Post 16 (Nov12) – Cyberspace

The controversy of Amina Lawal to be sentenced to death for having a child out of wedlock is barbaric and seems completely unrealistic. The idea that you have to be married to raise a child is a close minded approach. If you take a lot around in society today there are just as many single mothers out there than happy married couples. Whether this death sentence is over Amina being a woman, or biracial both don’t make the debate acceptable. To me it seems like the e-mail petition is an attempt to save the Nigerian women, with technology constantly increasing the petition was e-mailed globally so readers can sign electronically based on their opinion then forward it to other citizens. Although it was said that it never even reached the Nigerian Supreme Court. This passage frustrates me because plenty of my friends have been raised by a single parent and although they might not be finically set they are a happy and loving family none the less. I think the idea that a woman can have the reigns over both the personal and public aspect of life seems impossible to people in power, men.

Moving onto another factor of technology, cyberspace is a world where gender, race nation and culture constraints lose their meaning and discrimination. I completely agree with this idea the more I look into it. On blogs such as the ones we write, we have no idea who is submitting their ideas and theories whether we agree or disagree with them. However if someone was having a debate with us regarding the same topic some people may change their views based on the speaker. In the world of cyberspace, speaking professionally, sexually, or friendly the idea of identity and appearance doesn’t really exist. The text raises the idea that speaking in person is a completely different form of communication rather then speaking in person for instance in chat rooms. If you are going into a chat room either to find a potential relationship of some sort or for sexual reasons it is going to be approached in a different tone than that conversation that would take place in person. As the text quotes “We may find it easier to bare our souls to strangers than confining in friends.” These strangers don’t know what the person on the other side of the keyboard looks like, their personality traits, weird fetish, or reputation. This is why people speak more freely on the computer because they are not being judged for their point of view. Overall this text really interested me because I never really looked at cyberspace in that way. Society is constantly connecting peoples thoughts and actions to that person and may perceive them a certain way. It relates back to the idea of conformity and fitting in and meeting society’s standards.  Cyberspace is a place where people can be who they really are and say what they want to say without being judged for it.

Post 16 – Imprisoning Women

“The whole nature of an addiction is that it is a disease—the point of treatment is to try to cure that disease. Then you have a well person, a different person. If we want to create well women, how can we deny them help because of a mistake they made while they were sick?” This quote shows the struggle that women suffered through out their life. Society tends to think that women who get involved with drugs are throwing their lives down the drain; we never stop and think that maybe these women are turning to drugs to cope with their lives. They lead a life of struggle, and we cannot judge them because we don’t know the extremes or obstacles they face to break away from this lifestyle. The idea of the ban and restricting these women to cash assistance or food stamps is not solving anything. These women are willing to turn their life around but it is hard to do so with no help. Not only are these restrictions harming the women, but their children too. Most kids are put into foster homes because their mothers can’t afford housing states, other than New Jersey and the few others, need to eliminate the ban and be of assistance to these women and their children. The five recommendations for supporting women are exactly what states need to invest in rather than ignoring the people begging for help. The women that were interviewed for the case study all seem to have these instances in common, physically or sexually abuse in their relationship and or childhood, multiple injuries such as shootings or stabbings, prostitution and or being raped on the streets by strangers. This pattern shows that these women turned to drugs to cope with the abuse and suffering majority of them have been enduring since adolescence.

The idea that there is a case study questioning women demonstrates the differences for why male and females turn to drugs. What I’ve noticed was most of the women had an issue with abuse, rape and injuries because of men. As we’ve discussed in many other topics women are inferior to men, and women instead of sticking up for themselves and breaking away from this lifestyle turn to drugs or prostitution. Whether it’s a father, a boyfriend a husband these women are being physically, verbally, sexually and mentally abused. This raises the question of why men turn to drugs? By the standards of society we cannot assume that it is the abuse that men endure from women, because although it happens it is in the minority. These women, for the most part, were not raised into supportive families are they are seeking someone to care for them. That’s why some women turn to prostitution, for that sense of love and comfort and at the same time receive either money or drugs. Imprisoning women who are convicted for 5 or 10 dollars worth of drugs is barbaric, although they should be put on parole and be provided assistance and clinics doesn’t mean their rights and family should be taken away.

            These women self mediate themselves just to survive a life that should be full of opportunity. “The world was never a safe place for them.” After been abused and betrayed by different men, who are they to trust? The will hold this weight their whole lives they want a sense of hope and recovery, but how will they get that if states ban them from assistance. It makes me wonder, we’ve discussed so many instances in class where women are seen as inferior to men even in some instances today, so why not help the women who are struggling and want to get their lives on the right track. There are trying to do the right thing, they just need help.

Post 15 – Work and Women/Races

Over the years women’s rights have advanced greatly not only in means of the workforce but civil rights as well, but that does not change the way they are perceived or treated. For example the women suffragist made a huge impact regarding the rights of women. It’s not only the idea of suffragists fighting for their rights, but also the conviction of heart and the idea of justice. Women in the United States were considered second-class citizens whose existence was limited to the domestic life of the home and care of the children. Women were considered property to their husbands, and after marriage they did not have the right to own property and maintain their wage. It was expected that women be obedient wives, never to hold a thought or opinion independent of their husbands. But that was then, and we have made extraordinary advances since then. With obstacles such as discrimination, lower wages, and the lack of management positions, how are women competing with men? The answer is, it is still hard hold a position in authority without being second guessed, not only regarding women but different races as well. The idea that although the  opportunity for women to work is available didn’t mean they should stop caring for interior life as well. So although we have advanced in one aspect the other stays the same. How are the women expected to both work and care for domestic duties? If women were seen as inferior for years past how are they suddenly expected to handle both worlds. By no means do I not think it is possible, because I do and I’ve seen it done but from a man’s perspective it seems they think, if they’re going to work then they still better be able to cook.  Not only does the reading raise the question of gender roles but race roles as well. The idea that different races are given lower wages and receive worse working conditions seems barbaric and dated. Before this class I thought we were past this mind set but apparently there are still people in power that think there is a master race and that those people are superior to others.

Post 14 – Labor Powers and Refugees

After reading the other blogs many of the students seemed to be taken aback by the separation of slavery. The idea that men remain outdoors to fulfill their slave work such as working on the farms where as the women stayed inside and managed the household chores. Although I strive for equality in the this semesters readings women have always been viewed as inferior, feeble and incapable so to me it only seems natural for the female slaves to work inside while the males remain outside. However, what did surprise me was the extreme stereotype, “Africans were regarded as lazy but strong, Chinese coolies were described as … diligent, modest, agreeable people.” When referencing to labor power and work and dividing in into different pools of race I found it to be very blunt and extremely inaccurate. It is barbaric that everyone has to be labeled before they even act or speak. If a black female was is to stand in front of me the readings are essentially labeling her as lazy but strong because she is African American, and unintelligent, passive and unable because she is a women, that’s not even including her appearance because we all know appearance whether referring to body type, hair, attire, or makeup contribute to first impression.  

The idea of “labor power” breaking labor into different pool of race and gender does not surprise me.  The book mentions that women were more important to the world market for labor power as producers and reproducers of labor power, however they make it clear that is no way does that mean they are treated more considerately, their qualities were just used more significant of labor power.  When women were superior they made it clear that they were not treated any more significantly. This raised the question for me that if men were more beneficial to the world market for labor power would they have been treated differently?

What I found most interesting about the reading was the idea that we must engage with Afghani women’s own experiences of their life in Pakistani refugee camps in our to understand how different forces whether religious or political create an unfair situation for female refugees. If women and children made up 75 percent of the refugee camps how is it possible that their voice and opinion were unheard? Even the idea “majority rules” doesn’t pertain when gender is an issue.  There only hope for peace was a government that included two women but how can we say that even because they are in government they aren’t being overruled?

Post 13 – Traveling

The idea that a women shouldn’t travel without a man by her side is barbaric, she has every right to see the world independently. The discrimination towards women never ceases to amaze me. Growing up we are told tales about all these brave men who ran off to find adventure and discoveries such as James Bond or Indiana Jones had encountered. The only time the woman are presented in the scene is when they kiss them goodbye before they set off, when they flashback to them praying for the safety of their strong courageous men and hoping they return soon, or the embrace after his expedition is complete. It’s as though women are nothing more than symbols to justify how brave the men are and how dearly we miss then and need them back home.

 Pushing tales and cinemas aside the experience of travel and adventure are realistic issues that are being gender and race based. Whether traveling for economic opportunity, earn more wages or become more independent if a women was to journey on her own she would seem weak and vulnerable much like prey to superior men. My father being the captain of the police department constantly drills into my head how females are victims to male predators and resides me “characteristics of an easy target”. I also have a brother and he never once gave this advice to him regardless of the fact I am both stronger and have more street smarts then inquires a freshman in high school.  Generally speaking, in my perspective I think women are more feeble then men so if a woman doesn’t have a strong sense of where is going when she is traveling she will seem unconfident, confused and all together an easier victim. The idea of traveling alone in my perspective can be looked at differently when referring to different scenarios for example out of state, if children are coming, are you meeting somewhere, what location ect. Although I think it is just another example to downgrade woman I do agree traveling alone is overall not a safe way to travel for both genders and all races and ages.

Post 12 – Body Image

Throughout the course of many people lives they are confronted with an incredibly powerful desire to conform. In today’s judgmental society, it is considered a stigma to go against the typical beliefs of main-stream culture and to dismiss the pressures to be accepted. The media is one vehicle that acts as a driving force in the quest to conform. For instance, now that media is embracing the gay and lesbians, society comes to realization that the gay culture is no different from any other community other than their gender prefernce. This wide-spread method of communication that calls for the use of newspapers, magazines, film, and television is a key component in the new trend of sacrificing individuality in favor of general acceptance. Adolescents in today’s society, specifically females, are bombarded daily with unrealistic expectations set forth by the media, particularly issues concerning physical appearance. In today’s society, drastic weight loss commercials interrupt popular TV shows, and magazines showcase only the thinnest and most beautiful models. These desperate attempts by the media to sell products convey the harmful message that to be considered an acceptable member of society the average female especially those in their teens must look like the flawless models represented in magazines and television commercials. The significant feeling of inadequacy leads to self-criticism, and is the reason behind this trend of poor body image especially for the typical teenage girl. Because of this poor body image caused by social pressures, the public often turn to drastic measures in order to increase their perception of themselves in the eyes of others. The desire of females to achieve ‘perfection’ without a doubt exists, however, it unattainable for majority of Americans. Not being able to “pinch an inch” is definitely desired but let’s be real many working citizens don’t have time or money to hire a personal chief and trainer or make a quick plastic surgery appointment. As an athlete I have an athletic body and wouldn’t be able to reach the ideal Barbie image even if I maintained a very strict diet and work out plan daily. In desperate attempts to achieve a more positive sense of self many turn to the idea of extreme dieting, or have turned to cosmetic plastic surgery. Although this may seem incredibly severe and excessive, most females refer to them as necessary measures to appear more appealing and attractive to others. The fact that even older females want to maintain their adolescent body, be perceived as young and uphold their lively personality consequently leads to a lack of power held by women. Universally adults have power over children so if women work every day at staying young it only seems just that they don’t have the upper hand. If this is the case why does appearance play such a key role in control? This goes to show that conformity along with control are no longer innate qualities and has turned into a definition based on stereotypes and appearance. Everyone was born a certain way for a reason, if we all meet these standards it would just seem natural. If no one was born with any excess fat is would seem as natural as having 2 eyes or legs. Everyone is different and we need to start embracing these differences rather than finding a way to change them or elminate them all together.

Post 11 – Kayhan Irani

“Through theater or the arts, people are able to suspend that kind of judgment, whatever it may be, and they can actually somehow connect and care. Even if they hate the character, they want to see how it ends.” I thought this quote is really the main reason Kayhan Irani’s performances are getting so much attention. People can read the newspaper, read magazines, and watch the news all they want but they never truly connect with the issue unless they are personally affected by it. When the public watches Kayhan Irani perform or attend one of her plays the people watching are witnessing real people in controversial worldwide issues. One main aspect I believe theater picks up on is the different sides to many of the problems that the media never bothers to explain and our society all together ignores. For instance in the 9/11 backlash there were more people affected than just the families that were touched or the survivors of the tragedy.  It affected the witnesses, Iraq American citizens, people who can be mistaken for Iraqis, citizens of Iraq, and the government. Granted more lives were affected other than just the few I named but citizens don’t take that into consideration. In the case where people hear of the controversial issues such as war, discrimination even fatal illnesses, taking place although people are aware they are actual misfortunes they seem unreal. Too often we turn to insufficient means to solve problems, Kayhan is turning to art when the other solutions are doing no more than dividing the people rather than uniting them and keeping them aware. Art is a beautiful thing that we take for granted, when tragedies are to extreme for words the fact that people can put those emotions into visual art is something much more than a newspaper article. I believe the situations Kayhan has experienced in her life has made her into the person she is today. After fleeing Iranian revolution then moving into apartment complex with an array of families with different backgrounds as her neighbors raises the reality of catastrophes and opens her mind to the diverse world of culture we live in. Because her family had such a big heart and was welcoming to people even though there was little room in their apartment to begin with probably has a lot to do with Kayhan’s beliefs of good deeds. “The tenets are good thoughts, good words and good deeds. It’s not only about having happy thoughts; it has a lot of social justice ethics.”  Kayhan is aware that many of the issues around the world aren’t “happy” situations and those with high spirits. She isn’t living in a fantasy world she just thinks that being optimistic and increasing awareness will make a big difference and I think that’s the mentality that is necessary to take big strides to conformity.

Post 10 – Male Representation in the Media

When I flip through a magazine I always thought that media was creating and reinforcing a stereotypical and unachievable depiction of females and femininity. It has never came to my attention t hat media also reinforce prevalent idea about men and masculinity. After reading Media Representation of Gender I soon realized the media can really stretch and skew appearance. Images of women in the media are everywhere and for the most cases it’s not just any women it’s beautiful, tall, skinny women. When woman look through a magazine they tend to be envious of the models appearance, so do men do the same? What we don’t take into consideration is that media and magazine ad’s aren’t only desirable and competitive for women but men as well. As we discussed in class the other day we have the idea of the ideal man and women. The women and gay man has extreme similarities about appearance, fashion and health, but these are all stereotypes. Man regardless of stereotypes are just as apt to flip through a magazine and desire to be as muscular, fit and sexy as some of the males in the ad’s. The men depicted are you’re your everyday males, and for the most part are touched up and air brushed on the computer for hours until it could we put onto paper. Few men in fashion or body ad’s are perceived as small or feeble they give off a strong masculine appearance and for women you will rarely flip through pages and see an overweight slop posing for the latest fashion. Although male fashion is typically business like or casual it still comes off as high class, so not only do you have to meet the standards of body type but its “cool” to wear expensive clothes to be more like the models who have power like David Beckham or Brad Pitt. In my perspective I think that males do feel they need to meet a certain standard and male appearance in the media is definitely taken into consideration by both men and women. What I do think the difference between men and women in this instance is women are more comfortable saying they want to be more like beautiful celebrities and have the same bodies as some models. On the other hand man whether it is our of protection of their sexuality or just the desire to be apathetic towards something as feminine as appearance. It is rare to see a guy reading a magazine saying “Damn, he looks good I want to be as muscular and as hot as him” and if you were to hear that chances are you would question their sexuality. It raised the idea that maybe it is the media that makes these imaginary standards for both women and men but it is the roles that society creates of the “ideal” gender that restrict who should discuss it.

Post 9 – Nacerima

As I had just learned in new student seminar Nacerima is America spelled backwards. Ironically after reading the culture of Nacerima I stated that although their ceremonies and practices seemed absurd some of the traditions American’s part take in don’t speak to highly about our morals either. However most students in the class claimed that the Nacerima practices were ridiculous and would never be accepted or allowed in this society. Our teacher claimed that we need to have an open mind before judging practices and people. Nacerima really did make me think that coming from another culture our day to day lives seem just as strange as the way we look at other nations. For example in the reading that was assigned about sexuality the idea that men had to eat semen to grow took me back. “In fact, when Herdt suggested that this behavior made them homosexual, or at least bisexual, they grew angry and diffident. This had nothing whatever to do with homosexuality, they assured Herdt.” This quote stood out to me because men especially straight men become very defensive and protective of their masculinity. As we said in class today the “ideal” man whether black, white, or straight all were characterized with these masculine, confident and strong. When a man’s sexuality is in question they immediately put all guards up and protect their manly hood because that diminishes their power. The idea that men can not truly be men without eating semen seems heterosexual in my perspective so why are men so defensive when they take part in these practices. Although this topic made me think that babies breast feed whether male or female and we don’t see that as homosexual or a petafile we perceive as proper nutrients for newborns, so maybe semen is in some form a way for young boys to grow into strong man. When an anthropologist asked Keraki men if they had been sodomized, many responded by saying ‘Why, yes! Otherwise how should I have grown?’ These men are convinced that semen is an essential part of growing into a respected man. This raised the question of what I do to be considered a respected female let’s assume that I didn’t breast feed as a newborn would that relate to me as not being able to hit puberty or menstruate, although we know that is not the case. These practices are believed in a place where men are of more superior then woman so this is a way to prove power and masculinity for man, as barbaric as it may sound. I found it funny when they talked about tapping the rear end when an athlete makes a good play or scores a goal, point of touchdown because many of my male friends do the same and everyone on the side lines it makes us laugh. However the part I found ironic and controversial is when they say Nacerima don’t have sex very much and all and when they do have sex with a female they are typically drunk. Why do we talk about birth control, sterilization and abortion if sex and reproduction wasn’t a concern in today’s and past society. Overall, the idea of Nacerima allows us to depict our culture without even knowing it. America has so much to say about every other nations quality and way of life that we never step back and truly look at our own culture. Although we have many problems in our nation sexuality discrimination, stereotyping, and false accusations of sexuality is a major issue. How much consideration do we take into other cultures and really depict the reasoning behind their practices before we make judgments? The answer is not enough.

Post 8 – Collectivity and Citizenship

The world is divided between “us” and “them” when referring to men and women. When it comes to citizenship rights and duties of women it differs from different cultural backgrounds, religion, and race which make sense because certain backgrounds correlate between different believes but that raises the question of what if one doesn’t agree with the beliefs that their race or culture? Can they exclude themselves and be their own person, or will they always be placed into a category based on the way someone is. Setting the backgrounds aside gender will naturally always be divided into men and women no matter where they come from. I believe women were excluded from citizenship rights to make men seem more superior, that question is who created these rights because we can say for sure it wasn’t a group a females. Women are always separated more intricately then men, the idea that citizenship rights are part of a dualistic nature and separated them into two parts comes to no surprise. However, this dualistic nature has a lot to do with the rights, or lack thereof, for women. If women have a separate body of legislation claiming they have less rights then men they are clearly going to be looked at as inferior because they can’t contribute to political or social issues to the same extent. A man’s voice is louder than a woman’s because they are given the right to say more.

Collectivity and so called “appropriate behavior” makes me wonder who are the people forming and generating these ideas that people obey. I personally am Italian and Irish and am by no means am I religious, so what “community” am I in, I am probably classified as a Caucasian women but I’ve never been given appropriate sexual behaviors or certain gender duties. Sure I am expected to go to college and wait till marriage for sex but if I do not wish to follow these “appropriate behaviors” what community am I left with? For instance in the reading intermarriage is not of appropriate behavior, that takes away from the purity of the cultural. But once again if someone doesn’t agree with what they were taught their whole life they have the freedom to do as these please although they may be looked upon as inferior. Once you are among a community you are given roles. “Nationalism is a commitment to fostering those beliefs and promoting policies which permit the nation to control its own destiny.” After reading this I had a different perspective on communities and the roles that are accepted. A nation really wants to be able to be shaped by the past and share a common future that works for the people in control. The people with power are able to dictate what is right and what is wrong in order to have an outcome they desire whether the people agree or disagree. Allowing foreigners into the nation brings upon new ideas and diversity which sparked a light as to why intermarriage and different cultural were looked at as inferior because they seemed to be a threat to controlling the fate of a nation. Although I may be wrong, after completing the reading I was left thinking that men aren’t as powerful as they seem. Immigrants, foreigners, or women are all looked upon a less able or less intelligent because they are a threat to men or the people in power. The men are so used to having the control and more rights than the rest so reaching equality is perceived more as a threat than an important advancement nationwide. I understand being in power and then not having the control to spread the knowledge and way of life is a hard thing to just let go of. I know I am generally speaking because I know there are men fighting for equal rights but this so called control fate for the future is impossible. Giving the same rights to everyone and giving people of any background the option to coming to terms with their background will open up a new world, spark new ideas, and change the world for the better. Diversity is essential and having equal rights allowed for changes to be made.