Critical Thinking Project by Celeste https://padlet.com/celestesingh19/ds9myynjtuwq The Caribbean today is characterized by grave intolerance and mistrust at all levels.” Exploring our history, society and concepts of identity, give your informed perspective on this statement. en-us 2019-11-29 03:52:17 UTC 2025-10-12 13:34:05 UTC hello@padlet.com Introduction celestesingh19 https://padlet.com/celestesingh19/ds9myynjtuwq/wish/417648197 Identity is an elusive term commonly defined as a sense of belonging which can be experienced through a group or a community. Identity can consist of traits that make an individual unique and recognized. Generally, it is considered to be a dualistic entity. There are various parts which make up Caribbean identity. These include ethnicity, history and even religion. These are shared between a specific group. Mistrust is defined as a lack of confidence due to past experiences. On the other hand, intolerance is basically the unwillingness to accept beliefs contrary to one’s own. It can be argued that the Caribbean today is characterized by grave intolerance and mistrust at all levels. This can be illustrated through the issue of gender inequality as well as masculinity faced by individuals in the Caribbean.

]]> 2019-11-29 03:53:19 UTC https://padlet.com/celestesingh19/ds9myynjtuwq/wish/417648197 Mistrust and intolerance based on gender inequality in the Caribbean celestesingh19 https://padlet.com/celestesingh19/ds9myynjtuwq/wish/417648324 Firstly, the issue of gender is seen as a prevalent issue that needs to be addressed. Gender inequality is defined as the unfair treatment of either male or female due to their gender. Throughout history, most of the emphasis happened to be placed on men. Also, there happened to be because Caribbean history has been largely by men rather than women. This can be illustrated through the Neo- Indian society. Woman were only seen and used for reproduction purposes. Basically, the women harvested food crops as well as took care of the children. Also, they were involved in weaving cotton and making hammocks. On the other hand, the men of the village were responsible for being the hunters and gatherers. Generally, they sourced the food by either hunting or fishing. In the Neo- Indian society, men had all the say in marriages as they decided on the terms. The women decision or opinions was not taken into consideration. Additionally, in the Cariban society, the gender divide was clearly shown. They were separate houses for both male and female. At these houses, the women acted as the caregivers where the cooked and fed the men. Also, the men spoke a different pidgin from the women of the community. This can be because they did not think it was necessary for the women to be included in their conversations which mainly dealt with trade. 

Furthermore, gender division issues were also prevalent in East Indian and Creole societies. Firstly, the majority of females that arrived from India to work on the plantations were mainly single. They were considered to be independent when they signed the legal paperwork. This meant that while in the Caribbean, they were free to choose their husbands or partners compared to how it would have been if they were not in the Caribbean. If back in India, they would have had to have arranged marriages organized by the male head of the family group. It could be argued that historians believed this made women who worked on the plantation to enjoy their gained freedom. However, some of the women chose to enter monogamous relationships. This is defined as having one partner at one time. However, although the women were able to choose their partners, if women happened to be with more than one partner, society would have deemed this as sexual promiscuity. However, if a man happened to be with more than one female partner, this would not have been made a problem by society. Consequently, negative labels were placed on women who were seen in participating in so called promiscuous activities. Additionally, gender division in Creole society dealt with education issues. Boys were encouraged to practise practical skills which would be useful in providing their families with an income. On the other hand, girls were thought skills such as sewing and caring for the home. These skills that were thought to girls were seen as crucial as this was supposed to teach them how to be proper homemakers. In contrast, the men were the breadwinners of the family while the women were the housewives.

Presently, the issue of gender division is still prevalent in today’s society. According to a report from the Caribbean Development Bank, the Caribbean region is still faced with the issue of gender inequality. In 2016, the Country Gender Assessments survey was conducted and data was retrieved from ten Caribbean countries. This report stated that there were cases of occupational segregation with women having low waged occupations. This means that there was an unequal distribution of jobs between both the male and female gender. This can be because women are still considered as the “weaker sex.” 

 

]]> 2019-11-29 03:54:18 UTC https://padlet.com/celestesingh19/ds9myynjtuwq/wish/417648324 Mistrust and Intolerance based on masculinity. celestesingh19 https://padlet.com/celestesingh19/ds9myynjtuwq/wish/417648463 Another issue within the Caribbean that can bring about mistrust and intolerance is masculinity. An article titled “What is means to be a Caribbean man” stated that masculinity refers to characteristics considered to be appropriate for a man. However, the definition of masculinity varies from society to society. Masculinity is described as characteristics or features that are commonly thought to be suitable for men. According to sociologist R W Connell, “hegemonic masculinity is defined as constructed in relation to various subordinated masculinities as well as in the relation to women.” Essentially, this tries to validate one type of masculinity over the others. This statement seeks to explain that men have the power over women as well as men have the power over other men commonly perceived as “feminine.” Additionally, Caribbean masculinity deals with the heterosexual male.  A relationship between a man and a woman is considered the norm in society while anything other than this can be considered as deviant behaviour. Some of the expectations of a typical heterosexual male include lack of fear, the ability to control other people and the ability to look after oneself. All of these expectations stems from societies perspective of a “real man.” It can be argued that Caribbean societies are very patriarchal in nature. This contributes to the issue of male domination as well as sexism. However, there are essentially three approaches that support this patriarchy.  These perspectives are the conservative perspective, the socialist perspective and the Evangelical-Christian perspective. The conservative perspective deals with the traditional notion that men are the breadwinners in the family while the females are the caregivers who provide for the family. This perspective believes that the traditional perspective is correct. The socialist perspective illustrates that men are the main stakeholders. The third perspective, the Evangelical-Christian perspective is of the traditional belief that women are the homemakers while men should work and provide for the family. In the Caribbean, if a person of the male gender happens to portray effeminate behaviour, they will be ridiculed or talked bad upon by society. For example, a popular Haitian LQBTQ activist was murdered. Although it is unconfirmed whether he was poisoned or not, this goes to show that there can be grave intolerance and violence towards gay men in Caribbean society. Similarly, in 2013 in Jamaica, the killing of 16 year old transgender teen Dwayne Jones occurred. This is another example of homophobic violence in the Caribbean. 




 
 


 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

]]> 2019-11-29 03:55:27 UTC https://padlet.com/celestesingh19/ds9myynjtuwq/wish/417648463 Conclusion celestesingh19 https://padlet.com/celestesingh19/ds9myynjtuwq/wish/417874862 In conclusion both gender inequality and masculinity can both bring about a sense of mistrust in the Caribbean. Gender inequality is basically men and women not given the same equal opportunities or experiences based on their gender. On the other hand, masculinity is defined as certain characteristics that make up someone of the male gender. The issue of gender inequality can produce mistrust and intolerance as mainly women are being treated unfairly in the Caribbean society. Also, masculinity can bring about the issue of mistrust and intolerance as any male who is considered “effeminate” is treated unfairly in society.

]]> 2019-11-30 02:01:18 UTC https://padlet.com/celestesingh19/ds9myynjtuwq/wish/417874862