Know Your Role

by Kwaamia Gray

We are not born with a culture. We must grow and develop. Our parents, teachers, peers, and siblings are those who help and influence our culture. This is socialization. During this process we are taught the language and the roles we are expected to play in life. For example, a girl learning to became a mother and a wife or something occupational such as a nurse. We are also taught and embrace the norms of the culture. We learn our rights from our wrongs. For example, in some cultures it’s not ok to have sex before marriage. Our parents usually have the most influence on us because they are our main teachers who are there from the beginning. They choose where we live, what schools we attend, and the activities we join in for the most part. Socialization can be described as a molding method. What we are and who we become depends on the people we interact or socialize with. The people around us may influence the beliefs and attitudes we have about certain things.

Role Models (2008) is a comedy film about two associates, Danny and Wheeler, who are ordered to complete 150 hours of community service working with a Big Brother Little Brother program. One underlying theme of this movie could be socialization.  Danny and Wheeler are placed with two boys. Their job is to mold them into what the society would agree to be successful men. Danny and Wheeler’s roles are to be examples of what these little boys should want to become. The title of the movie describes it all. These boys could be describes as deviant because they will not conform to the standards of the culture. The standardized things are what make up the norms we live by.

Socialization is a life-long learning process. With age come new statuses that we will need to know the roles of. Our experiences throughout our lives will eventually help us to socialize even more and help others socialize as well. Experiences help teach lessons and most of the time revise our expectations and beliefs. Take a rape victim, for instance, they may not feel worthy or even will not be able to trust anyone. Different cultures different people, but everyone knows their role.

Media's Impact on Social Norms

Submitted by: Gregory Fowler

“It Gets Better” is an internet-based project founded by syndicated columnist Dan Savage and his husband Terry Miller.  The focus of the project is suicide prevention among gay teens who are bullied.  Originally intended as a Youtube channel in response to the suicide of Billy Lucas, the It Gets Better Project has grown to over 20,000 videos of adults from all sexual orientations encouraging youths that life does get better.  Its website features endorsements from numerous celebrities, nonprofit organizations, corporations, universities, and most recently, major league baseball teams.



The teams that have made videos for the project include the Tampa Bay Rays, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and the Philadelphia Phillies.

At first, I was surprised that not all of the teams in Major League Baseball had made videos for the project.  However, it seems that the individual teams are deciding to make these videos, not MLB as an organization.  Interestingly, different teams use different language in their PSA.  In addressing the issue, some teams use the acronym LGBT, whereas others use the words, “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender“. Why this difference in language?   

I did some research into the home cities of the teams who made the PSAs.  It seemed to me that any correlation between teams that endorsed the video and those who didn’t could be solved by the looking at the social geography of their home cities.  This was not the case.  I couldn’t find any correlation between the teams that made the videos and the size of gay populations in those cities that might indicate new target markets.  Nor could I find a correlation with teams that have falling attendance rates, or any other economic strategies aimed at generating more income.  Also, it doesn’t seem that teams that have a smaller fan bases are attempting to look at new nationwide demographics either.

After exhausting my ideas about why certain teams would endorse the It Gets Better Project, I was reminded of the discussion of social norms.  Social norms are the rules that a group uses to define appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors.  Specifically, in the case of these videos, the perception of social norms and how they are influenced through media is what I found interesting.  These athletes’ personal beliefs surrounding sexuality become, in a way, social issues by virtue of their prominent positions and status as role models, as well as speaking as a united team.  This is particularly true if we can rule out obvious economic interests in gaining new fans.

The It Gets Better Project is, by itself, an example of how technology takes personal issues of sexuality and presents them in a social context.  The rate at which the project is expanding shows how effectively media transforms these individuals’ stories from personal issues into public discussions, where broad social norms regarding sexuality have the potential to be greatly influenced.  This influence comes not only by the celebrities and organizations that have endorsed the project, but from the depersonalization of private issues from the people uploading their stories.