LGBTQ

Our class had the honor of having four of our classmates talk about what its like to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. We heard each of their stories and how sad and hard reality really is for them. All of them talked about how at first they didn't want to admit that they felt different, that they weren't fitting in with everyone else and what they liked. They talked about how their parents at first couldn't accept the fact that their kid was gay but then later on they started getting used to it. What really shocked me was how one of them said that their relationship with one of their parents would never be the same again and how that parent can't even manage to look at their kid the same again. I don't understand how a parent could not accept the fact that their kid is different. That doesn't make them any less human just because they are gay or lesbian. Why are we judging people just because of the sex they like or if they want to change their body to make themselves happy. Our society can't accept the fact that some people are different because our society wants everyone to fall in the category of either being male and liking females or vice versa.

This truly was a wake up call that we all needed to see that kids that we go to school with were brave enough to come out and tell us their stories (while you could see how hard it was for them) and just wanting to be accepted by everyone. So we just need to put all social norms aside and accept everyone for what they want to be if it is what makes them happy.

What does it mean to be masculine?

After a week of talking about femininity, we spent a great deal this week talking about masculinity.

Society has grown up shaped to think of males a certain way. We have this mold that we like to put all males in thinking that they are all tough, dominant, not able to show emotion, and to be respected. Guys are supposed to be tough because while growing up they are exposed to violent video games and movies. They are to play with action figures rather than dolls (even though they are mainly the same thing). Today in society when we see a guy taking on the role that a woman is supposed to do, we find it strange. Seeing guys cooking or cleaning shouldn't be that strange. My dad cooks and cleans but that doesn't make him less of man but society might say that it does because those are the things he shouldn't be doing. 

Here is a picture that was shown in a video that we saw in class. This picture depicts a woman being submissive basically while a guy looks like he is trying to rape here with other guys in the back just watching. It is showing that guys have to be strong and dominant while females stay behind or submissive. 

Gender

This week in sociology we have been talking about gender and what people would associate females and males with. We watched two videos one for females and one for males.
For females we were generally categorized as being:
-feeble
-sweet
-stay at home to cook and clean
-we shouldn't be smart
-and every time you see an ad or commercial for a female it's always shown as being defensive or in the background

For males:
-tough
-action figures (not dolls)
-aggressive
-cant be emotional
-not supposed to cry
-cant be feminine
-can never admit defeat

Just comparing the two it's showing how the media and our surroundings an influence how we want to view ourselves. For guys they have to always be tough so they won't get called a "wimp" or a "faggot" so our guys won't question their manhood. For girls it's shown that we try to change our appearance and how we act to try and copy the models on magazines or actresses whose bodies aren't even the real things shown.

I say everyone just needs to learn and love who they truly are and accept it and not let anyone discourage you or make you question who you are as a person.

Nature vs. Nurture

After watching a couple videos of feral children it made me think about how lucky we really have it. We might complain that we don't have the nicest things or we want things other people have we should just be thankful that we have anything at all.
One of the videos we saw a girl was locked in a room until she was about 8 years old. She was in a high chair for most of her life so she became nearsighted only seeing as far as the room would go. The girl was unable to chew or so any simple basic tasks that comes natural to us. She wasn't able to walk properly or communicate with people; she was also afraid to make any sounds because she was beaten previously for making noises.
This is just one example to show how nurture is very important to a child and creating that bond with the parents. They need someone to take care of them and really make them feel that they are wanted.

American Values

Being born in a different country made a it a little bit easier for me to see American values. From the reading we had in class you could see that Americans valued working hard, change meant a positive thing, time is important, everyone is equal, every one is unique, self-preservation, etc. Most of these things you see are are positive. Americans don't like to dwell on the past or the present but rather always look to the future and believe everything will be better if it isn't already.

One quality that I find different from the Philippines (where I was born) is time. For Americans time is very important and it is considered rude if you are late but in the Philippines it is normal for people to be late. Say a family is throwing a party that starts at 7 the general rule for Filipinos is to arrive an hour or more later, it is considered "Filipino Time".

This is just one difference in values that I have noticed growing up in a different country.