Beichnr2 Weblog

After reflecting on the issues concerning racial and gender discrimination from the time of the Jane Elliot presentation to this last article, I have come to realize that not only am I better able to recognize discriminatory issues but I am also able to state a more informed opinion on the matter. Jane Elliot helped me to evaluate myself in terms of how I view racial discrimination and the articles that we have been assigned to read have caused me to think differently about inherent racial and gender privileges. By analyzing the knowledge gained from Pincus' article and the other racial and gender discrimination articles reviewed throughout this semester, I can now give a more educated opinion concerning where I stand on the topics of racial and gender discrimination.

I feel that Pincus did an excellent job in giving an unbiased opinion concerning affirmative action. He is right in stating that using the word "discrimination" to describe how affirmative action affects white males is a flagrant over exaggeration. There is only one kind of discrimination and I do not think that white males, nor white females for that matter, will ever truly know what it is like to face true racial discrimination such as that discussed in the Jane Elliot presentation. After reading this article, I completely agree with Pincus when he states that white males have such a problem with affirmative action because they are worried about losing some of the innate privileges given to them (as described by both the White and Male Privilege Checklists). I recognize the fact that affirmative action policies may need modifications in order to guarantee that all qualified individuals are considered for positions, but I think affirmative action is necessary because white individuals have not yet fully accepted the fact that it is unfair for them to have advantages based only on skin color (such as those listed in the checklists). If white individuals and males have such a problem with affirmative action, I think that these individuals need to take the time to seriously evaluate how they perceive their privileges in order to see why affirmative action is necessary.

While reading this article, I was reminded of a situation that I witnessed during high school. Three males, two white and one black, applied for the same academically challenging college. The black male received early acceptance to the college while the two white males were put on the waiting list. These two individuals immediately began blaming affirmative action for the cause of the other student's acceptance and their denials. It both amazed and appalled me that these two students completely disregarded their fellow classmates academic accomplishments and success and belittled his great achievement by stating that the only reason he gained entrance to the school was because of a quota that must be met. Fortunately my chemistry teacher, who had attended the school, strictly informed the two students that the school they were discussing had no such quota and that these individuals were being very juvenile and offensive in belittling their classmate's accomplishment. These student's reactions sadly seem typical to white males who rely on their innate privileges over other races. After reading this article I now recognize that white individuals need to realize that these privileges are unfair and need to stop demeaning the accomplishments of minorities. After seeing the attitudes of my former classmates, I understand why racial issues are sadly passed down from generation after generation.

Pincus' article reaffirms my reaction and thoughts concerning Jane Elliot's presentation. There continues to be a serious racial problem in today's society all because inherently privileged individuals continue to abuse their advantages, thereby discriminating against minorities. I think it is foolish to make the statement that white individuals are discriminated against. Although some white Americans may experience hardships, these hardships are not due to race. White individuals need to recognize that racial issue continue to exist even though the civil rights movement has ended. Hopefully then discrimination will be alleviated from society.

After discovering in class today that the author of the Male Privilege List is a male, one of my main problems with this article has been solved. I think it is promising that this man approached gender discrimination with an open mind and is able to understand the problem with unearned privileges. Hopefully others will also realize the damage caused these gender issues and therefore gender bias will become less of an problem in today's society.

After reading B. Deutsch's article "The Male Privilege Checklist," I have come to both question and agree with the article's content. My first problem with this article is not knowing the gender of the author. Unlike Peggy's McIntosh's article, of which the reader knew that the author was white and therefore having a revelation about her role in racial discrimination, the gender of the author is unknown. The reader therefore cannot tell if the author is a liberal feminist who is taking on the persona of a male in order to make an argument for her cause or a male who is finally realizing the problems with his privileges based solely on the issue of gender. Even though I attempted to find the author's gender by searching for him or her on the internet, I was unable to identify Deutsch and therefore am not sure from what perspective I should view this article.

I also question the validity of some of the privileges. For example, according to privilege number 16, "As a child, chances are [the male] was encouraged to be more active and outgoing than [his] sisters." I find this statement to be a generalization not true to many individuals in today's society. Personally, my parents held both my brother and me to the same academic and personal standards. We were equally encouraged to participate in activities and I was probably involved in more functions than my brother. Many of my friends in similar situations also share with their brothers my experience of equal sibling encouragement. I am aware that in some families females are given lower expectations in comparison to males, but I think that this statement is an unfair assumption to make about the entire American culture.

In my opinion, number 29 also is a questionable statement. Although I acknowledge that loud and aggressive women are referred to in unfair and unfavorable ways, I personally view loud and aggressive men in a negative light as well. If a man or a woman is excessively loud, I will view this individuals as obnoxious. I also view overly aggressive individuals of both genders in a negative fashion. Even though the male may have the privilege of not being called the particular derogatory terms mentioned, chances are loud and aggressive men will be called other choice words.

Although I questioned the validity of a few aspects of the article, I also found many privileges listed as shockingly true. I particularly was outraged by three of the statements listed. I have always had a problem with individuals using privilege 24. Although I do not condone this type of lifestyle, I find it incredibly offensive that women are looked upon unfavorable for being promiscuous and there are no ramifications for men who behave in similar fashions. The message in many movies even praises promiscuity in men. Men should be treated the same as women regarding this matter.

Privilege 32 is also extremely shocking. I find it infuriating when individuals state that women would make terrible presidents or influential leaders because they may experience emotional stress during a certain time of the month. To me, this is one of the most sexist statements ever argued by any individual. People use this natural process (that does not cripple a woman's rationality) in order to mask sexist reasons for not allowing women to make influential decisions in powerful positions. Men and women have the same capacity for irrationality or behavioral differences no matter what time of the month it may be. Individuals should admit their true sexists feelings and not hide behind this offensive statement.

Privilege 33 is also another very disheartening statement. Women have the choice to decide which last name they will use after marriage. They should not be judged for whatever they will be called. It is unfair that men will never have to make the decision as to which last name they will use following marriage. In a perfect society, individuals would not be judged for their last name choice and possibly more couples would show their commitment to each other by combining their last names (similar to the Joliot-Curies).

Although men do have many unfair privileges based on gender, I agree with the beginning of the article that women have gender privileges as well (though not many). The only flagrant advantage that women have over men is the privilege of never being drafted. Even though I disagree with the fact that the draft should exist, I do feel that it is necessary to acknowledge that as a woman, I also have unfair gender privileges (though astoundingly less than men).

Overall, I found this article to be enlightening. Although I do question certain aspects of the article, I have gained a better understanding of the injustice of unfair gender privileges. After reviewing this article, I now realize that only through male acknowledgment of the unfair situation can this gender privilege problem be eliminated.

Growing up in a township with little to no ethnic diversity, I honestly never considered the effects of racism. Although I had studied occurrences of racism throughout history and learned about the civil rights movement, I cannot remember encountering blatant cases of racism throughout my time in school. I also never considered the possibility that I was exposed to racist teachings and therefore could ignorantly be displaying racist attitudes. After experiencing Jane Elliot's presentation on the anatomy of prejudice, my eyes were opened to the great amount of racism in today's society.

Not only is the fact that discrimination continues to be taught a sickening idea but the manner in which such attitudes are being imposed on future generations is a terrifying concept. Until Elliot showed the map with predominately white populated countries as the largest and most central part of the map, I had never thought of this teaching tool as a form of spreading racism and the despicable idea of white superiority. I find it scary that because I had studied this map in geography class and was conditioned to see it as the right view of the world, I could not see the underlying racial connotation that this map represents until expressly told why the map was politically and geographically incorrect. At this moment of the presentation, I realized that we as a society must not blindly trust something to be true but rather think and question everything. By confronting racist tools such as this map and realizing the harm they represent, only then can society begin to confront and eliminate racism.

For me, the most profound moment during Elliot's presentation was the realization that race does not imply a separation due to skin pigmentation but rather the fact that we as humans all belong to the same race: the human race. As shown by the comparison exercise, it is wrong to unjustly give power to individuals with a certain skin color, gender, height, or any other factor in which a person has no control over. Because we are all members of the human race, no one should be given unfair advantages due to characteristics that are controlled not by man but by nature.

After reading Elliot's list of typical statements and her commentary on these phrases, the song "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" from the Broadway musical Avenue Q came to my mind. Although I recognize that the entire musical is a very politically incorrect satire on life and do not suggest (as the song does) solving the problem of racism by everyone becoming more politically incorrect, the suggestion that the song title makes seemed to be the epitome of what Elliot was expressing. After Elliot's presentation, I had to, and continue to, seriously evaluate myself as to weather or not I unknowingly express racist attitudes. I do not want to live my life ignorantly expressing views I do not agree with just because I am unaware of the racial implications of phrases I have heard before. Elliot's presentation therefore caused me to think deeper about what I say and do in order to avoid accidentally making racist comments.

McIntosh's article also caused me to evaluate my life and the privileges I have due to a characteristic over which I have no control. I now realize that I have the unjust privilege of never having experienced racial discrimination. I also have other privileges due to the color of my skin. Although I never acknowledged the mentioned privileges before, I now realize that these privileges were not earned ones but rather ones I was given because of an uncontrollable characteristic. Because we are all members of the human race, it is not fair that we are divided by privileges based on something as trivial as pigmentations.

A change needs to happen in which we as a society stop accepting the ignorant "fact" that "everyone's a little bit racist sometimes" or that some are given predetermined privileges while others are not. The topic of racism in today's society needs to be discussed and evaluated more frequently so that people, such as myself before Elliot's presentation, will not be ignorant to the fact that racism continues to unjustly damage the lives of countless people. Hopefully our generation can recognize that this change needs to occur and action can be done to help bridge the gap in the human race caused by separation of privileges due to skin color.

Chivalry vs. Sexism: It is hard to imagine that two words with polar opposite definitions can be be confused with each other. According to Webster's dictionary, chivalry is the "system or practices of knighthood" while sexism is "discrimination based on sex and especially against women." Can human kindness really be confused with discriminatory actions? As seen by the articles "Chivalry: Lesson One" and "With feminism has come a loss of chivalry--and that's too bad," common acts of kindness such as holding the door open for someone are being misconstrued as sexist acts against women. Although I consider myself a feminist, I agree with the articles that chivalry toward women is not sexist but rather a sign of human decency and kindness.

Every act of kindness shown toward a woman by a man should not be considered as an attack on the female's sense of self-control or self-worth. These actions should be taken for what they are at face value: simple acts of kindness. Accepting kindness does not make a women weak or less of a feminist. Rather, the act of accepting kindness and help from others shows that women are confident enough in their personal strength to accept help when a helping hand is necessary. By accepting help from others, strong women should realize that they too can pass on the kindness shown toward them to someone else.

Although I do feel that society should not change in the manner of showing chivalry toward women, I do think that society does need to change as a whole. If women truly want equality with men, they should show chivalry toward men. Society today, especially in America, has turned into a culture focused too much on the self and not enough on the well-being of society as a whole. In order to improve society, individuals, men and women alike, should show acts of kindness and respect toward each other. In doing this, chivalry can not be misconstrued as sexism but rather as the betterment of civilization as a whole.

In considering the lives of past female scientists such as Marie Sklodowska Curie, Lise Meitner, and Emmy Noether, it is hard to imagine how these courageous women overcame the overt sexism of their society and became prominent scientists of their time. These brave women not only made significant scientific advancements in the fields of physics, chemistry, and mathematics, but they also broke down the social barriers separating women from the scientific field and in turn made it possible for future generations of women scientists to practice science without having to face the extreme, sexist hardships of the past. These women's accomplishments give me the inspiration I need to become a strong, future female doctor. Although I am confident that I will achieve my goals in today's current society, I would most likely not be pursuing a career in science if I lived in a society similar to that of the early female scientists.

Without the inspiration of the past female scientists, many young women today would not have the inspiration to pursue science as a career. Personally, I would not be entering the scientific field if I was to face the sexist attitudes and educational barriers faced by the past female scientists. Although I would like to think that I am strong enough to handle the sexist attitudes of society, I know that I would become too frustrated with the educational and personal roadblocks faced by my scientific predecessors. I know that I would be unable to handle the idea that my hard work and research would not be published under my name and I therefore would not pursue a career in the scientific field.

Based on my family's interest in science, I would not be considering a career in science if society continued to have a blatantly sexist attitude toward women scientists. I am currently the only member of my family with an interest in science. If I lived in a society where women were not to be scientists, I most likely would have no exposure to this field. Even if I did study science, my family would not view a career as a scientists as a stable source of income and probably direct me toward pursuing a more stable occupation. Without the prospect of being a scientists, I would study to become a teacher or a governess. I would also most likely marry and become a wife and mother.

The idea of me forgoing a career in science and instead becoming a governess or housewife is a frightening prospect. After learning what past women scientists have achieved, I do not want to limit what I can achieve as a future scientists. Although being a housewife is a respectable duty, I do not see myself as truly being happy unless I am learning and discovering new information. I am truly thankful that the past women scientific pioneers have made it acceptable for women to become scientists and that my generation lives in a society where women can freely dream of scientific progress.

Hello fellow women of science! I, Rebecca Beichner, am very excited to be sharing my first college class experience with you and I am looking forward to hearing your opinions on the topic of women in the scientific fields.

This summer when I received the list of possible FS classes to choose from, the topic of Women in Science stood out as one of great interest to me. Throughout high school it has been my intention to major in Biochemistry in college in hopes of attending medical school upon graduation. As a young women in society, I am also very interested in feminist issues and consider myself a feminist striving for equal respect and opportunity with men. The topic of women in science combined both my interest in science and feminism. Because I want to be a woman of science in the future, I am very excited to be discussing the great accomplishments of women scientists before my time and the issues that women of science are facing today.

My interest in science began at a young age and was inspired by two unlikely role models. Like almost every other little girl at my elementary school in New Castle, Pennsylvania, I idolized Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. I watched "Full House" almost every night, played with Mary-Kate and Ashley toys, and even went as far as pretending to have fake tea parties with an imaginary set of Olsen twins. My favorite thing involving Mary-Kate and Ashley was their series of mystery books. Although I devoured every one of these books and had many ones that I liked, the book involving a mystery at NASA was my personal favorite. I remember being fascinated not in the main mystery solving plot of the book but rather in the space exploration, machinery, and other elements of space discussed. After finishing this book, I became obsessed with space. From pretending to be an astronaut to reading other books involving space exploration, I tried to learn as much as possible about life beyond our world. In trying to discover more about space, I came across other areas of science that were of great interest to me as well. Science soon became my favorite subject in elementary school and it has been ever since. So even though Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen may not be the most wholesome role models today, I still must thank them for helping me to stumble upon the field of science.

Although I still sometimes fantasize about traveling into space, my ultimate career goal is to become a medical doctor (on Earth). I am still unsure of the specific type of doctor I want to become, but I have a few ideas on this subject. My family has a history of hereditary skin problems. Traveling to different dermatologists and seeing their kind help and interaction toward myself and my family members has inspired me to consider a career in dermatology. I am also considering a career as a radiologist. In high school, I had the opportunity to regularly volunteer at a local hospital and interact with both the patients and medical staff. During this experience, I job shadowed a radiologist and became fascinated with this particular field of scientific study. Even though I have these two fields in mind, I am still curious to see what field of study I finally will choose.

Feminism is an important issue to me and one of the main reasons that I am excited about this class. From listening to my mother's stories concerning sexism that she has encountered throughout her career, I have become very passionate about the issue of equality for women. Learning about inspirational feminists such as Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan has also inspired me to be a strong woman in society and to strive for equality between men and women.

In taking this class, I hope to take knowledge from the past generations of women scientists and today's women of science in order to better prepare myself for a career in the scientific field. I am looking forward to learning from the class debates concerning women's issues. Hopefully by learning from past scientists and becoming aware of the issues that scientific women face, I will be able to better myself and one day become an effective woman of science.