“The average young American man today is moving through a new stage of development, a buddy culture unfazed by the demands of parents, girlfriends, jobs, kids, and other nuisances of adult life. Sociologist and gender studies authority Michael Kimmel has identified this territory as ‘Guyland,’ a place that is both a stage of life and a social arena.”
More from the book flap of Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men. I’m looking forward to reading the book itself. One of the reviewers says it is a companion piece to Reviving Ophelia, in that it introduces readers to the world of young men the way that book did to the world of young women.
What interests me about the direct quote above is the way the words “buddy” and “guy” are used. It reflects the difference between denotation and connotation and the importance of context. In this context, buddy and guy are pejoratives associated with people who have no familial responsibilities and live for their own pleasure. One of the slightly older guys in high school used to greet me with the word “buddy.” I took it as a sarcastic insult, but I think the dictionary definition is just a casual friend. Words.