Hierarchies

Hierarchies

In my life, I participate in maintaining hierarchies in more ways the one. First off, I am categorized in a social hierarchy because I am a female. Especially at Milken, boys feel like they are better than the girls and many times treat them in an inferior way. For example, I feel like I am very knowledgeable about things like basketball, music and politics but every time I try to express an opinion on any of those topics to a Milken boy, they brush me off and make me feel like my opinion does not matter. I am not looked at as an equal solely based off my gender and because I never speak up to defend myself and the fellow girls that go to my school, I maintain the hierarchy of men acting/feeling superior to women. This relates to the chapter “Anti-Gay Stereotypes” when the author discusses stereotypes that are made to keep people following strict and traditional gender roles, one of the stereotypes being that men's opinions matter more than those of women. 

To add, I also contribute to maintaing a financial hierarchy. In the chapter “Media Magic” the author wrote about how middle class people read fashion magazines and act as if they can afford to buy the 2,000 dollar dress in the picture to blend in with the upper class.

Being someone from the upper/middle class, I obviously do not spend $2,000 on dresses, but my clothes are more pricey than others and I try to dress and present myself in a very upper class type way, so I do reinforce the hierarchy of richer people dressing in a way that seems/is more expensive, even though I do not have to. Not only that but I drive a nice car, live in a good size home… which all contributes to my wealthy status and stature in a finical hierarchy. 

Income and Tax Policy

Unit Five: Income and Tax Policy 

In my opinion, the distribution of income and tax policy in the United States should be changed in order to work toward a more equal distribution where it is harder for the rich to get richer and easier for the poor to build up. It the U.S. today, there are families making millions of dollars a year, while others are struggling to put dinner on the table and there is one easy way to fix this: tax the rich even more. I believe income tax should be increased in the higher bracket of the United States’ tiered system. The upper 10% of American people make 48.5% of the nations income. That number is far too high and does not allow many easy opportunities for the less fortunate to make enough to support themselves. 

Distributive justice is the socially fair distribution of goods in a society and at this point in America today, money is bing distrubted extremely unfairly. For example, the average CEO take 431 times the salary of the average worker, but in reality, CEO's do not work 431 times harder. A number like that just proves the wide gap the lower, middle and upper class have. This gap needs to be closed by more logical salaries being paid to the less fortunate who are hard workers as well. People who work 18 hour days, those who work in small shops, restaurants... just to make ends meat should not have to settle for minumin wage, while CEO's who already have millions, obtain salaries of 6 figures or more.  

The government should tax the more wealthy citizens of the United States more. Their money should hopefully be distributed toward welfare programs that ulitmatly do a lot to make a positive difference in today's society. For explample, money can be allocated to programs that help homeless people stay off the streets and try to help them work toward a steady job. Another example of a government welfare program can be a program where people who have been involved with crime or different drugs can be mentored and taught to act appropriately and hopefully obtain jobs to rpoivde for themselves and their families as well. Billionaires like Warren Buffet even admit the tax system is failing because he is paying less tax to the country than his assistant who does not make nearly the same income. 

Although I sternly believe in trimming the gap between the classes in the United States, there are also many issues that arise with that as well. Many multimillionaires have worked tremendously to get to the places they are and feel that it is unfair for the government to take away so much of their hard earned money, even if it is going to a good cause. They can also argue they do not like where their money is being allocated because why should a homeless man who never worked a day in his life be getting all this help from government welfare programs, when someone who's worked hard for the money can't keep it himself?

Color-Blind Racism

Color-Blind Racism

The chapter "Color-Blind Racism" by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva deals with the idea that people hide their racism by saying they only care about what is on the inside. I believe color-blind racism is not a real problem. People who actually have an issue with the color of someones skin are usually not afraid to come out and say it. For example, the author said "instead of whites relying on housing covenants or on the Jim Crow signs of the past (e.g., 'This is a WHITE neighborhood'), today relators steer blacks into certain neighborhoods." In my opinion this accusation is false. I live in a very nice area predominately filled with white people, but I do have people of color in my community as well. I feel like color-blind racism is not present in todays society because in reality, if people of color can afford to live in a nicer area, realtors will sell them the home. It doesn't make sense any other way because the realtors are there to make money and to make their clients happy, and they would put those two qualities over the color of someones skin. On the other hand, it is natural to want to be surround by people who make you comfortable and in many cases that means people of the same race. Realtors and people in general are not hiding there racism or trying to make it less apparent, they just aren't racist. The signs are not there for a reason, fountains are not separate for a reason, people can sit wherever they want on a bus for a reason, and that reason is that racism is a dying concept. 

Racism is dying concept and it is upsetting to see people try to make up reasons as to why different colored people don't along. In this chapter it implies that white people say they do not judge colored people by the color of their skin, but rather hide that by saying they care about what they have to offer, and what is on the inside. This claim is incorrect, society has grown to the point where color truly does not matter and people are judged mostly on what they can bring to the table. That being said, in many cases, darker people do not have the opportunities and the education that white people have and therefore by default, have less to bring to the table. No one is hiding anything, times have changed and peoples opinions and outlooks on life have genuinely changed as well. 

Learn English or Else

Unit 4

"Tennessee Judge Tells Immigrant Mother: Learn English or Else" by Ellen Barry was a chapter that really caught my attention because it dealt with a mother who could have possibly had her child taken away because she did not speak English. This problem cannot automatically be solved for more reasons than one. Most people would jump to the conclusion and say the Tennessee mother lives in America and therefore should learn English, is an unfair statement to make because it is easier said than done. Learning a whole new language is something that takes a lot of time an effort, which a parent of a young child does not have. To add, no where in the constitution does it say all American citizens need to know English so I do not believe there needs to be such a strong emphasis for the mother to do so. On the other hand, the child's life could be at risk and the mother can be seen as an unfit parent if she continues to fail at raising her child safely.  There is no correct way to solve this issue. The main point of this whole situation is to keep the child as safe as possible. You need to think, will the consequences of a mother who is unable to speak English and support her child in a state where English is the only means of communication outweigh the trauma caused by the child having to grow up without a mother to love, nature and cherish her? The answer to that question, weather or not the mother is fit enough for the job, is specific to her case and her family. 

Crash

Crash 

The film Crash brings many themes of Race, Class and Gender to light, such as oppression, stereotypes and identity development. In one of the first scenes, Ludacris’s character felt unhappy with the fact that Sandra Bullock’s character was immediately frightened when she passed by the him and his friend. He felt he was treated unfairly because of the color of his skin and there was no reason for Sandra to feel so uncomfortable with him. He did not do anything to prove they he dangerous, yet…This ties into the idea of stereotypes because Sandra formed preconceived notions about the two black men and she had no basis to think badly of them, other than the fact that they were black. This scene provided a negative moment of reflection, because instead of the two black men proving to Sandra that they were harmless and she had nothing to be afraid of, they held her at gunpoint and stole her car which only furthered her apprehensive feelings toward blacks. Later, the ideas of both stereotypes and oppression were displayed when Sandra Bullock’s character fought with her husband about getting a new locksmith, solely because the one they had was Mexican. She called him a “gang-banger” and felt uncomfortable with him in the house. This can prompt a positive/productive social discussion about weather or not her claim was justifiable. Her locks were already been tampered with before and all she really wanted was to feel safe and to have someone to blame, so was her claim really so unreasonable? Another time oppression was conveyed was with with the Persian man who owned the shop. Everyone treated him unfairly and belittled him just because of his accent and the way he looked. The man who worked at the gun shop gave the Persian man a hard time when he tried to purchase a gun. He fired racist comments regarding terrorism and 911 to the Persian man which only deepened his already prevalent feelings of oppression. This scene can prompt a positive productive social discussion for more reasons than one. First off, the man was Persian and there is a big difference from being a Persian and an Arab. Furthermore, just as everyone else the gunman sold to, he was an American citizen and deserved the same rights as all other American citizens, so what justified the gun shop workers actions?Lastly, identity development was expressed in this movie with Don Cheadle’s character and his struggle with his brother. Although brought up in the same society, Don was able to outgrow the negatives of his life and become part of the police force while unfortunately, his brother was stealing cars and doing many unethical things which eventually led him to his inevitable death. This was a negative moment of reflection because it was very unfortunate to see Don stand idly by as his brother went through a lot, and his mother also dealt with a big drug addiction. Had he helped his family and acted a bit more selfless, his brother would never be put in the position where he was shot and killed. Crash was a movie that embodied many characteristics from Race, Class and Gender and it was really interesting to see how societies preconceived assumptions panned out and how they pushed people into different directions. 

"No two snowflakes are alike"

What Difference Means to Me

Difference- a point or way in which people or things are not the same. The same? I am most definitely not the same. I am a Persian, Jewish, Hetrosexual, Female that lives in Los Angeles... (hm,  well so are a lot of people).  But I have two kind parents, two pretty cool siblings, a reasonably nice home and go to a respectable private high school... (still not so different). Which brings me to ask: Are people really that "different"?

We all live off basic needs such as food, water, shelter... We need love, relationships, money... and sure, we are not all that alike, but something I recently started to consider was: If we are all different, does difference even really exist? 

Yes, difference does exist and yes, I am different. In one aspect, I may be the same as the hundreds of other Persian Jewish Hetrosexual Females that live in Los Angeles but what sets me apart are the unique qualities attributed to being Kayla... First off, I love listening to Drake just as much as the next teenage girl, but if my F.O.B. aunt heard one of his songs she'd probably cry. That makes me different. My mom lives off cooking for her family, but I'd probably cut off a finger or two trying to make a simple salad. That makes me different. My collection of 52 uniquely crafted Harry Potter wands, all in mint condition, makes me different. Which brings me back to the question: Does difference even really exist? Of course it does. My obsession with Drake, utter inability to cook and wand collection all contribute in making  "difference" an apparent thing in today's society and takes me out of the "box" that being a Persian Jewish Hetrosexual Female that lives in Los Angeles, puts me in. Difference is not figment of the imagination it is being a unique individual. The simple cliché "be yourself" in fact sets everyone apart from each other and makes every human being on this planet, different. 

Masculinity as Homophobia

Masculinity as Homophobia 

Homophobia is a central organizing principle of our cultural definition of manhood, also put as men's fear of other men. It is made somewhat clear in this chapter, that most men are homophobic because of the way they regard other men. The author of this chapter, Michael Kimmel, basically used different examples to prove the idea that men are stuck in a bubble where they always have to act tough, strong, and sometimes, violent to prove to others that they are true men. If not, they are likely regarded as "sissy's" or "faggot's" and treated differently because they do not follow the social norms of what it means to be a man. Kimmel said it is 3 times more probable for men to commit suicide over women, based on their insecurities and a lot of their discomfort in their own skin. Another point I found interesting was that "In one survey, women and men were asked what they were most afraid of. Women responded they they were most afraid of being raped and murdered. Men responded that they were most afraid of being laughed at." I believe that based on this fact alone, all men are scared of sharing things like their feelings, emotions... let alone their sexuality. Men almost always have their guard up and knowing the backlash and disrespect they will receive upon being different, they have that right. I agree with all the points made in Masculinity as Homophobia and although I find it unfortunate that some people feel so strongly against the "demasculinization" of men, it is still today's reality. On the other hand, I feel that society is modernizing and the idea of homophobia is slowly improving.