Socialist Feminists conception of a socially influenced human nature. Though most of us like to think of ourselves as independent minded, that belief is false. Since early childhood, values, judgments, and standards of society have been engraved in our minds. So much so that it is nearly impossible to know any other way of thought and behavior. As a child we know that its okay if mommy cries at a movie, but daddy isnt really supposed to. We learn how to speak in syllables and recognize good from bad. We are told how to interact with people and whom to interact with. As we grow away from mom and dad, we have friends and co-workers whom we depend upon for feedback and acceptance. Our thoughts even form from what somebody did, said, or looked like. We must live up to our role models or maybe just the model in the magazine because that is acceptable in our society now. Either way, we are certainly not autonomous agents making decisions independent of our environment. This is sometimes a difficult realization to come to. Socialization is not superficial. It is so deep inside every one of us that it is hard to discriminate between what just IS and what we have been told just IS all of our life. For example, our sex roles are not simply how nature created us. They are a conditioning that has matured over many generations in the United States. Other cultures may find our identification with gender ridiculous and ignorant, just as we may think the same of theirs. Its all a matter of social values. We depend upon each other so much for ideas, how to act, what to wear, and what to dream. This is the huge influence society has over human nature.I also agree with the idea that women are alienated as sexual beings from their mind and body. I grew up with a subscription to Seventeen magazine. This, I think, is the most detrimental experience for a teenage girl. Every page has someones silky hair, or long smooth legs, or flat stomach, or pouty red li...
