When tasked with writing a story about either oppression or privilege, I had a difficult time thinking of situations in which I felt oppressed. However, there was one particular experience in which I acknowledged my privilege that immediately came to mind. This occurred while my family and I were on a road trip down to Florida for my cousin's wedding. We were driving through Tennessee when we decided to stop at a restaurant for lunch. It was one of those small local restaurants that came across as similar to a Denny's but with better food. When we entered, I happened to notice that there was another family in front of us which happened to be African-American. We walked up to the waitress and asked when we could be seated, to which she replied "immediately". My father and I were very confused by this, but followed her to the section she had set aside for us, near the front of the restaurant. We ordered our food and were eagerly awaiting it when I glanced up and saw that the other family had finally been summoned and were following the waitress to their table. I watched her lead them past our section and towards the back of the restaurant, which was dimly lit and lacked the space that ours did. It was at this point that I noticed that they weren't the only African American family in that far back section, so I questioned my mom about why they were all sitting farther away from the rest of the people. She informed me that we were in a different part of the country now and that "things are different here." This was one of my most influential encounters with segregation, which I had been taught in school was over, but which I found alive and well in the South. My younger self couldn't comprehend why the separation existed, but looking back on it now, I see that its one of many remnants of a horrible system that our country had in place at one time. Along with being forced to wait longer for a table when several were readily available, the African-American family also had to be seated in a less desirable part of the restaurant due to the color of their skin. I can't believe that this behavior still exists and it's one of many reasons why I have no desire to visit the southern states again in my life.
While not explicitly stated, the rules of many years ago are still enforced by certain people today. Some individuals are still holding to the ideals that their parents and grandparents believed in, even though those ideals hold certain people to be better than others based on race.
A central theme of this week was the idea of Social Identity Theory. Social Identity Theory states that an individual's self-concept is based on the groups they are a member of. This can apply to social, political, or religious groups that an individual associates with and defines as being important in their lives. These individuals also evaluate themselves and their accomplishments based on the expectations of the group, instead of their own. This can be evidenced through groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church, in which the members define themselves based on their affiliation with the church. They evaluate themselves based on the success of the church, usually only engaging in pursuits that can help out the cause. They're a more unique case though, due to their self-concept being influenced solely through this one source, although some members do choose to leave the church. Most instances of Social Identity Theory involve people being involved in multiple groups, such as people defining themselves as "Republican" or "Jewish" if they consider these to be vital parts of who they are.
These symbols depict groups that individuals may form their self-concept around. The donkey represents the Democratic Party, of which many people are members. These members take pride in the accomplishments and anguish in the failures of the group they identify with. Many people identify this political affiliation as an integral part of who they are. Another group that many people (particularly in this country) consider themselves a part of is the Christian religion, of which the cross is the most well known symbol of. Many people within this group evaluate themselves based on the ten commandments, as well as following popular mantras such as "what would Jesus do?". They may define their lives around their faith in ways such as becoming nuns/ leaders of the church. Social Identity Theory seems to confirm these groups as creating meaning and purpose for many people's lives.
A central theme of this week was the inherent inequality present in our society with regards to Gender. Gender was defined in class as "the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being a female or male". So basically, gender refers to how society defines what it means to be male or female, as well as what is expected of both. This leads to much inequality, particularly when it comes to how society treats females. In earlier days of our country, females were often confined to the home and had the responsibility of taking care of children while the men worked. While these older views are changing, there are still some who believe that women should focus on housework and avoid careers in politics, business, or even becoming doctors. An issue of confusion in society is when people aren't sure whether to classify someone as being of male or female gender. This makes people very uncomfortable and can cause problems in people being conflicted on how to interact with individuals that they can't classify.
I chose this clip as, while it is comical, it does show what happens when someone mistakes an individual for another gender. Peter believed that the woman berating his son was actually a man, so he felt secure in hitting another man as this seems to be generally accepted in their society. When he begins to realize his mistake, he becomes visibly nervous, as the people around are now judging Peter due to his failure to comply with society's rules about how one should treat a woman. While obviously making the situation more extreme, Peter's folly is one that many people face when they fail to decipher if someone identifies as a man or woman. This can make communication difficult, as well as being unsure about how to behave, similar to the "Pat" clip that we watched in class.
