During this course, you have become aware of hegemonic practices of racism, sexism, heterosexism and classism as they have intersected with the representations of gender in popular culture. Some of the issues you have been resistant to acknowledging because of personal experiences to the contrary. Some of the structural and institutional issues have felt “true,” even when your individual experiences have been different.
In this last blog post, I want to see you bring the intersectionality issues of race, class and gender together by discussing the way they relate to one another. (You are certainly free to bring in other issues related to minority groups such as religion, national origin/ethnicity, etc. – but be sure to talk about the ways that these issues intersect.) THEN discuss ways in which you believe that you can make a difference in the world – in your everyday acts/behaviors regarding these very important issues.
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In this course, I have become very aware of what a hegemonic culture is and the way in which it has affected gender, racism and social class. I realized that that our society is structured through a dominant, white, heterosexual male point of view. This makes them the dominant race in our society, which automatically leads to the suppression of anyone else in a separate category. These structures all intersect because it leads to a patriarchal society, in which the leading class is a white, heterosexual male.
ReplyDeleteThis division of classes has lead to many ideas that hurt our culture. Sexism emerges, and you can see males dominantly lead higher paying jobs. Racism all plays a role in this because any race that is in the minority group is at an automatic disadvantage in our society. I even admit, that I always thought, this is America, and we all are striving to reach the same American dream and goal in life. I thought that despite differences in race or gender, if you work hard enough, you can achieve anything you want to. I learned by taking this course that this is not necessarily true. I will never know the disadvantages to not being white (the dominant race) and I will never be positioned in a way that my race can disadvantage me like what happens to minority races in America.
I feel like I can make a difference in my everyday life by simply acknowledging the privileges that I was born with. I never thought that I was of a privileged class just by being born white. I think that by realizing this, I can then understand how the structures within society. It will also help if I am more accepting of the struggles of other classes. Also, by being more aware of the dominant structures in our society can help me understand better the way in which the world works. By informing others of the ideas that I have learned in this class can help spread education and thought of these structures.
Throughout our lives, there are any number of choices we can make about how we present ourselves to the world – and many more where we have no (or little, without extreme measures) choice. Those choices we are able to make and those choices made for us all serve as the “operational assumptions” that made the rules for how we are allowed to function in that world.
ReplyDeleteOf course, those assumptions we make about others and that others make about us are frequently ridiculously off-base. The concept that simply because we know someone’s religion, skin color, ethnic heritage, and sex – we know how that person thinks, what they are capable of, and the experiences they have had is simply laughable. My sisters and I grew up in the same house, experienced many of the same experiences, had all of the same opportunities for education, same religious upbringing, etc. But each of us has led very different lives – from our incomes, to our religion, to our class, to our political beliefs. We don’t even remember the events of our childhoods the same. So if three people who have so very much in common are so very different – how on “God’s green earth” can we presume to make assumptions about another person from any combination of outward signs. We can learn about the beliefs of different religions, we can learn about the history of a region and more, but we cannot be fooled into thinking that that knowledge teaches us anything about individual people. The only way to learn about another person is to ASK them, LISTEN to them, SHARE with them. Every time I have engaged with another human being, I have found far more similarities than differences.
This is not to say that our differences don’t matter, they absolutely do. As one of the essays said, some white women are worried about their children rejecting them while other African American women are worried about their children being shot in the street on their way to school. That difference matters and holding hands and saying we are all in this together is FALSE and insulting to the people who cannot or don’t wish to leave a war-torn country or a poverty stricken reservation. We of privilege (which I hold to ridiculous levels) must be willing to humble ourselves and learn from those who have not had our privileges. We are ignorant of many of the ways a human can be hampered, hurt, and humbled. We are NOT their saviors, we are their partners in trying to forge a society where systemic oppression is replaced with the odd mis-informed, rude person – but who only has the power to ruin your afternoon – NOT your life.
Before this class when I thought of race I thought of minorities. Before this class when I thought of gender I thought of women. Before this class when I thought of class I thought of lower class. Now after having spent a semester learning through discussions and textbooks, my mind is completely open and aware. I am now aware of my privilege as a white person, I am aware of my colorblindness and I am aware of the inequality among sexes. While having all this new information, I am feeling a bit confused and lost as to what to do with it all. Society wants us to hold back our knowledge and stay in the moving sidewalk of life, but I have already found myself starting discussions about race, class and gender with my friends. I know now how important it is to step off that moving sidewalk and form your own path in life, even if everyone is telling you otherwise. I can honestly say that I have grown as a person and will now see everything through a new set of eyes.
ReplyDeleteThe interconnectedness that race, class and gender have is something that is extremely unknown for most individuals. It is difficult to see how these three very different sections relate however they all lead to the hegemonic idea of a white upper-class male. It is shown through women’s inability to make as much money as men in the work place, held back by the “glass ceiling” and through a lower class Hispanic family unable to afford a house in a safer environment due to the limitations they face in the work face. Minorities in America rates of poverty and unemployment are almost doubled that of white Americans. In order to deal with any three of these issues we need to also deal with the other three; you can’t solve one without the other.
As a white American I really never realized the privilege that I have, people don’t see my race because white isn’t visible to them, I never worried about money because I grew up in a well off family. I thought it was very interesting in class when a peer said that she does not ever think about race and it was brought to her attention that of course she doesn’t think about race, she is white. It is difficult to imagine that while I did nothing to become white or deserve it, that in turn I am given many privileges and “advantages” in my life. I think the biggest issue right now is the way in which anyone different feels about them self in mainstream society. There is such a huge importance on fitting in, and being like everyone else and looking like everyone else, that it creates a break if anyone is different, they feel like “others”. As an Integrative Studies Major with a concentration in Elementary Education, I will use this knowledge everyday in dealing with a diverse classroom of children. Diverse classrooms include students falling under such sub-categories as economically disadvantaged, LEP (Limited English Proficiency) and students with disabilities. Many schools have an inclusion classroom meaning that all different types of learners and students all learn in one classroom. I think that I will be able to educate my kids on the importance of feeling comfortable in your own skin and being open minded about other people’s experiences. It is so important to have a classroom that is a comfortable setting where the kids feel welcome and accepted. Learning about these issues at a young age will help them to better understand the issues as they get older and to being asking questions about society’s role.
We are so used to our societies requirements that we are expected to conform to, that it is actually sometimes hard to see the boundaries that they create. In Pink Think we learned about how certain behaviors are basically taught to us from birth. Girls act like this and boys have to act like that. It is ingrained in us and only when someone does not conform do we notice that these exist. I remember reading the text and almost laughing at the bizarre way people were thinking, but the truth is that the articles in the book were accepted a couple of years back. And it is sad to say that at times we do not even question what society dictates as the “norm”.
ReplyDeleteToday, society still focuses on the binary that exists. It is these binaries that shape what it means to be “normal”. In our society it is the “norm” to be a white, heterosexual, male and only when you do not meet certain of these aspects do you experience the –isms that exist. It is far more difficult for a man to understand or identify sexism than for a woman, because the dominant male privileged becomes invisible to men. In a similar way, the readings and the video, Making Whiteness Visible made me aware of the white privilege that still exists and how even though as a white person, you may not be a racist, you still benefit from being born white. You also do not realize that white privilege exists, because as a dominant group you become invisible and you do not identify colour. A white person does not think of being white as a black person confronts that issue everyday in a white dominant society.
As we continued through the semester, the readings became much more intense and complicated. I began to see how none of the issues we have discussed could be viewed by itself, but rather that they are very closely related to one another and that they intertwine. Last weeks’ reading was especially an eye opener for me when I read the statement that “sexual victimization as a defining feature of American slavery (page 235)”. These issues, racism, sexism are used to dominate and control groups.
I know that we are not able to change the world overnight. But we are capable of starting conversation on these issues. We are able to introduce a new perspective to people. I think that it is very important to have the knowledge or at least know where to find the information that you need when someone asks you a question. Another way to start change was mentioned by one of the presenters during my Safe Zone training. If you are in a situation where someone makes a joke regarding race, gender, sexual orientation or other issues, you should speak up against the remarks. Even if you do not respond but you stay quiet and do not laugh at the joke, you are also making a statement. Next time that person may think twice before making such an insensitive comment.
When I learned that discrimination of race, class, gender, and any other kind of discrimination intersect, I was not surprised. I feel like I may have realized this on my own with out the class. discrimination against different groups intersect because no person falls into one category. People may like to believe and act like they are part of one category, but they never are. Someone is not just Christian; they may be a Christian, African American, gay rich man. People are not just black and white, because nothing in this world is that simple. Since humans have the ability for this higher thinking, humans are not that simple either.
ReplyDeleteRace, gender and class issues intersect because of the fact that no one is just part of one culture or group. They intertwine with each other because a person is not just influenced or discriminated against in just one category. People use all of their experiences with all of their characteristics to make decisions for the future.
I believe the first thing that people need to do to start the end of discrimination, or at least to make the world a little better, is to recognize that race, class, gender, religion, nationality, language, and any other part of one’s self that one can acknowledge, intertwine and affect each other. These features do not stand alone. After we realize that these aspects of ourselves interact and intersect with each other, we then have to realize that so does the discrimination of these characteristics. We also have to realize that we have built a structure of our society that chooses certain aspects of people to nitpick at. We have to realize that we are being controlled by this societal structure and that this needs to change. Without these realizations I do not believe that a good amount of change will happen. But with classes like these, we are learning to look deeper and more critically in how we live and why we live the way we do.
When discussing race, class, and gender they all eventually connect down the line in relevance. The one thing that really prevails to me from this class in relevance to all three of these is privilege. Each one of these sectors has a privileged counter part. For race we discussed and learned that white is considered privilege, for class there is upper-middle class that is considered privilege, and for gender males are considered privilege. These are all considered “the privileged” because that’s how society has made it and constructed it to be.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I’ve learned so many different things in this class that I encounter in my everyday life that I never really realized I encounter them before taking this class. Just realizing the privilege I was born with because I’m white is something I don’t think I ever would have realized if it wasn’t for this class. I think that because in my eyes I’m not privileged because I was born white and it wasn’t something I earned I don’t feel like it’s a privilege.
To me class was always something that I thought of that was earned by individuals. I never really thought of it that it is something that you’re born into and once you’re born into that class sometimes it’s hard to get out of. Being born into a low class is especially hard to get out of because you’re not given opportunities that upper and middle class individuals are. All in all I feel like this class has really opened my eyes and made me put myself on the other side of it all and realize that not everyone has the same opportunities and it could be because of the family they were born into and not something they earned, or it could be because they earned it.
Throughout this semester I have learned so may ways in which our society oppresses and gives privilege to certain people according to their gender, class, race, age, religion, etc… I think the last two sections we read, however, brought everything into the big picture for me. It has become more clear to me that the entire Western system has been created and continues to create room for discrimination on various levels. This isn’t to say that there haven’t been improvements in particular areas, for ex as Collins and Andersen explain on page 503 that while some corporations promote globalization, like Starbucks, they also provide thousands of jobs for people of all sorts of diverse backgrounds. They compared this to Abercrombie & Fitch hiring only young white men and women. (Although they were later sued)
ReplyDeleteLooking at the bigger picture though we see that this hegemonic theory that seems to rule over Western society is everywhere. It’s in all of the institutions that surround us from families to governments and education systems. As Lorde brings up in her essay on page 59, we again see these binaries that are so predominant in Western culture: “dominant/subordinate, good/bad, up/down, superior/inferior.” It really all comes down to social control as I see it, the institutions have a profit to make and they find ways to oppress and control society in order to best benefit them. Lorde’s essay does an excellent job at explaining this, she states on page 59 “Institutionalized rejection of difference is an absolute necessity in a profit economy which needs outsiders as surplus people.” These institutions may find different ways of oppressing people, whether it be because they are gay, or black, or too old, but in the end they all share one basic similarity, they are being labeled as “different”.
We are raised in this society to believe in the binaries and learn which ones are considered to be deviant and thus unwelcome. We have racism, sexism, ageism, heterosexism, elitism, or classism. They all interconnect in this hegemonic system that aims to control society and profit in the end. I think the most hopeful way for us to change the way our society lives is to start by accepting these differences that we claim exist. Acknowledge the oppressions as well as the privileges that this society has imposed on people from all backgrounds. We will never be able to tackle the problem until we can understand it. This class has taught me so much that I knew rather vaguely about. I had never previously realized how everything is so interconnected. It also has made me very aware of my responsibility as a member of this society.
In order for me to make a difference, the most obvious first step is to never discriminate or follow the hegemonic theory against any fellow human being. I think another important step is to inform others, even if they will disagree to the death. I think spreading knowledge is one of the key ways to create change in this world. Also, by spreading knowledge, we can help find better leaders for our society that will improve and help reduce the hegemony in our society. People need to band together to realize that even though our causes may be backed up by differences in race or gender, we are all being affected in the same way. We can no longer stand for our institutions to discriminate us on any basis and profit from it. I think at George Mason we have a great opportunity to embrace other people of various backgrounds and join many organizations that seek to create a more equal world. I am hopeful that our generation and those to come can make significant changes to end these binaries that divide the human race and attempt to make us weaker.
-Nadia Quiroga
Throughout this class I have been faced with confronting a lot of social issues that are a part of my environment every day, and have been able to gain knowledge and perspective that help me see these issues and the world I am a part of in a critical lens. Issues of race, class, and gender are all issues I play a part in and that affect my every day life, and the lives of others around me, but until now I have not faced these issues head on and realized how they are connected and the multidimensional impacts they pose on myself and others.
ReplyDeleteI have always known in the back of my mind, from experiences in my life growing up and being in school, that race and class where connected. I began to have this awareness as I grew up and in elementary school, because the neighborhood I live is predominately white and families are relatively well off and middle or upper class. I attending private school until 3rd grade, and remember going into public school for the first time and recognizing the difference in the demographic of this school as compared to my previous private school. This association or my white race to the class of people I lived and went to school with, was then disrupted when I went to public school and I recognized the people of different races who lived in different areas of my school district. I also remember that growing up, my neighbors would always get nervous if someone from the apartment complexes a few blocks away parked on our street. i never understood why at that age, but did recognize that they were of a different race, lived in a lower class neighborhood, and were feared and not welcomed by me neighbors. These are just two examples of how I associated the connectedness of race and class at an early age, and how now i am able to see these distinctions and how my community growing up perpetuated these negative feeling and class/race prejudices.
Like many of the issues we discuss in this class, it's hard for me to accept that these systems of judgment and prejidice are in class, and perpetuated by my community, but it is important that I am aware and take necesssary actions to educate others and use my privledge to advocate for social change in the ares of race, class, gender, and other categories where discrimination existis. This class had truly made me beielve that I can make a different and become a true feminist and work toward social justice. Where this mission falls in the larger plan for my life is in education. My passion and drive is in education, and I am now passionate and excited to be a voice for gender equality in education and race and class awareness in my role as a educator. Through the course readings and the overall awareness I have gained from this class, I am working on developing diversity activies and cirriculum for my class in the future, and am always thinking about ways to bring diversity awareness into classroom teaching.
As an educator, I am going to incorporate activities and discussions around diversity in my classroom everyday, making it an interwoven concept in my teaching. Building a classroom community that embraces diversity and teach students how to communicate with one another in an effective and safe manner will help build a stronger and more equal community in the world.