Tough Guise

The documentary Tough Guise portrays the plight of men’s struggle to live up to societies expectations of a real man.  From birth boys are given “real man” things, from a Patriots mini football jersey, a ninja turtle doll, superman pj’s, which then leads a Star Wars laser gun. I could really relate to the scene of tough guys guns growing, from Bogart’s pistol to Schwarzenegger’s weapons of mass distruction. As the films leading men grew, so did the expectations of men to live up to them.

As a child I lived in this culture. Joining baseball, soccer and football.  These sports teach violence through the guise of winning. I grew up watching violent tv shows and movies that showed me what it was like to be a man. Today’s youth faces the same struggles. The entertainment world is creating a greater expectation for males with each block buster tough guy movie. Children see the movies, buy the video games, posters, action figures, and strive to live up to the image of toughness.

The documentary explains how boys from the hood, are only living out the expectations of their surroundings shown through the media. Which in turn led to m white males mimicking them.  When you talk tough, wear the right clothes, carry and knife or gun, you become a man. You are powerful. 

Another key point brought out is the fact that the movies, talk shows, and commercials give men the view that it’s okay to hurt women as long as they're staying true to their tough guy image. They are below them, and in turn the numbers of rape continue to rise.

Disturbing thing flashed on the screen as I was watching the Tough Guise documentary; a advertisement for a new EA sports video game called Losing Everything. It's actually a boxing video game where you play someone in jail and have to fight your way out of it. The trailer made me sick that this is what they are advertising to our youth. Fight, be in jail, that is cool. We wonder why theres so much violence and abuse in our society.