Hegemonic Masculinity in the age of DJT...Understanding via Goffman (Stigma, 1963)
This one’s for the boys...the Southern men. We know you. We love you. But lordamercy get it together.
Goffman's 1963 Stigma description of masculinity, concept of Hegemonic Masculinity (Connell's term, not Goffman's).
As Goffman states, “…in an important sense there is only one complete unblushing male in America: a young, married, white, urban, northern, heterosexual Protestant father of college education, fully employed, of good complexion, weight, and height, and a recent record in sports...” (Goffman 1963: 128). Goffman points out that there is only one type of male recognized as "unblushing" or not shameful in America.
Honestly...this is toxic masculinity. When we realize how narrowly defined a “real man” is we are leaving out a whole lot of other men who do not measure up...and that is a bad thing!
So first, let me point out that Goffman says you must be young, so not old. As in old men are not “real men”...they have lost their manliness. And can we guess what the showing of “manliness” is? An erection...thus enter Viagra, Cialis. So if you can’t have sex, then you are not young, you are old...and have lost your manliness. I think we may be on to something with DJT, in why older white men are supporting him...he has sex, he gets (in the words of my ex-) “the hot young babes,” and who cares if he is paying for it, he is still a MAN!
The next point is that you must be married. So who can marry? Well up until recently ONLY heterosexual men...so anyone married had to be het correct? hmmm...well, this left out another whole group of men, and not just gay men, but single men. Maybe they never married for reasons that are not actually available to us and frankly aren’t our business. Maybe they didn’t marry because they were turned down, didn’t find the one they truly loved, or were horrible at maintaining a relationship with others. For whatever reason, they are single...so again...Not a real man! However, DJT has been married, three times...to hot young babes! He gets a pass right?
URBAN...not rural...but urban. So he has to live where? Not out in the country but in an urban setting. subURBAN is okay too as it has URBAN in it. In other words country boys can survive but they are not real men in the Goffmanian description. So why would country boys vote for DJT? Me thinks that this also has something to do with it...
NORTHERN...not Southern, not Western, but NORTHERN...you know, a Yankee right? And of course, in the light of how Jeff Sessions (a southerner) has recently been treated, why on earth would southern men continue to support DJT and not Sessions? Well...perhaps this is part of the description that Goffman acknowledges, that our southern men feel a little unworthy of being real men against northern men. Makes sense right? I mean the North did win...the Civil War...oops, the War of Northern Aggression..over 150 years ago...but the Southern men are still fighting it. So to align with Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, lll might leave them feeling less than manly, so let’s go with the big guy.
Heterosexual...yeah. We have heard a great deal about DJT’s sexual escapades but nothing about him not being a het...although the day ain’t over yet.
Protestant father of college education...this is a biggie! So only Protestant (not Catholic, not Jewish, not Latter Day Saints, JW, or COGIC) only Protestant. And a father, so DJT has five kids...five (three different moms, but man he is prolific right? So real man here.) and he is college educated. Don’t forget that he went to the “best schools” an ivy league school, a private ivy league school (translation from my world...his dad paid buttloads of money to get him into the private school and kept giving them money so that he would eventually graduate).
Let’s break this down... Southern men LOVE college football..it is just a thing here. And they sorta like church. They can occasionally go, sit in the pew, and just listen. If they were Catholic, they would have to stand, kneel, etc...so Protestantism is pretty safe if you just need somewhere to say you attend (you know, like DJT...Presbyterian, never attends...prefers to golf on Sundays). But college educated or at the very least college associated is of high importance. So pick a college football team and wear their jersey. It makes you feel like a man, a real man. No one actually cares whether you attended there or graduated or not but you can mask it by buying home game tickets or going to the games, or watching them on television, and hopefully sending your kids there one day...you know, like church. Same thing. Association.
Fully employed is very important...no part-timers allowed. Now, you can be retired but only if you retired with a large pension (yeah right...in the South, the non-union South) or if you retired from the military (and thank you for your service to our country). But even then...you should be doing something...but it has to be “real” employment, not that fake stuff. It has to be a job going in at 8 and leaving at 5. And again, I think this is another reason why DJT is popular...he has money and he still goes to work...as the President...(okay, I am going to be quiet on this one).
Of good complexion, weight, and height...hmmm....Orange is the new good complexion color and well, his doctor had to lie for his weight and height. But let’s face it...he isn’t Obama and doesn’t have Obama’s "complexion” so we are all good here right? I think this section is just self explanatory...no further comments are needed.
AND a recent record in sports...like golf...a club championship...at his own gold club.... yeah...that works too.
So men...which area did you qualify in?
I left our the rest of the quote above, so here is the remainder of Goffman’s statement:
Every American male tends to look out upon the world from this perspective, this constituting one sense in which one speak of a common value system in America. Any male who fails to quality in any of these ways is likely to view himself - during moments at least - as unworthy, incomplete, and inferior; at times, he is likely to pass and at times he is likely to find himself being apologetic or aggressive concerning known-about aspects of himself he knows are probably seen as undesirable.
Goffman does say that you only have to qualify in one. Or is it that DJT meets (somewhat loosely) all of the qualifications and that is why you feel the need to support him?
Even while he is calling out and berating your favorite son_JB?
#SouthernMen #GoffmanianMasculinity #Isupportspeakingwithmarblesinmymouth
