I found this section of chapter seven particularly
interesting because I believe everyone in our society could relate to it.
Society sets these rules and norms for genders specifically on describing what
extent males and females can display gender. Males are expected to be stoic and
stern. Any display of emotion is seen as a weakness and does not qualify them
as a “real man”. On the other hand, women are given the okay, and are even
encouraged to express their emotions.
Additionally, our social and professional roles also limit
our abilities to express emotion. My job
as a martial arts instructor fits this concept perfectly. As a role model to my students, I have to
constantly remained composed. Anything
that happens in my life has to be separated from my teaching. I do my best not
to let any external factors effect me for this reason. My students have certain
expectations for me. As a result, I have
to meet them in order to maintain their respect.
Do you have any obstacles that stop you from expressing
emotion?
-Jossshhuaa
Dear jossshhuaa,
ReplyDeleteI also agree that we all can compare to why we do not freely express our emotions to one another. Our society sets the bar on how someone should be. For example, I always try to act manly whenever I am around my guy friends, but I am actually a sensitive guy who likes to express his feelings. I cannot just show who I am because I am afraid whether society will ignore me for who I really am.
I also try to keep my professional role as a salesman whenever I go to work, so that people can take me seriously and professionally, but I wish I could freely express whatever emotions I want to express, but we have our roles to live out.
Thanks for your input about what you learned! :) I am sure you will continue to be a great martial arts instructor.
- Jeff!
Hey Jossshhuaa,
ReplyDeleteI know it is difficult sharing emotions as a male. However, being a woman, I have realized that showing emotion is not easy for us either. It is not much more welcome than if a man were to start crying. How many times have you heard, "Don't be a bitch/pussy?" (excuse the language) both which are terms that relate to women. How many times have you heard, "Don't be such a girl about it." These terms are incredibly degrading, yet they have become so normal for society. So many people, men and women alike, are unable to express their emotions. Personally, I think it shows heart when someone cries. Especially men. It shows that they truly cared about whatever it is that they lost. In fact, there have been times when I have seen men not cry to preserve their image. At my grandfather's funeral, my dad did not shed a tear. Maybe he thought he was being strong. But to me, he appeared heartless. And though I know my father is not heartless, it hurt me to see that he felt so pressured to be the strong one that he did not feel he could grieve openly. I truly hope that these pressures to suppress emotions can dissipate over time. I believe that letting out emotions can be very beneficial to one's health, and building them up can be very destructive. I truly enjoyed your post, and thank you so much for sharing!
-Elek Tricitie
This topic definitely relates to our society, there is always peer pressure that makes people should act like the particular emotion. For example, guy should not cry because they have to act like a man, while women cry is absolutely normal. But men are human beings too, they have the right to express their feelings. I think this is really unfair to both genders when they cannot freely express their feelings because of the gender norms. As an employee, I can’t freely express my feelings since I have to keep my role to serve customers. If I shout at customers when I am mad, my employer would probably fired me. Therefore, in order to live in a society, people cannot fully express their emotions.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
-DENISE