Norah Vincent writes in the LA Times: “Western masculinity is in remarkably good shape at present.” And “… the same insecure and thwarted masculinity that compels so many Muslim extremists to oppress women also may be what compels them to commit acts of terror.”
Jacquelyn Mitchard writes in last week’s column: “Mike Tyson lives in our universe, where an athlete, especially one with moneymaking gifts, cannot do enough wrong to another man, much less a woman, to get the door shut on his hand forever. It happens again and again, in other sports, in which athletes do things with impunity that would ruin the lives of ordinary humans. Maybe we deserve Mike Tyson. We made him.”
I’m not so sure that cultural masculinity in the US is all that different than cultural masculinity in the Middle East. Both cultures’ masculinity produces heroism in times of war, yet it could be argued that the same masculinity contributes to producing the wars in the first place. One culture produces a scene where male rescuers did not go in to rescue unveiled girls who were caught in a fire at their school. Another produces police departments with “rogue” cops, warring street gangs, and the spectacle of Mike Tyson. (How’s this for irony: The state of Nevada refused to issue him a boxing license — one commentator likened this to Jeffrey Dalmer complaining about one’s table manners — but our nation’s capital was not at all reluctant.)
I’m not saying that Western society overall is no better than that in the Middle East. Democracy and capitalism, despite their flaws, make a difference. But I don’t see any reason to laud our masculinity over theirs. We both have a ways to go.