Comm Fundamentals for Pros
The view of the world when they look at me is that they see an Asian male who is a little overweight and do not talk much. When they get to know me, they will define me as a talker and very kind. This shows that what they see about me may not mean that is who I am. When they get to know me, they get the real definition of who I am which makes it easy for them to categorize me.
Dividing people into different categories is hard. Because a person can be placed in different categories at the same time or within different social environments, it becomes hard to use the categories of others when defining who a person is. I can be a nerd with my classmates or a crazy computer game fan with my friend. I can be myself as a “gay” with some of my friends while I don’t have to tell my co-workers or my classmates all about my sexuality so they might put me in the “straight”. For those who know my identity as a gay, they have different perceptions of who I am as they find me different from the rest of the society.
These categories I am assigned to shape the way I see the world. It is never easy to grow up as gay in a society full of straight people. I was initially confused and scared when I first realized I was a gay. I talked to my friends about my confusions where some supported me while some dumped me. Some friends avoided me completely because of my identity as a gay. It took my best friend a whole year to speak to me again because he never wanted to be associated with gays. It turned my world upside down because as a kid I never thought being gay will ever be a problem to be friend with someone. However, I am glad that I did not hide from them and I confidently told them about my sexuality. This allowed me to know who among them were my true friends. Different people reacted differently about my sexuality as a gay. In most situations, it is a waste of time trying to convince everyone to like who you are because the world is full of people with a different perception. My identity assisted in my understanding of the world as a place where one should appreciate who they are because nobody else will understand why they act the way they act. The knowledge enhanced my understanding of this cruel world which has helped me to appreciate each person in the world.
Some of the categories assigned to me by the world suit me. They see me as an Asian man which is so true about my identity. The category fits me where I am gay with no sexual experiences with people of my gender and who cannot change the sexual orientation because I was born with it. What does not suit me is that as a man, I am expected to have a sexual relationship with people of different genders who are women, but in my case, I find myself interested in men. What the world should know is that sexual orientation is biological which starts even before one is born. Not all gays have sexual relations with people of the same sex so one should not judge gays as immoral. The reason for different sexual orientation is due to hormone levels which determine if one develops to be straight or a gay.
If I can change any misconceptions about the group I belong and me, it would be the misunderstanding about making friends with other boys. Because when they know that you are gay, they always think that I make friends with other men because I want to date them. This changes the way they treat you immediately yet they don’t want to be associated with gays. This has happened severally with my friends which is a common case that affects many gays. One of my friends thinks it is a form of a disease and wanted to find a way to cure me. Some of them thought being gay is equal to getting HIV. All of these misconceptions are all due to their lack of knowledge about gay. They do not know it is a natural thing and it is as safe and as beautiful as being in a “normal” relationship. Given a chance to do something for my group, I would not change any misconception about me. I would work towards letting everyone in the world to get the knowledge about my group so that they can avoid misunderstanding my group. This can give them a choice to like gays or not like them.
As a gay, I find myself advantaged in the society. This is because it is easy for people to note any simple deed done by a gay rather than when it is done by a different group. Gays are seen as extraordinary people in the society who may have a different life from the rest of the population which makes it easy for them to be appreciated when they achieve something great because they are believed to work beyond limitations. This fact gives me an advantage in the society as I can easily benefit from the affirmative social norms and come up with life narratives and projects to educate people about our group. I also have greater access to social support which increases my acceptance as a gay in the society. I have an opportunity to identify my sexuality in in-groups which creates more opportunities for me in the society. This has enabled me to appreciate my sexuality despite the misconceptions that are associated with gayism.
Being gay makes me disadvantaged in the society to some extent. This is because it is unlikely to get genuine friends of my gender because they fear they will also be called gays. This leads to discrimination as no one want to be associated with gays by their parents. I am limited to some resources because people feel that I am not part of the group of straight individuals.
The advantages and disadvantages have affected my life because I have to relate differently to different people in the society. I cannot easily join some social groups because they see me different which discriminates me from the society. My standpoint has helped me appreciate the person I am as well as the different groups in the society. This is because I believe we cannot please everybody in the society as people in the world have different perceptions of people identity. This affects some of the choices I make in life since I have to try to relate to people of other sexuality so that I can fit in the society. An example is where I have to include ladies in my projects so that I can mask my identity and to ensure the success of the project.
My communication is determined by my standpoint where I have to educate people more on sexual orientation which will make them understand and appreciate gays. I have to support gayism because I am one of them. What I would tell the society regarding my standpoint is that being gay is not by choice, but it is determined even before one is born. So they should not discriminate someone based on sexual orientation because it is something one cannot change.