Robert Jensen The High Cost Of Manliness Summary

What is masculinity? This question is one that has stood the test of time when it comes to how modern society functions. Highly esteemed journalist, Robert Jensen, has done extensive research and has written countless articles on the functions a man has in society. In his article The High Cost of Manliness he discusses how “masculinity must prevail for a man to be a ‘real man’.” He goes on to make points about how being masculine is destructive towards modern society, family life, and ultimately women. However is masculinity a male only trait? It is safe to say that the answer to this question is no. The idea that Jensen presents of male “tendencies toward competition, domination, and violence” could not be more far from the truth. There are plenty of instances in which a female could hold the exact aggressive, “king of the hill” mentality that Jensen corners the male sex into. Masculinity is not just a male or female trait, it is a human trait one that is not confined by gender or age, past or present. Jensen seems to be hung up on the idea that because you are masculine you are a factor is sexism, and how men interact

Jensen’s view seems to stem from the primal dog-eat-dog mentality. Although this may be true in some rare cases in everyday life it is not. He says in the article that “men who don’t measure up are wimps, sissies, fags, girls.” While yes these words are generally thrown around they hold little to no weight to a man. These words used as jokes for the everyday male. Jensen goes on to say that “the worst insult a man can hurl at another… is the accusation that a man is like a woman.” This is undoubtedly false. Most confrontations between males begin physically, rarely to never is a fight going to break out from name calling. Generally name calling is ineffective because one men are numb to it and two a man is comfortable enough in his masculinity that words cannot phase