COMING OCTOBER 10: "Barack and Curtis: Manhood, Power and Respect"
Film-maker, activist and lecturer Byron Hurt (creator of the documentary, “Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes“) has completed his short web documentary, “Barack and Curtis: Manhood, Power and Respect.”
Byron Hurt’s intention is to examine masculinities. Plural.
As Feminsting pointed out in June, Barack Obama has come under attack for not being “masculine” enough.  Obama was and is criticized for his lack of “masculine” hobbies such as hunting and his “effeminate” values (peace? diplomacy? ) and “effeminate” charateristics (not shooting moose? caring for the environment?). Note: During her speech at the Republican National Convention, Sarah Palin criticized Barack Obama’s emphasis on the environment by stating, in her characteristic mocking tone, “What does he actually seek to accomplish after he’s done turning back the waters and healing the planet?”
Susan Faludi, in the New York Times, noted disparaging comments directed at Obama that referred to him as being “a kind of wuss.”
In line with anti-violence educator, Jackson Katz, who is best know for his documentary, “Tough Guise,” Hurt seeks to move beyond our narrow, one-dimensional notions of what it means to be a man in our culture.
How is that Sarah Palin, with her awful cynicism and tone can actually make the term “healing the planet” sound like a bad thing? It boggles the mind. This looks really incredible, I’ve always been a big fan of Hurt’s analysis of masculinity. It would be a real shame if the first reasonable and level-headed non-cowboy leader this country has had in a long time was demonized for it. Of course, I also cant ignore the implication here of devaluing the feminine….Women’s Studies 101, but as Clinton proved (or not depending on how you see her)–the feminine doesn’t win elections…sigh…
Comment by culturevixen — September 16, 2008 @ 7:48 pm