The clip above is a perfect depiction of rhetoric, gender roles, and illustrators. Some of you might be wondering what the heck an illustrator or rhetoric is so let me divulge. First off Illustrators are nonverbal behaviors that accompany and support verbal messages. Rhetoric is a way of using language that is effective and persuasive.
In the clip from this episode that I am choosing to focus my attention about Cam being disgruntled about receiving flowers at his daughters school. This is because he is the “mom-ier” one out of the two of them as described by Mitchell (Cams partner). When a little boy accidentally throws a ball in their direction and he asks Cam to throw it back, Cam (while still be sensitive to being the mom comment) reacts by winding up and throwing the ball at full speed past the child, and into an elderly biker. Watching Cam exclaiming apologies and flailing down the hill towards the elderly man who is now on the ground from the hit by the ball follow this. Which does Mitchell yelling “hands” as Cam ran with sprit fingers also follow up.
Cams mannerisms when we hit the man with the football are an example of illustrators. His nonverbal are reiterating what Mitchell’s message is. Receiving flowers from the PTA at his daughter’s school is reinforcing gender roles in some ways. Not the stereotypical gender roles, because they are a homosexual couple but in keeping with traditional family dynamics, they place the “mom” role on the more feminine of the two males and imparting those designated female gender roles on Cam for his demeanor.
So, maybe it’s time for some self-evaluation? Do you adhere to ascribed gender roles?
Personally, I do ascribe to many imparted gender roles. I, as an Italian woman am typically expected to be domesticated. May this be cooking, cleaning, baking, the works all with a smile because I like it so much. (Yeah right) While I do like to cook for leisure I do not enjoy these things all the time. Regardless, these are things I will most likely adhere to my entire life. So, to my lovely significant other… you are welcome. You will always have fresh socks and come home to a clean house. You can thank the Italian culture I was raised in. But do be prepared for the Italian “emblems” (deliberate nonverbal behavior with precise meanings that are known to most members of a culture) that will on occasion sneak out. It may be a lip bite with the hand gesture under the chin or a simple flick of the “evil eye” hand gesture. Either way your lovely Scandinavian background will keep you questioning what exactly I’m implying, this is my ethnocentrism kicking in J.
Ciao!
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