Hons 392 Homosexuality: deviance from gender roles in America

One of the main things that make homosexuality unacceptable to some Americans is not the sexual orientation of an individual, but the deviation from the gender role assigned to them by society. These people that defy the norms of their genders are dubbed with the title "gender benders". They are left without a gender identity that classifies what they truly are because the American society is only confines them to either masculine or feminine. Betsy Lucal points this out in What It Means to Be Gendered Me, which states that "a person who does not do gender appropriately is placed not into a third category but rather into one with which her or his gender display seems most closely to fit." Each description has its set sex attached to. When this changes, this out group experiences the consequences of going against the norm.

Gender is often associated with appearances, mannerisms, and is always visible. While not all homosexuals deviate much from their gender role, in many cases the homosexual community is immediately identified by their opposite-sex characteristics. Gay men are more likely to be expressive, submissive, and emotional, which are characteristics less valued by society and looked down upon especially for men. Society expects men to be more instrumental, aggressive, and self-reliant. Gay men are more likely to adopt or have feminine characteristics that are associated with women. This can be seen in the way they dress and behave. Lesbians also "gender bend", possessing characteristics like aggression, toughness, and dominance. This leaves society wondering how they escaped the socialization process which is constantly and continually being bombarded on an individual through family, school, work, and the media.

Because these individuals refuse to conform, aggressive attitudes towards them develop. This is seen with the emergence of homophobia in many cultures. While there is discrimination against homosexuals in America, Jamaicians tend to punish this deviant behavior more aggressively showing that it is absolutely not acceptable. In the Caribbean islands gays are constantly and brutally attacked with not much help from the law, and they also face the media's hate through violent music written about them as seen in Tim Padgett's The Most Homophobic Place on Earth in Time Magazine. Similarly in America, these people are called hateful names and made to look like a freak show in public settings. Even though a lesbian may display the desirable male characteristics that society values, they are shunned for deviating from the feminine role assigned to their sex. Gay men are extremely looked down upon for having "weaker women characteristics" and for declining the privilege of being a socialized male. Like many women, they face sexism and discrimination for their femininity.

How do these attitudes still exist in a nation as accepting as America? Culturally, men are seen as the bread winners that provide for their families during an era when procreation is highly valued, especially by families. For women, they are expected to be concerned with house and matters, and are expected to have children. In some areas of America, a woman that has more male children is still valued over mothers of daughters. Homosexuals have a hard time fitting into this traditional family view of things that is still valued in America today. Their deviance from their gender role and sexual orientation goes against the procreation way of things. Naturally, two males and two females are not capable of having children or showing distinguished gender roles based on sex through their relationships. Even when they try to adopt, people fear for the children's socialization process. While the outside world tends to discriminate against these people for going against the gender roles, their families and people close to them tend to shun them for deviating from the norm of a traditional family.

Although the media, school, and family may make these individuals feel like outsiders, socialization in America is changing slowly to accommodate them. This is mostly seen in advertising and the emergence of politically correct terms for them. Some examples of this are seen in advertisements by Dolce and Gabbanna, Kay Jeweler, and Levi. There are more friendly terms like "life partners" that people are using to describe these relationships. Gay activist and support groups have emerged and are allowed to share their concerns without facing as much brutality as in the past and as seen in other countries. America is experiencing more progress relative to some other places like in the Caribbean and Mexico. Europe and Canada are ahead in their accommodation process, while places like Italy are still in the building stages like America. In 2007, and activist group launched a controversial ad showing a baby wearing a bracelet that said "homosexual", symbolizing that sexual orientation is not a choice. Similar things have been happening in our own country, and as a result shows and movies like Will and Grace and Brokeback Mountain are giving future generations a new socialization experience through the media, which embraces and encourages an open attitude towards these deviant "gender benders".

Hon 392: College Identity Crisis

One thing that one notices when entering the college world is that their identity changes. The student not only takes on a new identity, but many identities. It is no wonder that around 80% of college students go through high levels of stress daily according to Pavel Gurnik's article The Truth Behind an Average College Student. It isn't just the school work that gets the students stressing through this transformation, but the transformation itself.

When one is adopted into the college atmosphere they not only hold the ascribed statuses of male, female, 20 years old, or African American, but they also acquire the achieved status as high school graduate, the situational status of freshman, and the transitional status of degree seeker. These are only some of the titles they hold under these statuses. The variety of who they need to be becomes broader at this stage in their lives. As a result, they are overwhelmed with stress. While this analysis may seem surprising considering that people deal with identity and role changes every day, college is an agent of socialization that gives one the opportunity to take on more of these identity and roles than they would have in their average limited environment.

As a socializing mechanism, college's intent is to diversify and broaden its students. Because students on average have only 4 years, they are flooded with many identities to presume at once to undergo this educational experience. This can be overwhelming if one already assumes the titles daughter, sister, employee, friend, female, and tutor. On top of these titles college adds the titles student, researcher, workshop attendee, socialite, adult, writer, resource, and many others. This is especially hard to juggle when under standards of a higher achieving reference group. This can cause the student to view themselves more harshly against the scholars and doctors of the areas of their study. That is overwhelming enough to stir up a good percentage of the stress that they experience daily.

As a whole, humans don't experience stress because the amount of things they have to do, but because of the amount of identities they have to assume. The only reason humans commit the actions they do is because of the psychological and sociological roles they try to fulfill. Because a student has been socialized in the school structure they perform the academic tasks given to them when in the frame of the class. This behavior is also seen in parenting when a mother rushes to mend the wound of her bleeding child. The use of reference sources in society is the essential of how socialization occurs. People presume the titles that those around them assume when placed in a similiar circumstance, and once the majority of a culture agrees on the norms that when it becomes acceptable to presume many of these statuses outside of the ascribed ones. For college students, skipping a lecture or refusing a research project that occurs the same time as a family vacation may seem like a leeway in their new academic environment. When trying to balance being a student, family member, friend, and employee they experience identity overload, which lead to the amount of stress they experience, like many others that significant transitions that require taking on more identities.

In the end, stress is a factor that occurs because of the many identities humans have and the way they view themselves. This view of how one sees themselves in society influences the actions they commit to go along with that perception. Without the worries of a boss' expectations or the hours of studying to pass a test to remain an A student there would be nothing to stress about. Stress is all about maintaining one's image in their society, and college students know all to well about trying too balance their many faces.

Hons 392 Colleges' use of Impression Management

Most businesses use some form of impression management "to control the impression they present during the service encounter" as mentioned in Anne M. Velliquette and Jeff B. Murray's The New Tatoo Subculture. This is also true for educational institutions. Colleges across the world want perspective students to get the impression that they are looking at the academic setting that is best equiped to prepare them for the profession of their choice. For different countries the approach to doing this may look different. In the United States of America colleges range from liberal arts and technical to medical and Ivy League. The U.S. has lots of variety to meet the demands of a diverse people. In certain middle eastern counrties, colleges focus on math and science to appeal to the dominant amount of perspective students looking for careers in those areas. As a result, brochures are packed with academic focused information. Colleges paint themselves as intellectual places where one can obtain success in pursuing their profession. They are careful to make sure the perspective student is not openly shown the disadvantages and risk that go along with studying at an institution.

From my own experience, I have seen the College of Charleston the way the school wanted to portray itself to me as a perspective student and through being an actual student. Using impression management, the college showed me its endless number of majors, study abroad programs, beautiful campus, and three story library. While they did mention certain precautions the college mainly focus on being "my perfect fit" liberal arts college. The dining hall had a variety of stations to accommodate my my specific taste, while the library had many floors on which I could research, study, get my computer fixed, and even grab some coffee for late night studying. Not only did they have adequate modern facilities for learning for those that prefer that, but they also had historical house in which one can take a class or be advised in for those that appreciated historical sites. Most importantly they had a variety of majors taught by qualified professors. To appeal to my interesting in writing in English, they could offer me the option of taking a class with the published author of Jewel, Bret Lott. I was under the impression that this was my college heaven.

As a student, I got to see the elements of the college that were less dislayed to the "customer". One of the stigmas the college deals with is being a called a party school, which is something that I had no knowledge of being an out-of-state student. My impression of what partying was like was managed by a website pictures of a flash rave in the library--good clean fun. It wasn't until orientation that they started revealing how they deal with the large number of students abusing alcohol and administering alcohol education test. They also painted themselves as a well secured place with public security call boxes everywhere and security walking around. By doing this they down played the crime that I now get more information about now that I am a student. Just last semester I got about five security alert emails in one week.

Looking at the broader picture, this is something that colleges across America and the world deal with. While MIT is a well-known, prestigious technical school it doesn't tell its perspective students that it has a high suicide rate and other factors that can have an influence on the students academic life and well being (Matrix: The Magazine for Leaders in Education April 2001 by Al Branch). When adressing many of these issues euphemism is used to water the issue down to a norm, as seen with the way strippers describe themselves as exotic dancers and socially justify their occupation in Jacqueline Lewis' Learning to Strip. In this same way colleges use statements like, "that can happen at any school" when asked specific questions about a problem that they are dealing with. This is also seen in countries like Iraq where educational reforms are being made and education is being promoted, but emphasis isn't being put on the fact that there is the risk of schools being bombed.

In conclusion, controlling what others think is an informal norm used not only in the business world, but also the education world. The usage of this technique is popular because it is what society responds to. As Machiavelli conveyed in The Prince, the way to gain control over a group of people is by giving them what they want. In this case, educational institutes are doing just that, but kicking the dirt that comes along with the attachment under the rug. Because the average student wants the academic opportunity presented to them they tend to allow these institution to affectively use this technique and gain power over their perspectives. As a result, some don't obtain the diploma or career they intended because of mental break downs, sexual assult, addictions, and other temptations and vulnerabilies that come with studying at a university.

Hons 392 The Snaf healing ritual for boredom: looking at American attitudes toward entertainment from an outside perspective

Snaf are an interesting group of individuals that live in various areas in North America. They often unite to attend massive events called strecnoc. This is where they come to worship their idols. There are snaf of all ages that gather around a platform where they listen to the screetching of their idols. Everyone chants the incantations lead by the icon. Inbetween the chants some scream, while others pass out from shock. At some of these strecnoc events the snaf get the lucky chance of being apart of the human bed built for these idols. They crowd together with their hands up for the highly praised icons to lay on. The icon is then tossed around above the crowd and then replaced to their elevated station. Others get the chance after these strecnoc to have these idols mark them or their possesions with ink. When it is all over most walk away with garments that mark that they had wittnessed the chanting of the highly acclaimed icon. These people believe that these strenoc events will temporarily cure them of boredom and add excitement to their lives.

When viewing entertainment in America as an outsider, events like concerts with cheering fans may seem a little odd. In his article Body Ritual's among the Nacirema, Horce Miner explored American attitudes about the body from an outsider's perspective. Using this same approach with the example of a rock concert, entertainment can be seen as something that is regularly sought and praised in the American culture. This leads one to assume that boredom is something that Americans do not easily adjust to. If there is nothing to do or worry about, things are created to fill this void as seen with sports, music, movies, theater, and televsion shows. About 99% of American households have a least one televsion according to the A.C. Nieslen Co. This quantitative data shows how entertainment is culturally embraced. This observation and accertion is supported with both quatitative and empirical information which is important in using the scientific method on social commentary. Without even a conducted experiment, one can see how a crowd reacts when their favorite sports team has won a game or their favorite actor is seen emdorsing a certain brand. There is lots of yelling and everyone thinks they must own that product. In the example above, an outsider observing a concert would see how the entertainer is highly praised by the crowd, and would assume that the singer is some diety being worshipped. This seems like an over-the-top analysis of how amped up the enterainment industry is in the average American home, but magazines like Star and the Inquire dedicate their existance to bringing Americans every detail about their entertainers and entertainment. One remarkable evidence of how the American society as a whole "bows down" to their cure for boredom is the amount of money they spend to obtain this cure. Just this weekend the film Avatar grossed $34,944,081 (www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend.chart).

Not only do the "snaf" spend lots of money to entertain themselves, but their entertainers are also paid well. The average actor gets paid around $50,000 which is $10,000 more the the average salary of an elementary school teacher (http://www.payscale.com/). This shows what Americans are more enthusiast about in comparison to eduction, which other cultures embrace more severely. Some Asian countries pay their educators $20,000 more than American, showing that they culturally embrace education more than average Americans. As an outsider looking in, one might think that entertainment is the god of America. In less dramatic terms, it would be seen as something that is higly valued in the American culture, which would lead one to assert that boredom is something that most Americans find intolerable or unacceptable.

Hons 392 Haitian Law Enforcement: Personal Troubles or Public Issues

The law enforcement system in Haiti has come unraveled since the devastating earthquake. This has left the country in the hands of looters and criminals. For the surviving locals this has become both a social trouble and a social issue. In most countries like the United States and Great Britain law enforcement is seen as a social issue and is left in the hands of government under stable conditions. According to Tom Leonard's article Haiti earthquake: law and order on a knife edge, now that crime in Haiti has grown relative to the population, locals are helping law enforcers by cracking down on offenders with severe violence. The people are starting to see these criminals as personal violators of their safety. Because this rage and fear is spreading vastly among the individuals it has also become a public issue. The people are stepping up to fight the inadequacy of the police force cause by this natural disaster. These individuals feel like they have to protect the little bit of civilization they have left. It can be seen as a personal trouble in the sense that values cherished by the individuals are threatened. The organized component seen in an action embraced by the masses makes it a public issue. This analysis of this event is based off the definitions of personal trouble and public issues given in C. Wright Mills' The Promise. The people are beginning to see law enforcement as their responsibility. When asked about the public's violent participation in law enforcement, one of the natives said, "It's not good justice but if they don't do it nobody else will."

For most, fear is the catalyst for this meshing of public issues and personal troubles. This shows that natural disasters and huge social disturbances can cause a shift in how individuals view themselves and their situation relative to society. In this particular event, the Haitians made law enforcement a personal responsibility and crime a personal trouble for themselves, while the average middle class American living in a stable environment sees law enforcement as the government's responsibility. When the United States dealt with the natural disaster of Katrina, similar shifts in individual's views were also seen. These disturbances shook the social order and perspectives of two different cultures showing that any society is susceptible to shifts in what is considered personal troubles and public issues when fear and disaster strikes.

I learned from the best

So earlier when it was yesterday, I did two important things: I bought my father's Christmas present and I visited my old high school. The Christmas shopping went as expected. I walked in the store, went to the planned destination, and grabbed the sought item (which happened to be four dollars less than I thought). Then I drove to my old school and waited until the school day ended before entering. Got some praying done in the forty minutes I waited. Then things started piecing together like a puzzle. Of course, I thought I had something to do with it, but it was all God.

I walked into the building, and a smile of fimilairity crept across my face. I couldn't even contain it. Yep. I went around smiling like dork. I instantly felt like I was a student again, but once again I was working on a time limit. I had 15 minutes to visit Schetski and somehow make time to run into Mr. Wallace. It wasn't too much work though. All I had to do was walk into Schetski's class, and the rest unfolded nicely. He happened to have bus duty with Mr. Wallace, which I discovered when I followed him to the bus ramp. We talked for a little while. I discovered that our school is getting "more better" with time in our art competitions. I'm proud of us. I got to brag a bit about how I met Tim O'Brien, and talk about my classes and my major. Unfortunately, before I knew it I was out of time like Cinderella at the ball. I wanted to stay and talk longer. I wanted to visit all of the other teachers that had an impact on my life. See how they all have aged gracefully. Tell them more about my college adventures. Have intellectual conversations about what I've learned. At least visit your classroom. Thank you all one more time. But this time I left in peace with where God put me. I don't have any regrets or things I wish I could have changed because God allows things to happen in His timing and I'm learning to trust that. I smiled and said goodbye, and I've never trusted You more. Every grey is one step closer to Wisedom and seeing Divinity.

PS. I saw four random things that made me smile on the inside on my little visit: Swerin and his kids (talk about dedicated dad), the portrait I did of Mrs. Summerford hung neatly beside the door, Kayla from CFC last year, and Jessica from CFC my sophomore year (She was visiting too).

Dear God, I will continue to pray........

Purple Rain

While my title has nothing to do with how my day went, my life feels like the guitar solo of that song right now. There is some intense excitement, vocal relief, and yet a nice melody to follow with the routine beat on the drum. So how does this parallel? Well, I can't explain the excitement that I feel now that exams are over and I can have some mental relief. That feeling was followed by time with friends who lent their comfort, and now I can fall back into my routine. Before this my day consisted of:

6:30 am- up studying for French exam
8:00 am-10:00 am - French exam
10:00am-11:45am - studying for astronomy exam
12:00pm -2:00pm- astronomy quiz and exam
2:00pm-3:45pm- revising a 6 page paper that was due at 5
3:45pm-4:00pm- printing the paper in the library
4:05pm-4:30pm- turning paper in at teacher's office

This is where my day starts going into that solo. Not only was I done, but I discovered that I made an A on my British Literature exam that I took earlier this week when I went to turn in my paper. I will have to admit that it was a tempting factor for luring me to major in English, but I just smiled humbly wishing I were taking another English class in my near future. I feel comfortable with my major. After all, what is better than learning English, but teaching it. I must say my teacher's bragging was a little bit of a confidence boost. I will have to swing by to visit her some time to talk about literature, whenever I am being deprived of it next semester.
Oh yeah...back to the schedule:

4:30pm-5:00pm- watching videos on youtube with Jacob
5:00pm-6:00pm- public library with Jacob and Erica (I saw my fill-in astronomy teacher there with his daughter. I always feel fuzzy inside whenever I see the human side of my insructors, especially when they are spending time with their children. This is proof I should be a teacher. I smile a little inside everytime a see a family especially when it is children experiencing one-on-one time with one of the parents.)
6:00pm-7:00pm- dinner with Erica, Jeff, and Elizabeth (first meal of my busy day might I add)
7:00pm-now - computer, music, and phone time.

Now for a random note to end things on: I can't say the Lords prayer without singing it after listening to Jon Foreman's "Your Love is Strong". We will see if I can control myself Sunday when I go to church with Jeff.

Copy Cat

So I saw that everyone else had a blog, and I thought "Why not me?" This is an awesome way to force myself to write about life and stuff. Warning: If you somehow stumbled across this blog, I must warn you that my life isn't that interesting. You will most likely be bombarded with boredom and theology.

So....the most interesting part of my day includes a smile, a farewell, another smile, small chat, and some Bad Girl's of the Bible. None of these have anything to do with each other except that I can remember them, which is a miracle since I've turned into a homework robot lately. This weekend all I could remember was nuclear fission, cosine, the asteriod belt, and anti-derivatives. These little events in my day reminded me that I was a human being again with thoughts and feelings. But this too shall be short lived because the thought of exams next week is ringing in my head, and soon nothing will exist but those limits, subjunctives,and jovian planets. This is why it is crucial to record my humanly responses to these things that reminded me that my existance is why the planet earth was so special.

My response to/ (thoughts):

smile #1/farewell
We are going to miss you too! You're the reason I sort of kinda want to be an astronomer, but not really. Have fun in China!

smile #2
I wish I weren't attracted to you.

small chat
Ahh......physics again. You never seize to suprise me. Why is it that whenever I have quiet time outside you always show up? Can't say I mind it though. Guess I'm just a people person.

Bad Girls of the Bible
So God are You saying I could have actually had a life before and You would have used me and made into who I am now? I already know the answer to this question.