(possible) Solution For Problem

Finding tangible and feasible solutions for a deep-seated problem is never easy. Unfortunately, one cannot solve religious tensions in America overnight. However, changes in the local and personal levels can be made. Encouraging dialogue between those of different faiths about those faiths is one way of improving relations. Too often, people are ignorant and uneducated about faiths that are not their own; therefore, having conversations about faith with followers of that faith is a step in the right direction in understanding other religions. This is not to say that one person speaks for an entire religion; that would be egregious. It is also not to say that one must speak with every believer of a particular religion in order to fully understand a religion; that is impossible given the scope of some religions. It is merely to say that in order to begin to understand religions that are not one's own, one has to speak to people--not a person--who follow that religion. Not every layperson interprets their religion the same way, or follows the same denomination. Making people aware of this issue is the key point. To that end, campaigns that encourage interfaith and intra-personal relationships among people of different faiths is paramount. This could be enacted in places of worship and faith, such as churches and mosques. This particular solution is aimed at people of all ages, but especially at youth. If acceptance--rather than tolerance--is learned at a young ate, then future generations are more likely to be accepting of religions not their own due to socialization through their family.

Significance of Problem

The relations between various faith groups in America holds a particular importance when examining the cultural and social fabric of American identity. When bonds of respect between religions are strong, America prospers, while when those bonds of respect are weak, the American identity suffers. Prime examples of this suffering are the Japanese internment camps that America instituted during WWII under the guise of keeping people safe. This deteriorated relations between mainstream American Christians and followers of the Shinto and Buddhist religions (the two most prominent religions in Japan at the time, and also the religion of many Japanese immigrants). Another example is the discrimination that American Muslims are facing due to a small subset of Islamic extremists who claim Islam and have unleashed devastating terrorist attacks on America. The significance of these relations is shown by how sharply the country has been divided over issues of morality and religion: hot-button topics like abortion, gay marriage, and even some political opinions are divided on lines of religion. The ever-present conflict between religions tears apart America's multicultural fabric and leaves behind a tangle of different groups, each fighting to claim the cloth for themselves. By helping to fix this religious divide, one can heal the country and move forward in a new direction.

Unit 2 Blog Post

1. Gender is socially constructed through a variety of techniques and factors. In society, there are clear cut ideas of what a man should be and what a woman should be. There is also a prevailing mentality that there are only two genders, rather than a spectrum. These ideas are constructed through multiple social functions and dysfunctions. One main perpetrator of gender constructs is the continued oppression of groups in order to feel a sense of power. Societal power falls mainly in the hands of men; they control the banks, the stores, the government. This is done through repeated emasculation and oppression of groups that white men believe to be less than them. In media, this is represented by demeaning stereotypes: the submissive and always smiling woman (often young to emphasize beauty), the feminine and weak Asian man, the savage and criminal black man, the short and loud Latino man, and the universally hated flamboyant homosexual man. Homophobia is so ingrained into masculinity that being called "sissy" or "gay" is seen as the ultimate insult. In society, societal power of white men is also kept by confining women to spaces where they hold no power to change their situation. The power wielded by a politician is much different than the power wielded by a parent, and white men capitalize on that disparity by increasing political power to assert their so-called dominance. This is also done through hyper-sexualization of women in media and the simultaneous enforcement of traditional family values. In a nuclear American family, the woman is supposed to be timid, submissive, and loyal to her husband at any cost. The idea of an independent woman and the idea of homosexuals interrupting this facsimile is a scary thought to white men in power. To that end, they demean homosexuals and hyper-sexualize women to reduce their social standing. Their argument is circular: they show independent women and homosexuals as disloyal and untrustworthy, so that they can continue to deny women freedoms based on their conjecture that an independent woman is a dangerous one. This oppression is a social dysfunction or, perhaps, the intended function) of a traditional American family. By placing the man at the head of both the family and the government, women are shut out of places of economic and political power. The family and the mainstream media are the biggest agents of socialization of gender.

2. Learning about how gender is socialized within society has greatly expanded my sociological imagination. In recent times, enforcing gender stereotypes has become both easier and harder. The rise of mainstream media and the range to which it is disseminated has helped contribute to misogyny and homophobia by giving platforms to those who would prefer that those systems stay in place. At the same time, it gives an equally powerful podium to people who want to do away with those forms of discrimination. This curious phenomenon has not always existed; the Internet has allowed for visibility for a variety of opinions. Every person has an individual opinion on gender. When people who have similar opinions combine their voices, they become louder and more prominent. When the chorus of voices stays loud over the course of an era, those voices could potentially become the zeitgeist of that era. Observing how gender is socialized has convinced me that gender will be my generation's zeitgeist, our defining issue and conflict. The fight over gay marriage, rights for people in the LGBTQ+ umbrella, and reproduction rights has defined the past two decades of American history. I believe that the sociological imagination should be used to find the zeitgeist of an era, for therein will lie the most important issue of an era.

3. Gender is a concept that cannot be agreed upon in an universal sense, so solving the problem when it is not defined it incredibly difficult. Some people believe gender is rigid, some people believe gender is fluid, and some people believe that gender does not exist, but is a construct of society and the mind. Due to the difference of opinion, solving the issue of gender discrimination is hard. There are still ways to solve gender discrimination, however. Increasing positive representation of women in media would be a huge step in improving relations. Simple representation will not suffice; one only needs to see popular shows and movies such as Modern Family and the Fast and Furious franchise in order to see how simple representation can lead to hyper-sexualization and the reinforcement of negative stereotypes. By promoting positive stereotypes of strong and independent women, men lose their main argument of keeping women on the bottom: "women need strong men". A main gender issue is the use of "microaggressions", in which men passively (and often unintentionally) reinforce gender stereotypes with side comments and little jokes. Making those jokes socially unacceptable would be the easiest way forward, but it will most likely not be that simple. Accusations of nitpicking would be levied, and the negative opinion of the feminist as a "femi-nazi" would only be reinforced in the eyes of the aggressors of such behavior. In such a case, there is no easy way forward. Behavior is difficult to change directly, so changing it subliminally through positive portrayals of women and implicit refusal to accept snide, misogynistic remarks would go a long way to solving the problem. Overall, the media is the main agent of change that would inflict the most change, although gradually.

Genius Hour: Cause of Problem

The root of interfaith conflicts is hard to ascertain, since religion has been around since before writing. In America, however, it is easier to pinpoint the origin of the conflict. The decision to make religious discrimination illegal created conflict between groups, as coexistence is bound to create friction. Christians of different denominations often disagree on key issues, and those of different faiths altogether would not be exactly welcome. The concept of religious freedom was obviously intended for non-mainstream Christians, and welcoming others in the fold might have caused friction early on. In more recent times, twentieth century events may have influenced interfaith relations. World War II may have had a profound effect; imprisoning Japanese-Americans in internment camps may have caused animosity towards certain Asian religions, such as Shinto and multiple strains of Buddhism. The rise of antisemitism in Europe around the time may have been mirrored in America and caused unwanted prejudice against Jewish people. The spate of religious-based domestic terror attacks may have caused conflicts between followers of Christianity and Islam; both extremist Christians and Muslims have committed terror attacks on American soil, the most visible of which were the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers, killing over 3,000 people and kick-starting a campaign against Islam and the Middle East. The rise of atheism could be considered a cause of a feeling of persecution from Christians in America. Recent political events have not helped matters; policies that were recently enacted aim to discriminate against people of a certain faith. Overall, there are multiple factors that have led to the deterioration of relations between religions in America.

10 Source Bibliography

McGiffert, A. C. “The Future of Liberal Christianity in America.” The Journal of Religion, vol. 15, no. 2, 1935, pp. 161–175., www.jstor.org/stable/1196390.

McGiffert argues that liberal Christianity has had a profound affect on American society and is consistently misrepresented in popular culture. The author consistently refers to how liberal Christianity had an influence on political matters in America through radical movements influenced by liberal religious policies.

Hatch, Roger D. “Integrating the Issue of Race into the History of Christianity in America: An Essay-Review of Sydney E. Ahlstrom.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion, vol. 46, no. 4, 1978, pp. 545–569., www.jstor.org/stable/1463048.

Hatch argues that attempting to integrate race into a discussion about Christianity in America is difficult and that three authors who attempt to connect the two are misguided in their approach. He argues that as long as people discuss race and religion separately, the problem of black people being discriminated against in church history will never be addressed. Solutions brought up by the misguided authors, such as introducing black voices into churches, attempting to combine stories of black churches with white churches, and synthesizing black church experiences, are misguided according to Hatch and do not adequately confront the problem.

Jonas, Glenn. “Journal of Church and State.” Journal of Church and State, vol. 33, no. 1, 1991, pp. 153–153., www.jstor.org/stable/23917183.

A review of Thunder on the Right: Understanding Conservative Christianity in America. The book analyzes the group of Christians known as the "religious right": a bloc of voters and people who identify as conservative and tend to be heavily religious. This group tends to be demonized or misrepresented in modern media as a hateful group; one of the main reasons for this stereotype is the Westboro Baptist Church, a church that is associated with the religious right and is openly bigoted towards certain groups of people. Many conservative Christian's views differ from traditional Christian's views, and the novel helps facilitate intra-faith discussions. This provides a possible model to base my solutions on.

Aubrey, Edwin E. “The Journal of Religion.” The Journal of Religion, vol. 17, no. 3, 1937, pp. 333–334., www.jstor.org/stable/1196317.

A review of Christianity in America: A Crisis. Aubrey explains the author's argument: Christianity has stagnated in more ways than one, a generation has gone "spiritually hungry", and there needs to be a change. This, Aubrey argues, is a valid criticism; however, he explains, it is overdone, trite, and accusatory. Aubrey disagrees with the assessment that "liberalism" is to blame for the church's ills. Rather, he believes that there is a more fundamental problem, and he also takes issue with shoving multiple social movements under "liberalism". The purpose of the sermon in Christianity is clarified, and the nuances of the relationship between God and man are explored. This can give me a deeper understanding of Christianity as a whole.

Mathews, Shailer. “The Development of Social Christianity in America during the Past Twenty-Five Years.” The Journal of Religion, vol. 7, no. 4, 1927, pp. 376–386., www.jstor.org/stable/1195449.
Mathews begins by explaining how Christianity has had an impact on American history, detailing how the church spearheaded and influenced certain movements. Ideological splits, like the North-South divide over the issue of slavery, also fell over religious lines. The book was written during 1927, meaning that contemporary for the author is the early 1900's and World War I. This heavily influences the discussion, as a discussion on social Christianity in 2017 would be markedly different than one in 1927. Mathews asserts that Christianity has a moral and social responsibility to laypeople to help guide them on the right path, and that changing social patterns would influence how successful the church could be in this endeavor.