The day I stepped into a sociology class here at Spelman College I was told that race, class and gender are all socially constructed ideologies that do not exist independently. I also learned that an individual’s experience differs from other individual’s, usually according to ethnicity and culture. I often wonder if race, class and gender weren’t constructed by society, or didn’t exist at all, how the world would be. Would it be better or worse? Going about life in the world with no awareness of race, class or gender which will result in true equality and demolish the prejudice, discrimination and all the isms that plagued the world? Will there be a need for religion or other organized institutions that keep us from freely crossing gender roles or racial roles?
Being a black woman raised in a middle-class family, I’ve been prepared for the worse and expecting nothing but the best professionally and personally. My mother use to always tell me that I will always be reminded of my race and gender which will ultimate affect what class I am placed, depending on my personal persistence and perseverance, into. I believe there is no way to completely erase what society has constructed in regards to how we all view race, class and gender; I do, however, have a newly optimistic view on ways we can re-construct how we all view race, class and gender and that is by acknowledging the burden and damage it creates and revitalizing a more positive and community-based way of living that incorporates the acceptance of all humanity and embracing individuality and differences. This will be a lifestyle change, and changing lifestyles has never been easy or done over night.
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I appreciate your optimism and your created Utopia. As I read your blog I constantly thought about this being a reality and I think that until we eliminate the need to have power over another, problems will still arise. The existence of the isms as you said do impede our progress as an all inclusive nation but I think that the underlying issue aside from fear of difference is our imperialistic mindsets that encourage power struggles between the normal or elite groups versus the groups you mentioned. Of course this need for power goes back to the capitalistic society that we function in as described in Cynthia Enloe's piece that exposes our socializations that seek hierarchy for economic stimulation. Those isms are instituted simply as a vehicle for monetary gain, I think. Without them, something else will arise like an increase of ageism for example. "FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY, GOT TO HAVE IT!"
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