Question N

  I think that a good activist must really believe and have faith in what  they are fighting for. There can be a time in someone life when something happens that turns them into an activist. For Naomi Klein this happened when she was a witness to the Montreal Massacre. A man thought that he was a victim of affirmative action and one day he separated the men from women at a college and shot 14 women in a row, screaming “you are a bunch of fucking femininists.”  Klein immediately turned into an activist and many followed her.

   As a great activist one must be able to have a strong steady voice and be able to communicate his/her thoughts or feelings in a powerful manner. It is also important that along with having a strong voice an activist can pay attention and listen to others voices. “Understanding how privilege and oppression operate and how you participate is where working for change begins.” (612) It is also important to “stand up and make noise, while withdrawing support from oppressing systems, starting with yourself.” (613) If you make simple steps daily by stopping from being an oppressor your followers will do the same. It is important to be the best activist possible and be proud and loud while doing so. My most admired activist would be John F. Kennedy. He was president during the 1960’s civil rights movement and helped pass laws to make sure all blacks could vote and helped end segregation in schools. I find him an early activist that many could look up to.

Quick Blog 6

 My social sphere is comprised of people of all different ages. My young cousins are as young as 2 and my grandparents are 92! My family is very large and we get together very often. There is a range of young cousins, older cousins in their twenties, my parents and aunts and uncles in their 40's-60's and my grandparents. We all get along very well. Of course the age I most often with are people in their twenties because all of my friends are this age. I sometimes wish that I spent more time with elderly people. Some of my friends work in a retirement home and the few times I have gone to their work I felt badly for the elderly people. Most seemed bored and lonely. One woman caught me at the door of the elderly home and talked my ear off for a good half hour. I was happy to listen as she clearly did not have many people to talk to. I wish I could take more time out to simply talk to the elderly in homes such as these.
    I think that our society is segregated on the basis of age because many of the activitie we do and places we go are based on age. You dont see elderly people in night clubs and you rarely see younger generations at Friday night bingo.Young and middle aged adults are privileged because they are able to do more than older generations. They are not restricted by sickness, or weak limbs, or bad memory. There are many more things that they are capable of doing.In a way this is also a privilege of ableism.
   We can promote more integration of ages by having required programs in High Schools and Colleges. This way young youths can have a chance to realize it is nice and not as bad as they may think to talk to the elderly. They also may be able to learn from the older generations wisdom. This wisdom and realizing that older people still have a life worth living may make the younger generations respect them more and realize they are still young at heart.

Ageism

According to Robert Butler ageism is defined as "A process of systematic stereotyping of and discrimination against people because they are old." (534) I think the cause of ageism is because in todays fast paced society the younger generations do everything on the go and in a fast manner. Older people tend to be slower in instances such as driving and paying for thing. In the movie "Once We were Young" an older woman takes her time at a grocery market, walking down the street and paying for a bus ticket and many of the younger people waiting are annoyed. This is once of the reasons for ageism. I think in some cases I am ageist. It can be really frusterating when I am driving behind someone who is elderly and they are going way below the speed limit. The book condsiders "youth as criminals" (533) but I would not consider myself a criminal in this case.
   I think ageism is seldom talked about because it is something that nearly all people deal with. In the video "Once We Were Young" it said that in fifteen years over 1/3 of the worlds population will be over the age of fifty. That is 3.5 million people. Since there are so many people dealing with ageism and such a large "support system" it is rarely a subject to be talked about. I think it is great that there are so many opportunities and places for the elderly to be able to continue to have something to live to and have help in their daily lives.

Ableism

     According to the ADA "a person is disabled if she or he has a significant impairment that interferes with a major life function, such as walking, seeing, hearing, learning, speaking, breathing, care of one's self, sitting, standing, or lifting. (457) These people have to deal with ableism or oppression cause by their disability daily. In the movie Gimp there are many individuals who are disabled but challenge their disabilities through dance.
     Many may think that dance is require for only those who are lean and have full functioning bodies. However, as seen in the video Gimp the disabled dancers are able to express themselves through dance. It addresses the issue of ableism because the disabled dancers push the boundaries and anyone who said you could not be disabled and dance is wrong. These men and women have severe disabilities such as missing an arm and one woman even expressed herself without any legs. This can be a progressive step towards pushing the boundaries of the disabled.

Process Piece

Process Piece

            I chose to do my project on Heterosexism because this was a topic that I didn’t know very much about but was an impact on my life. I have several relatives who are homosexual and I felt it was important to learn more about heterosexism and the oppression my family members, as well as millions of other men and women have to deal with on a daily basis.

            I decided to use “Xtranormal” as a way to portray my video and research. I began my project by using my Johnson book and reading the section on heterosexism and going on the internet and finding other resources on heterosexism. I then categorized a script and decided the most important aspect of heterosexism that I wanted to get across to the audience.  I decided to make 6 different sections in my script and wanted to explain the following: 1. Educate what heterosexism is. 2. How Does heterosexism negatively affect people. 3.  Myths and misconceptions about GLTB. 4. What GLTB is and how they are oppressed. 5.  Facts about heterosexism. 6. What we can do to fight heterosexism.

            Once I got all my research and facts together I had to put the script together. I wanted to use two characters who can get across all the points about heterosexism in a humorous way. I put together a humorous and educational script that I am proud of. I was able to learn the Xtranormal and use it successfully.  I feel like all of my time and effort made for a humorous and very educational project about heterosexism.

Resources:

Johnson, Allen. Privilege, Power, and Difference. 2nd. 1. New Yor,, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2006. 184. Print.

Herek, Dr. "Understanding Homophobia and Heterosexism." Sexual Prejudice. Gregory Herek, 16-Jun- 2009. Web. 17 Jan 2011. <http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/sexual_prejudice.html>.

Herek, G. "Stigma and Sexual Orientation."Heterosexism. Philosophy Research Base, 15-may-2000. Web. 17 Jan 2011. <http://www.queertheory.com/theories/sexuality/heterosexism.htm>.

Quick Blog 5

I read the article “Prostitution and Male Supremacy” by Andrea Dworkin. Andrea begins by speaking about how women who are involved in Prostitution “have no tomorrow” and if they think they do they are stupid. She then goes on to talk about the fact that prostitution is the abuse of a woman’s body and that men take advantage of the woman’s body in all cases of prostitution. I think pornography is making men view women as a “piece of ass” and nothing more than their body. If a man has the money and can pay for a prostitute it’s like paying for a car. The more you pay, the better quality. Women are worth their sex and nothing more. This disgusts me.

            I also think that pornography furthers the problems of sexism. According to Andrea, “a prostituted woman is seen as the generative source of everything that is bad and wrong and rotten with sex, with the man, with women.” If women are seen as nothing but a sex object then sexism and misogamy are going to continue to be major problems in today’s society. The men who are consuming these images think that if a woman doesn’t respect herself enough to believe in herself and in love, then why should he? Women who are prostitutes and do not respect themselves do not deserve a man who is going to respect her.

Transgender Women

There are many preconceived notions about transgender people in today’s society. According to Julia Serano a “trans woman is defined as any person who was assigned a male sex a birth, but who identifies as and/or lives as a woman.” (Serano, 441) In Beautiful Daughters we see these notions challenged by many strong women who decided not to hide their true identities and decided they don’t want to live in secret. In Beautiful Daughters one woman said that when her career at IBM learned that she was becoming a woman she was fired.  She did not let this get her down and she continued to go ahead with her process and become the women she wanted to be and spoke about this in the Vagina monologues. Another woman spoke about how when her boyfriends friends found out he was dating a transgender woman and they beat him to death in his sleep. The woman read from the “vagina monologues” and read/act out on these situations about the true life events of women in distress. From time these transgender woman were children they were abused and made fun of because of how they acted and because they were born the wrong way.

                I learned a lot about transgender women in this unit. Through Beautiful Daughters and Johson I have learned that there is a lot of struggles and pain that is part of the process of becoming a women and becoming transgender.  It is a process and transition that can be difficult when it comes to family and friend relationships and how others think of it. I learned that many of the transgender women feel they truly were supposed to be born as women and by fixing themselves they are just becoming who they were supposed to be born to be, which was a woman. I also learned that turning into a woman is not about sex to these woman but its about finding love in life and loving the true you.

Cisgender people can act as allies to combat transphobia. “Perhaps, No sexual minority is more maligned or misunderstood than trans woman.” (Serano, 441) I find this statement to be true because many people don’t understand or realize what it is to be transgender and how difficult it can be in the process of changing. The most important thing is to understand as a cisgender person that these men and women were just fixing the mixhap they were born with and it is important to be supportive.

How Homophobia Hurts Everyone

Heterosexism can be defined as "oppression directed against all females, lesbians, gay males, bisexuals, transgender people, and intersexuals." (371)This pretty much means anyone that is not a straight man can be victim to heterosexism. In "How Homophobia Hurts Everyone" Blumenfeld mentions how everyone no matter what their gender, or sexual orientation can be affected by heterosexism. Blumenfeld grew up as a gay male who was tormented by his peers and called "fag" or "sissy" on a daily basis. (377)When he began to loose his eyesight his sister came to help him recover. He reconnected with his sister on his rehabilitation process and learned that him being gay also had an impact on her. They were able to rebuild their relationship but it is interesting to see that EVERYONE truly is affected and hurt by heterosexism.

Quick Blog 4

Quick Blog 4

Willow Smiths video “Whip My Hair” was very confusing and somewhat disturbing to me. I have heard the song on the radio before but I always thought it was an older woman in at least her 20’s singing it; not a little girl! I don’t think that this would be a great role model for young girls because Willow Smith is so young yet she is wearing diamonds on her lips in the video and belly shirts at some points. She whips her hair in a provocative manner and sprays paint on the people around her almost as if she is somehow putting her personal touch on them. The way that she dances and whips her hair may be considered sexual but she is just so young it is hard to even think of it in that way for me.  I look forward to hearing other peoples posts because I still find this video confusing and I am shocked this is a young girl singing!

Question I: "The More You Subtract, The More You Add"

Jean Kilbourne

“Killing  Me Softly”

 I thought that Jean Kilbourne was a great speaker in this video because she was humorous but got many important points across. In “Killing Me Softly” the media makes narrow conceptualizations of masculinity and femininity and tells the average Americans what they should look like, feel like, and do.  The Average American sees over 3,000 advertisements a day and spends over 3 years of their lives watching simply television commercials. This impact and the fact that these ads are so influential in our lives makes a clear  vision of who we are and who we should be. It tells us what’s most important is how we look.  I believe advertising can be a direct reason why so many influential teens have such low self esteem and try to be someone they are not. These models that are seen in ads are more often than not computerized and touched up or they only show one specific part of a woman or man.

These images also intersect with race and class, especially with consumer capitalism. The men and  women in many cases are turned into objects or things instead of human beings. Women of color are often shown as animals or in leopard prints and considered “not fully human.” If it is not bad enough that advertising is telling people how to look and what to buy, its also dehumanizing women and men of color and putting them in an animal category. Another example intersecting race is that women of color are supposed to shut up and be "barely there";have a message "just smile" or have the hands over many of the colored womans mouths. These ads are saying that people of color do not have a voice, or it doesnt matter what they say.

Consumer capitalism is another important message in this video. In order to be pretty and wear the coolest trends you have to have the money to buy them The clothes in ads and magazines and tv come at a high price and in order to be "cool" and look like the models you must have enough capital to buy these items. It also mentions that high class women and men are in shape and wear the most expensive clothes. For example a woman is wearing a very expensive watch in her upper arm. This means in order to wear a classy expensive watch, you should be skinny enough to wear it around the top of your arm.

A recent media image that portrays a more diverse representation of gender is Ellen Degeneres.  She is an outwardly gay woman who still upholds a great respect and sense of womanhood in the media. She is a well known celebrity but she wears Converse shoes, khakis and a button down. She is not in the media for sexual commercials or makeup like many other women celebrities; she is in an ad for American Express. Women like Ellen can help the self-of -steem of girls greatly increase if they see a real woman does not have to exploit her body to get coverage and be liked.

Question H: Christian Privilege

I have been a devote Christian since my baptism as a child. Growing up I choose to be a Peer Minister and you leader. I helped my local church and went to church with my mother every Saturday. I have not been as decoted in College but still consider myself a strong Christian. I have never once in my life considered myself privileged for being Christian because this is my choice and other people can also chose their religion.

According to Sclosser,  there is a lost of over 18 priveleges that Christians are entitled to. However I dont believe these are entitled to only Christians. For example, "I can have abumper sticker with "jesus is lord" on the back and not get vandalized.." (246) I have seen those vandalized on numerous cars. Also, many of Schlossers priveleges say that a Christian can do something without their religion being a reason for it. For example "I can be successful without having people attribute that to the greed of my religious group" or "I can do well in a challenging situation without being singled out as different from other members of my religious group." (246) Anyone who does judge other people in the various situations Schlosser mentions does so out of their personal rude personality and it has nothing to do with religion.

     Blumenfield speaks of Exploitation and marginalization. He mentions that "students who are hindu, muslim Sikh, Jewish, and of other faiths see few if any, who adhere to their cultural expressions in the classroom." Seeing as different religions are prominant in different nations this makes sense to me. Christians who want their children to learn about their religion send their children to Private schools for that purpose. Any other religions have the same right to do so. Public Schools are banned from even mentioning religion in the school so there is no reason for minority religions to complain. If you want your child to leanr about their relgion send them to a private school, after school lessons, or home school them.

Quick Blog 3

     Throughout my life I have always been middle class but felt privileged. I was taught to work hard but I was also given a lot by my parents. I first learned about privilege on vacation I took with my family when I was about ten years old. At the airport our flight was boarding and I was so excited I wanted to run ahead in line; however only first class was allowed to board. My mother explained to me they paid more for tickets so they got to go on the plane first. This was when I learned everything comes at a cost and the more you pay the more you get. A more recent time in my life that I have felt at an advantage is when I entered college. My parents agreed to pay for my four years of college and after that I am on my own. My roommate was not as fortunate and had to pay for college herself. Seeing how she was working throughout the week and doing schoolwork I felt privileged to be able to enjoy my college experience without having to worry about money.
      Having money does not always have benefits. I have been called a "brat" and "snob" for a absolutely no reason in the past. I am middle class and have been given everything that I need from my family. If there is something that I want such as a new purse or outfit I work for the money to get it. I do not think that other should judge or call me a "brat" for working hard for something I want. I felt oppressed and like I was an outsider by my group of friends.
      The first and only experience when I have consciously witnessed someone being oppressed happened last year. When I was looking for a car we went to dealer that had both used and new cars for sale. When my family walked in we had come right from dinner so we were fairly dressed up. The dealer did not ask what we were looking for an immediately brought us to the new cars. After looking we were on our way out and I saw another young couple walk in. They looked like they were just married and young. The dealer brought them right away to the used cars; once again without asking what they were looking for. It was just like the scene in the store in Pretty Woman. Unfortunately I reacted more upset to Julia Roberts in the movie then I did to the car customers. I was completely shocked but thought it was not my place to say anything even though it was clear the dealer just wanted to make the sales and rated the young couple low class.

Class in America- 2006

Class In America - 2006

By Gregory Mantsios        

   As a child I was always taught that it is rude to ask or talk about money. As I have grown to an adult I find that people rarely talk about money or class because it is an awkward and uncomfortable subject to talk about.  Class is part of daily life, whether you are sitting on an airplane or booking a hotel your choices depend on your class. Gregory Mantsios mentions a good point that I strongly agree with; people refer more often to middle class than anything else. It is much more likely for people to refer to the middle class because it is something that wont offend people or cause conflicts.  The truth is that “the middle class in the United States holds a very small share of the nation’s wealth.” (Mantsios, 150) The fact the the middle class is the easiest and most often class mentioned in discussion yet the smallest share of the nation’s wealth proves the discussion of class is one that is uncomfortable to talk about.

        I think the biggest problem in the nation is that there is becoming a larger and larger gap between the rich and the poor every year. The middle class is declining which means that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.  One of the facts that stunned me was how prevalent the upper class is in compare to the nation’s wealth. “The wealthiest 1 percent of the American population holds 34 percent of the total national wealth.” (149) I may be easier to say middle class than lower or upper class however if the economy continues to develop the way that is is there may be only the two extremes and no middle class at all!

Video Treatment

Topic:
The topic I have chosen for my creative digital video is Heterosexism. I chose this becuse I find that there are more and more heterosexuals who have the guts to be themselves every year. I believe that with the increase in people allowing their true selves to surface there is also an increase in heterosexuals who are against them. I personally also have homosexual relatives and I want people to relate to them on a human level instead of their sexual orientation.
Story
In this story I will make a video that is a replica of a talk show such as Oprah. I want the host to be a respected person who is educated yet funny. I may have the "topic of the day" be heterosexism, but I am not sure. I would like the interviewee to be a fake celebrity who is somewhat seperated from reality and in her own world of fame. She will not know anything about heterosexism but the host will be able to eduate her. I want it to be a funny yet educational interview/talk show.
Software
The software I will be using is "Xtranormal." I thihnk this will be helpful in making my characters come to life and adding the correct and exact dialogue. I have never used this software before and have not even heard of it. However I hope to use the help guide and step by step instructoins of how to use the program which are provided on Prof. Ryans blog as well as youtube.om
Research
I hope to find research on heterosexism via the internet and library resources. I also hope to view actual people in my community and the television viewing any heterosexism in society. This will be an educational video because while the celebrity will be a whitty, somewhat dumb  heterosexual who does not know anything about being GLBT but the host will be able to educate and fill the audience in with the correct facts.
Timeline
January 10- PLOT-->Today I worked on an outline of what exactly I wanted the plot to look like and ideas.
January 11- RESEARCH-->Tomorrow I plan to research more about heterosexism and think of lines/ways to add facts to the video in a humorous manner.
January 12-13- SCRIPT-->I plan to write a script with the information I cam up with.
January 14- Software--> I plan to go over the software and figure out exactly how to put my script and characters into action.
January 15-16- Put the entire video into production and upload it on youtube.
What to Take Away
What I want people to take away is what heterosexism really is and that a majority of people dont actually know how prevalent it is in todays society (Even celebritys who people look up to dont know)

Any other ideass....Greatly appreciated!

Post # 6- Response to Question F

Defining Racism

“Can We Talk?” –Beverly Daniel Tatum

There is no doubt in my mind that the way a person is raised and grows up is a key factor in their future beliefs. Beverly Tatum mentions in her article “Can We Talk” that social segregation does indeed start from childhood. I know that I grew up in a neighborhood with all white families, went to a high school with a large majority of white students and teachers and I now attend UNH which is a majority white. I have to admit that the social situations I have been in and the way my family raised me taught me not to be racist yet it did not teach me anything about any other race. A majority of people, including myself, agree and can relate to Beverly Tatum in the fact that everything I have ever learned about other races has been secondhand information which means all I know are the cultural stereotypes.

                Although I agree with Beverly on the issue of stereotypes and distortion leading to prejudice, I do not agree with some of her other ideas. Beverly mentioned that “all whites benefit from racism, but not equally.” I am guessing she means white men benefit more than white women and various other categories but overall whites ALWAYS benefit. I have to disagree with her in this situation. I think to myself of multiple things that able-bodied people of any color can do that the disabled are held back by. I know that able-bodied black men and women benefit from getting a job, transportation  or even having children more than white disabled people. In this case and many others like it All whites do not benefit from racism. I find it very problematic that so many people think of the word privilege and automatically think of race. Privilege can be on many levels according to Beverly and it is not always about race. I also found it problematic when she mentioned “Why would white people want to stop being privileged?” IF everyone thought like this there would be no hope for the future of racial equality.

Chapter 8

         In this chapter Johnson explains how dominant groups members are privileged which makes them less likely to realized they are part of a problem.  These dominant group members use strategies  to deny, minimize and erase the oppression of social groups in the US. They often deny that  a problem existed in the first place in order to get off the hook. They may say that racism, disabilities and sexism used to be problems but they are not any more. This way they are not responsible for the clear problem that does still exist and don’t feel liable to help the cause.   Dominant groups also minimize the oppression of social groups by blaming them. They may come up with a blame such as “blacks wouldn’t have so much trouble if they worked as hard as white people.”  They may also call a problem something else or believing “its better this way” as a way of making it less important and denying there is an actual problem.  Dominant groups also feel that if they don’t mean what they are doing then it doesn’t really count that there were any repercussions of what they did. This relates to the example given whether is it polite for men to open doors for women or if it is demeaning.

                These practices do not help the unprivileged victims but blame them. They do not stop the vicious cycle of oppression but makes it worse.  By denying and minimizing the problems and struggles of the oppressed they are making the problems worse. By making themselves feel better and blaming others dominant groups are continuing the cycle of oppression and hate.

               In order to interrupt this cycle there needs to be a change. Instead of dominant groups trying to get off the hook they need to take action.  The first step in any kind of rehab or want to a solution is to stop denying there is a problem. The dominant groups need to stop denying they are not the causes of oppression. They need to realize that even if they are not directly trying to oppress or target social groups they are privileged and indirectly targeting them. Everyone needs to take a stand and open their eyes to their effects on the lives of others.

Quick Blog 2 : Article

This article is from the New York Times and can relate to the topic of feminism that we have covered in our course so far. I found this article very interesting because it reminded me of the question of Lady Gaga, Madonna and the roles of feminists in todays society.

The article talks about women in society and and pop culture. It mentions that women used to be considered either "slut" or wife. They are one or the other. Today women can be "sex, brainy, fliry, whitty" and they can be all in one. From Cleopatra to Angelina Jolie the media has been able to create women who are sexy and classy yet adventurous and dangerous. Another example in todays culture of a women who can be both premiscuous and classy is seen in the new movie "Black Swan." Natalie Portman portrays a "whore" as the black Swan and and angelic white swahn as well. It is interesting to read how the media and pop culture can transform a women into a character fused with different roles and personalities.

Link: Pop Culture Creates New Heroines

 

Where'd All the Good People Go?

This video was completely appalling to me. In the beginning of the video there was the experiment with shocks of over 100 volts to men who answered certain questions wrong. They were not actually being hurt but those asking the questions didn’t know that and thought they had to give the test because the head of the experiment had authority; A white lab coat. If this was not shocking enough, the Stanford Prison Experiment brought the question of right v. wrong and authority to a new level. The question was what happens if you put good people in an evil place?

The men who were the guards in the experiment were given dark glasses, sticks and uniforms and were quickly transformed into a man of authority. The prisoners were given numbers in place of names and humiliated and stripped down to nothing in the beginning. In racialized terms the guards would be the majority or the privileged white race and the prisoners would be the minority or the underprivileged black race.

This experiment changed the men who participated and turned them against each other. The guards were so intimidating and cruel they made their own personas such as “Cool Hand Luke” and John Wayne. These guards were especially the racial oppressors and I believe they went way too far with this experiment. The prisoners even turned on each other by the end of the experiment when they would rather keep their blankets then let one of their own out of the hole. I can relate to the racially oppressed prisoner who resisted the guard and went on a hunger strike. He did not give in and I would like to think I would do the same in that situation.


I was also astounded by the 20/20 ABC episode and how the cops can also be like the prison guards and let power get to their heads. It was offensive to see how the black victims were treated in compared to the white. As a middle class white women I never put much thought to if I am treated differently when facing cops. I never would have believed that cops could take their power and turn it into something that would treat people differently according to race.

Lady Gaga Article

I do not agree with the author, Lily Rowen, in the article “GaGa and Kesha Champion New Feminism.” I would not consider either of these women new faces of feminism. Both women complain about how men treat women unfairly and second rate. I don’t not find this to be a “paved way of liberation” as Rowen describes it. Gaga and Kesha both wear little to no clothing and have lyrics that degrade themselves as women. They are both talented women who can sing but do not present themselves in a respectful manner. If Gaga and Kesha’s songs about women getting to drunk and smacking men around is considered a new kind of feminism then the author hasn’t done much research. Many of their other songs are about falling in love with men and having relationships. The fact that both artists have an array of love songs and sexually explicit songs, yet only the sexual songs are hits, does not make them “new age feminists.”

Answer to Question C: Mars. V. Venus

I think that gender differences have come a long way over the century. I believe gender remains largely visible to women more than men because we have changed so much over time. This is why most men don’t think gender is about them. For example, there never used to be classes on women studies and today there are numerous classes about womanhood. Also, today women and men are no different in the workplace, women no longer need to choose between having family lives or careers; they now can “have it all.” This is where Kimmel and I have different views. He believes men can have it all but women still can’t. Tell that to Mary Kay Ash, Hilary Clinton, Angelina Jolie, Sarah Palin and thousands of other career oriented mothers.

Every other country has a country code at the end of their emails however the United States does not. Kimmel believes this is because we are the dominant country and we are privileged. He also says that “women make .76 cents to every mans dollar” instead of “men make .33 cents to every women’s dollar.” These are examples, according to Kimmel, about how priviledge is invisible. I completely disagree because I know, along with a majority of other people, how privileged I am. I know I am privileged to have soldiers in Afghanistan fighting for my “dominant country.” I know I am privileged to be able to walk, run, speak, hear, and see. I know just as much as any man what it means to be privileged no matter what race. I am privileged than many men I know. Gender has nothing to do with being privileged. Although I disagree with Gray in his beliefs that women and men are so completely different that they should live on different planets, I also disagree with Kimmel in some of his ways of thinking about gener differences. I believe women and men are different for good reason but it is not as evident as Kimmel or Gray perceive it to be.

Response to Question B: "The Other Sex"

The original feminist Susan B. Anthony, a current feminist Barbara Smith and even the dictionary all have different definitions for the term feminism. These definitions and the feminists who believe in them have had to deal with great negativity and propaganda for centuries.

There are many myths and characteristics that are associated with feminism. These include women who are angry lesbians or hippies who don’t take care of themselves. Women who are ugly and don’t shave their legs or armpits are also included in this “feminazi” group. Another myth about feminists is that they are angry women. They are women who complain about men and avoid or even hate all men. They are women who believe they should be treated with higher respect than men. As seen through the feminists in this video these characteristics are all myths.


Feminism in my mind is giving women equal opportunity to thrive in a comfortable society. By this I mean that women and men should advocate equality of success and respect in all environments, whether it be a workplace or simply going to a restaurant. I understand there are definite situations and barriers between men and women but those barriers that can be broken should be. Women and men should be treated and respected equally with equal opportunities. Women are not ornaments to society anymore.

I would consider myself a feminist because I believe in guaranteeing everyone no matter what their sex is equal rights. I am personally a business major and I know that today’s society believes that men are the ones who are successful and strive in the business markets. However I believe, as a feminist, I should have an equal opportunity to thrive in the business economy. Success in anything should be dependent on the amount of work you put into something and not ones sex.

From the 1920s when women were granted the right to vote to the women’s movement of the 1960’s to today, feminism has been a conflicting term. I do believe that feminism is on the decline in today’s society because with so many different definitions it difficult for people to truly know what feminism really is .It is difficult to have faith in something that is not set it stone. This is why many people have trouble embracing feminism. There have also been so many rights granted to women over the decades, it is hard to go further because equality is so prevalent in society already. I am aware of NOW (National Organization of Women) and other grassroots organizations that have pressured the government to give women more rights than anyone may have thought possible. However today women make .72 more cents and hour than man in the same jobs and are given equal rights to men in almost all situations. With the definition of "feminism" so diverse and the fact that in todays society women and men are equal in nearly all situations I can understand how feminism will continue to decline in the future.

Blog Post #1: White-Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy

Bell Hooks constantly brings up the term “white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy” throughout her video discussions. This term was very new and confusing to me until she began to relate it to something I am personally very familiar with; media. The media is a way of interlocking different types of biases such as race, sexuality, gender and subconsciously feeding it to the masses. A perfect example of this perpetuation is the OJ Simpson trial.

            The OJ Simpson trial is a perfect example of how the media made a horrifying murder into a spectacle. The media most definitely furthered sexism, abuse, and racism through the documentations of this trial. The fact that OJ Simpson was a supposed black male murderer and Nicole was a white female victim made for a great “story.” Nobody would have guessed it was a group of white women who killed Nicole Simpson.

            I completely agree with Hook’s assertions of the media and popular culture. The oppression of race and sex is drastically forced upon the viewers by the media and in a way forces the viewers to decide a verdict.

Hooks was asked who is innocent and who is guilty? When her answer was questionable and not what the media expected it was rejected.  The media wanted Hooks, the black woman, and the racial scenario to support OJ, the black male.  I agree the media chooses what the masses want to see in this specific case as well as many others. This is how the media functions to perpetuate power and privilege; giving the viewer what they want and expect to see.

First Post

Hello Gender, Power and Privilege class!

My name is Kelly and I  look forward to commenting and blogging with you throughout the J-term course.