The main thesis of Murderball is to convey that individuals with disabilities are very much capable of living fulfilling lives. It is also to share with the viewers that the negative stigma that society imposes on people with disabilities does not have any validity.
The film is a documentary that fallows a few different people that are wheelchair bound. The only thing different about these people is that they are not the type of people in wheelchairs that society portrays. They all play wheelchair rugby which is a very physical sport that many able bodies people couldn't even do. The main arguments that supported the thesis were the countless interviews with the men on the rugby team. They were content with their lives and some of them even said that they wouldn't want to go back to being able bodied. They film portrayed them as normal people. They had jobs, the had relationships and they had struggles.
In Erich Goode's piece, " The Stigma of Obesity" the author begins by describing a situation where Bertha, an overweight woman got stuck in a fast food restaurant's booth after she finished her meal. The incident resulted in her breaking the booth to get free while everyone in the restaurant broke out in hysterical laughter. Murderball deals with the stigmatization of deviant individuals and similar to the situation involving Bertha, people in wheelchairs have to deal with negative stigmas everywhere they go. This class evaluates those stigmas and provides a different view under a "sociological telescope." The movie did a good job of explaining that it doesn't matter what makes someone deviant, they are still people with hopes, dreams and ambitions like the rest of us and I think that the purpose of this class is to do the same. That is how the movie and class relate.
During the movie, one of Mark Zupan's friends commented on how Mark was an asshole before he got in a wheelchair. I found this to be the most convincing argument because it showed, in very simple terms, that people in wheelchairs are human beings above all else. society tends to view them for their master status of being in a wheelchair but at the end of the day we are all the same and it is unfortunate that we view each other in any other way.
I didn't really notice arguments that were less convincing however I think that the documentary could have done a better job at showing how society treats people with disabilities. It seems like the entire documentary focused more on the struggles of the rugby team than the struggles of living in a society that doesn't see you as normal. In the video, "Height and the Perception of Success" it is clear that the taller man seems more successful. I think that the same is true with people in wheelchairs. They are always going to be perceived as less successful than people that aren't in wheelchairs. I don't think the documentary did a good job talking about that harsh reality.
The movie talked about the process of coming to terms with the realities of being in a wheelchair. It would be interesting to design a longitudinal study around the idea of being in a wheelchair. A researcher could fallow individuals from the time that they become wheelchair bound to the time that they are comfortable with the idea of being in a wheelchair. It is important to note that some people may never get comfortable with the idea but the study would find the average amount of time it takes someone to accept the fact that they are in a wheelchair. It would also uncover the different coping techniques to transitioning from being "normal" to "deviant"
References
Film-Murderball
Book-Readings in Deviant Behavior
Video Clip-Height and the Perception of Success
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Film Review: Middle Sexes
The main thesis of this film is simple: research, other societies, and human nature tell us that there are more than two sexes so it is impractical to live in a society with only two excepted sexes. The film told the stories of many different individuals who deal with their sexual deviance due to societies lack of acceptance. The film also gave the perspective of different cultures who are more excepting of "middle sexes." It is fitting, in my opinion, that the class was assigned to read "Real Women" by Hanne Black on the same week we watched this film because even though the two are dealing with different issues, they are very similar in ideologies. Black writes about all the things that real women are and are not, like and do not like, have and do not have with the main point being that there are many variations of women so it is wrong for society to appreciate and value one type.
Some main arguments that were in support of the thesis were the mention of research that proves the complexities in sex and the fact that there are at least five known sexes. Also, the countless personal stories of people who were assigned the wrong sex at birth and the struggles they face. Other arguments were the research done in other countries such as India and Japan were middle sexes are widely accepted. I feel as though American society hides the acknowledgement of middle sexes by the rest of the world and makes it seem like it is only a U.S. problem so that they can justify calling it a "problem." I think that if the American public knew that this is normal in other developed countries, they would be more accepting of it.
The thesis of the film relates to class in a number of ways. First off, it is dealing with sexual identity deviance. The film is trying to convey the point that identifying with a sex other than the dominant male and female is only considered deviant because people are taught that it is relevant to their lives. Relativism as defined by the book states that "deviant behavior by itself does not have any intristic characteristics unless it is thought to have those characteristics" (Thio & Calhoun & Conyers, 3). The film can also be related to class because of the many different aspects of deviance it covered. not only did it talk about ones sexuality but it also dealt with deviant bodies, genders, family approaches and ways of dealing with the issues at hand.
I thought the entire film was a great argument in favor of multiple sexes. I don't think that any one point or argument was better than the other because they all had merit and all were relevant. I think the mixture of personal stories and research helps convey the message because it is hard to watch the personal stories of people and not empathize with them. The one story that stands out to me was that of Noah who was born intersex and surgically converted to male. As he got older, he started expressing himself in feminine ways and clearly does not conform to societies ideals as a male.
In the film, it was mentioned that around 1 in 100 babies are born intersex. I would design a study around that. It would be a longitudinal study that fallowed several intersex individuals from the time that they were born to the time they hit puberty. The study would consisted of different surveys that the parents fill out immediately after birth and periodically during the study to gauge any changes in opinions. The study would also measure the well being of the intersex individual at different stages of life. I think an intricate study like that could benefit the intersex community and open the public's eyes to their issues.
References
Film-Middle Sexes: redefining he and she
Book-Readings in Deviant Behavior
Article- Real Women
Some main arguments that were in support of the thesis were the mention of research that proves the complexities in sex and the fact that there are at least five known sexes. Also, the countless personal stories of people who were assigned the wrong sex at birth and the struggles they face. Other arguments were the research done in other countries such as India and Japan were middle sexes are widely accepted. I feel as though American society hides the acknowledgement of middle sexes by the rest of the world and makes it seem like it is only a U.S. problem so that they can justify calling it a "problem." I think that if the American public knew that this is normal in other developed countries, they would be more accepting of it.
The thesis of the film relates to class in a number of ways. First off, it is dealing with sexual identity deviance. The film is trying to convey the point that identifying with a sex other than the dominant male and female is only considered deviant because people are taught that it is relevant to their lives. Relativism as defined by the book states that "deviant behavior by itself does not have any intristic characteristics unless it is thought to have those characteristics" (Thio & Calhoun & Conyers, 3). The film can also be related to class because of the many different aspects of deviance it covered. not only did it talk about ones sexuality but it also dealt with deviant bodies, genders, family approaches and ways of dealing with the issues at hand.
I thought the entire film was a great argument in favor of multiple sexes. I don't think that any one point or argument was better than the other because they all had merit and all were relevant. I think the mixture of personal stories and research helps convey the message because it is hard to watch the personal stories of people and not empathize with them. The one story that stands out to me was that of Noah who was born intersex and surgically converted to male. As he got older, he started expressing himself in feminine ways and clearly does not conform to societies ideals as a male.
In the film, it was mentioned that around 1 in 100 babies are born intersex. I would design a study around that. It would be a longitudinal study that fallowed several intersex individuals from the time that they were born to the time they hit puberty. The study would consisted of different surveys that the parents fill out immediately after birth and periodically during the study to gauge any changes in opinions. The study would also measure the well being of the intersex individual at different stages of life. I think an intricate study like that could benefit the intersex community and open the public's eyes to their issues.
References
Film-Middle Sexes: redefining he and she
Book-Readings in Deviant Behavior
Article- Real Women
Sunday, February 5, 2012
deviant acts in society
I am an immigrant from Yerevan, Armenia. My parents moved here with my brothers and I in tow when I was 3-years-old. From my experience, people that immigrate to america from other countries can be separated into two different groups when it comes to deviance. There are the people that go out of their way to fit into the American culture so that they are not labled deviant and there are the people that embrace their differences and are okay being deviant so long as they keep their strong cultural identity. I fit into the first group of people in that ever since I can remember, I have known that I am different from my friends and I have done everything I can to try to fit in with my surroundings. I have had opportunities to join gangs and do criminal behaviors like many of my peers that have my same back ground but I passed it up to fit in with this society.
Differential Association Theory states that deviant behavior is learned. Individuals that exhibit deviant behavior do so because of the interactions that they have had with others that are also deviant (Thio et. al.). I find this to be true for myself because I have been fortunate enough to have parents that have provided a positive growing environment. They always pushed me to do well in school and college was never an option, it was a necessity. I have a lot of childhood friends that came from similar backgrounds and similar circumstances but they got involved with the wrong crowd and would now be considered deviant to this societies standards. The fallowing video shows differential association theory in action. Nine year old Latarian Milton steals his grandmothers car and takes it for a joy ride and when officers ask him why he did it, he says " its fun to do bad things." Latarian, is a product of his enviormnent; he as been exposed to "bad behavior" and wants to replicated it to feel fulfilled.
Another theory that can explain why I am not deviant is Control Theory. Control Theory is based on the idea that individuals who commit crimes are detached from society and feel a disconnect between their values and societies values (Thio et. al.). The individuals I know that would be considered deviant are the ones that feel like society has failed them. I think that I was raised a little naive because I never looked to blame society when things went wrong for me. I was so busy trying to stay in tact with societies beliefs, commitments and involvements that I did not pay attention to what may or may not have been going on around me. The video below is a great example of everyday social control. Something as simple as walking on a sidewalk instead of the grass next to it can be classified as social control. People do not want to break that norm so they continue to fallow the behaviors of their peers.
The deviant act I decided on was to walk backwards on a crowded pier. I went to the Columbia River water front on the Washington side and I parked my car my Beaches Restaurant. I walked backwards from Beaches all the way to Who Song and Larry's which is almost one mile away. This is considered a deviant act because society is wired to walk forward for many rightful reasons that can go unmentioned. I knew that that pier is always crowded during the day and I was curious to see what people would think of me walking backwards on it. When I first started, I felt extremely awkward and felt like everyone around me felt the same way. I try to put myself in my spectators position and I understand how weird I would feel seeing a random person walking backwards for no apparent reason.
During my walk, I got a lot of stares. No one said a word to me and I think that may have to do with the fact that i'm a 6-foot-tall, 230lbs. man. I think peoples reaction level had a lot to do with that. Even though I knew that this is a social experiment and that I wouldn't normally walk backwards, I couldn't help but feel like I was being judged. The thought of being judged for simply walking backwards reminded me of a conversation I had with a personal trainer at 24 hour fitness. I approached him at the gym and told him about a pain in the front of my shoulders. I was surprised when he pointed me to different people at the gym and said, "they all have the same problem." He said to me that this society is wired to want to show off their front so when they work out they primarily work on their chest, abs, and biceps because that is what people see the most. He continued telling me all the problems that occur when we only focus on our front muscles and said the the pain in my shoulders stemmed from a lack of working out the back muscles.
As I was walking backwards I kept thinking about what the personal trainer told me. Society focuses on the front so how awkward it must have been for people walking by to see me walking backwards.
Word Count: 894
Work Cited
Thio, Alex, Thomas C. Calhoun & Addrain Conyers. 2010. Readings in Deviant Behavior. Boston, MA. Pearson.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=latarian+milton&oq=latrian+m&aq=0s&aqi=g-s10&aql=&gs_sm=c&gs_upl=1962l3968l0l5739l9l8l0l0l0l0l217l1148l3.3.2l8l0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptBmp3sInZw&feature=player_embedded
Differential Association Theory states that deviant behavior is learned. Individuals that exhibit deviant behavior do so because of the interactions that they have had with others that are also deviant (Thio et. al.). I find this to be true for myself because I have been fortunate enough to have parents that have provided a positive growing environment. They always pushed me to do well in school and college was never an option, it was a necessity. I have a lot of childhood friends that came from similar backgrounds and similar circumstances but they got involved with the wrong crowd and would now be considered deviant to this societies standards. The fallowing video shows differential association theory in action. Nine year old Latarian Milton steals his grandmothers car and takes it for a joy ride and when officers ask him why he did it, he says " its fun to do bad things." Latarian, is a product of his enviormnent; he as been exposed to "bad behavior" and wants to replicated it to feel fulfilled.
Another theory that can explain why I am not deviant is Control Theory. Control Theory is based on the idea that individuals who commit crimes are detached from society and feel a disconnect between their values and societies values (Thio et. al.). The individuals I know that would be considered deviant are the ones that feel like society has failed them. I think that I was raised a little naive because I never looked to blame society when things went wrong for me. I was so busy trying to stay in tact with societies beliefs, commitments and involvements that I did not pay attention to what may or may not have been going on around me. The video below is a great example of everyday social control. Something as simple as walking on a sidewalk instead of the grass next to it can be classified as social control. People do not want to break that norm so they continue to fallow the behaviors of their peers.
The deviant act I decided on was to walk backwards on a crowded pier. I went to the Columbia River water front on the Washington side and I parked my car my Beaches Restaurant. I walked backwards from Beaches all the way to Who Song and Larry's which is almost one mile away. This is considered a deviant act because society is wired to walk forward for many rightful reasons that can go unmentioned. I knew that that pier is always crowded during the day and I was curious to see what people would think of me walking backwards on it. When I first started, I felt extremely awkward and felt like everyone around me felt the same way. I try to put myself in my spectators position and I understand how weird I would feel seeing a random person walking backwards for no apparent reason.
During my walk, I got a lot of stares. No one said a word to me and I think that may have to do with the fact that i'm a 6-foot-tall, 230lbs. man. I think peoples reaction level had a lot to do with that. Even though I knew that this is a social experiment and that I wouldn't normally walk backwards, I couldn't help but feel like I was being judged. The thought of being judged for simply walking backwards reminded me of a conversation I had with a personal trainer at 24 hour fitness. I approached him at the gym and told him about a pain in the front of my shoulders. I was surprised when he pointed me to different people at the gym and said, "they all have the same problem." He said to me that this society is wired to want to show off their front so when they work out they primarily work on their chest, abs, and biceps because that is what people see the most. He continued telling me all the problems that occur when we only focus on our front muscles and said the the pain in my shoulders stemmed from a lack of working out the back muscles.
As I was walking backwards I kept thinking about what the personal trainer told me. Society focuses on the front so how awkward it must have been for people walking by to see me walking backwards.
Word Count: 894
Work Cited
Thio, Alex, Thomas C. Calhoun & Addrain Conyers. 2010. Readings in Deviant Behavior. Boston, MA. Pearson.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=latarian+milton&oq=latrian+m&aq=0s&aqi=g-s10&aql=&gs_sm=c&gs_upl=1962l3968l0l5739l9l8l0l0l0l0l217l1148l3.3.2l8l0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptBmp3sInZw&feature=player_embedded
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