{"id":12030,"date":"2011-01-03T18:02:10","date_gmt":"2011-01-04T01:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.amptoons.com\/blog\/?p=12030"},"modified":"2011-01-03T18:02:10","modified_gmt":"2011-01-04T01:02:10","slug":"the-takeback-meditations-on-masculinity-politics-and-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/?p=12030","title":{"rendered":"The Takeback: Meditations on Masculinity, Politics and Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Takeback<\/a> is the name of a new blog the focus of which is, as what my friend Ralph calls “the colonic” says, “A Meditation on Masculinity, Politics and Culture.” I am one of The Takeback’s contributors, though the only thing that’s up there right now is my bio. The editors–and this is an edited blog, which is exciting; I like working with editors–are insisting that we all use handles. Mine is Eagle Beak, a nickname I am reclaiming from my teen years, when my peers taunted me for having such a big, Jewish nose. The need for such a blog, the potential role it might fill in discussions of gender, politics and more is something we have discussed before here on Alas. So I’m hoping you will go and give The Takeback a try.\u00a0This is from the About Us<\/a> page:<\/p>\n

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Our Creed<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Takeback <\/strong>is a collective of diverse-minded, like-hearted males who each look at popular culture (music, faith, literature, politics, etc.) through a pro-feminist or male liberationist lens.\u00a0 We see culture as both the problem of and the solution to oppression, and The Takeback<\/strong> as a tool to reexamine societal norms and shift the conversation to empower those of all gender identities.<\/p>\n

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Our Manifesto<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Take Back<\/strong> vt. \/tak bak\/ \u00a01. to make a retraction of (withdraw).\u00a0 2. To regain ownership of (reclamation)\u00a0To Abnegate.\u00a0 Forswear.\u00a0 Recant.\u00a0 Renounce.\u00a0 Repudiate.\u00a0 Abjure.<\/p>\n

The Takeback<\/strong> is most significant because it carries dual meanings.\u00a0 In one instance, it means to retract something after thoughtful consideration.\u00a0 Masculinity, or more specifically an abhorrent version of hegemonic masculinity, is responsible for disrupting the flow of commonality, community, and connectedness.\u00a0 We can never fully take back (withdraw) all we\u2019ve done to oppress the voices of others, but we can start to own up to our part.<\/p>\n

Simultaneously, take backing also implies a regaining of something lost or stolen.\u00a0 Alternative voices, like those heard in this blog, have only existed on the margins.\u00a0 It\u2019s time that we take back (reclaim) a masculinity that has been hijacked by those seeking to control marginalized people, especially women and gender non-conforming people.\u00a0 But, we must always acknowledge the power<\/strong> of our words and our responsibility<\/strong> to use them for empowering others.\u00a0 That is why we started The Takeback<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Takeback<\/strong> is a meditation on the significant and the superfluous, the critical and the contrived, the tantalizing and the trite.\u00a0 This is not your daddy\u2019s blog (unless you are in elementary school).\u00a0 We are advocates, artists, soldiers, counselors, athletes, politicians, entrepreneurs, parents, and teachers.\u00a0 We are social critics, arm chair-anthropologists, believers, skeptics, free agents, free thinkers, street nerds, poets, and shameless self-promoters.<\/p>\n

As we attempt The Takeback<\/strong>, we expect the push back.\u00a0 No subject is off the table.\u00a0 Music.\u00a0 Politics.\u00a0 Fiction.\u00a0 Sports.\u00a0 Religion.\u00a0 Music.\u00a0 Personal experience.\u00a0 Family.\u00a0 Consumerism. (oh, did we mention music?)\u00a0 All we ask for is civil discourse<\/strong>.\u00a0 We want you to be amused, informed, aghast, perplexed, persuaded, and convicted.\u00a0 More importantly, we also want you to challenge, discuss, reflect, and change.\u00a0 We invite you to participate in The Takeback<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I encourage you to check it out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Takeback is the name of a new blog the focus of which is, as what my friend Ralph calls “the colonic” says, “A Meditation on Masculinity, Politics and Culture.” I am one of The Takeback’s contributors, though the only … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-men-and-masculinity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12030"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12030\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}