The cold War and Masculinity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The cold War and Masculinity - Essay Example The Cuban missile crisis had been the most glaring example of a possible nuclear war. While the possibility still remains valid today, the menace appeared more eminent in cold war era. The cold war can actually be compared to a chauvinist conflict, whereupon both nations involved tried to use their supposed technological supremacy as a tool to undermine the influence of other nation. This notion is quite obvious in Stanley Kubrick's movie "Dr Strangelove: or How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb", as well in the text authored by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Joseph Rotblat, "A war-free world". Though the cold war no longer exists but the situation in Iran, Iraq and the role of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has again compelled this world to think of a very different approach towards nuclear deterrence. Mohamed ElBaradei, the eminent scientist who is heading IAEA while giving a lecture at Stanford, called for a new commitment from the peace loving world to go for nu clear disarmament rather than nuclear deterrence. The human urge to use things of mass destruction in satisfying their hatred and paranoia has been the main theme of the movie Dr. Strangelove. Right at the start of the movie,

Gender ideology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gender ideology - Essay Example G. Bissinger are no exception to what is stated above. Traditional masculinity is evident in the story of 1988 Permian â€Å"Mojo† Panthers football season. A superficial role is given to the Pepettes, who are senior high school girls. Hysteria prevails amongst the football fans during the entire season, and each tournament is a do-or-die act for the members of the team. The Odessa community has a social structure that intensely favors the male. The football players are treated like the royal princes. How does the football tournament begin? Bissinger provides a graphic picture of the opening ceremony related to the match. He writes, â€Å" Behind the rows of stools stood the stars of the show, the members of the 1988 Permian Panther high school football team. Dressed in their black game jerseys, they laughed and teased one another like privileged children of royalty. Directly in-front of them, dressed in white jerseys and forming a little protective phalanx, were the Pepettes, a select group of senior girls who made up the school spirit squad. The Pepettes supported all teams, but it was the football team they supported most. The number on the jersey each girl wore corresponded to that of the player she had been assigned for the football season. With that assignment came various time honored responsibilities.†(p.45) The mention of time honored responsibilities, indicates the subservient role of the female gender as per the societal norms. The girls had no part in the football game, and not one among them was directly connected to the game, except that they played the role of cheering the players. This is nothing but a subtle form of exploitation and assertion of superiority of masculinity. The exploitation in another form was also prevalent and the players were entitled to some special entitlement, at the cost of Pepette. Bissinger further writes, â€Å" As a part of the tradition, each Pepette brought some type of sweet for her player every week before