Sex & Gender

When thinking about gender, any average person ( including myself ), considers gender a part of our genes. Gender for me personally, is one of those things that I dont think about much, its very simple, "woman" or "man". I also could relate to a piece of the article, "Night to his Day". Judith Lorber says "Gender signs and signals are so uniquitous that we usually fail to note them - unless they are missing or ambiguous. Then we are uncomfortable until we have successfully placed the other person in a gender status;" I actually catch my self sometimes questioning to myself like " Is that a boy or girl", not that its really any of my business. Only when she mentioned that did I notice how often I really do it. And im sure im not the only one who does this. Were almost obsessed as Americans in making sure we have gender markers to define our kids and for ourselves. It is contrinued through naming, the way we dress, and the way we act. In the video "Tough Guise", men are supposed to act a certain way in a box just like Tony Porters man box. Tough guise is a perfect example of the way we socialize our kids to be "men" or whatever a "man" is supposed to be and the way we stress gender so much.

race and ethnicity

This week, I read "Race Matters", and "Mexican Americans and Immigrant Incorportation". Both articles seem to stress how in America the framework is assimilation or having to "simply fit in". Non whites are judged by their skin color, language they speak, and even their social class. Their is a stero type linked to anyone who even says they are "black" or "Mexican". I have many expierances that relate to those when reading these articles. Telling people that I am half Mexican, I get a shocked face, and a verbal response like " Really? oh." and the subject seems to change rather quickly. I have always been very proud to be Mexican and Italian but I always felt I never fit with either side. I consider myself American, like many other people but when society finds out what your race is, opinions change. Their is also a unjustice in the criminal justice system. Not only blacks expierance this but any one who is "not white". In my opinion, America should be accepting of all religions, races, ethnicity and etc, and should not try to "fit in". Unfortunately in many cases this is a part of society that is unfair and wrong.

"people like us"

After watching this video, I felt so bad for the women Tammy at the end. I feel like even if she tried to get out of her lower class it is just about impossible. Im sure like many other people in America, the class system only sometimes allows for those in the lower class or even the middle class to become more than what they are. Unfortunately, many of these people will stay in their class for generations to come, like Tammy father and now Tammy. Their are very little opportunities for the a class to rise to a higher one. The class system in America is based mainly on money. The choices you make, the food you eat, where you live, education, and who you socialize with reveal your class. Because all of these factors, the video explained how America can be compared to a caste system. For example, the upper class and lower class never mix. This also limits opportunties to become a higher class. Their are also " limitations for the poor", and i think that this can be one of them. Without the "mixing" of higher and lower class, they do not know the customs of the social set they wish to be in. This also made me think about how maybe society creates these limitations, and takes away the opportunities for the lower class is because we almost need them in society like in Herbert Gans, argument. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, the class system in society determines who we are.

Posititve Functions of the Undeserving Poor: Uses of the Underclass in America

In Herbert Gans article, he speaks about some functions of the underclass or poor people in society that are not normally spoken about. Society judges the poor by a stereotype, and feel the poor can be a threat to those in mainstream society. Gans notes that because of all the functions of the poor, wheather they are positive or negitive, society need the poorer class in society. Some functions he speaks of the microsocial functions, economic functions, normative functions, political functions and macrosocial functions. When reading through each, I was able to understand more of what he was explaining. Then I thought about how sometimes in society people try to fight to make the richer, less rich, and make the poor, not so poor. Maybe those who are rich and create the majoirty of the laws in our society can stop the gap between rich and poor but instead choose not too. When looking at things from this perspective and given the resons that Gans stated, it almost makes sense that society really does need that gap between the rich and poor even if it is partially out of selfish rich people reasons. This made me realize poor really can be looked at almost essential to our society and our class system in America.

globalization

So, this chapter really caught my attention is so many ways. The connection discussed in the chapter between globalization and crime was the most interesting. The globalization of crime comes in so many different forms with so many different variations of its severity. It can go from something so serious as selling sex slaves from country to country to something that could be considered minor like the selling of fake designer merchandise on the streets of some neighborhoods. One crime that was discussed in the chapter that I never really thought about as globalization was drugs. Drugs are sold, traded, and then sold in our country. But where does the drug trade start? The networks of production, distribution or protection are all a part of globalization. Each plays a major and necessary part in the sales of drugs. Drugs are usually produced in another country other than the United States. If they are produced in the United States they are sold in the country as well as outside the country. The distribution, is transferred from the production place to where its demand is greatest which would equal more money. The protection of drugs and globalization I'm still stuck on so someone should help me :) & the one thing that keeps the drug trade, the cartels, and the money flow continue is the demand for drugs. In chapter six, " About 8,000 Americans try drugs for the first time every single day." Drugs and crime itself are what keeps the criminal justice system alive. With crime, deviance, and the rules that society creates whether official or unofficial, allows for the criminal justice systems existence. Without these, their would be no criminal justice.

Society's way of Socialization

“Killing us Softly”

Jean Kilbourn the creator of killing us softly talks to the audience about the media and its connections with women. She says that 10,20, and 30 years ago the media and advertisers stress how a women should be, the ideal image, like today. Jean speaks about how important a women’s image is and what the image says. Women are given the role of being an object, vulnerable, and inferior to men. She speaks about how women are looked at as objects rather than people. Jean says that when little girls reach the teen years they are forced to become perfection and this is a main factor in low-self esteem, and eating disorders in teens and young women. Society and the media created this image of perfection for women, which is impossible to live up to. The image includes a women to be skinny, tall, and have assets like long legs, and big breasts. Society and the media gives the idea to men that the only reason for women’s being is to be ideal and someTHING good to look at, not even someONE.

Women are supposed to be inferior to men giving men the idea that women are theirs. Jean says the media is also one of the reasons for higher violence, whether it be sexual or physical against women. Advertising gives the idea that violence against women is okay. It gives the “O.K.” to men and creates this idea that violence is erotic and pleasurable. She also speaks about how women are now able to get plastic surgery to create the perfect body and technology can not only create computer touch-ups to a women but make up one using so called “perfect” features from different women to create the perfect one. Jean also speaks about how this rarely happens to men. Men are always portrayed as the dominant one especially over colored women who are sometimes looked at as animals. Sex is also a main factor in media and society. Women are looked at as sexual objects having one purpose; to please men. Sex is on the majority of every magazine cover and throughout ad’s almost everywhere. The media often speaks about sex, but never relationships. In conclusion Jean stresses that advertising and society define women.

“A Call to Men”

Tony Porter speaks about how men are taught to be “men”. He speaks about how men are literally raised to be a man. By society a man is defined as a person who expresses no emotions, is superior to women, shows no weakness, no fear, is the most powerful and dominate, aggressive, not gay, tough, athletic, strong, courageous, and most importantly, not be “like a women”. He speaks of his experiences growing up in the Bronx and how his man box which includes all of the above was in jeopardy for potentially saying no to sex that was unauthorized by the women. He also spoke of a time when shortly after his brother was buried at a young age, his father broke down in tears when the women were not around. He remembers his father saying he would have much rather broke down in tears in front of his son then the women. He says that men, are constantly in a position that requires them to act how “like a man” and have all aspects of those he stated in the “man box”. He also relates this way of how society thinks a man should be to his home life with his own son. He speaks about his daughter. When she cry’s, he says he tries to make everything better. When his son cries, who is only a few months apart form his daughter, he tells him to stop crying and act like a man. He also explains how this idea of a man is stressed at a young age because his kids are only 5.

His next point was about how the “man box”, and everything in it creates more violence for women. He explains that harassment, porn, dating violence, rape, stalking, domestic violence, and sexual assault stems down from this idea of what a man is. He says that because of the “man box” and the rules, women are seen as objects and the only value they have is for a mans pleasure. The idea is a foundation for violence against women. Promoting the stereo-typical idea of what a man is only making it alright for men to be violent towards women. He says that we need to stop teaching our kids that women are inferior to men. We need to make sure our boys know the equality and we need to raise their own boys to know it is okay to not be dominate, to show feelings, and to know the liberation as a man is tied to liberation as a woman and to escape from the stereotypical “man box“.

Both relate to the chapter of socialization because both show exact examples of how our children are being socialized by society. Images from media and television commercials impact our children’s lives in a horrible way. They show fake images that were re-touched or remain and give not only children but women this idea of what perfection is and that’s how they should be. This gives women and young children boys and girls superficial and stereotypical standards that they should supposedly live up to.

Both videos also talk about sex. It is a main factor that people are negatively socialized with. Sex makes women look like objects rather than people. In Tony Porters story he says how his friends raped a mentally ill girl from the neighborhood all taking turns. This shows that she was looked at as a object that everyone from the neighborhood was offered a piece to. In Jean Kilbournes speech she talks about how media makes the women feel like they are objects rather than people. She says that media makes sex the only reason for a women’s being. Not for herself but rather for a man.

Calvin Klein has really racey ads .. & the ironic part - this ad wouldnt even make me wana buy the jeans because I cant even see the jeans !

the social construction

When reading chapter three one thing that mainly stuck out to me was about social interaction. Being social is one aspect that society feels any human being in itself should be. We are all social in some form or another wheather it is a group or even in our own families.

Our communication between our groups or families is what really intrested me. I never actually thought about those little things we do everyday while being social. Waking up in the morning and saying "goodmorning" to someone is a social interaction. Waving, a simple hand gesture, can mean so much and not waving can mean even more.

The way we as human beings interact with each other and our verbal and nonverbal forms of communication also differ depending on culture. In some places something we do here in the United States can often be quite offensive in another country. The situation, culture, time and place can all make a differance in meaning of communication. What we consider a "norm" in the United States may be seen as something so far from a "norm" it can actually be very disrespectful

culture -

Unfortunately a few nights ago I had to attend a funeral for a family friend. I knew that although this was a very sad time, there wouldnt be a better blog topic to write about relating to culture. Death rituals vary among different types of culture. Growing up my family and I would attend a wake, the funeral, and a few days later the burial at a graveyard. Sometimes a memorial mass would be held. Because of my culture as an American and Cathlioc these views are a normal practice for my family and I. In cultures around the world their death rituals are very different. We as Americans may even see them as strange and come up with the question "Why would they do that?" In other cultures, death may be looked at as a happy thing rather than something to cry about. Some cultures leave a persons body to be eaten by birds, mummify the body, self-immolation, or

aboriginal body exposure. Many of these rituals, I found to be very different from those from my own culture.

Who am I?

I am a dreamer, bighearted, delightful, amusing, and funny. I am well organized, independent, and hard working. I never really became influenced by anyone and I have always gone in my own direction or you could say I "march to the beat of my own drum". My goal in life is to stay happy. Its the most important thing anyone can be. My purpose in life .. unknown. Eventually, I hope to find it or create it.