With America in an Economic Crisis, will Interpersonal Violence Increase?
With the economic crisis at the foot of American society, we have found that it has taken a serious toll on the way people live and function in current society today. Reading about domestic abuse in the American society also brought to mind the movie “Tough Guise”, where Katz analyzed the world of masculinity and what makes a man masculine in American culture. When it comes to poverty in America, there is an obvious connection between living below the poverty line and having an abusive home. The question though is why? The first thought that came to my mind was the value of control in American culture. We live in a society where independence is extremely valued, which is a great gift to many, but at the same time independence can bring on a mind set of needing to be in control of one’s life, one’s own identity and place in society. When one looses that independence, especially when it comes to supporting one’s own family financially, one must depend on others to support their own independence, which means a loss of control of what their life is worth financially. How does one gain control back? As a result of having a violent culture, in terms of proving masculinity and independence, one can regain control if they control someone else’s life, whether that would be physically or mentally. Becoming dependent on others in America is something of humiliation and shame in many families, but why such a negative stigma? The American family is valued for being extremely close and being able to lean on each other in times of struggle, but as Chasin mentions in chapter 11, usually one partner does have the “control” in the household, when it becomes unhealthy. So as the economy sinks in America, where the idea of power and masculinity is fed and bought into everyday, and those that feel that their masculinity is tied into their income and they lose what is their title of “brining home the bacon”, that can mean losing control over one’s life, which ultimately can lead to controlling someone else’s life through violence, because that is the only way one can find control and stability in their life. How can we as a society improve this cultural attitude of independence and control being ever connected, and expressed much of the time as a masculine act, which goes back to Katz’s idea of the “box” so many men are trapped in as a result of American societal values.
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I disagree that American families are "valued for being extremely close and being able to lean on each other in times of struggle". I think in comparison to most other cultures we are actually quite separated a lot of the time, which probably has to do with the American ideal of independence. If we were more like Mexican culture or many Asian cultures and had close connections to our extended family and better respected our elders we might not feel so lost in financial times of need. I agree that Americans tend to take shame in getting help from others and that is a problematic mindset in desperate times. People need to stop being so "proud" that they cant accept or seek out help that they need. If its so frustrating to be in such financial strain people shouldn't take it out on each other violently they should try and look for help and help each other out when they see others need it.
ReplyDeleteI read an article for another class about a group of Filipino women at the turn of the century. They didn't understand why the American family is so distant to one another compared to the Filipino family culture. They didn't understand why kids move out of their house at 18 and go on to pay their own rent and live their own lives. In other cultures, it's very common for multiple generations to be living together in the same household. Do these cultures have less domestic violence than America? I think you touched upon something very interesting in that as a society, we value independence and the ability to 'make it on our own.' When people, men especially, feel like they do not have control over their own lives, lashing out in violence is not a terribly uncommon way of dealing with their frustration. Why is it that men usually are the violent ones? I think you were right in citing the video "Tough Guise" in this case. In our culture, men are supposed to be the protectors, the strong and rational ones. When they feel that they aren't living up to this ideal, many don't know how else to vent their aggravation.
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