Finally, NPR has weighed on on what is and is not a Bro.
NPR — yes, National Public Radio — has posted a scientific examination of what constitutes a bro, using a Venn diagram of ubiquitous celebrities to illustrate their findings. It features other sports guys (Tim Tebow represents the “jockish” bro in its purest form), but is centered around Ultimate DudeBro and With Leather favorite Ryan Lochte. According to people who have government funding and nothing better to do with their time, Lochte exemplifies the four defining aspects of bro-dom — jockish, dudely, stoner-ish and preppy. Yeah, I don’t know.
Check it out for yourself:
Further analysis:
Lots of people told us that, yes, a bro is definitely a white dude. (But per Bryan Lowder at Slate, bros aren’t necessarily straight.) Other people said that while most of the bros in our popular culture are white dudes, you could find plenty of bros of color in the real world at places like USC. (Alas, even in bro-dom, people of color are underrepresented in the media.) Some folks suggested that there were lady-bros — think Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids. And, of course, many people drew the distinction between bros and the term bruhs, which has a different (but occasionally still fratty) connotation among black folks speaking to other black folks. (via NPR)
Your tax dollars (and/or contributions from Viewers Like You) at work, everybody.
Congratulations to Ryan Lochte for such a high honor, though. Here’s to hoping What Would Ryan Lochte Do? gets six seasons and a movie.
