Gender Unfairness

Gender is kind of a funny thing. Males seem to reap many benefits because of their gender. We even see examples of this in the school system with boys usually receiving more funding in their athletic programs. However, it seems that females have more of an advantage when it comes to the emotional side. Boys, from the moment they begin to speak are taught that they have to “be a man.” In order to be a man, boys are discouraged from showing emotion. They are discouraged from being too “sensitive.” Boys are even sometimes scolded when playing with certain toys like dolls. Young boys are told that these qualities are feminine qualities. However, if a girl wants to play with a stereotypical boy toy like an action figure, it is more socially acceptable. I believe this is one of the oddest aspects of gender.
Society places a double standard on what is okay for both sexes. Woman can take on a masculine role and still be considered a woman. However, if a man takes on what is believed to be feminine traits, he becomes less of a man. I have three very good friends that fit this mold. One of my very good female friends is what you would call more of a tomboy. She plays sports, does not do well showing emotion, and has other stereotypical male qualities. Instead of watching “chick flicks,” she would rather be playing video games. Not only is she socially acceptable, to many guys, her qualities are attractive. The other two friends are both boys. They have what some would call feminine qualities when it comes to their personalities. Neither are afraid to show their emotions. If one makes a bad grade on a test he will sometimes cry. If one is afraid of something, they will share it or even scream if the situation calls for it. One of them even watches typical girl shows like “The Desperate Housewives.” As you can probably guess, many think that they are gay when first introduced but neither are.
In another class, we discussed the differences between homosexuality and heterosexuality. The question was asked “if a girl kisses another girl while on spring break, is that girl homosexual?” The majority of the class said no. She is just a girl having fun. However, the same question was given but with a boy kissing another boy on spring break. The majority of the class thought that the boy would be considered homosexual. This double standard is not fair for males. They are constantly trying to prove themselves as manly and are limited to the actions and reactions they can perform without being considered less then a man. However, women are not limited. They can be stern or sensitive without being made into something they are not. Overall the differences in gender are not fair.

History of Racism

In class this week, my group and I read articles dealing with the history of racism. One of the themes that stuck out to me the most was the way people changed the ways they justified keeping others as slaves. It first started with religion. After many African Americans converted to Christianity, they changed the blame to ancestry. Europeans also justified keeping others in bondage by claiming that they were doing them a favor by taking care of them and believing that Africans were not as smart as themselves. I believe that it basically boiled down to fear. They were afraid of these people rising up against them. By oppressing this other race they kept their power. We call this oppression racism. The prominent race puts down the others in order to stay on top. Although slavery is no longer a factor in today's world, racism still exists.
I see examples of it everywhere in my hometown. The "N" word is thrown around constantly. If you don't say it then you are the weird one. Because it is a small city, it is easy to split up where the races live. Most African Americans live on the worse side of town. I also see this in the school. In my honors classes in high school there were only white people. There were only two non white honor graduates. I blame this on racism; however, it's not obvious. At my school many of the white people including teachers and administrators expect less from the African American students. Therefore these students do not have a reason to accomplish anything better. They are made to feel that they are not as smart as their classmates. Racism is not just saying something bad about another race, its feeling that you are better than them because of their race. As a teacher, it is important that you treat every student the same and teach your students that the differences are what makes us better.