Sexual Orientation

Sexual Orientation

Theorize about Sexual Orientation:
    Conscientious Objectors to the Social Battleground.
          Butler, Anzaldua,Weeks, Spivak, and West

2537 words.
Marcus Garvin
Contemporary Social Theory
2010 Dec 2

“82% of you will not pass this course! How do I know? Because that is an historical fact! Now for the bad news, I always like to get one quitter on the first day, and until I do, that first day does not end! During this day, I want you to remember, Pain is your friend, your ally, it will tell you when you are seriously injured, it will keep you awake and angry, and remind you to finish the job and get the hell home. But you know the best thing about pain? It lets you know you're not dead yet!” These were the first words spoken to me by a man I have since idolized in reflection on day one of Army Ranger selection, and played an insurmountable role in shaping the views I would adopt later in life. Within those few powerful words, were enough raw materials to forge an identity that was prepared and polished for public scrutiny. For all intents and purposes the identity that existed prior to exposure to this exaggerated masculine socialization perished and its meat was reshaped into something that adopted a much different understanding of the world than previously existed. This re-socialization set in stone understandings that while adopted had never been thoroughly self- examined or even questioned. My understanding was simply “right” and nothing more needed to be said, however, those among us who rejected the teachings of our superiors quickly found themselves deemed unfit and cast out of the “elite” to return home in surrounded by the shame of failure. In a broad but necessary sense, necessary for my own understanding more than anything else, these “dropped” recruits are representative of the homosexual identity in America. Those who are unable or unwilling to adopt the socialization and expectations of those above or around them are...