Society plays a major role when a person is in public, you are expected to behave a certain way, show interest in certain things, talk a certain way, dress a certain way, the list goes on and on. Here is my opinion on this
1.) Gender roles: Well, these are things that can work in a good way or a bad way. Males and females are expect to take on certain roles otherwise they get shunned. Men are supposed to show little to know emotion(can't cry), they are expected to approach women, they are pressured into having as much sex as possible and many other things. Women are expected to be very emotional, delicate and abstain from sexual activity with many partners. You notice a pattern? The gender roles for one sex are the opposite roles of the other sex. In my opinion, gender roles are a good thing as long as they don't control who you are. Embrace the gender roles but don't let them control the way you are. In other words don't exaggerate when it comes to gender roles. If you want to be a stay at home father, go ahead. If you want to be a woman that provides for the family then go ahead,
2.) Race relations: A very sensitive topic that tends to cause a lot of debates. When it comes to race relations here is what I've noticed; When I was little, I didn't see race I only saw people. It wasn't till I was in 7th grade when I started to see race. I never judged people based on race and I never will.
I remember that race relations were very good between 2000-2009, nobody talked about racism. I'm sure there were a small percentage of bigots but they weren't very vocal. However ever since the start of the current decade 2010s race relations got a little bit bad, not too bad but just enough to start making headlines on the news. I say that 2015-2016 were the worst years of race relations in the 21st century. Although race relations are thankfully starting to improve a little bit. Now that this decade is coming to an end in a few more years, all we can do is make sure that the 2020s are better.
I think that the few bigots in the world know that their numbers dwindle with each new generation and as an act of desperation, they try to slow down the inevitablity of racism getting wiped from society. Keep in mind that when I say bigots, I'm not taking about a single race, I'm referring to the bigots(bad apples) in every race.
Interracial romantic relationships have always been around but they are more common right now in the 21st century than before because more and more people are starting to accept them. I don't have anything against interracial romance, I think it's a beautiful thing.
In general I think race relations are not as bad as people say they are.
3.) MRA, MGTOW, Feminism, Social Justice and Egalitarianism: When I was in middle school, I never knew that any of these movements existed. As a matter of fact, none of my peers knew either, everyone got along regardless of whether they are male or female. However, since I like browsing the Internet. I came across a article on "feminism". After reading the article, I was horrified. I kind of wish I didn't find that article. based on the article, I instantly knew that feminism was not something I wanted to associate myself with.
Long story short, in middle school I went to there was unity amongst males and females, in the high school I went to not so much because a lot of the girls started to learn about feminism and the guys started to learn about MGTOW and MRA. There was still some unity amongst males and females just not as strong as it was in middle school.
I personally don't think that feminism is neccesary here in the US or in any other first world country. Women's rights activism(not feminism) should be present in the third world countries were women are actually oppressed.
Don't get mad at the MRAs, they are a response to the uneccesary formation of third wave feminism. I've said it before and I'll say it again, MRAs are not misogynists, anti LGBT, racists or bad people in general. They are people who have had enough of third wave feminism, SJWs and misandry. MRAs are diverse in race, religion, sexual orientation, politics and sex. There are both men and women who support MRA.
Don't confuse MRA and MGTOW. Technically MGTOW is a sub group of MRA in the same way that feminism is a sub group of social justice. You don't have to be MGTOW to be MRA.
Egalitarianism is not officially a movement, sure there are Social Media pages that are dedicated to true Egalitarianism but you are probably not going to see people marching during protests with a Egalitarian banner. However, there are people who do consider themselves Egalitarians who also support the MRA people. Technically speaking, MRAs have a alliance with Egalitarians.
Here is is a interesting thing and it's ironic , third wave feminism always puts emphasis on the phrase "strong independent woman" but they unknowingly also say that women need extra protection, special priveledges and easier tasks. However, MRAs and Egalitarians truly believe men and women are equally strong and independent since they understand that both sexes can take care of themselves.
Before you say "men are biologically physically stronger" well obviously but even if women are physically not as strong as men, they can still compensate for it in other ways and overcome their task in the same way a smaller fighter can compensate for his small size and triumph over his larger opponent. Strength can be physical or mental(tenacity). Hence the saying
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's size of the fight in the dog
-Mark Twain
Even if a person isn't physically strong enough for a certain job, that person can still find a better job and earn more money or work out to get the required strength.
I think that if Egalitarianism is to become a organized movement, it might be founded by the MRA. In case I didn't make myself clear, I have a lot of respect for Egalitarianism and MRA. Egalitarianism doesn't believe certain people should get special treatment or advantages over other people. Egalitarians truly believe that everyone should get the same fair treatment and rights.
4.) Politics: There are many types of political views but in general they are mostly on a political spectrum; the left and the right. I'm personally a moderate(in between left and right), sometimes I think I am apolitical. Here I would like to address the liberals and conservatives. Conservatives are viewed as being more traditional(Pro life, 2nd amendment, etc) Liberals on the other hand try to introduce new ideas such as pro choice, strict gun laws etc.
There are some connections between This part and number three on this take. Liberals tend to support Social justice(feminism). While conservatives tend to support MRA and true Egalitarianism. Even though I don't call myself a conservative, I do agree with some conservative views. I agree with conservative view of supporting the 2nd amendment, I advocate the MRA.
When it comes to liberal views, I don't agree with a lot of things that liberals advocate but I do agree with the liberals in wanting to abolish the death penalty and the military draft.
Its no surprise that since both Conservatives and liberals support opposite ideas, they will inevitably clash. Here is what I've noticed about the attitudes of both sides; Liberals truly believe that they are improving the world, while conservatives truly believe that things are already good enough. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Yes, I know that there are some people who make liberals and conservatives look bad. For example, the radical liberals tend to act like they know everything, when they are actually naive. The far right conservatives tend to act bitter.
In general I don't think Liberals or Conservatives are bad people, in fact I have both liberal and conservative friends. I think it's fine for a person to be either conservative or liberal as long as that person isn't extreme or over exaggerated in their views.
5.) LGBT people: I personally don't have anything against LGBT people in general. As long as they don't hurt anyone or force their way of life into other people, there is no reason to be afraid of them. Besides, LGBT have no intentions of forcing their way of life onto other people or causing harm.
I remember when I was little, I didn't think these people were real. I use to think that calling someone "gay" was simply a insult. Every student in the elementary school I went to would often say "that's/you're gay" when they didn't like something or someone. It wasn't till I started middle school that I realized LGBT people actually exist, the reason why was because around that time, everyone was talking about "yes or no on Proposition 8".
One of my teachers in middle school is a lesbian and I got along very well with her. I actually became friends with two lesbians in high school, one was what people call "butch lesbian" and the other one was very feminine. They knew that I'm a straight male and they enjoyed my company.
I think the reason why LGBT people might face hostility is because people are barely starting to be open minded about LGBT. The people who show hostility towards LGBT people mistake the acceptance of LGBT as some kind of plot of the LGBT to oppress non LGBT people. They call it the "Gay agenda" But of course this so called "Gay agenda" is a hoax.
Nobody is being forced to support or like LGBT but even if you don't like LGBT, at least recognize that they are still human beings.
6.) Religion, Logic/science: When I was little, I use to think that there was only one religion which is Christianity. I also thought that every good person was either Christian or Catholic. I thought that the bad people(criminals) were all satanic. I also thought that it was already proven that God exists. I didn't think atheism was real.
It wasn't till I met a Hindu kid in my school and became close friends with him that I realized that there were many religions in the world. I think it was ever since I got access to the internet that I started to educate myself and learn things that I didn't know existed.
Yes, I'm a Catholic. Although you can say that I'm a non practicing Catholic. I still believe in God, believe Jesus died for our sins live by the Ten Commandments and go to church every Sunday but I'm not a hardcore Catholic. I'm like my most people, I respect other religions and people who don't have a religion. I respect both science and religion and I think that of both sides put their differences aside, they can coexist.
Keep in mind that there are people who are not religious but they are more spiritual. They are usually called Deists. There are also people who choose to not be deist or atheist. They are called Agnostics. Agnostics are not sure if there is a God or not. Since there is no way of knowing that for sure they become agnostic. There are a lot of people who are mistaken as Atheists but in reality they are Agnostics. Certain articles say that Bill Nye is Agnostic.
I don't have a problem with any religion as long as the people of a certain religion don't harm anyone or force their views onto others. I have friends of various religions, I also have deist, Agnostic and Atheist friends.
7.) Fashion: Society tends to play a major role in how people dress. I personally don't care what is in fashion I dress how I want to dress which is a combination of formal and casual.
I'm not going to lie to you, there are some fashions that I don't like, such as "Meggins" for men, undercuts for women and androgynous fashion for either sex. I also don't like dresses, skirts, baggy pants or sagging. However, I'm not judging people if they wear them. They can use those fashions if they want. I'm just sharing my dislikes.
There is one thing that is inevitable and that is people making assumptions based on how a person dresses. If a man sags, he is considered a low-life, if a woman shows a lot of cleavage, she's considered promiscuous. If a man wears skinny jeans he is considered feminine, if a woman wears a tie she's considered masculine. If a man is skinny, he's considered underdeveloped. If a woman is skinny she's said to have the body of a12 year old boy. In my opinion who cares what people say, you just keep being you. If people would stop caring what all those judgmental cowards say, then those judgmental cowards would start to lose their power and they'll slowly fade into obscurity.
It's okay to have dislikes and likes when it comes to fashion, just don't go around making fun of people because of their taste in fashion. I personally like the formal fashion(suits, trench coats, slim corduroy pants, slim slacks etc) and casual clothing(skinny jeans, regular t shirts etc).
9.) Entertainment industry: When it comes to things we enjoy like music, movies, books and video games; I think they are a very important part of society. They still have influence on society in certain ways. Movies can offer philosophical lessons, music can stir the emotions of a person, Video games can be interpreted as a new form of art, books can teach a lot of things to people.
10.) The Internet and social media: The Internet is one of the most useful tools ever created. Not only can you learn a lot from the Internet, you can also apply for jobs, do your homework, work at home etc. It has made everyday life easier for those of us that have access to the Internet.
Social media is something fairly new, who would have thought that we can communicate with random people with our pocket sized smartphones. Not only that but we can also, voice our opinions on online. Not only that but the Internet and social media can also make a person famous or infamous.
In general I think society has made good progress in first world countries but of course that is still room for improvement. I don't think society here in first world countries is bad it just needs a few modifications.
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