Friday, March 11, 2011

Blog Post # 1 -- Are men born are made?

I'm going to cop out. My way of attenuating the nebulous conondrums of the quasi-feminist question stated above. A feeble argument. Provincial. Lazy. Shallow. Ok: What constitutes a man depends on a variety of factors. Culture, religios, class, race, language, etc. If you live in San Franscico, for example, the article would be read with fervid vehemence, where they--you already know-- would hash out the nuances of Sterling's argument. The fault of Sterling's argument, however, is that it can be--although erudite and accurate in many respects-- applied to skewer both sides. She negates herself. One of her points is to critisize the egotistical bravado of a man governed instutition (Hospital decisions) but she fails, like most critics, to provide a proper solution. Her conclusion feels unemphatic, as if her findings were supposed to justify her argument. She ends it open ended, essentially, whereas it would have been prudent to offer something.

2 comments:

  1. Your response to an article/criticism which attempts to question or encourage people to question the norm is valid: if the critic claims there seems to be a problem with how scientists and the medical profession define sex norms, then the critic should offer a solution. But as Fasuto-Sterling only encourages her readers to think more about what they passively accept as right, "normal" and "true", you find her criticism unsatisfactory. This is worth considering in regards to what cognitive psychologists categorize as masculine and feminine modes of thinking. Also, think about what you identify as sources which shape the definition of man. Do these sources define man or his masculinity?

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  2. Masculnity is normaly definied by a person and the way he comport himself in the society. Apart from his physical appearance he has to be manly in the sight people around him.

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