The article Prejudice and Conflict in the Classroom was superbly written and an effective method to allow heterosexuals to experience a day in the life of a gay person. In the exercise, the professors had thei r students engage in an assignment which had the students wearing a pink triangle on campus for one day. While some students were eager to undertake this exercise, others were hesitant to wear the button due to self-co nfidence and stigmatism issues relating to the negative image society holds towards homosexuality. After describing how the exercise is conducted, the article analyzes the student's reactions and how the reactions relate to negative political and religio us views held towards homosexuality. The views ranged from concern about personal identity, homophobia, conformity, to rejection. What the students learned from participating is how patriarchy affects the lives of people who are out of the mainstream. Ame rica is a patriarchal society which has rigid sex roles which causes those who are out of the rigid categories to be denied equal rights. When the students completed the exercise, they had a better view of how society affects the way that we conduct our personal lives. Patriarchy plays a major role in how we act and conduct ourselves. The main argument is that one can hold patriarchal values while still treating gays with dignity and respect. Homophobia is not needed to propel patriarchy and the article demonstrates that homosexuality and patriarchy are not in conflict.

There are two major variables in the article. One deals with how the class perceives wearing a gay symbol. The second revolves around how the students feel they are perceived durin g the exercise and how this perception relates to living in a patriarchal society. When the students conducted the exercise, the variables interact based on how dedicated the student is towards feeling the stigma of being gay. The relationship is set by the professor so the students confront the fear of being labeled homosexual. If the students take the exercise seriously, and wear the pin, they will have to confront their feelings towards gay people. Religion and upbringing have an effect on whether t he experience is positive or negative. On page 174, a student is quoted as saying: "I've always been self-conscious, and to wear a symbol that marked me as different from the norm made me nervous." This quote sums up the basis for the argument behind cond ucting this article: Dealing with and evaluating the patriarchal views held by society and how they are damaging towards the sexual minorities.

While looking at the article, the conclusion is that when students evaluate their feelings, most found tha t homophobic fears were born out of a patriarchal society. Mention of conformity was brought to the forefront on many occasions. Using conformity as a basis for the argument, one assumes the students were conforming to patriarchal values. Given the data and argument, I believe the conclusion is valid due to the fact that after the exercise, the students evaluated their own reactions. The exercise was set up in such a way to let the students draw conclusions. Upon revi ew, some students got into an emotional discussion with the class causing feelings to be discussed. This exchange of ideas is wonderful because the students voiced their opinions. I view the results as being reliable because the professors attempted to st ay out of the exercise so that undue bias was not injected. When professional bias is absent, the professors can log the interaction rather than becoming an integral part. The professors didn't want to be participants because they wanted the students to f reely interact. Without this type of bias, I am confident the students were wonderful subjects and produced valuable data applicable to research findings. Conversely, I am unconfident the results of the experiment were reliable. Any college has a politica l slant which could sway results. Comparing a classroom at Marshall University and Ohio University would give different results. The rationale is that Marshall is more conservative than Ohio. Generalizing results can be dangerous due to different regional values. Additionally, the class size is too small to gather reliable results. A larger sample is needed to become more confident of reliable results.

The theoretical basis underlying the argument is that college students are coerced to comply to pa triarchal values. The researchers challenge the students values to such an extent their feelings are reevaluated. In the evaluation, the researchers looked for the students to find biased feelings. When the students look at their feelings, the theory se ems to be they will look at their attitudes and reevaluate using new evidence from an experience where animosity is pointed towards the students. Using this experience is an excellent way to change values because when people are exposed to new situations, they incorporate this experience into their values. If a student was treated harshly, an increased sensitivity might be developed because of such animosity. Learning to treat others fairly is what I view as the theory behind this exercise and its conclus ions. By linking realistic experiences with personal feelings, the exercise has an affect on how students interact with each other.

Having an exercise placing students in realistic situations is to be applauded. My reaction is that the exercise is be neficial leads to an increased sense of tolerance. Having professors who are putting this type of activity into the classroom is exciting because it indicates that academia is learning to break down the barriers stopping gays from achieving. My second r eaction was that in the dorms, there is a high level of anti-gay animosity in early college years. Activities like this change minds about how to relate with gay students. On each floor if a few minds are changed, these students can use peer pressure to assure that gay students are given dignity and respect. At Marshall, Laidley Hall is the most gay friendly building on campus because people are outspoken about their support and this requires that the homophobic residents curb offensive behavior. Using exercises like the pink triangle are excellent for converting people into advocates for gay peers. Heterosexuals can be allies in the fight for gay equal rights and by using exercises to accomplish this change is very effective.

When I was a Resident Assistant, we had activities which boosted tolerance towards gay residents. However, the exercise used in the article is new to me. The method of deliverance can be used to garner support while doing so in an atmosphere where students search their feel ings at their own pace. A self-pacing will have the best results because people react best when allowed to process at their own pace. However, when letting students do self-paced work, an instructor must set time limits. Because a two day limit was utili zed, I feel a degree of bias was incorporated. By forcing students to meet a deadline, they are compelled to organize feelings using a time frame which might be unsuitable. By having the students wear the pins in a two day time frame, the students might n ot have been mentally prepared to complete the task, which indicates a second instance of bias. When people are not ready to complete a project, the quality will be reduced due to a lack of initiative. Letting the student control the time would allow for better participation. A small amount of bias was involved in the research but all the other aspects make it a fine piece of research. While executing the research, the professors tried to take a hands off approach and this seems to have reduced the resear cher bias which might have otherwise occurred.

Chesler, M. A. and Zuniga, X. (1991). Dealing with prejudice and conflict in the classroom: The pink triangle exercise. Teaching Sociology, 19, (2), 173-181.