Jessica Williams Gender and U.S.

Society April 19, 2012 Reflection Essay As stated by British philosopher Karl L. Popper, We are social creatures to the inmost centre of our being. The notion that one can begin anything at all from scratch, free from the past, or unindebted to others, could not conceivably be more wrong. The way in which our world interacts with one another is one of the most interesting and applicable subjects one can invest time in, as it is a daily activity for each of us. In order to understand ourselves, I believe we must also learn to connect and identify with those around us, as often they have made up a great deal of the person weve become. In Gender and U.S. Society, the way human beings relate to one another is of utmost importance. Often, we become very closed-minded and focused on simply the tiny piece of the community we live in. As a generalized statement, we may collectively view the way we were raised as the correct way, or at least as a type of social norm. However, the pieces of the world people do not see are those things which they are not exposed to. Traditionally, the line between gender and sex has been very ambiguous and most have seen them as nearly the same thing. As time goes on and the world develops yet a little more, we see that this is not quite the case and things may not be as black and white as we often come to believe. Although prejudice is unfortunately still a large part of the world and communities we live in, we are

learning to see people a bit differently. Additionally, the diversity between each person on earth is beginning to become more widely accepted and even embraced. This class has helped open my eyes to a completely different perspective of people in general. Although I dont see myself as participating in any kind of sexism, it is important to remember that regardless of sex or gender, a person is still a human being and needs to be treated as such. I personally found it interesting that there are so many factors which go into an individuals gender most of which the difference between the way society views a person as compared with the way a person identifies with themselves. Although I believe people to be inherently good, I will make the ever-clich statement that knowledge is power. I believe a great deal of the judgments passed upon those around us are simply the effect of a general ignorance for anyone whose beliefs or lives are different from our own. This ignorance may intentional or otherwise and I think it is something that can be remedied. I personally have felt that through this class I have learned to see things with an open heart and mind and it has helped me to hold a greater love for humanity as a whole. I have friends and family from all walks of life and regardless of a persons political, religious, or personal beliefs, it should not matter as to the way you treat another person. As I have stated before, we are all human beings and a persons sex, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or background should not define them as an individual. I have been grateful for the eye-opening perspective which has continued to grow because of this class and hope it will only continue to progress throughout my life.