The scene I chose to analyze from Good Will Hunting was the scene in the bar when Will and his friends went to Harvard. There, as his friend is flirting with a few girls, a guy named Clark comes into focus. This really brings out the stereotypical view that society really labels men and women with. Guys within movies are always portrayed as intelligent and always right while the women are typically viewed as less intelligent, slutty, and needy at times. Some movies portray women as strong and independent but even then they are treated badly, called a “cold-hearted bitch” and get ridiculed while its socially acceptable for a male to be bossy and strong-willed.
Within his scene Wills friend and Clark seem to have a battle of not only wits but masculinity. For Clark, his views of masculinity are being intelligent, ripping people off and making others feel inferior. With Tannen’s article about gender stereotypes, this scene really caught my eye. With the men battling in a game of wits, having Clark humiliate Wills friend to prove his masculinity, its something you tend to see a lot, and not just in movies. I noticed this mainly within middle school, because everyone typically wanted to be better than others. The guys would mess around in class, speak out, and wouldn’t really get in a lot of trouble cause it was “Boys will be boys.” If a girl did that, we would get in trouble, told girls don’t act out like that and get the 3rd degree for being “tomboyish”. In middle school, it was all about being smart, and even in high school I noticed this. The guys would really try to stand out in class, answering all of the questions and always trying to prove that they themselves were correct. Men and women also have a different type of language. Women are typically more soft spoken, using fewer words to convey their thoughts. They can kind of like, go into great detail with little spoken. Guys can do the same but their tone with their words is a lot more different. They tend to have louder, harsher more demanding and attention grabbing than girls do.
Clark really try’s to bring everything he’s been able to memorize not learn into his argument and tearing of Wills friends ego. Clark tried to act smart, memorize things that he could use to make himself seem smarter than others. He did not learn to better himself; he learned to be able to make others inferior. I don’t feel like all guys are like that but I also feel that society really pushes them to be intelligent, to act out, be loud and boisterous. While women, like in the scene, were told to really be quiet, tentative and listening. We are taught to speak when spoken to, and only really speak out if absolutely necessary. Boys and girls are told to grow up very differently, and throughout their life, society constantly tells them how to act, how to look and what they should do with their life.
Enough is enough. Should society truly continue with the “stereotypes” and “examples” of how men and women truly should act?
To answer your question, no society should not continue with the stereotypes between men and women. Some claims that Tannen made about women can be true for men. Women do get treated wrongly for their behavior because women can be seen as independent individuals. Their assertiveness may come off as intimidating to men, which causes women to wear the label "cold-hearted b!tch". But when a guy acts similar to a female, its okay. Society perceives women and men so wrong. Your article is great and hits key points of gender stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteYou present intriguing analysis of the competitive nature of the scene in which Will asserts his masculinity through verbal expression. In my opinion this is the very ritual that Tannen identified as shaping male speech patterns. If classes are indeed set up to honor debate or public critiques, it seems that men would be at an advantage. IN this case class plays an important role as Will has to overcome his own limited expectations concerning his economic and cultural identity.
ReplyDeleteAgreeing with your statement, "In middle school, it was all about being smart, and even in high school I noticed this.," it was clear to see that everything was a competition in high school and middle school. Every guy wanted to show that they are the best, physically and mentally. Men and women shouldn't be told how to act. Just like there is no right way in writing, eating certain food, or even how to walk, there shouldn't be a specific way a person has to act depending on their gender.
ReplyDeleteHeather your post really relates to everyday life in society. Men and Women are expected to live up to these executions of certain stereotypes in life. This could be through their own family upbringing or through social media and entertainment. I know for myself personally that I grew up in a survival of the fittest situation, which meant that you had to fight for what and who you were or you would get stepped on.
ReplyDeleteHeather i think that you are right about the different ways boys and girls are raised. I grew up being led to think that girls were supposed to be quiet and listeners as well when really it is the exact opposite. I think that these days girls are a lot more vocal about their opinions and beliefs than guys are.
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