As we discuss feminist theories in class, the theories and playwrights of how femininity and masculinity interact with each other never fails to intrigue me. One researcher decided to see if the game, Grand Theft Auto, could tell us something about ‘Crisis in Masculinity’ and what breaking down ‘toxic masculinity’ looks like in real time. Scholar Steven Dashell took the opportunity to code the twitter responses to a leaked rumor about the new Grand Theft Auto game that the main playable character was going to be a female rather than the historical male main character role.
In looking at these responses he found the obvious sexist comments that did not come to a shock to him as “given the subject matter of Grand Theft Auto, which often has the player taking the role of a criminal who must do antisocial acts—stealing cars, for starters—to advance in the game, a dose of misogyny was not unforeseeable.” (2023). The other responses were typically supportive of this new leak but were not ecstatic in their support. What did catch Dashell’s eye was the way women were countering the negative misogynistic comments and in his words “weaponizing masculinity”. These comments ranged from stating that anyone who had a problem with playing as a female character is not a man to calling them an incel which plays on the ideals of the binary male role but in a way that emphasizes less toxic stereotypes.
Dashell comments on the need for masculinity to shape into the ideals that the 21st century has brought on but without falling into misandry? He also comments on the fact that masculinity studies has historically left out other masculities such as African American masculinities, Latino masculinities, poor masculinities or rural masculinities. What do you think about the current gendered interactions in the United States? How have they been changing and what do you think the pros and cons of the changes are? There have been a lot of conversations about gendered online conversations in the United States but not a lot of scholarly conversations.
“What Grand Theft Auto Tells Us about the ‘Crisis in Masculinity'” by Steven Dashiell on August 3, 2023.