Analysis Of Covering: The Hidden Assault On Our Civil Rights

The social world in which all people co-exist is an unruly playing field. Separated by class, race, and gender, this world calls for all to assimilate in order to maintain the balance society imposes. Kenji Yoshino raises awareness to the discriminatory aspects of this world in his piece titled “Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights”.Yoshino’s argument of the unjust abuse of covering, hiding one’s natural identity to meet the standards that are required of the individual, circle the topics of racial and sexual discrimination. Similarly on a smaller scale, the same concept is depicted through gender inequality (particularly in America) through Michael Kimmel 's “Girls in Guyland: Eyes on the Guys”. Kimmel expresses that both males

Kimmel states “To achieve high standing with guy and thus other girls, a girl must conform to Guyland’s notions of what a girl should be”(Kimmel 245). Whether they accept the notions or not determine the status they are judged as: babe or bitch. Babe, when then they go along with men’s ways and bitch, when they reject those ways. Girls are essential to Guyland because they justify the behavior of the men and accept the ways, giving it more reason exist. Females cover to succeed in guyland much like minorities cover to succeed in the white community. Yoshino explains a description from John T. Molloy saying “the continuing vitality of white supremacy in American culture, a supremacy that requires racial minorities to bend behavior toward Anglo-conformity”(Yoshino 311). White supremacy makes those living in the white community mend their attributes to assimilate to its Anglo-conformity. Much like Guyland, the white norms pressures its inhabitants to cover. Like women, minorities must shape themselves to fit the standards of

Men and women of all races are subjected to change due to the consistently persistent demands of covering. Women are forced to adjust to covering demands through many ways such as sororities, partner relationships, and social work environments. Kimmel states “ Girls who learn to accommodate themselves to Guyland run the risk of becoming grown women who accommodate themselves with intransigence”(Kimmel 261). The intransigence that he refers to is unchanging behavior of men but according to Kimmel, the love of a woman cannot change the behavior of a man. Their love is not transformative and therefore, they must change their own behavior (cover) to accommodate to the intransigence of men. Comparable to men, the intransigence of society is also something human beings are unable to change. The ways of humanity have been set and unchanged so that others must assimilate to the norms. Yoshino describes the evolution of covering in this statement “Covering has enjoyed such a robust and stubborn life because it is a form of assimilation. At least… this country has touted assimilation as the way Americans of different backgrounds would be ‘melted into a new race of men,”(Yoshino 294). This quotation describes how covering has existed for a long period of time. Because of this, mankind has been unable to change assimilation and is forced to accommodate to the intransigence of