...serve as a basis for this “youth-on-youth victimization”. Due to the stereotypes of gay men and women, as well as homophobia in society, homosexuals are often victims of “stereotype threat” which occurs when a person a person is at risk of appearing to confirm a negative connotation...
Words: 911 - Pages: 4
...create an educated and involved society. Media’s representations impact our society’s perception and shared reality. The way media represents a certain topic creates a public perception. Because of media framing, they can show us certain sides of an issue or shine a light on one perspective while effectively dimming the light on another. Because of this, we create perceptions based off of information that may not be whole. With these perceptions, we begin to construct a social reality. Once this reality is created, it is difficult to change it even if we find contradicting information. Because of these reasons, the way media represents information is crucial. The issue that will be discussed in this paper is that of gay marriage, stereotypes of homosexuals, and the scientific side of homosexuality. The way media has represented this topic over the past 30 years has varied immensely. We’ve come a long way over the past couple decades and homosexuality is now widely discussed in all forms of media including news, television, advertisements, movies, books, magazines and politics. It is important to close the gaps between the perception, the reality, and the representation of the way media portrays homosexuality. Identifying differences between the representations of homosexuality decades ago compared with now will provide necessary information to form an educated and well-rounded opinion on this issue. This issue is important to our...
Words: 4875 - Pages: 20
...to the Study of Visual Culture? | | Word Count: 2,312 | 1004894 | How are Gender and Sexuality Significant to the Study of Visual Culture? In this essay I plan to explore the meanings that are found within the concepts of gender and sexuality and the presentation to which they are given in all types of visual culture. I wish to look into the reasons behind the current stereotypes of gender and sexuality which are used in day to day life. The origins of such clichés and the reason why stereotypes are so heavily used in visual culture, to try and understand the disadvantages and advantages they bring to the media. I will begin by trying to give an explanation of the definition of the terms, gender, sexuality and visual culture. Gender is often depicted to a simple non-complex term which is based upon an individual’s biological sex. Thus presenting the theory that the sex of an individual will biologically predetermine their mannerisms and actions; behaviours that are associated with being male or female. Although it is necessary to understand that there are differences between men and women, to assume that all behaviour can be categorised as male or female could be considered to be ignorant. In more recent times gender has become less fixated upon the biological sex of the person and is more determined by the individual themselves (Kirsch, 2000). Sexuality is the term used to demonstrate the type of person an individual is sexually attracted to and would like to pursue...
Words: 2343 - Pages: 10
...sexual harassment; biology is not destiny; and negative feminist stereotypes. I have chosen to discuss the two feminist theories that were previously mentioned due to the fact that they both focus heavily on the oppression of men in society, as well as the evident gender division between the sexes. I have chosen to focus on the six concepts that were previously mentioned because they focus on how women are oppressed, and mistreated in society. Radical Feminism Radical feminism supports the idea that patriarchy is the main form of oppression women face. The goal of radical feminism is the elimination of patriarchy. From a radical feminist perspective, women are oppressed in three main ways or areas: the state, the nuclear family, and through reproduction and mothering. Radical feminism also suggests that the lack of control women have over their own bodies and own reproduction is central to oppression. Radical feminists aim towards eliminating sexual, as well as physical violence against women (Calixte et al., 2009). The significance of radical feminism is that it focuses on what is seen as the major oppressors in our culture. Moreover, radical feminism opens our eyes to male dominance and how it has been highly normalized. It alerts us to how ‘normal’ or common images from pornography reduce women to sexual objects. Moreover, it makes clear that prostitution is a form of economic and sexual exploitation women. Instead of relying on preexisting theories, radical feminism is...
Words: 2415 - Pages: 10
...there are over 60,000 same-sex couples in relationships and 21,000 married same-sex couples. Homosexuals are hated on and discriminated against because they like the same gender. It is not fair to them that they have to go through this continuously, what if the LGBT community were to make fun and discriminate against heterosexuals and couples, they would feel sad and unwanted just like many homosexuals. Everyone deserves the right to love who they would like to, and marry whomever they would like because marriage is an essential human right. Homosexuals are no different than heterosexuals just because they love the same gender. Gay rights are a part of equal rights in Canada everyone should have the same equal rights no matter what, same-sex couples should be allowed to marry because they are also people and deserve the many rights available to heterosexual couples. In July of 2005, Canada had become the fourth country to legalize same-sex marriages, the other three countries that had legalized same-sex marriages before Canada were; Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands. Way before Canada had legalized same-sex marriages. Homosexuality was a crime. Anyone who had anything to do with homosexuals and homosexuality was charged as a sex offender. An example of this is the case involving Everett Klippert; in 1965 Everett was interrogated by police and has said he had homosexual relationships with many men, it was unlikely he would stop doing this. He was then charged and...
Words: 1318 - Pages: 6
...Gender Identity Raymond Santiago PSY 265 March 24, 2012 Laura Schulz Gender Identity Gender identity is one’s belief that one is male or female, and an important aspect of self-concepts. Studies show there are a variety of factors that help determine gender identity. Most of us can remember something that helped determine our own personal identity. These personal experiences were important as they helped shape the future and what gender would be identified with. I will share my own personal reflection at what exactly helped me determine my own personal gender identify. There are also stereotypes that associate with each gender that help shape characters and who we are as well as who we will become. These stereotypes will be addressed as well as their importance. Biological factors play a huge role in shaping children's physical development. For instance, boys and girls are born with distinctive sexual organs, and become further differentiated when secondary sexual characteristics emerge upon puberty. Naturally occurring chemical messenger compounds in the body known as hormones are responsible for coordinating the appearance of these physical differences. Some research suggests that the same sex hormones that enable sexual organ differentiation in utero and which later trigger puberty also plays an important role in shaping gender identity. Boys tend to have more androgens (male sex hormones) than girls. However, some boys and girls are born...
Words: 1084 - Pages: 5
...Telfair April 22, 2012 Homosexuality Homosexuality is becoming more common in today's society, whether it be gays or lesbians homosexuals are among us. According to science 8 to 15 percent of males and slightly less females today are of the homosexual race. In comparison, there are as many gay and lesbian citizens the world as there are unemployed citizens. Being homosexual is an ongoing fight for whom ever is dealing with it. The constant reminders of society and the way your lifestyle is supposed to be can be a burden on them. Until recently homosexuality was thought to be a psychiatric disorder, but research has proved that theory to be false. We as Americans don’t completely know how to properly cope with homosexuals in our society. Although we have gotten a lot better, there are still some of us that look at homosexuals as outcasts. This is one of the main reasons that homosexuality is very secretive and not embraced. They draw the conclusion that the less people know the less they have to be ashamed of their sexuality. Spiritual beliefs are also another factor when struggling homosexuality. God loves all homosexuals but what he doesn't like is the acts that they engage in. Scientist who have studied the brain of lesbians, have come to the conclusion that their brain signals are similar to those of a straight man. Lesbian women and straight men think almost alike, which explains why they are attracted to the same sex. The things a straight man would...
Words: 1690 - Pages: 7
...most people think “reality television” they think of ordinary people doing crazy things, such as living in a house together, competing to win a record deal, or eating weird insects. But, reality television is actually much larger than many people think, with shows such as COPS, Jerry Springer, and Jeopardy also fitting into the reality television genre. As reality television becomes more and more popular, a disturbing trend has emerged in the way the participants of the shows are portrayed. Many reality television programs use different techniques to portray “characters” that are made to be stereotypes of a certain demographic. Race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, and many other characteristics that make up a person have been and are being stereotyped in reality television programs. In some cases, people are cast to be in the show because they satisfy a certain stereotype. In other cases, people are made to be more exaggerated representations of their demographic through editing and instructions from producers on how to act while in front of the cameras. This study will try to determine the reasons behind this phenomenon. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Many reality television program producers have admitted to selecting certain people out of the large number of possible candidates to fill certain roles (Roscoe, 2004). Some producers cast one person to cause conflict and drama with another person on the show. This could be through conflicting personality types...
Words: 3178 - Pages: 13
...THE SOCIAL ROLES OF MEN AND WOMEN In all societies the obvious biological difference between men and women is used as a justification for forcing them into different social roles which limit and shape their attitudes and behavior. That is to say, no society is content with the natural difference of sex, but each insists on adding to it a cultural difference of gender. The simple physical facts therefore always become associated with complex psychological qualities. It is not enough for a man to be male; he also has to appear masculine. A woman, in addition to being female, must also be feminine. However, once the contrast between men and women has been increased and accentuated in this fashion, it is usually taken as a further manifestation of biological differences which confirm the need for different social roles. Or, to put it another way, sex differences are used to create gender differences which are then explained as sex differences which, in turn, require gender differences, and so on. This may be no more than circular reasoning, but it is socially very effective. For example, in our own patriarchal society males enjoy a socially dominant position. Thus, from an early age, boys are helped to acquire a masculinity that allows them to assume and maintain that position. By the same token, girls are taught to cultivate a submissive femininity. The resulting difference in the male and female character is then described as inborn and used to defend the existing power...
Words: 1311 - Pages: 6
...talked about in two fields, the realization of the women and the appearance of the femininity and homosexual of the men. Besides, the effects on people after the change of male role would be presented clearly and logically, mainly in three angles, the workplace and society competition, the sense of inferiority of the men and the guilt of the females to the children. Firstly, the traditional male role is really very familiar with the majority of people all over the world. The conventional pattern of female and male role in many countries was that nine tenths of the women stayed at home every day taking care of the children and their husband and doing some housework like cooking, washing clothes, this sort of thing during their whole lives. They hardly never think about their career and did the same thing as the men did. For men, they had to earn a lot of money to support the living of their families and turned over almost all of their income to the households (Tiger, 2000). At that time, both women and men thought it was an equal and right division of responsibility of them. Meanwhile, people used to that and enjoyed the traditional pattern to some extent. In recent years, the conventional sex role has changed and when it comes to the causes of the change of gender role, the first one would be proposed could be the realization of women, which is the start point of the reversing gender role. Due to the boredom and tiredness of women towards house working and looking after their...
Words: 1201 - Pages: 5
...homosexuality. He goes back to the Roman times and discusses Sodom and Gomorrah and continues to the present day. He makes mention of how homosexuals left various cities to escape the traditional life constraints and went to other cities to begin transforming the city into much construction of the gay and lesbian culture. Bonilla, L & Porter, J (1990). A comparison of latino, black, and non-hispanic white attitudes toward homosexuality. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 12(4), 437-452. This article discusses Latinos, Blacks, and non Hispanic whites attitudes towards homosexuality. It has been researched that the Latino culture is more inclined than blacks and non whites to believe that homosexuality and the spread of AIDS are invariably related. This one assumption has the capacity to cause the rights of homosexuals to be restricted. Goldsmith, S. J. (2001). Oepipus or orestes? Homosexual men, their mothers, and other women revisited. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 49 (4), 1269-1287. The author of this article discusses gender roles and how they have an effect on the sexuality of men and women. He mentions when people sense femininity in a man it causes them to fear that man simply because of the gender roles that have been instilled in them. Mothers are addressed in the article when he states that some women are so interested in dominating their children that they force them into the opposite gender role unintentionally. Green, A. I. (2008)...
Words: 2359 - Pages: 10
...different people have come together in a united front because they are all discriminated against in similar ways. So while LGBT people are not a culture in the traditional sense, their adversity brings them together in a special subgroup of society that can be found in just about every country worldwide. The American LGBT culture specifically is very rich, diverse, and active. To best understand this diverse group of people, it is best to examine each letter of LGBT separately. Beginning with lesbian culture, these people are categorized as women who are sexually attracted to other women. Within this group of women, there are very different expressions of their varying degrees of femininity. Some stereotypes of the lesbian ladies are ‘butch’ who tend to be more masculine, ‘androgynous’ who tends to be in the middle of the spectrum of masculine and feminine, and ‘femmes’ who are the most feminine of the group. While these are stereotypes and everyone is an individual, lesbians commonly refer to these terms when describing themselves, partners, friends, and love interests. These are the main defining...
Words: 1771 - Pages: 8
...America and Diversity Kathy McGowan ETH/125 February 2, 2014 Shanna Birkholz-Vasquez America and Diversity Over more than two hundred years, the United States has grown from a fledgling nation to one of the most powerful countries in the world. The principles which established this nation attracted many different groups to its shores. Principles of freedom of religion and speech bought refugees from different ethnic groups. While other groups came to seek their fortune in the “land of opportunity”, one group came to the America under duress. Each group found prejudice and discrimination. As the years passed and the country continued to grow, the barriers of prejudice and discrimination were beginning to crumble. The different groups began to accept the differences that accompanied the diversity of the nation. These changes bring up a question. Has the United States finally overcome our fear of diversity? If we examine the cultural background of Americans, we will discover many are of European descent. Many of our ancestors came looking for religious freedom. Others came to settle debts they had in their homeland. Some citizens are descendants of slaves who were sold to affluent citizens and plantation owners. The circumstances around people in these groups arrival resulted in prejudice and ethnocentrism. Prejudice was not just directed toward African Americans during the 19th century. German, Irish, Polish, Chinese and Italian immigrants found themselves...
Words: 1181 - Pages: 5
...view of the employer and stereotypes of the employees given that these circumstances highlight what the working class experience at the workplace. The Office emphasizes and influences many aspects of stereotypes and social norms in a satirical manner. The television series is shown as a mockumentary that criticizes the popular culture of corporate Americans and presents everything in a comedic fashion style. It demonstrates the lives of employees at the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company branch at Scranton, Pennsylvania. The main point of the show is to exemplify the stereotypes, oppression, and prejudice towards race, sex, working class, and higher positions that happens at the workplace. The show revolves around racial slurs where employees and employers often have unpleasant interpretation of each other. Normal conversations may take place between employees that would usually involve a negative compliment about race, sex and religion which would generally lead to an awkward moment of silence or discomfort from the other employees. The workplace at the Office shows that male employees are often seen as aggressive and sociable while the female employees are seen as calm and passive. Furthermore, men are represented as greater hierarchy in control of everything compared to women. The main employer of the show is regional manager Michael Scott. He is viewed as someone that's impolite and inappropriate with little awareness. Social norms and stereotypes by Michael are results of...
Words: 2470 - Pages: 10
...is, essentially, the greatest advice a person can receive and is at the heart of gay rights. As a young homosexual grows into adulthood and enters the "real world" he or she will, without a doubt, encounter someone who "minds." Whether it be socially, legally, religiously, or even internally challenges will emerge. These challenges must be recognized, understood, confronted, and, hopefully, overcome. Some of these challenges cannot be confronted without taking legal action or changing the way another person thinks, therefore rendering the challenge, for most people, difficult or otherwise impossible to overcome. In these cases the individual's only method of overcoming the issue is through various resource organizations or support from friends and/or family. In other cases, the challenge is an emotional one and can only be overcome through an internal process of acceptance and understanding. Those cases are the most common for homosexuals and include important processes such as "coming out." Assumptions and homophobia are one of the biggest problems for homosexuals if they are to get the majority of people to accept their lifestyle. Homophobia, as defined by the American Psychological Association, is, "the fear, anxiety, anger, discomfort and aversion that some... heterosexual people hold for gay individuals" ("New Study" 1). One of the biggest challenges for homosexuals is overcoming homophobia. Oftentimes, homophobia is based on incorrect assumptions. It is easy to see that...
Words: 2783 - Pages: 12
