Talking Point #8 ( Orenstein)

I really found this piece by Orenstein very interesting to say the least her analysis of the "princess era" was very interesting. We all questioned the views of Disney but as a child your blinded by the glitter, puffy dresses, and mini high heels you don't know better but thanks to Orenstein she just ruined my Disney experience. What I took from this piece is that being a princess is about the look versus the feeling. Orenstein reports that because of movies like Cinderella, Snow White, And Sleeping Beauty girls strive to be perfect which is crippling to a young girls while damaging their self esteem. It's hard for a little girl to be herself when as a young girl your choices of role models are a princess or an overly sexual teenager. When I was younger I preferred to be outside even though my favorite movie of all times is little mermaid.I think the princess era is a target because of shows like toddlers and tiaras where they show young girls decked out in glitzy dresses, high heels, nails and big perfect hair. The pageant world is highly competitive teaching girls to stand alone as well as be perfect which is a lot of pressure to be under as a five year old.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUEYJ9gfBzQ
Cinderella preformed by The Cheetah Girls Listen to the lyrics of the song!

Talking Point # 7 (What About the Boys? / Kimmel)

Micheal Kimmel
What Are Little Boys Made of? 

Kimmel argues that the boys of America are depressed, suicidal, frail, and emotionally unavailable due to the lack of attention we are giving them. Kimmel believes that because of feminism we are forgetting about the boys and making them the problem. According to Kimmel the lack of attention is the reason why there is an epidemic amongst young men.  While some argue that it’s the male pattern of behavior versus the theory of nature vs. nurture, or biological make-up while other argue  that it’s simple peer pressure amongst boys. Kimmel‘s solution to the problem among boys is to embrace the testosterone pumping through your veins. Kimmel is arguing that it’s okay to be aggressive as long as you can control and honor it and unleash it in healthy doses.  His main point is that as a boy it’s okay to an aggressive, risk taker, as long as you can control your actions while stating that being able to produce testosterone is a natural part of boyhood that is being taken away from boys causing them to act out.

" Testosterone equal vitality" All we have to do is "honor it and steer it into healthy directions"- A little bit of testosterone is healthy when used correctly

Talking Point #6 (Race as a Feminist Issue)

 Audre Lorde
The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House 


    Audre Lorde is an African American feminist lesbian that was asked to speak at a conference of women about the different roles of age,sexuality, race, and class. Lorde the only lesbian of color on the panel noticed the absence of personal and political. Not were women of color excluded from the discussion but so were lesbian, poor black women, and third world women. The conference to Lorde was a sad reflection of racism,sexism,homophobia,while ignoring the opinions of black women and completely excluding lesbians ( who are still women).  *This goes back to compulsory heterosexuality in society, promotion/ acceptance in society to be heterosexual as a women* Audre is using the title of her article as a metaphor for the cycle of abuse that women ( lesbian ,women of color, and women ) use as reinforcement. Oppressed women ( masters) are going to oppress other (tools) since that's what they were taught. To Audre The master's tools will never dismantle the master house until women who are excluded are taught to stand alone, be unpopular because of the beliefs, learning to take your differences and turn them into strengths. By learning how to use these tools you will temporarily dismantle the master's house but you will still be trapped in a house built by the master's tools.

Oppression = Tool

• " .....the role of difference within the lives of american women :difference of race, sexuality, class and age.  (pg 1 paragraph 1)

      * The absence of these considerations weakens any feminist discussion of the personal and political.You have to separate your own beliefs from the beliefs of society. 

Talking Point #2 (Frye)

Frye " Oppression"

Word List (Words I didn't know): 
Docility
Acquiescence 

According to Frye the word oppression is a dangerous word that is often used in the wrong context by the oppressed and the oppressors. According to Frye once a person or group of people claim to be oppressed we simply write them off as well as dismissing their feelings.  This is acceptable among men since their taught to dismiss their emotions but for women it's a challenging situation to remove ourselves from since we were built to be emotional.As a women you face the challenge of either being oppressed or being the oppressor which is a double standard. Women that lack emotion are "less than women" since they are cold and insensitive. Frye claims that situations like this erase the meaning of oppression making it a useless word especially to women. Frye wants to reinvent the word Oppressed by explaining it's meaning to everyone, she wants people to embrace the word, she wants people to be comfortable with the word.

The word oppressed is being used and abused making it's meaning useless. It's being used in terms where as humans we have no control over the consequences. For example some deny that the holocaust did not happen by making such a statement you are implying that many Jews did not suffer by making such a statement you are being insensitive. For a women you are you have no choice but to show emotion because if you show no emotion your called insensitive and if your show to much emotion your emotional. That's where according to Frye is where oppression looses all meaning and you have no choice but to be guilty.

Social Justice Event #1

Pink Saris
October 3 , 2012
GEND Film Series Event



              I finally made it to one of the events offered by the WMST film showings which took place in the Adams library. I had some trouble finding the room but eventually I asked for directions and I was on my way. Upon walking in the room I noticed two of my class mates which confirmed I was at the right place. The documentary got off to an interesting start by showing an heated argument between Sampat Pal ( the self proclaimed messiah of women) and Rekha's husbands family. Rekha is a pregnant fourteen year old who cannot be married to her child father due to the fact that she is a lower caste then him. Although tradition calls for unwed pregnant teens to be murdered young girls like rekha find refuge with Sampat who takes these girls under her wing.Sampat finds comfort in sticking up for young women she can relate she was also married at a young age , had children , and was brutally beaten by her husband's family. Pal challenges tradition as well as caste ( social classes) in the village where she operates. Pal exposes the abuse that girls face while in the hands of their in -laws and husbands out in the open instead of in court. Sampat Pal along with other women wear pink saris representing unity bringing recognition to the change of tradition in India.

This movie connects with a few themes we have covered in class which was the different classes in society. In India class is divided by caste (class) lower class ( untouchable) usually marry in their class. Higher class men or women are disowned if they marry an untouchable their usually disowned and told never to return to their homes. In a group discussion we spoke briefly about the idea of marriage and religion  which is mentioned in the video. Sempat challenges the old traditions of marriage by exposing the domestic violence teenage girls experience within there marriages.

Clip Of Women Gang "Pink Saris" Stand up For the Equality Of Women

Miscellaneous Post #1

Breast cancer awareness month kicked off this month. It's kind of cool to see the campus decorated in pink especially during diversity week. So while I was at work yesterday I finally got a chance to read The Anchor when I began to read an article about a fellow classmate of mine. Her Name is Sue-Ellen Jimenez and the article was about her brave battle with breast cancer.I was amazed yet proud of her for sharing her story to the thousands of students that read the school paper.  Her story was an eye opener making me realize that cancer has no name, age, or race. Now she is cancer free and enjoying her life as a college student as well as  actively participating in Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Foundation. I applaud her for bravery as well as the millions of other women who have survived and lived to tell their stories.  

Here is the story :

http://www.theanchoronline.org/news/2012/10/02/student-beats-breast-cancer-ready-to-tackle-graduation/

Talking Point #5 ( LGBT/Rich)

Words I Looked Up:
Sadomasochism 
Abhorrent 
shoal 
deviant 

Rich defines Compulsory heterosexuality as the urge to validate your heterosexuality as a women. It's the only role that is mandatory for a women.Rich Argues that by being heterosexual everything is handed to you on a silver platter.

Ex. Preserve the sacredness of the home- the scientific romanticism of the home itself.
Ex. Women in every culture and throughout history have undertaken the task of independent , non-heterosexual to have done so.

Rich defines lesbian existence as  non-existent which is the least bit shocking to rich. Rich describes as a recreation of a mother daughter emotional relationship. Rich uses examples of lesbians being tortured as a way to demonstrate how horrible they are treated in the work place and by society.

Ex. " Women are "innately" sexually oriented only towards men, that the lesbian is simply acting out of her bitterness toward men ".
Ex. The choice of words used to describe a "lesbian" lesbianism, alternative lifestyle.
Ex. The death penalty for lesbians ( 1656) , attacks against unmarried women from aspersion and mocking to deliberate genocide, the burning/torture of widows,spinsters(during witch persecution )
Ex. "Treatment" torture of lesbians by the medical profession ( 1656)

Compulsory heterosexuality is a part of SCWAAP (the dominant ideology).

Talking point #4 (Economic Justice/People Like Us)

Center For Working –Class Studies has a lot of important, helpful information but I was unsure what the website was actually used for.

PEOPLE LIKE US- Illustrates the life choices of others to show how education, family background, social class, ethnicity, and income contributes to how the world chooses to view you. These contributing factors can either give you a major boost in the form of making more money (if you’re a man) or the difference between barely surviving from month to month.

-I liked the different stories …shows you the harsh reality of life and i commend the brave participants for sharing their lives with the world.    

Economic inequity is a feminist issue due to the oppression women face in the work place. Economic inequity is a feminist issue because it is a sexist view of the work place as well as women. Economic inequity puts women in an unfair advantage especially if a woman is preforming the same job as a man. Feminist fight for equality for all oppressed groups by campaigning for better equal or better pay for women. Feminist understand the struggle and have the tools to help against the unjust treatment of women in the workforce. 

-Video On Social Class in the professional world and how your upbringing as a child can effect the way you interact with people as an adult.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR_O309A1BI


* This connects back to the video "People Like Us" where they show the separation of class, how to belong to another class, and real life stories from blue collar, white collar, middle class, and lower class participants.