Hitting You Makes Me Manly

The media seems to help define masculinity as a series of violent acts.  Men are depicted as tough, violent individuals.  In the APA Congressional Testimony on Media Violence and Children: Testimony of Jeff J. McIntyre on Behalf of the American Psychological Association children are discussed as a whole as being affected in negative ways by violence in the media.  In any of the media I have been exposed to I have rarely seen women shown as violent.  It is safe to assume boys are affected and may have more violent tendencies when they see that that is the proper way to be masculine like their adult celebrity idols.  In the video "Tough Guise" Katz states, "In fact, some of the most serious problems in contemporary American society, especially with those connected with violence can be looked at  as essentially problems in contemporary American masculinity."  This effect is every one's problem.  Boys who grow up thinking violence and masculinity go hand in hand may grow to be violent men.  Perhaps the media should change the connotation of masculinity.