Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

  What’s up with women’s wear at the Olympics? In case you don’t know, the Norwegian women’s handball team were fined for wearing shorts instead of regulation bikinis ( NBC ). Is it sexist? It appear so. Here’s a quote from the Herald Sun. While men are allowed to play in tops and shorts “no longer than four inches above the knee”, women are forced to wear midriff tops and bikini bottoms “cut on an upward angle toward the top of the leg” with a maximum side width of 10 centimetres. Why bikinis? According to Jennifer Kessey, USA coach, it’s about performance and beaches. Women wear bikinis on beaches and that’s wear beach handball and volleyball are played. And for some players, a comfortable suit considering the sand and heat is important to performance ( TodayShow ). Do sports wear requirements vary with the sport? Yes. The requirements vary by gender and sport. Some are more flexible than others. Recently, women have challenged rules that do not allow them to wear...

I'm part of a small chain migration to the United States. Aliens like us have to have an American sponsor. My mother's sister married an American soldier. He sponsored us, which means he took responsibility for us-- we could come to the U.S. but we should not become a burden on the United States. It was tough at first but things soon got better. I did not know about white privilege at the time, but I do now. And I learned a lot about white - black differences during the Civil Rights movement. It is fitting to think about immigration and racial issues on this weekend when we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His tireless efforts helped change attitudes, laws, and lives for the better. We see the progress but understand that his dream is unfulfilled. ***** One cold March school break near Easter, bundeled in warm coats, we loaded into dad's used two tone blue '53 Chevy and headed from New Jersey to Florida for the first time. That's when we ...

A disturbing story challenges thinking about diversity. When I read this story, I was appalled.What about you? AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images See link to the story below. Why not evaluate cultures? It has been fashionable of late to not merely study diverse cultures but to celebrate diversity and to encourage respect of people and their different ways of living. Differences are to be understood and respected—not evaluated. And certainly not condemned. The scientific study of diversity sometimes slips into a moral stance like the following: "It’s wrong to condemn a culture as immoral or inferior because they do things differently." Said another way, "all cultures are equally moral." I have no problem with emphasizing the importance of respect for people of other cultures. I enjoy learning about the different ways people celebrate the stages of life in dance, music, art, and religion. There’s a beauty in so many colorful ways people fro...