Growing Up Male
As males, we tend to create idols of who we strive to be - and by doing this, we imitate their words and actions. From the cradle to the grave, we have these ideas of what we need to look and act like to be "perfect." The only problem with this is that individuals don't get to decide what's perfect and what has room for improvement: it's all manufactured by corporations like Fisher Price, Nickelodeon, MTV, and Hollywood.
Childhood
As a toddler, my favorite toys to play with were Fisher Price's Rescue Heroes action figures. The idea of the toys was a good influence on children (mostly boys) by encouraging them to save the day, make a difference, or do something exciting with their lives. The action figures included a policeman, a firefighter, a mountain climber, a construction worker, and (my personal favorite) a scuba diver. Many of the toys came with tools - like a fire hose, jackhammer, climbing rope, or even a motorcycle. All of the toys (except the women, of course) were very muscular and visually flawless. In the accompanying TV show, the only character that ever made a mistake on the job was the young climber.
Looking back, I have three problems with Rescue Heroes. First of all, there are so many professions that are necessary for society that are not portrayed by the heroic dolls; everyday heroes like teachers, garbage men, and grocery store cashiers are left out. And while these jobs are not as glamorous as saving people from fires or riding on dolphins, they are still very, very necessary and important. Second, the "macho man" image that's so common for everyone that's completed puberty seems to be slowly creeping down to the pre-teen and even toddler market. The buff men can cause social and psychological problems for children that are striving too hard to imitate them - because honestly, does anybody know a seven year old who would be considered muscular? Additionally, the fact that the younger Rescue Hero is the only one to ever make a mistake gives kids the idea that adults are superior and should never be questioned, when in reality everyone knows that adults - who've been tainted by society's negative attitude - definitely do make mistakes. And finally, the tools that come with the Rescue Heroes can be used violently. The jackhammer toy is deadly (at least to the plastic dolls) and the axe that comes with the fireman is cruel and gruesome. A lot of parents make a big deal about violent video games, but chances are their child's violence began earlier - with improperly used toys.
Adolescence
As boys age past the "playing with action figures" stage, a large quantity of children begin watching television more and more. One of the major television networks for children and pre-teens is Nickelodeon, and one of Nickelodeon's most-watched shows while I was in my adolescent years was Drake and Josh. This show was named after its two main characters who were (fictionally) step-brothers, Drake Bell and Josh Peck. Most of the show's episodes over its four seasons focused on how the two clashed: Drake was a stereotypical "cool kid" who played in a band, didn't do well in school, and always had a girl to date (but not technically a "girlfriend"). Josh, on the other hand, worked hard in school and had an afterschool job at the local movie theater. The way the writers set the show up encouraged viewers to be more like Drake and less like Josh - because Josh was quirky, and who wants to be quirky?
The problem with Drake and Josh is that it promotes slacking off in school and puts the idea in kids' heads that with relatively little work, they can be in a band that's successful all over the country. In real life, there are already too many untalented bands in every single high school in America - and that will get you nowhere. The schoolwork will get you to a good college, and the good college will get you a good job. Being in a crappy band will get your hopes and dreams crushed. Sorry kids.
Teenage Years
As pre-teens become teens and even into their twenties, Rescue Heroes and Nickelodeon become uncool - which is, of course, decided by society - and the boy/young man is forced to find new entertainment. In late 2009, many teens found this entertainment in MTV's Jersey Shore. As big a hit as it was, Jersey Shore was destined to become one of the most talked-about shows in history - making it almost necessary for every high school and college student to watch. The show put eight immature twenty-something year old Italian-Americans in a house on the notoriously rowdy Jersey Shore and taped their stories for entertainment. Basically, each episode consisted of fighting, tanning, and hair gel - and America loved it. The men of the house were all in great shape ("jacked and tan," as they called it) and the women all dressed in clothes that brought attention to themselves, if nothing else.
The culture that's promoted on Jersey Shore is absolutely horrible. It encourage teenage girls to dress and act like skanks, and it encourages teenage boys to become muscular (by any means necessary) and treat everyone else as inferior. Although I enjoy watching Jersey Shore - and am excited for season two to air - it's obvious that if everyone acted like a cast member, the world would be an awful place to live.
Adulthood
Once people begin to mature from watching MTV, they turn to the juggernaut of the entertainment world: Hollywood. Hollywood was a major part of American society long before I was born, and I'm sure it will be just as influential throughout my life and even past that. The movie industry provides role models for boys and men, and puts ideas in the heads of viewers of what the "perfect" man looks and acts like. What makes Hollywood a better role model that any of the above-mentioned examples.
Movie heroes like Russell Crowe's General Maximus (Gladiator) and Mark Wahlberg's Bob Lee Swagger (Shooter) fight for what they believe in and don't back down to anybody - not even their respective governments. It teaches people to stand up to someone who's mistreating them. Maximus is thrown from his perch atop the mighty Roman Army by the newly crowned Emperor and sold into the slave trade. He ends up becoming a legendary gladiator and is able to get revenge in the final scene of the movie by killing the man who ruined his life. Although the fight scenes in Gladiator are very gruesome, the message presented by the movie encourages viewers to be more noble and respectable in their everyday lives. Swagger is also betrayed by his government, and barely escapes execution. After his escape, the movie consists of Wahlberg getting back at the people who tried to kill him. In case you couldn't guess, he does get back at them, using a lot of bullets and one incredible explosion.
Because after all, every American man loves explosions, right?
As males, we tend to create idols of who we strive to be - and by doing this, we imitate their words and actions. From the cradle to the grave, we have these ideas of what we need to look and act like to be "perfect." The only problem with this is that individuals don't get to decide what's perfect and what has room for improvement: it's all manufactured by corporations like Fisher Price, Nickelodeon, MTV, and Hollywood.
Childhood
As a toddler, my favorite toys to play with were Fisher Price's Rescue Heroes action figures. The idea of the toys was a good influence on children (mostly boys) by encouraging them to save the day, make a difference, or do something exciting with their lives. The action figures included a policeman, a firefighter, a mountain climber, a construction worker, and (my personal favorite) a scuba diver. Many of the toys came with tools - like a fire hose, jackhammer, climbing rope, or even a motorcycle. All of the toys (except the women, of course) were very muscular and visually flawless. In the accompanying TV show, the only character that ever made a mistake on the job was the young climber.
Looking back, I have three problems with Rescue Heroes. First of all, there are so many professions that are necessary for society that are not portrayed by the heroic dolls; everyday heroes like teachers, garbage men, and grocery store cashiers are left out. And while these jobs are not as glamorous as saving people from fires or riding on dolphins, they are still very, very necessary and important. Second, the "macho man" image that's so common for everyone that's completed puberty seems to be slowly creeping down to the pre-teen and even toddler market. The buff men can cause social and psychological problems for children that are striving too hard to imitate them - because honestly, does anybody know a seven year old who would be considered muscular? Additionally, the fact that the younger Rescue Hero is the only one to ever make a mistake gives kids the idea that adults are superior and should never be questioned, when in reality everyone knows that adults - who've been tainted by society's negative attitude - definitely do make mistakes. And finally, the tools that come with the Rescue Heroes can be used violently. The jackhammer toy is deadly (at least to the plastic dolls) and the axe that comes with the fireman is cruel and gruesome. A lot of parents make a big deal about violent video games, but chances are their child's violence began earlier - with improperly used toys.
Adolescence
As boys age past the "playing with action figures" stage, a large quantity of children begin watching television more and more. One of the major television networks for children and pre-teens is Nickelodeon, and one of Nickelodeon's most-watched shows while I was in my adolescent years was Drake and Josh. This show was named after its two main characters who were (fictionally) step-brothers, Drake Bell and Josh Peck. Most of the show's episodes over its four seasons focused on how the two clashed: Drake was a stereotypical "cool kid" who played in a band, didn't do well in school, and always had a girl to date (but not technically a "girlfriend"). Josh, on the other hand, worked hard in school and had an afterschool job at the local movie theater. The way the writers set the show up encouraged viewers to be more like Drake and less like Josh - because Josh was quirky, and who wants to be quirky?
The problem with Drake and Josh is that it promotes slacking off in school and puts the idea in kids' heads that with relatively little work, they can be in a band that's successful all over the country. In real life, there are already too many untalented bands in every single high school in America - and that will get you nowhere. The schoolwork will get you to a good college, and the good college will get you a good job. Being in a crappy band will get your hopes and dreams crushed. Sorry kids.
Teenage Years
As pre-teens become teens and even into their twenties, Rescue Heroes and Nickelodeon become uncool - which is, of course, decided by society - and the boy/young man is forced to find new entertainment. In late 2009, many teens found this entertainment in MTV's Jersey Shore. As big a hit as it was, Jersey Shore was destined to become one of the most talked-about shows in history - making it almost necessary for every high school and college student to watch. The show put eight immature twenty-something year old Italian-Americans in a house on the notoriously rowdy Jersey Shore and taped their stories for entertainment. Basically, each episode consisted of fighting, tanning, and hair gel - and America loved it. The men of the house were all in great shape ("jacked and tan," as they called it) and the women all dressed in clothes that brought attention to themselves, if nothing else.
The culture that's promoted on Jersey Shore is absolutely horrible. It encourage teenage girls to dress and act like skanks, and it encourages teenage boys to become muscular (by any means necessary) and treat everyone else as inferior. Although I enjoy watching Jersey Shore - and am excited for season two to air - it's obvious that if everyone acted like a cast member, the world would be an awful place to live.
Adulthood
Once people begin to mature from watching MTV, they turn to the juggernaut of the entertainment world: Hollywood. Hollywood was a major part of American society long before I was born, and I'm sure it will be just as influential throughout my life and even past that. The movie industry provides role models for boys and men, and puts ideas in the heads of viewers of what the "perfect" man looks and acts like. What makes Hollywood a better role model that any of the above-mentioned examples.
Movie heroes like Russell Crowe's General Maximus (Gladiator) and Mark Wahlberg's Bob Lee Swagger (Shooter) fight for what they believe in and don't back down to anybody - not even their respective governments. It teaches people to stand up to someone who's mistreating them. Maximus is thrown from his perch atop the mighty Roman Army by the newly crowned Emperor and sold into the slave trade. He ends up becoming a legendary gladiator and is able to get revenge in the final scene of the movie by killing the man who ruined his life. Although the fight scenes in Gladiator are very gruesome, the message presented by the movie encourages viewers to be more noble and respectable in their everyday lives. Swagger is also betrayed by his government, and barely escapes execution. After his escape, the movie consists of Wahlberg getting back at the people who tried to kill him. In case you couldn't guess, he does get back at them, using a lot of bullets and one incredible explosion.
Because after all, every American man loves explosions, right?