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.