Assignment:
Peer Responses: Review several of your classmates' posts. Provide a substantive response to at least three of your peers in a minimum of 300 words
- Discuss alternative theoretical perspectives or concepts that might apply to the attitude your peer described.
- Identify additional examples of cognitive processes that contribute to judgment.
- Ask questions that encourage your peer to more fully consider the impact of stereotypes, prejudice, and/or discrimination on his/her behavior or the targeted group
Part 1
I chose vegetarians for my topic group to talk about positive and negative attitudes towards. This group of interesting, determined to be different people have been stereo typed for everything, but what they represent. Majority of people think vegetarians are thin skinny people who might starve to death without eating meat. The truth, is most people do not know there is a difference between being a vegetarian and a vegan! Vegetarians do not eat animals and vegans do not eat animal products. The belief that vegetarians only eat vegetables is not true. I met and had a nice conversation last week with a vegetarian. Instead, of stereotyping people and being bias against someone because they dare to be something other than what you understand try asking a couple of questions to understand why they live in a different worldly zone than you. I found out enough information on vegetarians that I thought about becoming one. However, I really do like to eat Beef, Chicken and Pork. I like Shrimp and Lobster also. As I continued talking with the vegetarian I found out they eat Fish!
In the text it says Prejudice involves a negative attitude toward individuals based on their membership in a particular group (Feenstra, J., 2013) Prejudice and ignorance has held a lot of people back from their full potential. You really cannot grow and understand society and cultures when you are influenced by negative opinions. The way society has categorized being a vegetarian it appears to be a joke to think about doing anything healthy. Comedians make jokes that vegetarians have the worst farts! All farts have an odor regardless if you are a vegan, vegetarian or meat eater. I have overheard many conversations that make it appear that you have to a wealthy person to be a vegetarian.
Social factors that may influence negative attitudes toward this group, is most people think you have to be part of a certain race of people to be a vegetarian or if you consider yourself a healthy eater you think more highly of yourself. Everyone should think highly of their health. Vegetarian status is just a way of eating and considering what products you do not want in your body.
When I analyze, examine and consider one error in judgment I notice vegans and vegetarians make that brings negative attention to their beliefs, is making a big deal about what other people eat. If you choose, to not eat meat or use animal products that is your decision. If I still eat meat and use animal products do not judge me. To eliminate as much bias as possible do not put your eating beliefs above others. In doing this it will help people to accept the vegetarian culture and ask questions that might help them understand the group.
In my conclusion, If you are a follower about anything in life your culture and negative social networks can possibly have damaging effects on your decision making and your unconscious system. In chapter. 5.1 it talks about the conscious and automatic thought processes. A lot of people have been programed to unconsciously from hearing things as a child or from peer groups dislike a certain group of people that they have no information about. They dislike things because of what they have heard other people speak negatively about. Instead, of listening to what other groups say about another group go and learn why some many people are choosing to become vegetarians.
Feenstra, J. (2013). Social psychology.
Pettigrew, T. F. (1998). Intergroup contact theory. Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 65-85.
Part 2
In my discussion I've decided to choose gender specifically females. I choose this because females in the army is looked at differently than males. There are things that are currently being implemented so that males and females are being put to the same standards. For example, a lot of schools wasn't available for females such as ranger school and now females are able to join. There are more job opportunities as well, such as combat arms. The current physical fitness exam is changing from the APFT to the ACFT. The APFT is a 2-miler run 2 minutes of sit-ups and push-ups. The new ACFT is graded based off the strength deadlift, standing power throw, hand release push up, sprint drag and carry, leg tuck and lastly the 2-mile run. The standard will be based off the job the person has and not based off of gender anymore. A lot of Soldiers continue to complain that females in the army have it a lot easier than males, hopefully these changes will put their minds at ease.
Sadly, males have a negative impact towards females. When the woman's mentor ship program started, and the female Soldiers had meetings during work males started to complain "saying it's not fair that females get our own meeting during work hours" , and also saying it violates equal opportunity. No matter what changes are made males can still say that females are being treated better. I know in the past males would either try to be harder on me or they'll try to carry things for me because I'm a female. When I first moved to Germany I was the only female in the platoon. A male Soldier in my section said everyone was acting differently because it wasn't normal to work with a female. They stop cursing as much and had to change their jokes, so I wouldn't get offended. My platoon sergeant job was to do all the computer work, and paper work. He began to use me a lot because I work faster doing administration work. When it was time to go out and do work he would tell me to hop on the computer and do his job. A lot of people were getting mad and saying I'm his assistant. I had was like oh that's funny I thought you were.
Males that were raised in a culture where males are more dominant may feel that females shouldn't even be in the army. I have other female sergeants that tell me males challenge her. A lot of Soldiers have stay at home wife's and their spouse doesn't work they stay at home with their children. I've noticed a lot of African's and Jamaicans don't like to be told what to do by a female. Some cultures males are the lead and it's hard for them to adapt to the Army when a female is in charge of them. Also, I've had 2 babies while serving in the United States Army and male Soldiers need to be more aware of females needs. For example, while being pregnant there are things we can't do like be in a hostile environment or work around military vehicle. When a soldier is in their 3rdtrimester they can only work 8 hours. Also, when it comes to breast feeding. Mothers can either leave work and breast feed their child or either go to a breast-feeding room and pump. Males are having to learn more that the army is becoming more segregated with genders.
When it comes to a professional stand point female are known to be more emotional than the male species. I have a female first sergeant and a female commander, those are the two people that are in charge of the troop. My first sergeant is very hostile and like to argue and complains about how she's getting old and wants to get out. Honestly, she sets a bad example for other females' soldiers because she doesn't have a back bone no one listens to her not take her serious. Our captain doesn't care, and she's never complains and she's always in a good mood no matter what she's going through. We don't make decisions based on our gender It's based on the cultural and how we were raised. According to the textbook "we do find differences in the patterns of attributions in different cultures. Generally, individuals from more independent cultures make more internal attributions while those in more interdependent cultures make more external attributions (Triandis, 2001)" All females are not the same, everyone is different.
Reference:
Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98(2), 224-253.