MAKE UP BLOG

I don’t really know how I feel about the gender identity topic and transsexuals, maybe because I’ve never been in this situation or know anyone who has (that I know of). I really try to be sympathetic and put myself in the shoes of these people who go through these things because it seems like such a tragic life. But then I feel like I’m questioning everything that I believe and everything that I was taught. Does this mean that my religion is wrong and that the God I believe in makes mistakes? It becomes a really hard choice to make as far as what I think is real and what’s right. But I still try to give people a chance and understand where they’re coming from. So when I read Devor’s essay I instantly felt conflicted. He gave all of these scientific facts and studies to back up everything he said. What really caught my attention was in the beginning how he makes all these references to transgender children, how kids settle into their gender identities between the ages of eighteen months and two years. I have to disagree. When I think about babies I don’t think about anything because I just don’t think they would be able to comprehend a gender identity at such a young age. They’re only babies. And besides how would these scientists even know what babies think? Yes they can do all types of tests on the brain and study how it works, but I’m pretty sure no one can read a baby’s mind and figure out exactly how they think. As for children I think they’re too young to know what sex they are. Devor even says kids don’t think of gender in terms of private parts, but from other things like hair styles or clothes. So if a little boy wants to be a girl because he likes playing with dolls and wearing dresses he might tell his parents he wants to be a girl because to a kid that’s what being a “girl” is. That little boy might even know that girls and boys are genetically different, but he won’t understand what this really means. I think it might just mean the boy is feminine in our society, but even still he’s a boy. That’s the way he was born. I think if our society became more socially accepting of gender roles than these issues might go away or become easier to deal with. The question then becomes how does our society progress towards this? It’s something I’m still thinking about and trying to wrap my mind around since reading this essay. But I still feel like okay religion can be wrong in some people’s eyes well so can science. In the end you have to have your own beliefs to fall back on. 

"Social Class and Hidden Curriculum of Work" Response

I thought this piece was extremely interesting. I really saw myself comparing my grade school experiences with what I read. I found that my education fits more in the affluent professional school. When I read about the lower class schools I realized how blessed I am to have grown up in a better environment. I’m certainly not rich and consider my family and myself a part of the middle class, but because of the community I’m from (Shaker Heights, Ohio) there’s outstanding diversity amongst class, race and ethnicity. Therefore I received the chance to go to a good school. It’s so sad to me that because of your situation you sometimes can’t get the same opportunities as others. I think it’s totally unfair and completely contradicts what the American dream is supposed to stand for which is freedom and equality.

                From reading this it seems as if the school systems are set up for failure for the poor and success for the rich. The poorer students are told to follow steps exactly, are shunned for thinking outside of the box, and their instructors bark orders at them as if they’re dictators. The kid’s questions and opinions don’t matter. And what I find most shocking is that the kids aren’t taught to truly understand the concepts behind what they’re learning. As long as the students learn the basics, enough to maintain steady blue collar job s, then everyone has done their jobs. Unfortunately, there is no room what so ever for growth for these kids. Their futures don’t look as good as they could be and they’re only expected to go as far as their parent’s career wise. On the other hand, the kids who come from wealthy backgrounds are given the exact opposite opportunities. These students are challenged to recognize not only what they’re learning but how and why as well. There is great emphasis on individuality, self-expressing, and creativity. The kids can open their minds, give opinions, and ask questions. The teachers don’t put themselves on pedestals which create the drill sergeant soldier mentality like at the poor school. And so because the poor kids are poor their futures don’t look as bright as say a child from a wealthy background which allows more flexibility in the way the rich kids are taught.