Only after delving more deeply into the studies on masculinities did I come to understand that studying this topic is studying power. In the society that we have built over millennia, one is absolutely connected to the other. It may seem obvious, I know. In my defense I can say that knowledge is made up of layers of understanding and, as we uncover the subject, some concepts arrange themselves as catalysts that articulate the entire network of knowledge and practices around them. Power, almost as a synonym for masculine identity, is one of them.
+ Irresponsible men and machismo
If you accept my proposal, our interpretation of the current movements to reverse diversity and equity programs so hastily and forcefully (perhaps gleefully?) touted by the current US government, as well as the current series, Adolescence, by writers Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, can lead us to a less peripheral – although fundamental – discussion, bringing our relationship with power into focus.
I propose to begin our reflection on power by bringing this concept into our lives. As long as we seek a sense of fulfillment and recognition of being someone through differentiation focused on the ambition of being (at) the top of a hierarchy, we will be supporting the existence of supremacy, which, in turn, implies the subordination of others in order to exist. Subordination, we must remember, means pain, means abuse, means exploitation. How to be someone in a hierarchical system that does not subordinate? How to be someone with prominence and relevance – that is not the issue – without having to belittle others?
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Excelente artigo, traz uma visão clara e consistente dos dias atuais, parabéns