Chae Awong-Cole
Shannon Ward
English 101
September 3rd
Hegemonic Masculinity and Black Gender Ideology “Black men cannot be real men because they are black” (Collins 231). This statement is a direct reflection of the essay Patricia Collins wrote. Her essay uses rugged diction to logically argue that race and masculinity play huge roles in today’s social hierarchy in today’s society. Looking at race, hegemonic masculinity, and gender, Collins vividly express her opinion on the way society looks at each category as a whole when determining the status and role of a person. The argument put forth by Collins is that white dominance is directly associated with hegemonic masculinity in today’s society. This is evident when Collins makes the statement: …show more content…
She later moves on to say that all other races are evaluated by how close they are to the social norms (Collins 224). Her argument here is that at the top of the hierarchy of hegemonic masculinity there is also subcategories that other races fulfil (Collins 224). Both of these arguments can be valid however contain fallacies. Being that now we have an African American president whose cabinet then contains white people, we see that African Americans and other races have overcome the stereotype of being less than white men. No longer can we say that African Americans or other races are lower than white counterparts (however stereotypes still exist), but we now are seen as equal more than ever before. Her argument does take a swing when she mentions that African Americans have used other non traditional ways to succeed. She mentions how they have excelled in the areas of sports and music to achieve a higher status in society (Collins 229). This statement I would consider to be factual being that many of the African Americans who have become successful are in the entertainment industry. While they excel in this aspect of the world, they then
Shannon Ward
English 101
September 3rd
Hegemonic Masculinity and Black Gender Ideology “Black men cannot be real men because they are black” (Collins 231). This statement is a direct reflection of the essay Patricia Collins wrote. Her essay uses rugged diction to logically argue that race and masculinity play huge roles in today’s social hierarchy in today’s society. Looking at race, hegemonic masculinity, and gender, Collins vividly express her opinion on the way society looks at each category as a whole when determining the status and role of a person. The argument put forth by Collins is that white dominance is directly associated with hegemonic masculinity in today’s society. This is evident when Collins makes the statement: …show more content…
She later moves on to say that all other races are evaluated by how close they are to the social norms (Collins 224). Her argument here is that at the top of the hierarchy of hegemonic masculinity there is also subcategories that other races fulfil (Collins 224). Both of these arguments can be valid however contain fallacies. Being that now we have an African American president whose cabinet then contains white people, we see that African Americans and other races have overcome the stereotype of being less than white men. No longer can we say that African Americans or other races are lower than white counterparts (however stereotypes still exist), but we now are seen as equal more than ever before. Her argument does take a swing when she mentions that African Americans have used other non traditional ways to succeed. She mentions how they have excelled in the areas of sports and music to achieve a higher status in society (Collins 229). This statement I would consider to be factual being that many of the African Americans who have become successful are in the entertainment industry. While they excel in this aspect of the world, they then