Draft of Identity Paper

            The cultural topic I chose to write about is gender stereotypes in grade school-aged children. My goal was to figure out if gender stereotypes have been instilled in us since childhood or if they are something that have developed as we have gotten older. There are many different factors that can affect these gender stereotypes such as the region you grew up in, who you were friends with, and who your parents and family members are. I believe that the people around you can have an extremely strong influence on what gender stereotypes end up affecting you.

            Growing up with three older brothers, there weren’t many, what some my call, “girly” things, like dolls and makeup kits, lying around my house. It was all sports equipment here and action figures there. I guess you could say I was pretty much your stereotypical boy. Was it because I did grow up with three older brothers, so their likes and interest just sort of grew on me? If that’s true, why did my first-born brothers, who were twins, end up liking all this stereotypical boy stuff? Was it what my parents bought for them? Was it what society geared them to like? There are a multitude of different reasons for why my brothers and I began to like certain things and dislike others, but a big part of it is probably because of gender stereotypes that have been ingrained in us since we were little kids.

            Girls liking pink and boys liking blue is one of the most basic gender stereotypes. Usually if parents are expecting a girl, everything they buy is going to be pink, and if it’s a boy, everything’s going to be blue. In a study done with American children who were aged from 2 to 5 years old, they were shown toys in a catalogue and were asked to identify whether it was for boys or for girls. Adults had identified the toys as masculine, feminine, neutral, or ambiguous previously. When identify the neutral or ambiguous toys as gender specific, none of the boys or girls differed in the fact that they identified it that way because of its color, “suggesting that even at this young age, both male and female children clearly associate color and gender” (Karniol 120). 98 Israeli preschoolers and third graders were examined as they colored in their coloring books. More colors in general were used for figures stereotypically associated with one’s own gender. Boys avoided coloring the figures more associated with girls and using the color pink entirely, while girls used fewer female stereotyped colors for the male figures, but used both types of colors equally for the other figures.

“The rigidity of boys’ gender stereotypes may partially reflect the greater restrictiveness of parents with respect to gender counter-stereotypic behavior in boys than in girls. Thus, American parents hold more rigid stereotypes of males and exert greater pressure towards conformity to gender-stereotyped behavior in boys” (Karniol 121). Parents in America have actively prevented their sons from liking what they considered to be “girly” things, such as the color pink, with one parent saying, “He likes pink and I try not to encourage him to like pink just because, you know, he’s not a girl” (Karniol 121).

I conducted a short experiment and interview with my 6-year-old niece to see if and how she has been affected by gender stereotypes in her life so far. My niece has a younger sister and no brothers, but her uncles outweigh her aunts 5 to 1. The questions usually revolved around choosing between two stereotypically gender specific items, whether it be a toy, game, or book. The first question I asked her was whether she would like to read a Batman comic (the stereotypically male item) or a Cinderella book (the stereotypically female item), to which she responded, “Batman.” I followed up with why she chose Batman over Cinderella and she said because it’s superheroes, to which she prefers over princesses. She chose the opposite of what her gender would stereotypically choose, which might surprise some, but knowing she’s growing up with a dad and three uncles who like Batman, her choice would be seemingly obvious. I then asked her to choose between a My Little Pony DVD and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DVD. She chose the My Little Pony DVD because “[she] watches it a lot and like it better.” A Spider-Man action figure versus Rarity, a My Little Pony, was next up and she said, “Rarity because she’s pretty.” I also gave her the choice between Candy Land and Joker’s Funhouse with her choosing Joker’s Funhouse because you’re able to shoot down the Joker with Batman’s batarang and use Superman’s x-ray vision. I then gave her My Little Pony and Batman. After a few seconds of thinking, she said, “It’s too hard too decide because they’re both my favorite things.” My final question was if she ever got picked on or made fun of at school because she liked things girls don’t usually like and she said no because her friends, both boys and girls, like the same things she does.

My niece’s answers and choices were greatly affected by her surroundings while growing up. Had she grown up with more aunts than uncles, and those aunts loved the Disney Princesses, I’m sure her choices would be radically different. It helps strengthen my belief that the people around you have a strong influence on what gender stereotypes do affect you as you age.

Works Cited

Karniol, Rachel. Sex Roles: The Color of Children’s Gender Stereotypes. New York: Springer Science & Business Media, 2011. Print.

Miller, Cindy Faith; Lurye, Leah E; Zosuls, Kristina M; Ruble, Diane N. Sex Roles: Accessibility of Gender Stereotype Domains: Developmental and Gender Differences in Children. New York: Springer Science & Business Media, 2009. Print.

Patterson, Meagan M. Sex Roles: Self-Perceived Gender Typicality, Gender-Typed Attributes, and Gender Stereotype Endorsement in Elementary-School-Aged Children. New York: Springer Science & Business Media, 2012. Print.

Reading/Response

Week 1

All three essays speak to ideas of identity and culture. In the first article, “Captain America in a Turban,” Vishavjit Singh walked around the streets of New York wearing a Captain America costume, but with a catch, instead of Cap’s usual mask, as the title states, Singh dons a blue turban. He first had to overcome his self-consciousness about his skinniness, and then how the people on the street would react to him. Most people enjoyed it, went up and asked for pictures, and congratulated him on having the courage to do something like that, but there were a few that didn’t react so positively. Few yelled out, “Captain Arab” and “Terrorista!” One even flipped him off. Singh went out to make people think, think about how there are more than just white people who can represent America, and he did that. He says, “We could have a new Captain America who is Sikh or black or Hispanic,” and now we actually do, as the man who was formally The Falcon, who is African American, is now Captain America.

            The second article, title “Faking It,” is about a fifteen-year-old boy posing as a legal expert on an online message board in order to help people with their legal troubles. Marcus Arnold become the No. 3 rated expert in criminal law on AskMe.com, ranking in front over about 150 actual lawyers that use the site. In order to be taken seriously, he uses a fake identity on the site as unsurprisingly; people don’t usually want legal advice from a fifteen-year-old kid. He eventually confesses who he actually is on the site, and is attacked by many of the real lawyers and is drilled with questions on the finer details of law that he obviously doesn’t have the answers too.

The third and final article, “Black Men and Public Space,” is about the experiences of a black man who have just moved to the Chicago area. Many people would tense up around this man because of his skin color and stature, even though he describes himself as quite shy. People walking in the same direction will pick up their speed to get away from him; others walking the opposite way will cross to the other side of the road. He became very conscious about this, acting calm and carefully all the time. He was a graduate student at the University of Chicago, but he was treated like a common criminal because of the way he looked, and this is all too relevant today, sadly.

The quote that really struck me out of all of the essays was in “Captain America in a Turban,” and the quote was:

As we posed for a picture with one kid, he stuck his middle finger right in my face.

“So you are flipping off Captain America?” I admonished him.

He got red-faced, apologized and struck a smile instead.

The quote just goes to show that racism is instilled in children at a very young age. The kid saw the turban and immediately thought to flip Singh off. If parents continue to teach their kids these types of values, there will never be full equality, but hopefully that will change in the not so distant future.

Week 2

In the first video, "Shrinking Women," Lily Myers speaks about how society and even her own family differentiate the way men and women are treated and seen. Men are basically given the freedom to do whatever it is they please, while women have set roles with very little wiggle room. She uses the example of herself and her brother; she was taught to speak with a filter and apologize for asking questions and being unsure, however, her brother doesn't think before he starts talking, he has no filter, and society thinks that is okay. Society says women have to be small and thin, they have to watch what they eat, etc. and this is instilled in Lily because this is how the women in her family have been and still are for generations. Growing up, Lily picked up these habits by association, whether she liked it or not, and she wants it to change, not just for herself, but for the whole of society.

The second video, "This is Water," David Foster Wallace talks about life after college, a boring average adult life. Wallace's entire point behind the speech is about choice, you can choose to live with this "default setting" as he calls it, where you are the center of the universe and everything revolves around you, or you can change your outlook on things. He wants these graduates to think of the others around them while waiting in the grocery line or while stuck in traffic. Maybe the person in front of you isn't moving slow just to piss you off, but it's because they've been in an almost fatal car accident before and would rather be safe than sorry.

The final piece, "Why Women Smile," relates closely to the first video as it talks about women and their role in society. Amy Cunningham speaks of how she herself, along with women everywhere, have been conditioned to smile and only do just that. Society says women aren't allowed to show any other emotions other than pure joy. Oscar Wilde's quote, "A woman's face is her work of fiction," exemplifies the fact that women just have to grin and bear it in basically all situations. Women are conditioned to hold back their true feelings and put a smile on their face to say, "Everything's fine," when it really isn't. I feel that the line in which Cunningham says, "To limit a woman to one expression is like editing down an orchestra to one instruments," says everything that is needed to be said. Women are so much more than just a smile, and they should be able to show that and be treated as such.

Week 3

Karniol, Rachel. Sex Roles: The Color of Children’s Gender Stereotypes. New York: Springer Science & Business Media, 2011. Print.

• The article focuses on gender stereotypes in children when coloring with crayons based on the colors they chose to use and the pictures they chose to color on. The researchers chose the coloring activity because they were able to examine their choices in an unobtrusive way and without asking many questions. The children were able to just be themselves and focus on the coloring without any distractions from the researchers.

Miller, Cindy Faith; Lurye, Leah E; Zosuls, Kristina M; Ruble, Diane N. Sex Roles: Accessibility of Gender Stereotype Domains: Developmental and Gender Differences in Children. New York: Springer Science & Business Media, 2009. Print.

• The article focuses on gender stereotypes in elementary school children and the differences in these stereotypes in the older children versus the younger children. Stereotypes seemed to be more prevalent in the older children than in the younger ones, while appearance stereotypes were more prominent in girls, like activities/sports stereotypes with boys. Girls in general provided a higher proportion of stereotypes.

Patterson, Meagan M. Sex Roles: Self-Perceived Gender Typicality, Gender-Typed Attributes, and Gender Stereotype Endorsement in Elementary-School-Aged Children. New York: Springer Science & Business Media, 2012. Print.

• The article focuses on how elementary school children perceived themselves in the gender stereotypes. Children who considered themselves more gender typical were endorsing gender stereotypes, while students who saw themselves as less gender typical were usually more open to less stereotyped attitudes. These attitudes and attributes did not seem to differ across age groups.

Week 4

I'm guilty of just dropping in a quote with no introduction or explanation. It's usually because the teacher says we need a certain number of quotations within our essays, so I would just toss a few in here and there with no rhyme or reason. Now I know to lead in to the quotes with an introduction and give it an explanation afterward. I don't care for citing sources at all. I realize why it needs to be done and why we do it, but it's such a tedious and boring task that I can't stand doing. There's also so many different ways to cite sources that seem completely unnecessary. Why can't we just choose one way and stick with it? I think there being so many different citations is why people struggle with citing their sources correctly.

Prompts

Week 1

I am a male. I am a son. I am an American. I am Italian. I am Irish. I am a pro wrestling fan. I am a football fan. I am a gamer. I am an artist. I am creative. I am white. I am from a small family. I am a brother. I am 19. I am Batman. I am a procrastinator. I am a Miami Dolphins fan. I am a Phillies fan. I am tall. I am a student. I am motivated. I am funny. I am a Breaking Bad fan. I am a god.

True: I am a male. I am a son. I am an American. I am Italian. I am Irish. I am a pro wrestling fan. I am a football fan. I am a gamer. I am an artist. I am creative. I am white. I am from a small family. I am a brother. I am 19. I am a procrastinator. I am a Miami Dolphins fan. I am a Phillies fan. I am a student. I am motivated. I am funny. I am a Breaking Bad fan.

False: I am Batman. I am tall. I am a god.

Given: I am a male. I am a son. I am an American. I am Italian. I am Irish. I am white. I am from a small family. I am a brother. I am 19.

Chosen: I am a pro wrestling fan. I am a football fan. I am a gamer. I am an artist. I am creative. I am a procrastinator. I am a Miami Dolphins fan. I am a Phillies fan. I am a student. I am motivated. I am funny. I am a Breaking Bad fan.

What is an artist? Is there a finite group of artists in the world?  What do I know about artists? How does one become an artist?  Is it possible to stop being an artist?  What does it mean to be a good artist?  A bad artist? A lazy artist?  A dutiful artist?  Do artists bond with one another?  What other types of artists are there? Is it an identity one has pride in?  Is it an identity at all? Do different cultures think of artists differently?  Etc.

I think an artist is anyone who creates something, regardless of whatever it actually is. It can be anything from a drawing, to a dance, to a poem, to a house. One becomes an artist by just letting their imagination take them wherever it wants to get, they just have to express themselves. The only way to stop being an artist is to stop creating. Only you can decide if you’re a good or bad artist. If you try your hardest and do your best, who can really say you’re a bad artist? I do have pride in being an artist as it allows me to express my creativity in a multitude of ways.

Week 2

The summer before my senior year of high school and a few months into it, I had a job working at a local grocery store. I started out where pretty much everyone else did, sweeping the store, cleaning the bathrooms, etc. It sucked, but I was told it would only be for a few weeks until I was promoted to stock. After those weeks passed, I was promoted, but was back to sweeping and cleaning in a matter of days, along with having full time hours while working part time. It just seemed like my boss didn't have any respect for me. School was enough stress, and with that and homework plus the 40 hours a week at work, I had no time to relax and unwind. I was making money, but I was miserable. It started to take a toll on me so I had some talks with my parents about quitting. They told me to talk to my boss about just cutting down on my hours, so I did. It was fine for one week, but the next, it was back to the 40 hours again. I called an audible when I saw my schedule and put in my two weeks. When I told my parents, they obviously weren't pleased that I went against them and just quit instead of giving it some more time, but it was something I believed I had to do.

Week 3

I am going to write about gender stereotypes in younger, elementary school children, and because of this, I don't think I will be able to have a typical interview. My plan is to give the kid a choice between a few gender stereotyped items, like a Barbie versus a superhero action figure, and things in a similar vein such as movies and games, then ask why they chose one or the other. I guess it could be considered more of an experiment than an interview, but I feel it is the best way to approach this topic. I may ask a few questions besides why they chose a certain thing such as if they feel pressured to like certain things or do they get picked on in school for liking something that their gender doesn't normally like.

Week 4

The cultural topic I chose to write about is gender stereotypes in grade school-aged children. My goal was to figure out if gender stereotypes have been instilled in us since childhood or if they are something that have developed as we have gotten older. There are many different factors that can affect these gender stereotypes such as the region you grew up in, who you were friends with, and who your parents and family members are. I believe that the people around you can have an extremely strong influence on what gender stereotypes affect you.

Responses to Peers

Week 1

Parth Bharwad

I completely agree with you on your definition of ambition. I also believe success and ambition are closely tied as if you don't have the ambition or drive to do something, there's a great chance you won't succeed. You have to be determined and focused, which I think also go hand in hand with ambition, in order to achieve success. Ambition is an extremely envious trait as people usually want to slack off and get by with the minimum amount of work.

Ryan Morgan

While I'm not a sister, I do have three older brothers, which is pretty much the same thing. I agree that being a brother/sister is more than just blood relation as I have a few close friends that I do consider my brothers. The amount of time I've spent with my friends over the years is comparable to the amount of time I've spent with my actual brothers, so why should they be treated as anything less?

Parth Patel

Adaptability is extremely important in modern times. The world is constantly changing, and if you don't change with it, you'll be left in the dust. Being versatile will greatly help you out in the workforce as employers aren't looking for people stuck back in the past, but they are looking for people moving towards the future. You'll also most likely work with a large number of people in various teams and groups in the future, so being flexible enough to everyone's schedules will be extremely beneficial. Being adaptable is an asset, especially when used to its fullest extent.

Neha Shah

When I think of monster, I think of the classic movie monsters like Dracula, werewolves, the Swamp Thing, etc. People such as Hitler and bin Laden can definitely be described as monsters because of the evils they've committed. Do you consider yourself a monster? Would people that know you describe you as one? I sincerely doubt you've committed any evils heinous enough to be considered a monster, so I don't know why it would even pop in your mind.

Meru Patel

I agree that occasionally lying is necessary, but it should never become a habit. Small white lies here and there are fine by me for the most part, when they become too excessive, that's when it becomes a problem. Honesty is the best policy, but sometimes the truth hurts, so people are usually compelled to twist that truth or just straight up lie. If you're going to just tell the truth eventually after telling a lie, wouldn't it be better off just to tell the truth the first time, or do you believe it depends on the context of the situation?

Week 2

Parth Bharwad

You said your parents didn't force their religion on you, but did your relationship with them or anyone in your family change in anyway after you said that you didn't believe in god? I could see this potentially causing strain in a family, but it's a good thing if it doesn't in your case. Did you still go to the temple and pray even without believing, just to keep the tradition alive, or did you just stay home and let everyone else go? Even if you don't follow religion like your family, is it still a somewhat small part of your life, or have you pretty much taken it out completely? Personally, religion has never been that big of a part in my life, but we still went to church and whatnot, but there eventually came a time when I just stopped going. Not because I didn't stop believing in god or anything, but because I didn't see a point in going, when I could pretty much do the same thing from home.

Ryan Morgan

Do you think your mom's mind would have eventually changed, or at least softened to the idea, had you waited until you were older to get it pierced? She couldn't have been too mad after you got it pierced in the first place seeing as she let you keep it in, while she could have forced you to remove it and let the piercing hole heal up completely. You said your familiy isn't strongly religious, but is there any reason why that particular rule about no piercings, other than the normal ones, was such a big deal to your mom?

Zacharia Thottakara

Basically, you’re stuck in that awkward middle ground between all the people around you. The oldest kid is too young and the youngest adult is too old. I’m usually in the same situation when we have big family gatherings, there’s no one that’s really my age to hang out with, so I usually just keep to myself, and if I don’t do that, I’ll be tagging along with my older brothers, who are still 6 and 10 years older than me. As I get older, I feel like I’m able to do more things on the adult side of things regardless of the age gap, though.

John Forkin

I know exactly how you feel. When there's a big family gathering, especially during the holidays, I usually like to just hang out in my room, play some games, and surf the internet. Every once in a while, someone will pop in and tell me to "come join the family" to which I'll usually oblige, only to be asked the same question as you by everyone, "How's school?" They don't really care about how school is, it's just a formality. I say good and they say good and back to my room I go. That's not to say I don't love my family, I do, but there's only so much of the same small talk I can take.

Samuel Greenberg

Did you friend ever make it back and get to meet the band? I’ve had a similar experience at a concert in that everyone around me seemed to like and know all of the songs of one of the opening bands, but I had no idea who they were. So while everyone was singing all the words and dancing to the music, I was sort of just awkwardly in the middle of it all. I’m surprised you actually waited in line all the way up to the front in the sun while your friend was nowhere to be found. Honestly, I probably would’ve just jumped out of line by then.

Week 3

Parth Bharwad

I think your interview will be an interesting read because being born in America, I personally don't know the struggles of someone coming from another country and to try and adapt to living here. I'm especially intrigued by question 10, asking if they have any regrets moving here. Your friend who moved from India to America most likely had a sort of clash of cultures when first arriving, maybe for even a few months, until she got everything settled, assuming she ever did. I look forward to reading the interview and your paper.

Ryan Morgan

I think this is a good topic as having spending my entire school life in a private school, I'm always somewhat surprised when I hear about how different things can be in public schools. Your questions are pretty straightforward and you could probably combine some together while adding some more specified ones that tailor closer to your roommate's experiences in public school. It'll be interesting to see how public and private schools compare and contrast to one another, the same with your roommate's and your experiences while attending them.

Ian Barrett

Your topic is especially relevant in the world today, so I'm interested to read the full interview to see if your friend or father did encounter discrimination and stereotypes. I think you should actually interview both your friend and your father because their experiences may differ. Also, the time your father went to college and the time your friend went to college can play a factor in discrimination. Times have changed and this may have to. You can even add your own experiences with this topic into the paper which I feel will help it tremensely.

Jason Narine

The fact that you are doing multiple interviews in order to compare and contrast two different lifestyles is a great idea. Your also able to bring in your own experiences since you hold the same identity as one of your interviewees. You have a good batch of questions, and I like that you're not just focusing on the fact that they are a son, but they could also be a brother, and how that changed their relationships and experiences as a son.

Dilan Kalaria

I like the idea of not just interviewing a business student, but a business student who has influences from their native culture. I think that brings in another dimension to the interview itself. Your questions are solid and allow for the interviewee to elaborate and expand on their thoughts by having them not be 'yes' or 'no' types of questions. I especially like question number 7 as it's bringing in that culture aspect and comparing it to the US, and it will be interesting to see if the definition does differ and how.

Week 4

Parth Bharwad

You have a solid introduction here. I like how you introduced who you interviewed and what you interviewed them for within the opening paragraph. Laying the base work for the interview here is very well done and I think this will be a good start to your paper.

Ryan Morgan

This is a good start for your essay. Using your own experience as a private school student will definitely help you in developing your topic within your paper. Your interviewee is from a public school, so it should be interesting to see how public and private schools compare and contrast in your essay.

Ian Barrett

This intro paragraph is very straight forward and to the point, and it works in your favor. Your first sentence grabbed my attention straight away, which is what you should aim to do with all your opening statements. There's a sense of urgency in your writing and you can easily see your attitude towards racial profiling in education.

Daniel Mosley

I like how you cover how hard it is to even become a film maker in the opening paragraph. You highlight their struggle and how it's a cutthroat job that you have to be willing to do pretty much anything in order to succeed. The intro grabs my attention and gives me an idea of what I'm in store for with the rest of your paper.

Samuel Greenberg

Using your own experience of how the image of a perfect world was shattered at a young age for you is a great hook to grab the attention of the reader. You can see exactly what your essay is going to be about just by reading the intro paragraph, which is exactly what it's supposed to do. This is a great start to your paper.