Fighting has been a fundamental part of hockey since its conception. Every team has players who are basically meant to fight, to stand up for their star players. However in recent years, fighting in the game has been getting more and more attention due to the risks that come with it. CBC’s  Bob McKeown has tried to shine some light on the matter in two episodes of “The Fifth Estate”, which were made ten years apart from each other. However, it was the situation in the NHL remained the same.

We will start by looking at the term of masculinity. As Kilmartin mentions it, adventurousness and aggressiveness are considered “manly” terms, in the case of hockey, we look specifically at the aggressive trait, he mentions “Masculinity is characterized by a willingness to take (physical) risks and become violent if necessary”(p 6). This is shown in hockey, where we will see players whose roles are to fight and stand up for teammates, otherwise known as the “enforcers”. This is the guy that is not typically as skilled at the game as their teammates, but will be the first to pick fights. These are the players that will usually become violent when one of their teammates are targeted by the opposing team, instead of having the said player defend themselves, they will be the one standing up for their comrade. Kilmartin then later mentions “[…] bravery is prescribed for men while caution and cowardice are proscribed” (p 6). This essentially describes the role of the enforcers in hockey. Their sole purpose is to fight and stand up for their teammates, without their ability to fight, they will lose their job. They do not have any other choice but to become violent. This is seen in Bob McKeown’s documentary on hockey “Hockey fight: Wives reveal the cost of concussions” where he interviews many former NHL enforcers who shared a similar sentiment towards their role as a player. Fights happen in hockey, as there are players who stand up for teammates.

The next point is at the institutions, meaning our surroundings, the people who surround us. Kilmartin cites “This style involves an orientation toward dominance, competition, and rough-and-tumble play (Maccoby, 1998)” (p 164). From a young age, males are taught to be competitive and to show dominance in order to be seen well. This shows in hockey with fighters. They are showing their dominance facing the player they are fighting or when they deliver crushing hits. They are doing it in the spirit of competition in order to win the game, no matter the consequences. It is their job. They are not to back off from a fight. They will receive backlash if they do. It is their job as a “man” stand up and fight and not to back down.

We can also look at the way that fighting is something that brings more attention to the NHL, therefore bringing in more money to the game. Men are seen as the breadwinners, and for some of the men in the game, fighting is their only way to make a living. Not only are they making a living for themselves, but they are also pawns(the enforcers) to the the king (the NHL) since they are what’s attracting audience.

In conclusion, fighting in hockey is big concern and needs to be taken more seriously considering the consequences it can cause. Fighting might be caused what the players consider as being “masculine” as well as their surroundings, what they are taught growing up as a child. This can shape someone’s mind into thinking fighting is good. After all, hockey is the only team game where fighting is allowed. How would you feel if basketball or soccer had fights as well?

Works Cited:

Kilmartin, Christopher, and Andrew P. Smiler. “Defining Men’s Studies.” The Masculine Self, Cornwall On Hudson, NY, Sloan Publishing, 2019, pp. 1–7

Kimmel, Michael.“Masculinity.” International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr. 2nd ed. Vol. 5. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 1-5. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 9 June 2014. 1-5. Print

Christopher Kilmartin and Andrew P. Smiler. “No Man Is an Island: Men in Relationships.” The Masculine Self, Cornwall On Hudson, NY, Sloan Publishing, 2019, pp. 161–171.

McKeown, Bob. “Hockey fight: Wives reveal the cost of concussions.” cbc.ca  NOV 24, 2019.

Bullying has long been recognized as a problem in schools, however in recent years, social media has shown more physical altercations than the public had known of. The CBC did an investigative story in 2019 on it and found some disturbing information on the severity of violence in schools. Violence in schools is a rampant problem in the education system caused by this ingrained perception of masculinity that is putting children in danger. The topics of the issue that will be discussed are physical violence, sexual violence and the response of schools to the issue.

Physical violence between boys is caused by the homogeneous concept of masculinity as it shapes how boys behave. According to a CBC survey of 4000 students, 41 per cent of boys say they were physically assaulted at high school. This could be because of the socialization that boys face while growing up. Men are supposed to be strong, aggressive, independent and most of all dominant (Kilmartin, Introduction to Men’s studies). This in turn influences them in how they act, how they perform gender, in this case masculinity. Gender is not a fixed part of one’s identity, rather, it is believed to be the result of interactions, compelled by those around them (Kimmel, Masculinity). Violence is one of those behaviors encouraged by others, as Kimmel puts it in his chapter about homophobia: “Violence is often the single most evident marker of manhood. Rather it is the willingness to fight, the desire to fight”. It is not solely, “boys being boys” or play fighting, as 1 in 5 boys threatened with a weapon, demonstrating premeditation and vicious intentions. This aggressiveness may stem from the desire to prove their dominance over others, through any means necessary. It has been stated by experts that “Masculinity has become a relentless test by which we prove to other men, to women, and ultimately to ourselves, that we have successfully mastered the part” (Kimmel, homophobia). These boys were often raised believing that they deserve to feel that power, but they do not, thus they seek to achieve it.

Sexual assault is the result of the belief that one is superior to women and hence they feel entitled to access them sexually. 26 per cent of girls say they experienced unwanted sexual contact at school. This could be because of the instillation of sexism as a concept at a young age due to the cultural concept of antifemininity. According to Kimmel in his work titled Masculinity, “The boy comes to define himself as a boy by rejecting whatever he sees as female, by devaluing the feminine in himself (separation) and in others (male superiority)”. As men were being taught gender roles through socialisation, learning that men are the most important, they also learned that women, by opposition, are not. They are often taught to value women as merely sexual (Kilmartin, Relationships), effectively encouraging sexual predation. This is a direct correlation to the evidence provided by the CBC that 1 in 7 girls are sexually assaulted by another classmate. These acts of violent conquest are effectively once more about domination and the drive for power associated with masculinity.

The victims do not seek aid from their schools as it is difficult for them and that their schools are unwilling to help them because, as an institution, they don’t see anything wrong with it. Almost half of high school students don’t report violence they’ve experienced or witnessed. This is because when they do, they themselves are blamed for it happening. Being told to “man up”, being slut shamed, being called a snitch or simply being not believed is why many students feel as if they’re on their own. Men, especially those who conform to masculine norms more, are generally not likely to see the need to talk to others when they encounter issues as men are supposed to be independent, avoiding communality or relying on others as that is viewed as feminine, thus shameful. Why do schools do this? It is quite simple, as since schools are an institution, they reinforce cultural values. Kimmel states: “Institutions themselves express a logic—a dynamic—that reproduces gender relations between women and men and the gender order of hierarchy and power”, therefore, they condone the principles behind these violent incidents. That is the philosophy is why despite 2100 violent incidents in Ontarian schools in one year, 77% of those schools report no such incidents publicly. However, in doing this, they endorse the continuation of this problem as they are aiding and abetting the perpetrators of physical and sexual violence in Canadian schools.

The homogeneous concept of masculinity has caused harm to children even in an area that is supposed to be safe, from both physical harm and the emotional harm of being refused help when they are in a difficult situation by putting them down. The information that the CBC has revealed has brought eye-opening facts to light in the public conscious. Now that the cause of the problem is known, all that is left is to find the solution.

School is mandatory for kids in order for them to learn and prepare them for the work place. Yet the main problem every school deals with is bullying. As a matter of+

fact it occurs even in the work place. A lot of students don’t feel safe going to school because of all the violence that occurs yet a lot of parents are unaware of the situation. In the US, 1 in 5 students have been bullied during a school year. Approximately 160,000 teens have skipped school because of bullying. When it comes to school violence it can be defined as bullying, cyber bullying, school shooting or even fist fights. Violence for boys is generally considered bullying and for girls it is sexual harassment.

Most male teenagers try to prove their masculinity by fighting. In order to prove themselves they put on act to intimidate others around them. Some do it because of jealousy and other do it because they are peer pressured into it. Jayden Trudell shared his story. He was rushed to hospital last September after he was attacked from behind. Because of the incident, Jayden took fighting lessons in order to protect himself because he is scared and uncomfortable at school. In my opinion this is something that should never happen to a 15 year old boy. What most people don’t realize is how that situation changed Jayden’s mindset and his character. In the text “Masculinity” by Kimmel he describes what a typical male american stereotype looks like. “A young, married, white, urban, heterosexual, protestant, father, of college education, fully employed, and a recent record in sports… Any male who fails to qualify in any one of these ways is likely to view himself unworthy.” (Kimmel, 2) Therefore most young teenagers have this image implanted in their head throughout their life causing them to try and act the way others act, “Peer Pressured”.

After watching the CBC documentary on violence in school I was surprised on how many parents were not aware of the situation in their kids schools when it comes to violence. In the documentary i noticed that the majority of parents that were interviewed were mothers. The fact that schools are keeping secrets when it comes to incidents in or on school property is where the problem starts. They don’t disclose information to the parents of the school because they care about reputation risks and they use privacy as a means to ignore certain problems that the school should deal with. Another reason parents aren’t informed is because the kids keep it to themselves. Some figure if the school won’t do anything about a situation why would they.

Another disturbing topic that occurs in schools is sexual harassment. More that 1 out of 7 girls is sexually abused. How come that isn’t brought up as violence in schools but boys fighting is mentioned more? Does the school take into account sexual harassment as violence or do they just cover it up?

School are not prepared to handle these types of incidents. Some schools don’t even acknowledge what occurs inside of school let alone on school property. One way schools should implement is more staff to better control the students and make sure things are handled before someone gets inured or even death. In the documentary the boy witnessed his cousin randomly get attacked by another student for no reason. The boy was punched in the back of his head and then was body slammed and left unconscious. Yet in the video all you can see is people recording the incident and no one intervening, there was not even a teacher in sight. Issues like bullying and school shootings start with what goes on at home. In the text “Fathers and Fathering” by Kimlmartin “Many males have complained about fathers who may although physically present, are psychologically absent because of their emotional unresponsiveness.” (Kilmartin,191). In recent school shooting the parents were not aware of the struggles their kids were going through. A lot of people blame the parents for not paying attention to their kids, the majority of shooting being males. The ethnography “From the Red Pill to White Genocide” by Jay Marquis-Manicom was presented on march 3, 2020. The study of these men is very dangerous as the only believe in fascist ideas, a hierarchy and male supremacy. After the presentation in the auditorium i got a better understanding on how these men think and most of them act this way because of a rejection from a female.

To conclude, schools should better handle situations. From my experience I have seen my fair share of fist fights between students and it something that should be dealt with. either within the school or within parents. Schools should not worry about their reputations instead they should worry about the safety of the students. A student should always feel safe in a learning environment. The fact is Sexual harassment and bullying need to be taken more seriously. Most schools and school boards do but not every school does.

Works Cited

CBC News, CBC/Radio Canada, gem.cbc.ca/media/marketplace/season-47/episode-4/38e815a-011d8f47088

Christopher Kilmartin and Andrew P. Smiler. “Fathers and Fathering”. Masculine self, Cornwall

        On Hudson, NY, Sloan Publishing, 2019, pp. 170-195.

Kimmel, Michael. “Masculinity”. International Encyclopedia of social sciences. Ed. William A.

        Darity, Jr 2^nd ed. Vol.5. Detroit: Macmillian Reference USA, 2008. 1-5. Gal Virtual

        Reference Library. Web. 9. June 20. 1-5. Print.

The CBC team marketplace investigated schools on the issue of violence in schools between students.

“41 percent of boys say they were physically assaulted at high school: 26 percent of girls say they were experienced unwanted sexual contact at school. One in four students first experienced sexual harassment or assault before grade 7”

Students tend to pull out their phones and film a fight instead of trying to stop one. This is why students turn to violence immediately because they are being provoked when it comes to arguments in schools.  “Nearly 50 per cent of high school kids don’t report violence they’ve experienced or witnessed.” They don’t call for help from a staff member, teacher or an adult and this is why violence continues to go on in schools . We have normalized it for “men” and “boys” to solve a problem by physically and verbally assaulting one another. There is no disciplinary measures being taught in schools for situations like these. Boys are still developing into men and they should be taught the right way . Males show their strength through violence. “Violence is often the single most evident marker of manhood.” (kimmel 148) By this kimmel means in order for a man to be seen as a “man” he has to be tough and aggressive.

After watching the CBC documentary on violence in schools , I was not surprised about mother’s not knowing on what goes on in their children’s schools and everyday lives because of personal experience. I’ve witnessed everyday fights and violence in my school and I was not proud of it. Innocent boys were shown a different side of them due to violence.  “More than one-third of students between the ages of 14 and 21 say they were physically assaulted at least once before reaching high school.” The documentary isn’t the first time I heard about this topic. This topic is being ignored world wide. Not only is it violence among boys but girls are fighting among one another over a guy or a silly situation but we refer to this as “drama” why? Is it not considered violence? Shouldn’t girls be disciplined as much as boys?

Boys bully and are bullied on a day to day basis. “You play like a girl” is the number one saying when it comes to team sports in school. In kimmel’s “masculinity” what it means to be a man is to be unlike a woman.” (kimmel 2) By this he means boys aren’t supposed to show any actions that are meant for girls “only” like crying, wearing the color pink, gossiping, pampering themselves etc. Not only is this bashing women in general meaning women are seen as “weak” and “fragile” but its pretty ironic because women are the reason men exist. Giving birth takes a lot of power and strength not every women survives it ,so before a man calls a women weak and fragile they should ask themselves how they got onto this planet in the first place. Women can play sports just as well as men or video games but we never mention that.

In the Canadian broadcast corporation episode we can see the interviewer tries to question a staff member at a school, but she refuses to answer any of his questions and this says a lot about the school and how no adult is taking into consideration that students should be shown disciplinary actions and should be taught right from wrong. The staff member seemed embarrassed and guilty by not wanting to answer any of the reporter’s questions. This is clearly something that needs to be taken into consideration and dealt with immediately. Teachers aren’t offered a job to just teach their subjects (English, French or Math). They are supposed to make kids feel safe to come to school and to show them good from bad. The students should not be blamed at all in this situation but the teachers and parents should be in my opinion. How can a child know what to do and not do if they are not being shown right? It’s not as simple as learning to walk or riding a bike.

Men are taught to be superior and in power in society that when it comes to women a lot are mistreated, disrespected and raped! This is unfortunately a norm in the world but abusing and assaulting a women does not make you powerful! The way a boy is taught to treat his mother (the women who put him on this planet) is the same way a boy should be taught to treat any girl. In the text “Defining Men’s Studies” by Kilmartin, Christopher, the author says “A good ideal of behavior is learned through imitation, boys receive many of these messages through merely observing the behaviors of men in their families” (Kilmartin, 2) By this he means if a father mistreats his wife then the son will most likely mistreat his wife when he is older. A good father figure is definitely important in order for a boy to turn into a good man. In my opinion genetics does not play a huge roll in a way a boy turns out to be, but the way a boy is brought up does.

Works cited

Kilmartin, Christopher, and Andrew P. Smiler. “Defining men’s studies,” The Masculine     

            Self, Cornwall on Hudson, NY, Sloan Publishing, 2019, pp. 1-7.

Kimmel, Michael. “Masculinity”. International Encyclopedia of the social sciences. Ed. 

           William A. Darity, Jr. 2^nd ed. Vol.5. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008.1-

            5. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 9. June 201. 1-5. Print.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/school-violence.marketplace-1.5224865