Gender

Men have always been portrayed as being tough, masculine and in charge. Heaven forbid anything less. In tough guise, men are described as the dominant culture. Crimes committed by men, like murder are not as shocking as a woman killing a man. The gender overview is that a man is bigger and stronger than women. Dolls with men portrayed as being large frame and woman who were larger in the 50’s and 60’s, but today are expected to be smaller due to their status and being reduced by the masculine, larger strong man.

Men like Howard Stern who degrade woman and makes light of truly violent situations Gender inequality freely encouraged by an influential media figure who is embraced by some as being the “norm.”

Homosexuals being degraded for not meeting the “man box.”

In Understanding Sexual Orientation, it says that “every individual is innately-inherently-either heterosexual or homosexual.” It also says that “from the time of birth one is fated to be one or the other.” That gay and lesbians are recognized by their personality traits. Chapter nine tells us gender is adapted. I agree. Instead of fostering what is natural, we encourage boys to be tough and girls to be dainty and even fragile. It saddens me to think that a boy or a girl who doesn’t meet the “norm” is stigmatized and reduced. Constant debates in our country over gay marriage, a woman’s right to choose and now who will be our next president. Notice two issues are really gender related. Gender being assigned by our political leaders and the people in our country who are so determined to make these people what they consider to be normal. If we know gender is adopted, then why all the expectations. Sexuality and gender are two different things yet related by society as what is the norm in the same sense. Can a gay man love football or a lesbian have long hair and wear make up?

I believe we should be our natural self. Homosexual, heterosexual, boy, girl, blue, pink. Even if you don’t believe in God you must know we were somehow created to be ourselves. Whoever that may be should be our own decision.

I have truly enjoyed this class and have learned there is more to the individual, gender, class, race, culture and history than I could have imagined. I loved all the lectures from our great professor and all the perspectives of my colleagues. While I am in my pursuit of a career in Social Justice, I hope to take all these things into consideration as I look at every human being I come across in my path. Stay true to yourself and allow for knowledge. Its through our experiences we truly come to understand our lives and all that surrounds us.

Peace and Love until we meet again……..

　

　

Segregation

Segregation 's existence in our own neighborhoods because of societies idea on what class a neighborhood should be.

I grew up in a lower class neighborhood that to this day is segregated. Separated by a park, the back and the projects are like two different neighborhoods. The back consists of low or working class people where the projects consist of low or working class people. What makes us different? Well, today its the yuppies who moved here to be close to the city and then you have the projects whose majority consists of African American and Hispanic population. When I was growing up I was bused to school because my parish school closed and we went to a clustering parish school along with other kids from the Hook including kids from the projects. We seemed to conform because the kids from the school didn't want us there and treated us all like out caste whether we were black or white. Eventually, we all mingled together and I made some lasting friendships even to this day. My best friends were Irish, Italian and African American. My friend who lived in the projects would have us over while her mother worked and I remember loving how she had the privacy of her own room. My apartment was railroad and I shared a one bedroom with two of my sisters while my older sister lived downstairs and my brother with my parents on the top floor. To me we were crowed and to my friends, we had a lot of space. The neighborhood back then was a mix of whites, blacks and hispanics.

Reading Fences and Neighborhoods:Segregation on 21st Century America takes me back to those days. I guess I forgot how segregated our neighborhoods are. To think of the disadvantages people have because of race/ethnicity is just sad. To work so hard to achieve a goal such as buying a home and be limited to where you can or would want to live because of societies categories just breaks my heart. I recently went to a friends house in the projects for a memorial for his wife who passed away. I was with my priest and as we entered the building a Hispanic woman approached us and told us to be careful that we would be robbed. I laughed and told her I grew up in this neighborhood and she laughed as well.

My parents took pride in our neighborhood for its variety. My dad's friend Ms.Barbara sending us the best fried chicken on Sunday's was something I will always remember. My neighborhood has changed and it seems more white folks are moving in but I notice the integration  that seems to be working well and pray for unity and equality that will allow for everyone to own a home or even rent wherever they want and feel welcome and comfortable in what they are paying for.