Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
Since I read so many books about gender that focus on women, it was time to read a book on men and masculinity. Fans of Jackson Katz will enjoy this book. Thoroughly tackled the topic of entitlement and emphasized that though most men do not partake in or condone the darker sides of 'guyland' (hazing, sexual assault)they cannot be silent bystanders. The chapter on sports culture was interesting and the bit about sports talk radio explored a sub-world of 'guyland' I've read little else about. Guyland takes as its subject the extended adolescence of middle-class young men, who instead of assuming the rights and responsibilities of manhood right out of high school or in college, are instead deferring it until their late twenties. In this expansion of boyhood, they spend their time loafing around in college or in dead-end jobs, when they aren't drinking themselves into stupors, "hooking up" with girls, and staying up all night playing video games. This youth culture is somehow rooted in the Guy Code, which emphasizes being tough (drinking until you puke is so manly), repressing emotions, and using women. Kimmell is sharply critical, but he doesn't quite demonize his subjects, who act like badly behaved chimpanzees, raping and pillaging: they're just as miserable as their victims. There's a lot to consider here, but in the end I'm impressed by one central weakness and one really engaging idea. The weakness is that he tries to address the culture of American young men in general based on the lifestyle of the guys he interviews here, who are all white and come from relatively privileged backgrounds. Of course they're depraved, selfish, and obsessed with entitled; they've nothing to work forward to. But a recurring theme caught my eye, that of homosociality. Every aspect of the youth culture examined here eventually circled back to how guys relate to other guys, even dating women. I'm interested in this from an anthropological perspective: how deeply rooted is that behavior?
What do You think about Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men (2008)?
I found this book profoundly depressing.
—Anime0331
