fairy boys

The first chapter of Gauntlett’s “Media, Gender and Identity” discusses the roles of men and women in our society. At this point, men and women have equal rights but this means that individual roles are undefined. Men used to fill the role of the provider and head of the family, and they were encouraged to be reserved and keep emotions hidden. Women were recognized as housewives and mothers, and they were expected to submit to men. These roles have changed throughout most of the society, but even now women do not have the same work opportunities as some men. Men need to find a new role if women do not entirely depend on them, so they are often encouraged to have a closer relationship with their families.
In chapter two, Gauntlett criticizes media effects studies, saying that the study tries to force a connection between violent media and violent behavior when there may not be one. He also says that the media effects studies can focus more on the media text than on the particular individual. The studies may also take a scene of violence out of context and judge it without finding meaning in why it was in the movie and a part of the plot.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kh5LAJs3I8
This episode of Everybody Loves Raymond addressed the gender roles of boys. Boys don’t know how to be fairies. Girls were probably their competition when they tried out for the play and didn’t make the cut. Ray tries to teach the boys how to be graceful because they only know how to act like screaming monsters or airplanes. As pointed out in the chapters, boys are often taught how to be “masculine” early, and young girls would be taught how to be graceful and lady-like. I can see each theory, chromosomes or instruction influencing behavior of the genders, being logical because in addition to being raised a certain way, boys may naturally be more aggressive than girls. The best part of this scene is the end when Frank walks in because he expresses what the audience may have been thinking: “Holy crap.” The assumption is that fathers don’t raise their sons to prance around wearing fairy wings. They might turn out, you know, different from other guys. In this case, Frank believes that if you teach them one way, that is how they will be. Ray seems less worried about threatening the masculinity of his sons. Maybe it’s a better idea to be laid back because shoving the whole “gender identity” thing down the kids’ throats (like, not letting a boy touch a doll) might infringe on the fun years of being a kid.