Stereotype // Current TV

A Refresher Course on What Constitutes Racisim in Public Discourse

Once a year or so, we need to remind wingnuts and teabaggers that criticizing a black... more

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Getting My Irish up at the Mayoral Debate

Last night was the best free entertainment I’ve had in years. After living 48... more

baghdadbythebay
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The End of the American Man? | | AlterNet

Contrary to media hype, American manhood is not in decline -- but hopefully toxic gender stereotypes are.
June 14, 2010 |

With each step that American women have taken on the road to equality, detractors have fretted about what their advancement means for men -- particularly the "manly man." The lumber jack. The quarterback. The captain of industry. Clint Eastwood.

Sure, we occasionally see articles lamenting the end of traditional femininity and the difficulty of finding a submissive woman who derives all of life's pleasure from nurturing her family. But a far more common modern lament is the demise of masculinity. In 2000, Susan Faludi explored "the betrayal of the American man" in Stiffed. In 2001, Christina Hoff Sommers decried The War on Boys. In 2005, New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote that "this is turning into a woman's world," and Michael Gurian and Kathy Stevens published a book about "saving our sons from falling behind in school and in life." In 2006, Harvey Mansfield eulogized Manliness, and a Newsweek cover story again warned of an impending "boy crisis." Last summer, in Foreign Policy, Reihan Salam declared the economic crisis a "he-cession."

The latest contribution to the masculinity-crisis meme is "The End of Men," a cover story in this month's Atlantic by Hanna Rosin. Women are outperforming men in schools, at work, and at home, she argues. The global economy is shifting in such a way that it favors "female" characteristics, and male-dominated industries such as manufacturing, construction and finance are declining. "As thinking and communicating have come to eclipse physical strength and stamina as keys to economic success," she writes, "those societies that take advantage of the talents of all their adults, not just half of them, have pulled away from the rest." What if, she asks, "the economics of the new era are better suited to women?"

It's disappointing that, despite a history of sharp observations about gender and 5,000 words to work with, Rosin makes the same oversight as all of the other hand-wringing articles about the state of the American male. She thinks the problem is men; really, it's traditional gender stereotypes. The narrow, toxic definition of masculinity perpetuated by Rosin and others -- that men are brawn not brains, doers not feelers, earners not nurturers -- is actually to blame for the crisis.

Unlike some other chroniclers of the so-called decline of masculinity, Rosin acknowledges men are not biologically predisposed to jobs that require strength and aggression, just as women are not biologically destined to be better thinkers and caregivers. Yet her underlying assumption is that the growth industries we currently consider to be "women's work" (nursing, home health care, food service, child care) will always retain that designation. Maybe it's just my feminist idealism talking, but I fail to see why these "nurturing professions," as Rosin dubs them, must forever be the province of women. Not once does she posit what would happen if we stopped writing articles that reinforced the stereotype that men are best suited to the manufacturing and finance sectors.

More at the link:Contrary to media hype, American manhood is not in decline -- but hopefully toxic... more

Monkey_Films
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1 year ago
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Tattoo Revolution

A local Orlando shop shows how times have changed in the tattoo world.

JohnWhoriskeyJr
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1 year ago
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It's official, Obama is black

U.S. President Barack Obama» has officially declared that he is an... more

karthikmns
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1 year ago
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Chris Martin: the Oprah Olympics

Stand-up comedian Chris Martin talks about Chinese stereotypes, Oprah and the... more

ChrisMartinComedy
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2 years ago
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Chris Martin: Stay away from the Steve Jobs liver-flavored Frappuccino

Stand-up comedian Chris Martin talks about Chinese stereotypes, Oprah and the... more

ChrisMartinComedy
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2 years ago
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Racist? Watermelon Soda Sold In Target

One of our producers visited this Target on 225th St., in New York City and made an... more

AllThingsHarlem
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2 years ago
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22-Year-Old Divorces 84-Year-Old Husband Because She Can't Keep Up With His Lifestyle

Flipping the stereotypes around a bit, 22 year old Kristen Georgi recently filed for... more

lvp
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2 years ago
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Appalachian English: Speaking the Kentucky stereotype

Appalachian English flows through Kentucky's veins, and it is one of the most... more

TravG73
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3 years ago
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4 comments

Hollywood's best-loved offensive stereotypes

Including! The Magic Negro, The Gay/Effeminate Psychopath, The Latina Maid, The... more

mischabarrett
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3 years ago
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7 comments

Captain Politically Incorrect

I found this on You Tube. Being from Northern Ireland I find this really funny, a... more

ovkorrse
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4 years ago
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5 comments

The Unfair Portrayal of Muslims

Looking at me, you probably couldn't tell I am Muslim.

Qasimab
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4 years ago
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Successful Artist Conundrum

I want to sell out! I'll even play the "token black guy."

GGordan
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4 years ago
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2 comments

A Shining Beacon of Overt Racism From the Good Ol' Days

This 16 year old black girl was assaulted after dropping cake on the floor by one of... more

wstormm
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4 years ago
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7 comments

Take A Hike, Chief

For 81 years, Chief Illiniwek has been the mascot of the University of Illinois... more

nordby7
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4 years ago
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2 comments

I Am Ahmed Ahmed

Since moving to Los Angeles seventeen years ago, comedian Ahmed Ahmed has been... more

ctv
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5 years ago
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Whos Your Caddy?

How did this movie get made? The entire concept is based on a stereotype. Would a golf... more

jmathew
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4 years ago
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