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Gender: Multiple Readings Packet Guys:
Racism and sexism are ideologies of domination that
at one level are cut from the same cloth in that both are built on the
foundation of "otherness" (which itself is rooted in "essentialism"--
meaning based on the victim's biologically-determined birth
circumstances over which, of course, the victim has no control).
Moreover,
in capitalist societies, sexism can perform the same role as racism:
namely,
provide the capitalist class with the means to dominate, divide, and
exploit
the working classes. However, there is also an important difference
between
these two ideologies: In the case of sexism, the victim and the
victimizer
are biologically dependent on each other for reasons of procreation;
consequently,
there is no such thing as "aversive sexism." Whereas in the case
of
racism, aversive racism can and does exist. Notice also that the
matter of racism brings up the possibility of women as racists
and women as victims of sexism, all at once. In other words, a society
can be both patriarchal and racist. As usual, download all
assigned items listed below, Read,
comprehend,
and digest them; further, be prepared to be tested on them. Question:
What do these words mean: "aversive racism," "ideology," "otherness,"
"essentialism," "patriarchy"? (See the Course Glossary! Hello....!)
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