Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.2006, Page 55

EINAFERÐ VÓRU MENN
53
interpretations of these cultural models
(Christensen et al., 2006).
Urban youth is less (culturally) conser-
vative than the Atlantic cowboys, still char-
ncterised by a strong group pressure to adopt
and imitate trends from media and popular
culture, and hence their cultural capital
keeps changing character and content.
Urban youths masculinity is not reflecting
the men’s everyday life and family back-
ground in the same degree as the cowboys’
nianliness do.
Many urban boys like to cook and be at
home; they like to go shopping, even to iron
their clothes and to participate in parent-
nieetings at the children’s nursery or school.
Tliey flt lifestyle magazine’s ‘new man’ con-
cept, that presents a soft and homely man
Wlth interests in traditional ‘wonien’s is-
snes’: the home, the garden, cooking, fam-
'ly parties, family holidays, etcetera. This is-
StJes, I have to point out, fit better to stereo-
types of relatively modem women than tra-
hitional Faroese women. It is the ‘responsi-
ble’ and ‘honest’ man in contrast to the sex-
lst and selfish macho man with aggressive
a,id violent behaviour (Benwell, 2003).
Tliese are, indeed, stereotypes that don’t re-
aby echo the differences between cowboys
ar*d urban youths in the Faroe Islands. Many
cowboys are, as mentioned, family-men that
sPend much time with their kin. Their un-
Polished behaviour and vulgar attitudes may
relate to their físherman or working-class
'dcntity, not directly to any sexist macho
style.
Preoccupations with intimacy, friendship, the
nieaning of life, death, love, family, belonging,
sexuality, pleasure, the body and emotions are
a development of the transformations of Westem
societies. TV talk shows become public lessons
in a newly emerging language of intimacy and
ethical decision-making. What were once the
privatc, domestic languages ofwomen are being
projected into the public arena. Men’s lifestyle
magazines are both a part of this trend and a
reaction to it.” (Rutherford, 2003: 4-5)
Urban boys are in general very interested in
leisure life, cultural style, appearance and
individuality, while working life and local
community integration is of secondary in-
terest. Cars are not very important (Voss,
2003). Their preferences are associated to
adventure, experience and social activities.
Petur is 17 years old and lives in Torshavn. He
lives with his parents and a sister, aged nine, in
an old small house in the Western part of the
capital. Petur lived with his farnily in Denmark
for six years, 1990-1996, before the parents
decided to move back to the Faroe Islands. It
took a long time to adapt to the Faroese society
after inany years abroad. Petur is a student at
upper secondary school and is determined to
move abroad, probably to England or USA, to
study economics after graduation. He has
travelled a lot in Europe and North America and
has friends in many countries. He likes to live
in Torshavn, but is not sure that he will come
back after his university studies in foreign
countries, because the islands are “so small” and
many people “so narrow-minded”, as he says.
Petur is interested in modem arts, literature and
movies. He participates in numerous discussions
relating to his interests on the intemet. He is also
a notorious internet-poker player, even if he is
not very proud about it. Until now his connection
to the labour market has been very limited, as
he only has working experiences from two-three
summer work ventures in a supermarket and a
fish factory. He avoids working, if possible,