In Chapter 9 of Barker's Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice, the section "Problematic Masculinity" refers to the "apparent destructiveness" of modern men, of bad men actually being "sad men, the damaged goods of industrial society," because of "the adoption of impossible images of masculinity that men try, but fail, to live up to" (Barker 304).
While I do not know the pressures driving the Patrick Bateman character in "American Psycho," he is certainly driven to perfection. He is--like all the other financially high-end, 1987 male personas in the movie--arrogant, confident, and power-seeking, with brutality behind his sneer. He pushes women to be "The Other," and is murderous toward those he does not respect or whom he feels is undeserving.
Bateman is the epitome of non-essentialist identity, claiming "there is no real me."
Distracted Notes for Interest's Sake:
1. Really? A thick serifed font on a 24-lb weight business card with a raised burlap pattern? So gauche. Go minimalist: tactile texture over visual. Assclown.
2. After Patrick delivers an axe blow to Paul Allen's face, he sits and lights up a cigar with a Zippo. For shame, Mr. Bateman. One does not light a double corona with a chemical-fluid lighter. Sheesh.
3. Hmm... so Christian Bale goes from playing Bateman to Batman. I'm sure I'm not the first to notice this... *Looks*... Nope. No, I'm not.
4. Someone in class made a note about how we are "diagnosed" as male or female due to our "symptoms". I applaud him.
Works (barely) Cited:
Barker, Chris. Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice.
No comments:
Post a Comment