tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989955.post5704433941040574915..comments2023-10-30T14:34:16.722-07:00Comments on Men Need Feminism: Men Doing Feminsit Work: Michael MessnerJeff Pollethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13789663140920958914noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989955.post-21192724899819306152007-11-25T07:01:00.000-08:002007-11-25T07:01:00.000-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989955.post-9320826005616574512007-11-25T06:43:00.000-08:002007-11-25T06:43:00.000-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989955.post-87516481668942149782007-11-20T09:50:00.000-08:002007-11-20T09:50:00.000-08:00Julie--I'm not sure where you're getting your info...Julie--<BR/>I'm not sure where you're getting your information, aside from your personal experience. "They are rougher than the males," is an odd claim to make, unless you've played soccer with/against a bunch of men who didn't know you were a woman. Or at least it is a claim that needs some buttressing.<BR/><BR/>As far as "what feminism is doing to challenge the masculinity in women" goes--well, part of what Messner is talking about is how conceptions of traditional masculinity have been infused in both men's and women's sports, to the detriment of both--so here is a feminist addressing that. But that's just one example. (You might take a look at Halberstam's book, <A HREF="http://books.google.com/books?id=UYAi9OEYRekC&printsec=frontcover&dq=female+masculinity&sig=uKfOMTk6Vhl_4Us2M0mRI7T1rgI" REL="nofollow">Female Masculinity</A>, if you're sincerely curious for one answer to your question.Jeff Pollethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13789663140920958914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989955.post-67184541983261532852007-11-20T09:44:00.000-08:002007-11-20T09:44:00.000-08:00I'm not familiar with Pokemon, except as just a ge...I'm not familiar with Pokemon, except as just a general pop-cultural phenomenon. One of the things that strikes me about it is that the competitors aren't really fighting each other, right? They are sending in their proxies, aren't they? I'm not sure if that has any bearing on the competition aspect of things or not...but it sounds at least a little bit complex, which is nice.Jeff Pollethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13789663140920958914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989955.post-32957704102136694892007-11-20T02:27:00.000-08:002007-11-20T02:27:00.000-08:00Very hard to understand where you are coming from ...Very hard to understand where you are coming from but I would say I wouldn't mind feminism changing the female soccer players. They are rougher than the males. I personally would prefer to play males in sports than females. <BR/><BR/>I played for a couple of games and then quit. They are nasty, nasty. <BR/><BR/>What is feminism doing to challenge the masculinity in women?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989955.post-75341800579921825642007-11-20T01:27:00.000-08:002007-11-20T01:27:00.000-08:00Are you familiar with the Pokemon cartoon? The mai...Are you familiar with the Pokemon cartoon? The main character's quest is explicitly to become a champion at a competitive sport. The first two lines of the theme song to the first season read "I want to be the very best/ Like no one ever was." The premise of the game and the show are rather explicit appeals to the (masculine?) competitive spirit - being the best implies that everyone else is worse.<BR/><BR/>Interestingly, the main character, Ash, doesn't always win, and generally takes losing very well. (Usually the show sets up anyone who defeats him as a friendly, sympathetic character.) On balance, I don't know if the show's message regarding competition is a positive influence or a negative influence.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989955.post-88808188770031022322007-11-17T10:09:00.000-08:002007-11-17T10:09:00.000-08:00Thanks for the recommendation, Al! It's good to he...Thanks for the recommendation, Al! It's good to hear an athlete give it a recommendation...Jeff Pollethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13789663140920958914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28989955.post-1858451049423238832007-11-16T10:58:00.000-08:002007-11-16T10:58:00.000-08:00Hi Jeff,Really glad to see you profiled Messner. A...Hi Jeff,<BR/><BR/>Really glad to see you profiled Messner. As a gay man who has played and coached rugby at the college level, I've always found authors who challenged the dominant paradigm of team sports and masculinity fascinating. Messner is one of the best, and in my view, the one who comes closest to an accurate analysis from an athletes perspective.<BR/><BR/>If you're not read it, I'd highly recommend Paradoxes of Youth & Sport, as it gets into how we can develop pro athletic attitudes and lifestyles in youth without a dominant competitive angle. Especially for those who have not traditionally been welcome in main stream sports.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com