Männlichkeiten

[mothwing]

English, "manhoods", or even "virilities", the title of our seminar on manliness, various constructs of manliness, and manliness, men and boys in schools, extra-curricular activities, leisure time, family, job, etc.. The last session was on Thursday, nut I can't help thinking about something I overheard during that last session.

It was another one of those courses which hammer home the view that all gender is a Construct and prone to change with the society around it. Another of those courses in which you learn that "gender" and gender roles are made up of stereotypes and norms, mostly, that nothing is inherent. After half a year of all the relativity you are completely brainwashed, I can tell you. Terms like "man" and "women" lose their communicative value completely and you find yourself avoiding them whenever possible. 
It is not possible to escape this, resistance is useless.

Unless you are one of the two sports student I had the good fortune of overhearing. 

They had a conversation about a fellow-student of theirs which left me in open-mouthed awe. 

"I don't like her at all," one of them said. "She is like this total militant bull dyke. She has super-short hair, and she even wears those strange skater trousers only men wear. I mean, like, seriously, how can you, as a woman?"

Her friend nodded vigorously and agreed.

That fellow student of hers should really double check with this expert of femininity whether her clothing is appropriate for the only construct of feminitniy in existence. 

There quite apparently is no helping some people, especially not those who after half a year of gender seminars still manage to think inside the box to such a baffling degree. I mean, sure, admittedly, it was a seminar that only acknowledged the sex/gender binary, but even so, where have they been when we talked about constructs and stereotypes, that is, all the time?

Some people's minds can only be broadened with a large crowbar.

Comments

[moonystone.livejournal.com]

It's frightening, I think, that people who have sat through a whole seminar about a gender topic still don't grasp the concept in its full complexity. Which includes real life *gasps in disbelief* (sorry, irony has taken over...)

I was rather irritated about a guy who talked about the construction of virility in the context of Oscar Wilde's works (good) and then continued to talk about the female figures who showed typical female behaviour (bad).

It is hard working with terms and concepts you're used to and get continually confronted with and trying to include that they're all just constructed... but I think either do it properly than doing it inconsistently.

BTW, nice icon. Made it yourself from the photos?

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

Yup, I did. Or rather, I used LJ's very own icon maker, which explains why it's so blurred. :D

I don't get exactly what it is that is so hard about it. At university, you are confronted with changing concepts every day, only that usually they're not as basic as male/female. Although... male/female IS not even that basic. There are so many different kinds of "man" and "woman", it should be the easiest thing in the world to believe that popular stereotype is nothing but. Gah. There are too many stoohpuhd people.

I'm with you on doing it properly, at any rate. :)

[bilks.livejournal.com]

My brother and I live close to eachother in the inner west of Sydney which is the queer hotspot in one of the most recognisably queer friendly cities in the world. That's not to say people in Sydney still don't have similar views to the ones your classmates seem to have. My brother's flatmate was walking down the main street of Newtown, pride flagas over every second shop, and she turned to my brother and pointed out a short haired, pants wearing lesbian couple walking in front of them. She said "I don't get why lesbians actually go around looking like that. Don't they realise how terrible they look?"

My brother looked at her astonished and then launched into an explanation that their way of dressing acually made a statement about their view of social stereotypes and placed them within a a particular counter culture that did not find them unfashionable at all. He went on at reasonable length on this point while his faltmate's eyes glazed over. When he had finished she blinked and then brightly went on to tell him about a divine pair of boots she'd seen the day before as if the conversation had never happened.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

Oh my freakin' GOODness! Yes, because there is only exactly one approved way to dress as a woman, and you're not a real woman if you don't stick to that. And since looks are only important for females men can practically get away with everything, but women - after all, fashion is an essential feature of womanliness, and of course it's only ever lesbians who disagree with that. I am going to PUKE. Your poor brother.

[dstroyrofworlds.livejournal.com]

The world changed a lot.
Students don't "study" anymore. They only learn.
However much they keep in their head, it never reaches their heart or soul.
They are clearly not "sophisticated", they are just walking note books, computers, robots and libraries.
The readiness to change has vanished from our society but being ready to change if necessary is of high important for all kinds of real "wisdom" and intelligence.
It's a sad world we are living in, to me it even seems to be doomed, being crowded with people who don't try anymore or are ready anymore because this new age's message has to be "it's okay how I am".
Yes, it is. But this does not mean that you could not even be better.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

I wish they WOULD learn.

With you on the "it's ok" thing, though. It often takes the form of, "It's ok to be a small-minded, condescending, arrogant little asshat - because I am an individjuuhl and PROUD of who I am, yeah!"

[dstroyrofworlds.livejournal.com]

Same here, I wish they would. I wish EVERYBODY would in the way their intelligence makes it possible for them. But no, they do it as you said. Horrible, isn't it? And now even the universities go down the drain.