Then and Now

     For my last and final post, I wanted to do a more informal post then I have in the past. Instead of finding a article or youtube video to back up what I feel, I would like to use my own personal thoughts as references.

      My topic is the differences in society between present day and back in the fifties. If the years between 2008-2013 had a polar opposite it would be that era.

     Some of the differences are good like we are more progressive when it comes to things like racism, gay rights and striving to be more like citizens of the world instead of citizens of a certain country. We are more aware of our actions on the environment and there is a movement to change our footprint here on Earth. People are becoming connected in ways that were never imagined in the fifties. We can Skype with someone who lives on the other side of the globe. Our internet is so fast that we can receive real time news about any part of the country. We can even make videos of whatever we want, our silly cats, our day to day life and share it with the world. Our technology is advancing so much that technology that was new a year ago is old news today. Now is the time to change what all our ancestors have done and to make the Earth a better place for our kids and their kids but more importantly keep this planet healthy for its plant and animal habitants.

      On the other hand, there were a lot of positives during the fifties. The economy was prosperous, my grandma told me that they were so prosperous that there was a belief that they would soon have a standard 32 hour work week instead of 40. Kids could play out in the streets by themselves without the parents worrying of them being kidnapped. Instances did happen but it was so rare compared to how it was today. You could leave your key in your car without worrying about it being stolen. House doors were left unlocked without any negative thought.
      The culture was much more classy and reserved. TV shows were wholesome and all family friendly. To see a married couple sharing the same bed on a TV show sent shock waves through the viewers. Technology was not as advanced as today so people really cherished spending time together and not glued to their smart phones, lap tops, whatever. Letters were written to far off family members and friends. Life was a lot simpler back then.

     
For all the positives of the fifties I am happy to born during this time because it is exciting to see all the changes going on and knowing that my generation is going to be the one that changes everything. We have to be! :)
     

He? She? It?

Title: He? She? It?

Topic:  Rites of Passage

Relation:

Rites of passage are defined in the Cultural Anthro as “rituals that mark a person’s passage from one identity or status to another.” (Robbins, Chapter 6, page 139)  At a recent party, a girl in the bathroom remarked to me about one of my friends that dresses like a girl even though he was born a male. She thought he presented himself in that way as flaunting it in people’s face. That along with a recent article in Cosmopolitan Magazine about a famous musician who is a transgender prompted my interest in learning more about people who are labeled “transsexuals.” If there are rites of passage or stages they go through to transform into the opposite sex, focusing on the (less obvious) mental stages one goes through.  This post is going to be about transsexuals in the Western world since there is still a lot of stigma surrounding them and they are less accepted then in Eastern cultures.

Sources:

1.     Article, Witnessing and Mirroring, A Fourteen Stage Model of Transsexual Identity Formation, by Aaron H. Devor, PhD.  http://web.uvic.ca/~ahdevor/14StagesBLOCK.pdf

2.     Article, My First Year as a Woman, by Laura Jane Grace. Featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine.

Description:

            In Dr. Devor’s article he outlines fourteen stages that transsexuals go through, he bases his stages on his fifteen years of studying them.  I got sucked into the world of YouTube watching videos of transsexuals talking about what they go through including a nine year old boy who always felt like he was suppose to be a girl. In all those videos I saw similarities of what their experiences have been, their struggles and discoveries. The first stage in Dr. Devor’s article is Abiding Anxiety, which is characterized by unfocused gender and sex discomfort.  The boy when he was three would throw horrible tantrums and fits and could not be comforted. The doctors had no idea what the cause of it was until his mom started putting together the clues and realized that her son was a transgender.

            Another stage, the third, is Discovery of Transsexualism or Transgenderism where the person learns that transsexualism exists. Laura Jane Grace in Cosmopolitan, when she was thirteen found an encyclopedia entry about Renee Richards, a transgender tennis pro in the ‘70’s. She read and reread that tiny article and after that would “devour” any information she found on people like her.

            I think the biggest stage is the Acceptance of Transsexual or Transgender Identity where the individual establishes their identity and tell others about that very personal detail about them. The scariest part for Laura was telling her wife that while born a male, she wanted to transition to becoming a woman. She was fearful that her wife would not love her anymore after her confession and divorce her. Luckily her wife supported her wholeheartedly and still loved her.

Final Commentary/ Analysis:

            We have come a long way in regards to be accepting of others who are different of them and recognizing they deserve the same rights as us. However we still have a ways to go before people become more accepting and less discrimination towards transsexuals.