Bryan+H’s+OpEd+Article



"Machismo and its Strain on Our Culture" by Bryan H. In a professional basketball game between the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers a couple of weeks back, Matt Barnes (a guard playing for the Magic) was inbounding a pass. He was being guarded by the game’s arguably most famous player, Kobe Bryant. In an attempt to rattle Bryant, Barnes feigned an attempt to throw the ball at Bryant’s face, a classic trick coming from playing basketball on the street as a kid. To essentially prove his masculinity, Kobe Bryant did not even flinch. Various media sources, including ESPN, praised Bryant for his display of fearlessness. But what did that play even mean?

If Barnes had thrown the ball, even accidentally, and hit Bryant in the face it could have done some damage. A broken nose, a broken jaw or even just a serious bruise could have lost Bryant lots of money. It is difficult being the handsome spokesperson for Gatorade if your face is seriously damaged. He makes millions of dollars per year on advertisements, and he could have potentially lost that money for the sake of being “macho.” He could have required surgery or one of those ridiculous face masks that Detroit Pistons star Rip Hamilton has to wear. Bryant decided to forgo intelligent judgment in wake of proving that he is “the man.”

Or what about Kyle Turley, former offensive tackle for the St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs? His career included trips to the Pro Bowl (the National Football League’s All-Star game) and Super Bowl rings. Towards the end of his career, Turley sustained several concussions in an admittedly violent sport. Turley chose to play through his injuries to prove to his teammates that he wasn’t a “wussie.” He was forced to retire early by his doctors and suffers continuously from Post-Concussion Syndrome, and has persistent migraines and muscle aches. If he had sat out games after concussions, Turley wouldn’t be in the same situation. But he was intent on proving that he could take a beating and continue playing, which hampered his life in football and beyond it. [|العاب تلبيس عرايس] [|يوتيوب] [|قبة] [|قراقوش] [|افلام مغربية] [|افلام مغربية 2013] [|filme marocain] But it isn’t just sports; the idea of being masculine has spilled over into other parts of our culture. There are clear evolutionary roots to masculinity, the idea being that a male must prove himself to be a suitable mate and a superior provider. Males who feel the need to drive Hummers, regardless of how bad it is for the environment or how much they have to pay for gas, desperately want to display their supposed superiority (or make up for a specific type of deficiency). The concept of alcohol drinking contests or drag races points back directly to the concept of masculinity. It seems that rather than there being a thin line between machismo and stupidity, there is no line at all.

I am not advocating displays of mediocrity or telling men to not seek success, but attempting to disparage machismo if it gets in the way of logical and rational thought. Sports could not exist without competitive tendencies, and as an individual who personally enjoys football, baseball, basketball and hockey I would not propose that men must refrain from competing. But if individuals are injured and have the potential to be harmed further by playing, they should not be called “wimps” or “girly-men” as California’s governor so adamantly claims. In this day and age, men should not be afraid to drive a Prius or refrain from drinking themselves to death because their manhood is in question. Logic and sound thinking must come first. There is simply too much to lose.media type="file" key="bryanh-muckraker-0910.mp3" width="240" height="20"