INTRODUCTION The sports culture produces some of the most revered and idolized figures in American society. Athletic achievements are glorified and the achievers are often elevated to an extraordinary, super-human status. The rewards, praise, honor, power, and privilege that come from exhibited athletic talent and ability can be enticing as well as addicting. Heroes emerge in our society when a line is crossed in record time, an unfathomable amount of points are scored, or beautifully placed, even lucky shots result in game-winning goals. For many athletes their sport defines them. They have participated in a sport their entire lives, modeled the moves and strategies of their predecessors in practice after practice, devoted to becoming the star that they dream of. For many young boys especially, sports are a way to gain acceptance within a peer group, identify with the male sex, and establish relationships. It is a context wherein boys learn how to be boys, to be masculine, to achieve status within our success-driven culture (Messner, 1). Society defines the essence of masculinity in part through sport. Athletics encourage or reinforce the courageous, strong, superior, and competitive male sex role (Messner, 20). Boys grow up being judged by their ability, inability, interest in, or ambivalence toward sport. They equate their successes and failures with self-worth, sometimes producing a self-image wherein they value themselves more or less depending on these achievements (Messner, 24). Young boys can learn priceless lessons and acquire life skills from early experiences in athletics. Concepts like, teamwork, cooperation, being a good loser, and respecting your competition are integral to sports participation. There are, howev... ... middle of paper ... ...ts heroes should be those who display the work ethic, success, and incredible performance through exemplary moral means. The macho and stereotypically masculine attributes that can manifest themselves in corrupt ways cannot benefit the young boys looking up to the men who are their idols. WORKS CITED Attorney General’s Report: UVM Hockey Team Hazing. 1 December, 2001 http://www.state.vt.us/atg/uvm%20Hazing%20report.html#summary Lapchick, Richard E. Fractured Focus: Sport as a Reflection of Society. Toronto: Lexington Books, 1986. McKay, Jim, Michael A. Messner, and Don Sabo. Masculinities, Gender Relations, and Sport. London: Sage Publications Inc., 2000. Messner, Michael A. Power at Play. Boston: Beacon Press, 1992 Messner, Michael A., and Donald F. Sabo. Sex, Violence and Power in Sports: Rethinking Masculinity. Freedom: The Crossing Press, 1994
Homeschooling offers flexibility and can be a stress reliever for many. Home school gives children the opportunity to learn when they learn best, whether that be in the morning or in the afternoon. Some children prefer to work alone others with their peers. The parents will determine what their child’s learning style is. If the child need more or less time on a subject then they will have the chance to go over the subject as many time it is necessary for the student to learn it, or in the other hand if they completely comprehend the subject they can make a decision to skip it. A flexible schedule gives these options and many more to students compared to public or private schooling.
It goes without saying that a person's gender, racial and social origins influence their participation in sports. Particular races and genders often dominate certain sports. African Americans, for example, tend to dominate football and basketball, while Caucasians tend to dominate ice hockey. The same holds true for gender as well. Football is an entirely male dominated sport, while horseback riding, gymnastics and figure skating are much more female oriented. How and why did these divisions come about? Determining the origin of gender goes beyond the scope of this paper, however one can speculate about how gender classifications and stereotypes affect one's role in the sports arena.
While Emerson and Thoreau certainly have difference of opinions, they recognize the need for public discussion and discourse. Emerson declares “a foolish consistency” to be “the hobgoblin of little minds” (Emerson 367). This is shown in their essays “Self-Reliance” and “Civil Disobedience” in which they support individuality and personal expression. Despite their contrasting views of society and government, the two most prominent transcendentalists in literary history share a passionate belief in the necessity that every American must exercise their constitutional rights and make known their views even and especially if it challenges the status quo.
In “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau emphasizes the need for self-reliance (“Clendenning”). This statement is fitting because Thoreau was one of the most self-reliant men of his time period. He was an individual and enjoyed nature. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) is closely related to the Transcendentalism movement, which lasted a mere ten years in the 1830s and 1840s. Transcendentalism is the belief of self-reliance, individuality, social reform, and relying on reason. Henry David Thoreau’s love of nature, languages, and contemporary English, as well as the growth of Transcendentalism greatly influenced the life of this great American Author.
A transcendentalist whom strongly urged passive, non-violent resistance to the government’s policies to which an individual is morally opposed wrote his ideas in his essay,“On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” in the year 1849. Thoreau’s transcendentalist belief is seen in his text continuously, “In most cases there is no free exercise whatever of the judgment or of the moral sense; but they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones; and wooden men can perhaps be manufactured that will serve the purpose as well. Such command no more respect than men of straw or a lump of dirt. They have the same sort of worth only as horses and dogs”(Thoreau 4). As a white male who was given the right to vote, Thoreau’s writing is more direct and
Mackinnon, Kenneth. ‘Sport and Masculinity”, Representing Men: Maleness and Masculinity in the Media’, Arnold, Great Britain, 2003.
Anderson, E. (2011). Masculinities and Sexualities in Sport and Physical Cultures: Three Decades of Evolving Research. Journal Of Homosexuality, 58(5), 565-578. doi:10.1080/00918369.2011.563652
Unintentionally, a lot of us have been boxed into institutions that promote gender inequality. Even though this was more prominent decades ago, we still see how prevalent it is in today’s world. According to the authors of the book, Gender: Ideas, Interactions, Institutions, Lisa Wade and Myra Marx Ferree define gendered institutions as “the one in which gender is used as an organizing principle” (Wade and Ferree, 167). A great example of such a gendered institution is the sports industry. Specifically in this industry, we see how men and women are separated and often differently valued into social spaces or activities and in return often unequal consequences. This paper will discuss the stigma of sports, how gender is used to separate athletes, and also what we can learn from sports at Iowa State.
High school sports are approached with clashing opinions. Some of these opinions are positive, and supportive of athletics. “Athleticism, among many activities, offers teens a physical outlet to exert their troubles, anger, emotions, and other feelings” (Chen 1). This can be observed in nearly all of the football players in Friday Night Lights. This can also be noticed in the world today. “Athletics help high school students understand their own abilities and talents” (Chen 1). This piece of evidence is very accurate when describing high school athletes. Sports can make a high school student humble. As can be seen by the preceding information, high school athletics can have a positive impact on a student’s life.
The influence of sports activities on boys’ identity and socialization experience remains a major interest in gender studies today. Michael A. Messner wrote an article called Boyhood, Organized Sports, and the Construction of Masculinities. The article examines the way sports focus and define what it is to be a masculine, studies variation in sports’ influences across social classes, and depicts lessons sports participation impacts for relationships beyond sports. Each area Michael A. Messner examined directly relates to three key concepts of psychology theories. The concepts consist of observational learning (social learning), conformity, and social identity. The research methods in the article are also a major factor contributing to the
Research guided by conflict theory generally falls into the following categories: 1) studies of how athletes become alienated from their own bodies; 2) studies of how sports can be used to coerce and control people; 3) studies of sports and the development of commercialism in society; 4) studies of sports and various forms of nationalism and militarism; and 5) studies of sports and racism and sexism. (Coakley, 1998) In the book, Meggyesy provided examples of each of these categories which occurred during his footba...
There are many ways to teach children in the world. Some children are learning at the school and others are learning at home. Homeschooling is one of the most common ways to teach children. Because of, technologies, the numbers of home schooling are increasing. Nowadays, many parents teach their children at home because they are able to use the Internet and read about anything they want. Moreover, homeschooling has different ways to teach children; it depends on the parents and the methods they teach. Some of the parents take courses to improve their knowledge about how they can educate their children and teach them new things. Some of the children like to study in a group, so parents communicate with other friend’s parents and decided to go on a trip with each other and study. Although many parents think that home schooling is beneficial for their children, students should not be homeschooled for several reasons: it is dangerous for children’s health, children will have limited education, and it does not have much quality.
Henry David Thoreau was a renowned American essayist, poet, and philosopher. He was a simple man who built his life around basic truths (Manzari 1). Ralph Waldo Emerson deeply impacted Thoreau’s viewpoints and philosophies, specifically by introducing him to the Transcendentalists movement. There seems to be no single ideology or set of ideas that entirely characterized Thoreau’s thoughts, but principles encompassing Transcendentalism come closest (Harding and Meyer 122). Spending time in nature and in solitude gave Thoreau an entirely new perspective on life. In fact, his doctrines regarding nature and the impact of the individual on society have transformed realms of political, social and literary history. Politically and socially, Thoreau’s
Everybody has an opinion about education and what method is the best. Homeschooling is a new class of education that is growing in popularity, public school is a type of education that has been around for several years and is most universally used, and private school is the other conventional form of education that some people still prefer over the other options. Nowadays, more and more parents are pulling their children out of ordinary school environments and have chosen to teach their children at home. Now more than ever, parents are confused about which type of education is the best for their children.
Every parent is faced with the decision of whether or not to home school their child. While some families may find home schooling as being very helpful and beneficial to their child’s education, others may find that it is crucial their child be sent to a normal school. Some parents are hesitant to send their children to public school because of crime and lack of discipline and also because they fear that the quality of education is declining. Parents may also feel that sending their child to school will aid in their social development. Home schooling has both advantages and disadvantages which aid parents in this difficult decision.