January 21, 2011: Question O

Throughout the past three weeks, we have learned about many different forms of prejudice and how it is influenced and even perpetuated by power and privilege. In a fight for socio-cultural equality for everybody, it takes more than just talking about it and educating yourself and others about the many different issues of discrimination. After learning more about many of the different ‘isms’ we face today, I always found myself responding in my blogs saying, ‘I think this needs to be discussed more so people are more aware of it.’ Although I did find myself talking about it with friends, their responses weren’t out of the ordinary. Usually among the lines of, ‘yeah, I know, that is so unfair.’ But what does that do? Nothing. So what then? What can we do?

Any type of change takes time and the efforts of all. Even though I can’t force a change of attitude among a person, I can use my own life to reason to him or her why the world should be a better place, free of prejudice, discrimination, and power and privilege too. I think by changing your own attitude, its easy to have an influence on the attitudes of others, isn’t that how trends are started to begin with? I think we should all make the effort to start a new trend, a trend free of discrimination and constructed of equality among all people. In her video, ‘How Does Change Happen?’, Angela Davis talks about how the pattern of racism was altered as more and more people discussed how it shouldn’t be that way. The more you talk abou how the pattern should be changed, the more people start to notice and think about it. I think we should all work towards setting a new trend of equality and privilege for all members of an ever-changing socio-cultural world.

Quick Blog #6

1.) My social sphere sort of lacks elderly people. All four of my grandparents have passed away already. My mom’s parents both live in Sweden, never learned English, and although we did communicate through some broken English and Swedish, both died before I was 10 and since they lived in Sweden, I only met them four times. My dad’s parents were a much bigger part of my life, we saw them from time to time because they lived in Minnesota, but not as much as I would have liked. Throughout high school I volunteered at the nursing home that was next door to our high school. I have to admit, I did it for my college applications, but I can’t say I didn’t learn valuable lessons throughout my experiences. I also played piano for a nursing town in my home town growing up three times a year for many years.
2.) I think that young people and old people are marginalized because we grew up so differently. They grew up in very different households, in comparison to our internet-television-crazed generation. They think we are disrespectful and we think they are ‘old’ and ‘boring’. It gives middle aged people the privilege because people assume its their generation that we are living in, they are the doctors working in hospitals, the lawyers, construction workers, engineers, businessmen etc… Old people are sort of kicked out of the bigger view as they participate less and less, but that doesn’t mean that they do not deserve their own privilege and place in our society.
3.) I think the only way to promote generation integration is to talk about it. People are often comepletely unaware this form of discrimination even exists, as I knew almost nothing about it before giving it deeper thought. We have to challenge the normative stereotypes people place upon different generations, for our generation, our parents, and the elderly. We should all feel like have a place in OUR world.

January 20, 2011: Question N

I think a good activist must be determined, motivated, selfless, fearless, but also relentless; a good activist takes many different qualities. However, I believe it takes more than just a list of qualities to define a good activist. A strong and influential activist must have many different attributes that personify their passion for change and revolution, going beyond a mere desire for change through protest and speaking out. An effective activist must convey a deeper passion towards bettering our world’s prejudices and fighting for equality, as fighting for change takes persistence and uncompromised pursuit.

There are many admirable activists, the first that always comes to mind for me is bell hooks. After learning more about her beliefs and notions, I think she is so commendable and has conveyed so many meaningful and powerful messages. Standing up for the power of a woman, she is. After learning more about activism in itself and the many other activists there are out there, Howard Zinn stood out to me in particular. Giving proof to his very own notion that ‘activism is more than just a word’, he has fought for equality and change in our world for decades, in so many different ways. He stood up for what be believed in, and despite the consequences, refused to give up. I think that it was makes a powerful activist; someone who is proactively working towards standing up for what they believe in, no matter what, and overcome all rebuttals with fearlessness.

January 19, 2011: Question M

I think that ageism exists because it is such a inconsistent form of discrimination. I think the roots of ageism exist in a sense that people experience age different as they grow old are indifferent to its harsh reality. While other forms of discrimination, race, or gender, are all constant for the ones being discriminated against as they fight to overcome it, ageism changes. As people get older as they suddenly start to experience that their age is beginning to transform into some type of burden and all of a sudden, they experience the prejudices of an ageist society. Ageism is easy to overlook because you experience it in such different forms throughout your life. Suddenly, you’re old and depend upon others for things you never thought you would need help with, like taking a shower or making yourself a meal. I feel like people don’t realize just how unfortunate it is that we do life in an ageist society, until it’s too late.

I’m torn between whether or not I would call myself an ageist. From the time I was in second grade through graduating high school I took piano lessons. We had six recitals each year. Three were for our families, and three were for the elderly at a nursing home. Each recital, the same elderly people would come and watch us and appreciated it so much. I even got to know a few of them once our faces became more and more familiar. I guess because of my experience with the elderly and my grandparents I have sort of always had a soft spot for the elderly. When I was in ninth and tenth grade I volunteered at two different elderly homes. I admit, my parents sort of made me, but in the end I really appreciated the valuable lessons I gained throughout my experiences. I feel like people often forget about this ism because people don’t realize how discrimination effects the elderly. We are all aware that sexism and racism exists, but no one ever really considers ageism until it is affecting them directly. I think people need to think more carefully about the small prejudices that they often don’t even realize. For example, how everyone complains about the elderly driving so slow. Just the other day, my sister and I were driving and saw this elderly woman going 60 mph in a 40, cranking a cig, and blasting music. We both looked at each other and said, “did you just see that?” Thinking back on that moment now makes me realize how people always portray elderly people the same, when that really isn’t so. I’m glad I got to learn a little bit more about ageism, because I think it’s important that people realize it’s impact, as it too often goes unnoticed.

January 12, 2011 Question L: The Social Construction of Disability

This video was very empowering as it artistically stood up for moving beyond the notions of the human body in its cultural existence of ‘perfection’, proving that people with disabilities can exist within societal ‘perfection’, as they too exists within our cultural environment and perfection is simply inexistent. In Susan Wendell’s article, The Social Construction of Disability, she explains how subtle cultural factors that determine a ‘standard of normality’ and exclude those who do not meet these standards. (pg. 477) This video creates the image that people with disabilities can move beyond these notions and overcome these standards, as the physical conditions of our society foolishly repudiate the worth of an individual’s own idea of perfection and power. As people personify what the ‘perfect’ dancer is, we cannot forget that our world is so multifaceted, and perfection is indefinable. Our society cannot overcome the obsession with ‘perfection’, and it seemingly enables a cycle of progressive prejudice. The issues of disability lie stagnant as the notion of perfection overpowers our culture. Wendell goes on to explain how our society cyclically perpetuates these notions, as disability becomes more and more socially constructed through the failure and willingness to create ability between everybody, even those who do not fit the physical or mental profile of what’s physically ‘paradign’, leaving the issues of disability unaddressed and selfishly unattended for. (pg 179)

quick blog 5

The message that I got from the “Dead Porn Stars Memorial” video was how tragically exposed individuals in the porn business are to deaths involving drugs, alcohol, murder, and suicide. My personal knowledge has led me to believe how pornography represents sex and violence in such a cohesive way that they practically go hand in hand. Even the media portrays sex and violence in this way whether it’s through advertising, television shows, or music. Typically, women are shown as vulnerable objects that are aiming to please while the men are the dominant figure—possessing an innate power over the female. This consistent presentation of women as a defenseless subjection to men generates the idea that men are inherently more powerful than women in every way. The degrading nature of pornography plays a huge part in the manifestation of this idea, and the more we are presented with this concept, the more it will affect our mindset.

January 17, 2011: Transgender women

I learned a lot about transgender women and their fight in combating transphobia in this video. Although I was aware that it exists, I haven’t thought more deeply upon the ways it has negatively impacted the life’s of these powerful women. As they too, deserve respect and compassion, I think it important that we all challenge the misconceived notions people have in unfairly portraying transgender women.

In Serano’s ‘Trans Women Manifesto” she explains how cigender people have been made the victims of violence through the ridicules of the media, the establishments of medicine and psychology, being made the victims of violence and prejudice, stating her notion that no sexual minority is more maligned or misunderstood than trans women. (pg. 441) At first, I wasn’t sure if I agreed with this, as homo-sexuals also face similar undeserved prejudices. However, after watching Beautiful Daughters, I realized how much compassion these women deserve, as they have taken outstanding lengths to stand up for what they believe in, for the way they feel, and should be portrayed as powerful for their perseverance and determination. I never realized just how powerful these women are, as not many of us can say we have gone through what they have. Yet they deny these discriminations and continue to stand up for who they are, as a people within our people, fighting to overcome the pitiable denial of these women as being a REAL woman, and a powerful, respectable woman. I think it is important that cisgender people act as allies with the transgender society, as it is important for everyone to work together to overcome discrimination. I think cigender people can have a significant impact in combating transphobia in acting as allies with the transgender community because they can speak to other cigender people in standing up for the rights and power of a real and beautifully feminine, transgender women

Process Piece

Before making this video I didn’t know much about feminism and the feminist movement. Throughout women’s history, women have fought for their rights and gender equality, not dominance. I feel like people have misconceived notions about feminism and women empowerment. I wanted to create a video poem that portrayed female power as something we should respect, as all human beings are created equal.

I made my video on powerpoint because it was something I was the most familiar with. I didn’t anticipate many problems, but it was more difficult than I thought it would be. There was a lot of editing, and since I decided to have a song in the background, I wanted it to coordinate with the lyrics the best I could. It was pretty harder than I thought to make sure everything turned out ok. Overall it was a great learning experience, I learned a lot about the history of the women’s rights movement and now understand more about feminism itself.

Video Poem: Feminism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKn1Tpu1swQ

I don't think the song that is supposed to play with the video worked...but it was Helen Reddy "I am Woman" if anyone wanted to hear it.

Quick Blog #4

I can’t say that I believe Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair” video provides a good role model to young girls. While the song’s lyrics are empowering, saying ‘don’t let them haters keep me off my grind, keep my head up I know I’ll be fine’, they combine to explicate an image of confidence and power. However, although I think the lyrics are generally acceptable for young girls to attribute to, I think the ways in which Smith presents herself in this video is an unacceptable personification of character that little girls should not be looking up to, or want to be like. I don’t think anything in the video suggested anything that over generalized sexualization, at least not dramatically. She was, however, wearing little diamonds on her lips and eyelashes. Being that she is only nine years old, I don’t think she was acting very age-appropriate. I feel like this provides a bad role model for girls today, as a nine year old girl is going to watch this video and think, ‘hey, we’re the same age, I should act/be more like her.’ While nine year old girls clearly shouldn’t be dancing and carrying themselves the way Willow Smith does in this video, as Smith is acting much older than she really is. Although, I don’t really think this video suggests sexualization too extremely, I noticed that race intersected with this video also. All the people involved in the video are black, I saw maybe one or two white people. For such a young girl, she presents many different generalizations in her four minute video, perhaps without realizing it.

January 14, 2011 Question J: Heterosexist Privilege

In his article, “Privilege”, Devon Carabado discusses heterosexist privilege and the ways in which dominant members of society perpetuate a heterosexist culture. Collaborating that all forms of discrimination need a perpetrator, Carabado notes that homophobic members of society constitute heterosexism and identity privilege, arguing that their perceptions of what constitutes normalcy perpetuates a heterosexist culture. I don’t necessarily believe that homophobia is the sole reason why heterosexist privilege dominates our society, but I do believe we exist in a heterosexist-privileged culture, as the presumed orientation of a relationship is most often portrayed as a man and a women.

Carabado explains how in most cases where prejudice exists, discrimination is usually based upon how dominant members of society center their conceptions, values, and life choices and define ‘normalcy’ among the lines of growing up, attending school, getting married, then someday having children, and portrays a societal norm that affiliates so much to heterosexuality. Unaffected members of a heterosexist society usually pay no notice to how our normative societal practices contribute to a heterosexist lifestyle, hardly ever realizing the impact it has on the gay and lesbian community. I think we can all agree that children learn from a young age they ‘should’ have a mommy and a daddy and whether they are a little boy who likes trucks and legos or a little girl who plays with dolls and her kitchen set; heterosexual culture is generally the presumed signification. Society accentuates the ideologies that dominant members of society define what allocates these ‘normative significations’, in this case, a heterosexist society. Often leaving little room for difference. Carabado argues that the beliefs and values of society’s dominant members ultimately define the bi-directional effects of how those who fall outside societal norms and values will be discriminated against. (pg 393)

While discrimination is often defined as an intentional act that is meant to bring harm upon an individual, Carabado points out that this rarely applies to any of us in most occasions. While heterosexist privilege often carries on without knowing that we co-exist in a society where heterosexuality is affiliated with power or normaly. Going on to explaing that the perpetrators of discrimination are often those who are the most unaware of the many ways heterosexist conceptions are entrenched in a variety of our social practices that we run into each day, as the media and our culture in general portray the stereotypical ‘perfect family’ as a hard-working father and a home-making wife with lovely children, it is also that disrealizations that perpetuate the cylce of heterosexism and discrimination against the gay and lesbian community. Society exemplifies blatant heterosexist ideologies through mere perceptions of what a relationship ‘should be’,

I feel as if society often overlooks the way in which we perpetuate heterosexist ideologies and privilege. While enjoying the benefits of ‘identity privilege’ is easy to take advantage of when you are not being effected by discrimination, Carabado goes on to make the point that although we cannot ameliorate the societal outcome of our identities and privilege and how society defines its’ norms, as they are already deeply entrenched within our cultural practices. However, we should feel obligated to overcome these generalizations and ‘de-privilege’ our identities and its association to power and privilege. (pg 394) As I believe it’s ridiculous that we associate any judgement of one’s character upon their sexual orientation. I don’t see how any person could justify telling somebody who they can and can not fall in love with, love is love, right?

January 12, 2011 Question I

In Jean Kilbourne’s Killing Us Softly 3, she discussed how the media perpetuates narrow images and objectifies women. Arguing that women are constantly displayed as images in advertisements that we see today in the media, Kilbourne argues that women are ‘hypersexualized’ and presents several different accounts of different advertisements that display women in ways that symbolize them as objects. Kilbourne goes on to say that, “Advertising is one powerful force that keeps us trapped in very rigid roles and in very crippling definitions of femininity and masculinity.” While the media does often portray women unfairly, it also enables our society to uphold certain aspects of patriarchy, as women are inevitably sexualized more in advertisements than men.

Kilbourne goes on to explain how the media perpetuates gender distortions as we see more and more obscure advertisements that use a women’s body to sell a product. Arguing that this is another way in which women are objectified, as she is seen as an object rather than a subject, Kilbourne explains how the significance of a women’s worth is being downplayed and young girls are being pressured into feeling like they have to look like these beautiful women, when in fact only 8 in 3 billion women do. Not only do these images intersect with classism, as sex does sell, Kilbourne also collaborates the ways in which black females are portrayed in the media. Explaining that the media often portrays women of color as ‘animals’, or as Kilbourne said, ‘the message is: not fully human’. I couldn’t help but disagree with this notion, as I think that all females, both black and white, are portrayed in the media pretty much the same today, at least from what I can account for. If anything, I think that black and latino women are generally portrayed quite similarly in advertisements and is evident in many advertisements we see today. (take eva longoria, or beyonce for example, what about tyra banks?) Even so, the media undoubtedly perpetuates a narrow image of women as we see them using their bodies more and more ambiguously to promote a product, which in turn promotes the cycle of patriarchal capitalism and systemic consumerism.

Kilbourne also gives some brief accounts of some the different advertisements people have publicized in attempt to break these norms, giving the example of the Special K Commercials, and “what does size have to do with anything?”.
In an attempt to find some other ones out of curiosity, I came across an article from Trend Hunter Magazine that gave 50 accounts of advertisements that objectified men. Although some of these are pretty obscure pictures, at least we know that men, too, are objectified in advertisements. I think that some people view sexuality as powerful, or beautiful and whether or not we all agree with or like it, sex is a major aspect of consumerism and marketing.
http://www.trendhunter.com/slideshow/michael-phelps-objectifying-men-cluster

Video Project

The topic: I am going to do my video about feminism. I chose to do my short video about feminism because it is something I want to know more about. After learning a little bit about the history of feminism and where it is today, we also learned about the many misconceptions and stereotypes the feminist movement has faced. I want to take what I have learned about the feminism and illustrate what it means to me.

The Story: At the beginning of the course we learned about the many different ways people portray/define feminism and the history behind the feminist movement. We also looked at some of the different stereotypes that have been constructed along the way. I want to create a video that incorporates the many aspects of feminism, both good and bad, the history of how it came to where it is today, and how I have come to understand the truths behind it.

Software: I am going to use powerpoint. I have had much experience using this software so I don’t anticipate running into many problems.

Research: I will refer to bell hook’s work for research, as well as other resources we have been given. I will also look into the history of feminism itself. I will use resources I can find online and both Gender, Power, and Difference by Johnson and our other book, Readings for Diversity and Social Justice.

Timeline:
Wednesday-Friday: Research and read about feminism, its history and many the many different aspects of its context(s), and the issues feminist women face today.
Saturday & Sunday: Read more about the different goals feminist women fight for today and why.
Monday-Wednesday: Collect information on where feminism is today. Research different powerful feminists, collect quotes, images, video clips, music…etc. Start organizing and putting video together.
Thursday & Friday: Put entire video together. Write up intro & conclusion

Take Away Message: In my video, I want to convey feminism as a powerful fight for equality in hopes that people can look past the stereotypes and false conceptions that have been unfortunately cast upon feminists and their aspirations.

January 12, 2011 Question H: Christian Privilege

I was raised Christian and come from a pretty religious family. My father’s side is very religious, his mother would always tell me bible stories and each Christmas she would give me a new bible. So religion was sort of always affiliated within my lifestyle, I always went to church and I later attended a Catholic High School. I can’t really say I have ever experienced any type of religious oppression, but never really considered the privileged aspects of it, either. After reading through just the beginning list in Lewis Schlosser’s "Christian Privilege", I realized why I never worried about religious oppression as I am of 'Christian Privilege' myself. We undoubtedly exist in a society where Christianity is the dominant religious affiliation. Before reading more about religious oppression, I never realized exactly how the many ways it disregards the many other different beliefs people value. However, I can’t say I haven’t thought about religious oppression before.

I’m not sure what religious oppression is like. Among the privileged aspects, I have never really considered myself 'privileged', in exception to the benefits of having Holidays off from school or work. I never really considered being of 'christian privilege'. However, I can’t say that I don’t think religion can be oppressive in general. I have always been told to believe in His word, but I always knew that doesn’t mean everybody has to believe in the same thing as me. I feel like religious beliefs can become very overpowering, causing people to lose sight of its real underlying, core values and instead, take it too seriously. By only looking into the menial details of bible versus or abiding by the 10 commandments, people seem to get so caught up in their own religious beliefs, that they can’t understand why others don’t agree with them, or could possibly believe in something else. I think it is unfortunate that people cannot accept that as we are all different, we have different beliefs and values. It’s too bad that we cannot affiliate other aspects of culture into our arguably dominant Christian Privileged society. Regardless, the world is changing and become more multicultural today, eventually, it’s reality we have to face.

Quick Blog #3

QUICK BLOG #3
An experience where I was privileged due to my class/socio-economic status:
I am lucky enough to be pretty privileged, I was able to attend a private high school and my parents are also able to pay my college tuition for me. Although I have been considerably privileged throughout my life, I sort of always liked to see myself in the middle, mostly because I attended a high school where class, your parent’s income, and money in general was very important. There were a lot of people that attended my high school that thoroughly enjoyed flashing their belongings around. Therefore, I have also experienced times when I felt oppressed or under-privileged due to my socio economic status. I went to a high school where a lot of people that come from a family with money and liked to act very ‘classy’ and show it off as much as possible, from the clothes they wore to the car they drove. It gets old and I never really liked all the competition. I’ve always thought modesty is what is the most ‘classy’. Nonetheless, I still felt oppressed when I wouldn’t keep up with the standards. However, I came to realize I didn’t even care what my socioeconomic class was, or what people saw it as because there is always going to be somebody who wants to show off their ‘class’ in any way that they can.
I experienced classism often in high school. Even in middle school, classism lingered in our social lives somewhere. In our very small town of Rye, there were a few kids whose parents resided in the trailerpark and unfortunately, it was always those kids who were teased the most. Whatever bus you rode depended upon what part of town you lived in, kids would even judge you based upon that! It’s a vicious world…After reflecting upon all these instances, I have come to terms with how prevalent classism really is in reality.

January 11, 2011 Question G: Classism

I have always been aware of class and classism, as it as always sort of lingered somewhere among most aspects of my life. Although I have sort of always tried to ignore it, after watching ‘People Like Us’ I realized ignoring it is sort of the nose up attitude. I grew up in Rye Beach, NH, where many beautiful homes are and many wealthy families reside. My best friend in middle school was later our Governors daughter, she had a bowling ally in her basement and every toy a girl could imagine. My other best friend’s father was retired from the NFL. My sister’s best friend when she was young father owned the Marriot Hotel Chain, they had the biggest house I have ever seen. From a very young age, classism and wealth was always a social aspect of our lives in our very small town of Rye. I was aware of class at a very young age.

Although my father is a successful doctor, I always liked to consider myself somewhere in the middle. After watching this video, I know it is better that way. Who wants to exist in a world of I can, you can’t or I have and you don’t have? I don’t think anybody should feel entitled in any way to feel better than another individual based on social class. In high school, I attended a private high school where classism was also incorporated to our daily lives, it got really, really old. Whether or not you had a certain purse, or certain brand of jeans, it gave you a certain title or something. I can’t say that I think that classism is invisible in our culture, because it was always sort of there somewhere in my experience. After years of living in a world of materialism, this video reaffirmed my beliefs on why classism needs to be discussed more so others can realize the ignorant side of it. A person’s character should not be judged upon the car they drive, the home they live in, their job, and especially not their class. I think we can encourage more discussions about class through sharing of experience. The video incorporated many personal accounts of how people view classism and it really made me see it from different perspectives in both good and bad ways.

January 10, 2011 Question F: A Class Divided

The ethics of Jane Elliot’s ‘experiment’ endures a multitude of criticisms. While supporters contend it’s a lesson learned in understanding empathy and morality, others argue the shame and taunting a child must endure is unethical for any child to undergo, potentially causing damage or harm. Throughout the video, I myself, thought that Elliot seemed a little cruel, but by the end of the video when I saw how all the children came together with laughter, smiles, and arms around one another, I realized I had mistaken her cruelty for enthusiasm towards the value of teaching her students about the issues with racism. I believe this can teach a child something about racism and discrimination. On an academic level, the children who were considered the better eye color that day flourished in their school work, while the other children seemed to fall behind and showed less enthusiasm.

Jane Elliot used the saying, “Oh Great Spirit, keep me from ever judging a man before I have walked in his moccasins.” I think she did just that, she let the children in her classroom view discrimination from each side of the spectrum. I think one of the most important aspects of this experiment, especially when children are involved, is that that are able to experience what it feels like to be on either side of the discrimination scale, both good and bad. In terms of academics, Elliot pointed out that after this experiment was administered, the children’s academic rate went up and stayed at a consistently higher level than before. When she asked some of the children why they thought they were doing so much better than earlier in the week when they were discriminated against, their answers all consisted of things like, ‘because we didn’t feel as good about ourselves’.

After reflecting upon Elliot’s theories behind her experiment, I believe that, if administered appropriately and effectively by an experienced teacher, it can teach a classroom of students more about discrimination that they have ever been able to understand before. While I believe that firsthand experience is the best way to learn and understand something, I think this activity can be very beneficial for a child to understand discrimination more profoundly. Not only in terms of racism, but in other social aspects of morality and friendship.

At the end of the video, Elliot makes several points about why she would not always recommend this experiment because it is a very serious situation and must also be taken extremely seriously. I believe she made a worthy point in saying in must be introduced effectively. Elliot introduced the activity by asking her class if they would like to find out what it was like to be a young negro child, and they responded yes. I do not believe that every person can benefit from this experiment, but if administered in the right way, I believe it could be truly invaluable.

Quick Blog #2

I chose an article on abuse of power and authority. In this particular article, two cops were arrested for picking up nine drunken homeless men, shoving them into a police van made for 6, and driving them around for hours on a very hot spring day before dumping them at a distant parking lot. An officer with the police force in this town said that police were told to remove drunken people from the area, but were supposed to take them to a place where they can be supervised, not to a distant area. The two police officers involved didn't keep notes of their movements that day, was suspended without pay for 50 hours and ordered to forfeit 35 hours in overtime pay for three violations of the Police Act on May 20, 2005.

Within the article, several comments are made on their abuse of power and how wrong it was arguing that they were being deliberately cruel and rude to these homeless people. I chose this article because I was so taken aback by not just the Stanford Prison Experiment, but how cops were Racist towards Maurice in another clip we watched. I believe abuse of power is a big issue today and I am glad that these two officers were caught being unjust.

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20101220/edmonton-police-101220/

January 7, 2011 Question E

Johnson makes several legitimate points in this chapter. I have always realized that people undeniably make up excuses for why oppression can be targeted to certain groups, blaming the victims on why the way things are the way they are. Johnson discusses how dominant members of society often design this ‘disability’ in which they define themselves or assume them to be something in which success resides within a person in themselves and is available to everybody. I do not believe this is always true, and I think it is these dominant members of society that should do something to help those who are falling behind in society. I believe all people should want everyone to succeed, rather than just a portion of our country.

Dominant members of society often blame the victim in many different ways. One of the ways the victim is commonly blamed based on that Johnson discussed in this chapter was in regards to racism. Just like men are having a hard time accepting women in the workplace, or skin heads accepting homo-sexuals, our society tends to believe that bad things happen to bad people. Besides women, gay people, or other oppressed members of society, people of other cultures are experiencing it much also. I know a lot of people that complain about foreign people in our country today, sarcaistically saying "go back to mexico!" or "why is there spanish on this public sign, this is America." After reading this chapter I was able to reflect upon these notions more and was even able to apply it to one of my own life instances from a discussion I had with my parents the other night.

Our cleaning lady is an amazing women, very kind and sweet. However, she barely speaks any English! She came here from Mexico and my mom has to e-mail her rather than text or call her because of the language barrier. The other morning the front door was locked and Venusa couldn’t get in so she left. Both my parents felt really terrible and were talking about it with me over dinner. I found my self responsing a little critically. I asked my parents if it was obnoxious that she can’t just text you and see what’s going on because she can’t speak English, going on to explain that all people should speak English in America.

My mother was born and raised in Sweden, and moved here having learned very little English, so she immediately stood up for those who experience a language barrier. My father moved to Sweden in college and also had to learn the language. He started to tell me how people would constantly make fun of his accent, calling him a ‘black head’ which translates as something as harsh as calling a black person the N word, because he had black hair, not blonde hair….strange. So they both sort of put me in my place and told me how ignorant it is to judge anybody based on their life situation let alone their accent, because our cleaning lady really is a wonderful, good natured women.

I learned a lot from this one chapter on how our American Culture does often fall into the cycle of oppression and I myself was one of those people. I really value that I can now understand a bit more about why we should all consider ourselves as equals, as human. I think the only way to interrupt this cycle is to talk about it, educate yourself and listen to what others have to say based on their own experiences. I learned a lot from my what my parents said the other night, anything can be enlightening.

Lady Gaga

I found this article very thought provoking. Female pop artists are inevitably trying to come up with what will be the sexiest and what is most likely to produce the greatest profit. After learning more about feminism and its multifaceted definitions, I learned that there is no right or wrong way to define a feminist. If Lady Gaga or Kesha want to be feminists, then they are or can be. After coming to terms with the whole notion of feminism and its counterparts, I feel as if many, many women believe in feminism, but some see it very differently than others. Maybe Lady Gaga and Kesha believe their confidence and ability to go outside their comfort zone so smoothly and admirably is powerful for the women population. However, should we look at their outrageousness as powerful? I do think that Lady Gaga is an inspiration to women, as is Kesha, but not really. Kesha was quoted saying, “I’m just talking about men the way they’ve talked about women for years” Doesn’t she think to consider that yes, men have spoken about women in a certain way for years, is it really necessary to stoop to such a level? I think that on one hand these women are powerful in their confidence and charisma, however, their idea that singing about getting drunk and try to describe men as a ‘piece of meat’ completely repudiates where we are trying to get in regards to gender equality, priveledge, and power, today.

January 6, 2011 Question D: The Stanford Experiment and Racial Oppression

I learned about the events of the Stanford Prison Experiment in psychology classes, but this video was very enthralling as I have only looked at its context in terms of psychology. It really was appalling, but what I found most interesting is that most of those involved played more into the role they were assigned. The prisoners acted shameful and confused while the guards acted aggressive and dominant. One man said that he felt as if those involved in running the experiment wanted him to act aggressively, so he did, he figured he would ‘make it more interesting’. I feel like this happens a lot in our society today. People subdue to what they think people want them to do or say, or wear and act like.

In racialized terms, I believe minorities and those who ‘go against the grain’ are the prisoners and whites are generally the guards. I was taken away by Maurice’s encounter with the police and the judgments they made on his character based on his race. The young man that joined the Stanford Experiment later on, he was constantly antagonized throughout his experience in the prison. However, he continued to refuse to eat or cooperate with the guards, infuriating them. At the same time, this anger was taken out on other prisoners, breaking down any sense of solidarity between the prisoners. Zimbardo said this young man who opposed authority should have been considered a hero. I agree with this. The video used the example of the Holocaust and how all those involved were convinced to submit to the authority and power. The people in the Milgram experiment experienced the same thing; the teacher simply shocked the learner just because a man in a white coat told them too. It is really sad that we cannot believe in our selves, and our own beliefs and individualistic notions. I think that all the prisoners should have gone with their own idea and resisted the authority of these guards. However, in such a hostile environment, what is one to do? I feel like everyone has so many preconceived notions about the horrors of prison that most people want to avoid any further harm or damage to himself or herself.

These experiments illuminate power, priveledge and oppression in many ways. Not only does it take away from a person as an individual, but it puts this whole meaningless and sadistic feeling inside someone who feels powerful, or priveledged, like the guards. No body should take advantage of power, and nobody should have the privilege to define, shame, or abuse, another’s character based on their race or physical appearance.

January 5, 2011 Blog Response Question C

In this video, Kimmel discusses John Gray’s book, Men are From Mars and Women are from Venus. I think he makes several good points regarding gender differences and their impact on society. I agreed with most of his notions, however, he mentioned that it is women that made the whole issue regarding the differences in gender and identity so prevalent. Kimmel points out that women made the whole idea of gender difference visible in the first place, explaining that forty years ago, we never paid much attention to differences in gender and identity, but now we do. I don’t think this is necessarily true. Cultural and societal differences in gender identity are due to all parties involved, including men. I don’t think we should eliminate anyone from being involved in how our identities are shaped and what/why they are the way they are, as we are all human and generally agree with most typical gender stereotypes. However, I believe that even though we didn’t pay much attention to the difference in identity and gender forty years ago it was still a problem, it was just overlooked. I believe it is important that people are aware of this.

Inevitably, men and women are viewed differently. I believe that the two sexes are very different, indeed. However, even though men and women may not be the same, we are still equals, and should be considered human, not gay or straight, black or white, and not male or female either. Regardless of gender differences, our People should fall under one category, human.

I think that the whole notion of gender differences and one’s social construction of their own identity stem much further than women making its undeniable impact known and heard. Women shouldn’t be confined to being a mother and homemaker as they often were forty years ago. Kimmel presented the statistics behind how kids are more likely to be happier, healthier, and do better in school when the father is an active member in the home and children’s lives. Additionally, children are more likely to succeed in school when they have a hard-working, employed mother. I think these statistics are very important for everyone to know, as nature and nurture should be responsible to both the mother and the father within a home.

Tuesday January 4, 2011 Blog Post

After watching this video, I learned that there have been a variety of presumable misconceptions regarding how feminism has been defined. Such ideas regarding feminism lie within broad spectrum, ranging from class and race; from sexual preference to physical appearance.

Many people have come to the conclusion that women empowerment and feminist activism are aggressive and antagonistic towards the notion of power. Nearly all the women interviewed throughout the course of the film touched upon how the whole idea behind how the notion of feminism all began with the desire for equality and not an all-encompassing power or influence over anybody. I agree with this defining aspect of feminism. After learning a little bit more about its contexts, I would define feminism as a movement for equality and justice that strives for both genders to be treated the same way. Whether or not you are black or white, male or female, we should all cooperate under a balance of power and equity, not competition or opposition.

In a handful of interviews, some women (and a man) mentioned that many people are feminists but don’t really know it. Negative connotations often stem from misconceptions and unawareness. One woman shared that most people do support feminism, they just don’t know it. I believe I am one of those people. I support equality, but I do not believe it should be a struggle or competition for power. None the less, cultural changes take time but also requires the efforts of all parties involved whether you are white, black, male, female, gay or straight.

Although there has been many stereotypes and false notions regarding female empowerment and feminism, I believe it has and will continued to be embraced. Undoubtedly, cultural changes require bumps along the road, but the feminist movement has continued to make way for decades I believe it will continue to make further strives.

In bell hook’s cultural criticisms, she argues how intellectual stereotypes often stem from the contexts of our cultural investments, shaping our very own motivated representations. Hook notions how the ways in which the many aspects of popular culture have promoted capitalism, patriarchy, and also misogyny.

In part 5, Hook discussed pop icon Madonna. Paying notion to the fact that Madonna herself aspired her own claims of engagement with feminism and politics. The fame and attention she received was based on her motivation that challenged the sexism of her industry. Her daring approach made her a cultural phenomenon as we still appreciate her as an important pop icon today. While some saw her motivation to break new grounds for women as empowering, others argue the ways in which she reattached new meaning to sexism and male supremacy.

Hook discussed how the circumstances Madonna put forth in efforts to promote and re-invent herself reattached new meaning to sexism. While Madonna herself claimed to be fighting for the politics of female empowerment, the sexist images she continued to put forth repudiated her original theoretical values. Hook also argues that with money as a driving force, there is always more stardom to be had in patriarchy. The circumstances Madonna took to claim profits and success defied her own imagine of women as ‘powerful’. Her idea of breaking these boundaries, I believe, recreated as well as reinvested the stereotypical images of the women that have been constructed for years.

The media obviously has an extremely powerful influence on culture. During a time where female pop culture had never seen such sexuality, Madonna recreated the image of ‘the women’. In an industry where perpetual re-invention is a motivational force, Madonna went against her own beliefs in the role she played in female politics as these ‘re-inventions’ cast a more darkened shadow upon women and how they are portrayed in the media today. I agree with Hook’s idea that Madonna, like many rappers, sympolizes greed. For she, despite the circumstances she took and the values she condemned, took whatever measures necessary to produce profit and success through the use of her body and sexuality.