Man or Not?

Being a good actor isn't easy. Being a man is even harder. I want to be both before I'm
done. This quote by James Dean shows how acting can change a person for the better. Playing a
variety of roles can help me or any individual realize how different people in different time
periods have been socialized to think about others and themselves. For instance, through learning
how people were socialized in the 1870s in France, I have discovered more about how different
we as a society think about money. The current show Im in, Les Miserables, has been and
continues to be eye opening for me regarding how easily we, as humans, can be swayed in our
thinking so quickly. In my opinion socialization is being cast as a certain role and having to play
it by the book, and breaking the cycle is choosing who your character is and choosing how to
play it. I have been both positively and negatively socialized by this casting as a male.
According to dictionary.com the definition of socialization, a continuing process
whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and
social skills appropriate to his or her social position. All that summed up is similar to saying
how the generalizations and stereotypes of race, class, religion, sexuality, gender, or
abled/disabled, can affected you. One way you are socialized is when you see a sign on a door
that says, Handicap Acceptable. This socializes you to think that youre above people who
are handicapped because they cant use everything not handicapped people can, instead they
even have to have special bathrooms. Another example of how this affects people is in the
What Would You Do episode Matt showed. In this episode there is a white male trying to steal
a bike. He uses hammers, bolt cutters, hand saws, and even an electric saw, still, most people just
pass by without even a second glance. Then when they perform the test with an AfricanAmerican male almost every single person who is walking stops and either threatens to or does
call the cops. This demonstrates socialization of race because people automatically associate the
white male with losing his key, or forgetting his combination, whereas they automatically
associate the African-American with stealing the bike. This isnt blaming anyone but it just does
show that the way you were raised does affect the views on people and issues. I have been
affected by seeing and listening to everything about these concepts, and you have been to.
Socialization affects everyone in many different ways, sometimes you are being
generalized by what people think you should do and should not do as a certain gender. Forms of
medias, including the two websites Star News online and Health Guidance recognize this
and the stereotypes that are put upon males in how they are supposed to act and what theyre
supposed to do. Star News Online says in their article, Teen Insight - Stereotypes of Male
Behavior Keep Teen Boys from Genuine Expression, Boys love sports first and ladies second,
think only about sex, cant stand shopping and are confident and strong. The only problem with
this quote is that not all boys are that way, in fact there are many boys who do not think that way.
These are just a few of the many stereotypes against men. With all the stereotypes flying around
humans need to consciously think about who theyre evaluating and why. Health Guidance
says, after providing a giant list of stereotypes against both men and women, Men and women
are individuals; they are more than just male or female. Our gender is only part of who we are; it
does not define us as people. This is something I strongly agree with because it is very true.
This world is full of many men and women and when we introduce these generalizations we are
only hurting ourselves.
Some of the ways that Ive been socialized as a boy is what I do and do not do. On the
online blog website Because Im a Girl Blog, there is a post called, What are the 5 Worst
Stereotypes About Boys and Men, where it talks about some of the generalizations that society

has put on males. Two of the five stereotypes were, 1. Real men dont cry, and, 4. Real men
dont do romance. These are fairly noticed and accepted by society, but are they really true for
all men? The answer is no. To me, part of being manly is being man enough to show yourself
crying, and accept that we have feelings too. Their second reason is something that really
frustrates me. People get these misconceptions from songs and movies and accept it but they are
very rarely true in reality. The stereotypes are that all men objectify women and dont actually
care. That is false too. Im not saying that that men who think like that dont exist, rather Im
saying that not all are like that. This has affected me because if I ever try to genuinely
compliment someone they will get my intentions confused. Im not that same female objectifying
person that is portrayed in common forms of media including music videos and songs, at least I
strive to not be. One of my reasons for this are that people are people and everyone should be
treated that way. I also think that being treated this way make some women feel like they have
only one purpose and that is to please men. There are also many more stereotypes about theatre,
which I really enjoy doing. One T.V. show that puts out a really negative connotation of theatre
for guys is Glee. Glee depicts theatre as an activity that misfits, losers, and gays do. One can
see that by looking at the people in the club. Characters such as Kurt or Curt are gay, then
there is Arty who is in a wheelchair, then there are characters like Puck who is an addict, and
many other people who completely contradict the status quo. In reality, there are those people
everywhere and its not bad that theyre that way; everyone is different. I have found theatre has
the closest, most tightly-knit group of friends that Ive ever had and I trust each and every one of
them with my life. I dont care if they contradict the social norms, I trust them as who they are. I
think a lot of men are discouraged by the stereotypes and therefore will not join. This is male
socialization at its worst.
Socialization isnt always bad though, sometimes it can be good. An example of why Ive
been positively socialized is doing theatre as a guy. For instance sometimes Ive been told, I
think its really neat that you do theatre, and Im glad you can feel comfortable being onstage
and being who you are. The socializations of these statements could be them basically saying,
You doing theatre as a guy is different, I like that, or,Im glad that you dont let
misconceptions of doing theatre as a guy get to you. Another way Ive been positively
socialized is with the friend groups I mentioned earlier, specifically the on in the Durango
Performing Arts Camp (DPAC). Everyone is so positive and open in the theatre and if youre
having a bad day, it really helps to know that there are at least thirty kids kids who you can talk
to. All of them will let you have complete confidentiality and theyll have your back. In the
words of my brother, Evatt Salinger, Im confident that I can turn to everyone in the DPAC
theatre community with any of the issues in my life. This is true. Anyone and everyone within
the family feels the same way. One of the times where we really develop these connections is
during the weeklong camp in Hesperus. You become family with people you just met. Theyre
accepting of all the crying and emotions and encourage you to let that out, because they
understand everyone has issues with their life and to be in an environment where its ok to let
that out can change and even save lives. I screwed your mom up the bum everynight with my
monster wisdng and you have such a big butt that you mom i got screwed
Why is socialization so easy? The answer is simple: It is all around us. Even when you
try to avoid it, it is there. By studying this I have discovered that it is possible to escape
socialization, but it is very difficult. Its that one line in the show that brings up so much emotion
for you, that sense of depression that the director makes during your scene. It still affects you. As
a male in acting there are two main types of roles we play: The lover or the villain. The lover is

open to showing a variety of emotions and is respectful to all, especially the girl. The villain
usually only shows anger, and although he is cunning, he is driven by anger. Be the lover in life.
Be the respectful man who will show emotion and you will start to break the cycle of
socialization. You will pick your own character.
A
Flawless or
near complete
execution of
the standard.
90-100
Introduction: Contains a hook that
connects well to your thesis. Your thesis is
clear, easy to understand, and answers the
question "How have you been socialized
according to one or more of your social
identites?"

Clear

Topic Sentences: Are simply, placed at

the start of the paragraph, and relate to
specific parts of your thesis.

Strong

Evidence: Acceptable evidence includes

the following:
--Quotes from personal interviews, articles,
commercials, books, youtube videos, or
class readings.
--Each body paragraph has at least two
pieces of evidence

Strong

Analysis: Your analysis comes after a

piece of evidence. It explains how the
evidence proves the idea of the topic
sentence. It is simply written and easy to
understand.

Strong

Conclusion: Your conclusion does not

contain any new evidence. Instead, it restates the thesis in different words, then
explains why the ideas you have explored
in your essay are important to yourself and
to the reader.

Strong

Craftsmanship:
--No spelling or grammatical errors
--800 words minimum
--Times New Roman font, size 12, singlespaced
--6-8 paragraphs

Strong

B
Above the standard
with minor room for
improvement.

C
Meets the standard
with room for ample
improvement.

80-90

70-79

Not Passing
Below the
standard.

Works Cited
"Teen Insight - Stereotypes of Male Behavior Keep Teen Boys from Genuine Expression."
StarNewsOnline.com. N.p., 2014. Web. 18 Sept. 2014.
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20091228/columnist/912289986
"List of Gender Stereotypes." List of Gender Stereotypes. N.p., 2014. Web. 18 Sept. 2014.
http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15910/1/List-of-Gender-Stereotypes.html
"What Are the 5 Worst Stereotypes About Boys and Men?" Because I Am a Girl Blog. N.p.,
2014. Web. 18 Sept. 2014.
http://blog.becauseiamagirl.ca/what-are-the-5-worst-stereotypes-about-boys-and-men/
"What Would You Do? Bike Theft (White Guy, Black Guy, Pretty Girl)."YouTube. YouTube, 27
May 2010. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge7i60GuNRg