Faggot= Loser

This idea that men need to prove themselves as bigger and better than other men is seen in all types of media, and it seems like the general consensus among the class is that this idea does exist in relationship to the term, "faggot". One thing that I found particularly interesting though was how this idea is instilled in boys at such a young age. Josh was only six years old, and he was still feeling this societal pressure to be bigger and better than the other men in his life. He even went so far as to call another man a faggot, as his brother called him. This led me to questions even further his motives for this, much like Corbett does. Is Josh simply a product of his environment? Being only six years old, it is hard to hold him completely accountable for his actions, but at what age should he be held responsible? Furthermore, when people cannot receive intensive therapy such as the kind Josh receives, how can they truly break through all their defense mechanism to find the root of their insecurity which causes them to lash out in these ways, such as calling someone else a faggot?

I think this is what Corbett was trying to get at in his conclusion. He speaks about the tendency to encourage this kind of behavior instead of breaking the cycle. It is often easier to follow the standards that are already in place rather than to go against them. However, as Corbett points out, this cycle is redundant, and by calling other men “faggots”, this system is actually “left to make faggots of us all”. Thus, to answer my earlier question, I think Josh’s father and brother should be held accountable for not standing up and breaking the cycle, and as Josh gets old enough to realize what he is saying, he should be held accountable to do the same.