"There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies." -Martin Luther King Jr.
So if there's a recent theme for me, it's that concepts and understanding change vastly over time. Unfortunately, that change doesn't always happen in the span of a single life and we, as finite beings are really only able to work within our own context and with the information available to us. Context is key. For example, I'm taking a course on society and human sexuality currently for my WS minor, and so far I've learned that in antiquity, the concept of two sexes did not exist. There was only one sex, the male, and the inferior male. The concept of "sexuality" or "sexual orientation" did not exist in regards to it being an aspect of an individual identity, and here's the kicker, heterosexuality originally held a very negative connotation. It was conceptualized to regard one of hyper-sexual tendencies which would lead to "sexual perversion." As you can see, concepts and understanding change over time.
It's MLK Jr. Day, a pretty big event on campus, and one I enjoy since I do consider myself a fan of MLK Jr's philosophies and teachings. Imagine my despair then, when I went to a concurrent session that revealed MLK Jr's possible anti-gay marriage/rights stance, based on statements from his children, as well as his own responses to questions regarding homosexuality. Martin Luther King Jr. was a champion for civil rights. I admire him, his philosophies, and his ability to galvanize and inspire a generation to act in non-violent protest. I think I always will, but I still felt unhappy today. After discussing it all with fellow students, the consensus was reached that MLK Jr. might have held different views if he was exposed to the same information and experiences we have at our very fingertips.
So my conclusion is to understand that people think and behave according to what they know. In the 60's, homosexuality was conceptualized as being characteristic of pedophilia and sociopathic tendencies. It was probably the majority view, simply due to the information and communication of the time. Taking MLK Jr. out of his context and placing it in mine might have different results. Perhaps this is a tangent, but he was also human. I know that gets lost in the rhetoric surrounding how much good he did, but humans sometimes think and act in ways unbecoming of their true nature. A person's behavior does not always reveal their character--that's not to condone it, but to understand that judging a person's behavior and judging a person's character are two different things. Heck I think it was even Martin Luther who said good deeds to not necessarily make a person good and bad deeds do not necessarily make a person bad. (You can correct me if I'm wrong.)
The lesson I learned from all of this? Patience. Patience with the acquisition of new information and the evolution of concepts, patience with other people and how they interact with information, and patience with my own emotions and reactions.
Peace, love, and especially WARMTH to all of you.
-Megan
Showing posts with label society. Show all posts
Showing posts with label society. Show all posts
Monday, January 21, 2013
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Stigma
1. Sometimes research is depressing.
2. Always remember that professors are people too.
3. Take a nap.
4. You have more control than you think.
Megan here. It's the week before finals and we're all freaking out a little bit. Life is crazy.
I grumble a lot about some of my classes, my sociology class in particular as of late. It's just been a pain in my side and it shows no signs of slowing down. I have two papers due on Monday... The thing is my professor can be a bit insensitive and well... a typical male. His big thing is basketball, but for all I have against the guy, he really says some insightful things when he gets on a rant. They just tend to stick in my head for a little while as I go on with the rest of my day.
Today we talked about deviance and stigmas, sanctions, norms, etc... What is deviant in society is set by those in power. The only problem is that we're often the ones with that power. We enforce the social norms by inflicting sanctions on those we label as deviant--even if that deviance isn't hurting anyone or anything. My professor made the comment, "We have to remember that society lives in our heads."
I'm not quite sure what was so earth shattering about that, I mean, I guess I'm not too deviant, or wouldn't be marked as such by society. Sure, my blue hair was a bit of a shock to my grandparents, but they got over it I think. It's just that sometimes we listen too much to the influences around us and maybe lose sight of who we are, or who we felt we were.
There's this concept of labeling theory that says that once you label someone as something, they begin to see themselves as fitting that label. If you label someone as a criminal, they feel that's the only label that fits and essentially they go along with it and play the part. I'm just thinking about my own life in which I was fine in one area, happy as being one thing, until that one thing was rejected by those I trusted most. Maybe it's natural to enforce or fight for what we feel as normal, a result of subconscious action even, but when that subconscious action interferes with individuality, that's when we need to reexamine what we value as a society.
Don't let society live in your head, at least don't let it smother what makes you you and what makes you happy. Fight back, and resist the pressure and temptation to fit into certain groups or certain circles. Do what makes you happy, as long as you're not causing harm or detriment to someone else. You really do have more control than you think, and maybe if we all put forth a little effort to resist useless societal sanctions and norms, we'll start seeing some positive changes.
Be safe, be well, be happy. All my love,
-Megan
2. Always remember that professors are people too.
3. Take a nap.
4. You have more control than you think.
Megan here. It's the week before finals and we're all freaking out a little bit. Life is crazy.
I grumble a lot about some of my classes, my sociology class in particular as of late. It's just been a pain in my side and it shows no signs of slowing down. I have two papers due on Monday... The thing is my professor can be a bit insensitive and well... a typical male. His big thing is basketball, but for all I have against the guy, he really says some insightful things when he gets on a rant. They just tend to stick in my head for a little while as I go on with the rest of my day.
Today we talked about deviance and stigmas, sanctions, norms, etc... What is deviant in society is set by those in power. The only problem is that we're often the ones with that power. We enforce the social norms by inflicting sanctions on those we label as deviant--even if that deviance isn't hurting anyone or anything. My professor made the comment, "We have to remember that society lives in our heads."
I'm not quite sure what was so earth shattering about that, I mean, I guess I'm not too deviant, or wouldn't be marked as such by society. Sure, my blue hair was a bit of a shock to my grandparents, but they got over it I think. It's just that sometimes we listen too much to the influences around us and maybe lose sight of who we are, or who we felt we were.
There's this concept of labeling theory that says that once you label someone as something, they begin to see themselves as fitting that label. If you label someone as a criminal, they feel that's the only label that fits and essentially they go along with it and play the part. I'm just thinking about my own life in which I was fine in one area, happy as being one thing, until that one thing was rejected by those I trusted most. Maybe it's natural to enforce or fight for what we feel as normal, a result of subconscious action even, but when that subconscious action interferes with individuality, that's when we need to reexamine what we value as a society.
Don't let society live in your head, at least don't let it smother what makes you you and what makes you happy. Fight back, and resist the pressure and temptation to fit into certain groups or certain circles. Do what makes you happy, as long as you're not causing harm or detriment to someone else. You really do have more control than you think, and maybe if we all put forth a little effort to resist useless societal sanctions and norms, we'll start seeing some positive changes.
Be safe, be well, be happy. All my love,
-Megan
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
She's a rebel
1. Sleeping in is great.
2. It's okay to give yourself time to think.
3. It's a small world.
4. "Family" includes a lot more than just blood relatives.
5. Pudgy little squirrels are ADORABLE!
Heeey, its Megan. Happy Wednesday! And Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Oh, and the title comes from a Green Day song, in case you were wondering. I just arrived at home around 20 minutes ago. Where is home you ask? Home for me is Central Minnesota, about an hour north of the Twin Cities.
So here I am, sitting in my room, contemplating my return and also how my family will react to my streak of blue hair... The thing is that doing anything remotely associated with rebellious behavior is completely uncharacteristic of me. I thought about doing something a little bit crazy, but never plucked up the courage to actually do it. I tend to be spontaneous only under carefully controlled conditions, and so this is a little weird for me. Am I turning into a rebel?
Well... maybe. The thing is that society expects college students to rebel and do some crazy stuff. Colleges put into place a whole number of policies aimed at controlling the chaos that is a population of young adults. I wonder though, what is the real cause for stereotypical college behaviors? Do we "rebel" because we're at a crucial junction in life? Or is it really because we're faced with societal expectations that we're supposed to rebel? It's all over in the media and movies and such: how a college student is supposed to act.
I guess I am just worried that my family will take this little deviation from the social norm and peg me as the new family rebel. Maybe I am to an extent, but the changes in my appearance are nothing compared to the changes everywhere else. I am turning into a happier, funnier, more thoughtful, more open, better person, all thanks to the craziness that is college. If that's a successful shot at rebelling from the social norm then throw me in the same league as James Dean because it's where I want to be.
I pose a challenge to you. Yes you, the one reading this right now. It's okay to rebel. I encourage it. HOWEVER, you ought to find something worth rebelling over. Something that keeps you up at night or gives you those knots in the pit of your stomach. Find your cause, your purpose in life...even if it doesn't coincide with what society thinks you ought to do. I mean, what's a rebel without their cause? (Do I score points for another James Dean reference?) If you don't like how society handles a certain issue, then show how to handle it better. If you don't like what society values, then be an example of what ought to be held as important.
Being unique and different is challenging, and it's hard to stand up for what you really believe in, but I know you can do it. Be strong. You got this.
-Megan
2. It's okay to give yourself time to think.
3. It's a small world.
4. "Family" includes a lot more than just blood relatives.
5. Pudgy little squirrels are ADORABLE!
Heeey, its Megan. Happy Wednesday! And Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Oh, and the title comes from a Green Day song, in case you were wondering. I just arrived at home around 20 minutes ago. Where is home you ask? Home for me is Central Minnesota, about an hour north of the Twin Cities.
So here I am, sitting in my room, contemplating my return and also how my family will react to my streak of blue hair... The thing is that doing anything remotely associated with rebellious behavior is completely uncharacteristic of me. I thought about doing something a little bit crazy, but never plucked up the courage to actually do it. I tend to be spontaneous only under carefully controlled conditions, and so this is a little weird for me. Am I turning into a rebel?
Well... maybe. The thing is that society expects college students to rebel and do some crazy stuff. Colleges put into place a whole number of policies aimed at controlling the chaos that is a population of young adults. I wonder though, what is the real cause for stereotypical college behaviors? Do we "rebel" because we're at a crucial junction in life? Or is it really because we're faced with societal expectations that we're supposed to rebel? It's all over in the media and movies and such: how a college student is supposed to act.
I guess I am just worried that my family will take this little deviation from the social norm and peg me as the new family rebel. Maybe I am to an extent, but the changes in my appearance are nothing compared to the changes everywhere else. I am turning into a happier, funnier, more thoughtful, more open, better person, all thanks to the craziness that is college. If that's a successful shot at rebelling from the social norm then throw me in the same league as James Dean because it's where I want to be.
I pose a challenge to you. Yes you, the one reading this right now. It's okay to rebel. I encourage it. HOWEVER, you ought to find something worth rebelling over. Something that keeps you up at night or gives you those knots in the pit of your stomach. Find your cause, your purpose in life...even if it doesn't coincide with what society thinks you ought to do. I mean, what's a rebel without their cause? (Do I score points for another James Dean reference?) If you don't like how society handles a certain issue, then show how to handle it better. If you don't like what society values, then be an example of what ought to be held as important.
Being unique and different is challenging, and it's hard to stand up for what you really believe in, but I know you can do it. Be strong. You got this.
-Megan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)