Sexism surrounds us on a daily basis. Sexist language insults
women and treats men as the norm. We don’t have to look to far to see the word “man”
act as an all-encompassing word for both genders. Lately there’s been a lot of
talk regarding the gaming industry’s professional ethics, specifically related
to Gamergate, and their anti-feminists sentiment. This article is just one of
many that I found. The picture of the woman is especially troubling.
Heterosexism is a system of attitudes, bias and discrimination
in favor of opposite-sex sexuality and relationships. It’s the false assumption
that everyone is or should be heterosexual because it is assumed to be the only
acceptable and viable life option. Although this system of attitudes is
changing, I think it’s an uphill battle. Just this week I personally witnessed
my gay friend be called a fag. I was shocked that someone would have the
audacity to publicly insult and demean my friend.
Racism - I know it exists, but every time I see or hear about it, I’m
totally shocked that it STILL exists. A recent example of racism on public TV occurred
on the reality TV show, Keeping up with the Kardashians. I didn't actually
believe it had happened until I started reading about it online, then I watched
the TV show.
Ageism is language and imagery which is insulting to older people. I think society’s image of what is beautiful is flawed; it's all about looking young and being young. Very seldom do you see ads with older woman or men. I love the campaign that Dove launched a couple of years ago. It uses images of
woman of all ages, sizes and race. It’s all about feeling good about you and being
beautiful inside and out.
Aimee,
ReplyDeleteI actually saw that episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians and it was shocking. To see that people can act that way and not think twice about it is pretty sad.