After you have read the Kivel essay, "The Act Like a Man Box,"write apost in which you do the following:
- offer an example from your own life (or someone you know) that illustrates Kivel's main idea.
- As you write, make sure you explain why you see it as an example of the "man box."
Then,respond to at least two of your classmate's posts, commenting on the experience they relayed:
- You might share a similar experience, connect their story to another reading from class, ask them a question about it, etc.
One Classmate's Response:My guy friend always does not want to talk about hisfeelings. He just pushes them down and ignores them. When I can clearly see that something is botheringhim just by looking at his face. He recently broke up with someone and for the longest time he did not want to talk about why they broke up. But I could tell by not opening up about it and holding on to it hurt him more. So, when he finally talked about it with me I could feel like a burden had been lifted off his chest. It felt as though he was placed in a man box. Only having to act and feel a certain way or he would be called names. Men are told to suppressemotion and not talk about them. That was exactly what my friend was doing, acting all tough because that was the manly thing to do. Even though deep down he was hurting and he needed to talk about it to let it go.
Another Classmate's response:
As I was reading Kivel's The Act Like a Man Box, the article simplified and outlined the standards men are expected to follow from a gender standpoint. The box is symbolism for the limitations men are placed in dictated from social culture. Feelings such as worthless and vulnerability masked through men being expected not to back down, take charge, and be "tough."
In my daily life, there are so many examples of men being "boxed in." Most recently, while watching the memorial service of Kobe Bryant, I saw Michael Jordan crying while making fun of a viral meme, "Crying Jordan." Usually, I wouldn't think twice about Michael Jordan crying, but as I direct result of taking this course, I looked at Michael's eulogy for Kobe in a different light.
I thought about the "Crying Jordan" meme, and how it was used to mock and make fun of Jordan when he was expressing genuine feelings of sadness and hurt. While it was in a jokingly manner, the meme (both current and old) was used to mock and make fun of Michael Jordan's expression of emotion. Despite the use of the meme being used in a jocular way, I thought it was great seeing Michael Jordan cry in general. I heard a male co-worker of mine discussing the eulogy saying when he heard Kobe Bryant died; he cried by himself. This passing hurt a lot of men to the point of visible emotion, many of whom expressed it in silence.
I hope other men saw Michael Jordan cry again and felt that it is ok to feel emotions. It's normal for people to cry and express their sadness, and it shouldn't be separated by gender.