Your Masculinity Is Not Defined By Violence | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Your Masculinity Is Not Defined By Violence

A critique of Breitbart's message to men.

18
Your Masculinity Is Not Defined By Violence
The Nice Guys Movie

When people claim that feminists are ruining Hollywood because Hollywood isn't depicting men as more violent...they do realize they're equating masculine identity to level of violence, right?

There are also still plenty of movies and TV shows with males killing/attacking each other, so I don't even really know...what is this argument? I'm so confused.

This topic was inspired by an article called "Outsourcing Masculinity: Where Have All the American Action Heroes Gone?" The article, published by Breitbart, was written by Lisa De Pasquale, who pretty much just writes poorly-argued opinion articles bashing millennials and feminists. This particular piece was about the movie "The Nice Guys." I had seen it in theaters, and it was a pretty funny and awesome movie (in my opinion). It also fared well In reviews by IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.

However, the writer is complaining that it (God forbid) didn't have as much violence as other action movies. The author doesn’t say this word for word, but it’s implied.

“Over 40 years of American culture and education run by liberals and feminists has shunned masculine traits in favor of the beta, feminized male. Ryan Gosling in "The Nice Guys" is a single, well-dressed dad who is in touch with his emotions and relies on brains rather than brawn. Make no mistake, his character has flaws, but the contrast between him and Russell Crowe’s burly character is stark (and is what makes the movie so entertaining)”

So having emotion and intelligence is apparently characteristics of a “feminized man”? The movie didn’t have as much “brawn” in it probably because it's more of an action comedy, like "Rush Hour," not "James Bond" or "The Expendables." The author goes on to imply men from my generation are not manly enough because they’re dominantly the feminized men that feminists and liberals created.

In the author’s opinion, the feminized man is supposed to be represented by Ryan Gosling's character because he shows a little bit of emotion (he only has one emotional moment during the entire film, and it's very brief). Meanwhile, Russell Crowe's character represents the older, more manly generation of men because he's “burly.” In this movie his character is more experienced and aggressive than Ryan Gosling’s character and that's really the only difference.

The author then blames the loss of masculinity on lack of masculine role models in personal life and film (because forget the Marvel and DC franchises completely). She also claims American male actors don’t play in as many action roles because American men aren’t allowed to be “sweaty and stoic” here. OK, Breitbart. I guess this means Batman's "no killing" rule is emasculating as well?

Anyway, I think our generation of "liberal" men are probably going to do pretty awesome things with or without violence. I mean MLK and Gandhi were pretty outstanding men that didn't use violence to get their point across. But ya know, whatever. If this generation's men end up accomplishing better and bigger things with less violence involved than the flawless generations before us filled with "real men"--as a feminist, I'm actually completely okay with being blamed for that.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

10 Things To Know About The First Semester Of College

10 things that most incoming college freshmen have no idea about.

542
campus
Pexels

Starting college is pretty scary and fun at the same time. You are free of your parents(in most cases) but this is the first time you have no idea what the heck is going on. Here are 10 things you may want to know going into your first semester.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The Daily Struggles of Being a College Commuter

It's not all morning coffees and singing along to the radio.

1305
The Daily Struggles of Being a College Commuter
morethanwheels

I've been in college for four years now. I spent half my time as a commuter and half as a resident so I've experienced both sides of the housing spectrum. One thing I've learned comparing the two is that my struggles as a commuter far outweigh anything I went through while living on campus. Commuters have to deal with the problems school brings along with a slew of other issues; I've filled up my gas tank in the worst kind of weather conditions and napped in random places in public more times than I'm proud to say of. This is a list of some of the most challenging aspects of being a commuter.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

15 Times Michael Scott's Life Was Worse Than Your Life

Because have you ever had to endure grilling your foot on a George Foreman?

3994
Michael Scott
NBC

Most of the time, the world's (self-proclaimed) greatest boss is just that, the greatest. I mean, come on, he's Michael Freakin' Scott after all! But every once in a while, his life hits a bit of a speed bump. (or he actually hits Meredith...) So if you personally are struggling through a hard time, you know what they say: misery loves company! Here are 15 times Michael Scott's life was worse than your life:

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

12 Midnight NYE: Fun Ideas!

This isn't just for the single Pringles out there either, folks

18030
Friends celebrating the New Years!
StableDiffusion

When the clock strikes twelve midnight on New Year's Eve, do you ever find yourself lost regarding what to do during that big moment? It's a very important moment. It is the first moment of the New Year, doesn't it seem like you should be doing something grand, something meaningful, something spontaneous? Sure, many decide to spend the moment on the lips of another, but what good is that? Take a look at these other suggestions on how to ring in the New Year that are much more spectacular and exciting than a simple little kiss.

Keep Reading...Show less
piano
Digital Trends

I am very serious about the Christmas season. It's one of my favorite things, and I love it all from gift-giving to baking to the decorations, but I especially love Christmas music. Here are 11 songs you should consider adding to your Christmas playlists.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments