Guyland

A bit delayed, yes, but I went to see Michael Kimmel talking about "Sex in Guyland: Bingeing, Porn & Hooking up." Guyland, as he calls it, is the extended adolescent phase that all of society falls under. He creates a norm, the social environment created by the middle-class white male from 16 to late 20's, through which he compares and creates marginal social environments in which everyone else exists.

He had a strong feminist aspect, but it was more of an idea of "inequality" in Guyland and the homosocial bond among men that excludes, and as a result, objectifies women as a form of revenge for the seeking of equality the feminist movement actively sought. He noted that men felt invaded because of this, and that this invasion created a stronger brethren among men, characterized by self-policing among men for the fight of who's the manliest, to put it simply. While that characteristic has been around since perhaps the Persians, it's more aggressive and more avaricious now, because of the idea of betrayal.

Interesting. Not as inspirational as I thought it would be, but his notes on porn and our consumerism of porn (which outgrosses that of McDonald's) were definitely eye opening. I'm always open for a new social issue to explore.