My experience in this class has had a tremendous impact on me. Before this class, I never really thought about the certain stereotypes given to women or the fact that changes can be made by women to free women from certain societal oppressions. I just did not think there was this huge movement out there that was working to gain more rights for me. Now that I know more about the feminist movement, I am a huge supporter. I think it is so important that we start to ‘glorify’ women in the media instead of ‘whorify’ women in the media. There is a lot more to this gender than what the media represents. By reading the experiences and thoughts of my fellow classmates, I see that there are a lot of strong and intelligent women who have hopes and dreams for themselves and for society as a whole. I think it is important that society begins to recognize this.
I suppose that is also how I envision a just future. One in which the media, men, and other women view women as independent and free beings that are powerful, wise, and beautiful. Not beautiful in just appearance, but beautiful in their creativity, intelligence, and personalities above all else. A just society should transcend gender and see people only by their individual attributes. This would be a just society. I think we can get there if everyone does their part. I don’t think that men should have to fall on their knees, admit their mistakes, and beg for forgiveness. Men just have to be supportive. Just like we, as women, should be supportive of all women all over the world, men should be supportive and encourage us while we make ourselves known in society and create benefits for us in society. I don’t think we should have a system of ‘Oh hey, this person is a female, that means we have to give them a job’ or ‘Hey, this person is a race other than Caucasian, we have to give them a job’ in order for this to work. That type of system solves NOTHING, and I see it all too often. It just creates more problems. No. The type of things that we should be doing is granting equal opportunities for everyone and disregarding what they look like, what gender they are, and what race they are. That shouldn’t even be a slot on the job application anymore. The different aspects of the human race should NOT be presented as a quota that a company has to fill. A company should base their quotas on who can get the job done based on their skill sets.
I sometimes go off on these rants, and inadvertently answer the next question in the prompt. I think the above would be my feminist priority. While I love the enduring and successful women of this country, I want equality for everyone. I don’t want to kick white men to the curb, either. If you have the skills, then I think it is absolutely great that you have risen to the top of your career. However, people must EARN these top-notch positions. If you are an African American woman, and your skills are incredible and you have proven that you can handle the job and handle it well, then there is no reason that you shouldn’t rise to the top of that career. Society, however, has not seen this. When we are not pushing white men to the front of the line, we are pulling them to the back of the line and quota-filling other races in at the front. Stop with these races (no pun intended). I want the person, the human being, that will work the hardest, communicate effectively with others, and present skills in a manner that ensures success to work in the highest position of my corporation. If that means they are Caucasian, African American, Mexican, Asian, Native American, a male or a female, I don’t care. Just prove that you can do it. That’s all I ask of society. Let go of race, and look at skill. Let go of prejudice, and look at personality. I know it’s a lot to ask, especially since we love our prejudices and our racism-debates, but at some point in the future, let’s move on! We only have so much time on this earth, let’s spend it being productive rather than creating barriers.
Integrity, for me, means being the best at what God or whatever you believe in, has given you. The people that achieve integrity are those who set out to use their skill sets to the best of their ability. Also integrity involves being mindful of others and giving praise, compassion, and love where these attributes are due. No one rises to the top with skills alone. They have family and friends that also help shape their road to success. If we don’t give back to these people, and give them the praise they deserve, we fall victim to self-absorption and the startling fact that we might be at the top and be completely alone.
I think integrity affects my ‘justice’ goal precisely in the sense that – in my definition – I didn’t mention race, color, or appearances once. This is because it doesn’t matter. People try and make appearance matter, but it really doesn’t. People have to come and realize that they need to work with what they have and accept others for what they have. Not everyone is going to be the most attractive person in the world in the eyes of everyone else. But, one person’s bronze is another person’s gold. As long as people can see themselves as gold, and make others recognize them for being gold. Then the world can start to shift to a better place.
I would recommend this course to everyone and anyone. You don’t have to be a female to take this course. If my friends asked me about taking this course I would absolutely advise it (and tell them to take Ms. Alysia Davis! : - )). I think, despite the focus being on women, I learned a lot about the different races and some aspects of society that create challenges for other people, besides women, as well. Also, I think that this course high lighted some extremely important issues that should be prevalent in the minds of men and women alike. This course has taught me so much about being mindful of domestic violence, environmental issues, the economy, poverty, health care, welfare, relationships, disabilities, privileges, etc. These are a lot of topics that not many people know about. I certainly didn’t know about a lot of them, and it has definitely shaped my way of thinking.
I think this course encouraged me to participate in political activism more heavily, because I see that my actions and opinions really can make a difference in the world. I have come to realize that ‘woman’ does not define who I am. ‘Woman’ is just a lable. I am me, and people should see me for who I am, and not for the ‘woman’ that I am.
This education is definitely a form of activism. I feel so encouraged to make changes, and perceive things differently. I see myself as being so much stronger than I originally had. This course has made me realize how important I really am. Before, I didn’t value myself or appreciate myself nearly as much as I do now. It is definitely an empowering experience, and I highly recommend this course to EVERYONE!!!!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Policy Issue: Reproduction and Reproductive Rights
Patriarchal norms constitute a threat to women’s health because of the notion of biology as a woman’s destiny. So, in other words, because women have breasts or because women get their period, certain medical issues are inevitable, and therefore looked down upon by men or male physicians. This also ties into the why women are treated differently in the health care system. Because women get their periods and are moody or go through menopause and are ‘moody’, they are prescribed way more medication that alters moods than men. If men get angry or upset because of changes in their body, no one hands them over prescriptions for different mood elevating drugs.
Racism has a tremendous impact on the gendered experiences of women of color in the health care system. More women of color are poor and uninsured when it comes to health care and are therefore denied health care. Also, women of color are stereotyped as having excessive amounts of children when they should not and are therefore seen negatively in that light as well.
Reproductive choice is important for women because there are some situations in which women need a reproductive choice because they are just not ready for children. A lot of women might use contraceptives when they first get married (or even if they aren’t married) because they do not believe that they have enough financial stability to support a child at that certain point in their life. Also, some women might not want children period because of certain health risks that they are afraid of passing on to their children. Also, women who choose to terminate their pregnancy might do it because of – again – financial instability, rape, or because serious medical complications may occur that might result in permanent health damage or even death if a woman cannot terminate the pregnancy.
It is important for feminists to try and broaden discussions of reproductive choice beyond the issue of abortion because many people only see that aspect of it. If people knew more about the issues of contraceptives, they might realize that a contraceptive is extremely important for women who are just not ready to become parents.
Racism has a tremendous impact on the gendered experiences of women of color in the health care system. More women of color are poor and uninsured when it comes to health care and are therefore denied health care. Also, women of color are stereotyped as having excessive amounts of children when they should not and are therefore seen negatively in that light as well.
Reproductive choice is important for women because there are some situations in which women need a reproductive choice because they are just not ready for children. A lot of women might use contraceptives when they first get married (or even if they aren’t married) because they do not believe that they have enough financial stability to support a child at that certain point in their life. Also, some women might not want children period because of certain health risks that they are afraid of passing on to their children. Also, women who choose to terminate their pregnancy might do it because of – again – financial instability, rape, or because serious medical complications may occur that might result in permanent health damage or even death if a woman cannot terminate the pregnancy.
It is important for feminists to try and broaden discussions of reproductive choice beyond the issue of abortion because many people only see that aspect of it. If people knew more about the issues of contraceptives, they might realize that a contraceptive is extremely important for women who are just not ready to become parents.
Policy Issue: Gendered Violence
Violence and the threat of violence exert social control on women by forcing them to do things that that would not normally do out of fear that they will be injured if they don’t. I think that many feminists suggest that acts of violence against women are actually hate crimes because of how sexual violence and violence in general is seen as more examples of male domination and how males should act not only in dominating their careers or being the man of the house, but they must also dominate their women as well. This is because men are seen as being better than women, so they feel that they must exert that power on women.
I think violence against women is so prevalent in society because of what I discussed about the dominance of males in both the media and in stereotypical roles, and because there hasn’t been enough coverage of domestic violence. Most domestic violence cases or incidences are covered by women and not men. Considering women are already overshadowed by men in the media, it is easy to see why these stories are not given as much coverage.
Recently, there was a story about a woman who killed her husband out of self-defense in New York. She reportedly shot him 11 times because he had threatened to kill her and had raised a gun to her. She grabbed a different gun and shot him 11 times to defend herself. There was a long history of abuse in this family from the husband. Her husband, however, was a NYPD police officer. Naturally all of his friends from the police department sided with him and said he was a nice guy. She is set to appear in court, but I am not certain when, or if she has already been to court. None the less, I sincerely hope she wins her case. Even her daughter reported evidence of being abused by her father and seeing her mother being abused by her father. If they put this woman behind bars, I will be extremely upset.
I think these instances are perpetuated by men because they know that in terms of physical strength and in terms of how women are characterized by the media, women are weaker than men. They thrive in the fact that they have power over these women. Myths about violence against women silence women and perpetuate sexist systems of oppression by making women feel guilty and ashamed of who they are and how they act.
Some steps that I think need to be taken in order to address the issue of violence against women are extensive media coverage about it, and I think women should be required to take a course or a seminar at least about abusive relationships in either high school or college so that they are aware as to what signs to look out for and how to deal with the situation.
I actually think JMU is doing a much better job when it comes to trying to prevent sexual assault. There are programs to inform women about the dangerous of sexual assault and to inform men so that these men will try and help women. There are also stations around the campus where you can call the campus police at any time. The only negative thing is that there are still a lot of parties that go on where any thing can happen.
I think violence against women is so prevalent in society because of what I discussed about the dominance of males in both the media and in stereotypical roles, and because there hasn’t been enough coverage of domestic violence. Most domestic violence cases or incidences are covered by women and not men. Considering women are already overshadowed by men in the media, it is easy to see why these stories are not given as much coverage.
Recently, there was a story about a woman who killed her husband out of self-defense in New York. She reportedly shot him 11 times because he had threatened to kill her and had raised a gun to her. She grabbed a different gun and shot him 11 times to defend herself. There was a long history of abuse in this family from the husband. Her husband, however, was a NYPD police officer. Naturally all of his friends from the police department sided with him and said he was a nice guy. She is set to appear in court, but I am not certain when, or if she has already been to court. None the less, I sincerely hope she wins her case. Even her daughter reported evidence of being abused by her father and seeing her mother being abused by her father. If they put this woman behind bars, I will be extremely upset.
I think these instances are perpetuated by men because they know that in terms of physical strength and in terms of how women are characterized by the media, women are weaker than men. They thrive in the fact that they have power over these women. Myths about violence against women silence women and perpetuate sexist systems of oppression by making women feel guilty and ashamed of who they are and how they act.
Some steps that I think need to be taken in order to address the issue of violence against women are extensive media coverage about it, and I think women should be required to take a course or a seminar at least about abusive relationships in either high school or college so that they are aware as to what signs to look out for and how to deal with the situation.
I actually think JMU is doing a much better job when it comes to trying to prevent sexual assault. There are programs to inform women about the dangerous of sexual assault and to inform men so that these men will try and help women. There are also stations around the campus where you can call the campus police at any time. The only negative thing is that there are still a lot of parties that go on where any thing can happen.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Policy Issue: Social Welfare
Welfare reform should be considered a feminist issue because welfare is usually limited to women because of criteria that discriminate against women in receiving welfare. I think that the 1996 welfare reform definitely had its good points. I think it was important to establish guidelines that ensured that people weren’t just taking money because they wanted it, however, I think that punishing the children because their parents did not meet certain requirements, is awful. It’s not as if the children failed to meet the requirements, so they should not be punished. If anything, the 1996 welfare reform should have established a way to allot the money to the children without the parents being able to touch it, much like we see in a lot of practices today (not necessarily in welfare, but in other things, like inheritance..etc).
In anti-poverty policy, the appropriate role of family-formation is the two-parent family formation. I do not believe that this helps poor women’s economic status. If anything, it damages it. Most poor women that have children with a man cannot count on that man to stick around. If these two people were forced to marry, the man might grow resentful and abuse his wife both verbally and physically and he might use his earnings in the job market for his own gain instead of for his wife or kids. I do, however, think paternity establishment is important. If women can obtain child support from their children’s fathers, than it may definitely help. If child support is stopped being paid, however, the women need the support of welfare. I do not, however, think that the description of a woman’s ‘sexual encounters’ or activity should be elaborated to a government official. I think it should end at who is the father of the children, not every partner that the mother has been with.
The relationship between privacy rights and poverty is that women that are embarrassed to reveal the intimate details of their private life often do not receive welfare, and are therefore impoverished because they do not meet that specific requirement in earning welfare.
In anti-poverty policy, the appropriate role of family-formation is the two-parent family formation. I do not believe that this helps poor women’s economic status. If anything, it damages it. Most poor women that have children with a man cannot count on that man to stick around. If these two people were forced to marry, the man might grow resentful and abuse his wife both verbally and physically and he might use his earnings in the job market for his own gain instead of for his wife or kids. I do, however, think paternity establishment is important. If women can obtain child support from their children’s fathers, than it may definitely help. If child support is stopped being paid, however, the women need the support of welfare. I do not, however, think that the description of a woman’s ‘sexual encounters’ or activity should be elaborated to a government official. I think it should end at who is the father of the children, not every partner that the mother has been with.
The relationship between privacy rights and poverty is that women that are embarrassed to reveal the intimate details of their private life often do not receive welfare, and are therefore impoverished because they do not meet that specific requirement in earning welfare.
Socio-economic Status
Systems of inequality are evident in women’s work inside the home in many areas. In my own home, for example, my mother does all the cooking, cleaning, gardening, laundry, etc. You name it, and odds are, my mother has performed the task in our household. My mother also holds a steady job. I do not, however, resent my dad for his non-participation in these tasks, because a lot of men see the household in the way that they saw their own households when they were children. Also, my dad worked hard to get where he is today, and his background (his childhood and early adulthood) had a lot of rough bumps that he had to plow through to get where he is today.
Also, my mom was one of those mothers that chose to stay home with the kids instead of continuing to work. When my mom left her job, she was making more money than my dad. If she had stayed in that job, I’m sure she would have still been making more than my dad. Their decisions, however, were made because they wanted to have children and my dad was gaining a lot of opportunities in his office. My mom chose the domestic life because that’s what she wanted, and she enjoyed it. When her children got older, however, she had a lot of free time on her hands and a part of her wanted to go back to work, so she did. It wasn’t easy, but within four months of getting her new job she was already promoted to the head of her accounting office. If that doesn’t scream success, then I really don’t know what does. I am so proud of both of my parents.
I do wish, however, that my dad would try doing some of the typical ‘woman jobs’ around the household. I think that he probably did during the year or so that he had to live in Virginia by himself while we finished school in New Jersey before moving down with him (he got a promotion and we had to move to Virginia, but my oldest sister only had one more year of high school and I only had one more year of middle school so we decided to finish them in New Jersey). During that year, he had to do his own laundry, cooking, & cleaning. I won’t say he gained a greater appreciation of my mother (because he has always appreciated her, endlessly), but I think he understood more about what kind of difficult tasks she performed on a daily basis.
Wow, and that was only the first question. To get back on track, I think women experience sexism in the paid labor force because, on average, their salaries are a few thousand dollars less than that of men. Which is extremely unfortunate. It honestly perturbs me that this is the way it is in society. I think ‘colorism’ (haha), shapes the ways women experience sexism in the paid labor force because they are sometimes paid even less than that of white women. I don’t know why we see status this way, it is very inhumane. I can’t say that I have experienced discrimination in the work force. Partly because I don’t know the salaries of my co-workers, and overall I haven’t been sexually harassed or asked to do a different task than a male because it would better adapt to my skills.
I think the perception of ‘women’s work’ has affected women inside the home by allowing household tasks such as the ones I mentioned before, fall into the hands of women by default. Outside the home, women usually take jobs that don’t involve too much manual labor because these jobs are seen as being predominantly male. They think women are too fragile to handle such jobs. I think women are more at risk for experiencing poverty because they attempt to hold jobs, care for their children, and put their children through school all at the same time. It is way too much to ask of a woman.
To make things equal, I think wages need to be given that are equal in annual salary for both men AND women. I also think that all daycare should be free, so that women aren’t forced to pay money out of their checks (that they use primarily for the survival of these children and themselves) that could be better used for things such as food and education.
Also, my mom was one of those mothers that chose to stay home with the kids instead of continuing to work. When my mom left her job, she was making more money than my dad. If she had stayed in that job, I’m sure she would have still been making more than my dad. Their decisions, however, were made because they wanted to have children and my dad was gaining a lot of opportunities in his office. My mom chose the domestic life because that’s what she wanted, and she enjoyed it. When her children got older, however, she had a lot of free time on her hands and a part of her wanted to go back to work, so she did. It wasn’t easy, but within four months of getting her new job she was already promoted to the head of her accounting office. If that doesn’t scream success, then I really don’t know what does. I am so proud of both of my parents.
I do wish, however, that my dad would try doing some of the typical ‘woman jobs’ around the household. I think that he probably did during the year or so that he had to live in Virginia by himself while we finished school in New Jersey before moving down with him (he got a promotion and we had to move to Virginia, but my oldest sister only had one more year of high school and I only had one more year of middle school so we decided to finish them in New Jersey). During that year, he had to do his own laundry, cooking, & cleaning. I won’t say he gained a greater appreciation of my mother (because he has always appreciated her, endlessly), but I think he understood more about what kind of difficult tasks she performed on a daily basis.
Wow, and that was only the first question. To get back on track, I think women experience sexism in the paid labor force because, on average, their salaries are a few thousand dollars less than that of men. Which is extremely unfortunate. It honestly perturbs me that this is the way it is in society. I think ‘colorism’ (haha), shapes the ways women experience sexism in the paid labor force because they are sometimes paid even less than that of white women. I don’t know why we see status this way, it is very inhumane. I can’t say that I have experienced discrimination in the work force. Partly because I don’t know the salaries of my co-workers, and overall I haven’t been sexually harassed or asked to do a different task than a male because it would better adapt to my skills.
I think the perception of ‘women’s work’ has affected women inside the home by allowing household tasks such as the ones I mentioned before, fall into the hands of women by default. Outside the home, women usually take jobs that don’t involve too much manual labor because these jobs are seen as being predominantly male. They think women are too fragile to handle such jobs. I think women are more at risk for experiencing poverty because they attempt to hold jobs, care for their children, and put their children through school all at the same time. It is way too much to ask of a woman.
To make things equal, I think wages need to be given that are equal in annual salary for both men AND women. I also think that all daycare should be free, so that women aren’t forced to pay money out of their checks (that they use primarily for the survival of these children and themselves) that could be better used for things such as food and education.
Nationality
The difference between global and transnational feminism is that transnational feminism does not lump common interests together and instead attempts to form autonomous affinity groups across boundaries the world-over. In order to get past the identity problem when it comes to the identity category of “woman”, feminists must think only about the diversity associated with the different experiences of each individual woman. Every woman has experienced a different path in life, and must be judged by those experiences and not by their gender.
Some critical parts of a gender justice framework, in my opinion, should include the importance of deterring racism and race inequality as well. While we always highlight the importance of establishing feminine equality among the male race, it is always important to remember that the prevention of racism should work hand in hand with these efforts. Although racism is no where near as bad today as it was in the past, it is still a prevalent issue in America. It is not just with African Americans either. Racism involving the black community receives a lot more attention than racism involving the Hispanic and Asian communities.
Also, I must add, my best friend (who is an African American) and I had a discussion last night and she told me that she hates the term ‘racism’. When I asked why, she stated, “We’re all of the same race. We’re all of the human race, so it doesn’t make sense to call it racism.” I have to agree with her. I never really saw it in that perspective before. So instead of calling it ‘racism’, we started a new term. We are now substituting ‘racism’ for ‘colorism’. Colorism is the act of discriminating against an individual for the color of their skin.
To get back on track, I think that ‘third women’ are resentful of Western feminists because sometimes Western feminists try to force their ideals on ‘third women’. Instead of forced coercion into adopting certain ideals, Western feminists must focus on instead giving support to third women by supporting the ideals and achievements that these women make. I do think that the earlier theories of feminism presented in this course were a bit hegemonic. None of the feminists really talk about the issues that global women find to be most prevalent. The feminists in these lectures mostly talk about the issues in the United States. If we took the opportunity to examine what these women all over the world see as the most pressing issue, we might be able to find a common ground with these women and would be better adapted in supporting their own motives.
Some critical parts of a gender justice framework, in my opinion, should include the importance of deterring racism and race inequality as well. While we always highlight the importance of establishing feminine equality among the male race, it is always important to remember that the prevention of racism should work hand in hand with these efforts. Although racism is no where near as bad today as it was in the past, it is still a prevalent issue in America. It is not just with African Americans either. Racism involving the black community receives a lot more attention than racism involving the Hispanic and Asian communities.
Also, I must add, my best friend (who is an African American) and I had a discussion last night and she told me that she hates the term ‘racism’. When I asked why, she stated, “We’re all of the same race. We’re all of the human race, so it doesn’t make sense to call it racism.” I have to agree with her. I never really saw it in that perspective before. So instead of calling it ‘racism’, we started a new term. We are now substituting ‘racism’ for ‘colorism’. Colorism is the act of discriminating against an individual for the color of their skin.
To get back on track, I think that ‘third women’ are resentful of Western feminists because sometimes Western feminists try to force their ideals on ‘third women’. Instead of forced coercion into adopting certain ideals, Western feminists must focus on instead giving support to third women by supporting the ideals and achievements that these women make. I do think that the earlier theories of feminism presented in this course were a bit hegemonic. None of the feminists really talk about the issues that global women find to be most prevalent. The feminists in these lectures mostly talk about the issues in the United States. If we took the opportunity to examine what these women all over the world see as the most pressing issue, we might be able to find a common ground with these women and would be better adapted in supporting their own motives.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Hetero/sexuality
I think the personal is political in my relationships, because I do not follow the stereotypical patterns in a relationship. Instead of being “girly” (as we discussed in previous modules – putting on pretty outfits, make-up, etc) and getting all dressed up to go out to dinner and expecting the guy to pay, I would be okay with playing video games for a couple of hours and both of us paying for the meal, or taking turns paying for meals on different dates.
I think socialization into gender affects intimacy in relationships because socialization tends to favor the man as being the dominant, heroic type. Girls are supposed to be “swept off their feet” because of the romance of the guy. Girls, in return, are expected to act cute or sexy in order to appear pleasing to the man. However, recently, I think that a lot of this has changed. Now days, some guys spend just as much time trying to look good for their significant other and try to act ‘sexy’. Girls also pay for their significant other’s meals more often now days as well.
I think homophobia discourages intimacy because it can be seen as ‘arrogant’ by other people, and it turns them away from that person. A lot more people encourage acceptance of all people, than others think. So when homophobia is acted out negatively, a lot of people are offended by this and their feelings for the homophobe are affected negatively. Also I think in general, people have a hard time being friends with someone of the same sex who is gay. For some reason, I believe that they fear that that person will hit on them or flirt with them, which is actually not true at all. If a gay person knows that you are straight, then they wont make any move to become intimate with you. That does NOT mean that you cannot be friends with that person.
Before college, I was definitely afraid to become friends with a lesbian because of some of the fears I listed above. Going into college, however, there were three lesbians that lived on my hall. When you live with three lesbians in your hall for a year, you start to realize that gay people are just people, and even more importantly they are people you can become good friends with. There’s no point in trying to discourage friendship with another person just because they are interested in members of the same sex as you are. Like I stated before, if they know you are straight, they won’t try and hit on you and it won’t make you gay by hanging out with people that are gay.
I think socialization into gender affects intimacy in relationships because socialization tends to favor the man as being the dominant, heroic type. Girls are supposed to be “swept off their feet” because of the romance of the guy. Girls, in return, are expected to act cute or sexy in order to appear pleasing to the man. However, recently, I think that a lot of this has changed. Now days, some guys spend just as much time trying to look good for their significant other and try to act ‘sexy’. Girls also pay for their significant other’s meals more often now days as well.
I think homophobia discourages intimacy because it can be seen as ‘arrogant’ by other people, and it turns them away from that person. A lot more people encourage acceptance of all people, than others think. So when homophobia is acted out negatively, a lot of people are offended by this and their feelings for the homophobe are affected negatively. Also I think in general, people have a hard time being friends with someone of the same sex who is gay. For some reason, I believe that they fear that that person will hit on them or flirt with them, which is actually not true at all. If a gay person knows that you are straight, then they wont make any move to become intimate with you. That does NOT mean that you cannot be friends with that person.
Before college, I was definitely afraid to become friends with a lesbian because of some of the fears I listed above. Going into college, however, there were three lesbians that lived on my hall. When you live with three lesbians in your hall for a year, you start to realize that gay people are just people, and even more importantly they are people you can become good friends with. There’s no point in trying to discourage friendship with another person just because they are interested in members of the same sex as you are. Like I stated before, if they know you are straight, they won’t try and hit on you and it won’t make you gay by hanging out with people that are gay.
Dis/ability
I think disability cannot be defined without referencing the idea of normal ability. In every definition of disability there is a mention of a flaw in a human’s physical, mental, or emotional condition. That, in and of itself, indirectly points out the notion that their normal ability is impaired. I think disability and stigma are related because they both point out physical defects in a human.
I don’t really think that fatness should be considered a ‘disability’. People make life decisions regarding what they eat and how much they exercise. Obesity is extremely preventable. I do not consider obesity a disability because people choose to be obese. People also choose to work against obesity and make themselves healthy. I think institutions are created with regard to normal ability by buildings things such a steep staircases for high schools and other levels of schooling, and some certain buildings do not have ramps that are wheelchair accessible.
I do not think it is possible to deconstruct socially constructed notions of disability. I think this is because human society is too judgmental. Even if we took away all the ramps, disability parking spots, brail signs, etc. we would still overanalyze a person to find their disability. If humans appear physically different or act physically different, a lot of us are quick to assume they have a disability and thus feel like they must be treated differently.
Disability theory and gender are related because we see that women are technically disabled because a lot of women are kept in the house to take care of their children and do not have the ‘normal ability’ to work. Descriptions of women as frail make it seem as if they have a disability in comparison to men who have normal abilities and are strong. It once again places women in the ‘subservient’ role in society.
I don’t really think that fatness should be considered a ‘disability’. People make life decisions regarding what they eat and how much they exercise. Obesity is extremely preventable. I do not consider obesity a disability because people choose to be obese. People also choose to work against obesity and make themselves healthy. I think institutions are created with regard to normal ability by buildings things such a steep staircases for high schools and other levels of schooling, and some certain buildings do not have ramps that are wheelchair accessible.
I do not think it is possible to deconstruct socially constructed notions of disability. I think this is because human society is too judgmental. Even if we took away all the ramps, disability parking spots, brail signs, etc. we would still overanalyze a person to find their disability. If humans appear physically different or act physically different, a lot of us are quick to assume they have a disability and thus feel like they must be treated differently.
Disability theory and gender are related because we see that women are technically disabled because a lot of women are kept in the house to take care of their children and do not have the ‘normal ability’ to work. Descriptions of women as frail make it seem as if they have a disability in comparison to men who have normal abilities and are strong. It once again places women in the ‘subservient’ role in society.
White Privilege
I think ‘white’ still holds a lot of power in society today. There are still cases in America where people of other races are arrested or found guilty of crimes more frequently than that of white people. I think ‘white’ was first used as a racial category probably as far back as the 16th or 17th century or even earlier. As long as there have been slaves and people of color around, the ‘white’ racial category has been around.
I think ‘white’ implies higher social status. While there have been movements – especially with Obama becoming the first African American President – towards other races receiving higher social status, white men and women still dominate the government. It took us this long to have an African American president, and even still a lot of members in Obama’s party are white men. Unfortunately, as a whole, society still sees white people as being the most powerful.
I think there is a such thing as white culture, but no one really pays attention to it because it has been the norm for hundreds of years. Things associated with being ‘American’ are sometimes associated with white culture, even though other races are most definitely ‘American’. I think it is hard to establish what would define ‘white culture’ because most of it is, like I said, associated with being an American, and also because there are many different branches that form what it is to be Caucasian. For example, a family might be Italian or Irish. If they are Italian they are frequently associated with loving a good wine, or eating things such as pasta or other traditional Italian dishes. If a family is Irish, they might be known to love alcohol, eat things like corn beef and cabbage, etc. Even if it is not true, a lot of people stereotype these nationalities.
I do not think that white can be used as a group name without invoking connotations of white supremacy. As long as people are still actively aware of the negative history associated with African Americans (the years in which they were enslaved), white supremacy will always be a term that is prevalent. Even as we try to move away from white supremacy, there are still institutions that remind us daily of its existence. I think whiteness and white supremacy are definitely linked. You could be white, working as a janitor, and have tons of best friends that are of a different race, and you would probably still be seen as being above certain races that hold the same job.
I think ‘white’ implies higher social status. While there have been movements – especially with Obama becoming the first African American President – towards other races receiving higher social status, white men and women still dominate the government. It took us this long to have an African American president, and even still a lot of members in Obama’s party are white men. Unfortunately, as a whole, society still sees white people as being the most powerful.
I think there is a such thing as white culture, but no one really pays attention to it because it has been the norm for hundreds of years. Things associated with being ‘American’ are sometimes associated with white culture, even though other races are most definitely ‘American’. I think it is hard to establish what would define ‘white culture’ because most of it is, like I said, associated with being an American, and also because there are many different branches that form what it is to be Caucasian. For example, a family might be Italian or Irish. If they are Italian they are frequently associated with loving a good wine, or eating things such as pasta or other traditional Italian dishes. If a family is Irish, they might be known to love alcohol, eat things like corn beef and cabbage, etc. Even if it is not true, a lot of people stereotype these nationalities.
I do not think that white can be used as a group name without invoking connotations of white supremacy. As long as people are still actively aware of the negative history associated with African Americans (the years in which they were enslaved), white supremacy will always be a term that is prevalent. Even as we try to move away from white supremacy, there are still institutions that remind us daily of its existence. I think whiteness and white supremacy are definitely linked. You could be white, working as a janitor, and have tons of best friends that are of a different race, and you would probably still be seen as being above certain races that hold the same job.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Romance and Relationships
I think my family reflects the normative U.S. family somewhat. Both of my parents work, but they value each other’s opinions and decisions about what to do within the household and outside of the household, equally. I think social institutions reinforce power relations in the family by issuing certain statements about the roles of women and men within the family that paints a picture and expectation of male dominance over the female. I think a lot of things in society need to be rewritten to express equality for both genders.
I think dating and romance scripts are taught through the media, mostly. I mean certainly young males and females hear about their parents experiences with dating, but considering that was a different generation, I think that they pick up most of their tips from TV shows, which is not always the best thing. I think these scripts teach us about the normative U.S. family by showing that through dating and romance, the initial signs of dominance of one sex over the other start to occur. Dating scripts hold up gender norms by showing what a female is supposed to do in a situation as opposed to what a male is supposed to do, and their roles are completely opposite of each other.
In my home, both of my parents clean equally now days. However this development was only recent. Before my mom got a job, she would clean the house every day and cook every day. She still cleans and cooks frequently, but now my dad tries to clean more to help her out. My mother still cooks, however. I am pretty lazy when it comes to chores, but I try and help my mom out with dinner and cleaning up after the dishes almost every day because I feel badly that she has to work all day and then come home and cook and clean.
Obviously, looking at what I just wrote, this definitely reflects typical social norms. I think that women’s and men’s different ways of communicating aren’t as stereotypical as mentioned in the module. My dad can be more talkative than all the women in our family put together, and we interrupt him frequently when he talks. He also tends to end sentence in a question formality. I don’t know if it’s because three women influenced him, or what. I think women’s and men’s different ways of communicating affect relationships a lot. I think women try too hard to gain a man’s attention and keep it. I wonder how different things would be if women initiated conversations in the same way men do.
I think dating and romance scripts are taught through the media, mostly. I mean certainly young males and females hear about their parents experiences with dating, but considering that was a different generation, I think that they pick up most of their tips from TV shows, which is not always the best thing. I think these scripts teach us about the normative U.S. family by showing that through dating and romance, the initial signs of dominance of one sex over the other start to occur. Dating scripts hold up gender norms by showing what a female is supposed to do in a situation as opposed to what a male is supposed to do, and their roles are completely opposite of each other.
In my home, both of my parents clean equally now days. However this development was only recent. Before my mom got a job, she would clean the house every day and cook every day. She still cleans and cooks frequently, but now my dad tries to clean more to help her out. My mother still cooks, however. I am pretty lazy when it comes to chores, but I try and help my mom out with dinner and cleaning up after the dishes almost every day because I feel badly that she has to work all day and then come home and cook and clean.
Obviously, looking at what I just wrote, this definitely reflects typical social norms. I think that women’s and men’s different ways of communicating aren’t as stereotypical as mentioned in the module. My dad can be more talkative than all the women in our family put together, and we interrupt him frequently when he talks. He also tends to end sentence in a question formality. I don’t know if it’s because three women influenced him, or what. I think women’s and men’s different ways of communicating affect relationships a lot. I think women try too hard to gain a man’s attention and keep it. I wonder how different things would be if women initiated conversations in the same way men do.
Theorizing Privilege
Prejudice affects my life I many ways. Personally, because I am a bit heavier than most girls, I have experienced that it is harder to easily make friends with others. Also, I do tend to dish out prejudice as well. If I see someone wearing a really short skirt, I will tend to prejudge them as being slutty. I see ideologies show up even at places such as JMU. A lot more of the English and creative writing courses that I have taken here have been taught by women. A lot more of the business courses I have taken have been taught by men. I think this also causes gender inequality. I feel that (though I do not know for certain) teachers in business courses get paid more than teachers in English courses.
I think hate crimes maintain systems of inequality by reinforcing aspects of racism. There are definitely more African Americans killed in hate crimes than Caucasians. Also hate crimes where an employer doesn’t hire a man because he’s black or white or asian encourages others to hold similar situations that bars opportunities for a specific race.
Some images of hate crimes that I can recall mostly revolved around gay males at my high school. These males were picked on and shunned in the boys’ locker rooms because the straight males didn’t want the gay males to ‘look at them’ in a certain way. Honestly, the situation infuriated me. I don’t see any point in shunning someone for being homosexual. If they aren’t purposely bothering you, then you have no reason to be so hostile to them.
I think hate crimes maintain systems of inequality by reinforcing aspects of racism. There are definitely more African Americans killed in hate crimes than Caucasians. Also hate crimes where an employer doesn’t hire a man because he’s black or white or asian encourages others to hold similar situations that bars opportunities for a specific race.
Some images of hate crimes that I can recall mostly revolved around gay males at my high school. These males were picked on and shunned in the boys’ locker rooms because the straight males didn’t want the gay males to ‘look at them’ in a certain way. Honestly, the situation infuriated me. I don’t see any point in shunning someone for being homosexual. If they aren’t purposely bothering you, then you have no reason to be so hostile to them.
Inscribing Gender on the Body
In beauty norms, power relations are reflected because women are expected to keep higher self-maintenance and hygiene than men. Also, it is more unacceptable for women to be overweight than it is for men. Beauty norms affect women more directly by encouraging women to go with the flow in terms of things such as fashion, make-up, and plastic surgery. I think that it affects men to some extent, but not nearly as much as women.
Beauty norms have affected me in several ways. I buy make-up constantly and it always takes me close to an hour to get myself ready to go out for the day. Also, I am currently trying to lose weight so that I can appear better physically. There are definitely things I like about my body. I like my eyes and my legs, but I think it will still be a long time until I can almost like everything about myself.
The connections of beauty standards to women’s health mostly have to do with people who are anorexic or bulimic, or even people that are overweight. When society pressures women to be a certain way, they might starve themselves, throw up their meals, or do the opposite and binge eat because food makes them feel good about themselves. Women can resist the beauty ideal by being comfortable with who they are and making fashion statements that instead of expressing society’s wants, express their own wants. Phallocentrism controls men’s bodies in the sense that it makes them feel like they have to practice being manly enough. It reinforces the idea that men are supposed to have hard attitudes and not express emotions.
Beauty norms have affected me in several ways. I buy make-up constantly and it always takes me close to an hour to get myself ready to go out for the day. Also, I am currently trying to lose weight so that I can appear better physically. There are definitely things I like about my body. I like my eyes and my legs, but I think it will still be a long time until I can almost like everything about myself.
The connections of beauty standards to women’s health mostly have to do with people who are anorexic or bulimic, or even people that are overweight. When society pressures women to be a certain way, they might starve themselves, throw up their meals, or do the opposite and binge eat because food makes them feel good about themselves. Women can resist the beauty ideal by being comfortable with who they are and making fashion statements that instead of expressing society’s wants, express their own wants. Phallocentrism controls men’s bodies in the sense that it makes them feel like they have to practice being manly enough. It reinforces the idea that men are supposed to have hard attitudes and not express emotions.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Second Wave Feminism
Since we are able to stray from the ‘blog prompts’ I thought I would do that for once, just to address some specific points in the last module that I thought were pertinent.
In the second module, we learned that racism and discrimination in general were still, at first, prevalent within the second wave of feminism. Feminists did not want to be associated with lesbians because they felt that lesbians had too many shared qualities with that of men, who they were trying to break away from.
I think that this was hypocritical as well. With such a statement being made, it is all too evident that the second wave of feminism was too caught up in stereotypes at the beginning. To discriminate against African American women and lesbians defeats the whole purpose of accepting all women for the women’s movement.
Although Sojourner Truth made her speech, “Ain’t I a woman?” in 1851, her concepts and clarity about what defines who a woman is still relate a great deal to the later discriminations in the second wave of feminism. Lesbians are still women. African Americans are still women. They might have different colored skin or different sexuality preferences, but they are both still women and deserve their rights. All races and all different sexual orientations deserve rights.
In 1968, however, as stated in the module, this was changed when a meeting of women was held in Chicago to put an end to segregation and discrimination, which is a major improvement and change in the second wave of feminism.
I feel that consciousness Raising Groups are an extremely important part of the second wave of feminism, and I honestly don’t think they have completely died out today. I just think they aren’t as publicized as they used to be. I certainly have not heard of consciousness raising groups until I listened to this module lecture, and I feel as though if I were to hear of one being held in my community it would probably interest me immensely.
Keeping in mind of the time period in which the Feminist Mystique was produced, I think that it held a lot of truth to it. While there was not enough evidence collected by Betty Fridan for her results (100 something surveys doesn’t exactly reflect the entire population’s opinion), I think for the most part that – despite the lack of evidence – Fridan had the right idea about women’s feelings towards domesticity. Also, in that 1950’s and 60’s the media pretty much created, as stated in the lecture, a false image of how women should be. A lot of women were afraid that by veering from the course of domesticity, they would be disrespecting several parties (ie: their husbands, the media, maybe their parents, and even friends).
I think a Manifesto has its pros and cons. It is definitely a good way to highlight the changes that women want brought-about in society. It is not, however, the best idea to list forceful demands and be extremely confrontational. Sometimes confrontation ends up making the problem worse rather than better. If women approach changing policies with confrontation, then policy makers might be disinclined to take an interest in their demands. If they approach policy changes in a stern manner, but with a willingness to comprise on certain policies, I think that women can get a better response out of policy makers.
In the second module, we learned that racism and discrimination in general were still, at first, prevalent within the second wave of feminism. Feminists did not want to be associated with lesbians because they felt that lesbians had too many shared qualities with that of men, who they were trying to break away from.
I think that this was hypocritical as well. With such a statement being made, it is all too evident that the second wave of feminism was too caught up in stereotypes at the beginning. To discriminate against African American women and lesbians defeats the whole purpose of accepting all women for the women’s movement.
Although Sojourner Truth made her speech, “Ain’t I a woman?” in 1851, her concepts and clarity about what defines who a woman is still relate a great deal to the later discriminations in the second wave of feminism. Lesbians are still women. African Americans are still women. They might have different colored skin or different sexuality preferences, but they are both still women and deserve their rights. All races and all different sexual orientations deserve rights.
In 1968, however, as stated in the module, this was changed when a meeting of women was held in Chicago to put an end to segregation and discrimination, which is a major improvement and change in the second wave of feminism.
I feel that consciousness Raising Groups are an extremely important part of the second wave of feminism, and I honestly don’t think they have completely died out today. I just think they aren’t as publicized as they used to be. I certainly have not heard of consciousness raising groups until I listened to this module lecture, and I feel as though if I were to hear of one being held in my community it would probably interest me immensely.
Keeping in mind of the time period in which the Feminist Mystique was produced, I think that it held a lot of truth to it. While there was not enough evidence collected by Betty Fridan for her results (100 something surveys doesn’t exactly reflect the entire population’s opinion), I think for the most part that – despite the lack of evidence – Fridan had the right idea about women’s feelings towards domesticity. Also, in that 1950’s and 60’s the media pretty much created, as stated in the lecture, a false image of how women should be. A lot of women were afraid that by veering from the course of domesticity, they would be disrespecting several parties (ie: their husbands, the media, maybe their parents, and even friends).
I think a Manifesto has its pros and cons. It is definitely a good way to highlight the changes that women want brought-about in society. It is not, however, the best idea to list forceful demands and be extremely confrontational. Sometimes confrontation ends up making the problem worse rather than better. If women approach changing policies with confrontation, then policy makers might be disinclined to take an interest in their demands. If they approach policy changes in a stern manner, but with a willingness to comprise on certain policies, I think that women can get a better response out of policy makers.
Feminism in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Just as I did with the last round of blog posts, I want to once again address feminist aspects in yet another TV series.
This time around I just wanted to point out the strong feminist aspects in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
A short snipped from Wikipedia:
Joss Whedon (the creator of 'Buffy')identifies himself as a feminist, and feminist themes are common in his work. For his part, Whedon credits his mother, Lee Stearns, as the inspiration for his feminist worldview. When Roseanne Barr asked him how he could write so well for women, he replied, "If you met my mom, you wouldn't ask."
Joss's feminist influences are seen throughout the entire 'Buffy' series. He once stated in an interview that he wrote 'Buffy' with the idea of combating the stereotypical 'blonde girl as a damsel in distress in horror films that is either killed or saved by a man'. He certainly achieved this goal. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a series about a young blonde girl who has the destiny to combat the forces of evil.
I must now take a short moment to apologize to everyone reading this post -- I forgot to warn you all that I am a ridiculously HUGE Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. I have all 7 seasons on DVD, t-shirts, the BTVS high-school year book from season 3, over 20 BTVS paper back novels, The entire first season on VHS as well, the BTVS video game 'chaos bleeds', A Buffy barbie doll, and several other things. Haha. Now that I've scared everyone away, I'll continue.
A lot of people credit 'Buffy' with opening up opportunities for women on TV as portraying strong, female independent characters. In the series, Buffy Summers herself isn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box (though her SAT scores in season 3 would suggest otherwise). I think Joss chose this quality for Buffy with a specific purpose in mind. A lot of Buffy's intellect isn't displayed in her school work but rather her most intelligent decisions come about when she is trying to save the world or her friends and family. Joss uses Buffy's emotions as a weapon (both figuratively and literally) as a means of 'solving the puzzle' in Buffy's battles.
Contrary to what a lot of anti-feminists proclaim, emotions - in this case - provide strength rather than weakness.
Honestly, I grew up with this series. I had been watching it from a young age (with a lot of that being without my mother's knowledge) and I think it definitely shaped a lot of my attitudes and feelings about women empowerment. 'Buffy' definitely taught me the importance of staying true to yourself and to make decisions based on how I want to make them.
I think one of my all-time favorite episodes that impacted me the most was in Season 5, episode 12 of the series.
In it, The Watchers' Council comes to Sunnydale to tell Buffy what they know about Glory, on condition that she proves herself worthy. She refuses to go through their tests, and they tell her Glory is a god. (Summary from Wikipedia)
The most relevant scenes in the episode were probably as followed (I know that this post is ridiculously long, but I PROMISE it is relevant):
1. In Buffy's history class, the teacher is discussing how Rasputin was considered nearly impossible to kill. Buffy challenges the professor to look at history from another angle, but he shoots her ideas down with scathing criticism and sarcasm, embarrassing her in front of the class. That night, Buffy complains about class to a vampire she's fighting until she is thrown off balance. Spike suddenly appears, flying over a tombstone to tackle and stake the vampire. He expects gratitude, but Buffy accuses him of getting in her way. The two then verbally attack each other.
My response: Buffy attempts to share new insights on an old perspective, and is shot down. I think she really shows that it is important to share your beliefs even if others will think they are ridiculous, because in reality there are some who agree with your beliefs and were too shy or scared to say them themselves.
Also an interesting tidbit is this part about Buffy shooting down Spike's chivalry. She shows that she is extremely independent and doesn't need a man's help, undead or not.
2. Buffy: No review. No interrogation. No questions you know I can't answer. No hoops. No jumps. (Nigel is about to speak.) No interruptions. See, I've had a lot of people talking at me in the last few days. Everyone just lining up to tell me how unimportant I am. And I've finally figured out why. Power. I have it. They don't. This bothers them. Glory came to my home today.
Giles: Buffy are you all—
Buffy: Just to talk. She told me I'm a bug, I'm a flea, she could squash me in a second. Only she didn't. She came into my home, and we talked. We had what in her warped brain probably passes for a civilized conversation. Why? Because she needs something from me. Because I have power over her. You guys didn't come all the way from England to determine whether I was good enough to be let back in. You came to beg me to let you back in. To give your jobs, your lives, some semblance of meaning.
Buffy: You're Watchers. Without a Slayer... you're pretty much just watching Masterpiece Theater. You can't stop Glory. You can't do anything with the information you have, except maybe publish it in the Everyone Thinks We're Insanos Home Journal. So here's how it's gonna work. You're gonna tell me everything you know. Then you're gonna go away. You'll contact me if and when you have any further information about Glory.
Source: http://www.buffyguide.com/episodes/checkpoint/checkpointquotes.shtml#ixzz0Ji0VUpPr&D
Relevance: This scene in this episode pretty much blew me away. Just to point out a few key things -- Glory was the 'big evil' in season 5 that Buffy had to defeat. Buffy had knowledge about something that Glory wanted. Giles was Buffy's watcher (a watcher is someone who trains slayers) until he was fired in season 3, ironically he was fired in an episode where Buffy lost her power temporarily. Nigel is a member of the Watcher's Council in England (this is the headquarters of watchers who work on supernatural research and attempt to help the Slayer -- though again, ironically, she hasn't been associated with them (unofficially) since Season 3 in the episode 'Helpless') .
I think this is an extremely important scene in the episode, if not in the series. This situation holds true in all formats globally. Anyone who has power has been ridiculed for that power. People are TERRIFIED of others that have power. They will go to great length to tear down anyone with power. We saw this with Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. Both of these women had TREMENDOUS power. As a result, they were ridiculed 24/7 because people were afraid of their power.
"You guys didn't come all the way from England to determine whether I was good enough to be let back in. You came to beg me to let you back in. To give your jobs, your lives, some semblance of meaning."
Again we see this with the media and other aspects of life. Why do we watch the news? So that we can hear other people's opinions about other people. Without those powerful people, the media has nothing to talk about.
Even in the work force, women are constantly trying to prove that they are 'good enough to be let in' to something. That's not to say that men don't strive for the same thing, but for a while women have had it harder. Without employees, businesses don't run effectively.
"So here's how it's gonna work. You're gonna tell me everything you know. Then you're gonna go away. You'll contact me if and when you have any further information about Glory."
Just another example of the independent and strong characteristics of Buffy Summers. She is truly a strong embodiment of feminism.
Although I would love to talk more about BTVS, I will save more for later posts!
This time around I just wanted to point out the strong feminist aspects in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
A short snipped from Wikipedia:
Joss Whedon (the creator of 'Buffy')identifies himself as a feminist, and feminist themes are common in his work. For his part, Whedon credits his mother, Lee Stearns, as the inspiration for his feminist worldview. When Roseanne Barr asked him how he could write so well for women, he replied, "If you met my mom, you wouldn't ask."
Joss's feminist influences are seen throughout the entire 'Buffy' series. He once stated in an interview that he wrote 'Buffy' with the idea of combating the stereotypical 'blonde girl as a damsel in distress in horror films that is either killed or saved by a man'. He certainly achieved this goal. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a series about a young blonde girl who has the destiny to combat the forces of evil.
I must now take a short moment to apologize to everyone reading this post -- I forgot to warn you all that I am a ridiculously HUGE Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. I have all 7 seasons on DVD, t-shirts, the BTVS high-school year book from season 3, over 20 BTVS paper back novels, The entire first season on VHS as well, the BTVS video game 'chaos bleeds', A Buffy barbie doll, and several other things. Haha. Now that I've scared everyone away, I'll continue.
A lot of people credit 'Buffy' with opening up opportunities for women on TV as portraying strong, female independent characters. In the series, Buffy Summers herself isn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box (though her SAT scores in season 3 would suggest otherwise). I think Joss chose this quality for Buffy with a specific purpose in mind. A lot of Buffy's intellect isn't displayed in her school work but rather her most intelligent decisions come about when she is trying to save the world or her friends and family. Joss uses Buffy's emotions as a weapon (both figuratively and literally) as a means of 'solving the puzzle' in Buffy's battles.
Contrary to what a lot of anti-feminists proclaim, emotions - in this case - provide strength rather than weakness.
Honestly, I grew up with this series. I had been watching it from a young age (with a lot of that being without my mother's knowledge) and I think it definitely shaped a lot of my attitudes and feelings about women empowerment. 'Buffy' definitely taught me the importance of staying true to yourself and to make decisions based on how I want to make them.
I think one of my all-time favorite episodes that impacted me the most was in Season 5, episode 12 of the series.
In it, The Watchers' Council comes to Sunnydale to tell Buffy what they know about Glory, on condition that she proves herself worthy. She refuses to go through their tests, and they tell her Glory is a god. (Summary from Wikipedia)
The most relevant scenes in the episode were probably as followed (I know that this post is ridiculously long, but I PROMISE it is relevant):
1. In Buffy's history class, the teacher is discussing how Rasputin was considered nearly impossible to kill. Buffy challenges the professor to look at history from another angle, but he shoots her ideas down with scathing criticism and sarcasm, embarrassing her in front of the class. That night, Buffy complains about class to a vampire she's fighting until she is thrown off balance. Spike suddenly appears, flying over a tombstone to tackle and stake the vampire. He expects gratitude, but Buffy accuses him of getting in her way. The two then verbally attack each other.
My response: Buffy attempts to share new insights on an old perspective, and is shot down. I think she really shows that it is important to share your beliefs even if others will think they are ridiculous, because in reality there are some who agree with your beliefs and were too shy or scared to say them themselves.
Also an interesting tidbit is this part about Buffy shooting down Spike's chivalry. She shows that she is extremely independent and doesn't need a man's help, undead or not.
2. Buffy: No review. No interrogation. No questions you know I can't answer. No hoops. No jumps. (Nigel is about to speak.) No interruptions. See, I've had a lot of people talking at me in the last few days. Everyone just lining up to tell me how unimportant I am. And I've finally figured out why. Power. I have it. They don't. This bothers them. Glory came to my home today.
Giles: Buffy are you all—
Buffy: Just to talk. She told me I'm a bug, I'm a flea, she could squash me in a second. Only she didn't. She came into my home, and we talked. We had what in her warped brain probably passes for a civilized conversation. Why? Because she needs something from me. Because I have power over her. You guys didn't come all the way from England to determine whether I was good enough to be let back in. You came to beg me to let you back in. To give your jobs, your lives, some semblance of meaning.
Buffy: You're Watchers. Without a Slayer... you're pretty much just watching Masterpiece Theater. You can't stop Glory. You can't do anything with the information you have, except maybe publish it in the Everyone Thinks We're Insanos Home Journal. So here's how it's gonna work. You're gonna tell me everything you know. Then you're gonna go away. You'll contact me if and when you have any further information about Glory.
Source: http://www.buffyguide.com/episodes/checkpoint/checkpointquotes.shtml#ixzz0Ji0VUpPr&D
Relevance: This scene in this episode pretty much blew me away. Just to point out a few key things -- Glory was the 'big evil' in season 5 that Buffy had to defeat. Buffy had knowledge about something that Glory wanted. Giles was Buffy's watcher (a watcher is someone who trains slayers) until he was fired in season 3, ironically he was fired in an episode where Buffy lost her power temporarily. Nigel is a member of the Watcher's Council in England (this is the headquarters of watchers who work on supernatural research and attempt to help the Slayer -- though again, ironically, she hasn't been associated with them (unofficially) since Season 3 in the episode 'Helpless') .
I think this is an extremely important scene in the episode, if not in the series. This situation holds true in all formats globally. Anyone who has power has been ridiculed for that power. People are TERRIFIED of others that have power. They will go to great length to tear down anyone with power. We saw this with Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. Both of these women had TREMENDOUS power. As a result, they were ridiculed 24/7 because people were afraid of their power.
"You guys didn't come all the way from England to determine whether I was good enough to be let back in. You came to beg me to let you back in. To give your jobs, your lives, some semblance of meaning."
Again we see this with the media and other aspects of life. Why do we watch the news? So that we can hear other people's opinions about other people. Without those powerful people, the media has nothing to talk about.
Even in the work force, women are constantly trying to prove that they are 'good enough to be let in' to something. That's not to say that men don't strive for the same thing, but for a while women have had it harder. Without employees, businesses don't run effectively.
"So here's how it's gonna work. You're gonna tell me everything you know. Then you're gonna go away. You'll contact me if and when you have any further information about Glory."
Just another example of the independent and strong characteristics of Buffy Summers. She is truly a strong embodiment of feminism.
Although I would love to talk more about BTVS, I will save more for later posts!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
First Wave Feminism
One strategy or tactic of the First Wave was to use hunger strikes to obtain the vote for women or more support. I actually think that this would be more effective today because of the prohibition of force-feeding by the Declaration of Tokyo. Prior to this declaration – and during the first wave of feminism – women who went on hunger strikes could be force-fed to provide nourishment. Now, however, they cannot. This might allow for women to get their point across especially considering policy-makers would only have the option to appease their requests instead of force-feeding them.
I think that racism and classism definitely still divide feminist movements somewhat today. I think women who are uneducated still have their views and opinions looked down upon because they do not have a certain level of education to provide support for their ideas, which is absurd. I also think that there are too many white women in high-level positions in the feminist movement, still. There should be more African-American women, Latin-American women, Asian-American women, etc, in leadership positions within the feminist movement.
I think suffragists could have dealt with the issue of Black suffrage in a more positive way by just attempting to get both forms of suffrage ratified around the same time. The suffragists of the first wave of feminism made it seem as if one was ratified the other would never be and vice-versa, but if they were fighting for the same things then both would have definitely been ratified. In fact, it might have even proven helpful if they used examples of the ratification of one of the suffrage movements to stimulate the ratification of the other. The suffragists could have pointed out the hypocrisy of ratifying one and not the other.
I think, in order to be a successful activist in the first wave you had to be extremely charismatic and present the qualities of a leader. You can’t start a movement if you don’t step up to the plate and charm people into following you. Also, you would have to have a high level of determination and endurance. These women were all arrested and abused for decades and yet they still persevered.
I think that many young people aren’t on the radar about suffrage today because many times in history courses and what not, women’s suffrage is ‘lightly skimmed over’ unless women’s studies courses are taught at middle and high school levels, a lot of young people don’t even learn about all of these struggles unless they enroll in a course in college, and even then they have the option of whether or not to take this course.
I think that racism and classism definitely still divide feminist movements somewhat today. I think women who are uneducated still have their views and opinions looked down upon because they do not have a certain level of education to provide support for their ideas, which is absurd. I also think that there are too many white women in high-level positions in the feminist movement, still. There should be more African-American women, Latin-American women, Asian-American women, etc, in leadership positions within the feminist movement.
I think suffragists could have dealt with the issue of Black suffrage in a more positive way by just attempting to get both forms of suffrage ratified around the same time. The suffragists of the first wave of feminism made it seem as if one was ratified the other would never be and vice-versa, but if they were fighting for the same things then both would have definitely been ratified. In fact, it might have even proven helpful if they used examples of the ratification of one of the suffrage movements to stimulate the ratification of the other. The suffragists could have pointed out the hypocrisy of ratifying one and not the other.
I think, in order to be a successful activist in the first wave you had to be extremely charismatic and present the qualities of a leader. You can’t start a movement if you don’t step up to the plate and charm people into following you. Also, you would have to have a high level of determination and endurance. These women were all arrested and abused for decades and yet they still persevered.
I think that many young people aren’t on the radar about suffrage today because many times in history courses and what not, women’s suffrage is ‘lightly skimmed over’ unless women’s studies courses are taught at middle and high school levels, a lot of young people don’t even learn about all of these struggles unless they enroll in a course in college, and even then they have the option of whether or not to take this course.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Theorizing Public Policy: Why does it matter for women?
I think that the state maintains social inequality by not ratifying certain laws or upholding traditional practices regarding women. I haven’t experienced discrimination by the state, at least not that I am aware of. I think at this point in my life I haven’t really been exposed to the workings of the state because I am still being supported by my parents, so I only really hear of the problems that they have with the government.
I think that the early American assumption that citizens were white men perpetuates contemporary social inequities because we still view traditional roles as being fit for a white man. In the job market, a lot of white men hold the highest and most powerful positions within a company. Also, up until this year, a white man was always the president of the country. Although this has finally changed, it took America quite a while to be accepting of other races in the position of President of the United States.
I think that, yes, full equality can be achieved under our present system of democracy and capitalism. I think that if we are capable of having a half-African American man in office as President of the United States and two females running for the positions of President and Vice-President in the latest election, anything is possible for our society. While we still see a lot of negative aspects concerning the achievement of equality, there are just as many forces working to achieve equality for men, women, different races, homosexuals, etc.
I think that in order to create a more just state we need to reach the people, and not the politicians. It is important that people in a society know the pressing issues of that society, and are able to make informed decisions about how to deal with such issues. If we can reach the people, then we can reach equality.
I think that the early American assumption that citizens were white men perpetuates contemporary social inequities because we still view traditional roles as being fit for a white man. In the job market, a lot of white men hold the highest and most powerful positions within a company. Also, up until this year, a white man was always the president of the country. Although this has finally changed, it took America quite a while to be accepting of other races in the position of President of the United States.
I think that, yes, full equality can be achieved under our present system of democracy and capitalism. I think that if we are capable of having a half-African American man in office as President of the United States and two females running for the positions of President and Vice-President in the latest election, anything is possible for our society. While we still see a lot of negative aspects concerning the achievement of equality, there are just as many forces working to achieve equality for men, women, different races, homosexuals, etc.
I think that in order to create a more just state we need to reach the people, and not the politicians. It is important that people in a society know the pressing issues of that society, and are able to make informed decisions about how to deal with such issues. If we can reach the people, then we can reach equality.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Feminist Theory
I was not aware that there were so many different kinds of feminism. I think liberal feminism is the most persuasive because it talks about how women are unequal in society, which I completely agree with. It also talks about obtaining sexual equality for women, and I agree with this as well. I think that women ‘should’ have equality when it comes to men. I think women should especially have equality when it comes to their image in the media.
I think that the different types of feminism perpetuate or challenge myths about feminism in many different ways. The different types of feminism perpetuate myths about feminism because some of these feminist beliefs such as Marxist feminism and Radical feminism talk all about how women are treated unfairly and are oppressed, which basically makes it seem like a complaint, which perpetuates the myth that feminism is essentially just a bunch of women whining about issues, etc. However feminist beliefs such as Liberal Feminism challenges these feminist myths because it provides reasoning and understanding as to why women are treated unequally and provides solutions such as education, equal economic access, and power in order to correct this inequality.
Feminist research is different from more traditional forms of research because when feminists approach research they hope that the world will be a better place and they study different writings from women’s experiences, and they place themselves in the role of the person being researched. They also use a standpoint theory to obtain privilege over the character of gender relations.
I think that there definitely ‘is’ a such thing as a feminist method. I think that by viewing other women’s experiences and collecting historical data about women and the issues that they faced in the past, there definitely is a method for changing equality for women in the present and future.
I think that the different types of feminism perpetuate or challenge myths about feminism in many different ways. The different types of feminism perpetuate myths about feminism because some of these feminist beliefs such as Marxist feminism and Radical feminism talk all about how women are treated unfairly and are oppressed, which basically makes it seem like a complaint, which perpetuates the myth that feminism is essentially just a bunch of women whining about issues, etc. However feminist beliefs such as Liberal Feminism challenges these feminist myths because it provides reasoning and understanding as to why women are treated unequally and provides solutions such as education, equal economic access, and power in order to correct this inequality.
Feminist research is different from more traditional forms of research because when feminists approach research they hope that the world will be a better place and they study different writings from women’s experiences, and they place themselves in the role of the person being researched. They also use a standpoint theory to obtain privilege over the character of gender relations.
I think that there definitely ‘is’ a such thing as a feminist method. I think that by viewing other women’s experiences and collecting historical data about women and the issues that they faced in the past, there definitely is a method for changing equality for women in the present and future.
Friday, June 19, 2009
What is a woman?
My own personal cultural context consisted of things such as being raised with Barbie dolls, the fisher price plastic kitchen play set and easy-bake ovens. Although these were admittedly fun, I never quite realized how much these toys shaped my path towards womanhood. In module three, we learned about parents buying toys geared towards a particular gender (ie: dolls for girls and dinosaurs for boys). I didn’t realize how true that was until I examined the types of things that I played with as a young girl. I definitely have my ideas of what defines the female gender vs. the male gender and these ideas were definitely shaped by childhood experiences and even some experiences as a young adult.
The dominant notions of masculinity and femininity in US society go hand-in-hand with what I have been mentioning from the start – the media. I honestly think that – while tradition and culture plays a significant role in gender definitions – the media has an even greater influence in modern day society in deeming the male and female gender for what they really are. There are too many times where we see commercials of young girls playing with a new Barbie doll or young boys playing with transformers or super soakers. Even with battery-controlled vehicles for young kids, gender makes an appearance. Usually they promote green jeeps for young boys and pink corvette ‘Barbie’ cars for girls.
People learn to ‘do’ gender in part by how they were raised and in part by how society influences their lifestyles from a young age all the way into adulthood. It’s not something that just happens spontaneously. People just don’t wake up and decide that Barbies are for girls and dinosaurs are for boys. These ideas are set in place by parents who buy gender specific toys for their young children. Scientists are always telling us that children learn the most at a very young age because they pick up on things easily. That being said, it’s no surprise that they are easily influenced into believing that the dinosaur or the Barbie is the toy that was meant for them. I’m almost certain that if a girl was raised with dinosaurs and space ships she would probably associate more with interests that are labeled ‘male specific’.
Some sources where I learned to do gender are, as I mentioned, from my parents and from watching TV and reading magazines. I know, based on magazines and life experiences, that when I am asked to attend a formal event I should show up in a dress or skirt of some sort. If I showed up in a suit or a tux I would probably receive bewildered stares.
I think that gender ranking reinforces sexism because it places the value of the male gender above that of the female gender, which is essentially what sexism does as well. Sexism is all about favoring one gender over the other. Gender ranking is all about favoring one gender over the other. I think that both concepts are extremely similar.
The dominant notions of masculinity and femininity in US society go hand-in-hand with what I have been mentioning from the start – the media. I honestly think that – while tradition and culture plays a significant role in gender definitions – the media has an even greater influence in modern day society in deeming the male and female gender for what they really are. There are too many times where we see commercials of young girls playing with a new Barbie doll or young boys playing with transformers or super soakers. Even with battery-controlled vehicles for young kids, gender makes an appearance. Usually they promote green jeeps for young boys and pink corvette ‘Barbie’ cars for girls.
People learn to ‘do’ gender in part by how they were raised and in part by how society influences their lifestyles from a young age all the way into adulthood. It’s not something that just happens spontaneously. People just don’t wake up and decide that Barbies are for girls and dinosaurs are for boys. These ideas are set in place by parents who buy gender specific toys for their young children. Scientists are always telling us that children learn the most at a very young age because they pick up on things easily. That being said, it’s no surprise that they are easily influenced into believing that the dinosaur or the Barbie is the toy that was meant for them. I’m almost certain that if a girl was raised with dinosaurs and space ships she would probably associate more with interests that are labeled ‘male specific’.
Some sources where I learned to do gender are, as I mentioned, from my parents and from watching TV and reading magazines. I know, based on magazines and life experiences, that when I am asked to attend a formal event I should show up in a dress or skirt of some sort. If I showed up in a suit or a tux I would probably receive bewildered stares.
I think that gender ranking reinforces sexism because it places the value of the male gender above that of the female gender, which is essentially what sexism does as well. Sexism is all about favoring one gender over the other. Gender ranking is all about favoring one gender over the other. I think that both concepts are extremely similar.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Just as an interesting side note to the below post...
I am currently watching episode ten of season four of Sex and the City. In this particular episode, the four girls (Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha) are discussing how women can not show their emotions in their jobs. Samantha went on a interview with a successful business man who basically told her that she couldn't handle the job herself and should consider partnering with a male. Samantha's story sparked a conversation between the women in the following scene where Miranda revealed that her partners at her law firm were constantly worried that she would be upset and cry over a legal briefing. When questioned if she ever had, Miranda responded that yes she did, but in the privacy of her own home. Charlotte then revealed that she cried once at her gallery, and the rest of her time working there was spent with her employees and employers worrying that they would upset her. Carrie revealed that she 'fake cried' to her editor when she missed a deadline, and her editor gave her sympathy and let her go.
Samantha said, and I quote "A guy gets angry in a meeting and he's a pistol. A women gets angry, and she's emotional."
A further (amusing) line from Samantha was, "What does he think I'm going to do? Get my period and ruin his empire?"
To which Miranda responded, "Yes! Some business men are so threatened by strong business women that they have to make them a woman again. Hence, you're too emotional."
I just thought this was an interesting tidbit from the series, especially since it currently relates to what we are discussing in this course!
Samantha said, and I quote "A guy gets angry in a meeting and he's a pistol. A women gets angry, and she's emotional."
A further (amusing) line from Samantha was, "What does he think I'm going to do? Get my period and ruin his empire?"
To which Miranda responded, "Yes! Some business men are so threatened by strong business women that they have to make them a woman again. Hence, you're too emotional."
I just thought this was an interesting tidbit from the series, especially since it currently relates to what we are discussing in this course!
What is women's studies?
I definitely consider myself to be a feminist. Probably even more so after listening/reading the second module. It makes me extremely elated to know that women now have so many more opportunities to obtain a well-paying job when they graduate. It is also satisfying to know that women now have the opportunity to show the magnitude of their skills and the impetus that they have to achieve leadership positions.
I would define feminism as society’s process of obtaining equal opportunities for women and women. I would also define it as the integration of women’s modern cultural and intellectual characteristics into all aspects of society. It is the process of shaping and redefining society’s view of women as a whole.
This course appealed to me specifically because I knew it would try to expand on questions that I, myself, had been trying to answer for years. Questions such as: Why are women still viewed negatively in the media, when they are viewed positively in the work force? Why is society as a whole still not completely accepting of women and their modern-day roles in society? I wanted to find out these answers, and discover some of the root issues that cause these problems and similar problems in modern society.
I don’t have any fears or anxieties about this course. I do, however, have many expectations. I wanted to learn a lot about women’s image not only in the past, but in the present – where it is most important – as well. I want to learn about the different ways in which society is trying to make efforts into changing the image of a woman. I want to learn about the different ways in which the media affects a woman’s image.
I think a lot of negative stereotypes of feminism are that feminists are basically just emotionally-charged women that only complain about their roles in different aspects of society, and I think this is just not true.
I don’t think that equality between the sexes has been achieved. I certainly think that there has been a significant break through in achieving more rights for women, but overall I think there are still areas that need a lot of improvement. For example, there are still a lot of television programs that portray women in a negative light. There are some dramas on TV where women are seen as being sexually adventurous, and only interested in sex. Yet again, there are many TV programs that have started to accept the powerful aspects and characteristics of women (ie: Bones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, etc.). I think that some of these television shows attempt to portray women as being strong, individual characters, but in reality a male ends up coming to their rescue, much like in the television programs of the 1950s or earlier.
Outside of the media, I think that women are achieving equal rights in comparison to men. I honestly think the main issue that needs to be addressed is that of the media. There is a ridiculous amount of influence within the media that can easily alter the opinions of a society that comes from all different backgrounds. What one statement means to an upper or middle-class well-educated family can mean something completely different to a lower-class and not as well-educated family. There has to be a regulation of some sort stronger than the FCC that can balance the influence of the media on society.
I would define feminism as society’s process of obtaining equal opportunities for women and women. I would also define it as the integration of women’s modern cultural and intellectual characteristics into all aspects of society. It is the process of shaping and redefining society’s view of women as a whole.
This course appealed to me specifically because I knew it would try to expand on questions that I, myself, had been trying to answer for years. Questions such as: Why are women still viewed negatively in the media, when they are viewed positively in the work force? Why is society as a whole still not completely accepting of women and their modern-day roles in society? I wanted to find out these answers, and discover some of the root issues that cause these problems and similar problems in modern society.
I don’t have any fears or anxieties about this course. I do, however, have many expectations. I wanted to learn a lot about women’s image not only in the past, but in the present – where it is most important – as well. I want to learn about the different ways in which society is trying to make efforts into changing the image of a woman. I want to learn about the different ways in which the media affects a woman’s image.
I think a lot of negative stereotypes of feminism are that feminists are basically just emotionally-charged women that only complain about their roles in different aspects of society, and I think this is just not true.
I don’t think that equality between the sexes has been achieved. I certainly think that there has been a significant break through in achieving more rights for women, but overall I think there are still areas that need a lot of improvement. For example, there are still a lot of television programs that portray women in a negative light. There are some dramas on TV where women are seen as being sexually adventurous, and only interested in sex. Yet again, there are many TV programs that have started to accept the powerful aspects and characteristics of women (ie: Bones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, etc.). I think that some of these television shows attempt to portray women as being strong, individual characters, but in reality a male ends up coming to their rescue, much like in the television programs of the 1950s or earlier.
Outside of the media, I think that women are achieving equal rights in comparison to men. I honestly think the main issue that needs to be addressed is that of the media. There is a ridiculous amount of influence within the media that can easily alter the opinions of a society that comes from all different backgrounds. What one statement means to an upper or middle-class well-educated family can mean something completely different to a lower-class and not as well-educated family. There has to be a regulation of some sort stronger than the FCC that can balance the influence of the media on society.
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