Talking Points #3 Carlson

Dennis Carlson
Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community

Quotes:

1.  "Within normalizing communities, some individuals and subject positions (i.e., white, middle class, male, heterosexual, etc.) get privileged and represented as "normal" while other individuals and subject positions (i.e., black, working class, female, homosexual, etc.) are dis-empowered and represented as deviant, sick, neurotic, criminal, lazy, lacking in intelligence, and in other ways "abnormal"."  The only thing I can think of for this quote is... what is normal?  Who created the norm?  What makes white, straight, males normal?  It is sickening to think that people actually thought or still do think this way!  It definitely shows how people used to think (and some still do) and why a lot of people were not excepted for who they were.

2.  "Early  in this century, the dismissal of gay teachers was legitimated as a way of keeping young people from being exposed to improper role models, lechery, and child molestation."  This blows me away as well... how come people who are gay can't be role models?  Just because they have a different sexual preference does not mean that they are bad people.  They are still human with morals just like the rest of society and it shouldn't matter whether they are interested in men or women!

 3.  ""Being yourself" celebrates individualism and the autonomy of individuals to construct their own lives according to their own values and achieve goals they set for themselves--a deep foundational value in American culture."  If only everyone in America really felt this way.  I completely agree with it...everyone should be accepted simply because they are human.  It shouldn't matter what their sexual preference is or if they are black or white. 


This essay made me really irritated to read.  I agree...it seems a bit different to see two boys or two girls together and happy, but that is just because we are used to the "norm."  It was strange to read about how strongly the people felt about having gays as teachers.  I had no idea that they didn't even let them teach or get a job because of it.  I know a few teachers from my old high school that were either gay or lesbians and it didn't make us think any differently about their teaching methods.
It really amazes me that we care so much as a society about a persons sexual preference.  This article actually relates to something that just happened at a college.  A couple of roommates wanted to find out if another roommate was gay, so they decided it was a good idea to hide a camera in his dorm room and film and broadcast it live on the internet.  The boy ended up having intercourse with another male student and when he found out that the other students posted it online, he committed suicide.  It just goes to show you how negative things come from people making judgments about someones sexual preference.  This article immediately made me think of this sad, awful story that recently happened.  People need to find better things to do instead of making judgments towards people they do not know!