Sex Ed: My History

I started learning about human sexuality in grade four and not its not what you think we didn't learn about sex right away. Instead we learned about puberty and the changes ours and the opposite sexes body was going through. The boys were separated from the girls to avoid any teasing or awkwardness. There was always an anonymous comment box so we didn't have to be embarrassed about asking question because everyone had to submit at least one question. Not only did the teacher talk about the changes our bodies were going through but we also watched a video that explained everything. The class was great and I learned a lot in a safe and open environment. The only down side about this class was that the video was from the 80's and it was hard for us to take it serious because they were dressed so goofy! We continued to learn about this same thing until grade 6. It was in grade 6 that I had one awful experience with the sex ed teacher. The teacher was a nurse and she was explaining my class of boys and girls about tampons. Someone had raised their hand and asked where a tampon goes. Instead of showing us a diagram or simply explaining the answer the teacher pointed to herself. It was disgusting and I will never forget it. She should have answered the question a different way. Then in grade 7 and 8 we mostly learned about male and female anatomy and STI's. We finally got into sex and relationships in grade nine. I feel that my sex education was set up very well though no program is completely perfect. If I could change anything I would do something differently then that teacher did in grade 6 and I would talk more about sex and the consequences and the psychological aspects starting in grade seven.

Feminism

After watching a video in class called, The F-Word:Who Wants To Be A Feminist? I have thought a lot about what feminism is and whether I want to be a feminist. What I have decided is that there is no one definition of feminism; it is an idea or view that is different for every single person. The video made this very clear, in that all the feminist's that were interviewed had something completely different to say about the subject. Some of them were very strongly in believe that woman are not being treated fairly in society and some believed that woman are finally getting the rights they deserve. No definition of feminism is wrong and that is why i fell confident in explaining what I feel feminism is. I feel that feminism is a woman's individual feelings on how woman in society are being treated as a whole. Feminism is a movement of the past that was used to get woman equal rights. I believe that woman are being treated pretty darn good these days and that there are more important issues than Canadian woman's rights. I do not identify myself as a feminist, I believe that everyone no matter what sex deserve to be treated as equals. I believe that everyone has to work for what they want in life.

That is my position on feminism.

Abortion: Yes or No?

In our society abortion is a hot topic as it seems that many people have very strong views on the subject. There are people who are for abortion, against abortion and others who simply don't care. I find myself not fully committed to any of these views.My personal views are: 

1.) I don't believe abortion is murder. I have a hard time explaining what abortion is but I feel as though when the baby is still inside it's mother the mother has all the power in deciding whether or not she wishes to carry the baby to term.

2.) Abortion is a private matter between the mother and father. I don't feel like anyone need to get involved in the personal lives of family's that choose to terminate or carry on their pregnancy. Some families simply do not have the resources or finances to bring a child into the world. Sometime abortion is better them having a child and vise versa.

I am completely on the fence when it comes to abortion. I feel like abortion is a choice a mother and father make based on their situation. Everyone has a different take on this issue and I feel that is perfectly normal. I don't believe it is fair for people to push their views on others or judge people that go against their views on abortion. Effective birth control should always be used by people who are not planning on bringing a child into our world.

Homophobia in Woman

Typically it is thought that men are more homophobic then woman. I believe this is not entirely true but instead I feel that the rate of homophobic woman and men is about the same. It is believed that men are more homophobic then woman because they are more verbal with their negative slurs. Men can often be found talking about how much they hate being around gay people or they directly bully a fellow classmate that is openly gay. Where as woman are more quiet about there homophobic feelings. Woman tend to keep their thoughts and comments to their selves. With my experiences I have never heard of a woman who openly verbally or physically abused a Homosexual person. Though I have met girls who have said things in private like, "I have to share a change room with a lesbian. I'm terrified to change in from of her" or "One of my roommates is a lesbian, what if she tries hitting on me". I feel that this is how woman express their homophobic feelings; they do it in private where not many people can hear them or they keep it to their selves. I feel woman are like this because they are stereotypically supposed to be accepting and loving of everyone. Also you see lesbians portrayed in the media more often and more positively then gay men. This makes lesbians more accepted then gay men therefore we hear less homophobic slurs about them.

Personally I am not homophobic in any way and I accept everyone for who they are and hope that one day homosexual people will be treated the same as heterosexual people.

Homosexuality in Sports

In today's class we watched a video about Brendan Burke who challenged the hockey world about homosexuality. Brendan's life goal was to open the hockey world to accepting openly gay players. There have been NO NHL players who have come out of the closet during their careers as professional athletes. This video really got me thinking when they mentioned how there have been many figure skaters who have come out to the public as gay. Throughtout grade school I figure skated for 12 years. The males in my class mostly all played on the local hockey teams and even some of my girl friends and they all had a common view. This view was that figure skating is a girl sport and only girls practice it. I was always quick to correct them and say, "No lots of boys are professional figure skaters" and their reply was always, "Well ya because they are all gay". In reality many figure skaters are not gay like for example David Pelletier. Never once did I think or did they think that maybe there are gay hockey players too. In fact there were probably kids on their teams who are secretly gay. The video we watched today; The Legacy of Brendan Burke, points out that they are gay individuals in every spot played even hockey. This is a huge eye opener. I hope that one day hockey players, soccer players, basketball player, etc can come out to the world about their sexuality without judgement. Every person deserves to express themselves how they choose.

Sternberg"s Triangular Theory of Love in Relation to Romeo and Juliet

This diagram above shows Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love which helps people understand what kind of relationships there are. In Sternberg's view the ultimate level of love is consummate love which requires intimacy, passion and commitment.

In class we watched scenes from Romeo and Juliet where were seen their intense love for one another; also i studied Romeo and Juliet in depth in the tenth grade so I have a thorough understanding of William Shakespeare's play. When asked what level of Sternberg's triangle of Love Romeo and Juliet are on you would probably expect to hear many different answers but the most common one being Consummate Love. I think this is because most people see Romeo and Juliet and the ultimate love story. They want to believe that Romeo and Juliet have everything they have intimacy, passion and commitment. Though there is no right answer to which level they are on I believe they only experience Romantic Love I have many reasons as to why I believe this.

First, it is believed that Romeo is 17 years old and Juliet is 13 years old and I feel this is way too young for this couple to fully understand and be ready for serious commitment.

Second, Romeo rants on and on in the beginning of the play about how much he loves and lusts for Rosaline and then shortly after he claims to fall madly in love with Juliet. I feel Romeo is simply responding to his raging hormones.

Third, Shakespeare's plays usually take place over a time period of about two weeks this is not nearly enough time for Romeo and Juliet to establish and fully committed relationship. I believe they are both still stuck in the "excited" stage of a new relationship.
Finally, Romeo and Juliet are also both committed to their family's otherwise why would they keep their relationship secret? I feel to be fully committed you need to have family support.
Therefore, I see Romeo and Juliet as only have experienced Romantic Love because they are clearly romantic consummating their marriage and intimate in the beautiful things they say to one another but not fully committed.

Masculinity

What is Masculinity? When I close my eyes and try to picture masculinity I instantly see a tall, athletic man with some scruff happening on his chin. He then speaks to me and I hear a deep voice filled with confidence. He isn't shy; he's bold. He works hard for what he has in life. He is tough and doesn't sweat the small stuff. He is also very strong physically and emotionally. This is how I view masculinity. Many of my thoughts on masculinity are shaped by what society has taught me and this is also how I was raised. This is my ideological notion of masculinity and it could be very different than another persons ideology but for the most part our views would be very similar because this common ideology has been in forced in our daily lives in everything we do. Like for example we learn men are stronger in grade school when they are asked to carry the desks to another classroom while the girls carry the chairs. We learn they should have emotional strength when we  people say, "Boys do not cry". Also almost every movie we watch shows a man who is the picture of masculinity like for example Gerard Butler. He's tall, strong, tough, athletic, etc. One thing that people should think about though is if this is the only way masculinity can be portrayed. I have thought about it and I feel that any man can be masculine as long as he himself believes he is masculine. Stereotypical "nerds" can be masculine because they are very smart, independent, and hardworking. They may not all look physically masculine but they still are. Take a minute to think about this for yourself, how do you view masculinity?