Recreating Identities

 The arrival of European settlers shifted the whole dynamic in canada. The Indigenous communities in Canada had European visitors and we see how the whole dynamic changed and how the settlers impacted the indigenous communities. The second part of this blog will see the experiences of Glen Geer and indigequeer artist who talks about his artistic work and how that’s connected with his roots. 

 In the early years of the creation of North America, European settlers were sent to explore the americas. When the European settlers came they were welcomed with an unexpected surprise. That surprise ended up being the indigenous people(firstnation). To the settlers this was an unexpected sighting because of their looks,the way they dressed, where they lived and the language these people spoke.”Cultural, economically,socially, and linguistically,Aboriginal societies in North America before the arrival of Europeans were diverse”(p.1). In the beginning the Europeans just started building their own settlements and tried establishing relationships with the First Nations people. According to historians and other historical articles, after seeing the way First Nations peoples lived and how their culture worked the settlers immediately sought out ways to bring the European lifestyle to North America. Example countries like France and England generally started with establishing trading posts and economic exploitation. Some countries like Portugal and Spain focused more on the religious aspects and cultural assimilation through forced labor. In more recent history towards the 19th-20th century we saw the beginning of residential schools. All these assimilation methods and tactics were all a part of stripping the identities of the First Nations people. This has caused years of pain and unanswered questions by the Canadian government  

 Glen Geer identifies himself as an Indigequeer artist. His artwork is typically representative of his Inuit roots. He uses animals such as seals and caribou and many more. He also uses what nature has to offer. In some of his works he puts a lot of water, wind sounds and trees and even the orange metal crate. In Geer’s presentation he talks about going back to his inuit roots and connecting with his family’s past. You can relate his feelings of missing the identity of his roots to the treachery the Europeans committed when they first came to Canada but also North America. I think that Glen’s art is a way of rebuilding his Inuit identity that was taken by the settlers and a way for him to connect with his past that he was never there to experience. Although he never mentioned that he felt that as if his inuit roots and identity were not taken from, his artwork and past experiences with elders and family members in his inuit community show that he has missing pieces still to fill internally regarding his inuit identity. 

 Throughout this chapter in the course I did see different views regarding peoples’ identity and how that can be lost due to past experiences. I think that now in the 21st century the indigenous communities around canada are really trying to make up for years of misidentification. We see how forms of art can be a method of going back to your roots and reclaiming his identity like Glen Geer and how protests regarding residential schools are actually making a difference and forcing the government to make decisions on the past misfortunes. I think that it’s important to view other people’s point of view when talking about this subject because you learn about how others’ experiences can give you that different perspective.

 Although it may be hard to find a path to a person’s missing path, going back to traditional ways and gaining deeper connections with your past can allow you to find those missing paths from the past to recreate your identity.

Bibliography:

Glenn Gear, presenter. 29 Apr. 2024, Montreal, Vanier College.

Keough, Willeen G. and Lara Campbell “Gender and Cultural Diversity in the Early Contact Period.” Gender

History: Canadian Perspectives, Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 16–28

Zosherafatain, Tony. “Trans in Trumpland: Idaho.” Kanopy, The Film Sales Company,

http://www.kanopy.com/en/vaniercollege/video/11561418. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.

Blog 3: The Black Male Experience

 The experiences of black men in Canadian and American society powerfully depicted in Desmond Coles memoir “The Skin We’re In” and Jordan Peele”s movie “Get Out” we explore the societal similarities within the two countries . These works highlight the complex relationship black men have with the dominant culture and reveal profound insights into the long history of racism in both countries.

 Desmond Cole’s memoir explores into the treatment of black men in his Toronto community, highlighting the pervasive impact of Canadas history of racism. He connects this mistreatment to the deep-rooted history of colonialism and oppression faced by indigenous people here in Canada. By putting together these narratives, Cole points out how the mistreatment of black men is basically linked to a broader historical context, showing the systemic nature of racism and its enduring impact on Canadian society. 

 In comparison to Peele’s “Get Out” challenges the stereotypes of black men and serves as a metaphor of the experiences coloured people have when engaging with the white culture in America. The film carefully explores the complexities of racism, unveiling the subtle and obvious ways in which black men are marginalized and exploited within the context of seemingly progressive and inclusive environments. Through Peele’s impressive storytelling, “Get Out” confronts the audience with the uncomfortable truths about the dynamics of power and privilege, forcing an important examination of the hidden racism in today’s American Society. 

 These projects collectively convey the complex relationship between black men and Canadian and US societies is often filled with tensions and challenges due to historical injustices and prejudices. They emphasize that the mistreatment of black men is not an isolated phenomenon but rather a reflection of systemic racism that connects both countries. Through their narratives, Cole and Peele convincing us to confront the uncomfortable truths about the history of racism in Canada and the US, forcing us to realize the enduring legacy of oppression and discrimination faced by black men.

 Ultimately, “The Skin We’re In” and “Get Out” serve as reminders of the need to confront and dismantle the entrenched structures of racism that continue to shape the experiences of black men in Canadian and the US society. They ask us to critically evaluate the historical roots of racism, sparking important conversations and fostering a deeper understanding of the negative impact of systemic discrimination on the back communities. By doing this, these projects provide a powerful trigger for reflection, education, and advocacy in the constant fight for racial justice and equality.

Bibliography: 

“The Skin We’re” In by Desmond Cole

“Get Out” (2017) by Jordan Peele

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5052448/ IMDB

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzfpyUB60YY YouTube

The Don

Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character Mario Puzzo ‘s 1969 novel The Godfather and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola’s film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film The Godfather, and later by Oreste Baldini as a boy and by Robert De Niro as a young man in The Godfather Part II (1974). He is an orphaned Sicilian immigrant who builds a Mafia empire. 

Vito Corleone, like many mob boss characters in “The Godfather” and similar works, often embodies harmful stereotypes about Italian Americans, masculinity, and criminality. He’s portrayed as powerful and ruthless, reinforcing the idea that men must be dominant and violent to succeed. This glorification of toxic masculinity perpetuates harmful norms. Additionally, the depiction of Vito romanticizes criminal behavior, which can lead to negative stereotypes against Italian American communities. Women in these stories are often sidelined and portrayed in traditional roles, reinforcing the idea that they exist to serve men. Overall, these portrayals contribute to the normalization of harmful gender norms and stereotypes in pop-culture, highlighting the need for more inclusive and equitable representations.

Characters like Vito Corleone often represent traditional forms of masculinity, emphasizing dominance, aggression, and emotional stoicism. When these traits are celebrated in pop-media, they influence how individuals perceive masculinity. Men may feel pressured to obey to these ideals, leading to feelings of inadequacy if they don’t. These portrayals also affect relationship dynamics, as men who embody this image may struggle to express vulnerability or connect emotionally with partners, leading to strained relationships. Additionally, these representations reinforce societal gender norms, suggesting that men should be dominant decision-makers, which can perpetuate inequality. 

In summary, the portrayal of masculinity in pop-culture, exemplified by characters like Vito Corleone, shapes societal attitudes. By promoting more diverse and subtle representations, we can challenge harmful stereotypes and foster healthier notions of gender identity.

Negative Figures

by Davide Sforza

In the recent classes we viewed the negative side of masculine figures in our society. We looked at characters like Andrew Tate, Egg White, Alek Minassian and analyzed the negative impacts men like them have on young men like me. The main issue here is that these types of masculine figures were given a platform to express their negative opinions influence these men have on young men my age can really be detrimental to society and the growth of men. In this blog I’ll be talking about how these men can have a negative effect on society. Men like these men that were named earlier can be the reason that people’s point of view on men and this may reflect on how they treat other men.

 To start off let’s talk about Andrew Tate, he is possibly one of the most controversial men on the internet in the past year. Tate portrays himself as the “perfect alpha male” but his misogynistic point of view on makes him the opposite. Tate’s actions have made young men believe that women are just good for the kitchen and sexual pleasure. I totally disagree with these thoughts in my opinion women are the most beautiful creatures in the world, if it wasn’t for women I probably would not have been born. I think Tate’s problems stems back from his childhood I believe that the lack of motherly presence in Tate’s home growing up was the problem. What I fear most is that men that lack a motherly presence during their youth can be scary because if these kids have the same opinions on women, then their mentalities will look very similar to Tate. In the Will James talk we saw that Andrew Tate’s strong social media presence has even reached young elementary school boys and he explains how he sees this as a problem. He explains how these boys talk down towards girls their age. Will James said that these actions prove how Tate’s social media presence has had a negative effect on younger kids. Unfortunately, social media is an easy mean to spread negativity easier and I think if young boys can be made aware of these types of alpha male threats it can help the situation and have a positive impact of the view of men. 

 Incels, used to describe an involuntary celibate, a person (usually a man) who regards himself or as being involuntarily celibate and typically expresses extreme resentment and hostility toward those who are sexually active. The first example we looked at was Chris Cantwell, a far-right activist leader.  Cantwell is a prime example of someone who thinks that that violence asserts dominance and with violence and strength you gain power above others. At one point in the video, he shows and talks about his guns. In this scene you can see the pride he has in holding these weapons and talking about them, these weapons make him feel like he holds a power that others don’t have. The reason that someone like him is very dangerous to society is because he seeks power over others and violence as a solution to problems. Another one of these examples was Alek Minassian, he was charged with 16 counts of first-degree murder when he drove a van into random pedestrians, his goal was mainly to kill as many women as he could, his motive was women never loved him back. Minassian praised Elliot Roger right before the attack on his Facebook page. He was praised within the Incel community. Egg White another Incel streamer on YouTube made song praising Minassian which got 200k views on YouTube which was later deleted. But what I’m trying to examine here with these types of characters is how they become Incels. I believe one of the main reasons why these people are who they are, their distance from reality. Egg White mentions he feels like an alien that people fear him or don’t want to be around, Elliot Roger had some god complex personality that made him feel indestructible. Using Egg White and Elliot Roger as examples shows how these men feel apart from society, like they don’t belong on planet earth, and I think that its riggers them to think like Incels and not normal humans. 

In conclusion this blog using Andrew Tate as an example I analyzed the negative side of social media and how in the wrong hands it can affect a whole society let alone a whole gender group. I also spoke about Incels and how that group of people pose a threat to society and women in general. I believe educating this to kids in schools should be a priority and adapting Will James new system, I believe it can positively affect the students.

Bibliography

Kimmel,Michael. Masculinity as Homophobia.1994

Charlottesville: Race and Terror. Youtube, Vice News, 14 Aug. 2017,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P54sP0NInggt=5s. Accessed 28 Mar. 2022.

Inside Incel, CBC, The Fifth Estate, 27 Jan. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqWjCHPg9gA. Accessed 25 Sept. 2023.

James, Will, Online Influencers , Toxic Masculinity, and the Classroom, Vanier College, March 5, 2024

Masculinities Emotions

To start off this essay blog I’d like to say how the text by Carlos Andre Gomez and the movie “Invincible” are very relevant in today’s world on the topic of masculinity. I’d say in the past couple of years the outlook on masculinity has changed a lot. People are now having different opinions about this topic. I’ll be exploring my personal experiences with masculinity challenges like Gomez had in his text. 

  The short film “Invincible”2022 is about a boy who is placed in a juvenile detention centre, although we do not know the exact reason why Marc is there the film focuses on his mental struggles in the centre. In the movie water has a very big significance in Marcs life. I noted that when he’s swimming, he feels very free of himself. Its seems that he is in a totally different world when Marc is in the water. For example, in one of the scenes Marc triggers the fire sprinklers in his cell and you can clearly see in that scene how free he feels, and I think that scene clearly proves that his relationship with water is very different from the average person. I think Marc is struggling with the fact that he feels stuck in the centre, and I think his only escape really is water. At the end of the movie in the final scene it is believed that he drives the car into water to unfortunately end his own life. But why the water. I think he felt that he can finally be at peace with himself and that’s why he chooses to end his life in the water. Water Marcs world away from the real world. I think the ending is very poetic in the way that he commits suicide by using water although I don’t support his decision Marc thought that by doing that, he can truly escape his problems. I think this action pretty much is an example proves the negative side of having emotions bottled up and not having someone to talk to.

 Now in this text by Carlos Andre Gomez we see a person whose masculinity question. At the beginning of the text, he talks about wanting to paint his nails and how his mother and aunt were against, and I thought it was gay. This made him very confused and he then starting thinking that he was gay. The second scenario talks about when he goes to the discotek and coincidentally it’s a gay night he then goes home and decides not to tell his parents because he’s scared, they will comment something negative and anti-gay. After that night he really thinks that he is gay, but he really isn’t. I think this text goes against the old views the masculine ways. I experienced a lot of this old fashion masculine way vs the new masculine way when I went to Italy in summer 2023. In Italy I noticed that a lot of the guys did things very differently and I honestly thought that they were gay but then after talking to them and understanding their point of views, I understood them more and realized that they were not gay. To compare another difference my personal western views to the European views, was how different guys were with being friends with girls. Yes, people in the western society are friends with women but personally I believe that men here become friends with girls because they would potentially see them as a future partner, compared to Italy where guys are friends with girls because they genuinely want to be friends with them. I think that would view would be challenged here because it would be seen as more feminine for a guy to be with friends with a girl just like that. Here we believe that as a little more feminine because we think guys should mainly be friends with guys. One of the big things I noticed was the level of emotion that guys show. Another personal thing I saw was when my cousin broke up with his ex-girlfriend that didn’t last very long, when he broke up with her, he sent her roses and a book that she wanted. I thought that was so strange for a man to do especially because here usually when a guy breaks up with a girl, they tend to cut contact and end off on bad terms. My cousin taught me to be more emotional with my feelings and do what my heart tells me to do not what masculinity tells me I should do. To compare the level of emotion a man should show in the western world has to be very minimal and that’s why I find that a lot of guys in this part of the world are bottled up with emotions. 

 To conclude, I think I learnt that just being yourself is what counts and if that means painting your nails a certain colour even though you’re not a girl should mean nothing. For starters I think that men if started became more emotional with each other that would change the whole narrative on whether it is masculine to show emotion or not. I truly believe that the whole topic about emotions tie up with the short film and Marcs problems and his reasoning for ending his own life. All this to say I think the world is progressing with its views on masculinity and changing for the better of men’s mental health.

Bibliography:

Gómez, Carlos Andrés “Guys Club: No Faggots, Bitches, or Pussies Allowed.” Man up: Cracking the Code of
Modern Manhood, Gotham Books, 2012, pp. 65–83.
René-Lortie, Vincent, director. Invincible, TV5 Unis, 2022, https://www.tv5unis.ca/invincible.