Magdalena Bogacka
English 101
28/11/2010
Masculinity comes in many forms; From the retrosexual male which is the strong, self supporting man from the past, to the metrosexual male, one who can show their emotions and dress fashionably. For most men in this day and age, both of these masculinities are seen as normal and masculine. But for a political leader, which masculinity is seen as more efficient for a leader to possess, a man that is controlling, ruthless and aggressive or a man who sees does not require things to be his way, a man who reasons things out and uses his head rather then his fist. Of course, a political leader needs compromise, intelligence and a passion for their work, but those are just a few of the many masculine traits expected from a leader.
Gentlemens Quarterly in the past year has published numerous articles related to the masculinity showed off by political leaders old and new, giving harsh criticism and respects where needed. To begin with, for a men’s magazine to even publish these stories, it’s apparent that common men are interested in such articles. These men can be seen as role models to common men, and by determining their masculinity and success, one can tell whether or not that masculinity is compatible with their job. The political leaders masculinity is one thing which determines their decision making, which affects the people in return depending on their decisions.
Men whos masculinity is being a minimalist, dominant as well as ignorant, now these are not the qualities you expect from even a common man, but all these qualities are what made up Donald Rumsfeld, Bushes secretary of defense. He was a man who followed the old tradition of a man, one who wants to be in control of everything, the leader of the pack; One who would not listen to the opinion of others as well as being prepared before making a decision. He was a political leader who faced extreme criticism. People were calling for his head and wanted him fired, in his term, Rumsfeld was faced with declining public support for the war, and mostly because his decisions were done without preparation, without a plan. (CNN News) Rumsfeld’s masculinity isn’t one that adapts well with the political world, people do not want an ignorant leader.
A man who has an a less traditional masculinity on the other hand, someone who is able to think before they make decisions, listen to other peoples ideas and work together with others is seen as someone who is more able to make decisions for people, someone people actually want to lead for them. Now while this man is not in the position of Rumsfeld, Dr Zekebig is a man who is senior counselor to the recent health care bill. Apart from being there cause of his intelligence, Dr Zekebig is an open-minded man, whos sole goal is to make a health care bill accessible to most people. A man whos passion is not for himself, a man who cares for the people he is leading, that’s the kind of masculinity people look for in a leader.
Unlike a common man whos masculinity is not judged only once, but constantly throughout their lifetime, political leaders only get their first impression. The previous president, George Bush was an ignorant man who answered every question given to him without thought. Yet, he did have the masculinity to reform, though, unlike a normal man, a leader is not given that second chance. A leader needs the correct masculinity from the start, because they cannot right the wrong they might cause during that reforming period. While the masculinity to be able to reform and adapt is good in a leader, there is a limit to how much reforming and adapting a person can do within a certain amount of time. You only make a first impression once.
Masculinity is something every man creates for themselves from the time there a child, though through the influence of the media, family and friends, it changes. President Obama’s masculinity is one of intelligence,quick thinking, and focus. He’s also able to perceive everything with the writers eye, basically, comprehend everything with a literature view. Also to note, Obama’s public approval rating has gone up recently, remaining at a much higher percentage then president Bushes at this time of his presidency. (NYC Daily News) The proper masculinity of a leader should be a masculinity which is able to look into the future, work for that future, be optimistic and happy, and above all, not remain ignorant. Because in this day and age, especially for a political leader, intelligence is power.
The masculinity required for a leader to have, is less forgiving then that required of a common man, the leader has to be vigilant, intelligent, aware, cooperative, optimistic yet realistic. In our past, we have had leaders be likewise, but also had leaders who were the opposites. To be a leader, you do not need to have all these, but to be a successful leader, one that other men can look up too and be proud, one that can lead it’s people to prosper, that leader, has to contain all the masculinities a real man should have.
Draper, Robert "And He Shall Be Judged. (Donald Rumsfield)". GQ (May 2009) October 15 2010. General Onefile. Web
Draper, Robert "Barack Obama's work in the progress". GQ (Nov 2009) October 15 2010. General Onefile. Web
Mark, Kirby "And Now A Word From The White House's Other Emanuel". GQ (June 2009) October 15 2010. General Onefile. Web
Draper, Robert "The Prez and I (George W. Bush)". GQ (Jan 2009) October 15 2010. General Onefile. Web
Corky, Siemaszko "President Obama's approval rating climbs to 47% despite midterm massacre of Democrats" NY Daily News (Nov 9 2010) November 28 2010. Web
Frank Sesno "Rumsfeld: Criticism 'goes with territory' " CNN (Sept 29 2006) November 28 2010. Web
No comments:
Post a Comment