The Crying Game

Noveck, J. (2007, October 24). The Crying Game: Male vs. Female Tears, The

Associated Press.

Jones, G. (2006). Contemporary management (4th ed). McGraw-Hill.

Becker, V., Kucserka, S. (Writers), & Gates, T. (Director). (2007). Grin and Bear It

[Television series episode]. Ugly Betty. Los Angeles: American Broadcasting

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October 24, 2007
“The Crying Game: Male vs. Female Tears” reveals another double standard for males and females. When females cry it reinforces the notion that they are overly emotional, whereas, when males cry the situation must be serious and their vulnerable side is appealing.
In order to understand this double standard, I examined gender schemas or preconceived notions about the traits, attitudes, behaviors, and preferences of men and women. Men are action oriented, assertive, and independent, whereas women are people oriented, expressive, and nurturing (Jones, 2006, p.128). The article provides examples of male’s crying including all the presidents since Reagan, military figure General Norman Schwarzkopf Christmas eve in front of the troops, and Johnny Carson the second to last night of his career. All of these tears were considered justified and accepted by the public. Examples of females crying include Ellen DeGeneres about her dog and Patricia Schroeder when she decided not to run for president. Both received criticism from the public.
Special attention is placed on the women’s emotions when they advance to leadership positions. Bill Maher made the comment, “at this moment when the entire nation is saying can we have a women president? Maybe they’re too emotional. I don’t think this is helping” (Noveck, 2007). Everyone cries but it can only be used against females as a means of holding them back.