In the past my experience had been limited to that of historical events hallmarked in my social studies classes. My experience as a member of my high school's robotics team brought to light the gravity of intersectional influence, and how myself, and those around me could be personally affected. For this reason, there were questions to be asked. What about my intersectionality and the messages that I received up until this point, contributed to the socialization that would land me as the sole white member, and captain of a team that was otherwise composed of fifteen Indian students. I never thought that my privilege would be enough. It didn’t matter that I was white, or Jewish, or an upper-middle-class male living in a nice neighborhood. From …show more content…
While young boys are often socialized to demonstrate athletic prowess and withdrawal from emotion, traits commonly identified with masculinity, I received a different message. According to Michael Messner, a gender sociologist and author of Boyhood, the relationship that a young man has with the primary male figure in his life is paramount in establishing typical male behaviors and male identity (Messner). As stated, “introductions to organized sports are often made by fathers who might otherwise be absent or emotionally distant adds a powerful emotional charge to these early experiences,” (Messner). Although my father did attempt to pique my interest in sports, he realized early on that like himself, I was much more interested in technology and science. My father, unlike other men, was not disappointed in my lack of interest in sports. Instead he saw fit to build our relationship around education. Although STEM skills are identifiably male, they are not truly masculine. I was able to gain my father's approval without having to flaunt my masculinity as the athletes would. As a result of my conditioning and having never associated my male status with masculinity, I am able to go about my life without the fear of losing