Dude, You'Re Obsessed

Dude, You’re Oppressed

The word ‘compulsive’ as defined by Dictionary.com is to be “governed by an obsessive need to conform.” The compulsive need to perform as masculine in male adolescence is a predecessor to obsessive heterosexuality in our patriarchal culture that can be subdued by collectivism of the oppressed. As is evident in C.J. Pascoe’s book Dude You’re a Fag, actions of heteronormativity are frequent, expected, and supported in Riverton High School. The norms created in these crucial years put those who are oppressed by, or recipients of, acts of masculine dominance at an early disadvantage. I believe activists like Cherrie Moraga and June Jordan have the right battle plan for fighting the “heterosexual institutionalization of rights and privileges denied to homosexual men and women” (Jordan, 181). However, Moraga and Jordan also have a more universal view of how all oppressed people should act collectively.

C.J. Pascoe’s experience at Riverton High School paints a familiar picture of young men’s obsession with masculinity. Young men in high school feel the need to promote their public masculinity. More importantly, Pascoe argues high school boys act to avoid being “positioned as this Other” (Pascoe, 157). The Other is powerless and weak. He is unmanly and is the butt of all jokes. But, the boys at Riverton High were terrified of the label. Most boys battled the label of the Other by continually repudiating “femininity, weakness, and most importantly, the specter of the ‘fag’” (Pascoe, 157). I think the fag discourse that Pascoe describes throughout the book is the main force behind the compulsive heterosexuality at Riverton High School. The boys find that the easiest way to avoid the unmasculine label of a fag is to constantly try to prove their masculinity. In turn, this meant sexist and homophobic actions on a daily basis. From reading Pascoe’s accounts, I believe it’s important to note how raw these actions are. They seem to be...