Tough Guise 2

Documentary Worksheet 1: Tough Guise 2
Watch this film: https://dom.kanopy.com/video/tough-guise-2 Links to an external site.
Pick any of the 10 questions and answer those fully:
Tough Guise
What, or whose, interests are served - or have been served - by the increasing size and heightening violence associated with the male body? What, or whose,
interests have not been served?
Why do some people consider it "male-bashing" to point out that males commit the vast majority of violence? Discuss the term "male-bashing." It is a violent
term that is, nonetheless, often used to describe women and men who are speaking out against violence. Why? What effect does this defensiveness have on
our willingness to be honest about the disproportionate amount of violence perpetrated by males?
Many cultural commentators have noted that media representations of men of color (e.g. news accounts, roles in film, pornography, sports) have
disproportionately stereotyped them to be aggressive and violent. How are media depictions of men of color different from depictions of white men? What
effect do these portrayals have on the gender identity formation of boys and men of color? How do these portrayals shape beliefs and influence the way the
white people behave toward men of color?
Discuss a personal experience - involving you or someone you’ve known - in which there was pressure to conform to a rigid gender stereotype. Look critically
at this experience. Whose interests were served, who benefited and who was harmed, what were long-term consequences. What are some strategies for
dealing with such pressure?
Why is it important to identify the gender of the perpetrators of violence? How would gendering the discussion help contribute to reducing violence?
Name political issues that you feel have been framed in the media as more "masculine" concerns; then do the same with issues you feel are treated as more
"feminine.” Why is this so? How might politicians play to the fears and anxieties of men; what kinds of politicians are more likely to do this? Is one ideology, or
party, more likely to do so? Is one more "masculine" than another?
In what environments, do you feel a "hyper-masculine" pose - one based on control, power and the threat of violence - might be valued or protective? Are
there such situations? Can this be changed?
What sort of power might the limited, racist, portrayal of men of color in the media exercise over white boys? And why do you feel white boys from the
suburbs often seem to be so taken in by these images?
Why do you think there have been few incidents involving girls who took up arms against their classmates? If a girl, or group of girls, were the perpetrators in
a school shooting, do you feel media coverage would emphasize the fact that they were girls? Why do the media tend not to focus on the gender issue when
boys, or men, are the perpetrators?
The teenaged perpetrator of the Pearl, Mississippi shooting, Luke Woodham, stated that "I killed because people like me are mistreated every day. Murder is
not weak and slow-witted. Murder is gutsy and daring." Discuss this statement and what it might reveal about his state of mind. Also, what does it mean that
the majority of school shooting perpetrators claimed to have been bullied in school?