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| 2008/02/01 12:30:54瀏覽887｜回應0｜推薦6 | |
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這是10年級的大兒子英文課的作業. 頗有文化評論的風格. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Modern stereotypes have a firm grounding in the media, whose images reach and influence millions. Unfortunately, the power of the media is not matched by its integrity, and thus several misconceptions are adopted as truths. The media exemplifies unemotional men as mentally strong and masculine, obligating normal men to unnaturally contain their feelings. Men are expected to always be emotionally calm and detached from others. Strong men in the media are constantly composed, even when extreme circumstances should provoke an emotionally charged response. For instance, in one episode of 24, a TV series about how the CTU (Counter-Terrorism Unit) combats terrorism, Jack Bauer, the main character, is faced with a dilemma. Saunders, a terrorist mastermind, threatens to release a deadly virus into the public unless Ryan Chappelle, the only CTU agent able to track him, is killed. Faced with no other alternative, Jack is forced to take Chappelle out and kill him, leaving the body for Saunders. After taking Chappelle out to remote railroad tracks to comply with the terrorist's demands, Jack places a hand briefly on Ryan's shoulder then orders him on his knees. When Ryan desperately asks Jack if there is no other way, Jack replies with a small sigh, "None that I can see," and loads his gun up. In this scene, Jack's emotions are completely underwhelming with respect to the extreme situation: even though he is forced to kill one of his coworkers to comply with terrorist demands, a normally heartbreaking situation, Jack moves forward briskly, taking out his gun without much hesitation. Even as he states his regrets, Jack's hand is firm and his voice has no sign of quavering. After firing the last shot, Jack looks at the fallen body, is silent for a little bit, then gets ready to resume business. His face is like that of a stone, as if the horrible situation makes little impact on his psyche. In contrast, Ryan is shown to be fairly emotional, a very understandable reaction when he knows his life will soon expire in a tragic manner. Several times the screen focuses in on his face, where a single tear on the side of his right face is visible. At one point, Ryan makes the last request of having the dignity of ending his own life. When Ryan moves his gun up to his temple, preparing to press the trigger, his hand and arm start shaking violently and his face is red around his closed eyes, demonstrating the torrent of emotions flooding through his body. However, he is unable to perform the action and hands the gun back to Jack. In the scene, Ryan Chappelle behaves in a very human manner, slightly angry at the situation, scared, and even displaying a tear. Although Ryan's willingness in the end to die for a better cause should make him the hero of the episode, his inability to kill himself is focused on, and his emotions of fear and sadness portray him as a weakling. Jack, who compared to Ryan is not sacrificing much at all, is cool and composed, portraying him as a mentally strong man, solemnly carrying out his duties (Episode 6:00-7:00 a.m. 24). A similar message is found in House M.D., a TV series focusing on Dr. House and his assistants' attempts to diagnose various strange diseases. In one episode, the female patient is pregnant and has Maternal Mirror Syndrome, a condition where the fetus development goes wrong and slowly kills the mother as it dies itself. As the situation worsens, House decides that the only option is for the mother to get an abortion. When House arrives to see Emma, the patient, he bluntly says without hesitation, "We can't leave it inside you, we have to terminate." Even when dealing with such an emotionally charged situation, Doctor House explains the horrible circumstances with a very regular and steady voice, showing no signs of sadness. His countenance is the same as always, his beard shaved in an even manner, his hair reasonably neat, and his gesticulation normal. All this goes to show how little the terrible situation of his patient affects him emotionally. House then goes on to explain how "Either [the baby] dies, or you both die." Emma, however, refuses to listen to House's logic, steadfastly standing "I'm not having an abortion." As Emma says this line, her eyes are all red, her head is shaking, and her voice heavily quivers, demonstrating how she is overwhelmed by her feelings. House responds by rolling his eyes, then leaving the room shortly after. Although it is completely understandable that Emma is emotional, this trait shown in a negative light. Emma's emotions are the primary culprits preventing her from seeing House's good logic. As House rolls his eyes in disbelief, the audience essentially does so as well. On the other hand, Doctor House is shown as the rational one because of his lack of interfering emotions, being able to present a perfectly logical argument based on the information he has. House's unemotional behavior reflects his strongly rational mind. Furthermore, House is the man while Emma is the woman; the gender roles demonstrate how being unemotional is a masculine trait ("Fetal Position" , House). Because men are never completely immune to emotion, the media's stereotype of real men being unemotional leads to harmful behavior. According to a report by BBC News, "Too many boys 'bottle up' their feelings" because "Stereotypes of male behavior still exist and prevent boys from seeking the help that they deserve." Even when boys or men are able to look past the idealized image of calm men, by the time they do so it is often too late and the emotional damage has been done. In addition, masculinity is linked to emotional remoteness and self-reliance. Men who do not need to talk to others about their feelings are valued in the media. A good illustration of this can be found in a recent United States Army recruitment ad titled "Army Strong." In the commercial, there are many displays of "manliness," such as guys showing their physical prowess by climbing across metal bars and running through forests and obstacle courses. At one point, the screen turns black with the words, "It's an emotional strength," and then switches to a scene of a man comforting a woman. Although the man is embracing the woman, the female is the one being more emotional, with her head shaking and her arms wrapped strongly over his neck, while the man is merely soothing her, his hand gently on her back. The idea that it is feminine, or unmanly, to rely on others emotionally is projected. This message is further emphasized the immediately following picture, where a male soldier is escorting kids through a desert. The three children hold hands, symbolizing their reliance on each other, while the soldier stands apart, alone and powerful. The three children wear ragged clothes and have dirty faces and worn shoes, while the soldier standing alone is equipped with full military gear, prepared for anything. By being emotionally isolated, the soldier distinguishes himself from a child and asserts his manhood. The barren environment, with a desert ground devoid of vegetation and the hot sun scorching and drying up travelers, also subtly emphasizes the masculinity of remoteness. Even in the midst of near lifelessness and difficult conditions, the man standing alone is shown to be strong enough to bear it all (United States Army). This theme is also found in the song "Me Against the World" by Simple Plan. Right off the bat, the song points out other people as attackers "taking our dreams...[loving] to watch me fall." The negative portrayal of others as those who seek to deny him his goals projects the idea that one can only rely on himself. A similar message is also apparent: men who are weak enough to look to others only get manipulated, their "dreams," or goals and desires, never attained. The converse which follows is that men who stand alone are stronger, as they are not dragged downn by others. In response to the idea that others supposedly want to hurt him, the artist says that “I'll make it on my own…/We won't let them change/How we feel in our hearts/We're not gonna let them control us." The fact that the artist is determined to "make it on [his] own," combined with the fast, electrical guitar in the background symbolizing his determination, gives off the impression that being emotional isolated reflects a powerful mind. The idea is that by being emotionally self-reliant and not letting "Them change/How we feel in our hearts," one has enough strength to not have his feelings pushed around. Because those who are emotionally self-reliant are not "gonna let them control us," it also follows that those who are emotionally reliant on others are seen as weak enough to be controlled, or manipulated ("Me Against the World," Simple Plan). The stereotype of strong men being emotionally detached is by no means new, as it has been prevalent in Marlboro Country ads for several decades. For example, in a Marlboro Country advertisement recently placed in some Britain bars, a man is riding a horse through a river. The rider is the only human in the picture, emphasizing the masculinity of isolation. The blurred trees and flowing pure water in the background further stress his isolation in the depths of nature, far away from civilization. The picture of several horses dashing through the water, with water splashing up around everywhere, projects an image of chaos, chaos which the man is able to rise above with his own might. The man sits on the horse confidently and easily, giving an aura of mental determination and strength. The juxtaposition of a man with a dominant mental aura with a remote setting sends the message that aloneness is masculine ("Marlboro Country"). The glaring problem with this type of masculinity is that humans are by nature social creatures, and that confiding in others is a beneficial thing. By labeling emotional interaction as unmanly, a very positive action becomes one associated with shame. It is therefore no surprise that older men, who have idealized figures like the Marlboro man for decades, "experience higher rates of completed suicide than any other age and gender group” (Male Stereotypes Hinder Depression Care). Male stereotypes, which show emotional isolation as masculine, prevent men overcome by strong feelings of depression from actively seeking help. The media provides a definition of masculinity: Strength of the mind shown through imperviousness to emotional forces. Among those exposed to mainstream television shows, songs, and advertisements, the fallacy that men need to be emotionally numb and aloof is propagated. Consequently, men who are affected by serious events and circumstances are unable to correctly deal with their feelings. The media's stereotype of mentally strong men needing to be unemotional should be disregarded as it is both deceptive and destructive. |
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