What standards of masculinity are involved?
I am discussing a model of masculinity that comes from society in general, it is not present merely in the periphery and shantytowns. It is there in the movies, in schools, and at home, where whoever brings in money dictates the rules. This model of masculinity is more extreme in some shantytowns and peripheries for lack of alternative identities. Middle class men have other options. They can be workers, good students, good in sports. There are other areas where men can gain recognition. In the periphery, the lack of jobs deny men their recognition as providers, that is basic to male identity practically the world over. This increases the likelyhood that youths desire to be “in command”, to get guns, to use physical strength, and to generate fear in others. How does this model arise? It is there from childhood. In what we see at home, in movies, television, in clashes that take place outside their homes, where boys spend their time. Girls on the other hand, who spend more time at home
