Gender Issues in the Modern World - Essay Example

Social and Gender Social gender, and race/ethni are widespread concepts that determine the relationships between individuals. Over the years, individuals have faced discrimination from some sections of the society based on their gender, social class/status, and racial affiliation. These issues have extended to the world of movies, whereby individuals may be represented according to the class or gender to which they belong. This paper seeks to explore the issues of gender, class, and ethnicity in the movie entitled The Blind Side, released in 2009. Question 1-Movie and Gender Gender issues come out clearly in the movie. The interactions between the various characters and the roles given to them bring out the gender relationships. Mrs. Tuohy is an extremely strong woman in the movie despite her being a female. She is also highly demanding as she heads her household and controls all the decisions made in the family. This portrays changing gender roles in the family, where women have gained ultimate control and ability to make vital family decisions. The changing authority and roles of women clearly comes out in the movie when Mrs. Demands that they go back and help Big Mike. She even offers him a place to sleep at their home (Lewis 18). In relation to the course materials from the gender lectures, Mrs. Tuohy shows that women have the capacity to give out orders just like men. On this regard, therefore, both genders should make decisions in their home. Men should not always dominate as the heads of households. No gender should be superior to the other; all should have equal opportunity and be accorded equal rights (Lewis 22). Mrs. Tuohy represents a typical modern woman, who does not heed to the traditions, which sidelined women and favored men. Her character and actions depict women who have the determination to challenge the status quo in the society. Question 2-Movie and Social Class The issue of social class depicts itself in the movie, with some characters having an elevated social status, while others appear to be in the low social stratum. Michael Oher belongs to the lower social status as his family cannot afford to cater for his education. For many years, during his childhood, Michael was under foster care with various families in Tennessee and Memphis (Lewis 30). He runs away whenever placed in a new home. On the other hand, the Tuohys can be regarded as influential and belonging to the upper social class/status. They live in a beautiful mansion. Besides, the friends of the Tuohy family have riches and property similar to that of the Tuohys. In relation to the lecture notes, the social prestigious status of the Tuohy and the lower social of Michael Oher depict the differences in social status. Further, this portrays the vast differences between the poor and the rich in the society. The rich, wealthy, and influential members of the society can be able to afford a luxurious and a happy, desirable life. On the contrary, the poor have difficulties affording to cater for the basic needs of shelter and education. The fact that the families surrounding the Tuohys have a lot of wealth depicts the existence of strong links and networks among the rich (Lewis 35). In the beginning of the Movie, Mrs. Tuohy nearly gets influenced by her friends, who discourage her not to adopt Michael. The Friends argue that the decision to adopt Michael would negatively influence SJ, Tuohy’s son. This shows how the wealthy view the poor as deviant and having undesirable morals. Moreover, when Michael goes back to interact with his family and friends, the community appears as poor African Americans who engage in criminal activities as gangs. Question 3-Movie and Race/Ethnicity Scenes from the Blind Side depict the relations that exist between the characters based on their racial and ethnic affiliation. The Tuohys, who belong to the white race, live a prestigious life, while Oher has gone through numerous challenges in life. Racial stereotyping is represented when the family friends of the Tuohy family believe that Michael will spoil SJ. Besides, the Movie presents numerous problems faced by African Americans, such as Michael, who could not afford to get some education (Lewis 37). This depicts the racial segregation and discrimination that hinders some of the characters from achieving their goals. The racial stereotypes show differences in access to opportunities based on the skin color. Michael represents the social problems faced by the blacks. For example, as an African American, Michael is a victim of family dysfunction, drug addiction, and poverty. This denotes the differences in status that occur due to racial affiliation. Moreover, race in the movie portrays the social inequality in the society. The whites, such as the Tuohys live in a world of opportunities. On the other hand, African Americans, such as Michael, live in a world of limited opportunities; they face barriers to success in life (Lewis 40). While the Tuohys afford to live in a luxurious mansion, Michael has grown up in foster homes, where he has kept on fleeing. Thus, the racial differences between Mrs. Tuohy’s family and the young man they adopt clearly represent the issue of race in the movie. Q4-Movie and Micro aggressions Micro aggression depicts itself in the movie, in a number of ways. The relationships between the various characters, to some extent, portray racial, gender and class micro aggressions. The Movie depicts a racial micro aggression towards Michael since it portrays him a poor black, who can only succeed in the presence of the whites. Michael is educated by the Tuohys (Lewis 41). As such, the neighbors demean Michael since he is not white like them. One of the friends even suggests that her daughter Collins is not safe around Michael. Another from of micro aggression has to do with social status and social class. Friends to the Tuohys suggest that Michael will spoil SJ. This can be termed as negative implications against Michael since they view him as a minority. Question 5 From the game, I belong to the Chintz class. I belong to a middle class, which mainly consists of the working population. In this class, I am able to afford the basic needs of education, food, shelter, clothing, and affordable healthcare. I do not face numerous challenges in accessing what I need. I desire to live a luxurious life, in which I will own a BMW, a small yacht, and a large house trailer. This shows that my desires will make me aim to be a wealthy, influential individual, who lives a prestigious life. Besides, I desire to have a motorized buggy, which further portrays my aim to be of a higher status. I belong to a park avenue, with great determination to excel in life and be successful in all my endeavors. I can identify all the items in the button named “identify this.” The five items I can identify are a BMW, a motorized buggy, a large house trailer, farm implement, and a small yacht. All these items represent my desires, aims and ambitions to become prominent. I found Chantz to be more appealing and entertaining because it represented my desires. Q6 I live in a neighborhood where majority of the people are modernized. My neighborhood represents cultures of people who have adopted modern technology and modern views of life. In my neighborhood, there are couples, both young and old, who have realized the need for modernity, equality, and equal access to opportunities. Both men and women are treated the same way, without any discrimination based on gender. Moreover, the relationships and interactions are based on the social class and status that one holds. Those in a higher social status exert considerable influence on those at the lower realm of social status. As a result, class dominance is a common phenomenon from my area of residence. My PRIZM segment represents a society where everyone only cares for themselves. The entire society rarely comes in to help those in trouble and extreme difficulty. I can describe it as capitalist, since everyone faces his or her challenges without other people’s assistance. Q7. In the introduction and chapter one of Limbo, I related to the discussion of a white collar, blue collar, or a straddler. I got the understanding that power and dominance leads to the formation of a dichotomy in the society. There exists the dominant group in the society, which comprises of the oppressor and the exploited that consists of the oppressed. Those in white collar jobs are considered as unmarked as they comprise of the wealthy, influential, and dominant groups in society. Q8. Blue collar values contribute significantly to the conflict between classes. The values have a role to play when it comes to the interactions between people belonging to different social classes and statuses. For example, the well developed work ethic, as a value, calls for the respect of the organizational rules and values that govern the institution a person works for. As a result, violation of ethics may lead to conflicts between the employees and employers. Employees may be in a lower social economic status than the employers. The desire to have close contact with family members may lead to conflicts especially when some family members are well off than others. Moreover, openness may not be possible as some groups may not be transparent. The rich always want to sideline and dominate the poor, while they benefit from the relationship withy the poor. Solidarity may be achievable in the society, as loyalty may be hard to execute in the society. People may not reach a consensus on the most agreeable way of doing things. This emanates from the fact that the various classes have differing viewpoints. As a result, conflict may arise as every group tries to exercise ultimate control and dominance over the other. Blue collar values implant virtues in a person that cause conflicts with the rest of the classes. The classification of classes leads to numerous distinctions and conflicts between the classes. The things bestowed upon a person by money significantly contribute to the conflicts between blue collar class and other classes. For example, it brings privacy, privilege, and the possibility to break down the set rules. Those who belong to the category of blue collar can be regarded as individuals who struggle to achieve the best in life. For example, blue collar kids cannot be compared to white collar kids; white collar kids find everything in place when they are born. Naturalization Test Out of the twenty five questions, I scored eighteen in the naturalization test. The naturalization test can be beneficial for people who want to be citizens. Through the test, one gets to evaluate their knowledge of the United States of America. That way, a person can be assessed their level of intelligence regarding the United States. The test challenged me to conduct more studies on the history of America and gather adequate information on some pertinent issues in the United States. The test can be applied in situations whereby people have to undergo a test so that they can become citizens of America. The diverse questions offered by the test will let a person know what they ought to know about the United States. The test gave me adequate exposure to the various issues, which may be of concern in the United States. For example, the test gave me an idea of the laws that guide the governance and leadership in the US. The test also exposed me to the American constitution and gave me some history on the United States. It would be essential that a person knows the history of the country, which they want to join as citizens. Based on this, therefore, I would highly recommend the use of naturalization tests in enrolling people to be citizens. Apart from the diverse exposure offered by the test, it gives one insights on what they should know about their country of choice. Therefore, the naturalization test should be a requirement for people who want to be citizens. Works Cited Lewis, Michael. The Blind Side. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. Print. Read More