Sexism
Sexism has always been a problem in Western society. It has been a problem that many people overlook, simply because they think it does not actually exist! However, sexism is present in our current society today, and is proved perfectly by Alleen Nilsen in her quote stating, "Anyone living in the United States who listens with a keen ear or reads with a perceptive eye can come up with startling new insights about the way American English reflects our values." Every society has certain common beliefs regarding the ways each sex should behave. In Western society, for example women have traditionally been considered more tender and sympathetic than men have. Men have been regarded as more competitive and not as emotional as women have. Our language supports this outdated view today. Although feminists tend to be the only people fighting against sexism, this false ideology needs to be changed. People need to become more sociological in their thinking and realize this is a problem that we all should be working to fix. Being of the female gender myself, I understand this problem fully through experiences in my own life. The two main reasons I feel this ideology needs to be changed is: females no longer should have to contend with the
Roles in society have become increasingly flexible. Men and women can hold jobs once considered inappropriate for their gender, however the language that surrounds us does not support this view. Men are just as subjected to sexism by society and need to fight for the changes to occur. As stated by Nilsen, "If a boy has a name that society considers to be girlish, they often become self-conscious, and either go by abbreviated names or change their names." My brother's middle name is Loren and is a perfect example of this sad fact. When he began school, all of a sudden his name became an issue. The other children decided what was considered to be an acceptable or unacceptable name. Loren was unacceptable for a boy. The children would tease him and tell him it was a sissy name. (Sissy would be another one of those sexist words!) At one point, it bothered him so much, that he came home and announced he wanted to change his name to Andrew. Andrew, of course, was viewed as a more acceptable masculine name. He never did change his name. He still doesn't really like the name, but it is his and he deals with it. The question is, however, should anyone have to go through such an ordeal? No male (or female) should have to deal with humiliations just because they have a feminine name (or masculine name). The name does not make the person. se outdate
Some common words found in the essay are:
American English, Andrew Andrew, Sexism Language, Alleen Nilsen, Sexism Western, Pace Nilsen's, ideology changed, Bibliography Sexism@msnencyclopediacom, name loren, type girl, change name, masculine name, western society, little girl,
Approximate Word count = 911
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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