Philip Oliver Roibas Sharkey
Eng 102 – Benton
Essay #1 Proposal: Gender as a Meme
Our society lives under a flawed belief system; this is evident in the way people interact with each other, choose to express themselves, and the way in which social norms construct people’s beliefs. One of the most poisonous and emotionally hazardous flaws is gender. From the time we are born we are formed into stereotypes; our guardians and primary school teachers manipulate our behavior by reprimanding and punishing us to better fit into the preconceived notions of the way a man or woman should behave. This behavior should no longer be tolerated, because it is promoting sexism and restricting progress in our culture.
I want to start a balanced discussion within my essay about the ways in which gender archetypes are hurting our society and, using examples of other culture’s gender roles, I would like to apply the theory of memes to the evolution of gender roles. I will be trying to persuade my audience into understanding for themselves the ways in which community and social constructs affect the way we perceive the world; ultimately making the argument, that sex should not define ones gender and that we should rid ourselves of outdated and misconceived notions that gender idiosyncrasies can in any way benefit our culture.
It is imperative that we do so, so that our culture can evolve and we can push ourselves towards a more equal world, a world where people will not be discriminated against due to their emotional characteristics or gender particularities; to lead us towards true personal freedom. Gender equality in the work force, something we have not yet fully accomplished, is only the tip of the iceberg. We need to start thinking about the ways in which we affect others with the limited scope from which we view our world. Ultimately it will be for the good of all mankind that we try to look at the world from multiple perspectives, polylogical discourse is the only way we can create a more balanced and fair world to live in.
I will be constructing my argument in a way that would make it suitable for a publication like The New York Times. I will be doing so because it is one of the few newspapers that would accept something so progressive. At the same time, I would like to make my essay unbiased enough that anyone reading it will find at least some of the things it discusses relatable. Gender roles affect everyone to some extent and I feel that it is important that we look at the subject from this perspective, regardless of how comfortable we feel in the role society has placed us in.
To support my thesis, I will be primarily using the sources in the works cited section at the end of this proposal. I have chosen these sources because they discuss this subject from multiple vantage points and I would like to make my argument as fair and balanced as possible, so that it speaks to the multitudes instead of a selective few that are particularly affected by gender stereotypes.
Works Cited
Barnett, Rosalind C., and Caryl Rivers. Same Difference: How
Gender Myths Are Hurting Our Relationships, Our Children,
and Our Jobs. New York: Basic, 2004.
Brannon, Linda. Gender: Psychological Perspectives. 3rd ed. Boston:
Allyn and Bacon, 2002.
Cudd, Anne E., and Robin O. Andreasen, eds. Feminist Theory: a
Philosophical Anthology. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2005.
Roe, Anne. “Evolving Gender Roles Explored at Anne Roe
Lecture: Harvard Graduate School of Education.” Lecture.
Harvard Graduate School of Education: To Prepare Leaders in
Education. Harvard University, 24 Nov. 2008. Web. 12 Sept.
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