Circumstances That Led Michael S. Kimmel to Become an Activist - Research Paper Example

Masculinity Studies Michael S. Kimmel is an teacher, activist and sociologist who has received international recognition for his work on men and masculinity. He has written several books on masculinity, most of which have been very successful and has been supported by a large number of people. He is one of America’s most prolific scholars on masculinity. He has made a great contribution to the field of women’s studies. This paper includes discussions regarding historical background or circumstances that led him to become an activist, theoretical and ideological factors that Kimmel’s studies are based on, influential feminists, contributions that he has made to the society and the practical applications of his subject. Historical background: Kimmel, like most other activists, has a story behind his indulgence in the subject, which explains why he decided to become an activist. When Kimmel was in graduate school, his partner was working at a shelter. He used to frequently drop her at the shelter as she dint know to drive. Since Kimmel got used to this routine, he used to occasionally drop women at the shelter or drive them to the hospital with their kids. It was in this routine that he encountered certain events that affected him greatly, which encouraged him to become the renowned activist he is now. While he helped out these women from time to time, he realized that women being beaten up and treated badly were issues so common. There were points of time when he felt that this had to stop and did not seem to know that to do about it. When asked about what touched Kimmel the most, he talks about when there was one woman with broken limbs and a fractured jaw, who, through her fractured jaw said, "Sometimes I deserve it, but this time I didnt." When he said to the woman that she needs to make him stop, she said that he was a man too and that Kimmel should probably talk to them. At that instance Kimmel decided upon the fact that he definitely wants to change the way things are and began to work for it. He committed himself to working with men who used to beat up their wives or abuse them. Slowly he got drawn into various groups of non violence against torture, rape and ill treatment. This incident played a major role in shaping Kimmel into feminist that he is today. Kimmel’s participation in the Santa Cruz Men Against Rape organization was his first indulgence in a political engagement. He soon found himself as part of the National Organization Of Men Against Sexism. Since then, Kimmel was an academic researcher, was writing books on masculinity studies, striving to build a subfield of study known as gender studies and at the same time was also an activist. He remained a part of the social organizations that helped women. He worked with campuses like ‘Men Can Stop Rape’ and ‘White Ribbon’ Ideological Influences Kimmel has largely been disturbed by the fact that there has always been gender bias in the society. The main theory that he focuses on in feminism is the fact that women get treated differently, endure more suffering which adds to all the worldly suffering that they already have to face. In his book ‘The Gendered Society’ he examines the aspects that have been long accepted as a part of society and yet never questioned. People have learnt to live with the differences, yielding to assumptions regarding gender differences. In his findings and study, Kimmel talks mostly about the fact that men have always been offered dominance and women, disgrace. He talks about how it is necessary to understand the fact that gender differences are no reason to subject women to a harsher environment or life. Kimmel talks about how the word gender has usually revolved around women and has been held against them to a certain extent. Women have always been subject to prejudice and have been pushed to accept it as a way of life. In his book, he mentions this issue, saying “But when we think of the word gender, what comes to mind? It is not unusual to find, in courses on History of Gender, Psychology of Gender, or Sociology of Gender, that the classroom is populated almost entirely by women. It’s as if only women had gender and were therefore interested in studying it.” (Kimmel 2000) One of the basic ideologies involved in his studies is, like most other activists, gender inequity. It is an issue that has long been faced and endured for over 50 years now. Of the great number of activists that fight for the cause, Kimmel has risen to be a significant figure. Kimmel believes that the achievements and commitments of men and women are measured not on a neutral basis, for the nature of measurement holds a masculine character which includes that the norms demands patriotism, specific social ideas, objectivity of theoretical knowledge and practical judgments. Kimmel goes on to explain that all of these aspects re based on a masculine factor of choice. He explains this rather clearly in his book ‘The Gendered Society’ “If we call ideas that claim absolute validity and objectivity binding, then it is a fact that in the historical life of our species there operates the equation: objective = male”. (Kimmel 2000) In his book, Kimmel greatly condemns traditional beliefs about gender equality. Another aspect that Kimmel talks about is how men are constantly asked to behave differently, restrict emotions, behavior and thoughts. They are constantly reminded that they cannot do anything that even remotely hints at femininity. They are also made to think that they have to be stronger and more powerful, having an upper hand over women. As long as men are told to be stronger than men, they will always believe in the weakness of women. This only leads to their disrespect. Further, there are traditional ideas about how men and women are concerned with sex, which always means to state that men and women have different limitations. Kimmel says about this, “Sex was invariably seen as bad for women- unhealthy and immoral- while it was tolerated or even encouraged for men”.(Kimmel 2005). Kimmel does not agree with the fact that men and women must be treated differently in their ideas of sex. He refers to Kinsey’s belief that males and females have similar physical responses and men are only more influenced by psychological factors. This is another issue that Kimmel thinks needs to be addressed in specific. Individuals who have been influential on Kimmel One of the major influences to Kimmel is Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Kimmel believes that as a sociologist, she went through a lot of situations and fought to resolve them very carefully and bravely. It is Kimmel’s belief that she was a woman who had to deal with problems presented before her every day of her life. He says that she touched on everything that, as a sociologist and an activist, he had to wrestle with all the time. He says that she will always be a heroin to him for the strength that she has shown in her life. Another person who greatly influenced Kimmel was Gloria Steinem. Kimmel says that the respect he has for her is not purely because she has been a feminist for over fifty years. He says that it is because she has been struggling as a feminist throughout her life, having to endure criticism for the most part of it. He goes on to explain that she was gracious and emotionally available. He respects her for having had a deep respect for women in general, which is why he has always looked up to her. Kimmel also talks about how his wife, Amy Aronson, who has been a great inspiration to him throughout his life as an activist. They share common ideas on the role of women in the society and strongly believe that gender equality is something that has to necessarily be attained. Contributions made by Kimmel The incidents that Kimmel has gone through moved him to a considerably and he began delivering lectures on the same. When his lectures on the subject grew popular, students suggested that he should take masculinity studies as a subject. He founded the subject and began lecturing on various issues related to the subject. This proved to be a major contribution as it educated a large number of students regarding the issues of masculinity. He has written a large number of books on the issue, all of which have been largely appreciated by the readers. His innovative course, Sociology of Masculinity, is one of the few courses in the nation that examines men’s lives from a pro-feminist perspective. Many newspapers and magazine articles have featured his research. The textbook that was written by Kimmel has is now a part of all studies or courses based on masculinity. Kimmel is National Spokesperson for the National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS). Kimmel has been supportive to many organizations on preventing sexual harassment and promotion of gender equity. He has created awareness among a large group of people, students specifically on issues such as date and acquaintance rape, sexual assault, pornography, and the changing relations between women and men. On the whole, Kimmel has made a great contribution to the field of masculinity studies, working to provide more support to all those women who suffer the pain and endure the hardships of inequality among men and women. For all the efforts that activists like Kimmel have taken, there has been substantial improvement in the lives of women. Kimmel says that womens lives are truly safer, because many things have been made illegal, which used to be taken for granted, like marital rape, sexual assault or sexual harassment. These things are now actionable rather than being accepted as how people are. For this achievement to be possible, undoubtedly a lot of effort had to be put in. Kimmel believes that the efforts have paid off and women are finally having clauses that would give them more safety, with the law striving to help them. The book ‘Men and Masculinity’ was the first encyclopedia to the behavior of men, giving us insight into how many men think of women and the level of respect they think that women deserve. In his book, he quotes arguments by various individuals to expose the plight of women according to the traditional system of masculinity. An argument presented by Robert W. Connell in his book ‘Gender and Power’ is mentioned in ‘Men and Masculinity’ , “Connell argues that the oppression of women is a chief mechanism that links the various masculinities and that the marginalization of certain masculinities is an important component of the reproduction of male power over women.”(Kimmel 2004). It is this view that the book intends to oppose, making arguments on the same. Kimmel has devoted a major part of his life researching on masculinity, being a pro-feminist, has brought about a lot of change in the general idea about how women must be treated. Right from when he decided to make a difference in the world, he stood by his belief and fought for women, striving to make the society a better place for them. Kimmel has become popular among activists, for he has always felt an earnest sense of respect for women. Kimmel has always, related to other people that have a message to give. He makes sure that all the things about masculinity that needs to be known is brought to light and made known to the world. One such book of his is ‘The politics of Manhood’ where he has put together a collection of the best essays by pro feminists. He has shown much involvement in making a better society for both men and women, mainly wishing for a society where gender equality would not meet much resistance. Reference Kimmel, M.S. (2000). The Gendered Society. Oxford University Press. Kimmel, M.S and Aronson A. (2004). Men and Masculinity. Library of Congress. Kimmel, M. S. (2005).The Gender of Desire. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press Read More