"The Insecure American Male, and College Rape"

Article here. Excerpt:

'There is a strain of American male whose life is shaped by chronic insecurity. This strain's considerable numbers and pronounced behavior patterns make the phenomenon obvious -- yet largely invisible.

This male's symptomatic behavior is now so common, giving the impression of being the norm, that he is largely invisible, but with a little perspective his oddness becomes apparent. The macho culture of adolescent posturing and compulsive self-affirmation is everywhere: in ads; in the adulation of celebrities; in the stern cross-armed stance of TV anchors; in the alcohol fetish; in the unquenchable thirst for voyeuristic violence; and, of course, in the theatrical cocksure approach to women.

This last is rooted in nature and evident in all cultures -- in various modes, to varying degrees. It stems in part from the rivalry for mates; it also expresses the sublimated truth that many men often are intimidated and overwhelmed by the female persona when it is not reduced to basic eroticism. Maturity involves reconciling all these elements.'