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* Individuals have a variety of differences from one another. Some individual differences are natural to humans and can not be controlled or changed and some can be changed and controlled by the environment/society we are living in.

- EX: Physical differences, age differences, sex  differences, and intellectual differences
* The meaning of difference operates from the constructionist perspective ( differences among people are created through social processes)

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* dividing people into two groups or categories.
* Often one category is made to be more dominated than the other.

* We tend to dichotomize master statuses (race, sex, gender, social class, sexual orientation, and disability)
* Ex: white/ black people
* Establish social hierarchy in society,  makes systems of power and oppression, and gives privilege to the dominant group ( White individuals)

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How does the process of dichotomization affect your understanding of difference?

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* society has clear dichotomies whether that be in race, social class, gender, sexual orientation, or status. Everyone has different opinions on classifications such as these and everyone’s unique experiences and perspectives influence how societies are categorized. People tend to identify with the groups they are a part of because they are familiar and safe with them. For example, a straight white upper-class male would likely have certain biases, whether conscious or unconscious, towards members of similar groups. He would most likely gravitate towards other upper-class, white individuals and surround himself with those groups. When people are aware of their own biases and have open minds, they are more likely to be accepting towards other groups they are not a part of. But when people have not been socialized to be around groups other than their own, they often see differences more clearly.
* By preliminary putting people into separate groups you’re implying they don’t have similarities and only have differences.​​So it makes you view them through a lens of differences and makes it harder to see similarities

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What do you consider to be your master status?

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* master status is a type of label that may be given to you by others you encounter in the world, or it may be the status that you personally feel is most important. It is also used to describe a person’s position in society (their rank in society).

My own master status: Biological women, African American, college student ( education level), upper-middle class, lesbian, and democrat

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Out of those master statuses, which do you consider to be stigmatized statuses and which are privileged?

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* Stigmatized status: Biological Women, African American, Lesbian, female
* Privileged: college student ( education level), upper-middle class, light skin  (within the African American)

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1. California Newsreel (Producer), &. (2003). The Difference Between Us. [Video/DVD] California Newsreel. https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/the-difference-between-us

2. Margolin, L. (2015). Unpacking the invisible knapsack: The invention of white privilege pedagogy. Cogent Social Sciences, 1(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2015.1053183

3. master status. (2014). In A Dictionary of Sociology (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

4.Mathews, T. J., & Johnson, G. S. (2015). SKIN COMPLEXION IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY: THE IMPACT OF COLORISM ON AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN. Race, Gender & Class, 22(1), 248-274. Retrieved from http://proxy.library.vcu.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.proxy.library.vcu.edu/scholarly-journals/skin-complexion-twenty-first-century-impact/docview/1757045044/se-2?accountid=14780

5.Rosenblum, K. (2015). The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexual Orientation, and Disability (7th Edition). McGraw-Hill Higher Education (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780077824358

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How have these experiences influenced your understanding of difference?

* These experiences have given me a first hand look at discrimination and feeling uncomfortable because of a stigmatized status. Obviously, everyone has different experiences, but being so outrightly discriminated against has made me wary of judgment and how I will be perceived. I find myself sometimes having anxiety on the uncertainty of whether I will be judged or made to feel less than because of my appearance and my sexual orientation.

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In your life, how have you experienced your privileged statuses?

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* My college education is considered a privilege because most students are not only unable to afford 1 college degree but let alone two. They are also unable to deal with the financial burden that follows them upon graduation. Increasing educational opportunities for minorities is key to reducing the country's growing inequality, even more so for the  African American community that on the whole has less educational achievement, is less likely to own a home, and earns lower wages.

* Also having the privilege of being light skin gives me individual preference over darker individuals socially within that community. Light skins in the black community are considered more attractive and seen as more of a leader. This preference doesn't put us, individuals, into the realm of white privilege, they are still seen as non-white, however, any preconceived notions by whites are relaxed and we are seen as more trustworthy and intelligent by whites compared to the darker ones

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How will your experiences and understanding of differences impact your work as a social worker?

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* My experiences and understanding of differences, in my personal life experiences as well as my research and studies throughout my academic career, will help me be more rounded as a social worker. My personal experiences of discrimination and racism will help me be a better ally to all of my future clients regardless of their backgrounds. My studies will help me intellectually understand how differences affect different people and how to best help them backed up by research.

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In your life, how have you experienced your stigmatized statuses?

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* On several occasions, when I go out to bars in the city with my white, straight female friends, I have experienced both implicit and explicit judgment and stigmatization. As an African American, lesbian woman, I often feel uncomfortable in public social situations. Men will come up to me and make derogatory remarks about me being obviously gay and say things like “I bet I can turn you straight” or make other jokes that make me uncomfortable. If I say I am uninterested, men will get offended and sometimes call me other derogatory remarks like “fag” or “homo” or yell at me. Since I dress masculinely, men often take this as an invitation to comment on my appearance. They’ve even made the straight friends I was with uncomfortable by asking us to kiss or do other sexual things. I am often objectified and uncomfortable and it’s something I have unfortunately come to expect when going out.