The Mask You Live In Documentary PDF

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1. According to the experts interviewed early on in the film, what is our contemporary notion of “masculinity”? Idea of being weak or seen as a sissy in the eyes of other guys starts in the earliest moments of boyhood and follows all the way through their lives. Proving to other guys that they aren't girls, aren’t women, aren’t gay. We’ve constructed an idea of masculinity in the United States that does not give young boys a way to feel secure in their masculinity, so they make them prove it all the time. Masculinity is not organic, it’s reactive. It’s not something that just develops. Its a rejection of everything that is feminine. Cant talk about being afraid, cant talk about being hurt, can’t talk about being sad but can talk about being angry, being pissed off, etc. 2. What is masculinity according to the environment in which the participants in the San Quentin Juvenile Lifers program were raised? -

No crying Showing emotion is weak If you’re hurt, don’t show it No tattle telling, fight back Money Be the best, go for the triple instead of the double Its okay to be a womanizer A man has to be dominant and in charge and has control A man does everything to the extreme Never back down on anything A man uses violence to solve problems

3. The film begins with a story by former NFL player and coach Joe Ehrmann, who appears throughout the film. What does he say is the first and second lie that every boy in America is told? Note any other relevant lies of sorts (if any) that he points out early on in the film. a) We associate masculinity with athletic ability b) We associate masculinity with economic success c) We associate sexual conquest with masculinity 4. What is the filmmaker’s view in terms of the role of biology in shaping gender roles? To what extent are the sexes “wired” differently?

People make the assumption that because the brain is biological, that any sex difference in the brain must be hard-wired. But the brain is plastic, the brain changes as a result of experience. 5. To what extent would boys and girls overlap on psychological tests they are given? 50,000 psychological tests to girls, it would fall out on a bell shaped curve If you have the same 50,000 test to boys, it would fall out on a boy bell shaped curve If you superimpose them, they’d be 90% overlapping 6. Do the experts interviewed in the film think that gender neutral parenting is possible? 7. In what ways if any do boys and girls manifest depression differently? Boys: Kept it in and never talked about how they feel. Not able to express emotions. They end up showing that they are strong. -- Boys are more likely to act out, more aggressive using cursed words and screaming at people. Girls: Girls are able to express how they feel. Able to express emotion. Girls are more quiet, alone. 8. How do boys’ friendships with one another tend to change around 15? (If applicable, was this your own experience, or not?) Language shifts. Boys talking about struggles and friendships, betrayed by other boys etc to their friends. They are more interactive with one another. 9. How many boys claim that they feel addicted to video games? 15 hours of video games 31% of males feel addicted to video games Most addictive are the most violent, where your job is to destroy the enemy. 10. What does the film say about the relationship between video games and real-life violence? What sorts of scientific evidence, if any, do they provide to support their claim? Violent video games show a stereotypic of what a man should be. 3 major findings;

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exposure to violent media often leads little boys to be less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others. Children may be more fearful of the world around them Children may be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others The average 18 years old has seen 200,000 acts of violence on screen, including 40,000 murders

11. To what extent is the film specific to a certain time and place? To what extent does it include contexts outside of contemporary America?

12. To what extent do you think that the film gives us an accurate picture of masculinity (as boys and men generally experience it, and/or in terms of your own experience, if applicable)? Do you think they are too negative about traditional masculinity, or not?...