Paul Theroux Masculinity

Race, class, and gender; these terms are used exhaustively in modern political discourse ad nauseum. Scholars and pundits across the political spectrum debate and ponder as to how they intersect and affect each other, oftentimes coming to wildly diverse conclusions. The bulk of these conclusions are certainly contentious as many are laced with dogmatic political rhetoric, so only those who are in search of confirmation of their viewpoints tend to listen. Each of these terms are invariably intertwined in American society, so whenever discussing one, the remaining two ought to be considered at least contextually. Paul Theroux fails to do this in his writings on Being a Man, where he examines the plight of men as generated by society’s perceptions and expectations of masculinity. He ignores the nuances that must be considered when …show more content…
All of them are white. I recognize that just because you read all white authors does not mean that you are white -- it just highlights how, culturally, you certainly are. Regardless, let us consider the perceptions of masculinity for a Chinese-American man. Chinese-Americans -- like wealthy Americans -- place emphasis on academics, though are oftentimes more rigorous and demanding. Perfection in examinations is paramount to all else, and as such, they are oftentimes excluded from sports. Consequently, he is on a similar course as the wealthy American and places his manhood in his ability to provide for a family with a job he acquired with his academic acumen. This differs from the wealthy American in that, as he is not in a position of privilege that wealth (and race, which is likely white) automatically denotes, he needs to work harder in order to achieve the same