These are questions about the powerpoint on media violence and the documentary The Mask You Live In. Previously, we were set to view “Tough Guise,” but the video would not work on kanopy.
You will either work on your own and write a reflection or partner with one person to record a ten minute audio or with two partners for a fifteen minute audio. You will need to find your own partners if you wish to collaborate for this assignment.
Pick at least 6 that interest you the most to reflect on or discuss in details. Be sure to review the powerpoint and the documentary first. Your comments should show ideas and examples drawn from the powerpoint and documentary. It’s important to consider and respond specifically to materials from the module as opposed to having a random conversation about the topics. Work to answer all the subparts of your chosen questions.
The questions to consider for reflection include:
1. How do you think violence in the media has affected you? How do you feel about exposing your own children or young siblings or other small kids to the same kind of media violence? Do you think it affects them? Discuss what you learned in the PowerPoint and documentary about this.
2. In The Mask You Live In, Joe Ehrmann says that boys and men are taught to measure success in terms of three things: athletic ability, economic
wealth, and sexual conquests. He calls these the three lies of masculinity. Does having these things make a person masculine? Why or why not? Can a person be masculine without having these things?
3. How are girls and women who have athletic ability, economic wealth, and sexual conquests viewed in our society? How are girls and women taught to measure their success? What would be the three lies of femininity?
4. What happens when people believe these lies about masculinity and femininity? What are the costs and benefits for individuals? For
society? What are some other ways to measure success?
5. Do you feel various cultures in the US and elsewhere are opening up, that people are becoming more willing to embrace more men that go against the traditional masculine type? If so, why do you think this is happening? If not, why not? Are younger generations of Americans different today from older generations in their view of masculinity and femininity? If so, how and why has this happened? Whatճ different now? If not, how and why have things essentially stayed the same? How do you think these ideas can vary across cultural, racial, ethnic, geographic or religious groups?
6. If the glamorization of violence by media and other parts of our culture sometimes inspires actual violence, why is it that girls and women who are surrounded by the same media environment are so much less likely than boys and men to commit violence? Given that media glamorize violence (something those in the industry admit as a problem themselves), and assuming that this glamorization can lead males, in particular, to commit violent acts, why is it that most males exposed to the this imagery do not commit acts of violence?
7. What is the difference between *individual* boys and men thinking critically about their attitudes and behaviors, and *institutional* change that allows more diversity and flexibility in men’s lives, relationships, and work and family responsibilities? Cite examples of each.
8. In The Mask You Live In, Byron Hurt points out that the hyper-masculinity and hyper-violence in Hollywood movies are reflected in other forms of
media as well. For instance, an emphasis on hyper-masculinity– particularly patriarchal values, conventional gender roles, and heteronormativity – and hyperviolence are also prevalent in contemporary music forms such as country, rap, and heavy metal. What other forms of media serve to perpetuate hyper-masculinity and hyperviolence?
9. “Entitled” means – Believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment
• In your opinion, why are boys more likely than girls to feel entitled to power?
• How might this sense of entitlement be harmful to boys and those around them?
• How might this sense of entitlement be linked to violence, especially domestic and intimate partner violence, where boys and men seek retribution when they don’t get something they believe they deserve (e.g., respect, a job, a romantic or sexual partner, etc.)?
