Quick Blog 6

I rarely interact with young people. I do interact with people within a range of 20 years of me, not including my extended family. I very much wish I had more interactions with elderly and young people, for the way they perceive the world is much different than generations closer to me, and I feel that we can all learn from their ideas and thoughts.

Young adults and middle-adults are often looked at as the most with-it and up-to-date versus older adults and children. Although certain aspects of this may be true, there are many other factors of intelligence that people who discriminate against those of age miss out on. Like I said earlier, there are a lot of different perspectives we can learn from and when ignoring certain ones we are not making the best out of a wide range of ideas.

I feel that we need to start listening to people not just out of respect but really listen. We will develop a wider range of knowledge when understanding different people’s perspectives. I often see people listening to elders and children and merely just smiling and nodding to be polite, when what they are saying could be a lot more significant. Even if technology changes over the years, the general ideas of how to interact in life doesn’t, and elders have lived the most, therefore most likely have the most experience in how to be successful in life.

Final Blog

I can greatly relate to Arminio’s article Waking up White. Arminio states, “It was [being white] part of my identity—an identity that was socially constructed in part, but my identity nonetheless.”

Growing up, like Arminio, I never actually realized I was white. I mean I knew I was white, but I didn’t realize the identity that came along with my white supremacy. I grew up in Derry, NH and I can’t say that I remember growing up with any other ethnicities. Therefore, I tended to go along with many predetermined stereotypes; ideas that I saw on TV and heard from others.

As I started to take more classes that touched upon difference in society, I realized that I first needed to change my own views to become another member of society. I realized the least I can do would be one less negative member of my culture, and, instead, a positive one. What I would like to achieve is to be not only a positive member but I positive voice. This is something that will not only be a big job for anyone, but a major challenge for me. I have a big voice but a difficult time trying to persuade people. I think a good start is to stay strong with your own voice and soon people will see the positive affect it has on others and want to follow.

Even though I am only one person, it takes one person at a time to make a difference.

Activism

In the article Johnson titled “What can we do?”, there was a particular quote that sums up my beliefs of the strongest about what makes a good activist. “As you become more aware, questions will arise about what goes on at work, in the media, in families, in communities, in religious institutions, in government, on the street, and at school—in short, just about everywhere.”

While many people attempt to convert people’s opinions and beliefs I do think that the greatest problem in society is awareness. I have been privileged to take this course and courses like this, that have opened my eyes up to other’s views and sides of stories I have not realized existed. Yet, most aren’t that privileged. I do feel as though we can’t force people to think a certain way, but a majority of the problem is not that people won’t change the way they think, it is that they aren’t aware of the negative effects of their thoughts and actions.

Confidence and acceptance are traits I look for in any leader. When people are brought up in a particular culture they are taught to understand everything a certain way. Despite the feeling that many of us get when speaking to key contributors to the “isms”, getting certain people to understand different views is an intricate and sensitive process. To open their eyes, a leader needs to make them feel reassured during the discomfort of acceptance, and show them how to accept others in a pace that is fitting for their social environment.

I particularly enjoyed Naomi Klein’s clip on when she become an activist. One thing that she said was that after a massacre of women took place, she was no longer able to not be a feminist “she could no longer be neutral.” The statement showed me that it was something in her that was powerful enough to be part of her, not just a choice she made that can be taken back at any given moment.

blog 13

When I first read the topic of this unit, I thought adultism referred to the mistreatment of old people. I obviously have not heard of this issue before.

After reading Bell’s article, Understanding Adultism, I now have a better understanding of Adultism. In fact, I have experienced it myself many times.

Not too long ago I remember waiters treating my friends and me with a sense of resentment for no reason at all. It is a common belief that younger customers will either order cheap, leave little or no tip or both.

When I started working in retail I found myself going along with the same beliefs. When a teenager would walk into the store I would assume it wouldn’t be that big of a sale, and although I was never actually rude to them, I most likely did not give them the same amount of attention I would give another customer. My boss once said something that stuck with me. She said “the truth is that even though we look at younger customers as not having a lot of potential as customers, they are the ones with their parents money and no bills to pay.”.

So, do I consider myself an Adultist? I believe that everyone who goes along with the common beliefs of society, as well as everyone that is unaware of this problem.

Gimp

In one of my communication classes a theorist named Elkin suggested that all images of the body was beautiful and distorted in its own way. When I thought more about that statement, it struck me for a never thought of it that way before. Who says that there is a certain way our body should look and function for it to be considered normal?

The Gimp performers showed that they are not , in fact, unable, but in their own way more able. The way most of our bodies are formed would never allow us to perform in such a way. Therefore, while many would consider them as having a handicap, perhaps the majority of people have a handicap that does not allow them to do what these people are succeeding in doing. This realization on its own greatly effects the progression of the issues of disability.

Wendell had one quote in particular that stood out to me in the article The Social Construction of Disability. “…subtle cultural factors that determine standards of normality and exclude those who do not meet them from full participation in their societies.” From the way that architecture is structured, to the way that society labels people of disability, culture creates subtle hints to why certain people don’t qualify as normal.

Quick Blog 5

View or read one of the items in my diary on feminist anti-pornography. Do you agree with the message in the article/video?  Why or why not?  Do you believe pornography is contributing to the way men see women sexually?  Does pornography further the problems of sexism and misogyny? Why does so much pornography present women in a degrading manner and how might this impact young men who are consuming these images? Discuss whether you agree or disagree with the feminist critique of pornography...
I don't think there is anything wrong with sexuality being viewed through film. In fact I think it is quite liberating. That is, if the way sexuality was portrayed in films was not so degrading to women.

The message most pornography gives off is that females like to be dominated. It is another spectacle created by the male white surpremacy, and creates an image of how women like to be treated during sex.

The people in pornography are actors. Yet, there are not many sources for young boys to learn how to pleasure a woman. Therefore, when young men see these actors finding pleasure in the male-dominating acts, they are brainwashed into seeing it as reality.

Often the woman is portrayed as the damsel in distress, or the slaves. It is important for women to be portrayed as strong and equal, not the image of weak and helplessness that they have been trying so hard to stray from.

transfeminism

To be honest, when the article “Trans Woman Manifesto” began talking about trans women and men, I was wondering whether a trans women was one that was born as a societal depicted male or female. This made me realize how naïve I am about the subject, and how much I needed to learn.

One thing that caught my eye, was when the article read, “each individual has the right to define her or his own identities and to expect society to respect them”. That one statement is something that can be applied to anyone. The truth is, its going to be a very long time before people’s minds can all be on the same level of understanding, but respect is another thing all together. Respect is something that should be given to anyone who deserves it, no matter how they see themselves.

It is hard to me to take that groups such as feminists, who fight so much for equality, have a difficult time accepting transgender people. The concept of transfeminism is great in a sense that it creates a space for transgender women, but at the same time it is sad for this space should not have to be created. People who fight for the freedom and equality of women, should fight for all women, not what they think of as a “normal” woman.

Process Piece

The idea for my process piece was almost instant. I knew I wanted to chose the ism sexism, for it was something I have focused and thought about greatly throughout my life.
The most difficult thing for me was the technolgy aspect. I have never actually created a movie out of slides, so I needed a lot of help understanding how the formats worked. Once I learned this, I am glad I know for this is useful knowledge.
I am very proud of how my video came out. I needed to find the perfect, up to date commercials to show to fully prove my point of how gender specific toys are still effecting society today. I actually changed which videos I wanted to use multiple times, and would have loved to show a lot more if it wasn't for the time constraint. It's amazing how many sexist commercials that are out there.
I hope by showing current and real media examples my point of sexist messages to children will be more accurately portrayed.

Quick Blog #4

The funny thing is, anyone would be able to make the same record Willow did, she was just famous therefore had excellent producers.

It is funny that whipping hair and makeup has transformed into something we now consider sexual. It is sad that we have so many different conotations of things, but at the same time we do need to acknowledge they exsist. Willow is not exactly the best role model, for little girls may stop and think, oh she's my age, I should be able to wear that. Then again, many little girls want to look like the older girls anyway.

Where is the limit between creepy young actors and singers and just young?
I think we just hit it.

An analysis of « Where Men are Men and Women are Trespassers »

An analysis of « Where Men are Men and Women are Trespassers »

It always bothered me that I worked ten times harder at school, yet the football player who sat next to me in English class who didn’t even put one once of effort into his school work, got a full boat to the same college I worked to get into. I will admit it does make sense. Colleges like money, and sports teams bring in money. The better the team, the more money. The better the player, the more likely he will get easy access to any college he would like.

To be honest, that isn’t even what makes me the most upset. It is, as the article stated, a place where boys can be boys and females can attempt to live up to the boys.

Until the article suggest otherwise, I didn’t realize how strange it was that males playing sports expressed themselves in a way that would otherwise be considered “gay” or “faggy”. Looking back, I have always noticed my friends on the football team writing as their Facebook status’ comments such as “I love my team mates”. Another example would be when  sports players pat each other on their butts. I couldn’t imagine any other male writing “I love my roommates”, or patting their male friends on their butts. It is like a protected land, a land where nothing can reduce their manliness for they are involved in the ultimate manly activity.

Maybe she's born with it?

This isn’t the first time I have watched each of the films, nor that first time I have been frustrated with this topic. It is challenging for it seems like something that we need every single person in on to control, yet considering most of ignorant of the effects of capitalism and sexism, this may never be solved. In consumer capitalism, products are marketed to enhance particular characteristics and features that have become a symbol of meaning in our society. Killing Us Softly and  Tough Guise sucessful portray how men and women are expected to look in society through marketing.

My video project takes on a lot of this concept, yet I will only briefly touch upon that. The use of toys in advertising suggests that certain toys are meant for girls and boys.

One adult advertisement that has always struck me was Maybelline. Its slogan reads, “maybe she’s born with it, or maybe its Maybelline”. Its catchy, yet I have always found it humorous. It is suggesting that the woman could be naturally attractive or else she is wearing a good cover up (I meant that in both senses of the word.)

This marketing shows that women need to look a certain way to be appealing, and this is often by changing their natural appearance. The beauty industry takes in about 1 million dollars in profit yearly.

Many sportswear commercials show both males and females playing sports and using the same product. I feel that this is one of the cloesest examples I can get to a gender equality advertisement.

9/11 affects

How does religion and religious oppression play out in the documentary? How does the image of religious freedom and rhetoric of religious tolerance promoted in the U.S. clash with what actually happened to racial and religious minorities after 9/11?

We are supposably a country that accepts diversity. We, in fact, find pride in being a diverse, unique nation. When our nation was first forming we fought very strongly for religious freedom. 

Yet, there are still many prejudices and false steriotypes created around people of different religious beliefs. 

I recently read an article that studied the effects of how Muslim people chose to portray themselves before and after 9/11. The studies shows that before 9/11 most of these Muslims described the Muslim culture of being family oriented with good communications and family values. Post 9/11, the ways in which the Muslim people described their culture very much changed. Instead of talking about family values, they were persistant on where exactly they came from, most likely defending the terroist beliefs. 

In fear of what we do not know, the US nation has resorted to blaming anything we can. A nation that has a story of unity and diversity now signals out certain people because of the religion they practice, even though it is vaguely associated with 9/11.

quick blog 3: retails ranking

1. Describe an experience where you were privileged or advantaged due to your class/socio-economic status.






When I go to stores or restaurants I do tend to notice that I am given extra attention. My family in particular is a white, mid to upper-class family, and these things don't go un-noticed. Extra service and attention tends to come my way, for many feel that we are the ones who are going to be able to make more purchases in the long run. Ironically enough, my parents are pretty frugal!

2. Describe an experience where your were oppressed or disadvantaged due to your class/socio-economic status.


I have noticed in particular stores, more often designer stores, that I have not received great service. To be honest, I can only afford to browse these $900 dresses anyway, but just the assumption that I wouldn't be able to make any purchases there was very apparent to me.
3. Write about an experience where you witnessed an incident of classism (remark, behavior, attitude) and your reaction to it.
I worked in retail for many years, and I have to say I very much can not defend the idea that store associates do keep an eye on certain races of people. Many times when someone came in with an accent or a color of skin different from white, my managers had mentioned they looked suspicious, or asked the store employees to keep an eye on them.

Class

These are some very challenging questions. I am very lucky to be brought up in a household where I never had to struggle with finance worries. Yet, down the street there was a trailer park.

Now, I was a slightly sheltered child, so I didn't realize that there was anything different about the perception of their living situation until I started riding the bus in the first grade. These kids were made fun of for their appearance and living situation, and I began to realize that we were seen as different.

Later in my life, my first boyfriend's family greatly struggled with money. His mother was a high school teacher, and father almost non-existent in his life. Before him, I was under the impression that children should have no part in financial worries, but I was certainly wrong. I even remember offering to give him some of my own money, and now I wonder whether he could of found that insulting despite my good intentions.

People don't want to talk about class simply because its easier to ignore. It is much easier to make stereotypes about certain classes of people than to acknowledge solutions to our dramatic bridges between classes.

To encourage discussions of class, children need to be taught before they adapt to other's intentions. Get them while they are young and let them make their own judgements instead of listening to others.

Jane Elliot Experiment: Blog 6

To be completely honest, I myself wish I was privileged to experience that Jane Elliot blue-eye brown-eye experiment. There is truly no other way to understand how a person feels unless you feel that way yourself, and even in this case the children still knew they were part of a lesson, therefore did not thoroughly obtain the benefits.

I was born and raised in New Hampshire and still live here to this day. It was not as if I had a particularly negative image of African Americans growing up, it was if I more often had no opinion at all. I went to a school in Southern NH that had about 5,000 students, and perhaps 3% of those students were African American.

Children are not born with any sort of prejudice. Therefore, it is their media and social experiences that cause them to form a particular opinion. Perhaps if children were taught what it feels like early, they would be more apt to grow in a society where they can suppress the negative stereotypes, and form opinions in a more constructive manner. It is sad we have to attempt to undo the bias beliefs, it should be something that is understood from the start.

One of my favorite 1950's LEGIT magazine articles

1950's Good Wife Guide

As much as it seems like we are living in a very sexist world, we certainly have come a long way.

I have know about this article for a few years now, and everytime I read it, it still baffels me.
Although we have come a long way, this article certainly shows what sexist ideology our culture has about women being the inferior beings.

Is Chilvary Dead or Equal Rights Alive?

Ironically enough, earlier today, my mother asked me if my boyfriend was "old-fashioned" towards me. When I asked her what she meant by "old-fashioned", she responded with "well, does he respect you?".

Needless to say I didn't answer my mother's question. Not because he doesn't respect me, but because I hope that men have grown to respect women more in more recent times. 

I find myself wanting my significant other to open the door for me, buy me flowers, and pay for the bill (well, in that case, no one really wants to pay for the bill haha). Yet, when I think about it, is this a contradiction for the equal rights I have always desired? Is society's meaning of "chivalry" a contradiction to rights?

In Johnson's reading, he discusses a woman who found that the "opening-door ritual" did more for men than for women. She believed it was symbolic of a male-dominance, and showed that the woman couldn't open the door for herself.

When it comes down to it, people do not want to take the blame. They are innocent because they didn't know any better. They are innocent because it is not sexism, it is chivalry. They are innocent because they didn't mean it.

So, if one person murders another person, and doesn't mean it, are they considered innocent?

Video Project Treatment

It didn't take me long to figure out exactly what I wanted to do for my video project. I was inspired from my post the day we watching the Mark Kimmel presentation. I blogged about children's toys and how they are influential for children's future gender roles.

When I started to research more, what I found was even more appalling.

I collected a series of children's television commercials, advertising the following: Barbie, toy vacuum, toy mower, baking set, and action figures. The messages were very much influenced by pre-conceived sexism beliefs. At one point, while advertising the vacuum, the little girl was exciting to "help mom clean around that house."

I am mainly going to use quotes and ideas from Kimmel's presentation, along with my opinion of gender bias toys. Along with commercials, I will use sections from toy's websites that have been sections off into "girl toys" and "boys toys".

Taking it one step further, I will use Kimmel's thoughts along with solid statistics on topics such on eating disorders, and violence rates to show a correlation between what the toys are influencing, and adult behavior.

The one thing I am really worried about is producing this into a movie. Although I am using a PowerPoint format, this process of making it into a film is very new to me, yet when I understand it further I know it will be very useful.

I have already created an outline for my project and plan to complete a rough video by this weekend. Over the next week I plan to perfect the video with special effects and quotes.

I feel that showing the world media content that is right under their nose will greatly benefit their understanding of sexism.

Please let me know if you have any comments or further ideas of how I can enhance my project!

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is a Feminist as much as Madonna was. While all their intentions are good, there is always a fine line between freedom of sexuality and sexual objects? Does Lady Gaga feel that she is more liberated when dressing in less closes and singing about sexuality so liberally? Perhaps, if the media has not created sexuality into being a male's pleasure, it could be enjoyed more freely on both ends.

Blog 4: Dressing in Power

Is power something we are born feeling entitled with, or something that we are taught that we are entitled to?

I have heard of the Stanford prison experiment before, and it still amazes me. I can not picture myself in any circumstance really forgetting who I am and taking a role that seriously. I almost wonder exactly what the psychologist was looking to find when putting on this experiment.

In society we have been taught that someone in a uniform is of higher power. This person has control, and tends to be something that is feared. I believe this subject was chosen for this class because it does not only relate to a jail cell, but to any subject that feels the right to power. On the same level, when a white person is born, do they automatically feel as though they should have more authority than others? Does a Caucasian baby crawl around the African American babies feeling entitled? No, this sense of dominance comes along with their own uniform, the uniform of white skin, and the language that is constructed overtime of what that color of skin stands for in society.  

At one point in the video they discuss the boundary between reality and make believe. As a society, a uniform would mean nothing to us if we did not create it as something. It is something that is learned and passed down, and within that a meaning is created. The Stanford prison experiment actually quite frightens me, not exactly because of how irrationally the participants acted, but how strong of a meaning, simple things, like a title, or a uniform have taken in our society.

Blog 3: Barbies are from mars and G.I. Joe's are from Venus

To be honest, I do feel like men are from Mars at times. Yet, I have to admit I am stuck between whether I should agree with Kimmel or Gray. So why have 18 million copies of Gray’s book been sold? Instead of making the effort to understand a significant other, I find myself blaming them on being a “stupid boy”.

Yet, if you walk into a toy store, look at the packaging the toys come in. The Barbies, jewelry, fake cooking sets, Baby dolls, and pretend vacuums all have little girls on the packaging. Products such as swords, cars and action figures have young boys featured on its packaging. Is this because boys and girls were previously attracted to their segregated items or because they are taught through this distribution that these are the correct products for them?  I struggle with the nature versus nurture argument in every form.

I very much enjoyed the discussion distributed by Mark Kimmel. He brought up issues, that as a female, I struggle with myself.  For example, he says that recently women have not found the need to choose between their family and their job. I want both. Yet, although I want both I am not sure how I am going to be able to balance both. Even though I feel that I should be able to have both in this “equal” environment, for some reason I still feel as though it is me, as a mother’s, responsibility to make sure the children and the household is taken care of, not the father’s.  Like Kimmel said, “college men subscribe to the same ideology of masculinity that they did years ago.”

Feminism Blog 2

As the video explained in multiple different opinions, the idea of feminism has taking many different routes from its initial intentions. Originally, during the woman's rights movement, women fought for the right of equality, especially for the right to vote. Our nation, and many nations has formed a reality around voting and that it establishes people are legitimate. Without your right to have a voice and a opinion, how are you considered an actual person, instead of someone who us owned by another. Women were seen as property of their husbands. Their opinions did not matter for it was their husbands that did not only them but their right to vote.

I do believe that from voting, to equal job opportunities, to equal pay rights, women have always fought for the right to equality, which should be the real definition of feminism. Over the years, it has transformed into this idea that feminists are “bra burners”, men-haters, or angry lesbians. As a heterosexual female, this angers me for I don't understand why wanting equality with males makes us hate them at all. To admire males we can't love ourselves as well?

I don't think that feminism is in decline. It is still slowly inclining, but at this point, like I mentioned earlier in this blog, can only grow more when society itself grows in our genres. Its a strong subject that needs a lot of backup.

Day 1: Madonna The White Surpremacist

Media is society's main source to the outside world, therefore their source of knowledge. As Johnson said, through knowledge people created a perception of themselves; their original perception becomes obsolete. Therefore, when Bell Hook describes the white surpremacist effect, I wholeheartedly agree.
Not that I blame them. "Them" being the rapers that rap with foul language, or the women that show way too much cleavage. It is as if someone came up to you one day and said: "This is how you get noticed. This is how to make people like you.". Only that someone is the media and the media transforms all the minds of its society, making this ideology partly true.
Males run the media. Therefore male power is portrayed in the media. Bell Hooks suggests that while males brainwash the people of lower social status then them.
Madonna preached female power, but then got sold out in a world of sex. By portraying women in a way that they are slaves to the male sexual desires is giving them a lesser power. Madonna originated as a powerful, righteous women and transformed into a sex object.

Therefore, I do agree with Hook’s assertions. People learn through what they see and if what they see is a powerful woman only obtaining her power through her sexuality, than that is what they believe it to be. Over and over again we are showed sexist images and over and over again we brainwashed to believed these are the norm.