One of my
favorite shows on TV is "Parks and Recreation." One of the characters that makes
the show hilarious is Ron Swanson, the ultimate epitome of a man’s man. Of
course, when I say a “man’s man,” I’m talking about what society labels a man,
by giving him hyper-masculinity. Unlike 2Pac, who is hyper-masculine because of
the rough and tough content in the lyrics of his hip hop songs, Ron Swanson
embodies hyper-masculinity in other ways.
First off,
he’s a complete carnivore. There are several recurring jokes that deal with Ron’s
obsession with anything meat-related. We see hyper-masculine men as having an
insatiable appetite for meat, as if they were the alpha-male in a wolf pack.
Second, Ron
is constantly devoid of any genuine emotion, or at least any emotions that
would otherwise decrease his credibility as a man. The only kind of emotions
Ron exhibits are indifference and resentment, usually towards the government.
Third, he is
a man who is very practical and likes to build, destruct, fix, and basically work
with his hands in any way. He doesn’t rely on anyone but himself, and this
hyper-masculine trait might be the most evident in the show.
While he is
not a hip hop artist who displays dominance over woman and any men inferior to
him, or the aloof father figure, we consider Ron to be a symbol of
hyper-masculinity because of the very reasons I have listed. Just by taking a a
look at him and his mustaches you get the idea that he is truly a man’s man.
Fortunately for me and the sake of the show, I find nothing problematic with
the character of Ron Swanson. He is merely a symbol of hyper-masculinity for
comedy purposes. I actually give credit to the writers of "Parks and Rec" for
pointing out the main aspects of a manly man and blending them altogether to
form the character of Ron Swanson.
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