...An Analysis of Sexism in English Language [Abstract] Language plays an important role in society. As a phenomenon of society, language reflects all the sides of human society naturally. Sexism is a phenomenon that takes a male-as-norm attitude, trivializing, insulting or rendering women invisible. As a special social phenomenon, sexism is inevitably reflected through language. To start with, the thesis traces the reasons for the occurrence of sexism in the English language. In nature, sexism in language reflects sexism in society. The two are closely related. Social connotations of sexism in English tell the relationship between phenomenon of sexism in language and essence of sexism in society. Then the thesis analyses sexism in terms of the generic masculine, word order and semantic derogation of women in greater detail. Finally, a large part of the thesis is contributed to how to change sexism in English. The author of the thesis thinks the key to the problem is: (1) solve the problem of generic pronouns; (2) neutralize lexis; (3) strive for balanced naming and addressing system; (4) coin new corresponding words. The elimination of linguistic sexism lies in social change. Only by changing the social structure, that is, women and men own really equal status, can language equality be truly achieved. [Key Words] sexism; English language; lexical neutralization; feminism 浅析英语中的性别歧视现象 [摘 要] 语言在社会中所处的地位尤为重要。作为一种社会现象的语言，必然会反映出人类社会的各种社会观念。性别歧视作为这其中的一种，是指把男性视作社会规范和中心，轻视， 侮辱女性或使她们显得微不足道。而这一特定的社会现象必然会在语言中折射出来。 ...
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...John C. Maxwell once said, “People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.” In other words, a specific language choice can convey a greater meaning than the words themselves. The power of language becomes even greater when the background or pre-existing views of a person are introduced. Two different people might respond to a specific language choice differently based on their beliefs. One way to demonstrate this principle would be to explore the effects of language choice in the NPR article “Sexism, Only This Time It’s About Men” by the ombudsman for NPR, Edward Schumacher-Matos on two different social groups: radical feminists and Men’s Rights Activists. The polarizing language in the NPR article affects the persuasiveness of the...
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...How does the character of Mr. Birling reflect British society in 1912? The character of Mr. Birling is very important in 'An inspector calls' because he reflects how many upper class people (especially men) treated others in different classes. His character is vital to get across Priestley's socialist ideologies. Firstly, Mr. Birling exclaims how he is not "a purple-faced old man.", this suggests that most men of authority were greedy, only cared for themselves and had a lot of money to waste on things like excessive food. Secondly, we can see that Sheila and Gerald's engagement "means a tremendous lot to [Birling].", this is very similar to the society at that time as many people used others for their own personal gain. The engagement will help the Birling's business by raising their social class. Next, during this time period sexism towards woman was just every day life. Mr. Birling asks "Are you listening Sheila?", this reflects sexism within society as most men felt women weren't as intelligent as them so had to be spoken to in a simpler manner. Birling thinks it's "a very good time," for the engagement. This is an excellent example of dramatic irony as in 2 years time World War one was to begin. In 1912 people with authority were blind to the devastation that was to come, as was Mr. Birling. The character of Mr. Birling is an excellent illustration of ignorant upper class citizens in 1912. "We've past the worst of it." highlights that most people...
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...Maycomb County is an oxymoron. It is connected by racist views but divided because some people did not believe in racism. In the movie, “To Kill a Mockingbird’, the absence of important scenes, key characters and subtle details that were found in the book minimize the extreme views of the racists in Maycomb County Society. The missing elements minimize racism, conceal sexism, and suppress the importance of the Southern aristocracy. In “TKAM”, the absence of the Finch Landing Christmas scene eliminates a significant aspect to the racism displayed in Maycomb County. A moviegoer is shortchanged because “TKAM” does not show the intensity of the racism during that time. In TKAM, Aunt Alexandra, Atticus’s sister, is hosting everyone for Christmas including her grandson Francis. During the gathering, Francis shouts at Scout, “He’s nothin’ but a...
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...more unofficial liberation, such as equality in the workplace, reproductive rights, as well as the broadened debate to include cultural inequalities, gender norms, and the role of women in society. Third-wave feminism, (1990s–2000s) refers to diverse strains of feminist activity fighting against gender violence and derogatory terms and is seen as both a continuation of the second wave and a response to its lack of successes. There is an abundance of visions that bell hooks holds for feminism in the world today. If I were to try to sum it up in one idea, it would be the self-empowerment and comrade of women to overcome the sexist preconceptions that limit their opportunities to express and reach their full, most actualized/idealized selves. It is an expansion and continuation of the second wave of feminism that moves beyond just the explicit legal rights of women to unraveling the unwritten, culturally derived limitations that are placed on us. I absolutely agree and support why she views feminism to be continually importance in the world today and the deeper the idea sinks into my skin, I become more strongly rooted within the feminist movement. Despite the fact that university claims to be a place of higher thinking and different in some way from the “general society”, I feel like sexism is still present within the confines and structures I experience as a student at UW. The ratios of females to males in the harder sciences are highly weighted in males favor. Why is that...
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...For some readers, Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God falls short of challenging the outdated societal views of the 1930s in any meaningful way. However, for many other people, it has clear value as a piece of literature that explores sexism and racism through symbolism and the characters’ actions. Hurston utilizes language in her novel as a symbol of the power, or lack of power, that certain groups of people held in society during the 1930s. In some sections of the book, this symbolism relates to women’s lack of power. Throughout her marriage with Joe Starks in particular, Janie is controlled with verbal abuse and manipulation; Joe’s voice represents his power over her. He repeatedly tells her not to speak in public...
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...Tehla Gibbs 12/3/15 Ms.Sibley Analytical Analysis Analytical Summary Without a doubt, similar to shake and move, hip-bounce in some cases makes you think our men don't care for ladies much by any stretch of the imagination, but to generalize them as trophy pieces or, as contemporary vernacular orders, as infant mommas, chicken heads, or bitches. Be that as it may, pretty much as it was out of line to deride men of shading in the 60s singularly as wild-peered toward radicals when what they needed, in the midst of their wrath, was a little opportunity and a little power, today it isn't right to completely release hip-jump without taking into genuine thought the financial conditions and the numerous record names that anxiously endeavor and profit by the lack of awareness of a considerable lot of these youthful craftsmen that have prompted the present situation. Alternately, to summarize the late Tupac Shakur, we were given this world, we didn't make it. Kevin Powell, Notes of a Hip-hop Head. In addition to hip-bounce's defenders, you were given this world and you laud it. You were given this world and you secure it. You were given this world and you profit by it. You were given this world and even in your most extravagant fantasies you decline to envision whatever else however this world. Furthermore, any individual who assaults your sexist dream and offers an option vision is a hater, or more regrettable, an adversary who simply doesn't get it. What is there to...
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...C-SPAN, Simpson explained her abuse during her stay at ABC from racial slurs to being sexually fondled. Despite the hard time, she continued to speak out, not for just African American women but for all women. It is important to identify and acknowledge how these obstacles, including invisibility and bias against women of color, makes broadcasting careers a challenge to obtain. Women of color can identify with the Spiral of Silence theory, which is when people with different opinions and views from the normal society remain quiet in fear of isolation,...
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...same sub categories of race, class, sex, religion, sexual orientation, and able-bodiness. Latifa’s novel My Forbidden Face is one that shows many strong examples of oppression for Latifa and her family. Not only do we see disadvantages in her life based on her sex and religion, but the Taliban goes even further to control the people of Kabul by providing restrictions on the media and their everyday routines. Throughout My Forbidden Face, we see the main character of Latifa being oppressed from the very beginning, especially because of her female sex. Outlined by FOOT, we see several “isms” that could be taken out on a person, or group of people. One that we see very often and that is a prominent focus of Latifa’s novel is sexism. Rothenberg describes sexism as a system of advantage that is based on a particular sex (2010). There is an abundant amount of evidence to prove that Latifa’s female being prohibited her from gaining the same advantages that were provided to the men throughout her life. When the first sign of the Taliban invading...
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...their race, gender, and beauty and turn to each other for support. I think this is very inspiring as a young women to read and learn about how these women worked together to overcome their hard times. I think this is some every person should remember when struggling with certain issues in their life. The women in the play use poetry to share their thoughts and fears and share their experiences. They find power in their struggles. In the Intro to Afro-American Studies it states that, “Over 52% of all Black people in the United States are women. Women play a special role in bearing children and in the family, and increasingly are becoming sole heads of households. However, Black women face greater discrimination than any other group in this society - in income, in job opportunities, in education, in holding political office, and in other areas of social life.” The oppression and discrimination of...
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...Children learn from their parents and society the conception of "feminine" and "masculine." Much about these conceptions is not biological at all but cultural. The way we tend to think about men and women and their gender roles in society constitute the prevailing paradigm that influences out thinking. Riane Eisler points out that the prevailing paradigm makes it difficult for us to analyze properly the roles of men and women in prehistory "we have a cultural bias that we bring to the effort and that colors our decision-making processes." Sexism is the result of that bias imposed by our process of acculturation.Gender roles in Western societies have been changing rapidly in recent years, with the changes created both by evolutionary changes in society, including economic shifts which have altered the way people work and indeed which people work as more and more women enter the workforce, and by perhaps pressure brought to make changes because of the perception that the traditional social structure was inequitable. Gender relations are a part of the socialization process, the initiation given the young by society, teaching them certain values and creating in them certain behavior patterns acceptable to their social roles. These roles have been in a state of flux in American society in recent years, and men and women today can be seen as having expanded their roles in society, with women entering formerly male dominions and men finding new ways to relate to and function in the family...
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...while gender pertains to the roles and functions those human beings have in society and the culture of which they are a part of. Rubin states that sexism is the general phenomenon in which females become “domesticated women”, or workhorses for men. Rubin wrote her influential essay The Traffic in Women in 1975, yet her definitions of sex, gender, and sexism are still applicable today. The issues that Rubin addressed are demonstrated in particular in today’s media, which reinforces gender inequality and objectification, through the depiction of women as hyper-sexualized, weak, and unskilled. This negative depiction of women exists especially in the gaming community, in which many have criticized the negative portrayal of women as sexist and severely problematic. Video games like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption portray women in an almost exclusively violent and sexualized manner, which serves to reinforce the never-ending sexism and gender biases that society has upheld for centuries. Society as a whole can change the perception of gender and how women are perceived, but leaps towards progressive ideas need to be made first, starting with the video game industry as a whole. Throughout history, women’s roles have primarily been domestic – staying home and being responsible for the care of her husband and children. As Warnke points out (4), this is not a result of sex but, rather of gender. Society, culture, and especially economics have been the primary driver behind the...
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...Becoming a Princess: The Transition From Individual to Sex Object (Ali Wachutka( rince Charming did not kiss Snow White to wake her. Ariel never really loved Eric. The Beast was not angry and violent. Mulan never fell in love with her general. At least not in the original versions of the stories; all these changes were added by Disney to make a more interesting movie, or to forward a sexist agenda. A multitude of sexist messages are present in Disney movies teaching young girls that they are expected to fill a submissive role in society. The fairy tales are symbolic of women’s lives being shaped by male influences. Over time, the sexist message in Disney movies has become less apparent, but it has never disappeared; it is merely buried within a classic fairy tale that the “magic of Disney” has transformed into a sexist lesson. Naturally, these movies must not have a traumatic affect on little girls. Parents are not actually harming their daughters by allowing them to indulge their fairy tale fantasies. Not according to Jack Zipes, leading expert on fairy tales and German professor at the University of Minnesota, the movies have “a type of gender stereotyping . . . that has an adverse effect on children, in contrast to what parents think . . .. Parents think they’re essentially harmless – they are not harmless” (Giroux, “Roared” 103). Maria Tatar, Harvard folklorist, also sees harm in the movies since “[Disney] capitalizes on the worst part of fairytales”...
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...of race will impair the variables that scientists use to classify race. Society distinguishes a person’s race based on collective conjecture; while the majority of us accept appearance as the driving force we assign a race or ethnicity. As the races intermingle, societies’ ability to categorize American’s by “social construct,” will be contingent more so on “Social assumptions,” such as language, religion, customs and ethnic group membership to determine race. White like me—Judith Levine I loved reading this! Ms. Levine has step outside herself and realized what the majority of white people in America may never be aware—“whiteness” (48). This became evident to Ms. Levine as she moved from New York’s highly diverse culture, to mainstream white neighborhood in Vermont. She says “Whiteness purports to be both nothing and everything” (48). She explains how whiteness is this invisible power that makes the majority of white people their race is superior bar none. She realized her skin shielded her from the struggles of minorities and afforded her perks that are associated with being white. I value the openness of Ms. Levine for sharing her experience. Change Just One Drop—Clarence Page Mr. Page shares with us a growing concern for with the racial designation of the U.S. Census forms. A number of people organized a march on Washington, the number of attendees was low; however, the importance of the topic was...
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...In the professional field of psychology, social biases have become an evident part of society. The United States of America has played an important part of how each individual seeks the world and portrays diverse views. Within each culture, a melting pot affect has taken place. Every individual has been brought into the world with different views and how to encounter the world’s greatest issue with prejudices, discrimination, stereotypes. Race, gender, age, ethnicity, and religion are prime examples of biases. As a reader, one may envision prejudice, discrimination, and stereotype are the same words just used in different context; however, the definitions illustrate the opposite. According to Fiske (2010), all facets of biases include category-based responses, which are directed towards other individuals (Fiske, 2010). Social biases can negatively affect an individual’s life, employment status, and outlook and quality of life. It is important to understand and research the many reasons why social biases are negative and how to conquer and modify one’s behavior to better prepare for the future. Define the concepts of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination According to Myers (2005), social biases are a typical occurrence in any type of group collaboration that involves negative evaluations of each group (Meyer, 2005). Many social psychologists frequently associate cognition to stereotype, affect to prejudice, and behavioral to discrimination. The first type...
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