Does Biological Features Define Us?

It is sad of how prevalent race is within our society today.  Race is defined as a socially constructed category of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members of a society consider important. The main physical characteristics that people associate with race are skin color, facial features, hair texture and color, body shape are just the most recognized elements.  Before educating myself on this topic when thinking of the word race, my mind would automatically think of different skin colors, I did not realize that hair color such as blonde or black could be considered a race. It is human nature to make assumptions about people based on how they look; even though our assumptions might be furthest from the truth.  One obvious example of how people make judgements about a person at first sight is if you are wearing glasses they automatically conclude that you are smart; when in reality you just have bad eyes that were passed down to you genetically.  Another main assumption that people make is that people with blonde hair are dumb.  I wonder what people would think of someone with blonde hair and glasses, would they be considered smart or dumb? 
It is interesting to see the difference from the past and presents view on race.  The book states that the notion of race came along over a century ago, and they attempted organize the whole worlds population into only three racial categories. The first being Caucasoid, for individuals with light skin and fine hair; the people who would be put into this category are all the way from the very light skinned Europeans to southern India's people.  The next is called Negroids which were people who had the darkest skin most of this population being Africans. Lastly the Asians would fit into the category called Mongoloids.  In just over a century our whole view on race has expanded extremely we went from three racial categories to hundreds of them.  
With today's mixture of people many have defined themselves as multiracial.  The majority of the population is not just one pure race, I feel that because of today's advanced technology in transportation our population is opening their minds to making to exploring the world and possibly falling for someone of a different race; therefore mixing the races and creating a diverse society.  An interesting fact that was located in our sociology book is that based off of the 2011 census of the United States 8.7 million people checked off more than one of the racial groups.  This statistic just shows us how far we have come in accepting and loving our diverse world!

http://thepowerofone.hubpages.com/hub/importance-of-race

http://www.anus.com/zine/articles/race/

The Ideal of Sex Gone Wrong

        Around the world, society has a different way of accepting prostitution and rape. Women across the world have not been able to speak up for themselves and have rights to their own body. However, in today’s society women have rights to their body but the laws still justify to not take some cases as serious. Prostitution has been band from countries and acceptable to others. Rape has been also banded from countries and accepted along with prostitution in other countries. My argument is why is prostitution and rape still okay in other countries? Shouldn’t it be not acceptable everywhere? Why is there blame to women for date rape? If a woman says no to sex, no matter how much she entices a man, he should respect her answer.   

            Prostitution is selling your body by doing sexual services. Back in the day men used to give attractive women money for sexual pleasure. Now prostitution has turned into physical, emotional, and psychological abuse. Across the world men have gained control over women. In the United States, men are considered to be “pimps” and the women are called “whores”. Men will sometimes beat women if they don’t make enough money and sell their body in a certain fashion. Prostitutes are usually dressed in short miniskirts, high heels, makeup, hair extensions, long nails, and halter tops. In other countries, men will have a house full of women called “whore houses”. In a country like Russia, women are put out on auction for wealthy men to buy them. I feel that the whole idea of prostitution is degrading but if a woman wants to sell her body, let it be on her own leisure, not being controlled. On the website www.prostitution.procon.org stated, “…German government legalized prostitution. Now, legal contracts between prostitutes and clients can be established. The government withholds a portion of their earnings to pay social benefits like pensions and health insurance and to guarantee a regular 40-hour-workweek”. Also, in Germany I found several reports of women being forced and bidden on for a lot of money for private owned prostitutes. In the movie called, “Taken” was about a young girl that was kidnaped in Russia and was almost sent to another country. However, he father was able to save her. Unfortunately, other women in real life has dealt with that same situation and was not saved. Also, a lot of women are introduced to drugs and a lot of them die on overdose. Lastly, I feel that women should not be sold and controlled.

            Rape is a violent act that includes sex to feel dominant over someone. Women are raped all around the world by men. Majority of men rape women because they have to feel powerful or can have a psychological issue as well. Also, date rape is considered to be a woman giving mix signals to a man and he becomes sexually aroused. I feel that a man doesn’t have a right to have sex with any woman if she says no. It doesn’t matter if she flirts with him or shows her body. However, there have been many cases that women have found drugs in their system and men have taken advantage of them. In court, men will try to plead not guilty and say that they had consensual sex. However, blood works shows on women that they were intoxicated with drugs slipped into their drinks.  On the website called www.cwfefc.org stated, “Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted. (U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey)”. I feel that people need to be on women side even if they did go home with a unknown man. If she says no to sex, it’s no and the man needs to accept that.  

            In my Sociology 170 class at Northern Illinois University, my professor had a lecture about Sexual Issues and Controversies. He talked about the different sexual issues such as prostitution and rape/date rape. I honestly feel that society doesn’t see women bodies important. Society portrays women to look and act a certain way. Also, I feel that the whole date rape is strictly cause by the man not the woman. If a woman even changes her mind about having sex, the man should accept that.

            In conclusion, I feel that women rights are still not equal because some women are forced to this day to be prostitutes and raped. I don’t believe in date rape because I feel that if a woman is standing in front of him naked, if she says no then its no. I feel that women should not have their rights taken from them.   

www.prostitution.procon.org
www.cwfefc.org

You Are A Boy...You Can't Do That

You Are A Boy...You Don't Cry

Gender shapes every aspect of our society.  When you are a child you learn quickly how boys and girls are supposed to act.  Society labels men as competitive and ambitious; telling them to go out and play sports.  You are taught to be tough and not to show your emotions.  You are taught to be aggressive and fight back if someone is hitting on you.  You are told not to play with dolls, because they are for girls and that is not what boys are supposed to do.  Girls are taught that it is ok to cry and show their emotions.  They are exposed to motherhood at a young age.   They take care of baby dolls and play house.  They are bought kitchen sets to get them exposed and be familiar with the aspect of cooking.  I know from experience, when I was young I was not allowed to brush dolls hair.  If I was seen doing so, I would get yelled at and told to go outside and play.  I was raised in a single parent home by mom, so I was told that I was the man of the house at a young age.  I did not really know what that meant when I was young, but now I am glad I was told that.  It has made me the man I am today; I know how to cook, clean, do my own laundry and take care of myself.  All the things that a lot of men do not know how to do, because they were never taught how to do so.  I am glad my mom taught me at a young at to fend for myself, I see a lot of people at this school who can’t even do laundry.  I was blessed that my mom did not believe in gender roles and taught me that men are suppose to cook, clean, and do laundry.  

http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/gender-roles-society-changing

http://www.unc.edu/~dcderosa/STUDENTPAPERS/childrenbattles/toysrusdenise.htm

Whats all this talk about Race and Gender??

Jamilah Dodd

5/2/14

Soci.170

Sites: http://catholicscienceteacher7.blogspot.com/2014_03_27_archive.html

What’s All this talk about Race & Gender?

Having discuss chapter 13 in class which talks about Gender & Inequality I took more of the chapter information in as a mental note when it began to talk about things like feminism. I enjoy talking about this chapter most because it covers many controversial topics like gender, gender stratification, matriarchy, patriarchy, sexism, feminism, race, and ethnicity. Gender can be described or defined as personal traits and social positions involving members of a society attached to either men or women.  When the chapter discusses more about gender we get in to matriarchy and patriarchy. Matriarchy is when you have women that are more dominant than the males and Patriarchy is when you have men that are more dominant over the women. We also talked about topics like sexism and institutional sexism.  Sexism can be defined as a belief that one sex is more superior to the other. Institutional sexism is the sexism that is found in economy.

I also realized more how much gender plays a role in the family. For example, when you have children and you are deciding colors, whether it’s a boy or girl, and the handling and expectations of the children. Gender also definitely exists in the school setting simply by the way it shapes our beliefs and may even guide our areas of study. Mass media also shows how women often times get the roles that have more sex appeal and white male get center stage. Race and gender go hand and hand when talking about inequality. 

Both gender and race involve inequality and discrimination. Race involves biological traits and although many people may confuse race and ethnicity, ethnicity involves cultural traits like languages and religion. More in depth, race also is linked to minorities. A minority is any category of non white people distinguished by physical and or cultural differences.  An example would a group of minorities like Mexican, Asian, Black, Middle Eastern, and Native American. All of these races face racism, prejudice, discrimination, and stereotypes. Like race, ethnicity, and minorities, many people don’t know the difference between the four. I was one of those people who thought it was all the same but learned that there is a difference. Racism is a belief that one racial category is more superior to another. Prejudice is a rigid and unfair generalization about an entire category of people. Knowing the difference between the two helped me not have as many stereotypes against white people, having always thought they were racist and prejudice.

I realized in this chapter how much both race and gender play a role in my society today. After all of the social movements we have had as a whole over time and fights for equality, women will still have to fight harder for equal opportunities. For example, my twin sister and I were voted most inspirational in high school and were invited to attend the award ceremony the following week. At the ceremony we were supposed to receive an award but because we didn't interact more with our male faculty members, they did not vote for us even we put in a lot of work. 

Teen Pregnancy: Rising or Falling?

             16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, and Life of the American Teenager are all shows in media today showing teenagers in high school who had sex and whether they used protection or did not got pregnant. The shows show the ups and downs of being a pregnant teen but are they encouraging teen pregnancy? Do they discuss safe sex? 

                According to our book, in 1950 the teen pregnancy rate was much higher than it is today. This fact comes as a surprise to many today, including myself. The book also states that this fact is partially due to the fact that abortion was illegal at this point in the United States and it was much more common for teens to be married at this point in time. I feel that this really contributed as to why teen pregnancy was so much higher at this time, it was more socially acceptable. It was more of a cultural norm at that point in our country.

                When I was a senior in high school just two short years ago there were at least eight girls that were pregnant in my school. They faced many stares and judgmental looks. By the end of their pregnancies, not one girl had their father’s baby in the picture. These girls were then forced to raise their babies alone, some even without the help of their families. According to our textbook, eighty percent of the pregnant females are not married. I have seen this first hand at my high school. A large percent of the male figures leave the picture and only contribute through child support or maybe not even at all.

                I believe that there are so many to blame for teen pregnancy, most of all the teens themselves. Others to blame may be the teens parents, the media and schools. Many schools only teach abstinence. In my opinion this is so wrong. Schools need to educate. This is their main job. To educate students, in whatever subject is needed, including contraceptives. Some people believe that if a school teaches their students about contraceptives then their targeted audience, the students, will feel that is it okay to have sex. This is not the case. Students will do what they want to do, but if they are educated they can make better decisions. If students are not educated they do not seem to have a choice but to not use any contraceptives.

                When it comes to the media, are they glorifying teen pregnancy?  I have watched the shows that I listed and I am not so sure. These shows show how hard it is to get along with their partner, care for the baby and more of all finish school. Many of the girls at the end of the show say that they do not regret having their child but they really wish that they would have waited. Almost all of the stories on these shows show the teen parents struggling with money, each other and the stress of bringing a new life into the world.

                The biggest thing that I feel Americans should take from this is to educate. Not just contraceptives but also options that females have once they do get pregnant.

 http://thenationalcampaign.org/#
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/04/30/the-u-s-still-spends-way-more-on-teen-pregnancy-than-family-planning/
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications450

Are We Equal?

We live in a world where women have always been thought of as inferior.  Since the beginning of time, women have had to fight for rights such as the right to vote, the right to go to school, the right to play the sports they want to play.  Women have had to fight for the right to be considered equals, and even in this day in age, in the year 2014, there is still a significant and obvious gap between the two genders.  As much as people would like to believe that men and women are equal, there is a lot of evidence to support the exact opposite.

One of the earliest and first social movements for women began in the late nineteenth century.  People came together and began to fight for women’s suffrage because, even though the constitution left the rules of suffrage undefined, women were being denied their right to vote.  It was not until the year 1920 that the amendment was passed saying that a person’s right to vote cannot be defined based on their gender.  This is less than 100 years ago that women were not thought of as equals.  They were not even thought of as equal enough to men to be considered citizens of the United States just like anybody else.  Although it took a lot of effort and convincing, after many years of fighting they were only granted some of the rights they deserved but were being denied.

One of the more recent advances for women’s rights was when the Title IX portion of the education amendments was passed in 1972.  Title IX stated that no person can be denied the opportunity to participate in sports or be discriminated against under any education program that receives federal funding based on their gender.  Up until this bill was passed, women were not being allowed to play school sports in both high school and in college.  There were not even an equal amount of sports for them to play, and Title IX also changed this.  Although this changed the way women were viewed in sports, they are still seen as inferior to this day, even in professional sports.  Women’s sports are not as popular.  They don’t sell as much merchandise as men’s professional sports and they are not even close to being advertised as much.  They are still seen as “just girl sports”.  They are seen as not as interesting or competitive just because women are playing in them.

The biggest issue and one that is still relevant to this day is the fact that women do not make the same amount of money as men, even if they are working the same exact job in the same exact position for the same amount of time.  The Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963 and it prohibits discrimination in the payment of wages based on sex.  Even though the gender pay gap has decreased significantly since the act was passed, men and women still do not receive the same amount of pay.  Based on a study taken in 2011, it was learned that women made 77 cents for every dollar a man made for the same job.  This just goes to show that as much as people would like to think it is true, men and women are still not completely equal today.  We are all citizens of the United States and we should all be treated the same, not discriminated against for something as insignificant as the genders we are born with. 

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline1.html

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/history-womens-rights-movements

Accepting people for who they are

Sexuality is a part of our everyday life. Sexuality is defined as capacity for sexual feelings. Sexual orientation is defined as a person’s romantic and emotional attraction to another person.  In today’s society so many people are getting judged by their sexuality. There are Heterosexuals, homosexuals, bi-sexual, and asexual.

            Homosexuality is the most talked about in today’s society. Homosexuality is defined as your sexual attraction to someone of the same sex. Many homosexuals are being judged in society because of what they like. There just judging them because they don’t know there story on why they chose to be the way they are. Many people that I know that are homo sexual are that way because someone touched or raped them when they were younger.

            I know many people that are homo sexual and there happy with being what they are. My best friend is actually a homosexual I never asked him why he’s the way he is because I accept him with being the way he is. So many people say that it’s wrong to be with someone of the same sex. Me personally don’t think too much of it because you can’t help who you love or like.  Back in the days it was almost a crime to be gay. People didn’t accept you for who you are.

            Today more people accept them for who they are. In some states their even allowed to be married. i think they should have all the rights that a heterosexual couple should have. So many people are against same sex marriage and couples for no reason. I don’t find anything wrong with them having the same rights that a hetero sexual couple has. Being accepted for who they are is the biggest problem for them.  Everywhere they go their being judged and talked about.

            Everyone says be yourself don’t change for anyone be you. It’s hard for them to be themselves when almost everyone is against them. Many homosexuals don’t even tell their family that there the way they are because they won’t accept them. Their scared because they try to tell them that there something that there not.

            Bisexuality is defined as sexual attraction to people of both sexes. Bi-sexual people are also being judged by society. Many people think they are confused. They don’t know rather they want to be with a man or woman. I don’t find it necessarily wrong that a person likes to be with both men and woman. I just never understood why they just couldn't choose one. I try not to judge a person because of what they like. I try to accept people for who they are because only they know what they been through to be the way they are.

            In today’s society no matter what your sexual orientation may be people will still judge you.  That’s just the way the world works.

http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/guide/sexual-orientation

http://bedazzledthoughts.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/who-are-we-to-choose-your-sexual-orientation/