Nature vs. Nurture (Gender) Are men and women really different?

1. Analyze the claim
   1. Nature- Men and women are born with different physical attributes and because of those physical differences, their mental and psychological stances act accordingly.
   2. Nurture- Society influences have grown so strong to the point where they shape specific ideas and stereotypes of how men and women should act and think.
   3. Gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals, feminists, transvestites
2. Analyze the reasons
   1. A woman’s body is structured in a way for her to be able to have children. This instills the motherly aspect in a woman’s life. This aspect leads to other psychological and mental differences which women have that men generally don’t. Also, mentally, women seem to mature faster than men.
   2. Men biologically have more strength and muscle. This instills the “manly” and “macho” idea in which most men thrive their selves upon. Their psychological and mental state then forms into this stance and creates the typical “man.”
   3. The reasons, although there are more that branch off from these, are relevant to the claim because they are good examples of how biologically physical attributes shape the mental ones as well.
   4. On the nurture side, women, starting from childhood, are given models of how women should think and act. Videos of helpless princesses, Barbie Dolls with perfect figures, bakery sets, baby dolls, etc all create the motherly aspect as well. This is only the childhood example.
   5. Men, on the other hand, are given big muscular firemen, racecars, and are shown videos of fighting ninjas and big scary dinosaurs. This is also only the childhood explanation.
   6. These reasons are relevant to the claim as well because they are clear examples of how socially related structures all portray the same feminine vs. masculine ideas, starting from childhood and growing as people get older.
3. Analyze the Evidence

Although on the surface American Psycho fits the profile of a slasher movie or thriller, the deeper image of the movie identifies differently. American psycho is a portrayal of modern man’s struggle to fit into society, while balancing the state between sane and psychotic. The film has also taken competition into account, and the common man’s fight to keep his stance in a capitalistic society. Christian Bale’s character represents both the realistic and fantasizing minds through with one battles another in hopes of achieving the American Dream. In order to remove or overpower competition, one must “stab in the back,” “kill likely opponents,” and simply “destroy everyone who gets in the way,” both metaphorically and literally. Patrick Bateman shows signs of his double life using symbolism, all throughout the film. By providing commentary, the audience not only views his appearance and actions, but also gets inside his mind, allowing the possible understanding of his actions throughout the film. In the introduction of the character, Bateman provides the audience with a figurative image as he slowly tears off an applied skin peal, therefore symbolizing the later obvious “mask” worn by Bateman as his anger grows deeper and deeper throughout the movie. As his “mask of sanity is about to slip,” Patrick continues to show his frustration with the world he lives in. In addition, the frequent appearance of the business card and its symbolic image towards competition between Bateman and his co-workers creates a metaphoric and somewhat humorous representation of what causes his anger and hatred towards others. The film provides specific close up camera angels and eerie music during these scenes to specify that these business cards, although appearing relatively the same in every aspect, are important demonstrations of how aggressive the corporate world can be. A frequent ironic expression is also exemplified in the film. The idea of materialism, and Patrick’s obsession with his belongings and outside health and appearance clash horribly with Patrick’s regard for the others around him. Treating his watch, car, apartment, face, and body, etc, with so much tender care and love, and then seeing every woman as a mere sexual object or “eye-candy” suggests this irony even further. Throughout the film, clothing is more important than skin, objects are more important than bones, and the flagrant disregard Patrick gives to respecting other humans is exemplified. Yet, the business itself is not the only aggressive action needed to take place in order to socially fit into a corporate world. Many instances during the film, the idea of reservation making seems to add on more to Bateman's frustration. The concept that if one cannot successfully make reservations at a certain restaurant, they are simply inferior to those who can. The restaurant Dorsia, which is mentioned many times throughout the movie, is the one place Bateman could not get a reservation into. After Bateman's first failed attempt, merely the word "Dorsia" would trigger Bateman's anger. This anger was embellished after Bateman's business rival, Paul Allen, mention his own reservation at the restaurant, therefore undermining Bateman's own egotistical mind and later leading him to Allen's brutal murder. Patrick’s anger, although locked up safely in his manikin of a body, tends to embellish slightly in many parts of the film. Whether he is warning the bartender lady about how he will brutally kill her, or threatening to kill the Asian woman of whom he is frustrated with, Patrick’s random outbursts prove how out of control he is with himself. Control is another key in Patrick’s thinking and actions. The control he wants over everyone around him creates even more anger and frustration when he does not contain any. For example, when Courtney’s wish to have dinner at Doris becomes impossible to provide, due to lack of reservation making ability, Patrick drugs her, in order to hypnotize Courtney into believing that they did in fact eat at Doris and that Patrick had all of the control required to make that happen. When calling in for a prostitute, Patrick makes a specific requirement that she should be blonde and nothing but blonde. In addition he also creates special names for every prostitute and demands that she only answer to that name. Patrick’s power and control thirst, since sometimes unattainable, creates much of the frustration built up in his mind.  

            Set in the 1980s, American Psycho centers its characters around selfish cutthroat competition and workers. The lack of consciousness created by the characters provides the audience with an understandable corporate cultural setting. The creation of the movie and the time period which it was set in (1980s) and released in (1990s) constructs this idea of stabbing in the back, simply to get to the front. The making of this movie, especially being set in a time period of conspicuous consumption and selfishness, provides a good yet gory example of corporate based behavior. This movie was made to cause an eye opening illustration to further demonstrate the start of this corporate competition and how is really has not changed to our current time period. Also the idea of conspicuous consumption is shown and its effect on man, or in this case, Patrick’s behavior. “As wealth accumulates on his hands, his own unaided effort will not avail to sufficiently put his opulence in evidence by this method” (Veblen).

            The main theory presented in the film, although it branches off into other ideas, is the theory of materialism, and the outcomes presented behaviorally by whoever becomes accustomed to it. Materialism is the “preoccupation with the material world, as opposed to intellectual or spiritual concepts, or to the theory that physical matter is all there is” (Philosophy). In addition, the idea that materialism causing man to shadow away any emotion, other than greed and disgust of course, is also presented throughout the film. In fact, Patrick Bateman’s words himself state that he has “no identifiable emotion, besides greed and disgust (American Psycho). For example, while walking through a dark alley, Patrick stumbles upon a cold and hungry homeless man. Although at first seeming truly sincere to help this poor man, Patrick’s mind set changes completely after stating the disgusting smell coming from the homeless man, then leading to the brutal murder of the homeless man, caused by Patrick and his handy knife. Additionally, the idea of smell or appearance is not only responsible to Patrick’s disgust, but also mental attitudes as well. When Gene, Patrick’s assistant, while sitting on the couch obliviously awaiting her death, starts answering questions based on aspirations and dreams rather than indecisiveness and confusion, Patrick immediately hesitates the murder. This demonstrates how disgust, whether physical or mental, is a common cause for Patrick’s frustration towards others. Greed, on the other hand, is the other emotion Patrick seems to contain, while excluding all of the others. Greed “causes the disgraceful corporate scandals that fill our newspapers. Greed is responsible for the endless stress and ruthless competition of the workplace and the strains and tensions” (Greeley). Patrick’s greed, obviously presented throughout the film, not only causes his anger and tension, but also creates the desire to murder the one person whose murder is investigated during the film. Paul Allen, one of Patrick’s largest competitors, is responsible for exploding the greed based anger contained in Patrick’s gut, just waiting to come out.

            In conclusion, American Psycho, although seeming like a typical gory thriller, is so much more once analyzed deeper. Set in the 1980’s, the movie exemplifies the corporate world, materialism and its effects on emotional imbalance, and conspicuous consumption and how each aspect of this crazy corporate time period instigates a psychotic being in each individual, how deceiving looks can be, and how “evil never looked so damn good.”