In Hanfler's article, I really liked the quote "deviance is not automatically understood as on objective fact but as constructed and interpreted meanings that are subject to change." (13). I think this really brings up the idea of social construction. It was said also in the article that construction depends on interpretations and how "behaviors and traits come to be labeled...and how cultural context influences definitions of deviance" (13). As we said in class, social construction affects everyone, and everyone is doing it. This is reflected upon Hanfler's explanation of symbolic interaction. "Symbolic interactionists recognize that human beings are meaning makers. We interpret the world around us and create meaning through interaction" (23). So I think the greatest and most important part of social construction is knowing that it is always objective and subjective to change. In class, we talked about social construction. We included a list of what it meant to us due to the reading. We said that social construction included grouping,
creating meaning, expectations, interpretations, generalization, normalcy/standard,
stereotypes, and social learning. The meaning I related to the best and that made the most sense to me is having a normalcy and a standard. We make meaning out of everything that we do. It is either said to be "normal" or "weird". Anything you do that is not represented in the "normal" category is said to be against social norms.
In Vershawn Ashanti Young's article, "Should Writer’s Use They Own English?" was really interesting to me. The point he brought up was so true. People set a standard for how to write. People are expected to write in standard english, just like how you were taught in school. Even if you speak in a different way, speak with an accent, whatever. You are expected to throw out your own voice in order to represent the standard way of writing. "Standard language ideology
is the belief that there is one set of dominant language rules that stem from a single
dominant discourse (like standard English) that all writers and speakers of English
must conform to in order to communicate effectively." (111). I can definitely relate to this. I even said this in my Blog 1 that even I contort my own writing in order to sound smart. As students...no...as writers, we never really write how we would speak. We write in order to impress others, to sound smart, intellectual, and valuable. I feel like school puts so much pressure on students in order to sound the correct way when writing---to not use slang, to not use everyday language. We use the language that is "standard" to english classes. But...where does our voice come from? Our ideas of language come from our own experiences and how we live our lives OUTSIDE of the classroom. If English departments were less of a pain in the ass to impress the professors with this standard language ideology that we have to keep up daily, I feel like it would be a lot more fun and a lot more interesting (and less intimidating). So basically... I agree with Young that "we should be mo flexible,
mo acceptin of language diversity, language expansion, and creative language
usage from ourselves and from others both in formal and informal settings." (112).
In Lorber's article, gender and sex are explained to be a part of social construction. "Individuals are born sexed but not gendered, and they have to be
taught to be masculine or feminine" (57). Lorber brings up a great point, one that we actually talked about in class once, that in our society, there are two genders: male and female. "Some societies have three genders- men, women, and berdaches or
hiiras or xaniths" (56). The simple fact that we only give two options is already contributing to our social construction. In our society, girls don't really learn to be girls, and guys don't really learn to be guys. Our parents just kind of do it for us. Whether it is by dressing the baby up in a certain way, introducing certain sports and not others, our gender is shaped for us before we even realize it. We never had a choice, really. "Individuals learn what is expected,
see what is expected, act and react in expected ways, and thus simultaneously
construct and maintain the gender order" (Lorber, 60). As stated earlier, much of what social construction is includes creating meaning and setting standards that we (society) feel is normal. Gender is one of those things that creates a human being's life meaning before we even realize it. We act, react, think, and say things that are acceptable to our gender. For example, a female playing hockey or football is a very odd thing. When the female does try out for the team, the male players are caught off guard. Even the coaches feel awkward. They either don't want to hurt the girl (which is a gender norm and construction all itself) or they just simply "don't fit in". Even if the girl is a badass and is just as tough as the males, she is still said to be inferior. Another example is one that we talked about in class. If a male and a female sleep together after getting drunk at a party, the male will be seen as superior, a player, and will be given a high five from their male friends. A female would hide the act and be embarrassed of it because she will be thought of as a slut. There are stereotypes and norms that come along with gender, which means gender is definitely socially constructed. Gender is part of social construction, and it is much less changeable. People think of it as a norm and that it is or should be stable for every generation. I agree that gender is socially constructed and gender is set up for the person. As much as I hate that the two genders have so many standards to meet, when I have a kid, it will be the same thing, just because it is embedded in my mind and is sooo prevalent in our society!
