Sexism Against Women

Women in America have overcome a number of struggles in order to gain equality. With their equal rights being granted, in today's society women are able to go to school to earn an education, and work outside their homes. Women have amassed so many occupations such as teachers, politicians and doctors. Despite these positive changes, there is still a social barrier that blockades women from acquiring equal opportunity. This barrier is sexual discrimination. How can the United States be so called the land of freedom, equality and opportunity when this conflict is overt in society?

One state in America that is highly sexist against females is Texas. In Texas a lot of the sexual discrimination unconsciously exposed. According to Molly Ivins "I think it is quite possible to grow up in Texas as an utter failure in flirting, gentility, cheerleading, sex-pottery, and manipulation and still be without any permanent scars" (Ivins 699). According to Laura Fitzpatrick "sexism has been supplanted by a more insidious form of bias, which suggests that sexist messages are o.k. if coucjed in irony" (Fitzpatrick). From my perspective sexism has become such a norm in many forms that is has been viewed as acceptable to the public.

Women in today's environment face several cultural barriers. One way it is shown is through flirtation. Women tend to flirt with men that they may be attracted to. When women are in bad moods, especially after heated arguments, men tend to say flirtatious quotes that may be viewed by women as offensive when Molly states "you're so cute when your mad" (Ivins 699). According to the flirting quotes and sayings list "a woman will flirt with anyone in the world as long as other people are looking on" (Anonymous). From my perception the only way women in society can be recognized for their beauty is engaging in philandering.

Women also have to cope with sexual discrimination through music. In terms of country music according to Molly "it's your basic familiar virgin/whore dichotomy- either your "Good-Hearted Woman or "Your Cheatin' Heart""(Ivins 699). According to Chad Austin "a study found that college students who were asked to listen to rap music had significantly higher levels of reported sexism" (Austin). In my point of view music in modern times plays a major role in how individuals develop their opinions and stereotypical biases of others especially of the opposite gender.

 

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Women have worked hard and suffered as much as men did over several periods. However, their sacrifice and  determination is overshadowed in today's society with the inclusion of television and the media. These examples also pose an overwhelming challenge for women to prevail gender parity. In most movies and reality shows, there has been an underlying of sexual discrimination towards women because of how the women are shown as feeble, idle and contingent on a man. Molly states that "in the cowboy movies that most contemporary Texans grew up on, the big, strong man always protects "the little lady" or "the gals" from whatever peril threatens" (Ivins 700). According to Sarah Senghas "On television, women are shown working less often than men" (Senghas). In my viewpoint women still receive the brunt of the stick of sexual prejudice when faced with the oppressing feeling that a woman is unable to become an independent and potent leader.

Texas is the second largest state in the U.S. Texas is heavily diverse. The ethnic group that comprises the most of Texas is Hispanic. With the incorporation of Spanish people, they have brought their cultures to America. Like any other regular man, Latinos take up accountability in terms of providing and protecting their spouse. However, their manly duties are sometimes extreme and thus engraved in today's society. According to Molly "then there's the machismo of our Latin heritage, which affects not only our Chicana sisters, but has been integrated into Texas culture quite as thoroughly as barbecue, rodeo and Tex-Mex food" (Ivins 699). Pertaining to an article by an anonymous writer, "machismo is defined as the cult of virility, the chief characteristics of which are exaggerated aggressiveness and intransigence in male-to-male interpersonal relationships and arrogance and sexual aggression in male-to-female relations" (Anonymous). In interpreting these quotes they portray how men tend to become overpowering in relationships toward women thus, becoming a detriment furthering the oppression on women.

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Aside from the multiple cultural strains that affect women in Texas, women in general are victims of abuse. Women who suffer from violence tend to develop many physical, emotional and psychological instabilities. Ivins states "women everywhere are victims of violence with depressing regularity" (Ivins 701). According to an article by Mark Townsend "three million women a year experience violence in Britain, a significant proportion of them domestic abuse, according to the government" (Townsend). It is from my acknowledgement that women who are the sufferers in domestic violence have an affinity of feeling distraught  and it is up to us the public to put an end to this devastating crisis.

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Women in today's society overcame many obstacles in order to gain equal rights. However, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done because of several phenomenal barriers that barricade women in being treated equally. Women and men need to wake up and become aware that although sexual discrimination is not as prevalent as it was several years ago, it still exists today. In order for more women to be heard about this dehumanizing conflict, there should be more civil rights movements wanting to introduce to the government more vigilant laws that ban seuxal prejudice.

Works Cited

Austin, Chad. "Rap Music Linked To Sexism in New Study by NC State Researchers." Newsroom. Feb. 20, 2008. Web. 21 April 2012.

http://news.ncsu.edu/releases/rap-music-linked-to-sexism-in-new-study-by-nc-state-researchers/

Fitzpatrick, Laura. "The New Sexism." Time U.S. Mar. 16, 2010. Web. 21 April 2012.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1972425,00.html

"Flirting Quotes and Sayings." Nov. 6, 2008. Web. 21 April 2012.

http://www.coolnsmart.com/flirting_quotes/

Google Images

Ivins, Molly. "Texas Women:True Grit And All The Rest." Handout 04-03-12. 1986. 698-703.

"Latin America-Machismo." Google. Web. 22 April 2012.
http://family.jrank.org/pages/1042/Latin-America-Machismo.html

Senghas, Sarah. "Sexist Stereotypes in the Media." Yahoo. May 13, 2006. Web. 22 April 2012.

http://voices.yahoo.com/sexist-stereotypes-media-37263.html?cat=9

Townsend, Mark. "Women Victims of Domestic Violence to lose out in Legal Aid Reforms." The Guardian. Oct. 29, 2011. Web. 22 April 2012.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/oct/30/female-domestic-violence-victims-lose-out-in-legal-reforms

Racial Discrimination

For many years ever since the beginning of slavery, America has been plagued with the spread of racial discrimination. The rationale is because those who were of color were deemed to be inferior to those who are white. In addition people who were of mixed race such as white and black were considered outcasts. In the movie "The Searchers" directed by John Ford, the viewers get a chance to see racism at its core against Native American Indians. Plus in today's society there is a huge amount of racial disparity in the criminal justice system.

The film was produced in nineteen fifty six during the time of segregation. The main character Ethan Edwards played by John Wayne symbolizes an entire culture of white supremacy. Since Ethan has an untoward attitude toward the Indians, his orphan Martin, who is one eighth Cherokee, is treated as outsider by stating "I could've mistaken you for a half breed" (Ford). According to the Racial Slur database, the word "spigger"(Anonymous) is a combination of spic for Hispanics and nigger for black. Both Ethan's statement to Martin and the racial slur referring to both blacks and Hispanics have parallel meaning in that they both represent racial discrimination of a person who is of mixed race. Not only are the racial slurs hurtful and bias toward another ethnicity, but also the malicious behaviors of people toward others has an even greater effect.

http://mondo70.blogspot.com/2012/03/book-into-film-searchers-1956.html

From my perspective there is also racial bigotry in the movie with the inclusion of Martin's squaw Look. She is not white and doesn't speak nor understand English. Whenever Martin was trying to tell her something in English, she responds only in her native language. Martin eventually becomes very irate and kicks her out his blanket after she lays down beside him. Here it portrays a prejudicial comedy because to the audience it can be accepted as funny. According to the New York Times article, "Three young white men plead guilty to the hate crime killing of an African American man in Mississippi by running him over with a vehicle" (Severson). It is from these types of wrongdoings that even though in the eyes of some individuals that America may be the number one country in terms of being proclaimed as the promise land and living the American dream, it is still very elusive because of the several social barriers that are instilled in society.

http://mondo70.blogspot.com/2012/03/book-into-film-searchers-1956.html

In modern society there is a major conflict stirring in the criminal justice system, which is racial disparity. The cause of this ongoing phenomenon is due to racial profiling. Racial profiling is a strategic method of scrutinizing by placing a person or group in a particular category simply because of their ethnicity. After the imprisoning of Debbie, who is Ethan's niece, at first she is almost killed by him because in his eyes he views her as no longer white considering she was now raised within the Indian culture for five years. Ethan states "she is no longer considered my kin" (Ford). From the New York Times article there was also a hate crime perpetrated against an Iraqi immigrant woman in California resulting in her being beaten to death after receiving a threatening note from an anonymous person calling her a "terrorist" (Lovett & Carless). From these malevolent actions, it is quite clear that people will harm others in society simply because they observe them as different and they feel justified due to their belief of envisioning them as traders or rejects.

Some African Americans live in strict impoverishment, or slums. They endure extreme hardships because they tend to grow up around drugs as well as crime. These areas have a large number of low income families with very little education. As a consequence, these provinces have a high number of police arrests and convictions. Also these types of living conditions tend to promote racial profiling by law enforcers. A young African American man could be walking with his headphones on, wearing a hooded sweater and bag pack and may be stopped by the police because of the officers' intuition of him stealing something. The situation of the death of seventeen year old Trayvon Martin in Florida is a relative topic because according to James Rainey of the LA times "The media is making it feel tolerable for what George Zimmerman had done despite the fact that there were recordings of him being informed by an officer to not pursue the young man in the neighborhood" (Rainey). From my standpoint as a consequence of these predisposed acts, they have become a detriment to societal values.

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When human beings are born we are taught certain traditional values and ethics from one generation to the next in which we receive from our parents and our fore parents. Specific teachings may be seen as moral or immoral. With the ever changing society in which we live in today it has stemmed from all the way back with the initiation of slavery and it has shaped American as a nation. From my viewpoint if the American people want to rise above racial intolerance, they must develop ways to make more vigilant laws to ensure the safety and tranquility of each ethnicity.

Carless, Will & Lovett, Ian. Iraqi Immigrants In California Town fear a Hate Crime in a Woman's Killing. The New York Times. March 27, 2012. Web. 31 March 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/us/killing-of-iraqi-woman-leaves-immigrant-community-shaken.html?ref=hatecrimes>.

Google Images

Rainey, James. Media gives ample coverage, little clarity to Trayvon Martin case. Los Angeles Times. March 31, 2012. Web. 1 April 2012. http:www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-trayvon-media-201240, 0, 1199315.story

Severson, Kim. Three Plead Guilty to hate Crimes in Killing of Black Man in Mississippi. The New York Times. March 22, 2012. Web. 31 March 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/us/three-plead-guilty-to-hate-crimes-in-killing-of-black-man-in-mississippi.html?ref=hatecrimes>.

The Racial Slur Database. 1980. Web. 1 April 2012. http://www.johncglass.com/racialslurs.htm.

The Searchers. Dir. John Ford. With John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Natalie Wood, Henry Brandon, and Dorothy Jordan. Warner Bros. Pictures, 1956. DVD.

White Man's World

Throughout time in my opinion it was known to be that the world we live in today is a white man's world. The meaning of this phrase to me has a very racist and bias message because it glorifies only the moral teachings and behaviors of white people, while undermining that of other cultures and ethnic groups. Examples aside from racism in America that acknowledge this quote is demonstrated in the piece of literature "From Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims" by Sarah Winnemucca and the Scramble for Africa by the European powers.


From the Native American story, the character Sarah gives the background of her Indian tribe's culture and how it is being threatened by the white European government. When she makes the statement "it is always the whites that begin the wars, for their own selfish purposes" (Winnmenucca 69) shows that there is constant warfare between the Indians and whites. Also when she says "I never in my life saw our children as rude as I have seen white children and grown people in the streets" (Winnemucca 69) she's explaining that her Indian culture has transcended by adopting the white man's ways. Finally due to the oppression of the government, she describes how there is a loss of hope in her tribal area since the mothers are afraid to have more children, especially daughters because of the value of how the children are taught to be the future of the world and living with positive ethics and morals are being threatened and tainted by the white Europeans' influence of immoralities such as greed.

http://www.heritage-history.com/books/howard/chiefs/zpage213.gifmany wars

Another example of how the world is so called to be a white man's world was due to the Scramble for Africa in the eighteen eighties to the nineteen hundreds. This time period was also known as Imperialism because many European powers such as Great Britain, France, Italy, Portugal and Germany all were in a competition to see which European power would control which territories or lands of Africa. This event was primarily due to the economic, social and military evolution that Europe was going through. Also during this time period there were  occurring between the European powers and African tribes. One major war that broke out was the Boer war, which was a conflict that arose between the British Empire and the Dutch settlers who were also known as the Boers. During the war, the British captured and imprisoned thousands of Boer women and children in concentration camps, where over twenty six thousand Boer women and children died, thus destroying the Boer's army spirit and forcing them to surrender.

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http://faceintheblue.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/boer-

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From my knowledge it is very clear of how the view of a White Man's World has shaped the nation's perception on the acceptability that the whites have more power than any other ethnic groups such as Native Americans and African Americans. It is because of this negative and belittling phrase that certain minorities in society simply feel inferior, conquered and hopeless on overcoming any barriers in life. Also because of these feelings they feel as if they are slaves in the mind. I believe that in the near future people of all races should work together to change their actions in order to put an end to the hateful and prejudicial  phrase that runs our society's mindset.

Winnemucca, Sarah. "From Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims." The Literary West: An Anthology of Western American Literature. Ed. Thomas J. Lyon. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 65-69. Print

Taylor, Jeff. "The New Imperialism and the Scramble for Africa 1880-1914." African History. 05 May 2003. The Metropolitan State College of Denver. 17 Feb. 2012
<http://www.clem.mscd.edu/~tayljeff/lectures/NewImp.html