Response to Dream Worlds 2 and Tough Guise

 

Both of these videos were enlightening in that it explored the various stereotypes held by both women and men. How are men typically supposed to act? They're supposed to be powerful, dominant, strong, rational, and not showing emotion. Men that are sensitive are seen as vulnerable and weak; why is this? 

I think this can be related back to Adam and Eve in that Eve was given to Adam as a companion; in return, he was responsible for taking care of her. Maybe men are made to feel like failures if they do not remain dominant and rational; if they show emotion they are weak, and they're not performing their duty in protecting women. There are parts of this that I can respect; I think that sometimes women and men need each other to function properly. We need to take care of each other; women aren't pathetic and helpless, and men aren't always the strong dominant figures we make them out to be. Yet from a personal standpoint, I can say that as a woman I have a very nurturing side to me; I enjoy taking care of my friends and family, and in return, they take care of me. This interdependency is vital to having a cohesive balance in your life. Everyone needs somebody in their life: whether it's your family, your best friend, or a boyfriend/girlfriend, people need social interactions. 

The way that women were objectified in "Dream Worlds 2" is very frustrating. As a woman, I feel that everyday I am compared to these women that are supposed to be ideal; only a handful of women in this world actually look like the women on television and in ads. Most of those ads are adjusted to make the women look even more perfect. The fact is that these women we see in the media simply aren't realistic. Most women do not look like they do whatsoever; maybe this is why the film is called "Dream World," because it is all a fantasy. 

I think it's important to see the beauty in everyday women; not just the menial physical things, but also the small things that make a woman a woman; the way she lifts her kids to put them in the car-seat without waking them up, the way she can go to a 9-5 job and still make time to cook dinner for her hungry family, how she can be exhausted in the morning yet still make herself presentable for the day, how her own needs come after the needs of those she loves, and how she finds strength in the love of the people around her. These are the things that should be considered beautiful, not the size of your waistline or the makeup you wear. 

Image from: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/ffximage/2007/11/13/470_vS,0.jpg

Facilitation for "Inequality and Violence" Chapter 11

Key-words: sexual assault, masculinity, abuse, hierarchy, battering, unemployment, households, divorce, welfare, shelters, rape, inequality, marital rape, gang rape, dominance, degradation, abortion, homophobia, contraception, etc…

Key-phrases: emphasized femininity, hegonomic masculinity, patriarchal terrorism, common couple violence, domestic violence, Roe v. Wade, Hyde Amendment, “pussy-whipped,” etc…

Key-names: Laura O’Toole, Jessica R. Shiffman, Lorena Bobbitt, O.J Simpson, Nichole Brown, Ron Goldman, Michael P. Johnson, Tracy Thurman, Mary Stewart, Patty Murray, Diane Scully, Larry Baron, Murray A. Straus, Dr. David McDowell, Jenny Jones, etc…\

Key-ideas: Interpersonal violence is a way of lashing out against inequality. There are many factors that account for domestic violence, such as cultural beliefs, upbringing, and stress. Not only this, but economic status comes into play as well; lower income families are more likely to commit these domestic acts of violence. The main focus of this chapter is examining the empowerment that people feel over others by committing act of violence against them, due to their gender, sex, orientation, ethnicity, or status.

Questions and quotes:

• “Sexual violence is related to cultural attitudes the power relationship between women and men, the social and economic status of women relative to the men of their group, and the amount of other forms of violence in the society” (259).
• Should we invest more taxpayer dollars in providing welfare for these battered victims?
• How would you describe the victims of domestic violence? Are they abused because they are weak? Or are they victims of circumstance? Why do women that are abused by their husbands continue to stay with them? 
• Here is an interesting link:   http://www.humboldt.edu/~mpw1/violence/

Response to "Inequality and Violence in the U.S" Chapter 12

This chapter largely dealt with the prevalence of hate crimes and racial violence throughout time. For the most part, it focused on crime committed by white individuals against black individuals. As I was reading through this chapter, I was thinking to myself, "Have we improved our situation as a collective society?"

The reason why I ask this to myself is that as I read through this, I was wondering whether our society has become less violent towards other races over time. I wonder whether or not different outlets in the media may be encouraging violence in younger and younger people; and even in women. On YouTube, there is a rise in videos of young girls fighting each other, just so they can be seen as tough and hardcore by their peers. What makes women think that they have to be seen in this way? What makes people feel that they need to resort to violence against people they are prejudice against? I think that in the 1960's most people weren't necessarily prejudiced against black people, but it was a social normality that many just blindly accepted. When this happens, it's very difficult to change and improve the situation. Why do we accept these normalities? Do they make us feel more secure in our own skin? Do we feel more accepted by others of our own race if we collectively decide to isolate ourselves from another race?

Throughout this chapter, I kept thinking of a book I read over the summer entitled "Black Like Me," written by John Howard Griffin. It was published in 1961, and discussed the differences in treatment in the Deep South going first as a white man, and then as a black man. The differences and discrepancies between these races was extremely insightful. It gave you a look at both the blatant racism people felt towards blacks, but also the dark underbelly that wasn't as easy to comprehend and grasp. It is one of the best books I have ever read; it really made me look inside myself and come to terms with my own potential biases and assumptions. I never thought of myself as a racist person and I still don't, but this book really made me look deep inside myself and confront my own personal biases. This chapter really made me reflect on that book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who might be interested in that book. Here is a link to discountbooks.com, where it's available at a very reasonable price:

https://www.discountbooksale.com/store/productView.aspx?idProduct=7982&ec=1&ProdId=112&AWTrck=1036618299&gclid=CISs54TO85gCFR0SagodkS6L1g

Image from:

http://home.arcor.de/vivness/booksread/pl_images/117_blacklikeme.jpg

Response to "Inequality and Violence in the U.S" Chapters 3-5

This reading really opened my eyes to the power big corporations really have over the individual lifestyles we lead and the inequalities prevalent in our society today. Just the fact that people belong to certain social classes according to how much money they make is in itself inequality. Many don't have access to the necessary resources to change their financial position in life; this is the perfect example of inequality. Big corporations have so much power and influence, they change the very dynamics of the traditional employer-employee relationship. They have ways of manipulating the public into not joining unions by withdrawing bonuses and they are able to find loopholes in their tax returns so that they pay only a fraction of what they normally would pay in taxes. These loopholes are not available to the public, so they are left to pay according to what they make. Is it fair for these corporations to manipulate people and money they way that they do? This manipulation can even be credited to the surge of violence that is evident in our society today. People are frustrated with their position in life and working for these big corporations often leaves little room for improving this situation.

This begs the question, is this corporate manipulation more detrimental to society than street crime? Personally, I think it is...not only can this cause the disgruntled employee to lash out physically, it causes family units to struggle with basic necessities. An employee from Wal-Mart cannot support a family on their own, whereas the CEO of the company is able to live quite comfortably and lavishly. This discrepancy is evidence of the inequalities in everyday life. Two people working for the same company can have such differing lifestyles, and the one living the more simple lifestyle cannot do much to change his/her disposition. 

At this point, I wonder whether or not the people in these CEO positions know the power and manipulation they hold. I don't necessarily believe that they want to make their employees miserable, but I think that they feel pressure to make budget cuts and such in order to maximize their profits. 

If that's true, then where does this pressure come from?? I can honestly say I have no idea...maybe if we really knew, then we could find ways of combatting it to make a more even field. 

Image from:

http://routingbyrumor.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/walmart.jpg

Response to 4th Chapter of "Racism," by Alana Lentin

The quote that began this chapter struck me as important to keep mind while reading through the selection:

"America is not so much post-racial as getting-over-the-subject-but-not- quite-there-racial" (p. 88).

This quote opens an interesting discussion into where exactly our nation's status is on the issue of racism and inequality. Many think that we have moved on from old ways of thinking about racial distinctions. While we have made many imperative strides in creating equal opportunities for all ethnicities, lifestyle choices, and genders, there are still many steps to take in fully understanding where our inner prejudices develop and manifest. 

Later on in the chapter, it is suggested that perhaps the solution to the racist issue is to find some way of forgetting or not acknowledging someone's color altogether. I find this to be a really ignorant assumption. By trying to ignore the fact that someone is a different color than you are, you are only making the fact more obvious in your own mind. It's a well known fact that if you tell someone not to look at something, they are just going to want to look at it even more. In fact, by choosing to ignore the racial differences people have, we are actually ignoring what makes our nation so unique. The United States has been called a 'melting pot' or a 'tossed salad' of different ethnicities and cultures. By turning our backs on this important quality, we are choosing to ignore the very backbone our nation is founded on: to be a land of equal opportunity for all peoples.

Image from:

http://www.jaha.org/edu/discovery_center/push-pull/img/Ellis01.jpg

Response to "Inequality and Violence in the U.S" Chapters 1 and 2

        As I read through the beginning of this book, I came across a fact that struck me. In discussing the different patterns of violence, it was noted that "Poor minority neighborhoods have high rates of crime" (p. 13). As I read this, I wondered why this is true. Why do people in a lower economic class commit more crimes than people who are wealthier? Perhaps they are more driven to anger because they're unhappy with their disposition in life. Maybe they resent people that are more fortunate out of jealousy. This jealousy causes an inner rage that perhaps is bottled and later released during moments where the person committing the violence feels it is justified. 

        Next, I began thinking about the deep rooted causes of this kind of violence. Jealousy is just the surface of the issue; the bigger issue is rooted in the neglect of the needs of these poor neighborhoods. Inadequate housing, food, and healthcare is causing people to be both malnourished and sick. This is not a good recipe for a content disposition in life. This would be true for anyone, regardless of class, ethnicity, and gender. 

        After realizing this, I began wondering why people are resorting to violence to solve their personal problems. One theory is that we are genetically disposed to protect ourselves in a violent manner at times. It is not something that is learned over time, but more a natural reaction to threatening situations. I feel that in some cases this is true, especially in moments of self defense, such as being raped, fighting off a person attacking you, or experiencing a break-in at your home. Another theory is that different outlets of the media are affecting children at a young age, making them more likely to use violence as they grow into adolescents and adults. Personally I feel that it is a parent's responsibility to protect their children from certain violent programs and video games. It is their duty to slowly expose their children to the violence in the world while placing an appropriate context behind it. The way kids are exposed to violence affects the way they feel about it and will deal with it in the future. It is not the responsibility of the media to censor their programs and video games so that parents can have the luxury of not explaining to their kids the context of why this violence exists and non-violent ways to alleviate these situations. People that simply blame the media for the violence in society do not usually understand that the correlation between violent television programs and video games does not prove the cause of violence. In fact, in a study between homicide in several different nations and the material the media shows, it was discovered that there was no relationship that could be unearthed (p. 31). I think that lessening violence in the U.S starts with more involved parenting. 

        As I was finishing these chapters, I started questioning whether it is even possible to eliminate violence. Humans are naturally imperfect beings and on many occasions we resort to our emotions to explain stressful situations and we react in less than admirable ways. Some people suggest that we make it harder to acquire guns in order to solve the problem. Clearly, this is not going to work, as people will surely find other avenues in which to commit violence. I think it can be agreed that violence comes about when people feel neglected and oppressed. If we can get to the root of these emotions, we can further begin to understand how to alleviate them.

Image from:

http://www.therazor.org/images/kenya_violence.jpg

 

Response to "When Europeans Were Slaves"

This article was enlightening in the fact that it highlighted oppression and slavery that white people have endured. I think that sometimes we forget that racism does not necessarily mean the contempt the white race has for others. By looking at slavery and racism on a broader scope, we can better start to grasp the whole concept. Racism occurs in many forms and over a wide range of people. In fact, the stereotypes we know today that typify different races and religions are examples of culturally and nationally accepted racism. How did these stereotypes form? Would there have to be some shred of truth in them in order for them to form in the first place? Realistically, we all stereotype; does that make us racist people? I don't think this is necessarily true; I think it's more of a societal influence and accepted norm that is difficult to shake off of ourselves. In fact, this article can teach us that it's important to challenge standard stereotypes and to question accepted teachings. 

It's been widely accepted that when people discuss slavery, they generally talk about the Atlantic Slave Trade. While this is indeed the largest evidence of inhumane slave treatment, it isn't the only one. This is what we must keep in mind when we discuss the broad topics of slavery and racism. There are many examples of such instances. 

Image from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6y_aEPAq7pf5g1P23ds6URArcI6SJhdJQq2Zg2gQ1snSjJaJznZkrkzc-5FiXEvO4inKaYQjBD-Pt256HJKJN6evZEu8LstaqR7usQcpicVOCBSrCx9uW3hQBV-DrVHppECGFQwIvqs/s1600-h/stereotypes.jpg