Blog 5

          Social construction is a broad concept that can be defined many different ways and related to a variety of subjects. Ross Haenfler’s article discusses social deviance and how it is portrayed. In relating that to social constructionists theories he states, “social constructionist theories treat deviance as subjective rather than objective.” He explains this to mean that deviance is not automatically understood, but it is constructed and is subject to change (Haenfler). This is one explanation of social construction, but it is varied throughout different texts.

            Judith Lorber writes about social construction in relation to gender in her article Night to His Day. She states, “Most people find it hard to believe that gender is constantly created and re-created out of human interaction, out of social life, and is the texture and order of that social life.” In other words, the social construction of what is normal can change, which is a concept that is typically unfamiliar. She also states, “These odd or deviant or third genders show us what we ordinarily take for granted – that people have to learn to be women and men...” It has been socially constructed that females are raised as females and males are raised as males and that is it, but people are beginning to learn that this can change throughout life. In other words, this social construction may be beginning to change.

            In the TED Talk, “Understanding the Complexities of Gender” by Sam Killermann, he speaks about gender and sexuality and how they are two separate ideas. He begins by explaining how the gender construction began, in school, separating groups of boys and girls and enforcing what each group should be interested in. He describes the absurdity of this by stating, “7 billion individual identities, simplified into two,” and, “gender isn’t really that simple, it’s true, in fact there are as many version of gender as there are number of you.” People have typically viewed gender as the physical parts that you were born with, so this has been the social construction of what gender is. Throughout these different texts, we can see that this is beginning to change.

            Each of these texts has something in common; that social construction is subject to change. Whether they are talking about deviance or gender and sexuality, they all can be created and re-created, and learned throughout social life. I completely agree with this because I have seen these changes. While reading the texts, I was really interesting in Lorber’s article and Killermann’s TED Talk, because I can relate to them. I have lived with two gay roommates for almost two years now and have been influenced by many different situations that I had never experienced before. They are friends with a few individuals who were born male, but identify as female and are making the transition. Because of the social construction that has been put in place, this is not considered normal. I believe that if more people started taking into consideration that social construction is subject to change, then it wouldn’t be so different when these changes started occurring. This would include less pressure and harm for individuals going through those changes.

             

Haenfler, Ross. "Chapter 2 Skinheads-The Symbolism of Style and Ritual." Goths, Gamers, Grrrls. 2nd ed. 13, 14, 23-25. Print.