How I will use this moving forward:
Moving forward, I will be more aware of the necessity to be critically conscious of the mainstream media that we are exposed to. I will no longer mindlessly watch a film and walk away without thinking of the social constructs that I was able to critically tear apart.
I will continue to strive towards thinking of gender on a sliding scale, as opposed to one way to be masculine and one way to be feminine with nothing in between. I know that gender is a social construct and I will also encourage others to acknowledge this.
I will approach others based on their strengths as opposed to their weaknesses. Had someone approached the Beast based on his kindness or bravery as opposed to his appearance, he may have thrived in his environment. We cannot mistake difference for deficit (Gorski, 2010).
I will ensure that I am continuously evaluating my intersectionality, social location, and privilege. It is extremely important that I understand in what positions I have power so that I can try to disperse that power. I understand that because I am privileged, it means that others are oppressed. I will strive to intervene when I am witnessing acts of oppression, I will do my part to ensure that this system of oppression ends sooner than later (Johnson, 2017, p. 110).
I understand that “silence is our not daring to matter” (Johnson, 2017, p.111). Silence in the face of a micro or macro aggression is as terrible as the aggression itself. Choosing the “path of least resistance” is easy, but also perpetuates the systems that need to be fought back against. It might be uncomfortable to forge new paths or make changes in ourselves but it is what needs to be done to eliminate these social constructs made to give power to some and oppression to others.
Critical Review 