Summary of "Understanding Sexual Orientation."

The article talks about the general misconception that the world is mostly either heterosexual or homosexual with only a few bisexuals as the buffer between them. It also says about how there is a misconception that whatever orientation a person is, is set in stone. Both this and the view that homosexuals are recognizable by certain features whether it be higher voice, a different way of walking(perceived as feminine) or other things that these are indicators of personality and even deeper what sort of partner the person wants. The interesting about this is how widespread it is that even the psychiatrists have the same mistaken opinion as the public.
According to the article what we need to do is to realize this is not a personality trait or something in the physical makeup of the body or brain that makes a person a heterosexual or a homosexual rather it is a persons choice. We see that by cases where people fluctuate back and forth. This shows us that it has more than just the biological makeup because if it was biology a person would just stay one way and not be able to change yet we have seen in the past that there are changes and there are only a few races that are purely one and not the other. Most of them, however, have both mixed in with their history and make them who they are today.

Process of Socialization.

Socialization is the process that makes us who we are. You are socialized everyday, and everyday it is changing you whether you realize it or not. Society influences what we consider normal and what sort of foods we eat and even what sort of entertainment we like. It can tell you what sort of job you are going to have and what sort of life you are going to lead. If you are labeled as being part of the lower part of the social chain you may find yourself having a harder time finding a job, or not being able to fit in easily. Being socialized has consequences both good and bad. If you follow the rules of society and you have a good status you will reap the profits which such a status gives to you. But if you do not have a high status you will suffer the consequences whether they be large and noticeable such as being left out of the group or people thinking that you are strange.
I find that the way I am socialized here in CUNY is alot different then the schools I have grown used to. So while I may have adapted more then I did last semester I still think I am still in the process,and after this reading I now realize this is a constant process going on every second of every day.

Summary of the video of "Tough Guise."

Our culture expects men to put on a front of toughness or else face the consequences of being labeled deviant and being subjected to both verbal and physical abuse. Basically men are confined to the “man box.” Proof of this trend that men have pressure to act tough is the statistics that show that most assaults and murders are committed by men, and while lots of the victims are female there are also a lot of male victims to this violence as well. Another factor brought up is that those who are abused as kids often abuse their kids and thus continues the cycle.

Another trend we have now is that when crimes are mentioned that involve the majority they leave it out and just mention the crime without questioning why men did it,but if the very same crime was to be committed by a woman then it would be all over the news scrutinizing how and why she would do such a thing. Part of our societies reinforcing these values that men have to be strong and in control is the fact we see in action figures that the muscles increased meanwhile females who used to have fuller figures are now being shown as smaller and weaker.

The reason for the violence against gay and lesbians are because the majority feel threatened and it is for this very same feeling that Reagan rode the wave into office, promising to bring back some of the old ways.

Men who feel inferior are often seen displaying “hypertoughness” to compensate for their perceived weakness and sometimes their body size and lack of muscles and try to control with their motions and the way they present themselves to make up for it as well as acting more aggressively in order to maintain their manhood because if they did not then they would be seen as deviant and not keeping to the strict adherence of the “man box”. However our misguided society instead of recognizing that the problem lies with what we hold as the norm for manhood blames it on other things such as video games and movies which almost definitely contributes to it but is not the foundation.

Men are socialized mainly by the media that real men keep things to themselves and to deal with it. The media sends this message out with the likes of the”Marlborough man”who claims that a man should be independent and if not and is not strong it is his fault.

However nowadays people are learning that vulnerability is a good thing and we see it getting a more positive public response such as Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire friendship despite both being alpha males competing with each other and being of separate race. Another example is of Chris Reeves who used to play superman and was a symbol of power, he suffered a accident that left him wheelchair bound but his character shone despite what his body could no longer do and for this he received respect and admiration of many.

In the words of the commentator the way to solve this problem is that “courage is not going with flow of violence but rather breaking the cycle”. If more people have this courage,the real courage we may stand a better chance at making the world a better place to live in.

Summary of "A Different Glass" and "HOw Jews became white folk.".

I am going to summarize in this weeks blog two things that I have read. The first one is called “A Different Glass”. The glass that is being referred to in the title is history and what it means is that history is not just one point of perspective it is shared by many people of many ethnicities and races. The same story experienced by two different groups is often experienced and told over in two very different ways. This article discussed different types of immigrants that came to the United States and each one of these groups has contributed to our culture in one way or another and they all experienced trials and tribulations whether it be racism or a sense that you are not one of “us” but rather you are one of them and that makes you the outsider. Whether it be blacks who were brought here forcibly and turned into slaves that set the stage for many crises that would happen as a result in the future or the Chinese who came here seeking opportunity for a better life only to be turned away by a new law against immigration. The article goes on to list several others including Jews,Irish,and Mexicans who became strangers in their own land as a result of boundary shift due to the war with America.

If you take any one of these stories and read it by itself you have a incomplete view of the United States. But take all these stories along with what the uniqueness of each one and how they contributed to society and you get a large diverse nation which despite its various backgrounds and the being plagued by racism has been trying constantly to make the land more equal and to ensure the equality of all men. But as important as it is to recognize that we are all equal it is equally important to recognize our uniqueness in where we come from. Which is why it is very important to pass over stories about our ancestors and our history that makes us all who we are as individuals so at the same time as we are also aware how different we are and how we all contribute something new through being unique to the betterment of mankind.

My summary of “How did Jews become white folks” is that the author says that they take credit for their accomplishments by pulling themselves up by their bootstraps and getting education and getting themselves to where they are through their own hard work and perseverance. However the author begs to differ in this opinion saying that while this is indeed a factor the main reason is because of affirmative actions such as the GI bills which provided a opportunity to veterans for a college education and thereby a chance to become professionals. He gives the example of 1 percent of Bostons Jewish population being doctors to 14 percent which is what it shot up to after the bill was passed. So education as well as economic opportunities contributed to Jews being able to more accepted in society and being able to advance despite the previous antisemitism which was illustrated in such articles which call them unclean and uncouth and unrefined and if they had a disease they would spread out and spread it like a sower. And at that time it a widely accepted piece.

So if the reason for the Jews becoming more accepted and being raised in society is because of affirmative action is because of this bill what about women and blacks who served as well and should have had benefits? For women the reason is because many of them were part of the auxiliary and when they were re-mobilized many of them made a mistake in what was happening and went home. The blacks were not able to get it because they were given dishonorable discharges whether deserving or not the latter being the case most of the time. They also faced discrimination at colleges which did not want to accept black students and the black colleges at the time faced overcrowding leaving a staggering 15,000 blacks who tried could not attend their college either.

Summary of "People Like Us".

This week's blog is a summary of the video of “People Like Us”. We are all unique, but we all have some niche that we belong to. What makes up that niche is hundreds of different factors where and to whom you were born, where you were raised and live, if you have both parents and what sort of car you drive, etc.

The drive for people to fit in is so strong that they buy objects which they do not use that will sit on the shelf and collects dust. So, what makes a person who they are? Is it money Is it whom you associate with? Is it your family and what connections you have? The opinions on this are numerous and a lot of them are charged with emotions.

A lot of people want to be a part of the higher class, even if its only a little higher than them. Some people work very hard at trying to fit in with the higher class. Some do a decent job and are able to fit in somewhat, while others stick out like a sore thumb leading the actual well-to-do people to wonder how did they get in?

Supposedly,America is where we all have an opportunity to get higher, it just requires hard work. However, for most people, that is not the way it works. The way it works is that you are likely to stay where you are and the way you were raised and maybe if you are lucky maybe you can raise your class by a little bit. So basically what you are born as is what you are destined to be for the rest of your life and probably for future generations.

The undeserving poor.

This weeks blog is about poverty and the undeserving poor,based on the article we were given to read. According to this article there are 13 positive points that poverty serves society ranging from that it sets a order of norms. Because without the deviant then what is a norm? One of the purposes it serves is that it creates jobs for other people who will try to reach out and help those of the undeserving poor. But the problem with this is,as stated by the article is that since these people have no power they are given very little resources to be helped and the help ends up not doing anything for them.

Another problem as illustrated by the author is that the more fortunate persons view the less fortunate as a threat some times more then others(Like during a economic slump). whether a physical threat like mugging or physical violence or economic threat like taking away jobs and depending on welfare and taxpayers dollars.

These are definitely good points I agree with them. As long as we continue to do what is comfortable instead of what is right things can only get worse and as we continue to not do anything

Deviance

What is a deviant? A deviant is someone who does not follow the norms of society. Now, as we discussed in class, what is considered deviation and who decides what is considered normal? Behavior that makes sense to the majority is usually considered the norm (not necessarily does one have to do with the other). My blog today is to discuss what is possible reasons behind deviance. People want to fit in and have friends. So, what causes someone to act out of the norm and draw (negative) attention to themselves? There are several possibilities. The first one is that they know what the norm is and for whatever reason they feel that it does not apply to them, such as people who park in no parking zones with phony plaques (like the incident in the Post today alleges) or that it does not conform with them when really it should be the other way around. Another possibility is that it can go against the persons values and ethics; just because you see a bunch of people doing things does not necessarily make it right, and in this persons eyes this is not what they view as the correct way (such as an orthodox Jewish man not being able to shake a woman's hand even though he has nothing against her, but this is against the norm since most people would give the handshake without even batting a eyelash). The third way is that the person has something wrong with them and does not want to or is unable to adapt to society's norms. (Possible reasons behind this are to seek attention whether its positive or negative).