There’s certainly something to be said about the stereotype of white cis men. A stereotype the University of Kansas is turning into a subject, announcing they will be opening enrollments for a class on ‘Angry White Male Studies’ from next year. And naturally, white men are angry.
The course will explore the rise of the angry white male since the 1950s, particularly focusing on men in the United States and Britain. It will, according to the course handbook, explore “dominant and subordinate masculinities” and connect to “modern rights-based movements of women, people of color, homosexuals and trans individuals.”
Taken by gender, sexuality and women’s studies students, the class seems like a legitimate look into the rise of the male image, specifically of caucasian origin, and its changing attitude within mainstream media and cultures. In other words: an academic look into why white guys are angry they’re no longer the centre of the universe. Seems pretty legit, especially for someone already studying gender? According to a lot of angry white guys, it’s not needed.
Kansas Republican Congressman Ron Estes was one of the first to speak out, labelling the class “hostile” and likely to “divide” the campus. He is, in case you can’t already guess, a white man who is angry about the issue.
Another actually went all out and said he was “angry about this”.
Just like courses on feminism, black rights and LGBTQI laws have made their way into standard university courses, it seems the white male is the newest frontier. And judging by the reactions, it’s warranted.
