The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help

by Jackson Katz

Overview

A fully revised and updated edition to a classic bestseller, The Macho Paradox is the first book to show how violence against women is a men's issue—and how all genders can come together to stop it.

From the #MeToo movement to current discussions about gender norms in schools, sports, politics, and media culture, The Macho Paradox incorporates the voices and experiences of the women, men, and others who have confronted the problem of gender violence from all angles.

Bestselling author Jackson Katz is a pioneering educator and activist on the topic of men's violence against women. In this revised edition of his heralded book, Katz outlines the ways in which cultural ideas about "manhood" contribute to men's sexually harassing and abusive behaviors and that men have a positive role to play in challenging and changing the sexist cultural norms that too often lead to gender violence.

This important book for abused women covers topics ranging from mental and emotional abuse to sexual harassment to domestic violence and is a vital read for women with controlling partners or as a self-help book for men.

Praise for The Macho Paradox:

"A candid look at the cultural factors that lend themselves to tolerance of abuse and violence against women."—Booklist

"If only men would read Katz's book, it could serve as a potent form of male consciousness-raising."—Publishers Weekly

"These pages will empower both men and women to end the scourge of male violence and abuse. Katz knows how to cut to the core of the issues, demonstrating undeniably that stopping the degradation of women should be every man's priority."—Lundy Bancroft, author of Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492697138
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	06/04/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	448
Sales rank:	330,817
File size:	816 KB

About the Author

Jackson Katz has long been a major figure and thought leader in the growing global movement of men working to promote gender equality and prevent gender violence. He is co-founder of the multiracial, mixed-gender Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program, one of the longest-running and most widely influential gender violence prevention programs in North America, and the first major program of its kind in the sports culture and the military. Katz is one of the early architects of the “bystander” approach to prevention. He is the creator of the award-winning Tough Guise video series and author of numerous articles, as well as Man Enough? Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and the Politics of Presidential Masculinity. His TEDx talk: Violence against Women – It’s a Men’s Issue, has been viewed more than four million times. An acclaimed public speaker, Katz has delivered thousands of lectures and conducted trainings in all 50 states, 8 Canadian provinces and on every continent except Antarctica.

Table of Contents

	Preface	1
1	Violence Against Women Is a Men's Issue	5
2	Facing Facts	19
3	Taking It Personally	35
4	Listening to Women	59
5	Male-Bashing?	73
6	Stuck in (Gender) Neutral	91
7	Bystanders	113
8	Race and Culture	131
9	It Takes a Village to Rape a Woman	149
10	Guilty Pleasures: Pornography, Prostitution, and Stripping	181
11	MVP: Athletes and Marines	207
12	Teach Our Children Well	227
13	More Than a Few Good Men	253
	Acknowledgments	271
	Notes	275
	Bibliography	287
	Index	291
	About the Author	297

Editorial Reviews

Katz is cofounder of the Mentors in Violence Prevention Program (MVP), and his focus is on prevention-his intended audience is not violent men who need help changing their ways, but all men, who, he says, have a role to play in preventing male violence against women. His basic assertion is that rape, battering, sexual abuse and harassment are so widespread that they must be viewed as a social problem rooted in our culture, not as the problem of troubled individuals. He urges men to directly confront the misogynistic attitudes and behavior of their peers. Some men may find Katz's advice occasionally baffling: he is full of directions about what not to do (such as paternalistic actions that deprive women of their autonomy). He wants to bring men into the larger discussion of pornography (which, he points out, has been dominated by women) and get them to look at its impact on themselves. Katz also presents eye-opening exercises and discussions from the MVP model that engender productive discussion among participants-usually high school or college students. If only men would read Katz's book, it could serve as a potent form of male consciousness-raising. Agent, James A. Levine. (Nov.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

"A timely and provocative book that calls on men to halt their retreat into defensiveness and anger and show leadership in the fight to end violence against women. With laser-sharp prose and a keen eye for how dominant media narratives shape our understanding of gender and power, Jackson Katz explodes the myth that challenging regressive ideas about manhood is tantamount to male-bashing, and models a more resilient version of male strength for the #MeToo era." — Jeremy Earp, Producer & Director of The Bystander Moment: Transforming Rape Culture at its Roots

"Jackson Katz is the world’s foremost educator and thought leader on the role men can play in stopping violence against women, and The Macho Paradox is simply the best book on the planet on this subject." — Dr. Michael Flood, Associate Professor of Sociology at the Queensland University of Technology

"Men need to read this book. Not only because it will make the world safer for women, but because it will free men to be their true selves." — Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues

"These pages will empower both men and women to end the scourge of male violence and abuse. Katz knows how to cut to the core of the issues, demonstrating undeniably that stopping the degradation of women should be every man's priority." — Lundy Bancroft, bestselling author of Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men

"Jackson Katz is a highly respected and influential leader in the movement against sexual violence … who has long used his powerful voice and public platform to acknowledge and honor women’s leadership in the field, including the leadership of women of color." — Sandra Henriquez, CEO, California Coalition Against Sexual Assault

From the Publisher