Human Sexuality
A person largely differs from an object in the greatest sense. Individuals, as thinking beings, are treated thusly into a degree of personage. Once an individual ceases to be treated as a "person," only then does the person become objectified -- that which anything is treated merely as a piece of solid, concrete material to be looked at with indifference. Throughout the course of history, humanity has undergone vast periods wherein objectification is a way of life. Whether this mode applies to sexuality or not does not seem to matter; but it is clear that the current time has pushed this term of "objectification" into the arms of sexual representation. Objectification, however sexual or non-sexual, damages the human psyche, enough so that at an extreme degree of objectification -- for example the treatment of women as sex symbols -- can allow individuals from justifying the reason to stop treating human beings as "persons."
Nussbaum defines objectification as a way in which the "human being is regarded and/or treated as an object." While usually under the context of a "sexual relationship," objectification does not limit itself only there. Wars, politics, even organizations of the past and present have undergone to treat certain branches of society as non-persons. This is evident in the archives of genocide -- Heinrich Himmler's "Final Solution" to the "Jewish problem" and the Rwandan genocide of the "cockroach Tutsis" -- where a massive amount of people have been treated as something less than human. The African slave trade that lasted in America for a good portion of history saw the slaves sold as property, objects that belonged -- and thereby was required to adhere -- to a master who bartered, beat, and sometimes even killed with no sense of guilt. Victorian London saw the rise of prostitutes, destitute and craving for the means to continue living, using their bodies as objects for sale for whoever wanted a quick relief in a back alley; when some of these prostitutes were murdered in Whitechapel...
Note Jennings and Shapiro, " communities of color have many traditions that impact (GLBTQ) issues in different ways... A young (GLBTQ) person of color faces multiple 'identity' issues that teams from the dominant culture do not" (p. 215). Indeed, racism within the GLBTQ community has long existed, exacerbating the conflicts between different constituents of this group. For example, white-run gay bars and clubs often excluded African-American gays and lesbians in
Cybersex Schneider (2000a) quotes one of her many survey respondents on the subject of cybersex: "I resented the computer for years, until I finally accepted the fact that it was the user, not the machine that was causing the problem" (p. 32). Although the general drift of Schneider's commentary validates the opinion of this nameless female survey-respondent, it is worth asking the question of whether or not this is actually true.
Moreover, in addition to narrowing the purview of human sexuality to groups within the larger society, the sociocultural aspect examines social norm influences including the effects of external factors such as mass media or politics. These movements can assist in bring about significant and widespread changes in the social norm, such as the sexual revolution and the advent of feminism. Overview of Theory and Practice Theories regarding gender and sexuality date
Archeology THE ROLE OF CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT IN THE EVOLUTION OF HUMANITY Understanding the evolution of humanity has been one of the most critical quests for most individuals in the current society. The intersection between environmental influences and culture creates an area of social interest with a focus on human evolution. Empirical research shows that the society plays a significant role in shaping the evolution of human beings as evidenced by psychological
Until such time, however, same sex couples must be tread lightly and carefully in order to protect their relationship and parental rights. Adam P. Romeo, et al., Census Snapshot: United States, Williams Institute (2007), available at http://www.law.ucla.edu/WilliamsInstitute/publications/USCensusSnapshot.pdf Fla. Stat. Chapter 63.042(3). Utah Code Ann. §78B-6-117(3)(b); Arkansas Initiative Act 1 Arkansas Dep't of Human Servs., No. 60CV-08-14284 (Ark. Circuit Ct., Pulaski County, April 16, 2010) Miss. Code Ann. §93-17-3(2) In re Appeal in Pima County Juvenile
Put another way, abstinence advocates hope that saying "abstinence is the only method which is 100% effective in preventing pregnancy and STIs" will be misinterpreted by the public and politicians to mean the same thing as "abstinence-only education is the only method which is 100% effective in preventing pregnancy and STIs." This is akin to pretending that the fact that never using silverware is the only method which is
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