blog 5

1a. In chapter 7, titled “feminist manhood,” Hooks explains that men see feminists as male bashers. Many men feel threatened by feminists because they feel that strong women threaten their manhood. This is far from the truth; on the contrary, what many feminists want is to be treated with the same respect and equality that any man would expect for himself. However, it is easy for males to criticize the feminist movement because of the difficulty men with respect to identifying with the feminist agenda. Although they may be able to sympathize, men will never really understand what women want from themselves. Males, specifically heterosexual White males, have never had to fight for their rights since they are the ones that set the standard of what rights are to be afforded and to whom. Women on the other hand have had to fight for their equality and the right to pursuit happiness. I believe that the feminist movement’s goal to gain equality is still relevant today as many women are still paid less than men and are frequently the victims of domestic and sexual abuse. If more men actually try to be part of the solution instead of continuing to be part of the problem, maybe then more women would stop demanding what men take for granted.
1a. In "Loving Men (chapter 11)," Hooks claims that women want men to be more in touch with their emotions. Men that are more conscious of their feelings towards women tend to be better partners. I think this has a lot to do with personality, upbringing, and family structure. Perhaps the problem of not having contact with one’s own emotions could be caused, among other things, by the lack of a father figure in the home. One thing I noticed when I used to work with troubled youth was that most of the young boys I work with lack a father figure. Many of these boys have no male role models to teach them how to talk and treat women, nor how to define and express their emotions. Ironically, many of these boys were raise by women, and even though they respected their mothers, they didn’t always respect other women.
1a. In chapter 13, titled “more than a few good men,” Katz explains that not all men justify domestic violence and sexual abuse against women. He acknowledges that there are men that also seek the wellbeing of women. Some men do so through organizations which protect women’s rights around the world. These organizations provide assistance for sexual abuse and battered women that have experienced the misfortune of being in a relationship with an aggressive male. These organizations are trying to reverse the damage that some men have caused. A quote that I found very interesting by Nelson Mandela reads “from today those who inflict violence on others will know they are being isolated and cannot count on other men to protect them.” This quote is very interesting because it puts the responsibility squarely on men to not protect those who inflict violence on women. If more men took responsibility for the actions of their male counterparts, I believe that there would be less violence committed against women.
1b. In “A new vision to masculinity,” Cooper defines masculinity as competitive, thought, and aggressive. He explains that many men have to prove their manliness to society by not showing weakness, incompetence, or passiveness. He makes an interesting point that society encourages men to be violent by harassing them with homophobic remarks, and the only way for them to prove their masculinity is by fighting or hurting another person. I agree with Cooper’s assessment because I have seen this type of behavior in a family friend. Every time he gathers with his friends he has to prove how masculine he is. He begins by ridiculing the men around him that are easy to pick on by calling them “fags” as a way to establish a “manly” position among them
2a. In chapter 11, which the author titled “loving men,” Hooks explains how women want men to be “emotionally aware.” Just by reading this chapter I could not stop thinking about my sister’s husband and his upbringing, which made him a bit aggressive. He was raised in a town where violence was prevalent, and he also lacked positive male guidance from since his father was never home. He opted for the guidance of older, troubled men in his neighborhood, which induced a negative impact on his ability to openly express his emotions. Early in their marriage when they had problems, he would not express what was bothering him. At other times, he became so enraged that it was impossible to find middle ground with him. Luckily, they sought help and improved the quality of their relationship and found solutions to his behavioral patterns.