He is a man of power, a man of strength, a man to be reckoned with. But when Toto, the little dog, pulls away the curtain to the wizard's control room, a scared man with a small voice stands behind the microphone. It is this scene from The Wizard of Oz that Katz uses as an example to show the desire many men have for power. Although most movies geared toward men are full of violence and muscle, Katz said those images are not how most men really are. Men put up a front that is based on extreme ideas of masculinity, he said.
Men categorize themselves by setting stereotypes for men.
They see bulging muscles, which represent power and emotional strength. A man who is physically strong would never be emotionally weak, Katz said of the ideas men have about masculinity. He can't cry over physical pain. Although Katz said many men want to be like the fictional strong and powerful men they see in the media, he also said it is unlikely that people act violently based only on these images. Gerbner, however, said violence on television and in the movies is not the biggest problem.