Candace Davis
Anth 312 Questions—January 24, 2018
1. In looking at the culture cycles for women and men in the West what appear to be the primary factors in the formation of differential gender selves? What ease or difficulty arises if people find themselves trying to modify these?
The patriarchal system as well as maybe religion being some primary factors within Western ideals and cultural identity. Also, as touched upon in the chapter 4 race hierarchy.
Ease/Difficulty: Maybe that one person will get a chance, they are often highly qualified yet aren’t given the chance to prove themselves. Also, as spoken upon in the book the notion of knowing that you are under scrutiny can cause a person to preform less adequately than if these factors aren’t known.
2. What is “collective intelligence” and how does it operate when there are gender stereotypes? What are some of the historical, biological, institutional factors in these stereotypes? What about the statement: Perception can become reality?
Collective intelligence is seen within the various studies that was done regarding the performance of controlled and uncontrolled groups within knowing that they were certain variables.
Perception can become reality is something that I see more within race at time than within gender rules. However, for gender roles the perception that girls/females normally do certain activities and if boys/males doing those activities are seen as ‘unmanly’ or ‘gay/homosexual’.
3. In Chapter 4, there are discussions of race and ethnicity as factors in self-identity and in how others see us. How does this lead to differing views of whether we are in a “post-racial” society?
I don’t believe in that notion. As an African-American growing up I, even though I lived in a predominantly middle-class Black community (literally I never really saw non POC often), I still remember facing racism towards me at times. Also, for most of the parents of the children in our age group our parents grew up during the Civil Rights Era and if the timeline is correct we would be the first generation who’ve received our civil rights. With that many people believed the fact that a African-American man could rise to President we have overcome the struggles. I believe that this moment showed the ugly face of the seething racism that was still around. It allowed the bigots to show face as a collective group and I believe that election on President Obama alongside the increasing rise of social media for the first time allowed many non-POC a glimpse into the daily life of their so-called ‘post-racial society’.