Running Head: THE QUALITY OF SOCIETY’S INCLUSIVENESS 1

The Quality Of Society’s Inclusiveness

Alejandra D. Montoya

LA Leadership Academy High School

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Abstract

The manner in which one reacts to social conditions and standards leads to compelling

results. Human potential must be shown to a specific degree when talking or acting in the public

eye. Analyzing a number of articles such as “His Politeness is Her Powerlessness” by Deborah

Tannen, “Phylosophe” by Judith Butler, and “The Transformation of Silence Into Language and

Action” by Audre Lorde, these article are exhibited in an explicit social condition, including its

standards impacts one's activities and discourse in unnatural actions .

Keywords: Social environment, actions, speech

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The Quality Of Society’s Inclusiveness

The quality of society’s inclusiveness has highly evolved over time. People continue to

react to social standards and conditions, they repeatedly disguise themselves to blend in with

their environment. Everyone is a person in disguise. Whether it's naive people misjudging others

or the ones getting misjudged like “a young man who lived in Maine” and “ was killed for the

way he walked” (Butler, 2017, p.45). This world we live in has made people feel ashamed of

their true selves and while others may accept and others will not, everyone has been forced to

camouflage like a chameleon, only to try to satisfy society’s inclusiveness; this is what truly

saddens me and many others. While examining these experts: Tannen who expresses herself

through the excerpt “His Politeness Is Her Powerlessness” Judith whom describes the

devastating and traumatic experience of a young boy in the video “phylosophe,” and lastly

Lorde’s expertise from ​The Cancer Journals​, “The Transformation of Silence into Language and

Action,” it is an obvious observation that social environment and norms constrain our ability to

speak or act.

​Analysis

Lorde: Social Constraints

Individuals are quieted throughout their lives, changing their desires for society’s norms

and expectations. According to famous author and activist Audre Lorde, “I have come to believe

over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared,

even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood” (1977, p. 47). This explicit statement

demonstrates the restriction of every individual’s end goal, which is speaking up even in midst of
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judgements. Lorde’s discussion is based on destroying the silence with honest speech even

though there is a possibility of society failing to interpret or understand others beliefs correctly.

“There is nothing to fear but fear itself” (Lorde, 1977, p.47). Lorde endeavors to persuade

that whatever you fear should be confronted. Not only has society influence us to retain our

considerations and thoughts instead of communicating them yet it has included an additional

barrier one must defeat with the end goal to overcome trepidation and furthermore obliterate

“fear” itself. An extreme fear that is indisputable and incontrovertible is the fear of death, this

concept has been kept in a nice, safe distance. Society has inflicted people not to speak about it,

consequently limiting discussions on it. In her article, Lorde states, “ it is never without fear; of

visibility, of the harsh light of scrutiny and perhaps judgement, of pain, of death. And I remind

myself all the time now, that if I were to have been born mute, or had maintained an oath of

silence my whole life long for safety I would still have suffered, and would still die.” (1977,

p.49). She also shares her experience of a near death situation where she came to realization that

death is inescapable. This shows that the thought of death prevents people from conversing about

the future society molds; all the suffering whether sensing fear or not, should be spoken of and

“made verbal.”. Lorde believes there is nothing to lose while speaking your truth; we have the

freedom to exit the constraints and create a different society. Lorde is surely right about

maintaining a visibility on fear and make plain on the issue of life and death, being a women of

color and a part of the lesbian community.

Woman have been constrained in the public eye and modified to a man’s point of view,

passing is adjusted into an ordinary desire throughout everyday life. These actions have offered

one's plans to others therefore being marked as "delicate," decreasing the measure of individuals
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who open up in public. Much the same Lorde gives a case of how her encounters when

associating with other ladies has modified her in the public eye, “I had made contact with other

women while examined the words to fit a world in which we all believed, bridging our

differences” (1978, p.47). In spite of one's disparities, similarities can be shared with each other.

Furthermore, being able to speak for what we believe despite the risk must be said: Lorde

explains the sense of fear whether choosing to stay in silence or standing up for what you

believe. She should be capable enough to realize this can be an advantage used to speak up on

factual and very important problems happening to our society, and we most definitely are not

alone.

Butler: Gender Constraints

Conveying everything that needs to be conveyed can be troublesome in a specific domain

resulting in trying to escape from judgment. The way one dresses, acts and talks easily constructs

critical loathing towards individuals in public, when actually they oppose themselves in the same

way. American philosopher, Judith Butler clarifies how the manner in which somebody walks

makes others judge them regardless of whether that individual is causing any harm or not, “that

swish, that walk became more pronounced, OK, and it was more dramatically feminine” (2007,

p.45). A specific method for strolling was made by society and its individual minions. Generally

the individuals who obey it, constrain themselves and every other person to their sexual

orientation standards, the author expresses these standards as a more prominent circumstance, in

addition the method of a male strolling with a dramatic “swish” is antagonizing and stands out

more because society has created a certain type of “walk” to be seen as a “highly conspicuous

walk”.
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Judith Butler has conveyed, “It seems to me that we are talking about an extremely deep

panic or fear, anxiety that pertains to gender norms” (Butler, 2007, p.45). Not exclusively are

judgements from others causing instabilities but much more grand issues. In fact instabilities are

much more profoundly found in people in the Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)

community. A prime issue for example is discrimination and health problems like social anxiety

and depression. Individuals are so stressed over obtaining sexual orientation desires, they restrain

themselves from uncovering their actual selves.

Butler speaks on the issue of individuals living in a society that has critically allowed

anticipation to form, making insufferable things to occur, Furthermore Butler states,“people say

you must comply with the norm of masculinity otherwise you will die” (Butler, 2007, p.45). If

you promote and show a tolerance and inclusiveness on this form of society’s feature, your once

again putting on a disguise to blend in, tricking yourself into believing your “modifying” to

society. Butler’s main asset is the demonstration of not complying with society and moreover to

bring to understandment and the knowledge to knowing that the capacity to get by in this world

on the off chance that you picked not to modify yourself to society should not in any way be the

allowance to misjudgment and mistreatment against any individual. No one should be allowed to

control one's activities and discourse yet do it in such a dreadful form of way.

Tannen: Language Constraints

Indirect language is not a representation of low status or powerlessness. Linguist

Deborah Tannen contends that “whether women or men are direct or indirect differs; what

remains constant is that the women’s style is negatively evaluated,” (1990, p.51). This leads us to
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believe that women’s style of speech is not the greater issue at hand, but her place in society is

what really matters.

Even in other parts of the globe, women’s language is subject to scrutiny. In

Malagasy-speaking villages in Madagascar, women’s language is viewed as, “clumsy and

crude,” (Tannen, 1990, p.51 ). This shows that women all over the world are viewed as less than

men, even in something as common as speaking and one can see the similarities between this and

our own culture’s hatred for women.

Certain cultures have different views on direct vs. indirect language and the power it

holds. Studies have pointed out that “Malagasy-speaking villages in Madagascar value direct

speech as a predominantly male way of speaking” (Tannen, 1990, p.51). This shows that the

value of language is oftentimes placed more on the speaker than what is actually being spoken.

​Conclusion

In conclusion society makes life demanding with its desires for the general population

living to follow its absurd rules. Not exclusively are their activities and considerations monitored

without anyone else's input but by every other person. The manner in which individuals are

checked is disastrous however unavoidable, therefore making it obvious to believe that social

environment and norms constrain our ability to speak or act due to the overall sense of fear that

has been compelling us, leading to violent actions, unfairness and silence throughout our social

environment.

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Reference

Butler, Judith. “phylosophe.” YouTube. 23 Feb. 2007. Web. 8 Sept. 2012.

<​http://www.youtube.com/watch​?v=DLnv322X4tY>.

Lorde, Audre. “Transformation of Silence into Language and Action.” ​The Cancer Journals.​ San

Francisco: Spinsters/Aunt Lute, 1980. 18-23. Print.

Tannen, Deborah. “His Politeness Is Her Powerlessness.” You Just Don’t Understand:

Women and Men in Conversation. New York: HarperCollins, 1990. 203-5. Print.