American athletics play a huge roll in how men are viewed as masculine. One would not see a man who is a pediatrician the same as one who is a star football player. A football player is viewed as masculine because of the competitiveness and the aggression that is involved. A man is to be quick, strong, and aggressive in football as a pediatrician is to be nurturing, educated, and passive thus giving two very different views of a man and how masculine he is. Gender is what traits the person carries. If a male is very masculine he is said to have the gender of a man but if he holds feminine traits his gender is that of a women. Athletics are competitive and essentially they do show who is at the top and the strongest of them all.
I agree with your analogy. The way you compare a pediatrician to a football player,nice twist. Braun versus brain,makes you think about the question. What is masculinity?
ReplyDeleteI don't agree that a pediatrician is passive. That is a career that takes tremendous focus and drive. In order to actually make it through a medical education, a man has to be absolutey committed and assertive.
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