Skip to main content

From the book Real Boys by William Pollack (Chapters 3, 4, 12 and the Epilogue), answer the following essay question: Is there a gender crisis in...

Pollack explores the myths that govern boys and, by extension, men in America and argues that there is a gender crisis in our country. Pollack believes that the society as a whole still endorses very traditional and potent myths about boyhood--including that biology is destiny (that is, that testosterone makes boys violent). Another potent myth is that boys should follow all-male stereotypes and that they are not capable of, and do not need, nurturing. Finally, boys are seen as toxic and dangerous, and the women who raise them are encouraged by societal stereotypes to encourage boys to be independent and not seek the care and nurture that makes all humans thrive. As a result, the author says that boys suffer from depression and poor mental health. The author argues in Chapter 1 and in the Epilogue that while women and girls have gone through a revolution about their roles (a revolution that some would argue is still continuing), boys and men are now only starting to change what Pollack calls the "boy code" (and what he also refers to as the "gender straightjacket" on page 6) and challenge traditional ways of acting.


One only needs to look around in society to find confirmation that traditional gender roles are still very strong and that America is in the midst of a gender crisis. Women and men often gravitate to certain traditional areas of study and professional fields (women into nursing and men into engineering, for example), and boys and girls who do not conform to society's traditional gender roles (for example, women who are physically tough or men who are nurturing and soft) are seen as odd at best and threatening at worst. However, there are signs that America's gender crisis is starting to ease. While Hillary Clinton did not win the recent election, for example, she was the first female candidate from a major political party to win the Presidential primary. The years ahead will clarify whether men and women are able to break out of traditional gender roles. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton and  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy.  In both  The Outsiders  and  Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While   socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In  The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In  Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...
Post a Comment
Read more