Studs, tools, and the family jewels : metaphors men live by / Peter F. Murphy.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Murphy, Peter Francis.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Men--United States--Language--Psychological aspects.

Men.

Sexism in language--United States.

Sexism in language.

Masculinity--United States.

Masculinity.

Psychological aspects.

United States.

English language--Sex differences--United States.

English language.

English language--Sex differences.

Physical Description:

xiii, 167 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Madison, Wis. : University of Wisconsin Press, [2001]

Summary:

Peter F. Murphy's purpose in this book is not to shock but rather to educate, provoke discussion, and engender change. Looking at the sexual metaphors that are so pervasive in American culture--jock, tool, shooting blanks, gang bang, and others even more explicit--he argues that men are trapped and damaged by language that constantly intertwines sexuality and friendship with images of war, machinery, sports, and work. These metaphors men live by, Murphy contends, reinforce the view that relationships are tactical encounters that must be won, because the alternative is the loss of manhood. The macho language with which men cover their fear of weakness is a way of bonding with other men. The implicit or explicit attacks on women and gay men that underlie this language translate, in their most extreme forms, into actual violence. Murphy also believes, however, that awareness of these metaphorical power plays is the basis for behavioral change: "How we talk about ourselves as men can alter the way we live as men."

Contents:

Sex as machine

Sex as work/labor

Sex as sport.

Sex as war and conquest

Sex as exclusively heterosexual

Insidious humor and the construction of masculinity

From theory to practice : new metaphors of masculinity.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 159-167).

ISBN:

0299171302

0299171345

OCLC:

44683393