Gender Discussion

1) What are the main differences between the three major approaches to sexuality: biological explanations such as the gay gene, sexual scripts, and queer theory. What is closest to your thinking and what is the most powerful? Why? 2) How does race intersect with myths of sexuality? How do these maintain systems of inequality? 3) In your own words. describe briefly the lenses of androcentrism, gender polarization, and gender essentialism and provide examples of each from your work, home, popular culture, etc. Discuss the effect that one of these examples might have on the world around you, and how that might be limiting. 4) Find some ads for kids' toys on YouTube, Writer your observations about words, colors, and other details. What do you learn about gender by making these observations? 1. The gay gene, which causes homosexuals to have androgen deficiency, has been offered as evidence for the biological basis of sexual orientation. Sexual encounters, according to the idea of the sexual script, are scripted exchanges based on dominant gender ideologies. They classify sexual scripts into three levels: cultural scenarios, interpersonal scripts, and intrapsychic scripts. According to queer theorists, sexuality is formed through social interaction. Considers sexuality and gender to be an act or performance, more especially a type of drag in which individuals assume the character of either a man or a woman. The sexual script idea, in my opinion, is the most potent, because ideologies do influence how we perceive individuals based on their sexuality. These notions are what cause individuals to believe that sexuality is the way it is. 2. Race overlaps with the myth of sexuality, with people believing that your race influences how you think or act sexually. Because they are portrayed as more sexual, black men and women are hypersexualized. Many individuals believe that black people are simply more sexual than other people, and some even believe that black women have a higher pain threshold. In the book, it says “Black men’s sexuality is particularly important because of its connection to sexual violence and to the myth of the black rapist” (Aulette, 64). This is similar to how many Black males have been executed or slain because of an inflated perception of their sexuality. These sustain the system of inequality by making black people appear inferior to others because they are unable to control their sexual desires. This also applies to false charges, as the finger is more likely to be pointed at a black guy than a white one. 3. Androcentrism makes guys and all they do appear to be the societal norm for everyone to emulate Everything and every language we use revolves around guys, making them superior. An example would be how when we talk about the human race we use the term “Man-Kind”. Gender polarization The range of human variety has been categorized into two categories: male and female. This is due to the fact that there are only two ends to the sexual stick, masculine or feminine, and not both. A task that is taught to the next generation in families, such as boys doing yard maintenance and girls learning to cook, is an example. The last one is gender essentialism argues that gender is a fixed biological or psychological feature that does not change over time among individuals. This is how our biology governs who we are and who we cannot be. People's behavior is influenced by the gender they were born with. For example, when infants are born, or if our DNA is extracted, it will state whether they are male or female. Gender essentialism influences how schools handle youngsters and their expectations of boys versus girls. In the book, it says, “We stereotype others when we subscribe to essentialist thinking and assume that the standard is a valid way to judge and respond to people.”(Aulette, 97). These are the assumptions we make about someone based on their gender rather than their actual characteristics. 4. I studied toy commercials for boys and girls, and the gender inequalities are stark. What I've learned about gender from those advertisements is that men are portrayed as extreme and adrenaline-fueled individuals, whilst women are portrayed as calm and sensitive. Boy advertisements included a person speaking as if he had a six-pack of Mountain Dew and an explosion noise or some deadly flip. The boys also wore dark colors such as blue, green, and black. The girls were in a white room and were singing while presenting toy houses in vivid colors involving pink. The girls are also composed and dressed in skirts and bright colors. What I discovered about gender is how we perceive boys and girls and decide what they enjoy based on what children are taught to like. Toy commercials are created based on the audience that they assume will enjoy the toy, when in reality, children will play with any toy depending on how they were raised.