Transformations of Gender and Race by Rhea Almeida

Author:Rhea Almeida [Almeida, Rhea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Ethnic Studies, General, Women's Studies, LGBTQ+ Studies, Gay Studies, Sociology, Gender Studies
ISBN: 9781136383830
Google: yEyjRzL87bkC
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2013-02-01T03:43:18+00:00

WILLIAM DOHERTY

I am writing during the criminal trials of a number of military men who have been accused of sexually harassing and raping women under their command. This national discussion about women in the military, and of men's attitudes and behavior toward women in the military, focuses public attention like nothing else on the idea of masculinity. Indeed, war has been the quintessential province of men, the defining difference between the sexes. Men kill; women give and nurture life. Although women have gained a place in the military in many countries of the world, nowhere are they permitted to do combat duty on the ground. Being a combat soldier has been to masculinity what being a midwife has been to women: it is clearly something only men can do adequately.

Although only a relatively small minority of men enter the military nowadays, every boy knows he might have to go to war someday. And many societies worry about whether their young men will be up to the task if called. Like many other men, I struggle with two competing perspectives on the military and masculinity. The first is that soldiering reflects the dark side of masculinity, the propensity of men to dominate others, to hold onto power by whatever means necessary. The military embodies fear and loathing of homosexuals and of women who would assert their power, and it has a checkered history in dealing with soldiers of color who see the military as an option for a better life.

From this first perspective, the military culture of masculinity poisons the rest of the culture. Our male heroes are often military men; witness the massive support for Colin Powell when he considered a presidential bid. The next highest category of male heroes are action/adventure movie stars, men playing roles of cool risk-taking and effortless destruction. In this culture of masculinity, being a man is defined as having power over others, especially over women. And the military power structure becomes the ultimate symbol of a powerful nation that can have its way with other nations.

As appealing and straightforward as this “toxic masculinity” perspective is for understanding what ails the military and the male gender, focusing only on the dark side of masculinity leads to polarization within individual men's consciousness and within the culture at large. It represents a deficit model of masculinity that leads to defensiveness among most men and self-loathing among a few. (A male classmate of my daughter's summed up a discussion of masculinity with the phrase: “Men are scum.”)

From the second perspective, soldiering, like other aspects of masculine culture, is informed by a positive ideal, albeit one that is easily distorted. In the case of the military, the core ideal is that of protecting one's family and community, even at the risk of losing one's life. Additional ideals revolve around honor, duty, and loyalty. Indeed, military service has helped many young men learn to be responsible in their behavior. Not many of us would dispute the importance of military service

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