Month: May 2015

Reflective Tag- The movie was odd, I will be honest. Watching the Hijra become a Hijra was a bit disturbing. However this is modern society that is something that we should be comfortable with. Life adapts, and has been for billions of years. Humanity needs to follow in our evolutionary footsteps.

 

 

 

Binary has many meanings in modern society. In technology, it refers to a language used to communicate with machines and computers. In mathematics, it references a system with two parts, two segments. In the current gender establishment, it refers to the sole existence of two sexes, both biologically and culturally. This system has been in place in Western society for centuries. Deviation from the norm led to ostracization and prejudice. However, both modern medicine, and foreign cultures, have shown that this is not true, whether from birth, or from later decisions of the individual.

Because there are two predominate genders in humanity, many people assume that this is the norm for everyone, and that anyone different chose to be so. Genetics is not a perfect method of transfer, unfortunately. Mutations and anomalies occur, leading to what was once referred to as hermaphrodite. These people are now referred to as intersex. Middle Sexes showed the journey and difficulties of living the life of a hermaphrodite. They used to have their sex chosen for them, would eb brainwashed and conditioned to accept that fate. Modern society is showing a hesitant, yet growing acceptance of these people however, showing a positive slope in relations.

In foreign countries, unlike the United States, many societies accept, and even welcome third genders. In India, Hijras, or men who have chosen to sacrifice their male organs, were once revered and respected members of the Hindi culture, present at weddings and births as a good omen. Western colonization ruined that however, but India has begun to return to its cultural roots. Thailand, a country that was never colonized, has a flourishing community of third gender people. Known as Kathoey, or Lady Boys, these women were originally men, and now have begun a international sensation, and face for the third sex. Overall, modern society has begun to adapt, and begun egalitarian as our ancestors were.

Reflective Tag

This was a very interesting lesson to me. I love history, I am a history major, so being able to incorporate my knowledge of humanities’ nomadic origins made this assignment stick out to me. These nomads truly give us a standard to at least strive for. Yes, our lives are much more convoluted and strange, but to at least try could not hurt. Would improving our society and simplifying lead to a happier society?

 

 

 

 

Modern day life, with its conveniences and advancements, is taken for granted by so many people around the world. Having a car, cell phone, even air conditioning are fairly recent developments in human history. For the majority of humanities existence, life was very simple, lived much as animals we observe today. There are, however, vestiges of early humanity around the globe. One of the most prominently studied, and intriguing glimpse into our roots is the Jo’hansi people of Africa, a nomadic, hunter-gatherer, and most intriguingly, egalitarian society.

These nomads live off of a standard hunter-gatherer mold, with the men mostly hunting, and bringing the band live game, while the women gather plants and care for the young. In a split from modern life, men helper found the camp, with cleaning, maintainece, and preparation. The women are the main bread winners, gathering over seventy percent of the food supply of the tribe, mainly Mondongo nuts. This turns modern society, and ideals, on its head.

As an egalitarian society, the band does not treat one sex or another as more elite. The Jo’hansi live lives focusing on survival. The only difference is that women have children, which gives them a power in their society. When the band has to split, to conserve the very limited water supply of the Kalahari Desert, the numbers are equal, usually splitting along nuclear family lines. Overall, our society should strive to copy the very close to perfectly equal society of the last nomads on earth.

Reflective Tag

I learned that the gender gap was way worse than I believed. Women and LGBT members have been discriminated against forever, and still are to this day. However, there is hope in the horizon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gender is based on a person’s inner beliefs and proclivities. However, gender has heavy bias across the globe. Around the world, gender is separated into three categories: Men at the top, the women, and the LGBT community. Especially in the Middle East, women and LGBT are heavy segregated, and denied rights. In many countries, such as Nigeria, being a homosexual is punishable by death. In Afghanistan, it is highly discouraged for women to attend school and attain an education. Families without a male child will choose a daughter to act as a man.

The gender gap could be cause by many factors. In early human history, after the Neolithic Era, when agriculture was becoming more widespread. As nomadic, egalitarian societies began to become sedentary, the equality of those societies began to change. When before, as with the Jo’hansi people, where women were the main breadwinners, men took over the jobs involving labor. Women were moved into a role of producing the next generation, and managing the household. As we can see in modern society, as women have again become major breadwinners, society is beginning to equal out again.

The US, while by no means egalitarian, has begun to move into a more equal society. Women are beginning to move to the forefront of business, and are even our military has begun to become more open to both sexes. There are hiccups, of course, such as sexual assult and the jaded views of old fashioned, backwards viewing men, but slowly but surely women are beginning to integrate themselves into the infrastructure, where they belong.

BIology of Gender Artifact 1