also.

Blog # 2 - Lorber's "Night to His Day"

Society leads to their conclusion if someone is a male or a female by their behavior and looks.  What influences a child to be what they are are their parents, which I believe is number one.  They are the ones who decide how they look like and teaching them what is right and wrong.  Later on, when that child is older, media and society will be other factors that influence not only looks and behavior, but also their thoughts and ideas on certain topics.  Depending on how you act and look people will judge you and if you aren't "normal" you would be an outcast.  I think this is what gender development is made out of.

Blog # 1 - Are Men Born Or Made?

Before I read "How to Build a Man" by Anne Fausto-Sterling, I believed that men were born.  I guess that once you read some one else's point of view you start thinking twice of what you really think.  Now that I have read the passage I think they are made.
Sterling mentions when the baby is the womb and describes the development.  "Maleness requires the presence of special hormones; in their absence, femaleness just happens." says Anne Fausto-Sterling.  When I read that statement, I thought males were made.  Science has to pay more attention to the males than the females when developing.  Not only in science, but in culture.  Parent's show boys that they have to play with cars, not dolls.  They won't be playing hand games like girls do, they'll be playing rough with other boys.
In the end, they aren't born masculine, they must be taught to become masculine.