This class has been an interesting one. I say interesting because it dealt with issues “in the now”. We covered a wide variety of topics, and everyone had to have strong opinions about at least one thing we covered this semester. It is fun to explore other people’s culture and heritage and comparing it to your own. I think that we can learn a lot about each other just through simple conversation and classes like this. Once we learn about each other, there will be less racism.
Whenever I think about racism today in America, I definitely know it is still alive and hurts people everyday. But, also, I think it is important to see how far we have come in such a short amount of time. I find it embarrassing that Black/White restrooms were around in my parent’s lifetime. And although such outright, blatant racism is now looked down upon by more people, there is still racism that is just better concealed. My hope is that we, as a society, continue to make strides and educate out young about racism and sexism.
As a guy, I feel bad for girls and the way that they are bombarded with pressure to be a certain way. After this class, I started to notice how many times I would hear a girl looking at a magazine and then being discouraged with her body. And most every time, the girl is attractive and I feel bad that girls have trouble seeing their own beauty. After this class, I feel I have a better understanding of what women go through and how much pressure here is for them to look a certain way so they can feel a certain way.
Jason Bucy
Family Project
My family is quite large and diverse. This is because my parents got a divorce when I was 7 years old. Since I was ten, I have had two families that are opposite of each other. My immediate family consists of my older brother, Cole and older sister, Allison. We were all pretty close growing up, and Cole and I continue to be. My sister and I were extremely close. There was no one that we would rather hang out with than each other, and we told each other that all the time. Tragically, Allison passed away in April of 2006. It has been a hard road for my family since then, but we are moving on together.
I lived with my mom and step-dad growing up. My step-dad is a Judge in Waco, Texas and he has been a positive influence and role model in my life. With saying that, my Dad and I are “cut from the same cloth” and have a very strong bond. I think this double father situation has been a good thing in my life. My step-dad is more of a strict father figure, while my Dad’s relationship with me is more like on a friend basis.
My Mom is a very strong and central part of my life. Her friendly personality and pleasant disposition have rubbed off on me. After the death of my sister, my Mom is the closest person to me in my family.
My Dad and step-mom have had two kids, Johnny, my half-brother and Elizabeth, my half-sister. It has been an interesting transition from me being the youngest to having two siblings under me.
My Step-dad had two sons from a previous marriage, so I have two stepbrothers that are 11 and nine years older than me. Over time I have become pretty close to them. We always go on vacation to the Cayman Islands every Christmas, and through these trips we have all formed a solid relationship.
In comparing men and women in my family, it has to be split up into the two parts. My mom and Step-dad’s family are conservative southern, wealthy Baptists. They are much more traditional than my other side of the family. My Dad and Step-mom’s family are from the North, liberals, and non-practicing Jews. At dinnertime, I can see the distinctions within the two families regarding the roles of men and women. My Southern family has very obvious roles. The women are responsible for the cooking, setting the tables, getting drink orders, and mainly staying in the kitchen taking about “women” stuff I guess. While this is going on, the men of the family are watching sports on T.V., shooting guns, or sitting around sipping beer. It is not like these are the rules of the family, but it is just the way things operate. No one seems to have a problem with it, except my Sister used to refuse to stay in the kitchen and would make a point to hang with the guys, On the other side of my Dad and Step-mom, everyone is expected to help out. The men and women are both in the kitchen, having drinks, and talking about politics. The rule with this side of the family is that you either help cleaning up or help cooking.
The only migration of my family that I know for sure is that my Mom’s grandfather came over from Germany. I know this story because he is very proud of his heritage and tells the story often. The story goes that when he got to Ellis Island, he changed his last name from Hess to Meyer. He came to America to escape enlistment in the German army during World War I. My mom’s father grew up under meager conditions as the family farmed for peaches in Georgia. Finally, my grandfather made some money of his own and went to college in Waco, Texas where he still lives today. My father’s great grandfather was Scotch-Irish, and moved to Virginia with a large group of Scotch-Irish seeking employment in the rich farming of Virginia. While most stayed in Virginia for a few generations, my Dad’s father moved to Texas to preach.
Both of my grandfathers were preachers. So it is no surprise that religion plays a big part in my family. My mom’s Dad was a Southern Baptist preacher, and my Dad’s dad was a Presbyterian preacher. They teach common Christian values, and especially emphasize giving to those who are in need. Every Christmas, on both sides of the family, we take food and present to the less fortunate. This has been a strong part of our values. Strong women are common in my family. My Dad’s mother, who passed away only a few months after my sister, was an amazing woman. At one time, she was the leading youth advocate in the United States. She testified before congress many times regarding runaway youths, and she ran a runaway shelter in Galveston and Washington, D.C. She was also on the Executive Board of the Presbyterian Church only two years before her death.
I feel very fortunate that my family has taught me from an early age to be sensitive of all cultures and hold no prejudices. My parents have always had friends of other races so I grew up thinking it was common for different races to be together. I would contribute this to my family being so closely involved with the church. Gender roles in my immediate family are traditional in the sense that both my Mom and step-mom don’t work and primarily take care of the house and children while my Dad and Step-dad are responsible for income.
The values that I have that I attribute to my family are recognizing that I am a global citizen and that success is a byproduct of hard work and a positive environment. My mom has told me all my life to go out of my way to be sweet to a new person everyday, and to kill enemies only with kindness. My Dad has instilled in me to above all, be sweet to those around you and be a problem solver. I feel very lucky that I have had so many people influence me in different ways. Not everyone gets to have such diversity in his or her family. I like to say that in listening to both sides of my family, I pick out the best ideas and values from each side and get the best of both worlds. My patience and helpful nature coupled with a diligent work ethic and progressive mind set will have a huge impact on my future career, whatever that may be.
The graduate student presentation on Women in sports brought up some interesting points. There is no doubt that girl sports do not get even a comparable amount of media attention as guys. I don’t think there is really anything wrong with this, but it is just a refection of our society. Men’s sports are given tons of media attention, but women are overrepresented in other facets of society in the same way. For example, guys are not heavily represented in fashion or beauty products. This is simply because guys and girls like different things. Though there are lots of men in fashion and those who make beauty products, but these are known for being “women’s” interests.
I do think that female athletes deserve more attention than they get currently, but males will always dominate the sporting world. I had never really looked at it in a way that questions the idea of “athletic”. I thought a strong part of the presentation was examining what we consider to be athletic. The popular notion is how fast, strong, and coordinated you are translates into one is “athletic” or not. But a strong point was made when she pointed out that athleticism could be considered having tremendous balance and body control that is so valuable in gymnastics.
As far as calling women in sports “ladies”, as in the Lady Sooners, I don’t think that this is taking anything away from these athletes. I understand that it can be seen as even though they sweat, they still are ladies. But I don’t see it this way. I just feel like it is an important distinction that is necessary. If a radio station referred to the Sooners and didn’t mention that it was women playing, then the listeners would feel misled.
I really enjoyed our comedy day in class. It is also interesting to note that, through comedy, out-of-bounds talk is suddenly acceptable. Stand-up comedy is an important part of our society because of this. They seem to get extra freedom of speech, but it does come with responsibility and it better be funny. We all know what happens when you push racial lines in a non-funny way. It must be in good nature, too.
Lisa Lampanelli’s bit is considered social commentary because her jokes are based on stereotypes of different races. She especially tends to keep it on the edge when talking about sex and interracial relationships. Her bit is relevant to this class because she dealt so much with the taboos of interracial dating. I thought she was funny, though. She was quick-witted and confident in a surprising way. She did give everyone their chance to fee the heat and it was all done in an obvious joking manner, which I think is why it was successful in being funny.
Mike Epps was funny, too. He was funny in a different way than most comedians. He is real laid back and seems like he was just talking, making observations, rather than doing an act. He also pokes fun at himself, which for some reason is always fun to watch. I thought when he talked about school it was especially funny. I don’t think it was real involved in the class as far as material, but it was a change of pace that I guess I like.
Chris Rock pushes the social lines as hard or harder than anyone. When he distinguishes wealth from rich, it is not only funny in the way he presents it but also a pretty blatant social commentary. He is referring to the white wealth in our society. African-American and other minorities are underrepresented in the ownership and management in the big American companies. I think that he does a great job of explaining it in a way that makes it is funny, but also real.
I agree that queer studies is an important step for our society. Education can be a great weapon against senseless acts of violence like Matthew Shepard unfortunately was victim to.
Not only does the gay community have to worry about verbal abuse, but after the Shepard incident it was clear that physical abuse was a real possibility. I think it is a great step for our society to make queer studies more widespread and accepted. We fear what we do not understand so we need more people to understand the gay community in an intellectual and subjective manner. Queer studies offers the chance for people to do this.
As far as godhatesfags.com, I can't believe that people can talk out of both sides of their mouth and seemingly have no problem with it or truly accept it as truth. The idea that God hates anyone or anything completely goes against the teachings of Jesus or the Bible. I don't remember hearing that Jesus ran around town with gays on the top of his list of problems in this world. I believe he treated everyone he met the same, in fact
I thought that was the idea. Not "hating" anyone. It is embarrassing that there are even websites with that kind of content on there that people actually believe. I hope each member of the Westboro Baptist Church tries to educate themselves in a queer studies program and treat others the way they would want to be treated. Imagine that! I think it is best when a church serves its community, not attack others who are different.
When I first began research on the Freedom Riders topic, I didn't realize the effect that it would have on me. After I read different books, heard eyewitness accounts, and found out more about the individuals my respect for these men and women grew exponentially. Not that I didn't respect them at first, I just didn't realize the methodical and professional approach that they took in order to accomplish their goals. It took each one of them being on the same page at all times and working together in the face of grave and immediate danger. The resolve and composure it took for these brave individuals completely awes me. I honesty can't imagine what these people went through, and it is sad that it took the sacrifices of such brave people to make any noticeable progression. However, I have the utmost respect for those who stood for a just cause in the face of violent racism.
I found the group presentation over interracial relationships especially intriguing because of a couple conversations I have had recently.
After watching the video over Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, I was disturbed that this had been swept under the rug for so long. First of all, it is a testament to how sad and frustrating the idea of slavery is that Sally was 3/4 white but still considered a slave. This proved that it just didn't make any sense, and it is an embarrassing part of U.S. history. However embarrassing, it is important to point out the extreme hypocrisy in Thomas Jefferson's ideas and life. I find it very disturbing that they had a sexual relationship when she was a young teen. When asked in class whether we though it was love or rape, I did not see any reason why it was love. Jefferson obviously had a unique relationship with Sally, but the bottom line is that she was stripped of her humanity and forced into a life of slavery. I also thought it said a lot about Sally when she returned from France in order to better her children's lives. She had to be a a patient and loving person to give away her freedom for a promise of granting her children freedom one day in America. Her legacy has survived against much opposition, and I'm glad that the truth is finally out. I think her legacy should be taught in schools like Thomas Jefferson's.
Hillary Clinton has proved that a woman has a real chance to be President of the United States. People seem so polarized when talking about Clinton. You either hate her or love her. I think her being a woman is a huge reason for that polarization. From my perspective, I feel like people have more of a problem with a woman commander-in-chief than a minority. She is no doubt as qualified and passionate as any other candidate, but still her credibility always seems to be in question. When the media made such a story out of her crying, I was not surprised that they did that. I think a man would get media attention if he cried on the campaign trail, but since she is a woman it was like it was just what everyone was waiting for her to do. The thing is, I don't think her crying really changed anyone's mind about her. Her supporters already value compassion and humanity in their candidates, while her challengers see crying as weakness. Nevertheless, she is under such media scrutiny that most people don't even know why she cried, but only that she did.
Barack Obama is, as of now, the front runner to be the Democratic nominee for President. I can remember not even a year ago, that this idea surprised a lot of people. Though Obama seemed to have significant support early, people did not think he had a real chance being an African American with a non-traditional name. I am proud of the American public that we proved ourselves wrong. He has really connected with the younger generation who have not been credited with much political clout, which is well deserved. However, the team of two underdogs of a minority candidate and the younger generation seem like they can change their roles in politics. It seems easy to like Obama, but we will see how easy it is for people to like him as President. I think it is a positive thing for America that he has come this far. We have a young generation that is the most diverse to date, and a real chance for an African American president. I feel like we are moving in the right direction, but still have a ways to go.
Neighborhood
Explore friends, family, friends & family, or entire neighborhood.
on Women Athletes