Jeremy Ertl, WSU Senior, Mass Communications Public Relations and Creative Writing
Emotional wellzine
Generation Man-Boy “the perilous world where boys
become men”
Michael Kimmel
is on his way back to Winona State University. Author of this year’s common book “Guyland,” Kimmel first appeared at Winona State to discuss the “perilous world where boys become men.” “Guyland” explores the transition from boyhood to manhood that every male experiences—a stage of development in which females are seen as less than men and life is centered around masculinity at all times. According to Kimmel, during this stage of development many young men learn sexist attitudes and behaviors that can potentially stick with them all throughout their lives. “I’d been thinking about the concept for awhile,” he said. “And then I realized I just needed to go out and talk to guys. I needed to find out what they were thinking as men, how they were proving their masculinity.” Kimmel interviewed hundreds of young people across the country when conducting research for his book. “Guyland” is based on more than 400 interviews with young men and women ages 16–26 over a four-year span. His studies showed that residents of “Guyland” are mostly white, middle-class and unable to commit to long-term responsibility including relationships and work. These “men,” not wanting to grow up, submit to a “Guy Code” which ultimately demonstrates locker-room behaviors such as sexual conquests, bullying and violence.
Kimmel decided to write “Guyland” to dissect the “Guy Code” and the reasoning behind its creation. “I have a now 14-year-old son and I wanted to understand the world that he would be entering,” he said. Kimmel received several emails and participated in numerous conversations with colleagues across the country that claimed women in their classrooms were all around more focused and attentive than their male counterparts. Because of this, he made the goal to map a new stage of development between adolescence and adulthood that could be helpful for young men to acknowledge. Kimmel said certain markers of adulthood, including moving out of your parent’s house, graduating college, getting married, getting a job and starting a family, are taking longer for men to accomplish. Overall the reaction to the book has been Photographer: Samantha Whillock
march 2013