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?