Male Bonding Rituals, defined

For our second term, we chose to look at male bonding rituals. This term a little more open ended than heteronormativity. Basically, male bonding rituals are a wide series of activities and actions undertaken by boys to become closer to each other and more masculine. Often, these rituals have some aspect that is demeaning to women, homosexuals, or other types. This ties back to heteronormativity and what is “normal”. For example, many male bonding rituals are based on the idea of encouraging boys to not be girly. Football coaches often tell their young players to man up, be tougher, stop being such a girl, etc. They perpetuate the idea that men are supposed to be superior to women physically. However, it is not just women who are demeaned by male bonding rituals, as homosexuals are also often targeted. Calling another boy a faggot or telling him to “stop being so gay” are common ways boys are taught to show their masculinity. This is a serious problem, as it reinforces hate against homosexuals and paints them as outsiders who should not be accepted. This is clearly wrong, and young boys should be raised to be accepting and open to people who are different from them. Male bonding rituals go hand in hand with heteronormativity, which is the core of the problem we are addressing.