Tough Guise

Megan Lee

9:00 Class

Tough Guise

I think that the film, Tough Guise, made some valid points. I never realized that there was a specific connection between men, violence, and the media. Most people are influenced by mass media. Something interesting that the film said was that to understand culture, look at the mass media. In society, the constant message of men being violent has been conveyed over and over again. So much that the association of violence and men has become normal. The way men are displayed in sports, television shows, commercials, and movies give an ideal image of men. In order to be a man, he has to be athletic, strong, independent, rugged, and powerful. He has to be dominant and feel in control.

According to the movie, in an effort to look masculine, men put on a front or a disguise. Men never want to look weak physically and emotionally or immasculated. The fear of being different and not being a man causes men to pose and use a disguise. The disguises and ideas used are gathered from the media. In movies, men are displayed with lots of muscles and a sense of authority. Regular men try to be the illustrated man from media. For smaller and scrawnier men in media, they use guns to even the playing field. The struggle for power is a main theme for men in mass media.

The need to become stronger, bigger, and more aggressive has developed over the years. The sizes of guns in movies have grown throughout movies. It used to be a small handgun that was intimidating. It developed into a medium sized gun in the James Bond movies, then rifles in western movies. Then in Rambo, a huge machine gun is used. A gun used to be a symbol of power and control. Now the body is also considered a means of power and intimidation. The bigger and more muscular, the better the man is.

Through media and society, men have associated masculinity with violence. Men are more likely to be violent than women. One in four men will commit some kind of abuse. Eighty five percent of murderers are men. Statistically speaking, men are just more violent. The desire to be the definition of masculinity, men follows the ideal man portrayed in media. People are not surprised when men commit violent crimes, but are astounded when women commit the same crime.

Sports instill good qualities like teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship. But sports in general have become more aggressive and strong. The fights in hockey have become more violent. Fights even incur in baseball and soccer. The tackles in football have become more vicious, where people would gain a concussion or even become paralyzed.

The mass media defines what the present culture is and how people think. The media currently shows men with big, strong bodies, a tough guy attitude, an aura of dominance, and a feeling of independence and power. Throughout history, movies, shows, and sports have become more aggressive and power. Often times, violence is now correlated with masculinity. Men put on a disguise to look masculine defined by society.