Dudebro 6-12-07

This past week in dudebro we read bell hook's "Understanding Patriarchy", and discussed it in group. The essay touches on the many roles masculinity plays in everyday patriarchy. With the understanding that masculinity is an identity characteristic based on patriarchal values and beliefs about gender. The function of masculinity as a gender tool is set up to limit males emotional capacity. It is why in a "imperialist white-supremacist capitalist patriarchal society", men are brought up to be desensitized emotionally. Thus perpetuating and endorsing a role that benefits from a lack of compassion, an abundance of ignorance, and inability to communicate.

It should be acknowledged that gender roles in our society are inherently fucked-up. They are so deeply rooted that many men never question them, because to do so would be to unravel the very rope in which our society is hanged upon. Traditional gender roles are reinforced from an extremely young age, through mediums as obvious as designated gender colors (blue for boys/ pink for girls), and the seemingly more subtle uncomfortable encounters in gym class locker rooms (having one's masculinity in question for changing in the toilet stall).

We asked each other in group how we can even remotely address these issues while confronting our own male socialized tendencies. We asked, "What does it mean to be a manly man?. Do you have to be successful or drive a nice car?. Do you have to have a big cock or just walk around objectifying everyone you see pretending that you do?". Even the fear of being labeled as having a small penis is enough to make most men shutter. Certainly we don't believe that sex (or our sex organs) has anything to do with what makes us men; do we? Our societies infatuation with self image leaves these questions burning in the deepest pits of our minds. Kids being raised with these unreasonable standards grow up constantly questioning the size and/or shape of their bodies.

I feel it is important for men to have healthy emotional relationships that denounce stereotypically masculine roles. By definition masculinity refers to qualities and behaviors judged by a particular culture to be ideally associated with or especially appropriate to men and boys. Through examination we see how patriarchy is blatantly intertwined with our society's "ideal" qualities and behaviors for males. It is crucial to the anti-patriarchy movement that we understand the difference between masculinity and patriarchal masculinity. By re-appropriating masculinity we can alter it's meaning through everyday accountability.