We Know Who We Are

This first article is titled On Becoming Male: Reflectinos of a Sociologist on Childhood and Early Socialization by James M. Henslin After reading this article numerous memories came to mind from my childhood that I could easily relate to. I remember sitting on the swings and hoping that I could go and play kickball with the boys. I knew that if I was to walk over and ask to play they would all stare at me with mouths wide open. Playing sports on the playground wasn't something girls did, well not unless you count jump rope-lame I know. This article discusses how parents obsess over our sex and force upon us things that are associated with being a boy or a girl. Blue balloons outside the house for a newborn boy and Pink of course for a girl. Early on we were told how to act and that is what influences us into becoming masculine or feminine. Boys were told to be rough and tough with their toys where as girls would sit inside and brush their dolls hair. Girls should be dainty and strive to be pretty. Boys would be allowed more privileges and they would thank god they weren't born a girl.

All of the things in this article are very stereotypical although I can't say that there not true. In a way it does seem like boys have it easier. There is always the double standard, especially staying out late. I know that my brother would come home late into the night and my parents wouldn't say a word, but then when I ask to go out with a boy they would say, "no."

The other article is called On Becoming Female: Lessons Learned in School by Donna Eder.

"Girls are sent a strong message that what they do and who they are is less important then how they look." This article talks about a particular middle school where the popular girls are typically cheerleaders. To be honest I'm not surprised because when I was in middle school it was the same. Reading some of these conversations between the girls aren't foreign to me. They sound like typical conversations. Theres something about putting down someone else that makes you feel better. We all do it, maybe not face to face, but we most certainly talk behind other peoples backs. Its sad to think that us girls can't be proud of who we are and that we are constantly trying to change, but for what? Is it the attention from boys that we want? Or do we want other girls to become jealous of us? I believe it is a little bit of both. Girls are sent such strong messages through the media to look a certain way. Many of these images that we see are edited. Nobody is perfect, yet we strive to be just that.

Extreme Isolation by Kingsley Davis

     Throughout this week we have been talking about feral children. The term feral children is when children are considered "wild" because they receive limited interactionism with humans. Some of these "wild" children are found in the wild others are locked up in a room where they experience extreme isolation for a long period of time. The most famous case in history is the story of feral child Genie. Genie was locked up in a room with only a crib at a child potty for 13 years. Scientists believe she was routinely beaten as well as harassed. Genie was discovered around the age of 12 or thirteen years old when discovered and was immediately taken to a children's hospital, little did she know that she would be studied for years to come.

     As far as the article Extreme Isolation two young girls around the age of six had been isolated from all interactionism. The question that this article poses is whether or not Anna for example could not make further progress because of genetics (her mother had a low IQ) or because of past circumstances such as being neglected as a child. This idea is known as nature vs nurture. Nature being did you inherit the trait vs nurture where you learned to act that way from the environment in which you grew up in. A second child is discussed in this article. Her name was Isabelle and she was said to have been born one month after Anna. Similarly to Anna, Isabelle was an illegitimate child and was set apart from the rest of her family in an enclosed room with her deaf and mute mother. Isabelle was discovered around the age of 6 and was quickly taken into rehabilitation.

     In the end both girls needed both medical attention and interaction with others. The message that this article is trying to convey is that children need love, care, and affection from an early age and without that they will not develop "normally." Because Isabelle was discovered at a younger age she was able to soon act about her age and perform daily tasks. She not only learned to speak, but she was able to run and sing. Perhaps because Isabelle was discovered at an early age she was able to make up for loss time when she was neglected. On the other hand Genie was isolated for much longer therefore not being able to progress after a certain point.