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(01/20/19 8:21pm)
by Jeremy Rogers
The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte's editorial board.
Gillette’s “The Best a Man Can Be” ad critiqued toxic masculinity, and it has come under fire, especially in conservative circles. However, the ad’s biggest detractors are the very people who need to be paying attention to the ad’s message.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koPmuEyP3a0&t=1s[/embed]
The ad in question shows a range of behaviors that are typically associated with toxic masculinity. It then shows men intervening and confronting the men displaying toxic behavior. On Gillette’s website, they describe their mission in making the commercial: “… we have a responsibility to make sure we are promoting positive, attainable, inclusive and healthy versions of what it means to be a man.” In addition to showing reporters talking about the #MeToo movement, the crux of the commercial is a clip of actor, author, and survivor of sexual assault Terry Crews testifying before congress.
In the clip, he said, “Men need to hold other men accountable.” However, despite the uplifting message of the ad, there has been a very visible backlash seen across social media.
Aside from the casual misogyny, some people even decided to boycott the brand immediately.
For an idea of what problems people have with the commercial, let’s hear from David French, staff writer for the conservative website National Review. In an article for the National Review, he wrote that the ad was fundamentally in-offensive.
“The message was little more than ‘bad things are bad, and good things are good,’” French wrote. “No one decent is for bullying or sexual harassment…” While this is a good reason to not be offended by the ad, a bit of the point seems to have gone over French’s head here. On the whole, people are generally against sexual harassment. However, as can be seen in countless cases, many people in power are quick enough to condemn sexual harassment and assault but are much more reluctant to impose substantial consequences on the men doing the assault and harassment.
Judge Aaron Persky only sentenced Brock Turner to three months for raping a woman behind a dumpster. Judge Michael Corey of Anchorage Alaska accepted a plea deal that gave no jail time to a man who admitted to choking a woman to the point of unconsciousness for the purposes of getting sexual satisfaction from watching her face as she thought she was going to die. Four men in South Carolina received plea deals that offered them no jail time despite their rape of two girls aged 14 and 15. A San Diego man who admitted to having sex with a 12 year old girl will only face three years of probation and registration as a sex offender thanks to a plea deal. There are too many cases to list here, but hopefully this shows how leniency is given to men, often by other men in ways that many would deem unacceptable.
I’ll say it again: Virtually no one is in favor of sexual harassment or assault, but there are too many people who won’t condemn the men that do these things.
And that is at the core of the message delivered through the ad. We need to step back from our attachment to masculinity (the good and the bad of it) to recognize that there are times when we, as men, need to admit that we aren’t doing the best we can at making the world a better place for other people. Being an ally to women (or to any other marginalized group) means being able to own up to when you either directly or indirectly do something harmful.
Even some of the positive aspects of masculinity, such as detachment from emotions and a focus on self-reliance, can be harmful despite the traits perceived benefits. In the American Psychological Association’s “APA Guidelines for the Psychological Practice with Boys and Men” published in 2018, they laid out some of the complications that come with ignoring the downsides of masculine ideation.
“Psychologists also strive to reduce mental health stigma for men by acknowledging and challenging socialized messages related to men’s mental health stigma (e.g., male stoicism, self-reliance).”
In addition to giving advice to mental health professionals, the guidelines contain an abundance of research that outlines how the mental health of boys and men can be affected throughout their lives. Here are a few choice selections from the over 30 page long document.
“Gender Identity development begins before birth, shaped by the expectations that parents and other significant adults have for how a boy should be treated and how he should behave (basow, 2006).”
“Boys (and girls]… increasingly assign certain meanings to being male based on their gender socialization experiences (David et al., 2006).”
“Research demonstrates the more boys violate norms of masculinity, the more verbal and physical abuse they may face from their peers (Kosciw, Greytak, Giga, Villenas, & Danishewski, 2016).”
(01/17/19 6:39pm)
by Baylie Clevenger
The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of Byte or Byte's editorial board.
Cultural and political shifts in the last twenty years or so have created an entirely new social climate. From this shift has come different cultures and attitudes, especially online. In particular, what is often referred to as “cancel culture” has become a popular phenomenon among social media users.
So what is cancel culture? Cancel culture is the idea that if someone does something problematic they should be “canceled,” in other words they should lose support from fans, friends, etc. and they are dismissed and rejected.
For example, recently, comedian Kevin Hart came face-to-face with cancel culture when he stepped down from his position as the host of the Oscars after homophobic tweets from his past had surfaced.
(01/17/19 5:00am)
Kennedi Barnett is a sophomore journalism news major and writes "Kennedi’s Kaleidoscope" for The Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Kennedi at kpbarnett@bsu.edu.
(01/17/19 12:44am)
Garrett Looker is a senior journalism major and writes and does illustrations "Finding Beneficence" for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Garrett at galooker@bsu.edu.
(01/16/19 7:46pm)
Editor’s Note: Sam Barloga worked for the campaign to elect Indiana State Representative Chris Chyung as Campaign Manager this past fall.
(01/10/19 1:48am)
by Allyson McClain
(01/10/19 4:00pm)
Demi Lawrence is a sophomore journalism news major and writes "Unspoken" for The Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Demi at dnlawrence@bsu.edu.
(01/09/19 11:34pm)
As a huge fan of Starkid Productions, I anxiously anticipated the YouTube release of their newest show, The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, for months. I was honestly prepared to be disappointed; after their last show, Firebringer, I wasn’t expecting much. However, this show exceeded my expectations and evoked the infectiously fun and campy feeling of earlier Starkid shows like A Very Potter Musical and Starship.
(01/08/19 5:00pm)
Adam McKay has proven himself to be one of the most influential writers of American comedies in the 21st Century. Since starting off on Saturday Night Live, he has written and directed such hit comedies as Step Brothers, Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, The Other Guys, and the internet’s favorite: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. However, in 2015 he proved he could do serious by directing The Big Short, a dark comedy about the financial crisis of the late 2000s. This earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Now McKay delivers another serious film with Vice, concerning the history of former Vice President Dick Cheney.
(01/08/19 2:00pm)
Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers for Welcome to Marwen.
(01/05/19 1:00pm)
Mary Poppins has been a classic Hollywood musical enjoyed by families since 1964. Julie Andrews has been an example of a perfect nanny while Dick Van Dyke has given Americans an example of a horrible British accent for over fifty years. Nobody had any problems with the first film (besides Van Dyke’s horrific accent, but that’s another story), and families to this day still watch the classic musical tale of rotten kids with their whimsical nanny.
(01/04/19 11:25pm)
The biggest cinematic joke of the past decade has got to be the DC extended universe (DCEU). It’s gotten to a point where beating up on Warner Bros’ pathetic attempt to cash in on the extended universe trend set by Disney-Marvel is just stale and sad. Wonder Woman almost doesn’t even seem like it was a real movie because it was actually good, despite being forgotten almost immediately due to DC’s cinematic disaster of Justice League polluting the waters not even six months later. The promising Shazam! trailer at Comic-Con this year was paired with a trailer for Aquaman that looked just as schlocky and terrible as the rest of the DCEU. Needless to say, hopes for this being a good movie were at rock bottom.
(12/31/18 8:05pm)
Released on December 21st, Bird Box began streaming on Netflix, and according to the company’s Twitter account, the film has already been watched by over 45 million Netflix accounts in its first week, making it the most watched original Netflix film.
(12/31/18 8:00pm)
This past year proved to be one of redefinition for many artists. There was a certain trend of bands and individuals across all genres releasing new albums with a revamped sound, usually leaning more towards synthetic and contemporary vibes. In some cases, these experiments were a great success, but others couldn’t quite produce anything revolutionary. Some of these ventures into unknown territory unveiled only mediocrity, which is best exemplified with Mumford & Sons’ release of Delta and Arctic Monkeys with Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.
(12/31/18 4:00pm)
Alright. Let’s take it from the top.
(12/31/18 1:00pm)
Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers for this episode and previous episodes of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.
(12/30/18 10:15pm)
Gaming had one of its greatest years possibly of all time last year, with the big Nintendo titles dropping, Sonic finally getting a good game, some pretty sizable exclusives for Sony like Persona 5, and even plenty of amazing niche titles for those looking for something different. After all of that, 2018 had a lot of hype to live up to, and it certainly did deliver on many fronts. Some games were just terrible, of course, but this year had more winners than losers. Sony in particular had a fantastic year of exclusives that, unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to do reviews on at the time. So, just pretend God of War and Marvel’s Spider-Man are on this list. They’re there in spirit.
(12/30/18 10:07pm)
This year has been quite a long year, or at least it felt that way. There are many movies released that most people probably forgot came out this year. For example, Sony Pictures’ Slender-Man released this year. Remember when that happened? Venon was also this released year and was one of the biggest successes of the year, believe it or not. This year was loaded with remakes, reboots, reshoots, and plenty of trash. Which is not to say this year wasn’t lacking great films or even some original films as well. There’s only one film that perhaps in another Spider-Verse would’ve made the cut-off for this year’s list. The rest of these films are highly deserving of their place on this list, and should be seen by any person looking for a good time.
(12/27/18 2:00pm)
Blake Williamson is a junior journalism major who writes "Blake's Beats" for The Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Blake at bdwilliamson@bsu.edu.
(12/24/18 1:00pm)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a miracle in and of itself. Only in our wildest dreams could we have imagined pitting Pichu, Snake, Ridley, Richter, Cloud, Lucas, Female Marth, and King K. Rool against each other in a chaotic eight-person free-for-all. It’s best not to think about what the next Smash will look like, and instead enjoy what we’ve been blessed with from Daddy Sakurai.