On adolescent rage & the adult masculine ideal
Perhaps I have been particularly fascinated by Kevin Jennings’ contention that, as a boy, he learned about the American ideal of masculinity from his adolescent older brother because I chanced upon it (if chance it was) the same week I’ve been studying the adolescent rage of various mythological heroes as part of my dissertation research. Each of those heroes—and not just the Greeks—must learn to tame his rage, to control his passions, before accomplishing the truly great deeds of his life.
Indeed, Herakles had to complete his celebrated twelve labors, in large part, because of his murderous rage. The murder was not seen as the apotheosis of his heroism, but as a hindrance to it. He needed purify himself of his wicked deeds.
It is striking that Jennings would suggest an adolescent boy could pass on the cultural ideal of masculinity. In fact, adolescent boys are those most in need of an education in mature masculinity. Anyone who has studied myth or rudimentary male adolescent psychology understands the seemingly untamable energy of boys on the cusp of adulthood.
And it is the taming of the energy which signals their our advancement into adulthood.
American males are not brought up to kill our fellows in order to prove our masculinity, but to stand up for ourselves in the face of obloquy and adversity, replying to our attackers in just measure and to our misfortunes with calm forbearance.
Had we greater access to myth, we might better be able to articulate this masculine ideal.
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Dan,
I particularly like your comment “Had we great access to myth, we might better be able to articulate this masculine ideal.”
And it’s not just the masculine ideal we can understand and appreciate from the myths, but also the nature of love, and humility and sacrifice, and many other elements of the condition of man. Our contemporary common culture has become skeptical of anything that can’t be explained by the scientific method, so myths are considered frivolous and too often pushed to the side. But the great myths contain truths, mystical, and metaphysical truths, that are not “in” the words but “behind” the words. It’s a great loss when we can’t conceive of truth that way.
Comment by mcswan — October 14, 2009 @ 8:38 pm - October 14, 2009
In this post and in previous ones, you seem to be pretending that American males are brought up in the traditions espoused in the Greek classics, and yet you offer no evidence whatsoever that this is actually the case. You criticize Jennings for asserting the obvious – that older boys play a significant role in acculturating younger boys. Maybe you wish this didn’t happen, maybe you wish that the classics were taught to young children, not just as literature, but as moral lessons, but your wishes dont make the world any different than it is.
If and when you ever study wider, you will realize that the taming of the adolescent and young-adult male is not only a major issue in the Greek classics, it is probably the fundamental project of all civilizations. Disciplining and focusing the energy of the young men in a society to expend their energies for the positive benefit of the society is what separates civilized societies from the Hobbesian worlds. This has resonance in all political questions, including the ones we deal with today.
There is a reality out there that all of us know, and I strongly suspect that you do to. It may not resonate with your ideals of how the world should be, but it is true nonetheless, and Jennings describes it well.
Comment by Tano — October 14, 2009 @ 9:02 pm - October 14, 2009
My favorite homoerotic movie is My Bodyguard. I think this shows how the strong demonstrate their strength by knowing when to fight and when not to. And the real strength comes from the kind of friendship where men can help each other face the truth about themselves.
Oh, Adam Baldwin, the life we could have had!
Comment by Ashpenaz — October 14, 2009 @ 9:23 pm - October 14, 2009
You criticize Jennings for asserting the obvious – that older boys play a significant role in acculturating younger boys.
No; Jennings is being criticized for asserting what is pure fantasy.
We need to own up to the fact that our culture teaches boys that being “a man” is the most important thing in life, even if you have to kill someone to prove it.
Again, Tano, you attempt to defend Barack Obama’s support of Truthers like Van Jones and anti-heterosexual bigots like Jennings by whitewashing their statements. While that sort of lie may do wonders for your need to rationalize everything your Barack Obama does as correct, those of us dwelling in the real world of facts are not blinded by such racist beliefs as you hold.
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — October 14, 2009 @ 9:25 pm - October 14, 2009
Gee, did Jennings have a dad?? Older adolescent brothers can be quite a problem, that’s where dad comes in to teach the kids that what one feels as an adolescent must be controlled.
Using Greek myths helps, but just being there as a responsible man who protects and supports his family should be enough for a young boy to realize that the adolescent years are simply one stage of the journey, not the end.
But if one is angry and hateful because one’s parent is religious, then of course one’s mind will be closed to any such messages and adolescence is the perfect place to stay for the rest of ones life.
Comment by Leah — October 14, 2009 @ 9:53 pm - October 14, 2009
‘Gee, did Jennings have a dad??”
His father died when he was 8. He grew up in a trailer park in N. Carolina, surrounded by family members who were Klan members. I don’t think many folks there were conversant with the Greek classics, and they all had rather unambiguous opinions of gays.
Comment by Tano — October 14, 2009 @ 10:13 pm - October 14, 2009
Why on earth is learning masculinity from an older brother “striking” in any sense? If that’s the available role model, then well, that’s the available role model. More importantly, the ideal of masculinity passed along was anemic.
Comment by DRH — October 14, 2009 @ 11:11 pm - October 14, 2009
Yes, Tano, I know that (as you put it), “the taming of the adolescent and young-adult male is not only a major issue in the Greek classics, it is probably the fundamental project of all civilizations.” If Jennings describes it so well, please show me the language. And explain to me why he then he doesn’t think it aberrant to kill in response to a taunt. That piece linked above clearly indicates that he believes our cultural ideal of masculinity means countenancing such violence.
Comment by B. Daniel Blatt — October 15, 2009 @ 1:43 am - October 15, 2009
Perhaps we should collect Tano’s vomitous to teach children what a colossal bigoted dick looks like.
Very instructive.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — October 15, 2009 @ 2:06 am - October 15, 2009
Dan, one of the interesting things that comes out of anthropology and sociology classes is learning that there are a lot of “masculinities” that get taught in a culture, by a lot of agents within that culture. Agents like fathers, brothers, teachers, coaches, and religious figures all convey messages about what it means to be a guy. Class and regional differences also impart such messages Even the era a person grows up shapes what message is passed about what it means to male. So yes, an older brother can teach a younger brother a view. There’s nothing surprising in that. If you want to argue should they that’s a different matter.
Well, he was arguing that when that obloquy is caused by being seen as a fag, violence is a result.
We do have a common view, a common stereotype, that a man is determined, resolute, strong, virile, and stoic (in the modern usage and not the Classical definition.) The antithesis of that view of masculinity — of being wavering, cowardly, weak, effeminate and emotional — is what gays are commonly considered as representing. Being called a fag, being regarded as a fag, being seen by your peers as fag, is being seen as “not a man.” Which is true. It’s a heavy and common insult.
He was writing that piece in reference to the wave of school shooting in the late 90s by straight male students who had their masculinity questioned. He was arguing that it wasn’t surprising how they responded. I think he’s wrong in there, as most males so insulted don’t resort to violence. For whatever reasons, they persevere. It’s the Carneals and Klebolds of the world who snap and kill believing that will “get their masculinity back.”
We have great access to myth — they unfold in our theaters and on our TVs, through our video game boxes, on our holidays and in our churches. We don’t talk about the Classical myths as much anymore, but we are just as steeped in the mythic as the Greeks were. It isn’t a question of having access to myth but rather in better understanding the myths we do have access to, the ideals those myths teach, and how to put those ideals into practice in everyday life.
We haven’t been Greeks for a long time, D.
Comment by Jody — October 15, 2009 @ 5:34 am - October 15, 2009
Dan’s biases are showing of course, but he’s right about people not knowing about what it means to be a man. More recent literature also has strong male characters who show those characterustics, John Carter, Doc Savage, Kane of Mars, Elik of Atlantis, Harry Thorne, Harry Dresden.
Movies, just about any John Wayne movie (especially The Quiet Man, not the Conqueror though), 300 [stop snickering] and from the east, Kirosawa films (many of which spawned westerns) show those heroic traits.
In Comics, both Steve Rogers and Bruce_Wayne, and Dick Grayson are Men, I suppose Superman also qualifies.
Comment by The_Livewire — October 15, 2009 @ 8:32 am - October 15, 2009
‘explain to me why he then he doesn’t think it aberrant to kill in response to a taunt.”
I don’t understand your argument here. Jennings seems obviously repulsed by this reaction. He is accurately describing the fact that this culture is a significant part of what American youth are exposed to and taught. He is not justifying it or advocating it -quite the contrary.
“That piece linked above clearly indicates that he believes our cultural ideal of masculinity means countenancing such violence.’
“Our cultural ideal”? Thats rather broad. He recounted the cultural ideals that he was exposed to, and that many others are. He certainly did not claim that they were the only things that are ever taught to kids. And he certainly has spent his life being opposed to such notions.
Are you being willfully dense on these matters?
Comment by Tano — October 15, 2009 @ 9:43 am - October 15, 2009
I’ll bite. So what?
Let’s see: trailer park, North Carolina, Klan, unambiguous opinions of gays……why didn’t they gut him and drag him around by chains behind their pick-em-ups as they drove from bar to Klan meeting to snake handling church meetings all the time cursing evolution and looking for a black man to stomp?
Looks like brother Jennings slipped through a lucky crack in the floor of Hell and crawled his way up to becoming a missionary for righteousness. He is lucky Bill Clinton didn’t run over him as he was dragging a ten dollar bill through the trailer park fishing for casual sex with a big haired trailer trash woman.
You liberals love the projects but hate the trailer parks. I guess the trailer parks have the people who need to be reeducated to get them up to statist standards.
Comment by heliotrope — October 15, 2009 @ 10:11 am - October 15, 2009
Heliotrope,
Of course they hate the trailer parks. Some of the greatest modern politicians on the right come from such humble beginings and excelled and thrived.
The fact that some of the greatest come from the humblest, is anethma to them.
Comment by The_Livewire — October 15, 2009 @ 10:40 am - October 15, 2009
heliotrope,
What on earth was that rant about? I just laid out a few facts about the man’s biography in response to a question about same. I didn’t make up the part about trailer parks because I have some deep seated antagonism to them – I mentioned it because it is simply a fact about his upbriniging. Same with the Klan. That is the environment he grew up in. And yes, he is a hero for having emerged from that and become the man he is.
If you could access whatever human decency you may have, instead of
just seeing the world as one big political point-scoring game, you would understand that.
Comment by Tano — October 15, 2009 @ 12:33 pm - October 15, 2009
Livewire,
I am beginning to think that Tano didn’t get a lot of gold stars on his wee-wee chart when he was in day care.
Comment by heliotrope — October 15, 2009 @ 12:34 pm - October 15, 2009
OK, Tano, I have read the gibberish in Mama’s Boy, Preacher’s Son and I find yet another self proclaimed “remarkable person of dynamic proportions” has written a biography at a young age after achieving little of note.
Obama style self invention is a debilitating disease. What a crowd of thumb suckers these thin skinned adonis types must be. Jenning’s daddy should have taken Johnny Cash’s advice and named little Kevin “Sue.”
Comment by heliotrope — October 15, 2009 @ 12:46 pm - October 15, 2009