So recently I went to Target to get a few things for the apartment. I never really cared to take a stroll down the toy isles but it is the Christmas season now and I have a niece who is 3 and I needed to get her a gift. I took a nice stroll down the isles and it was absolutely appalling the amount of PINK and PURPLE I saw. I was completely overwhelmed. A lot of the stuff was the same like dolls and little cars for them to ride in, just different facial expressions or brand name. I never looked deep into the whole color difference between boys and girls, but it was crazy walking down the isles and seeing the difference. I think there was about a good 6 double sided isles of pink and purple items and boxes. Of course there was the same for the boys though, just blue and black and the isle of army items which included the dark green, sandy camo.
To more of a surprise there was a gender neutral isle, but it was baby toys.... like the little plastic rings and the stand up noise making things. But other than that I couldn't find one. Even the board games were separated to fit the different genders. Fortunately I was able to find a gender neutral etch-a-sketch thing that had multiple colors and had a boy and a girl depicted on it. Even though ill try and teach my niece that playing with boys toys is ok, I don't think it is going to work as my sister is a pre-madonna and loves pink and purple, the whole nine yards. She spoils her rotten with the pink toys and clothes, although her room is animals and features gender neutral colors like hello, green and browns. It is funny because my brother in law got her a drill set with boy colors and what not and she said "daddy that is for boys" and refused to play with it. Needless to say that went back to the store.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Media Matters by Croteau (Extended Comments) Mike's blog
Ok so like Mike, when I think of Ideology I tend to think of religion and what each one puts forth to people. It was interesting reading the article and figuring out that media puts forth ideologies rather than just ideas. The difference between ideas and ideology is completely different and is to know wonder why society follows mass media culture.
I like how Mike relates this idea to his earlier life and the Eminem CD. He put the article into perspective for me because the article was a little wordy. Mike relates the article to the major violence in mass media and the hate that it puts on different groups. He specifically relates it to violence and his experiences with music, specifically the Eminem song: "Kill You" which pretty much goes against the sex positive arguments and also puts forth hate against the LGBTQ community. While I tend to agree that Eminem's music is a great lyrical and vocal accomplishment, I disagree with its messages and tend not listen to rap music as it tends to degrade women and puts forth a life style that in my opinion is wrong and unobtainable. But I have done my share of listening to music based on a catchy beat or because it sounds good, so I guess I am a hypocrite.
Ideology is such a strong word and it is safe to say that the media uses it to display what is right and what is wrong. Everyone and anyone is subject to media ideology, and it is now starting to effect the baby population. I like what they are doing with kid show, as I am subject to watching quite a few with my niece. They have been challenging the white dominant culture with African American hosts and also latin american characters and teaching what is right and wrong in so many ways. I hope that one day teenager targeted media and adult media can do the same.
I like how Mike relates this idea to his earlier life and the Eminem CD. He put the article into perspective for me because the article was a little wordy. Mike relates the article to the major violence in mass media and the hate that it puts on different groups. He specifically relates it to violence and his experiences with music, specifically the Eminem song: "Kill You" which pretty much goes against the sex positive arguments and also puts forth hate against the LGBTQ community. While I tend to agree that Eminem's music is a great lyrical and vocal accomplishment, I disagree with its messages and tend not listen to rap music as it tends to degrade women and puts forth a life style that in my opinion is wrong and unobtainable. But I have done my share of listening to music based on a catchy beat or because it sounds good, so I guess I am a hypocrite.
Ideology is such a strong word and it is safe to say that the media uses it to display what is right and what is wrong. Everyone and anyone is subject to media ideology, and it is now starting to effect the baby population. I like what they are doing with kid show, as I am subject to watching quite a few with my niece. They have been challenging the white dominant culture with African American hosts and also latin american characters and teaching what is right and wrong in so many ways. I hope that one day teenager targeted media and adult media can do the same.
Bigotry by Fletcher Blanchard (QUOTES)
"your vocal opinions affect what others think and say"
What Blanchard puts forth here is that each and everyone of us have affects on others with what we say. His studies with his students proves this. His students would walk up to others and display bigotry and racial tendencies, and they found that the students they approached and asked how they felt about it, often displayed the same opinion as if it was the norm.
"few have vicariously experiences the pain felt by a friend who has suffered racial harassment"
This hit home with me because I would consider myself someone who is well intentioned and would like racial equality. What this means is that even though you are well intentioned and have friends of other ethnicities and so on so forth, you most likely have never felt any of the pains that they have experienced through racial thoughts and spoken word. I mean in my case this is right, I can not be fully aware and be fully in-tuned with the movement because of it. I have not had the chance to stand up for a friend who was experiencing prejudice and there for have never felt the pain of prejudice in any way shape or form and I am ignorant because of it.
people "do not acknowledge the important differences between the intentional behavior of the committed bigot and the inadvertent behavior of the profoundly inexperienced"
what it means is that there are people who are complete bigots and do not care to voice their racial opinion, while others are un-intentionally harming those around them just because they partake in daily society and what is contemporary racism. It is important to recognize the differences as you need to deal with each individual case in a different way and with different techniques. For instance I would consider myself an inexperienced individually and I need to be educated on what I should and should not say. I find myself referring to people of color as "those" people and non intentionally harming them. I found myself doing this on facebook. One of my cousins works in a group home with disabled adults and those with mental incapacity and we were having a conversation about him standing up for a group member there who was being threatened and punished by a worker there. I had said "good for you Ben, sticking up for those individuals who can't defend themselves". I had the best intentions with my thought and I assumed it was ok. But my aunt came back at me with they are not "those" people, they are just like us and are just unfortunate to be the way they are. It made me think about how I say things and refer to others.
What Blanchard puts forth here is that each and everyone of us have affects on others with what we say. His studies with his students proves this. His students would walk up to others and display bigotry and racial tendencies, and they found that the students they approached and asked how they felt about it, often displayed the same opinion as if it was the norm.
"few have vicariously experiences the pain felt by a friend who has suffered racial harassment"
This hit home with me because I would consider myself someone who is well intentioned and would like racial equality. What this means is that even though you are well intentioned and have friends of other ethnicities and so on so forth, you most likely have never felt any of the pains that they have experienced through racial thoughts and spoken word. I mean in my case this is right, I can not be fully aware and be fully in-tuned with the movement because of it. I have not had the chance to stand up for a friend who was experiencing prejudice and there for have never felt the pain of prejudice in any way shape or form and I am ignorant because of it.
people "do not acknowledge the important differences between the intentional behavior of the committed bigot and the inadvertent behavior of the profoundly inexperienced"
what it means is that there are people who are complete bigots and do not care to voice their racial opinion, while others are un-intentionally harming those around them just because they partake in daily society and what is contemporary racism. It is important to recognize the differences as you need to deal with each individual case in a different way and with different techniques. For instance I would consider myself an inexperienced individually and I need to be educated on what I should and should not say. I find myself referring to people of color as "those" people and non intentionally harming them. I found myself doing this on facebook. One of my cousins works in a group home with disabled adults and those with mental incapacity and we were having a conversation about him standing up for a group member there who was being threatened and punished by a worker there. I had said "good for you Ben, sticking up for those individuals who can't defend themselves". I had the best intentions with my thought and I assumed it was ok. But my aunt came back at me with they are not "those" people, they are just like us and are just unfortunate to be the way they are. It made me think about how I say things and refer to others.
Event Numero Uno
For my first event I am using my work atmosphere. On the days I don't have class I install walk in bath tubs and showers not only for elderly but for handicapped people. It is a pretty awesome job. I get to learn new things everyday, but most importantly I am doing someone a service and it makes me feel good at the end of the day.
Anyways my job is a feminist issue in more than one way. One of the main reasons as to why I am writing about this is because of the things the women I see on a daily basis, doing. I would say of the about 400 jobs I have been on, about eighty percent of the women are what we would call your typical housewife. Cooking, cleaning, waiting on their husbands hand and foot. More often than not they offer to cook us food and at the end of the job offer to sweep up after the mess we made because they see me on my hands and knees sweeping with a dustpan and brush. Its hard to watch and eighty year old woman who can barely walk struggling to do her daily chores because that is what she has done her whole life, all while her physically capable husband is on the couch watching tv or reading the paper, or to busy being in the way of us doing our job.
Another way this is a feminist issue is how these companies take advantage of these elderly and handicapped people. While they are provided something that will make their lives easier, it is rape, how much they charge these people for a tub with a door on it. Me and my brother install for a few different companies, so I won't get into detail about pricing or anything like that but to put it into perspective: I could buy a brand new hyundai sonata outright, for the price of some of the tub models. I could buy a brand new kitchen or an entire bathroom! Just ridiculous and completely unjust if you ask me. If I were the thousands of elderly who have indulged in one of these, I would protest for my money back!.
But all in all the service is what counts. These people's lives have changed for the better, making their bathing experience a lot more safe. This makes my work a feminist issue in generally, not the greedy salesmen portion.
Anyways my job is a feminist issue in more than one way. One of the main reasons as to why I am writing about this is because of the things the women I see on a daily basis, doing. I would say of the about 400 jobs I have been on, about eighty percent of the women are what we would call your typical housewife. Cooking, cleaning, waiting on their husbands hand and foot. More often than not they offer to cook us food and at the end of the job offer to sweep up after the mess we made because they see me on my hands and knees sweeping with a dustpan and brush. Its hard to watch and eighty year old woman who can barely walk struggling to do her daily chores because that is what she has done her whole life, all while her physically capable husband is on the couch watching tv or reading the paper, or to busy being in the way of us doing our job.
Another way this is a feminist issue is how these companies take advantage of these elderly and handicapped people. While they are provided something that will make their lives easier, it is rape, how much they charge these people for a tub with a door on it. Me and my brother install for a few different companies, so I won't get into detail about pricing or anything like that but to put it into perspective: I could buy a brand new hyundai sonata outright, for the price of some of the tub models. I could buy a brand new kitchen or an entire bathroom! Just ridiculous and completely unjust if you ask me. If I were the thousands of elderly who have indulged in one of these, I would protest for my money back!.
But all in all the service is what counts. These people's lives have changed for the better, making their bathing experience a lot more safe. This makes my work a feminist issue in generally, not the greedy salesmen portion.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Random Blog 2 - Check Um' Out! - Four Year Strong
So Four Year Strong is pretty sick band and I definitely recommend them to anyone and everyone!. They do some great covers in their album Explains It All, some songs which most of the class will know, such as Roll To Me by Del Amitri, Absolutely (Story of a Girl) by Nine Days, Semi Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind and finally Fly ft Travis McCoy which was originally done by Sugar Ray.
They also do their own music of course. They are from Boston!, somewhat local anyways, which is a plus. Saw them for the first time live this past summer at warped tour. One of the sickest experiences of my life. Anyways here is there their best song in my opinion, featuring one of the best breakdowns ever! (so amped just typing this)
They also do their own music of course. They are from Boston!, somewhat local anyways, which is a plus. Saw them for the first time live this past summer at warped tour. One of the sickest experiences of my life. Anyways here is there their best song in my opinion, featuring one of the best breakdowns ever! (so amped just typing this)
Ok so I completely forgot these random post had to pertain to feminism and the class and I think this song does. At the end of the song they sing "sad enough to say that alone I could barely light a match, but together we can burn this place down" "sorry about the mess, but when we team up, team up we always seem to bring this place to the ground" and then crazy breakdown sets in. But I think this can relate to our discussion in class that it is hard for the oppressed group to gain freedom of that oppression without the help of members from the oppressing group. Because when men team up with the under payed women to protest the inequality, they to can dismantle the masters house and they to can bring this place down.
Random Blog 1 - Attempting Divorce After 19 Years
A Belgian man attempts to divorce his wife after 19 years because he found out that she was trans. I find this just morally wrong and appalling. As much as the woman clearly left out some information about her past, it shouldn't have made a difference in the end because she clearly made the man happy if they were married for 19 years! The site even quotes him saying that she had not a single manly feature and he couldn't notice anything difference with sex between her and a biologically born female. If sex does not feel different and you are happy, what does it matter if she is a trans women. In my opinion it doesn't and would not even be a question. I mean don't get me wrong, holding back that type of info is immoral and wrong in itself, but divorcing from a happy marriage of 19 years is ten times worse. I think its karma that the courts deny him and put him through the "hell" he thinks he is in...
Sex Positivity - Connections
The Wikipedia article and the 8 Ways To Be Positive You're Sex Positive article focus on the idea of being positive about what works for you sexual. The Wikipedia article seems to focus more on the arguing groups and the history, but also the pornography industry and the effects it has on the feminist movement.
I connect the wikipedia article specifically to Frye's oppression. Frye explains that people use the word oppression to broadly and don't look at the real scope. She relates it to "men's inability to feel" meaning that they show no emotions and the fact that society oppresses them to do that. The wikipedia article connects with Frye because the anti-porn feminists think that porn is oppressive to women in general, and those who take part in it are degrading the feminist movements and themselves. But in reality it is what they like to do and tends to be their full-time job. It is like any other career, you do what you love to make money. The problem with the anti-porn movement is that they often show graphic images of sadomasochism or the act of inflicting pain and enjoying it during sex (portraying that these individuals are being raped). The reality is that some people enjoy this and are not being oppressed, as a matter of fact they are welcoming it and enjoying every second of it.
Next I connect these two articles to Rich's article on LGBTQ issues. What Rich focuses on is the fact that men and women alike are forced almost forced to be heterosexual because of societal pressures and ignorances. These articles relate in the fact that sex is most often influenced by societal pressures. Also people should be allowed to partake in any for of sexual activity and not feel like they are being judged. This means ANYTHING. This means: " Clown sex, diaper fetishes, puppy play, littles ". This should mean that anyone of any sexual orientation or gender identity can perform sexual activities that they find pleasing.
What I find most important is in the article by Rachel White. She states that each of us have to look deep into ourselves and find what pleases and may not please us and make sure that we are OKAY with that. We should not feel the need to have to conform to society's ideal picture of sex and pressures to have sex or to remain celibate because of it!
I connect the wikipedia article specifically to Frye's oppression. Frye explains that people use the word oppression to broadly and don't look at the real scope. She relates it to "men's inability to feel" meaning that they show no emotions and the fact that society oppresses them to do that. The wikipedia article connects with Frye because the anti-porn feminists think that porn is oppressive to women in general, and those who take part in it are degrading the feminist movements and themselves. But in reality it is what they like to do and tends to be their full-time job. It is like any other career, you do what you love to make money. The problem with the anti-porn movement is that they often show graphic images of sadomasochism or the act of inflicting pain and enjoying it during sex (portraying that these individuals are being raped). The reality is that some people enjoy this and are not being oppressed, as a matter of fact they are welcoming it and enjoying every second of it.
Next I connect these two articles to Rich's article on LGBTQ issues. What Rich focuses on is the fact that men and women alike are forced almost forced to be heterosexual because of societal pressures and ignorances. These articles relate in the fact that sex is most often influenced by societal pressures. Also people should be allowed to partake in any for of sexual activity and not feel like they are being judged. This means ANYTHING. This means: " Clown sex, diaper fetishes, puppy play, littles ". This should mean that anyone of any sexual orientation or gender identity can perform sexual activities that they find pleasing.
What I find most important is in the article by Rachel White. She states that each of us have to look deep into ourselves and find what pleases and may not please us and make sure that we are OKAY with that. We should not feel the need to have to conform to society's ideal picture of sex and pressures to have sex or to remain celibate because of it!
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