A Solution or a Hypocrisy? (Reflection on Waller Newell's Lecture)

Waller Newell delivered a speech on masculinity at Hamilton College on October 31. Vewell suggested that there is a resurgence of manly behaviors in our current subculture: Hollywood movies and rock music, but we should improve masculinity by using our intellectual potential and make it compatible to the modern world. I my view, Newell's thesis is a hypocrisy leading to inequality between males and females.

Newell suggested that men become civic when conducting manly behaviors, but he did not mention the power struggle between men and women and his suggestion would make this power struggle more severe. For centuries, our society has been dominated by males. Even though feminists have been working to achieve the equality between men and women, they are marginalized. Men have always been depicted as aggressive and bold. This has been men's prvilege. Newell thought men should become more civic, but he made his argument based on an assumption, an assumption that men are dominating the society and it is justifiable. If all men follow his suggestion, they will be more flexible, gentle, but keep their pride and the fundamental trait of being aggressive. They will appear to be flawless, so that more women would be disguised by their appearance and become submissive to them. This is very dangerous for women because men only will change the way they present themselves but they do not reevaluate their roles in a men-women society. They will not let go their power, instead, they will empower themselves more by perfecting themselves with modern social codes. This will provide them with more privileges and enable them to gain more power.

In my point, Newell's argument provided a strategy for men instead of providing a progressive idea that may improve our society. Therefore, I think it is a hypocrisy that men should improve masculinity by developing reasons.