12.Tough Guise

"TOUGH GUISE" in Turkish Culture and Media

As i mentioned in my 10th post: There are tough guise in Turkey who known as machos. There are similar features those tough guise who are related with American culture and Turkish ones. Because there is a common phenomenon between those cultures,it is "masculinity". Violence,power,freedom,domination, being strong both physically and morally, being respected etc. these are requirments of masculinity. If you don't provide one of these requirments you are soft,fag,sissy etc. in other words you are not a man! There are ways to become a man! But who sets the ways of manhood? Answer is obvious MEDIA. "Tough Guise" also touchs on this subject. Media teachs men how to be a man.The film is questioning the issue which is based on media constructs manhood which is full of violent and it is not a natural way. It is the same in Turkey. There are many examples of teaching Turkish men violence as a symbol of manhood. Guns, fists,murders are seem normal for a MAN because of films and series which are full of violence.For example,Kurtlar Vadisi is a Turkish series which becomes a model for Turkish boys and men by it's gory way. Guns are used in this serie as an ordinary thing,men kill each other wildly and this seems like natural thing. By this way particularly boys take these guys as their models and try to be a real man by using violence. It is a fact that series are not realistic but teenagers and even some uneducated region won't realize it like this.Turkish men like to use force to show their potential of masculinity. There is an interesting point that there are such films or series which are based on male domination,power and violence because the culture,the facts are obvious. Male are dominant in many situations. Media should prevent the male domination,violence and avoid making such programmes. Also news are again an example from media which gives wrong messages. The murderers are MEN because it is not a strange thing but as the film Tough Guise indicates if the murderer is a woman people criticize and find it strange. This is mostly mistake of the media and someone should stop it!