All those unfortunate "isms"

With growing up comes the unfortunate realization of just how prevalent "isms" are in our culture. Yes, things have improved in racial, sexual and gender equality but that doesn't mean the issues have just vanished. Some people really seem to want to believe that there aren't any problems in our world. I think the examples I found speak for themselves.

Sexism:

So, boys can be an intelligent, rich, vigilante, but girls can only be the hero's wife? Why can't they be Batman too? What a great message for children. Women have more potential than just being a man's wife. 

Racism:

There is a lot going on with this post. First of all, saying "I'm not racist. My best friend is black." doesn't mean you're not racist. You could still be racist even if this were true. Secondly, Raven-Symone is an African-American woman but this post is basically calling her "not black enough." This conveys racism within the black community itself as it seems to consider those with darker skin to be the superior members of the race.

Heterosexism:

I hate when people use "gay" as an adjective. I hate it so much. If I ever have children and hear them say it, I'll probably ground them for a week. Gay does not mean stupid, annoying or foolish. I think people who use this word incorrectly sound like idiots.

Ageism:

This is an interesting article I saw on NPR just yesterday. I had never really thought about how true this is. Old women are ugly and evil in so many of our favorite stories. They're called crones, witches and hags--not words generally associated with positive images.