Nver2nd's Blog

sexuality

nver2nd — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:33:53 +0000

The construction of sexuality has helped to limit the rights of people who, under any other condition would receive full benefit of citizenship and acceptance in the United States. the struggle to understand sexuality, as well as government implemented restrictions on sexual minorities has limited the progress made towards equality.
This was the most difficult blog for me to compose, mostly because the idea of Sexuality is not something that I quite understand. Unlike Race, or Gender, the definition of sexuality remains somewhat elusive to me. One thing that Race, Gender and Sexuality do have in common is that all three ideas are used to separate groups of people from each other. Sexuality is only one of many Socially Constructed terms that only limit a group of people. Throughout the 20th century, the idea of Sexuality has been just another means for the majority to oppress the minority. Every generation has different beliefs on what is sexually approved, and what is to be shunned .In the case of sexuality, the GI Bill discriminated against people who were discharged from the military on the basis of sexuality. This loss of benefits was devastating to many GI’s who were discharged because of their sexual orientation. Another example of discrimination based on sexuality would be the Don’t ask, Don’t tell policy in the Armed Forces. This policy allowed for homosexuals to serve in the Armed Forces, but only if they kept quiet about their sexuality. Another recent event that was an example of discrimination on the basis of Sexuality was the passing of California’s Proposition 8 in 2008. The proposition eliminated the rights of homosexual couples to marry. Prop 8 stands as yet another example of discrimination on the basis of sexuality, limiting the equality of people because of their sexual orientation. The Government approved discrimination of people because of their sexual orientation is one reason that I believe that sexuality is a constructed term, created as a means to discriminate.
The question of sexuality and how to approach the idea is confronted by each generation, resulting in many different interpretations of Sexuality. Sexuality in the last decade is something completely different than what was perceived as sexuality during the 1960s, and so forth. I believe that the idea of Sexuality will continue to change, and will have a different opinions on what sexuality is. Until recently, people with alternative sexual orientations were seen as mentally sick, narcissistic, or perverted. Sexual deviants were often placed into mental asylums because they were misunderstood, and homosexuality was believed to be a disease. In the years to follow, the definition of sexuality would rebound completely, with the sexual freedom of the 1960’s. Continuing the trend of change, the definition of sexuality today is as foggy as ever before. Legislation such as Prop 8 limits equality based on sexuality, yet the passage of Equal Employment Opportunities Act of 1967 fights for the equal opportunity to any person, regardless of sexual orientation. How sexuality is understood can not only change between generations, but also between the individuals themselves. I know that I see sexuality in a different light than how my parents perceive the idea.
Sexuality as a constructed term has influenced the lives of countless Americans through policies created to discriminate against the sexual minorities. The way that people confront sexuality also changes between each passing generation, each with its own policies and actions. The future can only tell how the idea of sexuality will change for the future generations to come.

The Nation and Beyond, and Invoking “the Native”

nver2nd — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:26:57 +0000

According to the article, “The Nation and Beyond,” it was not until after the First World War that nations began making individuals into nation states. Why do you think this is?

In the Article, “Invoking ‘the Native’,” What is the European and American mainland depiction of the Hawaiian natives, and Hula dancers? How does this view affect the Hawaiian people? How does racism and sexism play a role in the Euro-American perception of what Native Hawaiians and hula dancers’ should look like?

Creating GI Jane

nver2nd — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:08:53 +0000

The need for labor brought on by world war two was beneficial to many groups of people. Did women believe that there labor in the war effort would bring about equality after the fighting ended?

What was the reason for the creation of the WAC, and how did it help the women who gave their service to the core?

Why was the idea of homosexual acts between Wac women seen as more of a threat to the security of the core than the actions of the heterosexual core women?

Construction of Race

nver2nd — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:44:26 +0000

The true definition of what “race” is can be hard to find, and may be different for all people. Until only recently, the US Government only defined race as the difference between black, and white. The problem with this literal black and white separation is that it leaves many groups of people outside the circle, creating a large void that was brought into question by groups such as the Latin Americans and Asian Americans, who found themselves unrepresented by the law. The construction of race has hindered the progression of mankind because it continues to separate people on a basis of how they are different, rather than bringing them together over the traits we have in common.
The idea of race can have many different meanings, depending on the context it is used in. I personally believe it is hard to overlook some of the differences between the people of the world. No one group is superior to another, but each has its own unique culture that makes it different from the others. Race and culture are two different things, but sometimes they are blended together. A group of people can maintain their own culture without having to label themselves as members of a race. To define what race is can be extremely difficult, not only for me, but also for those who hold power, such as the United States Supreme Court. In many cases, the status of whiteness has been questioned by people whose appearance can give them the appearance of being white. The court has ruled differently depending on the individual case, granting whiteness to some groups, such as the Irish and Mexicans, while excluding others such as the Japanese. This was the issue during the case of “Ozawa v. United States,” after Ozawa was denied citizenship . The term “whiteness” in American history seems to determine what it means to be a member of the ruling class. As time changes, some cultural groups were allowed to be members of the white race, and were granted rights as citizens, while others were excluded and tuned away. Because the idea and definition of what it means to be white is always susceptible to change depending on the popular belief of the day, I believe that the idea of whiteness and race is a purely constructed term, without justification.

The definition of race changes with each new generation, and with the changing times, come new answers for those who question what race really is. Institutional racism against the people of America has taken place within the country for much of its history, targeting anyone who was not a member of the white race. The idea of institutionalized racism was brought to the surface by the actions of Oscar Acosta, a rebellious Lawyer who fought for the justice of Mexican Americans during the Chicano movement. Acosta’s actions during the “East Los Angles 13” trial questioned the establishment, placing the local judges under investigation of racism . Discrimination against people who were not of Anglo descent was nothing new for the American government. The discrimination of people based on race was common practice in most parts of America, including the south, and in the west. Jim Crow laws hindered the advancement of many Blacks after the Civil War, and up to the civil rights movement of the 1960’s. Blacks were restricted from events such as voting, with the creation of literacy tests, and poll taxes, targeted exclusively towards blacks. In California, the Asian community was a major target for white hate, with the creation of anti immigration laws against the Chinese immigrants who flooded the west coast following the gold rush, and the railroad boom. Chinese workers were welcomed in small numbers, and were prime candidates for harsh labor jobs inside mines and on rail lines, but aside from their labor, they were not wanted by the Anglo natives. Legal discrimination against groups on the basis of race has been common practice, and has lead to years of injustice against these groups of American citizens.

1) Gjerde, Jon. Major Problems in American Immigration and Ethnic History. 1st ed. Wadsworth Publishing, 1998 (299).
2) Haney-López, Ian. Racism on trial. Harvard University Press, 2004 (45).

Racism On Trial

nver2nd — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:36:40 +0000

The unorthodox methods of Attorney Oscar Acosta revealed that the Los Angles Courts were discriminating against the Mexican population. In the cases of the East LA 13, and the Biltmore 6, did Acosta’s militant fight for Chicano justice help or hinder his case, and his defendants?

What impact did the Black Power movement have on the growing Chicano movement? Did the Brown Pride groups such as the “Brown Berets” learn from the actions of the militant Black Panthers before them?

Lopez stresses the idea of “Common sense” racism throughout “Racism on Trial, The Chicano fight for Justice.” Do you agree with his belief that in most cases, racism becomes a natural thought that is recalled upon when judging a group of people?

Racism and Gender

nver2nd — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:55:34 +0000

The term Gender has been thrown around loosely during my time as a student, and its meaning to me has always been less about actual gender traits, and more about the female gender. Gail Bederman’s work, “Manliness in Civilization” shows the impact of the male sex on American history during the period between 1880 and 1910. Before reading Bederman’s book, I had failed to think much about the impact that men of the period had on today’s thinking, and what it has traditionally meant to be “manly.” Bederman looks at a few different people of the period who both bolstered the image of white manliness, and tore it down. Examining the works of these people has helped me to better understand what was happening during this important period of American history.
During the years leading up to Jack Johnsons fight against the white fighter Jeffries, the common belief of the day was that no Negro fighter could ever defeat a white fighter; this belief was only justified by racism held by whites against the black community. Johnson was the leading contender for the Heavyweight Boxing Championship, and after fighting his way to the top, he demanded a title fight against the retired champion Jeffries. Johnson was the living example of what it meant to be a man; the only problem was that he was a black man. Had Johnson been born as a white male instead of African American, his fighting career would have been no different than any before him. Johnson flaunted his manliness before white America, or at least that was the belief of the day. White males were furious at the idea of a “savage” such as Johnson was not only physically stronger than any fighter at the time, but he was also courting white women. Johnson’s boastful attitude plagued him after his victory over Jeffries, and eventually he was forced to flee the country because of false charges against him. Jack Johnson should have been admired by all men of America following his destructive victory over all of his former opponents, but instead he was exiled only because he was a successful black fighter. The actions of the public against Johnson show that Gender was not excluded from the racism of the day, and that even though Johnson was a powerful male, he was not accepted as an equal to white males.
The violent actions taken against Johnson were not uncommon, and many blacks in America faced unjust discrimination while living in post Civil War America. To be a black male during this period also proved to hold its own unique problems that only widen the gap between black and white men of the time. Ida B. Wells worked towards putting an end to unlawful lynching in the American South after a few of her own close friends were the victims of a lynch mob. Lynch mobs targeted black males who were blamed for any number of crimes, including rape of white women. The lynching’s were a result of vigilante justice, and were unregulated by local police and law enforcement. Black men were seen as walking savages, unable to maintain lustful emotions towards the innocent white women. Many of the white males believed that they were upholding white womanhood by lynching accused black rapists. In reality, the number of black on white rapes in the south probably dropped during the period following the Civil War, but the amount of accused rape cases increased dramatically. The charges of rape against black males created another visible gap between black and white males, and it was driven by racism following the freedom of blacks from slavery. White males believed that they were obligated to suppress the black men, and used false charges and crimes to give justification to the hanging of many black men. The lynching’s were also motivated by jealousy, and a strong hate of any successful blacks. There was little brotherhood between the white and black men of the south, and there was no common ground of manliness and gender between the two groups during the lynching’s of accused blacks.
If Jack Johnson was the Black example of what it was to be a man, Theodore Roosevelt was a living example of white manliness and power. Roosevelt may have been less of a boxer than the powerful Johnson, but his shortcomings in boxing were forgotten after he began to walk around with his “big stick.” Theodore Roosevelt grew up as a sickly boy, but he quickly grew into the superior white male he had always wanted to be. To this day, the image attached to Roosevelt’s name is one of masculinity and manliness. Teddy Roosevelt was also as racist as most of his white peers, believing that the white race was more evolved than any other in the world, resulting in white dominance over others. Roosevelt upheld this through his policies as President of the United States, annexing many weak territories such as Hawaii and the Philippines. Roosevelt is an example of what it meant to be manly, and how a white man was intended to uphold white civilization.
The idea of manliness and gender during the period of 1880-1910 seemed to only apply to a select group of men. Just as before in American History, only white men were allowed to reap the benefits of manliness and masculinity, leaving the males of less desired races at the whim of white mobs. While some men such as Teddy Roosevelt were praised for their exhibition of manliness, others were the target of hate and violence. The reaction to Johnson’s outgoing manliness was not approved of by the white public only because he was not a member of their selected race, splitting the lines between the male gender around the socially constructed ideas of racial superiority. Even after Johnson thwarted all of the assumptions that he would be defeated when facing his white rival, he was still ridiculed by the white masses, which only looked at his skin color, and not his strong Gender traits.

Gender and Civilization, post class review:

nver2nd — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:30:01 +0000

1)After Jack Johnson’s victory over the white boxer Jeffries, the foundation of white middle class racism was turned on its own head. Prior to the bought between Johnson and Jeffries, most white critics believed that it was imposable for the black savage Johnson to defeat the superior Jeffries, because he lacked the mental ability to defeat a white man. Even after Johnson proved to the world that he was superior to any white boxer of the day, racism against Johnson only continued to rage. Johnson’s attraction to white women also struck a nerve within the masculine white male society. Now not only was Johnson a superior fighter, but he was also pleasing white women. Action against Johnson was taken, and he was prosecuted under the charges that he was holding his white girlfriend against her will. White men couldn’t believe that any pure white woman would chose Jack Johnson as a partner, so it was only fair to believe that white slavery was the reason they were constantly around Johnson.

2)In her campaign against lynching in the south, Ida B. Wells may have damaged her argument when she wrote about the alleged black rapists. Wells believed that many black men were seduced into sex with white women, resulting in charges of rape against the black men. This explanation of the Southern Rape charges appears to make the black men look weak and easily manipulated. Wells fails to explain other possible situations resulting in the charge of rape against black males, including jealousy or racism. According to Bederman, the actual number of raping in the south during the period between the Civil War, and the First World War were likely to have been lower than ever before, but the number of lynchings was substantially higher than ever.

3)Theodore Roosevelt may have been the living example of manliness described in Bederman’s writings. After experiencing ridicule in his early years of public service, Roosevelt began to rebuild himself in a masculine image. By the end of his life, Teddy Roosevelt was believed to be a stature of manliness, and his legacy lives on to this day. Roosevelt’s conquests in the Spanish American War, as well as his policies during his presidency lead him to the person he is remembered as today. Roosevelt’s theory of Racial Suicide also left an impact on his legacy. The belief that races can participate towards their own destruction was one of the major problems Roosevelt’s generation was faced with during there lives.

Socialist Women and Gendered Space: The Anti-Conscription and Anti-War Campaigns of 1914-1918, by Joy Damousi

nver2nd — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:04:54 +0000

According to Damousi, how did the men react towards the socialist women who opposed the First World War? Are the actions of repression towards women driven by manliness, or by the belief that the “natural order” of social class must not be disturbed?

Learning to Talk More Like a Man: Boston Women’s Class-Bridging Organizations, by Sarah Deutsch

nver2nd — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:41:32 +0000

As the WEIU grew in size and influence during the decades following its creation in 1877, the group began to house not only women activists, but also men. For what reason did some of the Elite men of Boston join the WEIU? Did the addition of male members into the ranks of women Aid groups help or hinder the progression of the WEIU?

my first blog

nver2nd — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:30:33 +0000

this is my first blog posting, not only on this site, but my first blogging period… only time will tell if i end up enjoying the, “art of blogging.”