Tough Guise & Understanding Sexual Orientation

Tough Guise

The documentary examined masculinity in the United States culture and the media and how it affects people's opinions and behaviors, especially for males. The mold of what makes a real man is causing males to be violent and emotionally closed off. Men tend to believe that masculinity equals invulnerability and this could cause covert depression. Men tend to be more violent against other man than women. Its more outrageous when women commit violent crimes then when men do. Masculinity affects minority men in a different way because they feel life it is all they have to survive and seem powerful. The concern is that masculinity is inflicting negative traits on society, especially males. The hope is that males will be able to see that its ok to express their emotions and to be human. I feel like masculinity is a problem in our society. Many of the boys i know rarely show emotion when they are sad or hurt. In fact, a lot of the guys I know seem uneasy when they see someone crying.
Important Points From the Video:

The Video identifies several cultural developments in the past 30 years that are in part responsible for the current levels of date rape, domestic violence and school shootings.

The wizzard of Oz is cited as a metaphor of how men wear a mask that is disguise of being tough, a tough guise. 

• Katz asked young men what it mean to be male and got replies like, strong, physical, independent, in control, powerful, athletic, and tough.
• Media are crucial to constraining men to seeing violent masculinity as the cultural norm, there is a growing connection in society between being a man and being violent.
• 85% of murders are by men, 95% domestic violence are by men, and 99% of rapes in prison are by man.
• The invisibility of masculinity is played out, media say it is "Kids Killing Kids" not that it is boys killing boys and girls, not girls doing the killing, and so must be tied to masculinity. 
• Katz says that what needs to be visible its how violent masculinity is visible is the first step to seeing how it operates in the culture.
• The video explores the construction of violent masculinity and the connection to violence and suggest some answers.
• Some of the possible solutions that Katz mentions is that we must change the "Cultural Environment" so to being men must have the "Courage" to work with women and speak out. They need to see a more honest portrayal of male vulnerability. Girls and women must show they value men who reject the tough guise.

My Opinion of the Video:

I feel that it is important for films such as Tough Guise to be shown in all schools around the country to enlighten those who may not see the critical and immediate danger that is facing our society when it comes to violence. By allowing an up close to look at issues that affect each of us we can move closer to being rid of violent attacks upon those who are in educational environments.

My Overall reaction to the video propels me to look deeper into the problems that are facing our schools and students in to making a positive move towards making changes. By viewing this video we dont have to take a back seat to the events and crimes that may affect our immediate communities. We lean to be ready to identify threats so that we can better address problems and issues with those around us. People can learn about violence for all racial backgrounds. I think that by showing violent behavior to be a multicultural and national epidemic that it takes the horrible deed of violence off the race of people and places it where it belongs with the individual who practices bad behavior.

Understanding Sexual Orientation

The article explains the three commonly recognized aspects of sexual orientation which are

• Heterosexuality (sexual attraction to people of the opposite gender)
• Bisexuality (sexual attraction to people of both the male and female gender)
• Homosexuality (sexual attraction to members of the same gender).

Sexual orientation differs from sexual behavior in that it involves an individual's feelings and perception of their own sexuality. On the other hand, sexual behavior or the act of sex may or may not express an individual's feelings or self concept. The author implies in the article that either heterosexual or homosexual is implied from the time of birth and that there is little chance for one to change their pattern in the course of their lifetime.

Race Matters By: Cornel West

In Race Matters, Cornel West describes not only the state of race relations in this country, but also some causes for the thinking that perpetuate the cycle of distrust and fear. Race Matters offers some of the most intelligent, concise and controversial commentary on race. Race Matters is not just another summary of race relations in this country.

One of the main reasons this article differs from others is that West does not allow his membership in the African-American race to hinder his view. In addition, he ignores the prevailing concept of political accuracy and speaks freely. Race Matters is an insight into many of the stereotypes, misconceptions and clashes caused by race. He describes race from multiple angles. By discussing race in a historical, social, sexual and political sense, he is able to produce some uncommon assessment on the forever variable state of race relations.

A Different Mirror By: Ronald T. Takaki

In my Opinion I believe that for many decades people have been using race as a way to classify humans into different social categories.  Lower, Middle, and Upper classes were created to divide humans into appropriate categories using their individual lifestyles, financial income, residence, and occupation. People decided to ignore this classifying system and classify one another, simply by the color of their skin. People's skin color says nothing as to what a person does, their beliefs, attitudes, or any of the ideas for creating a fair social classification system. Racial barriers were created that divided people into different groups at work and at home. Race differences in identity and social position were, and are, more important. 

In “A Different Mirror” by Ronald Takaki, he explains stereotypes and biases of white, Eurocentric attitudes that have been with us since the earliest days of the colonies and settlements here. Beginning with the early colonists and their treatment of the natives, there is a pattern of ruthless acquisition of land and goods. According to Takaki, the early settlers judged native americans as lacking everything identifiable in a civilized society. It never occurred to them that the natives had never been exposed to their european “civilized” ways and did not have knowledge of sophisticated weaponry as their culture did not need such devices of destruction. They did have tools and means of hunting and gathering food but it was all quite unsophisticated compared to European advancements. Shakespeare introduced the character Caliban in “The Tempest” This can be interpreted as an indirect depiction of what was then believed about native Americans. According to Takaki, the Caliban character could have just as easily represented Africans that had began migrating to the new land. Like the natives, African people had an unfamiliar color to their skin and were thought to be unintelligent and savage by the Europeans.

Racial Stratification and Education in the United States: Why Inequality Persists - By John U. Ogbu

I thought this article would be just another article about the effects of race on schools. I think that students are affected by economic conditions, not by racial factors. The articles thesis is that Minorities do poorly in school as a result of racial stratification, rather than as a result of economic stratification. Ogbu believes that "Class has not replaced race as the chief determinant of the life chances of black Americans". I have never read a article of this type, Ogbu argues that racial inequality persists because of barriers in opportunity structures and because black responses to racial stratification have not been targeted. Additionally, he introduces the idea that the racial stratification that was placed in schools many years ago continues to exist and maintain the gap between the races. Ogbu continues to explains the differences between social inequalities and social stratification. Social inequality is a universal phenomena while social stratification is not.

According to Ogbu's definition society is stratified when its individuals members from different social groups are ranked on the basis of their membership in specific groups that are also ranked. Ogbu claims that although the increasingly common belief is that economics play a role in the differences in school performance between students, it is truly racial differences that create this inconsistency in performance. He also explains that one major purpose of the school desecration movement was to improve black school performance. After reading this article i do believe that one of the greatest obstacles that needs to be overcome in US schools is the elimination of differences in performance in schools as a result of racial or economic differences.

People Like Us

"When the rich wage war its the poor who die" 

First of all the Video "People like us" was a very interesting video it made me reflect on the stratification system we live in. "People like us" describes how social class plays a role in the lives of Americans based on where they live such as park avenues penthouses, bayou houseboats or suburban gated communities. The video presents stories of family traditions, different lifestyle and class mobility. It explains how income family background, education, attitudes, aspirations and even appearance mark people as members of a social class. In the video they interview people from diverse socioeconomic groups, the film describes how social class in america has a much influence as race or ethnicity in determining what kind of opportunities a person has in life. 

"People Like Us" explains how the class system does exist and its based on looks, money, popularity, whether you live in a big house, and where people work. The video also describes that as you move through life we separate our selves from people who don't fit in our groups and social class and that America is a country divided by class and by what kind of neighborhood you live in, the type of food you eat, how far you got in school and the way you wear your hair. 

This week in class we dealt with the subject of varying types of social structures. To start there are open and closed systems. An open systems allows for an individual to move up or down in society where as the closed system allows for no mobility. In a closed social system you are born into your class and that is the same one you will grow up in. While discussing this subject it would be helpful to define class in the manner we did as a group class, in this context, is unequal access to economic resources, power, and prestige. 

Positive Functions of the Undeserving Poor: Uses of the Underclass in America

First of all the reading By: HERBERT J. GANS was very interesting,  it expand my knowledge on the importance of the functions of the undeserving poor. He discusses the strange alliance between the poor and the wealthy in American society. He states that the underprivileged in essence have kept several vocations in existence such as social work, criminology, and journalism. These vocations serve the double pretense of aiding the less fortunate and protecting society from these same individuals. He Mentions 13 important points of the ways that poor people have a positive contribute to society:

He applies this same logic to the existence of poverty in a society that had so much material wealth and concluded that poverty had 13 functions in society that was beneficial to nonpoor members. They include making sure that the menial work tasks of society will be taken care of, the creation of jobs that provide aid for the poor, and the existence of the poor keeps the aristocracy busy with charitable works, demonstrating charity to the less fortunate and superiority over the elites who chose to spend their free time making more money. He also give several alternatives to poverty such as redistribution of the wealth in society, putting everyone on a more even playing field, but ultimately concluded that poverty will continue to exist because disturbing the unequal balance between the poor and the wealthy in society would prove to be dysfunctional for the affluent and that will not happen.


13 Points:
1. Risk reduction
2. Scapegoating and displacement
3. Economic banshment and the reserve army of labor
4. Supplying illegal goods
5. Job creation
6. Moral legitimation
7. Norm reinforcement
8. Supplying popular culture villains
9. Institutional scapegoating
10. Conservative power shift
11. Spatial purification
12. Reproduction of stigma and the stigmatized
13. Extermination of the surplus

Deviant

Deviant are Differing from a norm or from the accepted standards of a society. One that differs from a norm, especially a person whose behavior and attitudes differ from accepted social standards.

Deviance is any behavior that violates social norms. Deviance can be criminal or non criminal. The sociological discipline that deals with crime the behavior that violates the laws. Today Americans consider such activities as alcoholism, excessive gambling, being nude in public places, playing with fire, stealing, lying, refusing to bathe, purchasing the services of prostitutes, and cross dressing to name only a few as deviant. People who engage in deviant behavior are referred to as deviants.


Whatever the term deviance creates , in general i believe it is popularly assumed that 'deviants' are individuals who are somehow less capable, less socially responsible, less adjusted, and consequently less useful to society than their more fortunate, upright and 'normal' fellows.