Harness: The Male Condition Herb Goldberg Argues

¶ … Harness: The male Condition

Herb Goldberg argues men lost touch, running, feelings awareness

There are a number of societal pressures based upon gender. These pressures, and the roles they inevitably lead men and women, boys and girls, to fulfill are widely discussed in a pair of essays: Herb Goldberg's "In Harness: The Male Condition" and Nancy Mairs' "A Letter to Matthew." Although they pursue so via different means, both of these essays allude to a brimming awareness required to see people for how they truly are devoid of societal boundaries. Both essays encourages men to free themselves from the conventions of society that threaten to harness them -- Goldberg's essay suggests doing so through a liberation movement based on fear, whereas Mairs' work implies doing so through an awareness that allows men to avoid stereotypical behavior.

The titular harness in Goldberg's piece of literature refers to the restrictions that society places men within. Although these restrictions are not physical and prey upon men's psyche, they nonetheless influence their behavior and are just as circumscribing as physical restraints. Specifically, the harness is the character associations that go along with perceptions of masculinity, which require an emotional dearth, willingness to take charge and command, and a distinct separation from one's feelings. It is this harness that presents difficulty in men's gaining awareness of both themselves and of others, and the author alludes to the fact that the only way access such awareness is through a men's liberation movement patterned after that of women.

Mairs largely concurs with Goldberg's assessment of the psychological and behavioral restrains placed upon men by society. She uses her son as a case study in this respect, and states that that she already sees him exhibiting behavior that conforms to societal expectations in his manner which is partially judgmental, cocksure. The author implies that this sort of behavior is superficial at best, and that to get beyond it requires an awareness of such limitations and a sensitivity that is more attuned to others and one's surroundings.

The authors somewhat differ, however, in what they believe is needed to gain the sort of awareness that will allow men to transcend typical societal expectations. Goldberg advocates a full-fledged male liberation movement, in which men are allowed to vent their frustrations and choler at their entrapment in roles that are not fulfilling and actually debilitating to their physical and mental health. The following quotation underscores this sentiment. "The women's liberation movement did not affect its astounding impact via self-hate and guilt or the desire to placate the male. Instead it has been energized by anger and outrage. Neither will the male change in any meaningful way until he experiences his underlying rage toward the endless, impossible binds under which he lives…" (Goldberg). It is crucial to interpreting this quotation to realize that in the second sentence, the author is referring to the male liberation movement."