It has struck me that in our readings that include the theme of change: Shiloh, The Awakening, Mrs. Spring Fragrence, and such; that the only people who really have an issue with change have a tendancy to be the males. I try to be equal and fair towards everybody; which led me to wonder why men are always depicted as the unshakeable ones who essentially plug their ears and say "lalalala" at a problem or occurence.
So I thought about it, and perhaps the conclusion is that portrayal is, in itself, a form of discrimination. I know what you're thinking: "discrimination towards men? Phhh! Not possible!" But that is very close minded way to go about considering the situation. The great vast majority of men who are abused by their female partners do not speak out because society has viewed that as weak. They do not have the shelters that women have and forget getting any children if they leave their wives/girlfriends. The father is not usually considered as an option for single parent child rearing.
Taking these modern examples into consideration, I thought about the current literary matter at hand. Men histortically have been viewed as the logical ones, the gender not swayed by their emotions, and because of this, the only ones who can run society. This has led to males who are (I am guessing) emotionally repressed and who view anyone that upsets the balance as the enemy. Take for example the guys who drive those massive trucks. They don't need them (usually) to do work, the trucks look like they have never gotten dirty and are all decked out. Not only are those immensely inconvient to anyone with a smaller car on the road (and dangerous), but they can be viewed as an extension of the males masculinity: "look how macho I am! I have a big car!"
So this example of an extension of identity can then lead to what is seen in these stories. The aspect of feminine change (something that has histroically been repressed for centuries) is threatening. The female has always been at awe with the truck, but now they don't seem to care very much. Why? Because females have realized that they can buy trucks too. The extension of masculine identity is being threatened, and what have emotionally repressed people been (generally speaking) taught instead? Violence, hate and intolerance.
These stories are about women finally buying their trucks, and men not being viewed as capable enough to look at a prius and a say: "hey, that car is not that bad either!" Maybe there is some truth to this stereotype, and in the context of women's writing, I get it. However, that does not mean I have to like it any better.
(I hope this post made sense, I was trying to work through my own thoughts)
i agree. change is a hard thing for pretty much anyone to deal with, men are no exception. I also believe that the men in these stories should have been a bit more open minded when dealing with change, but i do not think there would be much hope for poor Edna's husband. WHo would have been able to deal with that crazy changing lady?
ReplyDeleteHaha I actually want a big truck when I get older because it is a "man car," but now I'm going to have to reconsider. But I think your point is spot on, men are discriminated against all the time, but if we tell anyone we are weak and demasculinized (is that a word?). Excellent post!
ReplyDeleteThe word is "emasculated," and that concept is only viable when you validate masculine privilege. It can only be a threat if you've got a lot of benefits in society that are worth losing. You're not saying anything new when you identify that individual men suffer from patriarchy too... feminists have been saying it for years.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the paternity issue especially: it's the only one I think MRAs have a point about. Our retrograde attitudes about consent to parenthood have needed to be addressed for a long time.
It's not just the men in the stories. The women take a large role as well in holding up the patriarchy. Madame Ratignolle tries to guide Edna back to the path of a dutiful wife and mother. Mabel derides her daughter for her odd behavior and thinks that the only proper thing is for Leroy and Norma Jean to stay together.
ReplyDeleteDon't misunderstand, I know why this is. A patriarchal (or any other kind of) society will do everything it can to sustain itself, so it must impress on all its members, male and especially female, that this way of life is the only right one. Raised like that, many women have actively defended that which is in their worst interests. I just thought it was worth pointing out that it wasn't only the men who were resistant to change in the stories.