Tough guise 2 violence manhood & american culture

Viewing/ Discussion Questions*

Tough Guise 2

Select and answer at least two questions (a total of 6) from each section below. Please provide specific answers that directly reference the content of the film. Write in complete sentences.

Hiding in Plain Sight

1. What are some of the most common gender-neutral pronouns that get used to describe perpetrators of violence?

2. Why do you think people in news media so often use gender-neutral (not talking about the gender of the perpetrator) terms to talk about perpetrators?

3. When women or girls commit acts of violence, why does their gender usually become a prominent and explicit part of the story?

4. What is Katz’s concern about the common phrase “boys will be boys”?

5. Does Katz argue that biology plays no role in men’s violence? What, exactly, is his critique of those who reduce discussions about male violence to biology?

Taught Behavior

1. Why does Katz take issue with the mainstream discussion about “the culture of violence” that took place after the Sandy Hook school shooting?

2. What does Katz say went missing in the debate between the gun industry and the entertainment industry in the wake of Sandy Hook? Why does this matter in his view?

3. What does the culture teach young men and boys about what it means, and what it takes, to be a real man? And what does it teach them about what it means when you don’t live up to this ideal?

4. How does homophobia function in all of this? What about sexism? Do you see a common thread between how homophobia and sexism work to keep young men in line with cultural norms of manhood?

5. What does Katz mean by the term “tough guise”?

Beyond the Tough Guise

1. What are some examples Katz gives of men and boys being victims of violence?

2. If men and boys are so often the victims of male violence, why do you think so many people call it male bashing to call attention to men’s violence?

3. According to Katz, what role does trauma play in men’s violence?

4. Does Katz’s observation that men and boys are responsible for the vast majority of violence in America imply that most men and boys are violent? Why or why not? Explain.

5. What’s the difference between Katz saying that violence is about violent masculinity rather than about violent males? Explain.

6. What solutions does Katz pose for dealing with violent masculinity?

The majority of these questions are from

http://www.mediaed.org/discussion-guides/Tough-Guise-2-Discussion-Guide.pdf