ese battles began is difficult to say. Sociologists often agree that minority groups have subordinated their women because discrimination does not allow them to get ahead: their shame and diminishing self-esteem causes them to rule over those who are physically weaker. White American males are caught in a emotional tug-of-war; the messages of society, family, and religion (if part of his psyche) can jumble a man’s perception of his identity. Judy Mann, author of The Difference: Growing up Female in America (1994), mentions girls are “derailed” and kept from aspiring to their potential. This is not untrue, but boys are in a similar predicament. The most important fulfilling and difficult job in the world is parenthood. Men/boys until recently have been taught by society that fatherhood was the least important aspiration. Men and women are born to nurture their children; this gift when stolen from men put them, with women, in the boat of unfair gender bias.The uncertainty of a young boy’s life is prevalent among parents and teachers. Even popular sitcoms like Roseanne, addressed the issue. In an old episode the parents, Roseanne and Dan, had an argument. It ended with Roseanne leaving the room angrily, saying, in a derogatory tone of voice, “…like some man.” D.J., their young son, had overheard the fight and asked, “Why did mom call you a’man’ like that? I thought it was good to be a man.” Dan replied “Oh no son, not since the late sixties.” Comic strips such as Calvin and Hobbes depict another type of male uncertainty. As for grown men in this society, the feeling of disarrangement does not subside. Susan Faludi is one elite feminist whose opinion of the American male is often unfair and ridiculous. She writes in Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women (1991), about her visit to a mannequin maker. She expresses her dislike for the ...
