You can check out more of Guante’s work at his website and his YouTube Channel.
Category Archives: gender roles
99 Problems
Hats off to Dr. Boyce Watkins for his commentary on Jay-Z banning b$tch from his linguistic repertoire. The decision came after the birth of Jay and Beyonce’s daughter Blue Ivy. The rapper has received well-deserved criticism regarding his decision and he should. However, virtually nothing was said a few years ago when Hov rapped “when the Jena 6 don’t exist…thats when I’ll stop sayin’ bitch…BITCH!!!” (from “Say Hello” on American Gangsta). Hov takes an aggressively masculine tone, separating gender from racial oppression. His view of race is decidedly masculine with little, if any, investment in black women. I don’t like that it took one of my favorite rappers this long to get his act together. Nor do I like that it took his daughter being born for him to make the decision. At the end of the day, though, I’m glad that Blue Ivy inspired Jay to change. For any parents reading this, I’m sure that the birth of your little one(s) made you think twice about your values too, right?
What concerns me more than Jay’s actions are the millions of fans that buy (or download) his music while blindly accepting the warped gender dynamics reinforced in his songs. These are the people who, on a daily basis, are presented with opportunities to shift the power dynamics that Daddy Hov fears his daughter will have to confront.
Facebookers (myself included) are “liking” Prof. Watkins’ post as if doing so delivers a death blow to gender oppression. Newsflash!!! It doesn’t. And that means we have work to do. Gender oppression extends far beyond saying b&%@! As I climb off my soapbox, please indulge me by educating yourself on gender oppression and gender equality. Here are a few websites and videos to get you started:
Then put this newly-acquired knowledge into practice! Look for groups/organizations in your area that fight gender oppression. If one doesn’t exist, start one. There are also online initiatives that you can get involved in. You can contribute to a blog and spread awareness online. You can create art that educates us on this issue. You can create an app that supports gender justice. The possibilities are endless!
It is easy to sit back and critique Jay-Z without being self-reflexive. However, we perpetuate and/or survive gender oppression every…single…day. Now is the time to change the game. What are you going to do?
D. Carter
Upcoming Men’s Institute at the University of Northern Iowa
Save the date! On Wednesday, October 26, the University of Northern Iowa is having a one day institute on engaging college men in anti-violence initiatives. MAC members attended the institute last year and it was definitely worth it. This year should be even better.
The folks at UNI have lined up some amazing talent. Jackson Katz is the keynote speaker along with presentations by Elizabeth Miller and Feroz Moideen, who are involved with Coaching Boys into Men, and Harry Brod, a longtime ally, advocate, author, and expert on men and masculinity. In addition to the featured presenters, there will be breakout sessions from experts and allies from across the state and country.
Click on the links below to download the institute flyer and registration form. We hope to see you there!
No, Seriously, What About Teh Menz?: Awesome new blog!
One of the best aspects of working with people in the violence prevention, anti-oppression, anti-sexism and social justice fields is that my inbox is always full of amazing material relevant to the work I do.
There is so much good stuff out there, it’s hard to find the time to read and digest it, let alone find it all. I’m really thankful to all the people who forward me information about the topics that I am passionate about. A couple of weeks ago, I was forwarded a link to an awesome blog called No, Seriously, What about teh menz?
I spent 5-10 minutes on their FAQ section and was hooked. The blog editors and contributors have taken on a monumental task. Not only are they attempting to maintain a space to define, clarify, and discuss issues related to gender, sexuality, identity, and equality but they are also purposefully engaging men in the discussion, process and content. My favorite part of the blog is the tone and delivery. Each piece is written in an approachable and accessible manner. They are raw, unpolished and irreverent. They appear to be crafted by intelligent and passionate individuals who are doing their best to articulate their reactions to important topics in an approachable way. Each contributor seems to want to connect, not impress, their audience. I appreciate that.
As a PhD student, I’ve had to digest some pretty dense articles. I often finish the article, scratch my head and wonder, “What did I just read? What were they even talking about?” I’ve never been impressed by people who speak only in professional jargon that alienates everyone except the 14 people who obtained a PhD in Obfuscating Terminology. A truly wonderful statistics professor would always ask our class to explain the concept in ways that someone who had no background in statistics could understand. I believe No, Seriously is on it’s way to creating an effective forum to discuss egalitarianism and privilege in a way that is accessible to people who are new and those who are well-versed in the topics.
Below are some topics they cover in their FAQ page. I’m not in love with every single thing I have seen. I don’t care for their profuse usage of the word “fuck.” When I say profuse, I mean it is so common it often distracts me from the content of the passage. However, I’ve never read a blog where I agreed with everything that was said. I do appreciate and respect their content and mission. Anyone who can explore and explain the concept of masculist without making me cringe is doing something right. I hope that they continue to address gender egalitarianism in awesome ways!
No, Seriously, What about teh menz FAQs:
- I’m not allowed to say “lame” now? What the fuck does “cis” mean? Don’t feminists think men are evil? I’m so confused!
- What’s this “masculist” think some you guys keep talking about? Doesn’t feminism already cover gender equality?
- What do you care about trans activism?
Iowa MAN website launched!
After much hard work by the folks over at the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV) and Iowa MAN members, the official Iowa MAN website launched. The website looks great. The most important thing about this event is that it signifies a statewide effort to engage men about the issues related to eliminating violence and creating safer communities.
Below are Iowa MAN’s vision and mission:
VISION
We envision a community where men are actively engaged in confronting men’s violence against women and girls and all its forms, and where all members of society are engaged in promoting healthy, peaceful, and respectful relationships.
MISSION
As an organization, we will eliminate men’s violence against women and girls by pursuing knowledge from those most affected by it. As a call to action, we will work to inspire all men of Iowa to partner with women to promote healthy and respectful relationships in their homes, neighborhoods, and the community, to model peaceful and respectful behaviors with each other, and to empower our youth with similar tools and skills necessary to live and expect a lifestyle free from abuse.
You can visit the Iowa Men’s Action Network website here.
New blog by Michael Kaufman
Michael Kaufman, author, educator and co-founder of the White Ribbon Campaign, recently launched a redesigned blog at www.michaelkaufman.com with numerous resources and articles about engaging men, gender equality, masculinity and violence prevention. I’ve heard Michael speak about these issues and was impressed with the content, humor and delivery of his message.
One of the first posts that I read on Michael’s website was a post about a documentary by Marc de Guerre called The End of Men. Check out a promo of the documentary below.
2011 American Men’s Studies Association conference
If you are involved or interested in the development of teaching, research and clinical practice in the field of men’s studies and masculinities, you should consider attending the 19th annual Men and Masculinity Conference hosted by the American Men’s Studies Association (AMSA). The theme this year is Men, Masculinities and the Common Good in an Era of Economic Uncertainty.
The conference is on March 31-April 3, 2011 at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and is co-sponsored by the Women’s Center and Women’s and Gender Studies Program of the University of Missouri – Kansas City. You can register online for the conference and pre-conference workshops. You can save money with early registration if you sign up before February 28. Michael Kimmel will be presenting the keynote address.
You can find out more about AMSA on their website and you can join the AMSA group on Facebook.
Superman of the House
Check out this post by Bryan Parys over at The Good Men Project. Entitled Superman of the House, Bryan reflects on the message he received from his dying father, “A lot of the weight of the man of the house will be on your shoulders.” Bryan was four years old at the time.
I really enjoyed this piece because it honestly discusses the struggle of trying to fulfill the role and expectations of being the “man of the house” while trying to define and clarify what that even means. What does that even look like when you are trying to engage in an egalitarian relationship, especially in Bryan’s situation with a baby on the way?
I remember the discussions my partner and I had when we moved in together. We were very careful about trying to divide everything equally down the middle to ensure everyone was doing their part. That proved impossible. It was never perfectly equal in terms of time, energy, and amount of effort.
Our best solution has been to remain flexible and help the other person out when they need it. It never comes out equal but things get done. Each couple will negotiate what they want, need and can tolerate. At the end of the day, our house is clean, the puppies are fed and we are happy. I don’t even want to try and wrap my mind around how adding a baby would complicate that formula!
A Call to Men
Check out the powerful video below from Tony Porter speaking at TED. I saw Tony speak at a CALCASA Training institute this summer in Las Vegas, but didn’t get a chance to hear some of the stories he tells in this video. As some of you may know, Tony is the cofounder of the national group A Call to Men who strive to engage men in actively ending violence against women through examining unhealthy and healthy aspects of masculinity. Click here to visit Tony’s page on TED’s website.
