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Lead exposure in children is a huge and apparent societal public health problem that must

be minimized. Any amount of lead exposure can have harmful effects that include slowed growth, learning disabilities, anemia, and more. Children, especially in low-income communities, have been exposed to lead in their homes and communities through lead paint in old buildings and toys, lead water pipes, in soil, and in the air. More specifically, lead paint in homes (which then leads to lead dust) is one of the most common reasons for lead poisoning in children (“Protect Your Family from Exposures to Lead,” 2019). In 1978, the United States government banned the use of lead paint. However, many houses built before this continue to have lead paint in them. Although there are federal mandates that attempt to ensure that these homes are repainted, there are many pre-1978 homes that still have lead paint in them. Furthermore, even if the homes have been repainted, lead dust is apparent in and outside of these homes. Lead dust cannot be seen and therefore can be present without one knowing. It is necessary that the government requires homes that once had lead paint in them to be tested for lead dust. If lead dust is present, the government must pay for its removal and ensure that no one moves into a home that is contaminated with lead paint or dust. This is considered primary prevention on the societal level. It is a policy that will prevent children in America from ever obtaining lead poisoning in the first place.Prior to 1978, lead paint was used in abundance in homes across America. In 1978, the federal government passed a law that banned homes and buildings from being built with lead-based paints. However, many of the homes built prior to 1978 that contained lead paint were never remediated or were remediated unsuccessfully. When the paint in these homes begins to chip, lead dust is emitted into the air. Children can be poisoned by this lead, especially because they are likely to touch the walls and then put their fingers in their mouths (“CDC - Lead,” 2019). Wealthier families are able to pay professionals to repaint and remediate their homes if they detect lead. However, lower-income families may not have the resources to do so. The Department of Housing and Urban Development offers funding to state and local governments to assist their citizens in eliminating lead from the home, yet, in many cases, this happens once a child has already been poisoned by lead (“Office of Lead Hazard Control andHealthy Homes,” n.d.). Furthermore, these funds may not be allocated correctly, causing low-income families to have no choice but to live in homes with lead contamination. If the federal government were to create a policy that allocates funding to remediate all homes that have lead paint or show signs of lead dust, lead poisoning in children could be eliminated.A study conducted by the National Center for Healthy Housing finds that “eradicating lead paint hazards from older homes of children from low-income families would provide $3.5 billion in future benefits...and protect more than 311,000 children,” (“10 Policies to Prevent and Respond to Childhood Lead Exposure,” n.d.). It would attack the problem at its core— drastically decreasing the amount of children who get lead poisoning. This policy would also ensure that lead poisoning in children is being addressed as a societal problem instead of an individual problem. Currently, much of the information available about decreasing lead exposure in children pertains to the individual level. For example, this may include hiring a specialist to test for lead in the home (“Protect Your Family from Exposures to Lead,” 2019). These solutions do not address the problem at its core, whereas better policy would.The disadvantages of this policy are that it would cost a lot of money to implement it. In the end, it would be financially beneficial to society, as blood lead level screening and medical bills for children with lead poisoning would not be necessary. However, this policy would mandate the federal government to spend a significant amount of money testing and repairing homes with lead contamination. This could cause an increase in taxes. The implementation of this policy, that would eradicate lead paint and lead dust from the home, would take time and money from the government. However, overall, it would be extremely beneficial to society as primary prevention of a public health problem that affects hundreds of thousands of children today.

Policies to Prevent and Respond to Childhood Lead Exposure. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://nchh.org/information-and-evidence/healthy-housing-policy/10-policies/.CDC -

Lead - Sources of Lead - Lead in Paint. (2019, July 30). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/prevention/sources/paint.htm.

Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes (OLHCHH). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/healthy_homes.

Protect Your Family from Exposures to Lead. (2019, March 26). Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/lead/protect-your-family-exposures-lead.

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Blog post 4

 Today I learned more about the role of gender norms in our society.  Watching the first video showed me that children are a lot smarter than we think or give credit. These children were able to speak about what they know about gender roles in an insightful way. Some adults don’t even understand the concept of gender expression, so the fact that kids pick this up so easily shows that there is an unwillingness for people to change their perspective. In the second video, Judith Butler describes her perspective on gender roles. She describes how the way we present ourselves is associated with each gender. She believes that gender is not just a “fact” and it’s more of an internal feeling. She believes that gender norms get established by being reinforced throughout generations. There is an expectation that people tend to blindly follow. Both of these videos were very interesting and would be a good resource for someone who is interested in learning about gender roles in our society.

  Our genders play a large role in how we are expected to exist in society. We are expected to speak, act, and dress a certain way. Men are seen as “tough”. In order to be considered masculine it is expected for an individual to be aggressive, dominant, and dress in a way that is deemed masculine. Men are portrayed as more powerful than women in our society. Women are supposed to be more submissive and timid than men. This is problematic because it reinforces stereotypes and excludes people who don’t feel as if they meet the expectations that people have about their gender. People who stray away from their associated gender roles are often looked down on in society. If a woman is strong and confident, that is seen as manly and rude. If men are emotional, they are perceived as a “sissy” or “girly”.

  The media plays a big role in gender stereotypes. This can be seen in all forms of media including tv shows, advertisements, and even social media. When advertising certain products, the media portrays them in a gendered way. For example, women’s products are usually pink and “girly”, while mens are usually dark and plain. Commercials will reinforce gender stereotypes by having actors that they believe the product can only be used by. This is also present in the media we consume daily, such as the television. Film production companies constantly use unrealistic ways to portray how we should want to look. The men are always unrealistically muscular and big, while the women are thin and have “feminine” looking features. Media sends us messages and affects the way we see the world. It can often be a mirror of how we want to live our lives. People want to attain what they see in the media. This causes children from a young age to copy what they see on television instead of living how they authentically feel inside.

   I have always noticed the presence of binary gender roles and how it affects people around the world. I happen to be a very stereotypical female. I like most of the things that are portrayed as feminine and present myself in that way because that’s what I truly like and am comfortable with. This has always given me a privilege in our society. The things I enjoyed were never looked down upon because they met society’s expectation of what a girl should be. However, I am very aware that not everyone has this experience. I have many friends that are either non binary or identify as female, but don’t enjoy stereotypical “girl things”. The way that these individuals are perceived in this world is different from the way I am perceived. They have been bullied in school because of the way they present themselves and some have even been disowned from their families and kicked out from their home. Gender norms have become such an expectation that people are shocked when their child doesn’t meet that. On a positive note, I do believe that our world is becoming more accepting of all types of people. However, there is still a lot of work to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R_JX0qRV-w

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Blog post #3

Blog post #3

I, personally, have not been treated differently by others because of my race because I am a white woman in America. I know that this type of discrimination is not a rare experience and as I delve into this class, I am seeing more of how people are affected by this. I do have white privilege, which I am completely aware of, but I have been treated differently because of my religion. This isn’t something people can tell from an outside perspective, so I don’t experience this discrimination quite as often as other minorities. Growing up, my community was very diverse. My public school consisted of a very wide range of people and I was always exposed to diversity. When we were all growing up everyone was friends with everyone because that was before there were so many judgements and preconceived stereotypes. However, as we got to middle school and highschool people tended to only become friends with people of the same race. I was definitely friends with most people at school and would talk to anyone, but when it came to my close group of friends they all were also white. This was never purposeful, but no matter what race, this continued. I remember often feeling discouraged by this phenomenon, but fell victim to it myself because everything was already so divided and that’s hard to change. I always felt as if this divide should not exist and is only harmful to us students and our learning experiences. Because of this I wasn’t able to feel as connected to people who looked differently than me, which I believe is a very important thing. My experiences being a minority of a group usually did not have to do with my race, but instead with my gender. I am in a group for one of my classes all semester where I am the only female. It feels discouraging to be in this group sometimes because I often feel like I have the pressure to prove that I am just as smart and dedicated as everyone else. Racism is “the belief that humans may be divided into separate and exclusive biological entities called “races”; that there is a causal link between inherited physical traits and traits of personality, intellect, morality, and other cultural and behavioral features; and that some races are innately superior to others.” (Racism, Audrey Smedley) The difference between racism and antiracism is not just whether or not you are racist. Simply not being racist is not enough. There is work to be done and actions to take in order to stop racism. ”Anti-racism is an active and conscious effort to work against multidimensional aspects of racism.” (What it really means to be an anti-racist, and why it's not the same as being an ally, Hillary Hoffower) I would never consciously be racist, but I am sure there has been a time where I’ve judged others based off of stereotypes. I have become more comfortable talking about racism with others as I’ve gotten older. I will more than ever now be taking actions to be an anti-racist. If I do hear people make racist comments or jokes I will shut them down and explain why they are hurtful.

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  BLOG POST 2

There are many ways to define our identities. Visual identities are an important way to get your brand recognized. This can be certain colors, a logo, or pictures. This can apply to any type of brand including an individual’s personal brand. A very interesting example of a visual identity is the way that Taylor Swift gives each one of her albums its own visual identity. This is way there is imagery for each album, and a way for fans to identify each of them without having to explicitly say which it is. Her fans are very invested in these identities and refer to them as her “eras”. In her album “lover” the visual identity is girly and pastel. Her album “Folklore” that was released not much after that had a completely different visual identity. The imagery was black and white with a vintage aesthetic. Another example of visual identity is colleges. Each college has different ways to visually set themselves apart. Here at Penn State, we have many different ways that we symbolize and represent our school. For example, when one sees white and navy blue, they can differ the Penn State teams from other universities. We also have symbols such as the Nittany lion logo, that is an image for Penn State.

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Blog post 1

The image I decided to analyze for this assignment is called “The Vising Room #4” by Larry Cook. This image that shows a black man in a prison-culture pose, turned around so you cannot see his face. I believe that this was purposely done so that people can picture themselves or their loved ones in this situation. The reason that this picture is named the “Visiting Room #4” is because it is supposed to take place in a prison. The man is facing a wall with beautiful imagery of a balcony overlooking a body of water with a lit-up city in the distance. This unattainable place can be used as a form of escapism. The purpose of this series of visiting room pieces is to represent the injustices that people of color experience in the prison system. I am including two other photos from Cook’s series to show the difference, but many similarities. This artwork is very impactful and a way to bring awareness to such an important issue in our society.

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