Masculinity

This week in class we talked about masculinity. We watched a movie called tough Guise which was all about how men wear masks of being tough, strong, powerful, and invulnerable. It demonstrated how men are supposed to act tough and violent without showing their soft side. It showed how many men think that to be masculine they have to fight and beat up anyone who picks on them. Also in the movie it said that masculinity was the cause of most school shootings. I found this very shocking because I never realized how men feel about their  masculinity.As well as violence it showed that binge drinking is shown as being macho. My brother acts all tough and manly on the outside when ever he is with his friends or around people he doesn't know. Deep down inside though, he has a soft side and when he is home he acts different and acts like a mamas boy. This is all because of how men see how society thinks men should be. I think in society we need to start showing men that being vulnerable and weak at times is ok and need more role models for men that aren't afraid to show their more feminine side.

Media:Appearance

This week in class we have been talking about how the media has brainwashed people especially kids that they need to look or act a certain way to be cool, cute, or handsome. We were shown how toys have been changed in looks to attract more kids to buy them. Dora The Explorer was changed into a normal little girl who wore shorts and a t-shirt, to a girl who has long hair, makeup on, a dress, and jewelry. I found this disturbing because it is teaching young little girls that in order to be pretty and cool they have to dress  older looking than they are. It is teaching girls that they need to wear makeup to to be seen as pretty, which is totally wrong. Also we watched a Dove commercial today showing how even the models seen on billboards and commercials don't really look like that. Their was so much photo shopping and airbrushing, it was ridiculous. The media is distorting the way little kids and even adults should look. If girls want to look like the models in the magazines, their going to be disappointed because the models don't even look like the way they are pictured. I think that the media needs to start teaching kids that beauty is in the inside too and is more important then how one looks. I think real beauty is liking yourself the way you are and being confident without trying to fit into what the media portrays about looks.  When I see girls at the age of 8, I am shocked to see how inappropriate they dress. It sad to see how much they are trying to grow up so fast, when now should be the time that they enjoy their age because they will get older, but they can never get younger.

Nature vs. Nurture

During class this week we talked about nature vs. nurture and discovered that both work off each other and  shouldn't be individualized.  We talked about children who were locked up in rooms for years or neglected and living with animals. These kids were called feral (wild) children. kids who were living with animals took on animal traits. One girl was barking and crawling like a dog. The kids who were locked up, when found, were not stable and one girl named Danielle was locked in her room for 12 years. When she was found she could not talk and could barely walk, as a result she had the  mental capacity of an infant when she was 8 years old. I found this very sad and disturbing what her parents did to her and realized how nurturing is a big part of being human. I thought that most of what made you human was your DNA and genes, but when thinking sociologically your nature is not all that makes you human but a lot is also from  your nurture. In order to function the way we should, we need love, attention, and socialization. Now I realize that my parents genes are not all that make me who I am, but what's equally important is how they nurture me.

Tuesdays With Morrie

 The movie Tuesdays With Morrie was sad, but also a meaningful story about American culture and their values. In the movie Morrie says to Mitch, " when you learn how to die, you learn how to live." I found this quote to be very powerful because most people when they hear about death , tend to turn the other way and get uncomfortable. I think  what Morrie is trying to say to Mitch is that people need to take a step back and think to themselves, if they should die today would they feel like they lived a good and meaningful life. I think that many people would realize that they are focused to much on work, material goods, and being of high status in the world. People need to live life the way they want to in order to be happy, instead of how our culture has taught us to be. People are always on the go and  never really take the time to do what makes them happy. People should spend more time with their family and do things that they want to do instead of what they have to do. In the movie Morrie understood that because he lived his life on what he wanted to do and enjoyed. I think that people need to be more like that, because then you really do understand how to live. I know that is easier said then done, but I am going to try and live my life to  the fullest remembering that you only live once. Do what you want to do now because in the end you aren't given a second chance to go back and change things.