Question O

     Thanks for sharing the Andrea Quotes, Joelle. There is a quote by her that I have heard a few times that is very similar to what Angela Davis was saying, "The genius of any slave system is found in the dynamics which isolate slaves from each other, obscure the reality of a common condition, and make united rebellion against the oppressor inconceivable." (Andrea Dworkin) The White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy we have been learning about is a genius slave system that keeps groups of people separated especially women and makes it so that we are always conforming instead of making change.
      I've learned that change is a process and is going to be a process. Nothing will happen over night, but all the contributions that have been made are important. Being actively aware, constantly and starting conversations are two major things I do in my life to bring about cultural transformation. I am very advantaged by certain patriarchal oppressions like racism and my education. I don't see any other option but to make this world a better place with every step I take. And having hope is important because it is hard to accept the truths of this world and it is painful to be aware to the reality of what Leslie Feinberg was talking about, but like she quoted: "Let us be realistic let us do the impossible." We have to work together and we have to be strong for social change because now is a time for people to rise up; we have to ALL be part of this revolution.

Question N

A good activist requires an individual to be committed to working with others "by building relationships and coalitions that will bring about social change" (Collins, pg. 604). Each of us should find an area of specialization that we are passionate about changing while then working outside other areas of interest in order to build coalitions across differences. An effective and positive change agent must remember that "we do not all have to do the same thing in the same way. Instead we must support each other's efforts, realizing that they are all part of the larger enterprise of bringing about social change" (Collins, pg. 607). Realizing this is the only way we can begin to work towards a future worth living for. Other important qualities a social change agent must encompass is building empathy, this is hard and often we don't see need for it. We often don't see how and why we are connected to all people and therefore apathy fills us instead of empathy. I do believe that coalition building and understanding are key, I admire that about Gail Dines who came to our campus last semester; we talked with her before her presentation she is a strong and smart woman very open to coalition building.

Question M

In my estimation, the root cause of ageism in our culture is the inability to have empathy for the rapidly aging population. Our society has not taken the necessary step to creating a space for families to discuss with their parents before they are not able to make the decision themselves what their preferences is long term care. The movie Living Old did a great job explaining the current state of aging in our culture and how people choose to handle it. The medical advances of our time have allowed people to live longer then ever, and many of times people with serious illness that prevents them from performing daily tasks by themselves has created a need for places for the elderly to live or full time caregivers to come to their homes.  I do think that I am ageist, simply for the fact that I am only 21 years old and have no idea what it is really like to not be able to for say walk by my self or cook a meal for myself for example. I have recentally experience this with seeing my grandparents growing older and unable to take care of themselves any longer and how my Moms brothers and sisters have chosen to deal with this. It is easy for me to sit her and say what I think their next step in life is, but am not having to deal with this first hand. I don't think that I know what I want my long term care to  be when I grow old and am not able to take care of myself any longer. This is a serious and growing problem in our society today and needs to be addressed to create options for families to have when the time comes to decide what the future looks like when you do need assistance in your daily life.

Question L

The video Gimp did not have a huge impact on the ability of dance expanding the notions of the human body. I do not have much exposure to theater, dance or other expressive arts, so much of what I see is new and interesting, as I'm not able to provide much of a critique. Gimp did a great job showing difference ways that the human body can express itself through motions and in rhythm with others. This piece helps address issues of ablism by providing other outlets of human expression through dance, which was the complete opposite of what a dancer is portrayed as in our society today. Popular culture and the media portrays dancers as young, petite females or homosexual males (not accepted among mainstream masculine culture today). As Wendell explain about living in a culture of ablism, "the lack of of realistic cultural representations of experiences of disability not only contributes to the "Otherness" of people with disabilities by encouraging the assumption that their lives are inconceivable to non-disabled people" (pg. 480). There is no common language and promotion of understanding and acceptance of individuals who do not fit into this false reality of popular culture today. But Gimp gave a positive, visual example of everyone' own, unique abibilities of their body.

Quick Blog #5

I watched the Gail Dines video, who spoke about Her New Book  Pornland: How Porn Has Highjacked Our Sexuality. This was not my first introduction to Gail and her standing and current advocacy work on pornography. She came to UNH to speak this past spring and had the opportunity to meet her before her presentation. I believe that she is a leader in this developing movement, just as all the other isms have become understood problems in our culture, the current state of the pornography industry is enabling a white-supremacist, capitalist patriarchy to persist.

Here's a few key points from Gail's speech on her book that I thought were important to bring into the conversation of the harms that pornography has on our culture today.

• We now live in an image based culture, which has increased the normalization of pornograpgy into mainstream culture. The average age of first time viewers of porn for males is age 11.
• Many of critics of Gail call her anti-sex, prude, ect... and explains that this is not so, and makes the comparison to being a healthy food advocate who makes a stand against fast food, explaining that fast food is the comodification of food, and has shown to have negative effects on our culture. She correlates this to not being what some call her "anti-sex", but against the commodification of sex, which has become an industry that is having an enormous impact on our society today, and is how a majority of our society is first introduced and now views what a healthy sexual relationship is.
• Pornography is available on the internet on a global scale and universalizes the way cultures think about sex. Here is a short video a friend of mine shared with me recentally that I thought relates to the power and influence the American Pornography industry has on a global society, specifically men. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es0sz_6vDS8
• Since the first Play Boy was published in 1953, pornography has developed into a massive, capitalistic, profit industry. It is estimated that it is a $97 billion/yr industry globally. What many advocates of pornography seem to argue is its the womans choice to be in porn, an adult decison, private business between partners to name a few common examples that I have heard, but seems to ignore and dismiss the forms of violent, racist erotosism that is considered popular mainstream pornography today.
• Her thoughts on how this conversation and movement can look to the future and long term is to raise individuals conscisoucs and awareness of the negative effects that this industry has on our society. This cannot be done through a criminal route but creating safe space for  victums to feel empowered to take a stand against the produces and help those involved in both the production and consumption of pornography change the way society views and discovers a healthy sexuality. This seems to be a subject that people become uncomfortable with and avoid any conversation around the matter, this is ignoring a serious problem facing our culture today.

Digital Video Project

My Digital Video Project focuses on sexism and how it is perpetuated into mainstream society through the media and popular culture. Sexism has become so normalized and invisible in our culture that we don't understand it is everywhere, in all structures in patriarchal society. Woman are portrayed and honored in our society according to their looks and bodies while male domination persists this and sexism is the foundation that upholds the hyper sexual culture. The two characters Kris (female) and Sam (male) are young friends who are constantly made fun of at school and in the neighborhood about their choice of gender expression, where Kris feels bombarded with images of woman who are overly sexualized and she does not feel that is who she wants to become when she is older. Sam hears about how the older boys are expected to act when they enter high school and how they feel superior and power over girl through what the media has shown them. Both come from single mother households and have been told that their fathers grew into not so good people and were no longer around. Sam doesn't think this is fair for Kris to feel like she has to live up to the cultural stereotypes of what is masculine and what is feminine.

The video was created using the program Xtranormal. This was the first time using a program like this so was a bit slow getting the hang of all of the components and options you can add into your movie. I tried to keep the story line relatively simple, it is meant for an educational video for young kids to realize that although a majority of our culture perpetuates acts sexism, or ignore it, when kids are young they need to not feel pressure from other kids to fit into these false roles of what you need to do to be female and male. I thought a cartoon would reach a younger audience opposed to another type of video maker that would be easier developed to appeal to an adult audience. Its important to help kids find a place in the world where they feel comfortable to be as they want to be and not fall victim to mass media that perpetuates sexism and society's norm. My main resources have been from personal experiences and information that I have learned that explains direct links to sexism, and in the movie mainstream advertisements on billboards that show male dominance while advertising alcohol. It is crucial to social justice that we start to talk about issues such as sexism at a young age, it could change the world for girls to be told that they are strong and boys that they are beautiful.

Here is the link to the movie...http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/8272006/

Resources: Xtranormal: http://www.xtranormal.com/index

Question K

The film Beautiful Daughters and article "Trans Woman Manifesto" challenges preconceived notions of transgender identity that is stereotyped in American culture. Both of these discussed trans woman, who as Serano said "are so ridiculed and despised because we are uniquely  positioned at the intersection of multiple binary gender-based forms of prejudice: transphobia, cissexism, and misogyny" As an individual who chooses to identify as and/or lives as a woman, trans females face forms of oppression that trans men do not experience because of the simple fact that our society views femininity as inferior to masculinity. The gender binary of male and female that our society has constructed and the acceptable ways to express and live in this gender that was assigned at birth is the only way gender is understood our culture. In the article Serano said "there is no such thing as a "real" gender - there is only the gender we experience ourselves as and the gender we perceive others to be (pg. 442)", but our society doesn't have this view. Instead there is an "extraordinary amount of pressure on individuals to conform to all of the expectations, restrictions, assumptions, and privileges associated with the sex they were assigned at birth (pg. 442)", which is exactly what our culture values, masculine as superior to feminine.

This unit helped link the oppression that transwoman face is the same forms of misogyny that cisgender females experience, both living in a male dominated, masculine valued society that persists today. The male centered gender hierarchy is why transwoman are not as easily accepted or tolerated as trans men in our culture. It was positive to see Beautiful Daughters and how for the first time an all transwoman cast was able to have their presence seen and accepted in the Vagina Monologues, which has in the past been an all cisgender female cast to bring awareness to violence against woman and celebrating being a woman. Cisgender people can act as allies by deconstructing the notion that their are differences between women and men, and the fact as cisgenders, because your subconscious and physical sexes are aligned, this is not the case for every person. Do not make judgments on peoples gender identity just on appearance that our society through popular culture and the media only knows as what is feminine and what is masculine. We all live in a male dominated society that needs to first change before our culture can empower people of all sexualities and genders.

Quick Blog #3

1. An experience where I was privileged due to my class/socioeconomic status is being able to dine out try out restaurants in the area. I love cooking and anything food but this is becoming more and more evident to be that this is extremely privileged and is something those of middle and upper classes have extra money for. The hospitality industry thrives off of people of privilege with extra income to spend and have the lower class be employed at these places.

2. A time when I was oppressed/disadvantaged due to my class/socioeconomic status was over the past holiday when I was shopping for my family I went to a store that was catered to the upper class. I walked around for a bit looking and was not asked if I needed any help, and when I went to the counter to purchase a gift card the woman spoke few words to me and gave me the card and receipt by itself when there was an abundance of small boxes and bags behind the counter. Although I could have easily asked if I really wanted it, the cold tone that I felt from the employee made me feel not welcome in the store because of how I looked and was dressed.

3. An experience where I witnessed classism was this past summer when I met a friend of a friend for the first time, who happened to be a white male. We all were discussing the poor economy and how its pretty difficult to find work. But he continued on to bring up that minorities has an advantage over whites in gaining jobs and that's why he didn't have one currently. I said to him that regardless of equal opportunity employment minorities in reality have an even harder time finding jobs than do whites, specifically males.  Also I mentioned to him the demographics of the Seacoast and most of New Hampshire is majority white. The economy is bad for everyone, blaming another group for troubles you are currently facing as a white male is not accurate.

Question I

Jackson Katz talks about how this society teaches us skewed versions of masculinity and femininity. To be a man is to be tough, physical and aggressive; to be a woman is usually the opposite. He says that men and boys also get taught what they are when they don't measure up to these rigid standards of masculinity; they are ridiculed and picked at until they are raw and hurt; this could ass to the perpetuation of the cycle of violence: like a patriarchal father acting out at his gender non-conforming son: or it can be related to how a person of color with very light skin may try and pass as white and something that helps him pass is to act more in line with dominant white masculinity. When woman don't measure up we are systemically demonized in all threads and violence is used against us. The smartest thing that the media has done is create narrow categories so that we fall into them and become socialized. The consumer culture we live in helps socialization flourish giving us materials to groom so that we have the chance to become the best dominant masculine white man or the best dominant feminine white woman.

The intersection with race and class is easy to see as white and wealthy are the standards we are all supposed to achieve in beauty and society, it i all we see and know of life: whiteness. This creates internalized hatred from young children of color with the lack of positive images one feels no comfort in the world with who they are.

The only recent media images that portray a more diverse or complex representation of gender is the girl scouts new images and poster campaigns, yet at a larger scale it is still gendered because the boy scouts exist and they do different activities and are offered more societal support. It will take more than progressive images of gender to deconstruct patriarchy, we have to create spaces that honor different types of masculinity and femininity and we have to work towards changing systems that put out images and the culture.

Video Treatment Project

Topic: I've decided to choose sexism as my "ism" for the short video. Sexism has become so normalized and invisible in our culture that we don't understand it is everywhere, in all structures in patriarchal society. I think there are some easy ways to understand male domination and how it oppresses women and reduces our only worth to our bodies while making us think that our success is achieved if our bodies are "honored"; sexism is the foundation that upholds the hyper sexual culture.

Story: The story is of a young white girl and young white boy, they are neighbors in a small apartment building. They live with their single parents and have become good friends as their mothers both work a lot. As the only children in the four until apartment building and and are growing up in a Patriarchy, where social interactions are controlled by male over female domination. These two friends experience sexism and socialization in their everyday together living under the Patriarchal systems that promote sexism, so that men can benefit for it and so that women can internalize it: this inequality feeds the power and privilege of the Patriarchy.  They help each other have an understanding of this culture and how to both live in an accepting, equal world away from society norms that promote sexism.

Software: I plan to use Xtranormal to create my project. I have not previously used the software myself but think that most programs like this have plenty of available resources and help tools that it should be pretty self explanatory.

Research: My research will come from online sources and organizations website that provide resources relating to feminism and social justice. There are also numerous media videos and images that are part of everyday culture that promote and helps perpetuate sexism in our culture and make it seem like normal actions for privileged to oppresses and dominate those of the opposite gender. This hopefully can be used as an educational video that promotes positive relationship and support between two friends of the opposite gender while discovering how sexism is so ingrained in our society, and how it cannot continue.

Timeline: My first step will be researching examples of sexism and how it is part of our everyday lives in many different forms on Thursday. I plan to have the script finalized by Friday and start to input the script into the program on Saturday and finish it up on Sunday.

Why: I think the most important thing that I would like viewers to take away is that sexism is a very deep, near invisible issue that is affecting us and the youth everyday and constantly. It is really crucial to social justice that we start to talk about these things and change them, the people are the only ones that will because the law and people in power are doing nothing, it could save the world to tell girls they are strong and boys they are beautiful.

Question H

Growing up I was raised Catholic. My Moms side of the family were practicing Catholics growing up and continue today while my Dad was raised Methodist but is not actively practicing any religion. I never thought twice about having Christian Privilege where the work and school week allowed for Sunday to be a day of rest as well as vacations that align around Christmas and other religious celebrations throughout the year. It was never a choice growing up weather or not I wanted to go to Church, make my first communion and confirmation as well as having to go to P.S.R (Public School Religion) class once a week at my Churches school. It was a norm among some of my family's social group but certainly not everyone I knew was part of a religion. As I grew older I found little interest or feeling any sort of positive connection to the Church that I grew up in. Religion is not something that I identify with any longer, but do recognize that people have positive connections to their religious communities, and many of times becomes peoples social group. Our society has been formed around Christianity and Patriarchal religion that still has systems operating around their practices. How can the U.S. present itself as a place of diversity and a melting pot of various cultures and religions when there is continuous acts of oppression towards people that do not identify with society norms, in this case Christianity. Blumrnfeld pointed out that in reality "the United States today stands as the most religiously diverse country in the world," there is a need to reform basic practices in our daily lives to be more accepting and accommodating to people who do not practice Christianity.

Question G

I choose to discuss "The Girls Next Door" by Peter Landesman. This article I thought was very important to include in the discussion of the perpetuation of classism in our society today. Capitalism has had a major influence in creating these social classes and it is white men that who sit at the top, in control. Policemen, who are perceived to be authoritative figures who promote safety for all members in society have taken advantage of their position of power  "border agents and local policemen usually don't know trafficking when they see it. The operating assumption among American police departments is that woman who sell their bodies do so by choice..." This is the ruling idea that keeps women in an inferior position, yet when you look closer and break down the conditions that women in sex trafficking face we see that it is not a choice but rather a result of severe classism and misogyny. Capitalism is set up to benefit the privileged, those who are privileged construct systems to deprive people--and make money-- of lower class into conditions that we are also socialized to hate.


"With new Internet technology, pornography is becoming more pervasive. With Web cams we're seeing more live molestation of children." The combination of porn and the Internet has influenced the current state of society very much. The men in control use every medium they can to foster the sale and domination of women and girls. A sex worker who was held captive for a number of years, said "In America we had 'special jobs.' Oral sex, anal sex, often with many men. Sex is now more adventurous, harder." She said that she believed younger foreign girls were in demand in the U.S. because of an increased appetite for more aggressive, dangerous sex. --> This is a direct link to the effects of pornography! The current porn industry is getting more and more violent as the people consuming just become more and more numb.

Question F

I liked learning about this experiment and think that it is a productive way to help children understand race, especially white kids. It can be seen as unethical but really only in ignorance. This was an opportunity to help these children understand white supremacy. She is teaching the children a reality that most of them have not had to deal with and that have had the privilege to ignore. She is interrupting at a time in the child's life where children are lead astray, towards racist ideals in the media, law and family.

It is clear to see she had the best interest of the children in mind, this was going to benefit them and their interactions with others. Children are more comfortable and open when they are engaged in learning, this was a very effective exercise; it was great to see what the reactions of the children were and not surprising the backlash she faced. I don't think it was cruel, it was real. The biggest mistake in our education system is that we deny reality and teach inequality, through hidden curriculum. This was an amazing step toward social change; it really does start with the youth. Children are free and have no intent to hate or discriminate; that is something our society instills, like Elliot says how teachers perpetuate racism. This exercise highlights the importance of honoring difference and also bystander importance; we don't teach others to treat people differently, we teach our youth that we are all different and no one should be treated different or inferior because of that. 

Quick Blog #2

This article I stumbled upon this week while reading the newspaper from my home. While deconstructing the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy that we are all stuck living in today, the issue of domestic violence is a difficult cycle to break. Laura a survivor of domestic violence story is shared and gives hope for individuals to break away from the cycle of violence and establish a new life as an advocate and support for others wanting to leave abusive relationships. I thought this related to what we have been discussing about gender, male supremacy and ways that victims have been able to break away from the structure of violence to find a better life for themselves and helping others find safety and a community to call home.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/01/community_hero_2010_laura_cowa.html

Question E

Strategies that dominant group members use to deny, minimize and erase the oppression of targeted social groups in the U.S. by blaming the victim or calling it something else. Those who stand in a position of privilege will do anything to make sure that it stays that way and in our culture white male heterosexuals are at the top. Dominant groups deny the oppression of targeted social groups and blaming the victim furthering the cycle of oppression. An example used in the reading regarding why segregated communities still exist today Johnson's explanation could not be more true. Whites often will claim that blacks would rather live among other blacks and it is a natural human tendency to choose the company of your own kind. Research has shown the complete opposite that black would prefer to live in integrated neighborhoods, it is the white that have made sure that integration would never happen. Instances of reality companies redlining in the past government housing projects built in neighborhoods with little or no resources that viable community needs. Racism has a huge part on why we do not live in more integrated communities today. Blaming the victim persists among gender privilege, and an example used where males will often blame woman and accusing them of "asking" for all kinds of trouble, especially what's otherwise known as rape, sexual harassment, and being beaten by domestic partners.

Over and over again you see instances of people becoming immediately defensive or pointing fingers instead of taking personal responsibility for your indirect and direct actions affecting the form of oppression occurring. We can take steps to interrupt this cycle, once more and more people become active about breaking the silence and calling out the oppressors on their actions they will not be able to function as they have in the past. It takes every single person to have an awareness and not turn yourself away from problems just because it is not directly affecting you. Johnson says it perfectly "There is no such thing as doing nothing. There is no such thing as being neutral or uninvolved. At every moment, social life involves all of us." (p. 121).

Question D

The Stanford Prison experiment is a perfect example of how racial difference, racial privilege and racial oppression continue to exist in society today. In racialized terms the guards represented white supremacy and the prisoners were seen as the victims and in our culture are people of color. The guards who relent are similar to the racial oppressors because white supremacy continues to promote and maintain a sense of entitlement, infusing power and privilege into men who are white, of higher class allowing for them to feel the need to destroy anything that gets in their path. The racially oppressed feel the destruction and hatred that white supremacy radiates.

This is easy to see how it directly relates to power structures, industrial complexes (specifically this case the prison/military industrial complex), capitalism and how these systems support racial oppression and racialized ideas of white supremacy. The experiment is similar to the "real prison system we see in our society because of the cycle of violence. The power and abuse of humans, to degrade and place in a lower position is the only way to uphold this system, which is to say that racism is a way to uphold the system. This sadistic power structure reveals that the livelihood of capital and power depends on the perpetuation of violence within these structures. As the cycle of violence is acted out, oppressors and the oppressed become empty and violence is the only option left to fill the emptiness. White Supremacy positions certain people above others (or "Others") to socialize and control the mainstream ideology; which is what those prison guards tapped into and realized that power and abuse was beneficial to them.

Question C

I agree with Kimmel's critique of Gray, there really is not that much of a difference between males and females. What males want female's want and vise versa. When Kimmel discussed parenthood and stressed the importance of both males and females to be equal partners in the up bringing of their children and home life I think is difficult to argue with. The fact that he shared about the US being 1 of the 4 (maybe 5?) countries to not provide paid leave for a newborn is a pretty obvious fact form birth that the US ideals continue to follow that woman are responsible for home life. While our culture bow has both parents often working, regardless of gender the family structure in the US is crumbling unless you're a middle or upper class citizen who can afford to have a stay at home parent (usually female) or childcare. We have not taken the proper steps in history to create a nurturing home for children with both parents at home in the developmental stage. I think weather males like to believe it or not, a majority of them do not participate in housework and unconsciously think that the females will just do it. Kimmel's mention that homes where parents are equal partners in the home. family and work responsibilities create a positive atmosphere for their kids to grow up and become respectful individuals.

Tuesday 1/4: Question B

My first notion of what feminism meant was portrayed through popular culture and the media. It was never a term that I heard from my family members, teachers or other adults or friends, but a term as I got older was described just as the examples the movie used, man hating, lesbian, doesn't shave, etc. This was the picture and notion that I had in my mind until having the opportunity to learn and explore what this term really meant, and what it means to me.

I identify as a feminist. This term I believe does not have a specific definition but is a collective vision that all those who believe in this word and incorporate into their daily life are working towards equality of all human beings regardless of gender identity. This world we live in today was built and still continues to operate under a white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. As a feminist I try to bring issues that still persist so evidently today, such as racism, sexism, classicism, and the endless other forms of discrimination that people continue experience. Its hard to see people try to say that these issues are of the past and are not a problem today, because they are only creating a false reality and turning their heads at prevalent issues that cannot continue to be normalized in main stream society. Stereotypes that people live by are a false, they never truly experienced difference or diversity before automatically having a notion and thought of an individual or group of people who do not support society norms. People have forgotten how to look at the individual because their minds are so polluted with these preconceived judgments that mainstream society perpetuates.  I hope to help break down the stereotypes associated with the word feminist and enable anyone to understand the idea of this word and how it is working towards equality for every individual.

1/3: bell hooks

I agree with bell hooks discussion and examples used of the perpetuation of a white-supremacist, capitalist patriarchy through the media of film, television and popular culture. In the case of OJ Simpson who was on trial for murder of his wife turned into a racially based media frenzy, completely ignoring domestic violence as the root cause of the murder. It quickly was turned into a racial issue by the media to attract attention from people of all different genders, races and classes that focused on a false story portrayed by popular culture outlets such as television, newspapers and magazines. To see black woman on the news cheering when OJ was found not guilty was devastating because their information channel of the media created a false sense of racial equality for blacks, instead of telling the truth of the story that was violence against women.

Power and privilege is sustained by the media in so many forceful and invisible ways. The media is a business that is most likely run by white men who are part of and promote the White-Supremacist, Capitalist Patriarchy (most large corporations and high level government positions are also run by white males). The OJ Simpson murder trial was a perfect portrayal of the male dominated society we live in. When bell hooks made the statement on Good Morning America about this being a case of male violence, above all, was brave and truthful. The media took this as an opportunity to strengthen inter racial bonds allowing the public to choose sides: white or black. How dare we even think to reach across races and understand that these are interlocking issues. It was received as a victory in the black community: the media usually villianized black men and loved to put them behind bars, and this didn't happen, so, a victory.  It was another way to distract people from the real and underlying structural issues of misogyny and sexism; and also racism because most people couldn't understand how this was all being controlled by The White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy.