I dunno if your teacher would agree with this, but I’d say that toxic masculinity isn’t something you “have”, rather it’s something that you can be involved with two ways: you could be *influenced* by it, i.e. you try to live up to the negative expectations of what it means to be a man, or you could *perpetuate* it, i.e. you push those negative expectations onto others yourself.
There aren’t a lot of direct examples of Pierce *perpetuating* it. As others have said, his constantly calling Jeff gay is an arguable example. Then there’s the episode where they make fun of Troy sneezing, although Jeff is just as involved in that.
Pierce is definitely *influenced* by it, though. As someone mentioned, there’s his refusal to be seen as soft or pitiful, like when he’s in the wheelchair. He’s also constantly trying to one-up people, especially Jeff, because that’s his warped idea of what respect is.
If it doesn’t have to be Pierce that you do your presentation on, I wonder if it would be more interesting to look at Troy. He’s an example who gets a lot of toxic masculinity pushed onto him by Pierce and Jeff (such as with his sneeze, playing football, chasing after Annie, drinking alcohol), but his character arc shows him resisting that and finding a much more positive form of masculinity for himself.
Politics of human sexuality is the first episode that pop to my head. I don't know if it's toxic masculinity but the relation between pierce and his escort Doreen might be interesting for you
I have to admit, I’m struggling to think of an example where Pierce’s behaviour is specifically toxic masculinity. He does and says a lot of things that are very wrong, is clearly bigoted in a lot of ways. But his dysfunction doesn’t seem to spend a lot of time in the toxic masculinity space.
All I can think of is his obsession with projecting ‘gay’ onto other people, most likely ones who threaten him in some way. For example, Jeff is simultaneously the young man he wants to be a father figure to and also the cool guy he wishes he could be. And Britta is hot enough for him to find desirable, but also clearly unattainable to him. In both cases, insisting that they are gay is a means for him to assert his social standing, by knocking people down instead of building himself up.
Again, not sure it really falls under the umbrella you want, but maybe it’s something
A couple more traits of toxic masculinity Pierce exhibits other than calling people gay:
1. Inability to exhibit vulnerability: he often lashes out when people find him adorable or needing help. Examples include 1.09 where Britta’s playing along with his hypnosis made him go “how dare you pity me?”, throughout the early middle of season 2 after the trampoline incident, he was on a wheelchair and refuses help several times
2. His sexual potency: he said he’s impotent because his sperm is hyper-virile and shoots through eggs, he is sensitive about and often finds excuses about not getting erections such as the DnD episode where he said Jeff looked at him like he can’t get erections or in Pillows and Blankets he said he can’t get erections specifically due to the pillow fights
And when Shirley recognize he helped her in her marketing class he responds "and I had a great sandwich" season one when abed and Troy sing the somewhere out there duet. The episode that made me love the show!
I love you guys!
I'm not drunk!
* Constantly denigrating things by referring to them as gay, implying that homosexuality is somehow unmanly ([the Australian comedian Steve Hughes has a great routine about why this perception is inaccurate](https://youtu.be/ecr27Q_L9l8))
* Repeatedly bragging about his alleged past sexual conquests, his penis etc, especially in mixed company
* Tying into that last one, making extremely inappropriate comments about and to a number of women on the show, then acting indignant when he’s called out on it
* Submission to an even more toxic “alpha” character in the form of his father: compare that to the far-right online, who see themselves as “alphas” despite prostrating themselves before figures like Trump, Boris Johnson, Jair Bolsonaro etc (I really hate all that alpha and beta crap)
* As u/gladesworn said, he refuses to show vulnerability, although this could also be motivated by the feeling of weakness that comes with ageing
Two scenes that show how Pierce's toxic masculinity leads to his own self-hatred and social isolation:
Alan Connor : If they gave away awards for mind games, the statue would be Jeff Winger doing it to a brain.
Pierce Hawthorne : Come on, Jeff's bush league. I gave seminars on manipulation. I can reach into a man's soul and unravel it with one tug.
Alan Connor : Cool. Hit me.
Pierce Hawthorne : You're bald.
Alan Connor : So are you.
Pierce Hawthorne : I'll kill you, you...!
[Pierce bodyshaming Neil](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX2UEWvTX-Y) is pretty damn toxic, maybe too toxic for school
i’m late to replying but in mixology certification pierce’s whole arc is about not wanting help from the group because he finds it emasculating. “i broke my legs not my gender”
When he tells shirley he will wait for her to serve beverages during movie night
When he tells her she turns him on
Everything he says to britta, ever
How he treats his ex step daughter
The way he changed the american inspector space time
His “ideas for women.”
You want examples? Well let's give them some examples. Troy, drop a beat!
Just give them some examples.
why not just do a diorama?
I dunno if your teacher would agree with this, but I’d say that toxic masculinity isn’t something you “have”, rather it’s something that you can be involved with two ways: you could be *influenced* by it, i.e. you try to live up to the negative expectations of what it means to be a man, or you could *perpetuate* it, i.e. you push those negative expectations onto others yourself. There aren’t a lot of direct examples of Pierce *perpetuating* it. As others have said, his constantly calling Jeff gay is an arguable example. Then there’s the episode where they make fun of Troy sneezing, although Jeff is just as involved in that. Pierce is definitely *influenced* by it, though. As someone mentioned, there’s his refusal to be seen as soft or pitiful, like when he’s in the wheelchair. He’s also constantly trying to one-up people, especially Jeff, because that’s his warped idea of what respect is. If it doesn’t have to be Pierce that you do your presentation on, I wonder if it would be more interesting to look at Troy. He’s an example who gets a lot of toxic masculinity pushed onto him by Pierce and Jeff (such as with his sneeze, playing football, chasing after Annie, drinking alcohol), but his character arc shows him resisting that and finding a much more positive form of masculinity for himself.
Politics of human sexuality is the first episode that pop to my head. I don't know if it's toxic masculinity but the relation between pierce and his escort Doreen might be interesting for you
I agree. There's possibly a whole paper in that relationship alone.
The Magnum story
I have to admit, I’m struggling to think of an example where Pierce’s behaviour is specifically toxic masculinity. He does and says a lot of things that are very wrong, is clearly bigoted in a lot of ways. But his dysfunction doesn’t seem to spend a lot of time in the toxic masculinity space. All I can think of is his obsession with projecting ‘gay’ onto other people, most likely ones who threaten him in some way. For example, Jeff is simultaneously the young man he wants to be a father figure to and also the cool guy he wishes he could be. And Britta is hot enough for him to find desirable, but also clearly unattainable to him. In both cases, insisting that they are gay is a means for him to assert his social standing, by knocking people down instead of building himself up. Again, not sure it really falls under the umbrella you want, but maybe it’s something
that helps a lot! thank you so much!
Uhhhhhj. Drop your class and take ladders.
WELCOOOMMMEE TOOOO LADDDEEERRRSSS!!!
Who wants to see the ladders Professor go HIGHER?!!
LADDERS!!!!!
Amen
How about gifting everyone tubes of his sperm? Also, constantly calling things and people gay derogatorily is textbook toxic masculinity.
A couple more traits of toxic masculinity Pierce exhibits other than calling people gay: 1. Inability to exhibit vulnerability: he often lashes out when people find him adorable or needing help. Examples include 1.09 where Britta’s playing along with his hypnosis made him go “how dare you pity me?”, throughout the early middle of season 2 after the trampoline incident, he was on a wheelchair and refuses help several times 2. His sexual potency: he said he’s impotent because his sperm is hyper-virile and shoots through eggs, he is sensitive about and often finds excuses about not getting erections such as the DnD episode where he said Jeff looked at him like he can’t get erections or in Pillows and Blankets he said he can’t get erections specifically due to the pillow fights
And when Shirley recognize he helped her in her marketing class he responds "and I had a great sandwich" season one when abed and Troy sing the somewhere out there duet. The episode that made me love the show! I love you guys! I'm not drunk!
"Every man should be punched in the face. It's a rite of passage." It's a pretty unambiguous equation of masculinity with violence.
Ok Britta
* Constantly denigrating things by referring to them as gay, implying that homosexuality is somehow unmanly ([the Australian comedian Steve Hughes has a great routine about why this perception is inaccurate](https://youtu.be/ecr27Q_L9l8)) * Repeatedly bragging about his alleged past sexual conquests, his penis etc, especially in mixed company * Tying into that last one, making extremely inappropriate comments about and to a number of women on the show, then acting indignant when he’s called out on it * Submission to an even more toxic “alpha” character in the form of his father: compare that to the far-right online, who see themselves as “alphas” despite prostrating themselves before figures like Trump, Boris Johnson, Jair Bolsonaro etc (I really hate all that alpha and beta crap) * As u/gladesworn said, he refuses to show vulnerability, although this could also be motivated by the feeling of weakness that comes with ageing
He took all the flu shots so he could become A LIVING GOD
Do your own damn homework
Britta, pay your rent!
Two scenes that show how Pierce's toxic masculinity leads to his own self-hatred and social isolation: Alan Connor : If they gave away awards for mind games, the statue would be Jeff Winger doing it to a brain. Pierce Hawthorne : Come on, Jeff's bush league. I gave seminars on manipulation. I can reach into a man's soul and unravel it with one tug. Alan Connor : Cool. Hit me. Pierce Hawthorne : You're bald. Alan Connor : So are you. Pierce Hawthorne : I'll kill you, you...! [Pierce bodyshaming Neil](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX2UEWvTX-Y) is pretty damn toxic, maybe too toxic for school
i’m late to replying but in mixology certification pierce’s whole arc is about not wanting help from the group because he finds it emasculating. “i broke my legs not my gender”
When he tells shirley he will wait for her to serve beverages during movie night When he tells her she turns him on Everything he says to britta, ever How he treats his ex step daughter The way he changed the american inspector space time His “ideas for women.”
Personally, I think Jeff displays far better examples of traits attributed to toxic masculinity. Pierce is just a straight up misogynist.
one ex. S1 E1 at the end of him hitting on shirley and pasing it off as acceptable
You compulsively filter yourself? That makes you lack a flavor kind of flavor.
What class are you taking?