Take Away

Besides my newfound inability to watch TV without analyzing every commercial and trying to somehow relate it to a concept we've talked about in SWMS, I believe that I have learned a lot from this class. First of all, what this new mindset shows me is that I definitely think a lot more critically about things that would have surely gone way over my head before. Not everything is the way it is because of some natural phenomenon - pink isn't for all girls just because that's the way it is and women aren't housewives because their bodies are biologically hardwired to perform as such. Rather, our culture has evolved in a manner to promote these ideologies and that is why they may seem so "natural." Secondly, I believe I have a better understanding of human interactions and relationships. Before I took this class, everything seemed very easily categorized - you could be straight, gay, or maybe even bisexual. But after having taken this class I have learned that this is not necessarily the way things work. People ascribe to different sexualities, different attractions, for different reasons at different times; not everyone fits as cleanly into a slot as one may think. Third, and perhaps the most important point that I've learned, is that self-identification is an important aspect of one's life. I don't mean that everyone has to decide who they are and label themselves as such, but I mean that it's important to think for yourself, to realize how much of yourself is actually you versus how much of yourself has been taught to you, or rather shoved in your face by a longstanding society. At often times it may be hard to differentiate between the two, but it's important to think more critically about what you learn in everyday interactions and to not automatically accept anyone's opinions or rules without thinking them through for yourself.