Well just as we leave the unit on gender and masculinity I come across the show "Made" on MTV. Brilliant, no? In any case, the show is rather disgusting. It has people ostracized from their school society trying desperately to conform in the hopes they will be happier. Now the episode I watched the fellow literally had no friends, which was sad enough, and he was bullied, so his desire to change was understandable. But if the situation was less clear? If someone was just a nobody and they felt they NEEDED to fit in to be a somebody? Isn't that everything people(halfheartedly mostly...)say is wrong? This in mind, I have decided to hypothesize his masculinity felt threatened and thusly, to affirm it to himself, he decided to leave his own niche in search of a more "normal" one. I didn't watch the episode all the way through, but it was rather tragic "My life is boring" blah blah "no one loves me" blah blah "I'LL BE A ROCK STAR!" blah blah "guitar is hard" the end.
I also was speaking with some Europhiles recently and the armpits of European women of course became a topic of discussion. In American culture, somehow, that's just wrong. Maybe the Puritan values of cleaniness in the extreme or something weird, I don't know. To us it's a very feminine/beatnik/lesbian thing to do and of course, women who make it known they abide by similar hygeine, are ostracized for it. So feminism, woot sorta, not where I care to go with this, but fun sociological imagination again.
Teens versus parents? That sort of thing bores me, especially since my workplace I AM with people doing it for a career, I DO have the opportunity to go up the ranks, and I AM surrounded by all sorts of really interesting adult figures. My parents and I don't get along all the time, but it tends to be ideological and it's rarely "Oh don't drink" or "You're so irresponsible" etc. So while maybe teens are in a tighter spot today than yesteryear? Good for them, I take the liberty to speak for my peers when I say there's no use comparing us to the past when you have no intention and no ability to turn back time. Accept the situation today, remedy that, and stop looking for solutions in a past that was also inherently flawed. In short, here's approval to the dork, the teen, and the strong woman(as much as America may hate her...). Carry on, make mistakes, get over em, and if you make it to adulthood you did SOMETHING right regardless of whether you played sports or played the tuba. Not much openendedness here for which I apologize, but thoughts are welcome as always. Good night!
2 comments:
What ever happened to MTV. It used to be a quality channel - constantly introducing new bands, playing FULL LENGTH music videos, hosting award ceremonies for the more underground artists. Now it's just a load of Fergie look a-likes with big boobs and bigger hair hosting mindless shows that promote teen conformity. People who actually watch that crap daily must be losing brain cells by the second.
As for the hairy armpits of European women. I believe that is becoming less common in general, and obviously a man came up with the idea of it being unacceptable in the first place, But I must say I'm glad because it's just unpleasant. Perhaps one day men will have to be hairless too...but I doubt that.
What's wrong with hairless men? :-)
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