“Why We Strive For Status”, Written 2003 by Geoffrey Cowley, a Newsweek Writer discusses how strive for status has come a long way from the 13th century to now. The article begins by talking about men’s manner have improved since Genghis Khan’s days. Genghis Khan was an emperor that conquered two-thirds of the known world during the 13th century and crediting him for 20,000 descendants 33 years after his death. 800 years later after Genghis Khans time, men are still considered the same animals at heart that is to say men are status seekers. Men go right on building hierarchic structures and fighting for status within. Scientist discovered status seeking is not just a habit or a cultural tradition. It’s a design feature of the male psyche, made up by hormones and brain chemicals that regulate the nervous system. The dominance drive influences the perceptions, color friendship, shapes moods and affects health. However, hierarchies can produce peace and harmony as well as conflict and unfairness but men are not always worse off for it. Studies suggest that boys are assertive than girls at 13 months, aggressive as toddlers and competitive at any age. While schoolgirls engage in cooperative play but boys as young as six establish adolescents, men boast, threaten and disputes more that girls do.
The article continues by explaining the contrast in animal and humans. Frans de Waal, a behavioral scientist at Emory University and the Yerkes National Primate Research Centers states “Male chimpanzees have an extraordinarily strong drive for dominance”, constantly jockeying for position. Like in human men, their bodies produce a surge of testosterone, a hormone known for boosting body mass and aggressiveness quickly responding to physical...
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...depression for not believing in hope
Also my overall reaction is after reading the article, striving for status is just like a competition. We all want to stand out among other with a good job and good wardrobe. The article states that researchers have gather information that show women favor signs of “earning capacity” over good looks. In a bar scene, a girl covered with tattoos with favor a guy with tattoos maybe with an attitude over the guy sitting at bar having a drink. If we take a more in depth look at the situation, those with high self of steam will have more hook up. The guy will only care on how much action he will receive due to the macho image/status he carries. Just how Genghis Khan lived his life. The power he had attracted the ladies which brought all the sex he wanted. After 33 years of after his death, he was credited for 20,000 descendants.
The perspective of the population in Western Culture has been impacted by prejudicial attitudes that are then implemented into the younger population, creating a very high emphasis on male dominance as well as a lack of power in certain aspects for women. “Pigskin, Patriarchy, and Pain” by Don Sabo exemplifies the male patriarchy to be the primary source in Western Culture for implementing pain into the lives of young males as a means of attaining power and success . Sabo takes a look into the corruption that occurs from conforming to the values of a society that praises male superiority through his background of sports and it’s teaching of dominance over men and women. Aaron H. Devor of “Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meanings
In the reading, Playing in the Gender Transgression Zone, McGuffey & Rich argue that the ways youth build their “hierarchy” in school, camps, etc. can explain the way ‘gendering’ in society’ happens and why. It discusses how boys are seen as the high status members of society. This is a result of the ideology of hegemonic masculinity. This says that there is a predominant way of doing gender relations that elevates the status and privileges of masculinity over femininity. This establishes a socially constructed level of male social power and explains why male dominance continues on past the middle school ages. Men still have high status in higher level of social organization, especially political/ governmental institutions.
Hegemonic (Heg·e·mon·ic/ heɡəˈmänik/ adjective) masculinity is a concept first popularized by sociologist R.W Connell, hegemonic masculinity refers to the dominate role of men, and subservient/subordinate role of women in society (Connell). Hegemonic masculinity reinforces the age old idea that men are meant to be tough, strong, and reckless; whereas women are weak, obedient, and subservient to men. The concept of hegemonic masculinity and its ideals, is enforced by societies that rely on such genders. Such strong reinforcement of toxic masculinity can leave long lasting and harmful effects on individuals. Societal expectations of masculinity directly affects an individual’s relations with the same sex, and can lead to irrationals decisions motivated by: shame,
There is a harsh distinction concerning those at the top of the dominance pyramid in which the toughest men take over individuals who are less than them. At the top of the pyramid there are those that are considered “real men,” while those considered to be “weaklings” or “punks” inhabit the bottom of the pyramid.
The idea that teenage boys should act a certain way towards females is usually instilled in them at a young age. According to Devor, “ Femininity must be expressed through modes of… action which communicate weakness, dependency, ineffectualness, availability for sexual or emotional service, and sensitivity to the needs of others” (Devor 6-7). In other words, men have to place women on a lower pedestal because of a woman’s so called “needs” (Devor 6). The “needs” that women express are feminine characteristics. The characteristics of females listed by Devor, does not show any sign of power or dominance. Since society believes gender is a patriarchy, females have no influence and need attention. This shows that men adjust their actions around women, since they believe that women need special attention. Furthermore, if a male possesses anything non-masculine,
One of the biggest ideals shown throughout history is the need for power and dominance. Whether it comes from Hitler taking over Germany and trying to enact a full-scale genocide of an entire race or a Savanna baboon alpha male being challenged by a headstrong youth for dictatorship of the tribe; the need to be the one who calls the shots will always remain an instinctual thought hardwired in our brain. To some this comparison may seem off based and farfetched in regards to similarity, however looking at Sapolsky’s research, the dominance in the animal kingdom can get rather similar. In a quote from his book A Primate’s Memoirs, Robert states, “Solomon entered the fight, ably taking on both while they were preoccupied and exhausted. Result: number 203 dead, Aaron badly injured, Solomon settling in to his reign” (Pg 22-23). The clichéd quote of “all is fair in love and war” could not sum up this act of social dominance any better. Solomon, who was number 3 in the chain of command, waited on the arduous fight of the two contenders to wage on...
There was a time (not so long ago) when a man's superiority and authority wasn't a question, but an accepted truth. In the two short stories, "Desiree's Baby", and "The Yellow Wallpaper", women are portrayed as weak creatures of vanity with shallow or absent personalities, who are dependent on men for their livelihood, and even their sanity. Without men, these women were absolutely helpless and useless. Their very existence hinged on absolute and unquestioning submission…alone, a woman is nothing.
Masculinity was made hegemonic, by defining power in terms of force and control. This is because men are naturally created with body physique, which is characterized by a higher controlling force than women are. Therefore, using force and control to define power naturalized male superiority. The male body was used to represent power, which was masculinized as force, physical strength, control, speed, toughness, and d...
The discussion of superior has been brought up numerous times throughout the history of time. Whether it is superiority over a species, subject, or attribute people tend to render something better than other. In today’s modern age with a “peaceful” global world trying to be put into place, we have tried to eliminate superiority between others humans and promote equality. The elimination of superiority has also reared its head in business over time in the United States with the extinguishing of monopolies. Even though the United States has tried to “lead the charge” in trying to terminate superiority and inequality inside their country, men’s superiority still reigns as relevant in some aspects inside the country. Men superiority is still spotlighted in sports and in the government in the United States.
Gaunte challenges the perceived benefits from engaging in hegemonic masculinity and its relevance to a person’s well being. Benefits are strictly social, whereas the costs are internal and limits how one can behave based on guidelines of masculinity. The phrase “man up” imposes gender expectations, exaggerating perceived differences between men and women such as physical strength and emotional absence. Mora concludes that puberty is a social accomplishment because boys can enact hegemonic masculinity, but Gaunte evokes the alternative where boys do not enact hegemonic masculinity and are penalized for it. Due to society’s expectations of engaging in masculinity, a boy’s freedom to express himself is limited, and being “strong in a way that isn’t about physical power or dominance” implies femininity (Gaunte). This is important because criticisms toward marginalized masculinities lead to internalized self-hatred that is projected onto self and relationships. Gaunte emphasizes the importance of addressing problems that arise from this, such as boys committing suicide, women being assaulted, and trans people being
Realistically, when someone is more powerful, they have the ability to set the rules. Men have historically held power in society, which means that women did not have as much stance or freedoms as men have had in the past. For example, Canadian women did not have the right to vote until the year 1916. This factor has continued to trail into the present day, creating the ‘weak’ image towards women, overall forcing and pushing men to become the opposite of this factor. Thus, cultural ideals of masculinity rely on the ideas of femininity through patriarchy and gender binaries. The emphasis on characteristics of men are being exaggerated, as society is pressuring men with unattainable standards of masculinity such as being tough, muscular and buff. Men continue to conform to these characteristics, in the fear of being oppressed through exclusion, which only strengthens society’s standards even more. This leads to more societal pressures on men, thus leading men to experience more societal pressures in the fear of feeling excluded. These “systems of inclusion and exclusion are divisions or barriers that prevent people from joining and belonging.” (50). For example, if a man wears nail polish, they may be oppressed and excluded through facing ridicule and bullying, because wearing nail polish is considered “girly”, therefore this boy is rebelling against society’s socially
Men are allegedly competitive, aggressive, dominant, and strong and if these attributes are not acquired a man is not a man. When other men recognize a man failing in those four areas of “manliness” they compare him to a female with negative connotation as expressed in the following quote, “The worst insult one man can hurl at another-whether its boys on the playground or CEOs in the boardroom-is the accusation that a man is like a woman.” These actions create perceptions that women are unworthy and pitiful. Jensen mentions that because of masculinity men are thought to seek control over women resulting in an increase of physical violence towards women. However, masculinity has harsh effects on men as well. Men are constantly trying to prove their dominance to each other, while competing against one another for ultimate dominance. This creates a never ending cycle of competition and unease for
In their homosocial environment, there are no specific roles to play, it is an unstable, unspecified environment on which the foundation of dominance is placed to create roles. This lack of roles and desire for patriarchy creates the perfect environment for the boys to enact methods of obtaining dominance. The boys obtain their hierarchy through the “fourth-class” system by abusing and effeminizing the “knob” underclassmen. Their method of obtaining a patriarchal dynamic between all men is very similar to the manner in which the experimental prison guards established dominance in the Stanford experiment in Gladwell’s reading. In this experiment, the volunteers placed as guards were “given uniforms and dark glasses and told that their responsibility was to keep order in the prison” (Gladwell, 157). In a sense, these guards were given a specified role in a new environment, but were not given an explicit method of how to do so. It was entirely up to the guards as to how they would go about enacting their new roles to “maintain order”, or establish dominance in the environment. The only way the guards knew how to obtain such dominance was through violence, for “as the experiment progressed, the guards got systematically cruieler and more sadistic” (Gladwell, 158). By abusing the volunteer prisoners, the guards made them weak
28 Sept. 2013. Dowd, Nancy E. The Man Question: Male Subordination and Privilege. New York: New York University Press, 2010. Print.
Chimpanzees (Figure 1) are the closest living relatives to us, and they share 99 percent of our DNA (1). Chimpanzees have distinct group territoriality. Male chimpanzees “patrol” near the boundary between the two ranges, at that time they move very carefully and quietly, and they can cease to listen and observe the range of their neighbors. Patrolling individuals are likely to face cruel and violent attacks, injuries, and even deaths. Intense excitement and aggressive display can occur if the two parties of two communities encounter each other. Usually, the larger group holds its ground, and interaction between different chimpanzees communities may also lead to gang attack. Expanding the community range is necessary to their social organizations, the males cooperation can defend the territory and increase the reproductive rates of the resident females by excluding female and male competitors. Body contact is common in their social life such as grooming (1). Usually, chimpanzees groom each other as a way to show harmony and solidarity in their society (Figure 2). Grooming each other demonstrates the deep bonds and close relationship between them. In addition, they can even hug, hold hands, touch, kiss each other as a way of emotional expression (2).