#boyscancrytoo

In this scene of The Godfather, his godson comes to him begging him for help. In the process he starts to whine and weep about not knowing what to do next or how to reach his goal. This upsets the Godfather because he believes men aren’t supposed to be emotional and are supposed to be strong, so he told him that he “can act like a man.”

Cooper Thompson says that masculinity is learned behavior. Boys are taught at a young age that crying is a girl thing and the only emotion a man should show is anger and toughness. This leaves the boys lost in a world of emotions and leads to extreme ridicule to other boys that show more emotions. These boys grow up not knowing how to deal with things that bring emotions out of them and at risk of harming themselves trying to prove their “toughness”. The young boys that are in touch with their emotions are called ‘sissies’, ‘punks’, and ‘crybabies’ making it seem that there is an issue with the child, but honestly there is an issue with society. 

Masculinity is defined by the roles and behavior that are associated with being a man or boy. These roles and behaviors are socially constructed and are extremely damaging to the boy and the people around them. The way to change the behavior of young boys is to teach them to be nurturing and that it’s okay to show emotions. 

Thompson, C. (2016). A New Vision of Masculinity. Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, 623-628.