Teaching Adolescents |
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There has
been a blueprint from the beginning of time of “standard
gender roles” to which men and women have
been expected to adhere. These are normative beliefs which correspond to the
standards put forth by society (Poteat, 2011). Some of the factors constituting
male beliefs are anti-feminine and homophobic attitudes and dominant and
aggressive behavior. The pressure to live up to this image of masculinity in
adolescence can become overwhelming and lead to disastrous outcomes.
Eminem, the famous rapper, once said the worst thing you could call another man in a rap battle was a “faggot”. He claimed it is not because his opponent is actually gay, but because that slur is the ultimate challenge of one’s manhood (Sadowski, 2008). Many times slang words for homosexual, such as "gay," are used to proclaim something “lame or stupid”, rather than in its real context. That being said, using anti-gay slurs, especially against adolescent boys, has spurred on some of the worst disasters in the history of schools. |
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