Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Being a Man

a.The claim that Theroux is making in “Being a Man” is that man have to live up to this image of masculinity or being manly when in reality that is not how man really want to act or most man don’t act.

b.I think this is the claim because the way he’s describing being a man is in a negative way on everything that he has to say.

c.The quote I found that shows this is the claim is when he used the example “Even the expression Be a man! Strikes me as insulting and abusive.” The fact that the words be a man is insulting to him must means he has been insulted a lot throughout his life because a lot of man and woman use the words be a man.

d.In away yes I think his sub-arguments or his reasons go along with his claim but then again I don’t.

“Just as high school basketball teaches you how to be a poor loser, the manly attitude toward sports seems to be little more than a recipe for creating bad marriages, social misfits, moral degenerates, sadists, latent rapist and just plain louts.”

I really don’t see how sports have anything to do with a bad marriage, since a lot of couples love to go to games together and bring them closer to each other as a couple and as a family. He really don’t go into much details about that.

“It is a hideous and crippling lie; it not only insists on difference and connives at superiority, it is also by its very nature destructive—emotionally damaging and socially harmful”

I agree with Theroux on this quote, only because I do believe America makes manly images to harsh on younger boys who does not even know what it means to be a mean so we push this image on them hoping they would grow up like that image. They make it seems like the man is suppose to superior but in reality now days some women hold more power than a man does by taking on a man’s role.

1 comment:

  1. Sports can become a "bad marrige" situation because sometimes the woman doesn't agree with constantly watching and living around sports. Women are more of the affectionate gender and some just don't like sports. I think his claim is how the society stereotypes the male gender without even taking a look past the male physique and solidifies a set of adorned rules for the male to follow ever since he is born, which in turn can ruin relationships with women and can even set himself up for failure-even if money equals masculinity. I could not agree more with you about women holding more power, we do more manly things than they do feminine, but they are taking on the role of cooking and cleaning (at least the true gentlemen do.)

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