I'm a real man.

I am a man. I’m supposed to be a ‘real man’ and take on the ‘tough guise’ as said in the movie. A real man is physical; they play sports, and are tough. I could defend myself if need be, but I wouldn’t say I’m physical. I’ve heard it before, “bitch”, “wimp”, “queer”. Why do we put these terms to put down men? Why does the human race define what a man has to be, and if he ISN’T these lists of things, he isn’t a man. In the media, a white male has to be tough, badass, important, and successful. A black male has to be ghetto, gangster, and badass. Latinos are criminals. Asians are ninjas and martial artists. Why does society perpetuate these classifications that limit men to certain choices in life. Growing up with the current media, you only see men one way. The only other way a man can be is “sensitive” which quite obviously makes him a homosexual. Because of the medial trauma that is created today, people are harassed and oppressed. While I don’t think men are oppressed the same way as women, I think there is a different type of fight men have to face. The ‘tough guise’ as the movie called it is a safety feature that I even feel I have to put on sometimes just to be accepted by people.

Recent movies like James Bond, The Fighter (any boxing/fighting movies), and Batman/Spiderman movies all represent what the real man should be. They all represent a real man, strong and important, saving the damsel in distress. I think this is an issue we need to face and stop antagonizing men for not being what society wants them to be. This is our right to equality and just because I’m not as strong or fast or athletic as you, doesn’t mean I’m not a real man. I appreciate the movies in modern day society that show the female as the strong fighter. Movies like Resident Evil have the female character being the stronger of the main characters. This helps with the gender equality but I’m not sure if I’ve seen any recent movies that have helped with the male gender issues themselves. Movies like “Blades of Glory” show that ice-skating is gay but it’s not a prerequisite to be gay to ice skate. It’s movies like this that put thoughts into the youth’s heads and this is how harassment and oppression is formed.