Social Construction of Identities According to Helena (2021), social constructionism is the underlying philosophical view that believes our meanings about the world are co-created by people rather than reflections of an ‘objective’ reality. I agree that social construct is something that exists not in objective reality but as a result of human interaction. Interacting with others is extremely important to me to understand the cycle of socialization and how it affects those I encounter.
Culture
Culture can be defined as all the ways of life, including arts, beliefs and institutions of a population that are passed down from generation to generation. This is true for me, as culture has been taught, demonstrated through behavior, and seen with my very own eyes. As I have become older, I have grown to become more culturally open to other cultures and integrating other cultural ways into my own.
Race vs. Ancestry
Race is a socio-political, not biological, construct. It was created and reinforced by social and institutional norms and practices and individuals’ attitudes and behaviors. Racism creates advantages for people legally defined as none, as it disadvantages people of racial groups, such as people of color. Racial profiling is an example of racism. Racism and white supremacy are intersecting manifestations and have expanded to creating policies that led to massive incarceration, police brutality, many unnecessary deaths, and abuse of immigrants in detention centers.
Ethnicity
Ethnicity refers to the identification of a group based on a perceived cultural distinctiveness that make the group into a "people." The color of my skin is brown, I have been called negro, colored, black, and African American. My DNA suggest that I am indeed of African descent of Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo & Western Bantu Peoples, Benin & Togo. It also suggests that a small percentage is Scotland, Mali, Ivory Coast & Ghana, Germanic Europe, Ireland, Norway and Wales. Born and raised in the South with a Christian upbringing.
Ability and Disability
Ableism is a cultural disorder that can affect people’s language and communication skills, social relationships, and other interpersonal behaviors. Ableism is rooted in our lack of understanding of the experiences of people with disabilities. We should treat disabled people with the same dignity and respect as do other able-bodied persons. After a medical exam at the Veteran's Administration Medical Center a test revealed that I suffered from sinus polyps in my nasal passage and that outpatient surgery is needed to remove some so that I may breathe more freely and sleep with my mouth closed. The results after the third surgery cause my hearing to decrease tremendously in both ears, with one stronger than the others. I have been wearing hearing aids at work, school, and some public areas on and off daily. The aids increase the volume of sound to my ears, but I struggle to hear clearly in large open spaces and when people are speaking simultaneously. Although I am not deaf, I do acknowledge that I have a disability to myself, but not always to others. Some people can see the hearing aids sitting in my ears, but I have not ever signed up for assistance under the ADA policies of my employer and at Georgia State University.
Sex vs. Gender
Dr. Seelman's presentation defines Sex to be encompasses “culturally-based biological and/or physiological characteristics that are used to group individuals as female, male, or intersex (West & Zimmerman, 1987). Gender as “a broader term encompassing one’s own understanding of oneself as woman, man, girl, boy, trans, nonbinary, Two-Spirit, genderqueer, and more.” (Shelton et al., manuscript under review). I agree with the definitions and when it comes to Intersex, my pass studies, and interviews with Intersex individuals, I oppose any form of surgery at birth unless it is life threatening to the child. I acknowledge my sex to be of male and identify as man.
Sexual Orientation
Heterosexism is the notion that all people are or should be heterosexual. It has become institutionalized as a heterosexual norm or standard while consuming to be an advantage over all different sexual identities and/or practices, such as lesbians, gay males, bisexuals, pansexuals, asexuals, intersex, and trans. Who am I attracted to? For most of my life after puberty, I have been drawn emotionally, sexually, and romantically to both women and men, thus, I also identify as Bisexual.
Social Economic Status (3 dimensions)
Classism is described as “the institutional, cultural, and individual set of practices and beliefs that assign differential value to people according to their socioeconomic class”. Treating someone differently based on their social class or perceived social class is classism. In our course, we explored and analyzed class and classism concepts related to others and evaluated our responses to these concepts’ perceptions of social practice. I grew up in poverty in a two-parent household with seven other siblings. Today, as a single income earning and personal net worth places me as a middle-class citizen residing in Atlanta, Georgia via income, education level and occupation.
Religious and Spirituality
I find the importance of understanding religion and religious oppression, around the world, we can see how dominant religious groups are oppressing those of different beliefs. In the United States, we can see Christianity’s connection as a national religious identity, expressed through Islamophobia and antisemitism. We have seen our public education become battlegrounds for religious influence, from prayer groups to teaching science evolution, intersecting issues of pro-life versus abortion, and more. I have grown more spiritual in my personal life for myself, but I still occasionally participate in fellowship with other religions, mainly Christianity.
Citizenship and Immigration
Citizenship: A legal status and relation between an individual and a state that entails specific legal rights and duties. Immigration status refers to the way in which a person is present in the United States. Everyone has an immigration status. I am a born United States of America citizen, and my immigration status is a US citizen.
References
Henderson, L. (2009). Between the Two: Bisexual Identity Among African Americans. Journal of African American Studies, 13(3), 263-282. Retrieved August 31, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41819212.
National Association of Social Workers. (2001). Standards for cultural competence in social work practice. Washington, DC: NASW Press.