Friday, June 19, 2009

Sarah P - Week 5

So in my other class, War and Peace in Vietnam, we got to watch Born on the 4th of July for a little added insight. One theme that was very strong in the film was this idea that-at the time-in order to become a man, one must fight in a war. It was instilled in boys so much that play time usually included war play. And as high-schoolers the film portrays a drill sergeant type coach who calls the boys "ladies" to get them to work harder. Their entire manliness depended on them enlisting and it made we wonder something along with this weeks theme of a men's movement-are men in our generation "lost" so to speak because they don't have that one monumental event that passes them into manhood? Without wars to fight and prove your self worth with, what else do they have? I mean granted we have a war now for people to enlist in, but this isn't a Ra!Ra! war like World War II or Vietnam. Most people don't even care let alone agree with this war. But our grandfathers and some of our fathers faught for our country and became men-usually at the ripe age of 18 or 19-in doing so. Now adays you've got 30 years old men living at home with mommy and daddy. Why has this happened? What has society done to cause men to loose sight of that passage into manhood? What can even be done about it? I think the lack of answers explains why men feel a need for a "movement." They blend into society now. They have no major responsibility to society as a whole. There is no sense of community. It actually makes me glad I am not a man! Wow...
Posted by at

3 comments:

  1. Mario DJune 19, 2009 at 9:02 AM

    Sarah - since I sit next to you in that class about the history of Viet Name, I know exactly what you are talking about in regards to this "rite of passage" that was so much a part of becoming a man up through thr 1970's. The current war's we are engaged in did not involve conscription (the draft), but if we got engaged in a war that did require we re-institute the draft, should it include women as well?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sarah P.June 19, 2009 at 10:24 PM

    Mario,
    In response to your question- it is a fair one. But I have to wonder, if men AND women are drafted for the war who will be home taking care of the economy, jobs, and our children? I also think physically you'd have a lot more women that don't qualify for the war, so now you have a bunch of people being drafted that basically have to be weeded through even harder than the other group. Am I suggesting women are less capable- overall I'd say yes. Just like our book says-women are nurturers and communicators. Where is there room for that in war? It takes a special kind of women to serve in war and I think drafting would just make it harder to find them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Maria's Blog for Gender and CommunicationJune 22, 2009 at 12:54 AM

    Wow, that is a really excellent point. Our culture is lacking a "right of passage" into manhood, as you say! This can result in aggressive behavior by men who are simply trying to find an outlet where they can be "men." Since it is no longer populaur to go to war, and we no longer have a draft, many men can find that they don't have anything to proove their manliness, as if fighting equates being a true man. Though I think the pendulum at times as swung two far in the opposite direction where men now expect to not take responsibility for relationships, nor put out effort for a relationship like they once did when traditional roles were established and seen as right.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)