Heteronormativity, and it’s oppressive tenants of violence and strict masculinity, are used by Fletcher, Shaffer premier Jazz Ensemble instructor to train Andrew, the gentle and kind spirited drummer, what it means to be a perfect musician and a perfect man. THroughout the movie, we see how Fletcher uses homophobic slurs and homoerotic comments, and verbally and physically violent ploys and tactics to oppress Andrew, where it ultimately transforms Andrew into the image of what Fletcher wanted him to be: violent, aggressive and considered only with being a great drummer, values and beliefs Fletcher holds on what make a man. This attitude is constructed by Fletcher in the disciplinary society of his classroom, and goes unchallenged until, Andrew
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In all respects, Andrew personality disregards the four basic rules of manhood described by psychologist Robert Brannon as,
(1) "No Sissy Stuff"—one can never do anything that even remotely hints of femininity; masculinity is the relentless repudiation of the feminine.
(2)"Be a Big Wheel"—Wealth, power, status are markers of masculinity. We measure masculinity by the size of one's paycheck. In the words of that felicitous Reagan-era phrase, "He who has the most toys when he dies, wins."
(3)"Be a Sturdy Oak"—what makes a man a man is that he is reliable in a crisis, and what makes a man reliable in a crisis is that he resembles an inanimate object. Rocks, pillars, trees are curious masculine icons.
(4) "Give em Hell!"—exude an aura of daring and aggression. Live life on the edge. Take risks (Kimmel “What About the …show more content…
His gentle and shy spirit is illustrated on his first day in Fletcher’s jazz rehearsal. During this scene, we see several aspects to the question of the tension created between the concepts of normativity and performativity, how Fletcher embodies normative values, and Andrew’s struggle to overcome the oppression of normativity, freeing himself through the adoption of performativity. In this scene, we are exposed to Fletcher’s embodiment of Brannon’s Rules of Manhood, and are forced to see how he uses this normative notion to train his male-only jazz ensemble to be succinctly perfect musicians, by attacking their learned behaviors of manhood. Fletcher employs his normative beliefs through oppressive means: acting verbally and physically violent towards his students and by also using homophobic slurs and homoerotriccomments to embarrass and taunt his students. This is all a ploy used by Fletcher to attach the manhood’s established by his male students, inciting and goading them on to try to perfect both their musical skills and their definitions of masculinity. This is especially the case for Andrew, as we can also see that his ensemble already show signs of practicing their learned flawed definitions of masculinity applied by
In all respects, Andrew personality disregards the four basic rules of manhood described by psychologist Robert Brannon as,
(1) "No Sissy Stuff"—one can never do anything that even remotely hints of femininity; masculinity is the relentless repudiation of the feminine.
(2)"Be a Big Wheel"—Wealth, power, status are markers of masculinity. We measure masculinity by the size of one's paycheck. In the words of that felicitous Reagan-era phrase, "He who has the most toys when he dies, wins."
(3)"Be a Sturdy Oak"—what makes a man a man is that he is reliable in a crisis, and what makes a man reliable in a crisis is that he resembles an inanimate object. Rocks, pillars, trees are curious masculine icons.
(4) "Give em Hell!"—exude an aura of daring and aggression. Live life on the edge. Take risks (Kimmel “What About the …show more content…
His gentle and shy spirit is illustrated on his first day in Fletcher’s jazz rehearsal. During this scene, we see several aspects to the question of the tension created between the concepts of normativity and performativity, how Fletcher embodies normative values, and Andrew’s struggle to overcome the oppression of normativity, freeing himself through the adoption of performativity. In this scene, we are exposed to Fletcher’s embodiment of Brannon’s Rules of Manhood, and are forced to see how he uses this normative notion to train his male-only jazz ensemble to be succinctly perfect musicians, by attacking their learned behaviors of manhood. Fletcher employs his normative beliefs through oppressive means: acting verbally and physically violent towards his students and by also using homophobic slurs and homoerotriccomments to embarrass and taunt his students. This is all a ploy used by Fletcher to attach the manhood’s established by his male students, inciting and goading them on to try to perfect both their musical skills and their definitions of masculinity. This is especially the case for Andrew, as we can also see that his ensemble already show signs of practicing their learned flawed definitions of masculinity applied by