Blog 4: Indigenous culture then vs. now

Throughout history, multiple cultures clashed against each other because of their contrasting views such as gender roles. These people with different cultures often forced their ideals onto another party if they didn’t follow them initially. One such moment recorded in history was the first interaction between the Indigenous people and the Europeans, or the first Settler-Colonists in America to be more specific. This interaction between the Aboriginals and these Colonists brought about changes that practically shaped the societal norms of modern America.

Through the article “Gender and Cultural Diversity in the Early Contact Period” , the documentary titled “Trans in Trumpland”, produced by Zosherafatain, Tony as well as through the work of arts made by Glenn Gear, an analysis will be made based on the differences in culture between these two groups, as well as the measures taken to remedy the effects if this encounter.

First of all, the Indigenous people held very different viewpoints on the term “gender”  and their roles compared to the Colonists. The Europeans followed more of a male/feminine model, while the Aboriginals possessed a model that varied from that of the Europeans, such as containing a category called two-spirit (Keough and Campbell 19). In the Europeans model, the male held a much superior position compared to a female that withheld an equal position. Not only was this the case inside the workplace, but even in the domestic plane. They followed a paternalistic system in the household; “in a fatherly way, on the assumption that it was their responsibility to take care of those without the capacity to look after themselves” (Keough and Campbell 21). If we were to compare how genders functioned to the way Indigenous people functioned, many differences pop up. The main difference and most important one, is the way they had a more egalitarian system in place when it came to the roles of both the males and the females. They both had importance within their society and both of them had equal say when it came to big decisions. Not only were the males and the females important, but even the people who identified as two-spirit, where “masculinity and femininity were accommodated in one body” (Keough and Campbell 19). They were somewhat of a pillar within their societies considering that they were known to be healers. In short, the Aboriginals’ culture back then ,compared to the Europeans, held a more open-minded perspective on gender roles because of their diversity and role distribution.

Second, the consequences of this interaction between the Aboriginals and the Colonists manifests itself even in the present. Ever since the presidency of Trump, laws against certain social groups were created. One such law prevented trans people from being part of the army because of the enormous cost of conversion therapy which represents only a miniscule portion of America’s cost (Zosherafatain, Tony. “Trans in Trumpland: Idaho”. Kanopy, uploaded by The Film Sales Company, February 21, 2021. https://www.kanopy.com/en/vaniercollege/video/11561418) One victim, an Indigenous person identifying as “two-spirit”, presents how his life has changed as well as ways to combat the law that did so. Overall, the effects of America’s colonization cease to stop and affects even this generation of Native Americans.

Third, to counteract the European influence on Native American culture, many works of art are being spread out based on the Indigenous’ culture. An artist named Glenn Gear has been travelling all over Canada presenting his works of art in many regions. His works of art are presented through multiple mediums, representative to his Native American side. But not only does he incorporate a more olden aspect to his style, he also incorporates modern aspects, such as holograms. He aims to spread awareness of Indigenous culture to others through his productions. He also visits Native American schools and teaches a few classes about how to do art the way he does it. Ultimately, to combat the effect of the clash of cultures between the Indigenous people and the Europeans, people are rising to spread awareness of Native American culture, the cutlure that was supressed.

To summarize, the gender culture of the Indigenous people differed vastly to those of the Settler-Colonists in a way where it was more diversified and more balanced when it came to gender roles. That culture, to this day, remains challenged in modern day America by laws placed by Trump’s presidency and finally to remedy the colonization of the Indigenous people, Glenn Gear aims to reconnect with his Native side of his family and expresses that through his works of art. We can see how much the Native Americans have been through and how much they are still going through and we can lend support on the matter by spreading awareness and adopting a few aspects of the culture that could benefit everyone such as the egalitarian system between the genders.

Blog 3: The influences of masculinity both in real life and online

Masculinity is show off and defined in multiple fashions and is also distributed in multiple ways. However, with the rise of the Internet, it has been able to propagate itself a lot faster. The influence of stereotypical masculinity has a big impact on some online references, which then gets shown to many more people.

One example of a pretty popular reference to stereotypical masculinity is the show Baki, we can see how it is influenced by masculinity and we can then see how it influences the masses.

In Baki, the main character, Baki, is striving to surpass his father so he follows in his footsteps. The father, being the strongest man on Earth, sets up a very big definition of masculinity for Baki. We can interpret that Baki’s definition of masculinity is being strong, tough and capable of fighting. These characteristic are present within today’s stereotypical masculinity. This isn’t the only moment that demonstrates how masculinity is perceived. Another scene is when Baki was in bed with his girlfriend and his father barging in all proud saying “To get stronger you have to go around with every female around and dominate them”. Although not an exact quote, you get the general idea. This quote is very misogynistic and shows the a toxic part of masculinity which is that men are stronger than women and should dominate them. In conclusion, the show Baki takes its definition of masculinity pretty much exactly from the real world.

In the real world however, people are very easily influenced by such medium. In fact, people post online about how Baki, has the ideal build and build towards that. Not only is the physical appearance sought after, but so is the capability of fighting. This showcases us how people tend to get very easily influenced and be like the characters. In conclusion, online references, which are already impacted by masculinity, spreads it even further to a bigger audience.

To conclude, Through the use of the Internet, stereotypical masculinity gets easily shown which causes it to be spread non-stop .By often presenting stereotypical masculinity in the media, people get easily influenced. I suggest that toxic masculinity shouldn’t be displayed and it’d be better to show positive masculinity within online content.

Blog 2 : Changing old values

For a long time, everyone had expectations of each other no matter what or who they were. Nowadays, in more modern times, these expectations are resurfacing as a more prevalent issue and controversial topic. The expectations on men to act and think a certain way is shown to be toxic in more ways than one causing lots of pressure physically and mentally on men.

Many people demonstrate and try to explain this way of thinking in their works, some being Michael S. Kimmel’s article Masculinity as Homophobia as well as a bit of the documentary Charlottesville: Race and Terror, and Will James’ talk Online Influencers, Toxic Masculinity, and the Classroom.

In Masculinity as Homophobia, it is explained that very often, masculinity is shown to walk hand in hand with homophobia. For example, it is written as an observation in Michael S. Kimmel’s article that a simple call-out to one’s masculinity within a group of male youths causes them to enter a physical altercation, getting humiliated when they lose, and even if they just accept the comment and leave, they would get called a bigger “sissy.” This situation easily proves how masculinity, or rather “toxic” masculinity, influences the minds of men. They would go through anything to defend their honor or prove to the rest that they are not “gay” as they don’t want to be seen as unmanly, because being seen as one is very humiliating in the standpoint of someone influenced by masculinity. This point is further proven by Michael S. Kimmel as he points out in his article “Our fear is the fear of humiliation.” Furthermore, a man’s actions also defines their image. For example, Kimmel explains in his article that a man must walk, talk, dress and more, all in a certain way to not be perceived as “gay” and behaving in a manner not expected of the norm then they are branded with the term mentioned beforehand. So, not only do guys have to do something to defend themselves when being called-out, they also must do something to prevent them from even being perceived as “gay” in the first place. Another case from a completely different source that proves that masculinity is often hand in hand with homophobia is in the documentary, there was a clear separation between alt-righters and neo-nazis in which neo-nazis seem to be racist and homophobic and the alt-righters are the complete opposite. The neo-nazis, are shown to be comprised of only men hence bringing up the fact that masculinity is most likely in play here. Therefore, men will do practically anything and everything to avoid being seen as unmanly.

In Online Influencers, Toxic Masculinity, and the Classroom, men are influenced, practically pressured into “toxic masculinity.” For example, through social media, many influencers have soared in popularity for their toxic behaviors and “tips and tricks” for younger men. A notable one, that Will James touched upon, is Andrew Tate, who believes boys should learn about traditional masculine values, which are now believed to be unhealthy and if they don’t learn about it then they’re this or that. This belief teaches boys to be strong, detached from their emotions, competitive and dominant. Another topic that the influencer touches on is power from riches. He has a course which teaches how to make more money, and although a small percentage become successful, a bigger percentage gets left in the dust and sometimes ruin their lives because of it, losing tons of money from buying the course and following through with the content of the course. This goes to show how much influence these big-name people have on younger generations and why it’s important to keep an eye on what they consume. Furthermore, to protect other people and themselves, “toxic masculinity” and more importantly its traits, should be taught in school as well as how to avoid or manage those traits. To conclude, our youths should be taught to be self-aware of what they consume as well as their behavior to avoid hurting others.

To conclude, both Michael S. Kimmel and Will James’ touch toxic masculinity within their works. Toxic masculinity has affected the way men think as well as the way they behave, so much so that it ends up harming themselves and even those around them. To prevent this from happening, schools as well as parents should teach their children, not just boys, about positive masculinity and create a safe space for them.

Blog 1: Challenges men face from traditional masculine values.

Within our society, people are expected to follow certain rules and norms. These could vary from social norms, moral codes, and even just straight up laws against criminal conduct. Although more recently, during our past millennium, opinions and expectations upon the topic of masculinity have surged upon the internet. Through these two works: Invincible by Vincent Rene-Lortie and Man Up by Carlos Andres Gomez, we will explore the expectations, stereotypes and backlash from standard masculinity.

In Invincible, Marc, our main character, is spending his week-end with his family, acting really childish with his sister at the lake. As he gets called by his parents to return, his mood seems to sour. This is because he is returning to his youth detention center. Within this center, Marc sneaks in a lighter and purposefully activates the fire alarm system which makes the sprinklers turn on. This moment is one of the few moments where we see Marc express himself in a childlike manner within the youth detention center. From there, he is brought to Luc, one of the advisors of the center, and he is then being punished. Luc says that he won’t be allowed to leave until further notice. One important detail though is that after the notice of the punishment, Luc starts lecturing Marc. He says that he is going to have to behave if he wants to be released. In a way, Luc is somewhat of a masculine authority to Marc and also he seems to be restricting the part of Marc which appears very often with his family, his comfort zone. Then at a moment within the film, the students are asked to write a poem about how they are feeling. Marc writes some sort of a cry for help, for freedom but the teachers just dismiss what they just read or heard and continue on with the program. This shows how men often do not get the opportunity to open up often but when they do, it’s easy to dismiss those feelings. This is because men are “supposed” to be tough, cold and be able to control themselves and their emotions. This situation led Marc to plan an escape and eventually kill himself. And this event isn’t so uncommon within reality, especially within our recent society.

In Man Up, specifically chapter 3, it is shown that very early in Carlos’ life, he is introduced to masculinity and the expectations of men. At the young age of 6 years old, he had his nails painted by his sister and his aunt after an unbearable tantrum. Afterwards, he went onto the playground to play soccer and all the boys mocked, humiliated and shunned him away by saying “What are you, a faggot?”. This exact event demonstrates perfectly the expectations upon men when it comes to physical appearance. Painting nails often has a feminine connotation attached to it which is why he got bullied for having his done. This is extremely present nowadays in the west ever since some influencers decided to preach about traditional masculine values where the man is supposed to be and look tough. During his teens, he was also confused about his sexuality during the time of his puberty where he’s trying to explore his limits and boundaries when it comes to him and the men around him. Normally within our society, attempting to try something that is considered ever so slightly sexual, such as observing a man, you are instantly brandished as gay, the same way how the boy in the locker rooms when Carlos was in high school was treated. Throughout his lifetime, he keeps questioning about why it’s so wrong to express himself in a way out of the “tough and masculine” norm that was established for men. He then has a realization that expressing yourself isn’t “feminine”, it’s just a person’s trait. He basically says that an action shouldn’t be judged based on gender and sexuality but rather as an individual. He says that to find out your true self, you have to distance yourself from the social norms and expectations of men. This realization happens because western culture has separated actions within both genders, where expressing oneself isn’t considered and is shameful thus the stereotype where men are supposed to be cold.

In conclusion, men are expected to act and behave a certain way, such as suppress their feelings and act tough the same way that Marc was taught or not paint your nails and show interest towards aspects of the other gender. And in a way, these expectations or social norms act as a limit on us as individuals. To make it past these restrictions on oneself, we could all get together as a group to get rid of gender stereotypes and expectations on men to learn about traditional masculinity. Our society should move forward together to create a safe space for men.