Racism and Patriarchy

On Tuesday we had a lecture about racism and patriarchy within our society.

The first half of the lecture was based on racism. We were shown many different examples from the past which were upsetting. We also discussed Jim Crow Laws and The Civil Rights Movement. I was shocked to see the level of discrimination that took place in the 18th century. This made me realise how much our society has changed since then. We were then faced with the question ‘Things have moved on haven’t they?’

I think that this question could be viewed in different ways as I feel our society has changed a lot since then however I feel there are still similarities. I understand that it is important for me to be aware of these issues as a future primary teacher so I am able to detect them at early stages and prevent them from being taken further.

The second part of the lecture was based on patriarchy and how this as developed over the years. Again we were shown examples of this from the present and past. Derek showed a video by the company ‘Always’. It showed a range of people all different ages acting out things such as ‘fight like a girl’ and ‘run like a girl’. The video portrayed gender stereotypes from the older participants but not the younger participants. This made me realise that as a teacher I need to take the responsibility to ensure that each child has confidence in themselves and shouldn’t be put off by stereotypes.

In conclusion, Tuesdays lecture has made me think about different viewpoints of society and the importance of these in the classroom. Also how the issues of racism and patriarchy have improved since the 18th century but are still to be resolved.

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