Masculinity, War & SUVs

Here is a study that speaks volumes about aggression and the perception of masculinity.

"A Cornell University study has demonstrated that men who feel their masculinity threatened overcompensate by adopting hypermasculine stances such as homophobia, support for the Iraq war, and a desire to buy a SUV:

Willer administered a gender identity survey to a sample of male and female Cornell undergraduates in the fall of 2004. Participants were randomly assigned to receive feedback that their responses indicated either a masculine or a feminine identity. While women's responses were unchanged regardless of the feedback they received, men's reactions "were strongly affected by this feedback," Willer said.

He questioned subjects about their political attitudes, including how they felt about a same-sex marriage ban and their support for President Bush's handling of the Iraq War. "I created composites from subjects' answers to these and other questions," he said. "I also gave subjects a car-buying vignette, presented as part of a study of purchasing a new car."

With this in mind, perhaps SUV manufacturers will start running ads, with no brand names on them, impugning their audience's masculinity. I can see them now: "Hey you," a crew-cut, neckless drill-sergeant type shouts from the TV, "you call yourself a man? You ain't a man, you're a big girl's blouse!" Two ads later, a spot for the Hummer or the latest ultra-macho urban assault vehicle appears. Within the next week, sales go through the roof as office drones compensate for their perceived emasculation.

Meanwhile the researchers in question next intend to measure respondents' testosterone levels and also test their attitudes to violence against women."

A more detailed report here.

I have often heard media commentators assert that voters perceive the Democratic Party as the "touchy feely Mommy party" whereas the Republicans come across as the more muscular "Daddy" party.  Really?  Does Daddy hide in the closet while Mommy goes to fend off a dangerous intruder in the house, with a baseball bat in her hand?  I recently received an e- mail from a Democrat friend. The e-mail contains the service records of some Democrats and Republicans. It was sent out by  Illinois State Sen. Howard W. Carroll for circulation. If you examine this list even cursorily, the Cornell study appears valid and rather illuminating. 

Some Democrats Who Served:

Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71. * David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72. Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.  * Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an  army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade.  * Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.  * Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII.  * John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, Purple Hearts.  * Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.  * Max Cleland: Captain, army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star,Vietnam Paraplegic from war injuries.  * Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53.  * Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74. * Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.  * Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons. * Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and Legion of Merit. * Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.  * Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze  Star with Combat V.  * Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star.  * Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57  * Chuck Robb: Vietnam  * George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII.  * Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy.  * Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953  * John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and AirMedal with 18 Clusters. * John Murtha (35 years in the Marines and Marine Reserves, Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts - Vietnam).

Republicans who did not serve at all or avoided combat:

Dick Cheney:  (Several deferments, the last by marriage). * Dennis Hastert: * Tom De Lay: * Roy Blunt:  * Bill Frist: * Mitch McConnell:  * Rick Santorum:  * Trent Lott:  * John Ashcroft: (Seven deferments to teach business).  * Jeb Bush: * Karl Rove: * Saxby Chambliss: (Bad knee. This is the man who attacked Max Cleland's patriotism). * Paul Wolfowitz: * Vin Weber:  * Richard Perle:  * Douglas Feith:  * Eliot Abrams: * Richard Shelby: * Jon! Kyl:  * Tim Hutchison: * Christopher Cox: * Newt Gingrich:  * Don Rumsfeld: (served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor. No combat experience)  * Ronald Reagan:(due to poor eyesight, served in a non- combat role making movies).  * B-1 Bob Dornan: (Intentionally enlisted after fighting was over in Korea). * Phil Gramm:  * Dana Rohrabacher:  * John M McHugh: * JC Watts:  * Jack Kemp: (Knee problem,  although he continued in the NFL for 8 years as quarterback) * Dan Quayle: (Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard). * Rudy Giuliani:  * George Pataki:  * Spencer Abraham:  * John Engler: * Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer. * Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base. And.... * George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard duty; got assigned to Alabama so he could campaign for family friend running for U.S. Senate; failed to show up for required medical exam, disappeared from duty.

Right Wing Pundits, Preachers & Icons who DID NOT serve:

* Sean Hannity:  * Rush Limbaugh: (did not serve (4-F with a pilonidal cyst.) * Bill O'Reilly:  * Michael Savage:  * George Will:  * Chris Matthews:  * Paul Gigot:  * Bill Bennett:  * Pat Buchanan:  * John Wayne:  * Bill Kristol:  * Kenneth Starr:  * Antonin Scalia:  * Clarence Thomas:  * Ralph Reed: * Michael Medved:  * Ted Nugent: (He only shoots at things that don't shoot back.)

Comments

[jean]

Not quite on topic, but I thought you might find
this amusing.

(at http://harpers.org/BlueBallsForTheRedStates.html, since the in-text hyperlink appears not to be working)

[Ruchira Paul]

Wow - that was revealing! Thanks for the link - it worked by typing in the URL in the address.

[Jim French]

I actually saw an ad on TV, just like you described, yesterday afternoon for a giant GMC SUV. Former Raiders D-lineman Howie Long, Y-chromosome diplomat extraordinaire and star of such guy-themed films as "Firestorm," is seen pulling up next to a giant, black SUV, in his own identical, but gray, model. While admiring it, he notices that the owner of the black SUV is kneeling in front of a pet-store window, cooing in a girly way at a toy-breed. Howie asks him if this is his truck, gives the obligatory specs (engine size, towing capacity, all the man-stuff), all the while implying that this guy shouldn't be doing what he's doing. Then the guy moves over to look at a large Rotweiller; the dog barks loudly and deeply, and the guy goes, "good boy," in a manly voice. Howie is then seen saying, "Good man," and pulling away.

I have to admit, I puffed out my chest and did some heavy bicep curls - I was at the gym - after the ad was over.

[mark]

The truth is of course that that's exactly what daddy does in most cases. Weaseling out of things is what separates men from women.