Sexual Harassment and Availing Resources to Guardians and Instructors - Research Paper Example

Sociological Ethnography “Dude, You Are a Fag” by C. J. Pascoe Ethnographic investigative methods depend on direct examination of social circumstances. The investigator has to undertake fieldwork where the deed is so as to create his or her records. The ethnographic approach aspires at getting a comprehension of how individuals behave in regular daily situations. In addition, it involves the data these persons share, what they assume and what organizational structure they create. Ethnography intends to describe and scrutinize what is culture. The ethnography is an instrument, often utilized in sociology and anthropology inscription. It recapitulates notes on a certain group of individuals assembled over a period. Ethnography is the scientific depiction of dissimilar ethnicities and traditions. This volume by Pascoe explores the intricate landscape of sexuality and gender distinctiveness in high schools. The exploration is prudent and perceptive. This study took place under a period of eight months in an ethnically assorted working class high school; River High. This volume illuminates masculinity as a field of denotation as well as a group of social practices. The technique of scrutinizing masculinity is eccentric. Masculinity is not only presented as a gendered procedure but also as sexual one. In the volume, the ghost of the homosexual becomes a punitive method for regulating heterosexuals. In addition, it regulates the homosexual males as well. The homosexual dialogue is extremely related to gender as well as sexuality. Additionally, this volume attempts to delve into both male and female sexuality (Pascoe 3). The volume commences with a scene that underscores the divergent premise of masculinity at River High. The Mr. Cougar contest evidently elucidates the intersecting dynamics of ethnicity, bodies, sexuality, gender, social class, and organizational procedures that represent adolescent masculinity in a situation. The setting is perfect for the study of sexual characteristics and sexuality. Two nerds Craig and Brent convert from un-masculine geeks who cannot guard their girlfriends into heterosexual, brawny males. This masculinising procedure occurs via an alteration of bodies, the affirmation of ethnic privilege and portrayal of heterosexuality. This scene depicts that heterosexuality is central to masculinity. The geeks’ incapacity to guard their females portrays their physical insufficiency. The way they dress in outmoded clothes, taut and ill fitting presents them as not masculine. Their fragility and high-pitched tones depict them as womanly. Their homoerotic dance depicts them as homosexual. However, through exercise the nerds transform into masculine males getting rid of their fragile, effeminate, and probably homosexual identities. In addition, the nerds remove their similar miniskirts to shed their final miscellany of femininity. Consequently, they become exceedingly physically daunting that the gangsters escape in fright at the sheer hint of the geek’s strength. This skit in the volume presents how racial-based concepts of masculinity might be endorsed through sexualized tropes (Pascoe 5). The gangsters denote failed, but outrageously successful males in their heterosexual aver over the nerd’s females. Their slack pants and tops, bearing games team badges and floppy walks, invoke a tough inner-city criminal fashion, one depicted in movies. This portrays black males as having hyper sexuality. Pascoe utilized observations as key elements of her study. These observations included studying of scholars in classrooms, faculty and supervisors. This occurred essentially in classrooms as well as sex neutral places such as the Senior Government category and conventionally masculine places, for instance, the auto shop group. Other places included play classes and gay or straight coalition meetings. In addition, Pascoe obtained field notes from her observations on how scholars, faculty and overseers deduced meanings of sexual categories and sexuality. Pascoe also spent time in learners’ lunch places and renowned school occurrences such as meetings, Winter Ball, and dances (Pascoe 6). Markers of womanliness such as high tones and skirts represent emasculation when related to male bodies. The nerds’ girlfriends symbolize a connection between femininity and vulnerability since they are incapable of salvaging themselves from the hooligans. Nonetheless, the female trainer presents strength, a symbol of masculinity the geeks originally lack. The scholars in the audience applaud the female trainer as she participates in a masculinised practice, weight lifting, and they express amusement at the nerds who are incapable of doing this. Male masculinity, at this circumstance, is humorous and the audience applaud women masculinity (Pascoe 7). The volume explains how youngsters, teachers, and organizational reasons of schooling create pubescent masculinity through dialects of sexuality. It scrutinizes the interrelationships between sexual characteristics and sexuality as entrenched in a significant socializing organization of contemporary: River High. The hetero normative and homophobic dialogues, procedures, and relations in an American school create masculine identities. Investigating into the construction of masculinity it is vital to delve into operation of, rebellion against, and customs connecting to sexuality. It is also paramount to look into sex and sexuality customs of scholars, instructors, and managers, stressing on the rituals in educational institutions (Pascoe 8). This depicts that manliness is not a homogenous category that any male can acquire by virtue of being male. Manliness is a collection of customs that diverse youngsters might symbolize in different scenarios to different extents. Masculinity in this scenario connects the male body. In this context, comprehending manliness is in a structure of supremacy through sexualized hypotheses. Boys have a conviction that accomplishing masculinity involves the reiteration denial of the image of failed maleness. Most males assert that maleness entails lobbing homophobic labels to each other. They also maintain manly selves by partaking in heterosexist conversations of ladies’ bodies and their own sexual phenomena. Both of the preceding experiences interrelate with racial distinctiveness. For instance, African American males are prone to receive reprimands by scholarly administrators for partaking in these masculinising customs. Even if homophobic teasing and claims of heterosexuality brings out a manliness identity for boys, the interrelation between sexuality and manliness appears different when manliness happens on the exterior of male bodies. On the side of girls, testing heterosexual personalities often solidifies a masculine personality. Programming of these gendering procedures has several levels: institutional, interactional and personal (Pascoe 12). Sociologists discuss manliness as an assortment of sexual category practices performed by biologically male individuals. Additionally, feminist theorists delve into how authority is entrenched in the impartial and normal sex functions. They assert that manliness results from family structure in which females nurture. Recognition of a female as the preliminary caregiver presents an intricate configuration of a gender individuality for males. An identity development relates to self-protective ego limitations and repudiation of femaleness. Feminists evaluate masculinity with the pursuit for independence and partition, an approach that affects other evaluations of manliness. Both males and females interrogated revealed that ‘fag’ was the most awful slur boys could direct at one another. Females rarely utilized the phrase fag and majority never referred to each other as fags. Therefore, being the term fag does not relate to sexuality, but only relates with manliness. The expression ‘fag’ was previously an insult to control the limitations of manliness. This explicates that two men referring to each other as fag do not literally mean that the man is homophobic. It is not an allegation that he is not an actual man. Fag is not only a gay insult; it is also an insult that attacks demeanour considered unmanly. Pascoe utilizes the drama class as milieu where male scholars could act in feminine ways without fright of being teased by other males. It presented a break from the force of other males. The males exerted this force on other males to enact manliness (Pascoe 10). This setting provided a difference to the pomposity, bragging, and one-upmanship that Pascoe experienced when males were in the presence of their pals. Males would overstate their sexual competence in manly spaces such as weight room. The fascinating dynamics presents adults as moulders of sexual category and sexuality at the River High. Majority of administrators would respond different when a male and a female departed from a Winter Ball than when two males departed. In a school setting, instructors customarily overlook homophobic and sexist commentaries created by scholars. Essentially, there is a singular exception, where not a single individual got reprimanded for utilizing words like homosexual or gay. The singular occurrence that would culminate in chastisement is of African-American scholars using slur to the white males. In this volume school, systems did a meagre job of guarding the most susceptible scholars at the school. Majority of scholars taunted and harassed gay learners in the school system who ultimately abandoned the school. School supervisors should enact a bearing against sexist and homophobic insults as they do in opposition to racialist insults. While youngsters are almost compulsively studied as sexual performers, many researches emphasize on sex schooling, perilous behaviours rather than how sexuality moulds daily existence. Among teenage males, sexuality is not just a set of demeanours studied by researchers, but an element of the research procedure itself. This process encompasses arbitration, intricate and enlightens researcher-participant relationships. Masculinity procedures in pubescent occur not only among peers, but also between a female investigator and male respondent. This procedure delves into scrutinizing a collection of objectifying and sexualizing rites through which teenage males create their identities. Many males connect activities such as weight-lifting as proving masculinity among other youngsters. The males who are well-built gain a reputation that they are superior to their weak colleagues. Most boys ground this theory on the fact they are guys, and they have to be dudes. This is a mechanism that young males utilize to portray their masculinity. Their portrayal of manliness is a depiction of how males gain authority among other males (Pascoe 176). The digital advancement has also significantly revolutionized the youth culture. Pascoe reiterates the manner in which MySpace and Face book amongst other social networks has had significant roles in this. Youngsters dialogue with ease by posting commentaries on the Internet. These media have become the novel channels of disseminating insults and commentaries. Young males utilize this media to make fun of unmanly demeanour among their peers. Additionally, these males exhibit sexualized images of young females in their schools. This is an affirmation that interactions such as the fag dialogue and neurotic heterosexuality are not bound by any learning association. Different scholars from divergent ethnic milieus disclose that the gendered homophobia and sexual prejudice are extremely widespread in schools. Pascoe recaps on her discourse by a respondent called Trevor in her research. Trevor disclosed how the novel communication channels epitomize the gendered and extremely sexualized policing of manliness in online milieus. This accentuates what is universally described as cyber bullying (Pascoe 180). Conclusion In this discourse, sexual harassment and availing resources to guardians and instructors directed at facilitating gender and sexual parity in learning institutions were examined. In addition, it is not adequate to restraint scholars for harassing other scholars. It is also crucial to educate scholars on matters of authority and disparity. Pascoe never exposed her private life. She never involved the scholar’s inquisitiveness about her. In addition, she never discussed her sexual individuality with scholars or supervisors. The researcher, however, revealed that she was a homosexual. She entirely comprehends that it is crucial to keep a boundary between researchers and the participants. Revealing some facts, the researcher exposed some data so as to get more data from the participants. This is an outstanding exemplar of getting in touch with the feat and utilizing interviews and examination to assemble information. It is an exemplary documentation of how an individual might present a subject that is palpable and normal. This is through showcasing how it is an element of a sexist and homophobic procedure. This process has been disparaging males and female scholars in learning institutions. It entails assessing daily demeanour in a manner that indicates power relation and inequality. It also explicates how individuals describe sexuality and masculinity. In high school, masculinity is as a consequence of an individual being part of a certain setting or category. However, these settings are not the ideal milieu for defining masculinity and sexuality. Work Cited Pascoe, C.J. Dude! You Are a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality. University of California, 2007. Print. Read More