majority. For transgendered people to prevail on a legal platform and be viewed by the majority as valid citizens that do not always fit into neatly predefined gender identity roles, I believe that more emphasis needs to be placed on public education. Issues concerning transgendered individuals will not merely fade away and people such as Mr. Devoureau should not be silenced just because they do not follow preconceived notions of what is “normal” regarding sex and gender. I applaud Mr. Devoureau for bringing this employment issue to light and am interested to see the outcome of this important case. I was also surprised that there is a transgender legal defense and education fund specifically dealing with legal issues such as this one.
to the fact that no previous cases have brought up the additional “gender identity or expression” basis for discrimination in the list of criteria upon which NJ determines employment violations, the outcome of this case could be a potential triumph for transgendered individuals. Transgendered people are rarely talked about by the general public, and it would be easy to dismiss them as a small minority that is not important enough to consider when creating laws concerning employment. The above thought would be a mistake. Not too long ago in our nation’s history, African Americans were thought of in the same manner, and were dismissed if not outright discriminated against intentionally when compared to the
The landmark case that Mr. Devoureau has brought in front of the New Jersey Superior Court is a very necessary one if we are to be open to a greater understanding of people on a social & personal level. Living as a male since the ages of 5 years old, Mr. Devoureau appears to have been discriminated against by his employer and was unceremoniously fired because Urban Treatment Associates was not comfortable or certain about the sex with which Mr. Devoureau identifies. Since New Jersey is one of the twelve states that ban discrimination on the basis of transgender status, the aforementioned case seems to have enough validity to warrant a Supreme Court hearing, if it needs to go to that level. Due
Enter text right here!In order to help the individuals currently and formerly enrolled in the US military, there has to be more of a concerted effort made by people at all levels of the armed forces towards establishing the symptoms and signs of PTSD. The fact that more soldiers’ lives are being lost to suicide and altercations resulting from depression than in the actual war in Afghanistan in which they fought is astounding. I know that the video mentioned that the social culture of the military, or any organization, is difficult to change and cannot be altered over-night. There is a long-held common belief that it is in the military’s best interest for soldiers to “just suck it up” and get the job done, with the effect war has on soldiers’ mental well-being as barely an afterthought. In order for the military to help those that help secure our nation and our allies, I think it would better serve our collective interests to address this growing problem more efficiently.
Enter text right here!The article attached to this video about war vets and PTSD brought valuable observations to light concerning reservists in the US military. Reservists in the Army and members of the US National Guard seem to be removed from the social support system of going into combat with the same group of men and women during each deployment, like that found in platoons of soldiers involved in active duty. By going into battle each time with a different group, it is more difficult to confide in or mention the need for mental health help from those working with you.
Enter text right here!After watching the video in class today about PTSD and how soldiers’ are affected by it once they are back home, I was surprised by the level of harassment by military brass & the amount of discouragement to seek help being exhibited towards troubled soldiers. Most civilians can never truly understand how pervasively war can affect the lives of soldiers and their psyches without having experienced battle stresses themselves. Not only are the soldiers potential victims of psychological, physical, and emotional trauma, but their families can also be in harm’s way as well upon their return to a civilian lifestyle.
in their community. Sometimes, like Dr. Richards pointed out, people are better off not taking any action at all during times of crisis, if they are not directly affected by the outcome of the event at hand. Drivers caused gridlock that actually cost lives due to unnecessary panic in areas not immediately affected by the flood is a prime example. Had those not at risk for getting hit by the storm kept the roadways clear for those people desperately in need of evacuation, as well as emergency personnel, the death toll might have been significantly lower. It is sad to see tragic events bring out the worst in people, but like the movie quote goes to show, sometimes our instincts for survival get the best of our power of logic.
into place early. If such a plan exists, in order for people to get the most out of it, citizens should be aware of primary, secondary, and (when applicable) tertiary routes to take during an extremely dangerous world event. A nuclear reactor leak or a tsunami hitting a heavily populated area are both good examples of where fail-safes need to be effectively established to help alleviate, if not outright prevent, panic. In the case of New Orleans, the levy broke and political leaders waited too long for any escape plan to be put into place successfully. Lack of planning caused an unnecessarily high loss of lives
I remember hearing an actor state in a movie, though I cannot recall the title at the moment, that, “[Individual] human beings are intelligent, but people are dumb, [panic-prone] animals.” I think this relates incredibly well to the invisible string theory which Dr. Richards brings up so frequently in his Sociology class. People might be able to make well-thought out plans as well as put these plans into action in an effective way, but if you add unsettling news of a catastrophic event, people’s animal instincts of “fight or flight” can tend to get the best of them. In order to overcome people’s nature to panic in times of dire stress & potentially deadly occurrences, I believe a fail-safe plan needs to be put
for its fairly rigid call-and-response prayers during services & formatting that rarely changes in the church’s praise of God. The above statement is not a personal criticism of religion, just an observation that I have heard on numerous occasions from people who could be categorized as “religiously non-affiliated.” Another reason for the decline in “official members” of religion is that most people are brought up believing in the same religion that their parents believe in. Two or three generations ago, it was more common for children to want to emulate their parents, including their religious values. Now, kids can experience many more cultures with the growth of the internet & can be more open to taking time finding a religion or spiritual way of living that works for them, despite what their parents approve of.
![[Avatar]](/images/avatar26.png){kind=avatar}
Creation