College Report #1
For me last semester was not really a good semester. After Thanksgiving break I became unfocused and lost sight of what I was at University of Maryland for. Over Winter break I was sad, confused, and hurt because I felt like I did not know who I was and looking over the fall semester I was a bad person that was not ready for college. I began to ask myself “Is this really who I am? Am I forcing this attitude? Is this who I really was along?” Well I was determined to find out, so this semester was better. I was very happy with my choice of classes because they were interesting classes that related to each other. I can not continue to write this paper without saying how much I enjoyed the semester and how much it helped me to grow as a person. I really enjoyed the Women’s Studies class because it seemed that I learned more by being allowed to think on my own and to share and express my own feelings about certain situations. In Women’s Studies I was able to think in a way that I believe I will not be able to ever think again in any class that I take in the future. It taught me not just about the study of women, but also to take what I know, what I learn, and how I feel and apply it to a class. To me it was not just a class but a place to clear my mind about things that have happened to me throughout the semester. I believe that by me taking this class I have become a better person mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It is only now that I appreciate the route that Ms. King took to teach the class so that we can better understand not only the value and real meaning of feminism, but also the value and real meaning of ourselves.
When I first entered this class I expected to learn, not taking into account the description of the class, about women’s rights, and things that women did to get those rights. Also I expected to learn about how women were treated, in general, throughout the years and was preparing myself to compare that with the way women are treated today. I also took this course to make my schedule lighter than last semester. I was surprised not only at the syllabus, but at the text that were required for the class. I was confused because I was trying to connect the required text with my expectations of the class. But then what really surprised me was the task of the first assignment. My first thought on the assignment was that it was a joke. I have never had a teacher before to ask their students to solely go to museums and to write about what you expected to see and to compare your assumptions with what you actually saw. After realizing that it was an actual assignment that had to be done I was excited about going to museums for“homework”. It humors me when I think of how I went home and told my brothers and sisters of the assignment that required me to go to museums, and how they complain of the fairness in the situation. Around this time I was trying to rebuild the relationship that I had had between my Dad. Last semester I had done some things that led him to not trust me and our relationship had grown weak and we were barley speaking. It hurt me to know that I had betrayed my dad to the point of him not talking to me, like he usually did. I want to reclaim that relationship back and this assignment seem to me to be a perfect start on the reconstruction. I invited him to go to the museum with me and was overjoyed when he accepted the offer. This acceptance made the assignment even more enjoyable. I can remember writing in my free-write that I did not expect my dad to accept my offer and that spending time with my dad and having us sharing our insights on artifacts that we saw expanded my views on the assignment because he gave thoughts that I thought were interesting. During the free-write I understood that I am not the person that I was last semester and I saw myself and even felt myself mature at that moment.
The second assignment I was excited to do because it really drew me closer to my discussion group and allowed me to make connection with different people. I admired the fact that she allowed us to use our imaginations in the assignment and allowed us freedom to roam mentally. I enjoyed discussing with my classmates the different ideas that we had. I was shocked after talking to my TA, that most of my classmates saw me as a mediator. When my TA informed me of what my classmates labeled me as I began to think about how I was a “peer mediator” in high school. I really did not have much experience with the title, although I knew what was expected of me I was still unsure about what to do exactly. Here in college I find myself mediating without me even realizing it. Through this assignment I realized that I am a good friend and that, in some way, I am a balanced person. I realized that my friends can trusted me to be there when they need me and that I can help people. I began to gain hope that I am not half as bad as I thought. The third assignment was exciting as well. I was not worried about picking out a partner for the assignment because me I had become well acquainted with one of my classmates and was hoping that we could get better acquainted and become good friends. Once I found out that we would be working in pairs I immediately asked if she wanted to be my partner and she accepted. At this point of the semester I began to feel like I was only one going through certain situations and that nobody had problems the way I did. As I talked with my partner and learned about her and her family I began to realize burdens that she carry or have carried. I realized that she has had her share of problems just like I have had mine. During the free-write in class on the assignment I wrote that I enjoyed learning that although everybody may not have the same experiences in life we all go through obstacles and that is what makes us who we are.
Through these assignments I have come to realize that I am not who I was last semester. I may not be able to give an explanation for my actions last semester, but I am happy to know that the person that did not make good choices last semester is not real and that I am better than that. All throughout this semester I have gain new friends that will encourage me to make the right choices and have lost friends that were bad influences on me. I have grown not only physically, which I cannot really tell, but mentally, emotionally, and intellectually. In the third assignment I spoke of how being the oldest child is, basically, a blessing and a curse in one. How people expect so much from me and expect me to make a path for my younger siblings and make assumptions of what to expect from my siblings. I realize that this burden is not as bad as it seems. I realized that I am more blessed than cursed because so many people expect positive things from me and expect me to “make it”.
The readings also helped me during this semester. Three that really stood out to me were: Fight like a Girl: How to Be a Feminist, Chicana Art, and Kindred. The first book Fight like a Girl: How to Be a Feminist caught my attention first because of the cover. The fact that the cover was simply colorful, to me, and had a woman with boxing gloves I expected to read stories of how women overcame trials and tribulations in their life and give examples of feminism. I was surprised when I read it for the first time and realized that it was actually a manual on how to carry out activism activities and how to get involved in some of the situations that is going on. The second book I was astounded at the amount of art that it contained. When there were other readings in this book I would only get half of the reading done because I would get stuck looking at the art in the book and found myself trying to depict what it meant and compare it to what I though it was. I enjoyed talking about art work out of this book in discussion because I enjoyed hearing how other people saw the art and what their feelings were. I remember one time in lecture when we were to find a piece of artwork out this book and had to discuss it with a partner and how one girl picked out a dark picture, that I felt was a depressing picture, but she thought it was pretty. When she said this I was shocked and thought “how does she find it pretty?” and then I look at it from her perspective and saw that it was pretty, in its own way. The last book I enjoyed reading because it was different from what I read. When Ms. King first stated that it was a science fiction book, I immediately expected the book to be related to something such as Star Wars or Star Trek. I could not make the connection with my expectations and the cover of the book. When I first start reading the book I was caught of guard by what happens because it was a blend of reality and science fiction, but it also included history. I enjoyed the book because I felt that I could relate to the “flash backs” that the main character had to the slave days. I read it as if it was me going back to those days and on some occasions getting mad and frustrated in the beginning when she was trying to explain to her husband what happened.
BUT, through the semester I believe that this was the most interesting course that I took and I really enjoyed it. I believe that this course was a story abut self discovery, for me. Although I am far from growing and finding myself fully, I believe that because of this class I’m on the right track.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Final Paper: A Reflection
Final Assignment: Learning Analysis
Before I entered into the threshold of WMST 250: Art & Culture, I was uncertain of what to expect from the class. I admit that I enrolled myself in this course to fulfill a requirement, but I learned more in WMST 250 than any of my other courses this semester. This course has altered my way of thinking and forced me to analyze my life. I never thought that I would admit to being a feminist or read a science-fiction novel and actually enjoy it. It has been through the readings, lectures, games, and discussions that I realized a change in myself from the beginning of the semester. I was once a person that refused to examine my own privileges in terms of how they are a disadvantage to others. I am so proud of the knowledge that I have gained in just a few short months because it has taught me not to be afraid to question the structures that make up our lives.
The very first day of WMST 250 was a great introduction to the course, because it gave a small glance as to how the rest of the semester would go. On the first day of class I wrote down the three most interesting bits of information that I have ever seen in relation to course requirements. My notes list an online address for the class blog, a cancellation of class for the following week to accommodate a museum assignment, and a reminder to write an introduction of myself for the discussion section. Prior to this class my blog literacy didn’t go beyond reading posts. Then, there was the first assignment appropriately named Art Venues. When I told my friends that I had a week to visit four museums and write a paper on it, they were jealous. During this experience I was shocked when I realized that women artist weren’t showcased as prominently as their male counterparts. Also, the introduction assignment in discussion was interesting for the sole reason that each student had to describe themselves as a subject in history. I used the ice skating incident of 1994 with Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding to illustrate an event that was historical, yet troubling to me. I may have only been four years old, but I remember this incident being all over the media and later feeling as though it was embarrassing for grown women to behave this way in a professional setting. I immediately fell in love with how open minded the class allowed me to be and I only wondered what the lectures would consist of.
The lecture following the flex week of museum research was insightful and helped to draw together all of the raw materials we had been working with. By raw materials I’m referring to the assumptions placed within the first assignment, webbing assignments, and readings. Writing the assumptions about feminist for the first paper took more effort than I had expected. I had to be honest with myself and say all of the negative things I had heard attributed to feminist. I began to feel more comfortable about my ridiculous assumptions and stereotypes, like all feminist are angry, because my classmates had the same assumptions in their papers. Accompanying the first paper was the webbing assignment, which was new to me. The syllabus simply stated that we should visit the museum websites and page about a woman named Joy Harjo. I find that there is a connection between webbing and readings because it allows outside preparation for the lecture. However, the readings for this class were nothing I had ever encountered before. The syllabus said to preview the book But is it Art? by Cynthia Freeland and pick a chapter to read.
I choose to read the first chapter of the appropriately titled book But is it Art? . I decided to read chapter one of Freeland’s novel because I knew of no better place to begin besides the beginning of the book. Chapter one was entitled Blood and Beauty, which bridged together what I saw in the museums and my assumptions of what art should be (Freeland 1). I remember seeing bed frames wired to look like spider webs and hangars in the Hirshorn museum; my first thought was why is this here. I recall reading a sentence from the Scottish philosopher, David Hume, which said “Men of taste must preserve minds free of prejudice” (Freeland 9). This quote made me want to take back my hasty judgment of other’s work, because I prided myself on being open-minded and excepting of others. I wanted to believe that there was beauty in everything, even blood, solemnly for the sake of the artist that created the piece because they sacrificed their time and put forth so much energy to produce such a meaningful object. I may have enjoyed the section on art, but it left me feeling like this subject couldn’t be related back to my life or anyone else’s. Artists are people respected by the wealthy who can afford to be patrons of their work. Where would my peers or I fit into this subject matter?
My answer to where I fit into the subject of art was answered when the next section was introduced, Billboards, murals and shadows reshaping possibilities. In this section we discussed activism and prepared for our second assignment, which was with our discussion class. Within my group we decided to hold a fictional political rally for women held here at the University of Maryland to inform women of important issues affecting them and register voters. Besides the creative events that each of the discussion sections presented, the most exciting aspect of this segment was the announcements that Katie King and the TAs gave. At the time we had readings like Arlene Goldbard’s New Creative Community and learning about how to be involved in the area. Before the start of every class there was time set aside to mention things that were taking place on campus. For instance, during the week of our lecture about women working in sweatshops there was an event being held that Wednesday discussing the involvement of sweatshops in the production of our university shirts. I fully intended on going because I have all of he information written in my notebook, but a course related engagement took up my time. I would have loved to attend the event, because I wanted to know how most of the students felt about the issue. Were University of Maryland students aware of what a sweatshop is, or did they even care? Out of the numerous causes we explored, I was most interested in sweatshops because they held such an underlying place within our lives.
Staying within the terms of subconscious aspects of life, the next class segment led us to seeing everyday life with new eyes. I was introduced to a concept called the matrix of domination which has essentially embedded itself within my brain for the past month. The matrix of domination has caused me to view the world with new eyes because it has left me believing that it’s nearly impossible to find two people exactly the same. If you matched people on their appearance and background alone that would still not address their religion, sexual orientation, or disabilities. Only when all of these factors have been addressed will there even be enough to adequately compare two people. In addition, the matrix of domination has taught me that intrinsic forces are as important as that of your friends and family.
Intrinsic forces were the most apparent in our first and only required reading for the course, Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred. The main character, Dana, was a black woman living in the 1970s that thought she had her life figured out (Butler). On the other hand, when Dana travels back in time to the antebellum period she is striped of the respect she earned in the 1970s as an educated woman working as a journalist. During slavery she is seen as only a person that could be put to work and thinks that she is better than men. Basically Dana is labeled as a problem slave, or piece of property that needs to be taught a lesson so she’ll behave like everyone else. I believe that the way Dana is treated and the environment that she inhabits determines what her actions are. In the 1970s she has plenty of opportunities and no one degrades her so she lives a peaceful life and blends in with everyone else. However, in the 1800s Dana is seen as acting out because she wants to continue exercising the rights she had before. I related this concept back to myself back when I wrote my assignment three paper because I hold different identities almost in my school life and home life. At school I am an independent student, but at home I am seen as immature, which makes me not want to visit home. I know that when I go home I will be treated like a child with plenty of rules and it makes me forget the freedom I have back at school. My intersectionality is apart of what makes me who I am and it helped to shape Dana into a new woman by the end of the novel.
The final section of the syllabus seemed to bring things in the course full circle. We had begun the year with art done by elitists, but now we were exploring art within communities. We looked at Laura E. Perez’s Chicana Art, to explain some of the elements that are used by Latino artist to generate their work. In the chapter Face, Heart , Lopez enlightens the audience of how Latino women feel pressure to emulate the Virgin Mary because of her faithful, tenacious, and strong characteristics (259). As a result, many of the featured artists in this chapter have art resembling La Virgen de Guadalupe, but a more realistic version. My favorite painting was Esther Hernandez’s Libertad/Liberty (Perez 269). This painting is Hernandez’s interpretation of what La Virgen de Guadalupe is to her, which was the statue of liberty and Aztec characters. She wanted to incorporate her Mexican and American culture. At times I also feel pressure to carry myself a certain way even if it’s not truly who I am. Like many of the artist within Chicana Art, my mother and grandmother hold an important place in my life. Although, it is my mother and grandmother that expect the most from me through my education, behavior, and clothing choices. In their minds I should always wear dresses and be a role model to the other young women in my family, but when I try to just be myself it’s not good enough. In the end, I must be like Hernandez and create my own ideal woman.
By the end of this course I had a better understanding of who I am. Assignment three was somewhat of an evaluation of my life thus far. Now I have decided to be completely in control of shaping my future because the opportunities are limitless. The syllabus for this class was like the outline of a great journey. At the beginning of the year I had no idea how important art was in everyday life. Sure art can be pretty but it’s the craftsmanship and message behind the piece that make it truly necessary in life. I would have never made this connection if the course wasn’t structured to introduce us to art and then show how the things we do in life are artistic. For instance, the freewrites can be their own artistic representation of how we felt in class over these four months. The journey that this course took us on was that of self awareness and community participation.
Before I entered into the threshold of WMST 250: Art & Culture, I was uncertain of what to expect from the class. I admit that I enrolled myself in this course to fulfill a requirement, but I learned more in WMST 250 than any of my other courses this semester. This course has altered my way of thinking and forced me to analyze my life. I never thought that I would admit to being a feminist or read a science-fiction novel and actually enjoy it. It has been through the readings, lectures, games, and discussions that I realized a change in myself from the beginning of the semester. I was once a person that refused to examine my own privileges in terms of how they are a disadvantage to others. I am so proud of the knowledge that I have gained in just a few short months because it has taught me not to be afraid to question the structures that make up our lives.
The very first day of WMST 250 was a great introduction to the course, because it gave a small glance as to how the rest of the semester would go. On the first day of class I wrote down the three most interesting bits of information that I have ever seen in relation to course requirements. My notes list an online address for the class blog, a cancellation of class for the following week to accommodate a museum assignment, and a reminder to write an introduction of myself for the discussion section. Prior to this class my blog literacy didn’t go beyond reading posts. Then, there was the first assignment appropriately named Art Venues. When I told my friends that I had a week to visit four museums and write a paper on it, they were jealous. During this experience I was shocked when I realized that women artist weren’t showcased as prominently as their male counterparts. Also, the introduction assignment in discussion was interesting for the sole reason that each student had to describe themselves as a subject in history. I used the ice skating incident of 1994 with Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding to illustrate an event that was historical, yet troubling to me. I may have only been four years old, but I remember this incident being all over the media and later feeling as though it was embarrassing for grown women to behave this way in a professional setting. I immediately fell in love with how open minded the class allowed me to be and I only wondered what the lectures would consist of.
The lecture following the flex week of museum research was insightful and helped to draw together all of the raw materials we had been working with. By raw materials I’m referring to the assumptions placed within the first assignment, webbing assignments, and readings. Writing the assumptions about feminist for the first paper took more effort than I had expected. I had to be honest with myself and say all of the negative things I had heard attributed to feminist. I began to feel more comfortable about my ridiculous assumptions and stereotypes, like all feminist are angry, because my classmates had the same assumptions in their papers. Accompanying the first paper was the webbing assignment, which was new to me. The syllabus simply stated that we should visit the museum websites and page about a woman named Joy Harjo. I find that there is a connection between webbing and readings because it allows outside preparation for the lecture. However, the readings for this class were nothing I had ever encountered before. The syllabus said to preview the book But is it Art? by Cynthia Freeland and pick a chapter to read.
I choose to read the first chapter of the appropriately titled book But is it Art? . I decided to read chapter one of Freeland’s novel because I knew of no better place to begin besides the beginning of the book. Chapter one was entitled Blood and Beauty, which bridged together what I saw in the museums and my assumptions of what art should be (Freeland 1). I remember seeing bed frames wired to look like spider webs and hangars in the Hirshorn museum; my first thought was why is this here. I recall reading a sentence from the Scottish philosopher, David Hume, which said “Men of taste must preserve minds free of prejudice” (Freeland 9). This quote made me want to take back my hasty judgment of other’s work, because I prided myself on being open-minded and excepting of others. I wanted to believe that there was beauty in everything, even blood, solemnly for the sake of the artist that created the piece because they sacrificed their time and put forth so much energy to produce such a meaningful object. I may have enjoyed the section on art, but it left me feeling like this subject couldn’t be related back to my life or anyone else’s. Artists are people respected by the wealthy who can afford to be patrons of their work. Where would my peers or I fit into this subject matter?
My answer to where I fit into the subject of art was answered when the next section was introduced, Billboards, murals and shadows reshaping possibilities. In this section we discussed activism and prepared for our second assignment, which was with our discussion class. Within my group we decided to hold a fictional political rally for women held here at the University of Maryland to inform women of important issues affecting them and register voters. Besides the creative events that each of the discussion sections presented, the most exciting aspect of this segment was the announcements that Katie King and the TAs gave. At the time we had readings like Arlene Goldbard’s New Creative Community and learning about how to be involved in the area. Before the start of every class there was time set aside to mention things that were taking place on campus. For instance, during the week of our lecture about women working in sweatshops there was an event being held that Wednesday discussing the involvement of sweatshops in the production of our university shirts. I fully intended on going because I have all of he information written in my notebook, but a course related engagement took up my time. I would have loved to attend the event, because I wanted to know how most of the students felt about the issue. Were University of Maryland students aware of what a sweatshop is, or did they even care? Out of the numerous causes we explored, I was most interested in sweatshops because they held such an underlying place within our lives.
Staying within the terms of subconscious aspects of life, the next class segment led us to seeing everyday life with new eyes. I was introduced to a concept called the matrix of domination which has essentially embedded itself within my brain for the past month. The matrix of domination has caused me to view the world with new eyes because it has left me believing that it’s nearly impossible to find two people exactly the same. If you matched people on their appearance and background alone that would still not address their religion, sexual orientation, or disabilities. Only when all of these factors have been addressed will there even be enough to adequately compare two people. In addition, the matrix of domination has taught me that intrinsic forces are as important as that of your friends and family.
Intrinsic forces were the most apparent in our first and only required reading for the course, Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred. The main character, Dana, was a black woman living in the 1970s that thought she had her life figured out (Butler). On the other hand, when Dana travels back in time to the antebellum period she is striped of the respect she earned in the 1970s as an educated woman working as a journalist. During slavery she is seen as only a person that could be put to work and thinks that she is better than men. Basically Dana is labeled as a problem slave, or piece of property that needs to be taught a lesson so she’ll behave like everyone else. I believe that the way Dana is treated and the environment that she inhabits determines what her actions are. In the 1970s she has plenty of opportunities and no one degrades her so she lives a peaceful life and blends in with everyone else. However, in the 1800s Dana is seen as acting out because she wants to continue exercising the rights she had before. I related this concept back to myself back when I wrote my assignment three paper because I hold different identities almost in my school life and home life. At school I am an independent student, but at home I am seen as immature, which makes me not want to visit home. I know that when I go home I will be treated like a child with plenty of rules and it makes me forget the freedom I have back at school. My intersectionality is apart of what makes me who I am and it helped to shape Dana into a new woman by the end of the novel.
The final section of the syllabus seemed to bring things in the course full circle. We had begun the year with art done by elitists, but now we were exploring art within communities. We looked at Laura E. Perez’s Chicana Art, to explain some of the elements that are used by Latino artist to generate their work. In the chapter Face, Heart , Lopez enlightens the audience of how Latino women feel pressure to emulate the Virgin Mary because of her faithful, tenacious, and strong characteristics (259). As a result, many of the featured artists in this chapter have art resembling La Virgen de Guadalupe, but a more realistic version. My favorite painting was Esther Hernandez’s Libertad/Liberty (Perez 269). This painting is Hernandez’s interpretation of what La Virgen de Guadalupe is to her, which was the statue of liberty and Aztec characters. She wanted to incorporate her Mexican and American culture. At times I also feel pressure to carry myself a certain way even if it’s not truly who I am. Like many of the artist within Chicana Art, my mother and grandmother hold an important place in my life. Although, it is my mother and grandmother that expect the most from me through my education, behavior, and clothing choices. In their minds I should always wear dresses and be a role model to the other young women in my family, but when I try to just be myself it’s not good enough. In the end, I must be like Hernandez and create my own ideal woman.
By the end of this course I had a better understanding of who I am. Assignment three was somewhat of an evaluation of my life thus far. Now I have decided to be completely in control of shaping my future because the opportunities are limitless. The syllabus for this class was like the outline of a great journey. At the beginning of the year I had no idea how important art was in everyday life. Sure art can be pretty but it’s the craftsmanship and message behind the piece that make it truly necessary in life. I would have never made this connection if the course wasn’t structured to introduce us to art and then show how the things we do in life are artistic. For instance, the freewrites can be their own artistic representation of how we felt in class over these four months. The journey that this course took us on was that of self awareness and community participation.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Assignment 4
Coming into Women’s Studies I didn’t know what to think. To say that I wasn’t nervous on the first day of class would be a lie. When I walked in on the first day of lecture I quickly scanned the room for the other men hoping that I had not somehow gotten myself into a class that would be full of male-hating women who were ready to attack the moment I opened my mouth. When I saw the first male walk in, I breathed a quick sigh of relief and breathed even deeper when I realized that not only was there a fair amount of a male presence, but that the class as a whole was accepting to my being there. When I received my copy of the syllabus I scanned it quickly for tests and papers; just as most college students do. What struck me next was soon realizing that this was not a typical three test and a paper type of class. Granted, there were no tests, which I was somewhat happy about, but I realized that this was a class that would require my use of creativity and talking about my “feelings.” Needless to say, these are two areas that I would not consider to be my strong points. However, I walked out of lecture that first day saying, “Keep an open mind and you will be better for it.” This mentality has allowed me to grow and accept the teachings of this course.
My “keeping an open mind” strategy was definitely put to the test when I was told that there would be no class, but instead I would be required to go to Washington, D.C. to look at art for the first week of class. I don’t do art. However, I swallowed my preconceived notions about art museums and went in for the day to four museums in D.C. I started my day at the National Museum of Women and the Arts. Looking back on this, I feel that I could have benefitted from attending this museum as the final leg of my trip. I feel my paper would have been stronger had I done this because I feel that instead of looking at the paintings and other artwork at the National Museum of Women and the Arts at face value, I would have compared these paintings to the “high art” I saw at the National Gallery of Art and the “weird art,” as I like to call it, that I experienced at the Hirshhorn Museum. While at the National Museum of Women and the Arts, I feel that I would have had a different eye for the art and would have taken better notes on what I was seeing.
Looking back, I feel that assignment one was the first leg in the flushing out of our assumptions, which I feel was a major theme of this course. Personally, I don’t feel that for assignment one I allowed my assumptions to be absent. This came through in my writing, which produced a fairly bland paper that merely included a list of “stuff” I saw at the museums. I feel this particularly came out in my discussion regarding the Hirshhorn Museum, which I previously referred to as “weird art.” When writing assignment one I completely wrote off the notion that this art could even be art. However, from what I have learned through this course, this decision such as many others cannot be left solely up to me. This course has taught me that there are a number of opinions and ways of thinking that exist, and those who feel that even “weird art” is truly art that I should seek to educate myself on their beliefs so I too can understand their ways of thinking.
In terms of art, I feel my understanding of it was enriched by the book, But is it Art?, by Cynthia Freeland. I was pleased with the way the syllabus chose to introduce this book because it required us to read just one chapter for the first assignment. Much of the syllabus was set up in this manner for the readings, which I feel points to a theme of trying to get the students interested in the subjects gradually in a building block style of teaching. I personally benefited from this style because I feel that if I were required to read the entire book in the time allotted that I would not have done so. However, when I was required to read just one chapter, I gradually educated myself on the subject, which in turn helped my learning process. For But is it Art?, I focused on the chapter titled “Money, markets, museums.” In this chapter there is a subsection titled “Taste and Privilege.” I found this particular part extremely interesting as this part discusses the various ways in which our class impacts our taste in the arts. The books suggests that in the United States we try to pretend that class doesn’t truly exist and uses the example of the film Pretty Woman to portray how even “The rich sophisticated hero teaches the crude, gum-chewing prostitute not only how to dress, speak, and walk, but also how to appreciate the finer things in life—like opera” (Freeland 94). In many ways, this particular passage not only depicts the American way of appreciating art, but it also suggests our ability to go from great disparity to prosperity in a moment’s notice, such as Julia Roberts does in this particular film. I would say much like Julia Roberts, I took on an appreciation for the finer things in life such as art. After attending the museums I realized that the world is not just what is happening in the here and now, but it is about coming to appreciate the work of others that has allowed you to experience an emotion or reaction to a particular piece of art, film, or music.
Moving on from art, I would like to discuss a point I brought up previously regarding our ability to have great privilege as Americans. Particularly in assignment three we were forced to evaluate the power structures seen in our lives and those around us. Understanding the Matrix of Domination and the associated marked and unmarked categories forced me to step back and see where I was privileged or oppressed from those around me. I soon realized that I was unmarked in all categories particular being a white, straight, Christian, male from a relatively high socio-economic status. After doing the Power Line activity in discussion I again noticed my particular privileges even compared to my own classmates. I feel assignment three was the true turning point for this course as it forced us to touch on all previous aspects of the course that we had previously covered.
It was brought to my attention as I was writing the assignment that many of my privileges are the reason for the oppression of others less fortunate than me, also known as marked individuals. This realization came to me when I looked down at the shirt I was wearing at the time, that I had received for free during Spring Break in Cancun, Mexico. Those receiving far less than minimum wage in the United States manufactured this particular shirt in Mexico. This shirt signified the ways in which we, as Americans, take advantage of the misfortune of those in other countries to exploit their country at a week at a time contributing very little to the overall betterment of their society. During the course we talked in great detail about the ways in which something as simple as our own clothing are the reasons for the oppression of those abroad. I feel that these discussions in both lecture and section allowed me to take a step back and see just how our power structures are placed in our own country. I feel that personally I was able to contribute very little to our section discussions about this particular point, but since completing assignment three I feel that I have been able to thoroughly evaluate my own impact on those around me and the ways in which I can use my privilege to help others placed in the marked categories.
Within assignment three and section discussion I focused particularly on a piece of art I found in the book titled, Chicana Art by Laura E. Perez. This piece of art titled La Guadalupana depicts a man of Hispanic descent placed in front of a jail cell with his tattooed back to the viewer. In this chapter the author speaks about “Altar Photography.” In this particular photo, the man placed in handcuffs quite obviously has what the author has deemed to be “a living altar, because he bears a sacred image on his flesh, and because his life is sacrificed for social redemption” (Perez 136). The reason why I particularly liked this chapter in Chicana Art is due to my interest in both law enforcement and corrections. In my criminal justice classes at the University of Maryland, we discuss the great disparity among minority incarceration rates. However, before reading this book these rates were merely numbers to me. After seeing this Hispanic man depicted it gave a personal feel to incarceration and the seemingly biased system we have in the United States. Seeing this man as a living altar allowed me to move away from the “Do the crime, do your time,” mentality to the mentality that there are structures in this country that oppress minorities in particular, often forcing them to commit crimes. In these situations, we must wonder if these individuals are inherently bad or if the system we have in place makes them do bad things. For this man who is “sacrificed for social redemption,” why would he go to such great lengths for redemption if he were truly bad? I feel that this type of thinking is what this class has truly taught me to do.
In Octavia Butler’s, Kindred, we again saw the many ways in which our system of power in the United States can at times force people to do bad things. The character Rufus in this book is a great example of an individual who, when given too much power, has the ability to go from the kind and innocent young boy we once knew to the powerful plantation owning rapist he becomes. On the other side, we see Dana who is both intelligent and represents an individual with great charisma who is defined only as one thing: black. With these two characters we were able to see what I feel are the two major themes of this course. The first being the structures of power in our society and the ways we can use them to both help and hurt those around us. The second, being the notion that we should strive for a sense of equality. In this book, we see the effects of inequality, but also see the movement toward equality as we are introduced to Dana who lives with her white husband Kevin. I feel this course forces us to see the problems in our society through forms such as this book so we can apply them to the inequalities going on around us today.
Prior to this class I had spoken in a discussion section about ten times throughout my three years of college. My mentality was that I need only to speak when spoken to. However, the style of this class’s particular section forced me to speak and speak freely. I feel that I was a helpful contributor to our discussion because I brought a person who was not afraid to often say the “conservative” viewpoint in what could be described as a very liberal class. My moderate conservative views on the issues presented, I feel allowed the class to see many sides of our particular issues and it also allowed me to reflect on my particular feelings on some issues such as affirmative action. Prior to the class I had very little knowledge of the true workings of affirmative action. However, I feel that without this class I would have merely stated an uneducated opinion that I would not have been able to back with facts for my opinion. When asked during my presentation of assignment three as to my feelings on the issue, I feel that I was able to firmly see how the class impacted me and my approach to such issues when I stated, “I really can’t give you an opinion because I am not educated on the issue.” This type of thinking will stay with me for some time and will allow me to form rational, fact-driven opinions on issues in the future.
After starting with my feelings from the first day of class, I feel it is only appropriate to end with my feelings after completing the class. Throughout this course I feel that I have grown from a little-cultured, often xenophobic Northern New England individual to an individual who has come to realize that there are great aspects of this country and world outside of the Greg Sanderson bubble. This is not to say that this class has been a life changing experience, but this class has educated me on the fundamentals of feminism and feminist thought by forcing me to take on a new style of thinking that seeks to drive out previous assumptions and find the ways in which we can create and enact change. It has been an invaluable experience to learn and grow over the course of one semester and seek ways in which I can particularly create change and motivate those around me to do the same. “I kept an open mind and now I am better for it.”
My “keeping an open mind” strategy was definitely put to the test when I was told that there would be no class, but instead I would be required to go to Washington, D.C. to look at art for the first week of class. I don’t do art. However, I swallowed my preconceived notions about art museums and went in for the day to four museums in D.C. I started my day at the National Museum of Women and the Arts. Looking back on this, I feel that I could have benefitted from attending this museum as the final leg of my trip. I feel my paper would have been stronger had I done this because I feel that instead of looking at the paintings and other artwork at the National Museum of Women and the Arts at face value, I would have compared these paintings to the “high art” I saw at the National Gallery of Art and the “weird art,” as I like to call it, that I experienced at the Hirshhorn Museum. While at the National Museum of Women and the Arts, I feel that I would have had a different eye for the art and would have taken better notes on what I was seeing.
Looking back, I feel that assignment one was the first leg in the flushing out of our assumptions, which I feel was a major theme of this course. Personally, I don’t feel that for assignment one I allowed my assumptions to be absent. This came through in my writing, which produced a fairly bland paper that merely included a list of “stuff” I saw at the museums. I feel this particularly came out in my discussion regarding the Hirshhorn Museum, which I previously referred to as “weird art.” When writing assignment one I completely wrote off the notion that this art could even be art. However, from what I have learned through this course, this decision such as many others cannot be left solely up to me. This course has taught me that there are a number of opinions and ways of thinking that exist, and those who feel that even “weird art” is truly art that I should seek to educate myself on their beliefs so I too can understand their ways of thinking.
In terms of art, I feel my understanding of it was enriched by the book, But is it Art?, by Cynthia Freeland. I was pleased with the way the syllabus chose to introduce this book because it required us to read just one chapter for the first assignment. Much of the syllabus was set up in this manner for the readings, which I feel points to a theme of trying to get the students interested in the subjects gradually in a building block style of teaching. I personally benefited from this style because I feel that if I were required to read the entire book in the time allotted that I would not have done so. However, when I was required to read just one chapter, I gradually educated myself on the subject, which in turn helped my learning process. For But is it Art?, I focused on the chapter titled “Money, markets, museums.” In this chapter there is a subsection titled “Taste and Privilege.” I found this particular part extremely interesting as this part discusses the various ways in which our class impacts our taste in the arts. The books suggests that in the United States we try to pretend that class doesn’t truly exist and uses the example of the film Pretty Woman to portray how even “The rich sophisticated hero teaches the crude, gum-chewing prostitute not only how to dress, speak, and walk, but also how to appreciate the finer things in life—like opera” (Freeland 94). In many ways, this particular passage not only depicts the American way of appreciating art, but it also suggests our ability to go from great disparity to prosperity in a moment’s notice, such as Julia Roberts does in this particular film. I would say much like Julia Roberts, I took on an appreciation for the finer things in life such as art. After attending the museums I realized that the world is not just what is happening in the here and now, but it is about coming to appreciate the work of others that has allowed you to experience an emotion or reaction to a particular piece of art, film, or music.
Moving on from art, I would like to discuss a point I brought up previously regarding our ability to have great privilege as Americans. Particularly in assignment three we were forced to evaluate the power structures seen in our lives and those around us. Understanding the Matrix of Domination and the associated marked and unmarked categories forced me to step back and see where I was privileged or oppressed from those around me. I soon realized that I was unmarked in all categories particular being a white, straight, Christian, male from a relatively high socio-economic status. After doing the Power Line activity in discussion I again noticed my particular privileges even compared to my own classmates. I feel assignment three was the true turning point for this course as it forced us to touch on all previous aspects of the course that we had previously covered.
It was brought to my attention as I was writing the assignment that many of my privileges are the reason for the oppression of others less fortunate than me, also known as marked individuals. This realization came to me when I looked down at the shirt I was wearing at the time, that I had received for free during Spring Break in Cancun, Mexico. Those receiving far less than minimum wage in the United States manufactured this particular shirt in Mexico. This shirt signified the ways in which we, as Americans, take advantage of the misfortune of those in other countries to exploit their country at a week at a time contributing very little to the overall betterment of their society. During the course we talked in great detail about the ways in which something as simple as our own clothing are the reasons for the oppression of those abroad. I feel that these discussions in both lecture and section allowed me to take a step back and see just how our power structures are placed in our own country. I feel that personally I was able to contribute very little to our section discussions about this particular point, but since completing assignment three I feel that I have been able to thoroughly evaluate my own impact on those around me and the ways in which I can use my privilege to help others placed in the marked categories.
Within assignment three and section discussion I focused particularly on a piece of art I found in the book titled, Chicana Art by Laura E. Perez. This piece of art titled La Guadalupana depicts a man of Hispanic descent placed in front of a jail cell with his tattooed back to the viewer. In this chapter the author speaks about “Altar Photography.” In this particular photo, the man placed in handcuffs quite obviously has what the author has deemed to be “a living altar, because he bears a sacred image on his flesh, and because his life is sacrificed for social redemption” (Perez 136). The reason why I particularly liked this chapter in Chicana Art is due to my interest in both law enforcement and corrections. In my criminal justice classes at the University of Maryland, we discuss the great disparity among minority incarceration rates. However, before reading this book these rates were merely numbers to me. After seeing this Hispanic man depicted it gave a personal feel to incarceration and the seemingly biased system we have in the United States. Seeing this man as a living altar allowed me to move away from the “Do the crime, do your time,” mentality to the mentality that there are structures in this country that oppress minorities in particular, often forcing them to commit crimes. In these situations, we must wonder if these individuals are inherently bad or if the system we have in place makes them do bad things. For this man who is “sacrificed for social redemption,” why would he go to such great lengths for redemption if he were truly bad? I feel that this type of thinking is what this class has truly taught me to do.
In Octavia Butler’s, Kindred, we again saw the many ways in which our system of power in the United States can at times force people to do bad things. The character Rufus in this book is a great example of an individual who, when given too much power, has the ability to go from the kind and innocent young boy we once knew to the powerful plantation owning rapist he becomes. On the other side, we see Dana who is both intelligent and represents an individual with great charisma who is defined only as one thing: black. With these two characters we were able to see what I feel are the two major themes of this course. The first being the structures of power in our society and the ways we can use them to both help and hurt those around us. The second, being the notion that we should strive for a sense of equality. In this book, we see the effects of inequality, but also see the movement toward equality as we are introduced to Dana who lives with her white husband Kevin. I feel this course forces us to see the problems in our society through forms such as this book so we can apply them to the inequalities going on around us today.
Prior to this class I had spoken in a discussion section about ten times throughout my three years of college. My mentality was that I need only to speak when spoken to. However, the style of this class’s particular section forced me to speak and speak freely. I feel that I was a helpful contributor to our discussion because I brought a person who was not afraid to often say the “conservative” viewpoint in what could be described as a very liberal class. My moderate conservative views on the issues presented, I feel allowed the class to see many sides of our particular issues and it also allowed me to reflect on my particular feelings on some issues such as affirmative action. Prior to the class I had very little knowledge of the true workings of affirmative action. However, I feel that without this class I would have merely stated an uneducated opinion that I would not have been able to back with facts for my opinion. When asked during my presentation of assignment three as to my feelings on the issue, I feel that I was able to firmly see how the class impacted me and my approach to such issues when I stated, “I really can’t give you an opinion because I am not educated on the issue.” This type of thinking will stay with me for some time and will allow me to form rational, fact-driven opinions on issues in the future.
After starting with my feelings from the first day of class, I feel it is only appropriate to end with my feelings after completing the class. Throughout this course I feel that I have grown from a little-cultured, often xenophobic Northern New England individual to an individual who has come to realize that there are great aspects of this country and world outside of the Greg Sanderson bubble. This is not to say that this class has been a life changing experience, but this class has educated me on the fundamentals of feminism and feminist thought by forcing me to take on a new style of thinking that seeks to drive out previous assumptions and find the ways in which we can create and enact change. It has been an invaluable experience to learn and grow over the course of one semester and seek ways in which I can particularly create change and motivate those around me to do the same. “I kept an open mind and now I am better for it.”
Assignment 4
This course depicted how women and their desire for self determination, their various forms of art, and fights for equality have been ways in which the acceptability of dominant hegemonic forces in society has been challenged. In my opinion, the course relied heavily on the belief that art can be at the center of a reformation of the politics that govern society as a whole and its members individually. For most, if not all of the people taking this introductory course, an education in the fundamentals of Women Studies, feminist terminologies, concepts, and perspectives was necessary. To accomplish this in the semester time frame, we were given many reading materials, and the chance to view other relevant media to enhance our knowledge of things pertaining to this course. We were required to read various portions of about eight or nine books. Researching websites about class materials served to further immerse us in the world of feminist theory. The notes gathered from this class reflected an attempt get students to delve further in to the concepts developed in this class, the point was to ‘play’ with the class material and make sure we understood these somewhat alien philosophies. Free writes were an opportunity for us to examine these concepts in light of our own experiences and understanding, the assignments allowed us to expound upon these insights in a critical manner.
The question of ‘What counts as Art’ was presented to us quite early in the semester. I think the purpose of which was to highlight the hyper-visibility and invisibility experienced by various artists in various cultures, but also to encourage us to look at situations from alternative angles. Professor King noted in class that the question ‘What is Art’ implies that it is the same thing everywhere. She went on to say that what counts as Art is not the same thing everywhere and that the definition is relative and largely one constructed on the basis of privilege instead of things relating to artistic merit and skill. The story of this course is about understanding various forms of art, and the institutions that contributed to its creation. It also examines the history of these institutions, what purpose they serve, their meanings, and what this can teach us about ourselves and society. The main characters in this tale were the agency and the agent. Their relationship was one like that of a revolving door; they have a direct relationship where they are of mutual influence among one another. The purpose of this story was to examine this relationship on and macro and microscopic scale.
My place in this course is as an agent of change, and a member of the larger agency that is society. In different points of this story, I was familiarizing myself with my surroundings. I was kind of like Dana in Kindred when she would time travel and try to orient herself in her new time and place. That was how I felt at sometimes in this class because I was in a place relatively foreign to me. Later on, I finally understood the concepts presented to me and I started to embrace the class space. I have finally progressed to a place where I understand, and I feel like I can ‘play’ with the concepts presented to us in this course as I see how they resonate with me personally. I acquired knowledge of myself, others, and how we relate to one another. I learned about intersectionality, perspectives, politics, oppression, activism, and feminist theory.
Through the various exercises that we were required to partake in, I acquired Knowledge about different things. I am aware of my various sources of oppression and I am faced with this reality daily. Still, this course and the discussion sections in particular, provided an alternate view to my life. I was able to look at the people whose oppressions and privileges were often in direct contrast to mine. The ironic thing about this marked feeling was that it allowed me to view my oppressions as a source of enlightenment, dare I say, a privilege (at least on an individual scale). I saw my oppressions as points of intersectionality and identity that has left an indelible mark on me in a positive way.
Knowledge of myself and how I analyze things was something I was constantly aware of through out the class, my free write on March 6 reflected this. I believe it was a reflection on Assignment 2 and how we define feminism. I wrote
When I was introduced to feminism, I was introduced to womanism shortly thereafter, so my beliefs on feminism and how I define it has been quite critical. My definition has not changed… I am still a critical thinker of what I believe to be an abstract construct some call feminism…I am still asking more questions.
I think this was one of the best things I took away from this class; to analyze, define, and interpret things, especially those pertaining to self, by oneself. I do not mean to have a schema that is completely self-serving, and without regard to factors outside of ourselves, I mean that we should define ourselves, various parts of our identities, and what we believe, for ourselves. I now view feminism in a more positive light and have become less of a skeptic. Now that I view it as much more than theories on the victimization of women, I can honestly say that I embrace feminism (or most of it at least since it is so broad). I have finally made my own definition and I define it as a study, or an effort to allow people regardless of gender, sexuality, or any other construct, to be conceived, perceived, and portrayed in a socially responsible manner that reinforces the equality, autonomy, and self-determination of all persons. I think I contributed the most in the course during discussion sections. This was where we were able to reveal intimate experiences about ourselves. I think this benefited me the most because it is one thing to hear or be taught about things like injustice or oppression, it is another to hear first hand experiences and to see the people connected to these situations. I found this more enriching and a very fulfilling aspect of the course. I found that in retrospect, I enjoyed lecture because Katie King is an individual like I had never met before and she is unashamedly herself, which is really what feminism is all about to me. What I enjoyed more though were the assignments. They made me do the readings, which I found to be very interesting. I have noticed a long time ago that while I do enjoy reading, I need to be forced to do it. Even though I can foresee considerable enjoyment in the future from what I learned, the story still remains the same and I always need extrinsic motivation to read. For this reason, I am grateful that we had the 4 assignments and that they required us to take time to analyze things critically.
These readings are what helped me connect to this class. Bell Hooks’ Feminism is for Everybody connected with me intellectually. Her chapter on Feminist Masculinity was one of my favorites. One passage that I took notice of was on page 68 where she said, “ Feminist thinkers began to talk about the way in which patriarchy was harmful to men…feminist politics expanded to include the recognition that patriarchy stripped men of certain rights, imposing on them a sexist masculine identity” (Hooks, 68). I felt this feminist take on patriarchy was different and acknowledged complexities in response to people’s attempts to maintain rigid categorizations and definitions of various things pertaining to feminist theory. I have always felt that people will try to simplify things, even those that defy simplification. Fallacies created from attempts like these only serves to the detriment of all. Hooks explored the complex beginnings of feminism; the good, the bad, the truth, and the lies to allow for an honest evaluation of feminism. This mirrored the kind of analysis I had to perform on myself to evaluate my person as political. This chapter highlighted the importance of perception, a sentiment I echoed in my partner project with Jessica Cha.
Perceptions are not only things that often constitute one’s subjective reality, they are also the map by which many of us turn to guide us through the world. How we see things, how we view them, affects how we approach them and in turn, how they approach us. It is such that a cognitive construct transcends into a physical relationship from which a mark can be left on others (Assignment 3).
This shows how we are all political machines that contribute to the workings of society.
The chapter Total Bliss also interested me because it touched on many things I learned about in other courses. It touched on things like sexuality and familial structure. She made the point that men are not necessary for a woman to have a fulfilled life and she did so with out sentiments that were anti male. The situation of male partners being absent from families has been seen in many African American families, highlighting a familial structure divergent from that of the idealized, white, nuclear family. Bell did a good job of challenging the notion that different family structures outside of one man and one woman were inferior, and emphasizing the strengths that can be found in differences and alternative thinking.
The topic of sexuality became a primary interest of mine though the duration of this course. We talked about sexuality in discussion and we noted how sexuality in today’s society has come to mean sex. It has been reduced into a serious of sequential actions which fails to demonstrate the beauty of the actions in and of themselves and the possible motives behind them. Megan Seely in Fight Like a Girl: How to be a Fearless Feminist, points out that
Society is uncomfortable with women’s sexualities. Perhaps nothing is more frightening to men, and to some women, than a woman whose sexuality is defined outside of the context of straight men. Moreover, when women are butch – strong, tough, and unfeminine – they are also threatening because they are seen as not needing male help. If women can take care of themselves and each other – physically and sexually – then what do they need men for? The irony is that we have a culture obsessed with lesbianism, well, faux lesbianism, at least. Sexual pairing of women is common in male-centered porn and advertising. Of course, these women are not there for the enjoyment of other women – but for men, they are the ultimate male fantasy (page 7).
In addition, to male fantasies and alternative forms of sexuality, there is the other aspect of female sexuality, where it is exploited and used as a particular point of oppression at the hands of others. In instances where entire peoples become subjugated, the oppression of women has been extremely painful. This is because in cases such as slavery in America, or places under outside military rule, the women were equal in their oppressions in relation to their male counterparts; accept when they became the target of specialized forms of abuse. The gender of female slaves was ignored when it came to doing arduous physical labor, but in cases of rape or sexual torture, their gender was conveniently realized by dominant hegemonic forces.
Laura Perez mentions this in the chapter entitled Face and Heart in Chicana Art. She highlights art by Patricia Valencia and Aida Salazar called Ramona. Their piece spoke about gendered violence and had a speech where Valencia begs the question
What really happens to women in war? Women are raped, mutilated, their pregnant bellies are sliced open and their babies chocked with their umbilical cords. That’s what happens to women in war (295).
She goes on to mention how people can sit around and watch bombing campaigns on TV, apparently oblivious, or perhaps ignoring the plight of women in these warring areas. This hyper-visibility when it comes to sex or sexually satisfying men, and the invisibility in regards to the oppressions suffered by women on the basis of sex and gender was something that has always intrigued me. I had become very familiar with homophobic and heterosexist rhetoric that lesbians are hot but to gay guys is just wrong, and I had always detested it. It was not until I entered academia that I was able to analyze this from a more intellectual standpoint.
I appreciated this course because of the things it has taught me and exposed me to. It has debunked many of my assumptions and reaffirmed many of my personal feelings about oppression and individuality. I never expected to get all of these things out of this class. In truth, I signed up for it on a total accident and I was confused after the first day of classes. I stayed anyway and I have to say I will be forever grateful. This experience has opened up my eyes to so many different things and I am looking forward to continue studying things in Women studies and feminism. I am thankful for all of the course materials provided to us by Professor King because they serve legitimate purposes in showing us the limitless possibilities when it comes to fighting oppression and expressing ourselves. I have used these materials for personal enrichment, and as a supplement to the perspectives I present in my other classes. Never before have I found art so important and central to the lives of others and as a source of profound commentaries on history and society in general.
The question of ‘What counts as Art’ was presented to us quite early in the semester. I think the purpose of which was to highlight the hyper-visibility and invisibility experienced by various artists in various cultures, but also to encourage us to look at situations from alternative angles. Professor King noted in class that the question ‘What is Art’ implies that it is the same thing everywhere. She went on to say that what counts as Art is not the same thing everywhere and that the definition is relative and largely one constructed on the basis of privilege instead of things relating to artistic merit and skill. The story of this course is about understanding various forms of art, and the institutions that contributed to its creation. It also examines the history of these institutions, what purpose they serve, their meanings, and what this can teach us about ourselves and society. The main characters in this tale were the agency and the agent. Their relationship was one like that of a revolving door; they have a direct relationship where they are of mutual influence among one another. The purpose of this story was to examine this relationship on and macro and microscopic scale.
My place in this course is as an agent of change, and a member of the larger agency that is society. In different points of this story, I was familiarizing myself with my surroundings. I was kind of like Dana in Kindred when she would time travel and try to orient herself in her new time and place. That was how I felt at sometimes in this class because I was in a place relatively foreign to me. Later on, I finally understood the concepts presented to me and I started to embrace the class space. I have finally progressed to a place where I understand, and I feel like I can ‘play’ with the concepts presented to us in this course as I see how they resonate with me personally. I acquired knowledge of myself, others, and how we relate to one another. I learned about intersectionality, perspectives, politics, oppression, activism, and feminist theory.
Through the various exercises that we were required to partake in, I acquired Knowledge about different things. I am aware of my various sources of oppression and I am faced with this reality daily. Still, this course and the discussion sections in particular, provided an alternate view to my life. I was able to look at the people whose oppressions and privileges were often in direct contrast to mine. The ironic thing about this marked feeling was that it allowed me to view my oppressions as a source of enlightenment, dare I say, a privilege (at least on an individual scale). I saw my oppressions as points of intersectionality and identity that has left an indelible mark on me in a positive way.
Knowledge of myself and how I analyze things was something I was constantly aware of through out the class, my free write on March 6 reflected this. I believe it was a reflection on Assignment 2 and how we define feminism. I wrote
When I was introduced to feminism, I was introduced to womanism shortly thereafter, so my beliefs on feminism and how I define it has been quite critical. My definition has not changed… I am still a critical thinker of what I believe to be an abstract construct some call feminism…I am still asking more questions.
I think this was one of the best things I took away from this class; to analyze, define, and interpret things, especially those pertaining to self, by oneself. I do not mean to have a schema that is completely self-serving, and without regard to factors outside of ourselves, I mean that we should define ourselves, various parts of our identities, and what we believe, for ourselves. I now view feminism in a more positive light and have become less of a skeptic. Now that I view it as much more than theories on the victimization of women, I can honestly say that I embrace feminism (or most of it at least since it is so broad). I have finally made my own definition and I define it as a study, or an effort to allow people regardless of gender, sexuality, or any other construct, to be conceived, perceived, and portrayed in a socially responsible manner that reinforces the equality, autonomy, and self-determination of all persons. I think I contributed the most in the course during discussion sections. This was where we were able to reveal intimate experiences about ourselves. I think this benefited me the most because it is one thing to hear or be taught about things like injustice or oppression, it is another to hear first hand experiences and to see the people connected to these situations. I found this more enriching and a very fulfilling aspect of the course. I found that in retrospect, I enjoyed lecture because Katie King is an individual like I had never met before and she is unashamedly herself, which is really what feminism is all about to me. What I enjoyed more though were the assignments. They made me do the readings, which I found to be very interesting. I have noticed a long time ago that while I do enjoy reading, I need to be forced to do it. Even though I can foresee considerable enjoyment in the future from what I learned, the story still remains the same and I always need extrinsic motivation to read. For this reason, I am grateful that we had the 4 assignments and that they required us to take time to analyze things critically.
These readings are what helped me connect to this class. Bell Hooks’ Feminism is for Everybody connected with me intellectually. Her chapter on Feminist Masculinity was one of my favorites. One passage that I took notice of was on page 68 where she said, “ Feminist thinkers began to talk about the way in which patriarchy was harmful to men…feminist politics expanded to include the recognition that patriarchy stripped men of certain rights, imposing on them a sexist masculine identity” (Hooks, 68). I felt this feminist take on patriarchy was different and acknowledged complexities in response to people’s attempts to maintain rigid categorizations and definitions of various things pertaining to feminist theory. I have always felt that people will try to simplify things, even those that defy simplification. Fallacies created from attempts like these only serves to the detriment of all. Hooks explored the complex beginnings of feminism; the good, the bad, the truth, and the lies to allow for an honest evaluation of feminism. This mirrored the kind of analysis I had to perform on myself to evaluate my person as political. This chapter highlighted the importance of perception, a sentiment I echoed in my partner project with Jessica Cha.
Perceptions are not only things that often constitute one’s subjective reality, they are also the map by which many of us turn to guide us through the world. How we see things, how we view them, affects how we approach them and in turn, how they approach us. It is such that a cognitive construct transcends into a physical relationship from which a mark can be left on others (Assignment 3).
This shows how we are all political machines that contribute to the workings of society.
The chapter Total Bliss also interested me because it touched on many things I learned about in other courses. It touched on things like sexuality and familial structure. She made the point that men are not necessary for a woman to have a fulfilled life and she did so with out sentiments that were anti male. The situation of male partners being absent from families has been seen in many African American families, highlighting a familial structure divergent from that of the idealized, white, nuclear family. Bell did a good job of challenging the notion that different family structures outside of one man and one woman were inferior, and emphasizing the strengths that can be found in differences and alternative thinking.
The topic of sexuality became a primary interest of mine though the duration of this course. We talked about sexuality in discussion and we noted how sexuality in today’s society has come to mean sex. It has been reduced into a serious of sequential actions which fails to demonstrate the beauty of the actions in and of themselves and the possible motives behind them. Megan Seely in Fight Like a Girl: How to be a Fearless Feminist, points out that
Society is uncomfortable with women’s sexualities. Perhaps nothing is more frightening to men, and to some women, than a woman whose sexuality is defined outside of the context of straight men. Moreover, when women are butch – strong, tough, and unfeminine – they are also threatening because they are seen as not needing male help. If women can take care of themselves and each other – physically and sexually – then what do they need men for? The irony is that we have a culture obsessed with lesbianism, well, faux lesbianism, at least. Sexual pairing of women is common in male-centered porn and advertising. Of course, these women are not there for the enjoyment of other women – but for men, they are the ultimate male fantasy (page 7).
In addition, to male fantasies and alternative forms of sexuality, there is the other aspect of female sexuality, where it is exploited and used as a particular point of oppression at the hands of others. In instances where entire peoples become subjugated, the oppression of women has been extremely painful. This is because in cases such as slavery in America, or places under outside military rule, the women were equal in their oppressions in relation to their male counterparts; accept when they became the target of specialized forms of abuse. The gender of female slaves was ignored when it came to doing arduous physical labor, but in cases of rape or sexual torture, their gender was conveniently realized by dominant hegemonic forces.
Laura Perez mentions this in the chapter entitled Face and Heart in Chicana Art. She highlights art by Patricia Valencia and Aida Salazar called Ramona. Their piece spoke about gendered violence and had a speech where Valencia begs the question
What really happens to women in war? Women are raped, mutilated, their pregnant bellies are sliced open and their babies chocked with their umbilical cords. That’s what happens to women in war (295).
She goes on to mention how people can sit around and watch bombing campaigns on TV, apparently oblivious, or perhaps ignoring the plight of women in these warring areas. This hyper-visibility when it comes to sex or sexually satisfying men, and the invisibility in regards to the oppressions suffered by women on the basis of sex and gender was something that has always intrigued me. I had become very familiar with homophobic and heterosexist rhetoric that lesbians are hot but to gay guys is just wrong, and I had always detested it. It was not until I entered academia that I was able to analyze this from a more intellectual standpoint.
I appreciated this course because of the things it has taught me and exposed me to. It has debunked many of my assumptions and reaffirmed many of my personal feelings about oppression and individuality. I never expected to get all of these things out of this class. In truth, I signed up for it on a total accident and I was confused after the first day of classes. I stayed anyway and I have to say I will be forever grateful. This experience has opened up my eyes to so many different things and I am looking forward to continue studying things in Women studies and feminism. I am thankful for all of the course materials provided to us by Professor King because they serve legitimate purposes in showing us the limitless possibilities when it comes to fighting oppression and expressing ourselves. I have used these materials for personal enrichment, and as a supplement to the perspectives I present in my other classes. Never before have I found art so important and central to the lives of others and as a source of profound commentaries on history and society in general.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Assignment #4: Learning Analysis
Women’s studies is a course that one can say has been constructed like a book. Each assignment is like a chapter, creating a story. I am the main character of the book. As seen in most books, I was a static character in the beginning, but eventually as the different elements and situations created by the author, or in this case Ms. King, unfolded in the story, I became a more dynamic character. But, what exactly is this book about? What is women’s studies? Although testudo may describe wmst250 as an introduction to women, art, and culture---such a title is insufficient to describe the full breadth of what women’s studies truly entails. After re-visiting the course syllabus, past assignments, blog entries, and personal free-writes, I have realized though that I am more than just a character in this book, I am another author.
The first assignment was almost like the back cover of a book. The back cover of a book gives you a preview of the entire story and how you interpret the cover will ultimately play a part in your initial perceptions of the book as a whole. The first assignment was no different. It gave me my first preview into the entire course. I was able to examine my own preconceived notions about feminism, art, and the class as a whole. I wasn’t expecting to have so many different stereotypes about women’s studies or learn anything important by visiting the different museums. Because I have always placed high priority on math courses, since I am an accounting major, I came into this class looking at it as only a means to fulfill a CORE requirement. I was a static character with such one-sided views about the course. The first assignment only reaffirmed my initial beliefs. At the time, I didn’t really see any point in the first assignment. As a result, I began the women’s studies course with this sort of mentality that all I had to do was read some books and write some papers, nothing more and nothing less.
But, I think that Ms. King wanted us to be aware of our initial views about feminism so that at the end of the course we could see how this class has affected our views. After getting the chance to read Bell Hooks’ Feminism is For Everybody: Passionate Politics, I was surprised to find that many of the stereotypes that Hooks had gotten for being a feminist was similar to the stereotypes that I had initially had about feminists. “They hate men….they want to go against nature and God…they are all lesbians…” Hooks goes on to say in her book that many of the people who have these assumptions about feminists have never actually met a feminist, read a feminist book, or attended a feminist event. Everything they know about feminists, “has come into their lives thirdhand, that they really have not come close enough to feminist movement to know what really happens, what it’s really about.” Reading that statement directly affected me. I had never read a feminist book or even actually met a feminist. All I had ever known about feminists was through what the media has portrayed in television and movies. Hooks is clear throughout her book that feminists are not about being anti-male. “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexual exploitation, and oppression.” Feminism is not just for women, instead, like the title states, “Feminism is for Everybody.” We all desire to live in a world where there is equal opportunity and where we cannot be oppressed because of our race, class, or religion. This is an idea that is not just a part of feminist ideals. This is an idea that is shared by men and women alike. “Without males as allies in struggle feminist movement will not progress.” Bell Hook’s book was the first feminist book I have ever read. Her book made me realize that it’s hard to learn something new when you don’t keep an open mind. Because I am able to now compare my initial assumptions about feminism in assignment one with the ideas presented in Bell Hook’s book, I am able to give meaning to the first assignment. The combination of these two pieces of writing has made me realize that there was significance to assignment one that I initially did not recognize. I just had to finally put the puzzle pieces together.
As I continue on in this story, new characters begin to play a part. Together with the members of my discussion section, we completed assignment two, which can be looked as another chapter in this book. In a book, the main character is always affected by the characters around him or herself. My story is no different. Because my discussion section had to come up with both a collective definition for feminism as well as a collective feminist event, my thoughts were affected by theirs. I had to combine my individual notions about feminism with people who may or may not share my same point of view. I think that Ms. King included this assignment because she wanted all of us to be able to examine the many differing views surrounding feminism. The author of a book always includes a chapter that is the exposition, or scenes leading to the climax of the story. This exposition was assignment two. Because I had the opportunity to hear other student’s ideas I was able to see the dynamic nature of women’s studies. To be able to describe this course in a single sentence is insufficient because the ideas surrounding women’s studies, like feminism, are always changing and different from person to person. My classmates helped me to understand women’s studies from various angles and through this assignment I began to get a broader and more well-rounded view of this course as a whole.
But to say that each chapter of this book is based merely on the assignments would be inaccurate. The middle part of this “book” had a lot influence from the readings, free-writes, and class discussions. The books in this course are books that I would probably never choose to read on my own. But, in a way, I think that’s why Ms. King included them in the course curriculum. She knew that many of us probably would never have the opportunity to read these books and so, she gave us the opportunity. She wanted us to be able to widen our often narrow views; to be able to see and read things that are often not publicized in the media. She wanted us to step away from the glitz and glamour of popular culture and hear the voices of those who are not heard enough.
I remember reading Octavia Butler’s Kindred and being so surprised by the entire book. When I initially found out that it was a science-fiction novel, I immediately began to feel disinterested towards the book. But because it was assigned to read, I read it obediently. Expecting to read a futuristic book taking place on Mars, I was pleasantly surprised to find that although there was time-traveling, the story was less science-fictional. The story of Dana, the protagonist, and her ability to travel back to an era where slavery was prevalent was something so different and refreshing. Usually in books you don’t have the opportunity to see a character living in two completely different time-periods. There was the obvious difference between the two places: one had slavery, one didn’t had slavery. But this single difference incited profound growth in the character Dana throughout the course of the novel. Her experiences revealed the central power struggles occurring within both time periods. With the plot in Kindred as an example, I was introduced to the ideas of marked and unmarked categories, oppression, privilege, and conceptual maps. In the story, the character, Rufus, exemplifies the corruptive and oppressive power that our privileges can give. His identity as a white slave-owner gives him power over the slaves and makes him feel as if he has the power to commit horrible acts of crime, like raping Alice. Although many of our privileges, including my own, do not oppress others to such an extreme degree, our privileges can be like Rufus‘, in that we do not fully realize the extent to which they affect others. I think many people don’t think of themselves as oppressors because the idea is something that makes them feel guilty or even ashamed, But, like Megan Seely states in her book Fight Like a Girl: How to Be a Fearless Feminist, “Feel guilty if you are not contributing to the solution, but not over something of which you have no control.”
Another idea that Kindred enabled me to understand was the idea of marked and unmarked experiences. A key motif within the book was the idea of race. In the story, the character Dana is a foil to the character Alice. Because Dana is actually not from a slave era, she is more intelligent, independent, and privileged than Alice. But when Dana travels to the past, there is no difference between her and Alice. They are both marked by the color of their skin. The one scene in the book where Carrie, the cook’s daughter, rubs Dana’s cheek in order to show that skin color cannot be rubbed off reveals the dominant role that race can play in power structures.
After learning the different terms and doing the free-writes, I was finally able to approach the climax of the story: assignment three. What was so unique about assignment three was that it provided both a means for me to reflect about the power structures that exist in not only my life, but also the life my classmate Tania. I really felt that this assignment took this class and my role within this class to a whole different level. For the first time, I was forced to not just identify my various roles, but to actually evaluate the impact of these roles. We completed a lot of different free-writes in preparation for writing the actual paper. I remember Ms. King asking, “what ability are we being given right now?” At the time, I remember having no idea how to answer the question. That question, like most questions that Ms. King asks, was so open-ended. Having always taken a lot of math and science courses, I’ve been accustomed to answering questions that either have a right or wrong answer. It was so strange for me to complete these free-writes and then have to write ten pages about how I’ve been privileged and how I might have oppressed others as a result. I’ve never looked at my identity in that kind of light and to be forced to do so really allowed me to challenge my existing beliefs and learn more about myself. I realized that the world is not as black and white as it may appear. I am a Korean-American student at the University of Maryland. Although these titles are just words, I have felt both privilege and oppression because of these mere words. What this assignment made me realize though was that although I may face challenges because of my race and gender, I have no reason to accept these oppressions. I have created privileges within my life because of the dedication and effort I have put into my work. Although I may not always be able to change how people view me, I have the power to change how I view myself and others.
Also, because of this assignment, I have so much more respect for my fellow classmates. I think the veil that Tania and I both constructed for the creative portion of assignment three epitomizes what I learned from that assignment. We all wear veils. We show others what we want them to see and others see in us what they want to see. This idea is best described by W.E.B. Dubois as, “a peculiar sensation this double consciousness…two ness…two souls two thoughts two unreconciled warring ideals in one…body (Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Dubois). Because there is often a disparity between our idealized self and perceived self, we experience internal strife. This same idea can be applied to my perception of my classmates. Hearing the oppressions and privileges within my classmates’ lives made me learn so much more about them. It is a rarity in life to ever be able to discuss with others the oppressive powers that are at work in our lives. Because the topic is so taboo in our society, we make the conscious choice not to talk about it. But because Ms. King forced us to write and discuss it, the topic seems a little less taboo, a little less secretive. Perhaps if more people were willing to talk about power structures, we would begin to take more notice of the categories that mark or unmark us and as a result, work towards trying to eliminate them. Feminist author, Megan Seely, mentions in her book that, “Education is more than what you read or what occurs in a classroom.” Its great if I leave this class learning something new, but if I don’t take the time to apply what I learn then I’m basically still at square one. Its important that I take the time to look at the perspectives of others. Seely focuses on the feminist movement in her book and how this movement is all about respect; respect for not just ourselves, but respect for others as well. We must respect that we have, “different experiences with similar issues.” Although we have our own individual “histories, cultures, and religions”, we all want to end “oppression, hate, ignorance, and discrimination.” Assignment three made me more aware of the ideals that Seely tries to advocate in her book. In the discussion section, we have talked about everything from gender-based wages to affirmative action and we didn’t necessarily always agree on these issues. Because of our individual experiences and identities, we hold different perspectives on controversial issues. But like Seely discusses in her book, the feminist movement is not about trying to get everyone to think the same way. Not all feminists are pro-choice and not all feminists agree on affirmative action. I used to always think that anyone I associated with should share my same beliefs. But Seely’s book and assignment three both made me realize that I will never be able to change what others think. I may be able to convince others to start using a certain shampoo, but I can’t convince someone to change their beliefs, thus changing the essence of who they are. What I’ve found most useful about assignment three was that it really brought so many different elements of the semester together. It made me more aware of who I am, but it also made me more aware of the world that I live in.
As this semester concludes, so does this book. The last chapter of this book can be seen in this assignment. Being able to sit down and reflect on everything that has happened in this past semester is such a humbling experience. Ms. King could have given some sort of multiple choice test about the different books for the final, but instead, she choose a reflective paper. Being given this opportunity to look back on all of the assignments and discussions throughout this course has allowed me to end this semester on a more meaningful note. Because I’ve actually taken the time to really think about everything that has happened, I have been able to connect all of the pieces of this book through this paper. I went into this course thinking that Ms. King was the author of the book and that I was just merely a character with no actual control over the ending. Yes, she did assign the readings and papers, but my final thoughts about this course are a direct reflection of my own mental and emotional growth. Ms. King taught me that we all have the power to take control over our lives. We don’t have to settle for less than what we truly deserve. As a student, who often feels like a minority because of my status as both a female and Asian-American, I have finally been given the pencil to write my own story. I probably still wouldn’t be able to give a definition for feminism because I’m not sure there really is one single definition. I also can’t say that I’m more likely to pick up a science-fiction book to read, but I can say like the old saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
The first assignment was almost like the back cover of a book. The back cover of a book gives you a preview of the entire story and how you interpret the cover will ultimately play a part in your initial perceptions of the book as a whole. The first assignment was no different. It gave me my first preview into the entire course. I was able to examine my own preconceived notions about feminism, art, and the class as a whole. I wasn’t expecting to have so many different stereotypes about women’s studies or learn anything important by visiting the different museums. Because I have always placed high priority on math courses, since I am an accounting major, I came into this class looking at it as only a means to fulfill a CORE requirement. I was a static character with such one-sided views about the course. The first assignment only reaffirmed my initial beliefs. At the time, I didn’t really see any point in the first assignment. As a result, I began the women’s studies course with this sort of mentality that all I had to do was read some books and write some papers, nothing more and nothing less.
But, I think that Ms. King wanted us to be aware of our initial views about feminism so that at the end of the course we could see how this class has affected our views. After getting the chance to read Bell Hooks’ Feminism is For Everybody: Passionate Politics, I was surprised to find that many of the stereotypes that Hooks had gotten for being a feminist was similar to the stereotypes that I had initially had about feminists. “They hate men….they want to go against nature and God…they are all lesbians…” Hooks goes on to say in her book that many of the people who have these assumptions about feminists have never actually met a feminist, read a feminist book, or attended a feminist event. Everything they know about feminists, “has come into their lives thirdhand, that they really have not come close enough to feminist movement to know what really happens, what it’s really about.” Reading that statement directly affected me. I had never read a feminist book or even actually met a feminist. All I had ever known about feminists was through what the media has portrayed in television and movies. Hooks is clear throughout her book that feminists are not about being anti-male. “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexual exploitation, and oppression.” Feminism is not just for women, instead, like the title states, “Feminism is for Everybody.” We all desire to live in a world where there is equal opportunity and where we cannot be oppressed because of our race, class, or religion. This is an idea that is not just a part of feminist ideals. This is an idea that is shared by men and women alike. “Without males as allies in struggle feminist movement will not progress.” Bell Hook’s book was the first feminist book I have ever read. Her book made me realize that it’s hard to learn something new when you don’t keep an open mind. Because I am able to now compare my initial assumptions about feminism in assignment one with the ideas presented in Bell Hook’s book, I am able to give meaning to the first assignment. The combination of these two pieces of writing has made me realize that there was significance to assignment one that I initially did not recognize. I just had to finally put the puzzle pieces together.
As I continue on in this story, new characters begin to play a part. Together with the members of my discussion section, we completed assignment two, which can be looked as another chapter in this book. In a book, the main character is always affected by the characters around him or herself. My story is no different. Because my discussion section had to come up with both a collective definition for feminism as well as a collective feminist event, my thoughts were affected by theirs. I had to combine my individual notions about feminism with people who may or may not share my same point of view. I think that Ms. King included this assignment because she wanted all of us to be able to examine the many differing views surrounding feminism. The author of a book always includes a chapter that is the exposition, or scenes leading to the climax of the story. This exposition was assignment two. Because I had the opportunity to hear other student’s ideas I was able to see the dynamic nature of women’s studies. To be able to describe this course in a single sentence is insufficient because the ideas surrounding women’s studies, like feminism, are always changing and different from person to person. My classmates helped me to understand women’s studies from various angles and through this assignment I began to get a broader and more well-rounded view of this course as a whole.
But to say that each chapter of this book is based merely on the assignments would be inaccurate. The middle part of this “book” had a lot influence from the readings, free-writes, and class discussions. The books in this course are books that I would probably never choose to read on my own. But, in a way, I think that’s why Ms. King included them in the course curriculum. She knew that many of us probably would never have the opportunity to read these books and so, she gave us the opportunity. She wanted us to be able to widen our often narrow views; to be able to see and read things that are often not publicized in the media. She wanted us to step away from the glitz and glamour of popular culture and hear the voices of those who are not heard enough.
I remember reading Octavia Butler’s Kindred and being so surprised by the entire book. When I initially found out that it was a science-fiction novel, I immediately began to feel disinterested towards the book. But because it was assigned to read, I read it obediently. Expecting to read a futuristic book taking place on Mars, I was pleasantly surprised to find that although there was time-traveling, the story was less science-fictional. The story of Dana, the protagonist, and her ability to travel back to an era where slavery was prevalent was something so different and refreshing. Usually in books you don’t have the opportunity to see a character living in two completely different time-periods. There was the obvious difference between the two places: one had slavery, one didn’t had slavery. But this single difference incited profound growth in the character Dana throughout the course of the novel. Her experiences revealed the central power struggles occurring within both time periods. With the plot in Kindred as an example, I was introduced to the ideas of marked and unmarked categories, oppression, privilege, and conceptual maps. In the story, the character, Rufus, exemplifies the corruptive and oppressive power that our privileges can give. His identity as a white slave-owner gives him power over the slaves and makes him feel as if he has the power to commit horrible acts of crime, like raping Alice. Although many of our privileges, including my own, do not oppress others to such an extreme degree, our privileges can be like Rufus‘, in that we do not fully realize the extent to which they affect others. I think many people don’t think of themselves as oppressors because the idea is something that makes them feel guilty or even ashamed, But, like Megan Seely states in her book Fight Like a Girl: How to Be a Fearless Feminist, “Feel guilty if you are not contributing to the solution, but not over something of which you have no control.”
Another idea that Kindred enabled me to understand was the idea of marked and unmarked experiences. A key motif within the book was the idea of race. In the story, the character Dana is a foil to the character Alice. Because Dana is actually not from a slave era, she is more intelligent, independent, and privileged than Alice. But when Dana travels to the past, there is no difference between her and Alice. They are both marked by the color of their skin. The one scene in the book where Carrie, the cook’s daughter, rubs Dana’s cheek in order to show that skin color cannot be rubbed off reveals the dominant role that race can play in power structures.
After learning the different terms and doing the free-writes, I was finally able to approach the climax of the story: assignment three. What was so unique about assignment three was that it provided both a means for me to reflect about the power structures that exist in not only my life, but also the life my classmate Tania. I really felt that this assignment took this class and my role within this class to a whole different level. For the first time, I was forced to not just identify my various roles, but to actually evaluate the impact of these roles. We completed a lot of different free-writes in preparation for writing the actual paper. I remember Ms. King asking, “what ability are we being given right now?” At the time, I remember having no idea how to answer the question. That question, like most questions that Ms. King asks, was so open-ended. Having always taken a lot of math and science courses, I’ve been accustomed to answering questions that either have a right or wrong answer. It was so strange for me to complete these free-writes and then have to write ten pages about how I’ve been privileged and how I might have oppressed others as a result. I’ve never looked at my identity in that kind of light and to be forced to do so really allowed me to challenge my existing beliefs and learn more about myself. I realized that the world is not as black and white as it may appear. I am a Korean-American student at the University of Maryland. Although these titles are just words, I have felt both privilege and oppression because of these mere words. What this assignment made me realize though was that although I may face challenges because of my race and gender, I have no reason to accept these oppressions. I have created privileges within my life because of the dedication and effort I have put into my work. Although I may not always be able to change how people view me, I have the power to change how I view myself and others.
Also, because of this assignment, I have so much more respect for my fellow classmates. I think the veil that Tania and I both constructed for the creative portion of assignment three epitomizes what I learned from that assignment. We all wear veils. We show others what we want them to see and others see in us what they want to see. This idea is best described by W.E.B. Dubois as, “a peculiar sensation this double consciousness…two ness…two souls two thoughts two unreconciled warring ideals in one…body (Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Dubois). Because there is often a disparity between our idealized self and perceived self, we experience internal strife. This same idea can be applied to my perception of my classmates. Hearing the oppressions and privileges within my classmates’ lives made me learn so much more about them. It is a rarity in life to ever be able to discuss with others the oppressive powers that are at work in our lives. Because the topic is so taboo in our society, we make the conscious choice not to talk about it. But because Ms. King forced us to write and discuss it, the topic seems a little less taboo, a little less secretive. Perhaps if more people were willing to talk about power structures, we would begin to take more notice of the categories that mark or unmark us and as a result, work towards trying to eliminate them. Feminist author, Megan Seely, mentions in her book that, “Education is more than what you read or what occurs in a classroom.” Its great if I leave this class learning something new, but if I don’t take the time to apply what I learn then I’m basically still at square one. Its important that I take the time to look at the perspectives of others. Seely focuses on the feminist movement in her book and how this movement is all about respect; respect for not just ourselves, but respect for others as well. We must respect that we have, “different experiences with similar issues.” Although we have our own individual “histories, cultures, and religions”, we all want to end “oppression, hate, ignorance, and discrimination.” Assignment three made me more aware of the ideals that Seely tries to advocate in her book. In the discussion section, we have talked about everything from gender-based wages to affirmative action and we didn’t necessarily always agree on these issues. Because of our individual experiences and identities, we hold different perspectives on controversial issues. But like Seely discusses in her book, the feminist movement is not about trying to get everyone to think the same way. Not all feminists are pro-choice and not all feminists agree on affirmative action. I used to always think that anyone I associated with should share my same beliefs. But Seely’s book and assignment three both made me realize that I will never be able to change what others think. I may be able to convince others to start using a certain shampoo, but I can’t convince someone to change their beliefs, thus changing the essence of who they are. What I’ve found most useful about assignment three was that it really brought so many different elements of the semester together. It made me more aware of who I am, but it also made me more aware of the world that I live in.
As this semester concludes, so does this book. The last chapter of this book can be seen in this assignment. Being able to sit down and reflect on everything that has happened in this past semester is such a humbling experience. Ms. King could have given some sort of multiple choice test about the different books for the final, but instead, she choose a reflective paper. Being given this opportunity to look back on all of the assignments and discussions throughout this course has allowed me to end this semester on a more meaningful note. Because I’ve actually taken the time to really think about everything that has happened, I have been able to connect all of the pieces of this book through this paper. I went into this course thinking that Ms. King was the author of the book and that I was just merely a character with no actual control over the ending. Yes, she did assign the readings and papers, but my final thoughts about this course are a direct reflection of my own mental and emotional growth. Ms. King taught me that we all have the power to take control over our lives. We don’t have to settle for less than what we truly deserve. As a student, who often feels like a minority because of my status as both a female and Asian-American, I have finally been given the pencil to write my own story. I probably still wouldn’t be able to give a definition for feminism because I’m not sure there really is one single definition. I also can’t say that I’m more likely to pick up a science-fiction book to read, but I can say like the old saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
ASSIGNMENT 4
Coming into WMST 250 I was unsure of what to expect. Many thought were in my mind as I set foot in that classroom. I was thinking will this class be academically rigorous as my others or not; would we be learning about theory of women and of arts or of women and arts in a practical sense? With the passing of days and weeks in the class I began looking at it from the perspective of what we were learning just like in the book Kindred I felt as if I was part of a story. All of the questions throughout the semester would be answered through the syllabus, assignments, and free-writes, as well as what my place was during class and discussion of WMST 250.
With the first assignment being geared to show the student what he or she knew about themselves I already got the feeling that the class was going to revolve around the area of women studies and art and how we relate to that world. One of the first assumptions I wrote down and made a point to place in the introduction was that that I am a “young straight male means that I have come into the class with very few facts on feminism”. This was the first assumption that I talked about in that assignment, perhaps the reason I did so was to establish that I am part of a group in society that would not be drawn to the study of women and arts. The opening sentence of that paper was also an indicator of how I felt about the class, I was skeptical about the topic and about the people that would be teaching it. I came in with the mindset that there were going to be instructors who would look down upon me just because I am part of that group that is not “suppose to understand” women art and culture. This silent assumption was very wrong, I found very welcoming and understanding lecturers. In terms of the assumptions about art I wrote, “art was only meant for aesthetic purposes, and nothing more”. After taking this course I am now aware that art is a great means of expression especially to those who are most oppressed and have no way of having their feeling hurt, kind of like in Chicana Art in which they explained the use of murals in the streets of L.A. to explain how the marginalized got their points across. In terms of the assumptions early in the semester the part of the story I played within the course was that of a curious person who had no background knowledge, who listened to his peers on discussions about race and gender and encouraged debate and challenged what feminist view as discrimination as well as defended some of those claims. Such as rejecting affirmative action as a progressive remedial policy, while at the same time chiding the government for its inability to pass the equal rights amendment, something that most Americans would agree is reasonable to pass.
The reasons to have these assumptions were to see what classifies as art and are the books we read art. Throughout the semester I have been surprised about how little I understood about women and art, but when one thinks of art it is possible one thinks about paintings but there is so much more that art encompasses. For example in lecture Professor King would almost always have a song playing in the background, I remember once it was a song in Spanish other times it was Star Wars theme song to tie in the science fiction part of the class. At other times while reading Chicana Art as mentioned before there were murals drawn mostly done my Hispanics and African-Americans in the city of L.A. Aside from learning different styles of art I found out the various type of reasons people make art and who enjoys it. In the book But is it Art?, it talks about people making lots of money of art collections and the fact that it is the upper class that benefits from this. The book also talked about who goes to museums and galleries, the truth is that it is white upper class people who go to these museums, while the rest of society misses out. This is why I found it incredibly important to have public art that appeals more to the masses. Having murals not only is aesthetically pleasing but shows art to anyone a by passer or a citizen, the point is art is shown and at no cost to the person. In this sense in this part of the class I found my self to be part of the masses because art in it classical sense is not appealing to me, but public art like in
One of the aspects of the class that most intrigued me was the use of the free write, never in a class had I written all that came to my head for an unlimited amount of time. I found this to be hard at first just like Professor King said but eventually it easy. For example we had to do free writes about how we felt we had done on assignment one and if our assumptions had changed I wrote:
“My concept of feminism has not changed but accentuated I always believed that feminism is a struggle to put an end to institutionalized gender discrimination and allow women to take the place they deserve in society.”
These are thoughts that I have had in my head for years, but that are hard to express in words, which is why I found the free writes to be very practical. Then when we did assignment two we were asked “why we thought Oprah was used as much as a public speaker in our assignment.” During this free write I felt very adamant about my opinion because to me it seemed that the groups just thought of the most popular person and not why she would be good at a rally or event related to feminism, in that occasion this is what I wrote:
“We thought we should get Oprah because she is an entertainer that can get people passionate about a subject. She has also proven to be a political asset to presidential candidate Barack Obama.”
A pattern that I began to notice within my free writes is that I became more passionate about women’s issues than before and I would do my best to defend my view point. Whether it is defining feminism in terms of power structures or making a credible event through the free writes I was beginning to tell that the course was beginning to convince me of arguments that I had either not been presented or heeded no attention to.
Using the syllabus to try to explain the story of the class is difficult especially because there were many topics covered within a very small amount of time. But I would definitely think about it as introduction to feminism through different methods such as art and books, then through experiences in classrooms, and bringing it all together in the assignments. An example of this is assignment three here my partner Mandee talked about experiences that were very personal to her and some thing only a red head would know. For example she talks about having being able to take a higher dosage pain medication because she is a red head. Having met her in class I knew her as a very intelligent girl, hard working, and tough (she played ice hockey). But seeing this other side of her makes me think that in some circumstances although unlikely she could be in a lot more pain than most would be. I relate this to an experience that I had reading one of the assigned books for the class. In Fight Like a Girl, the book talks about how most portrayals of women are that of a weak people who need to be sheltered especially from the bad of the world. Most stories are about women being raped but not about a woman chasing away her potential aggressor. To tie this back to Mandee, I believe that people do not give enough credit to the toughness of girls and the fact that they can contend with everything. Even though Mandee may one day need this extra medication it is not going to stop her from doing activities in that sense she can be compared to a fearless feminist just like Megan Seely suggests. Again, in retrospect I look at this experience and I think to myself had I not met a girl like Mandee nor read the book I would, like the general population treat women as the weaker sex. This is a societal problem because there are many who hold this view men and women and as a matter of fact it is one of the reasons the aforementioned Equal Rights Amendment is yet to be passed. Many argue that women cannot stand side to side with men in a battle field; women like Mandee and many others with experiences described by Seely will help to dispel that belief.
In retrospect the class was a great experience, I wish that I had attended lecture more often but I feel that discussion was a good learning tool in which the broader themes of the class were discussed. I feel that in the discussion sections sometimes I played the devil’s advocate at times but I was always respectful to my classmates and to Maren our instructor. So my place in this story called WMST 250 was that of male student who was clueless about women and the study of art but is leaving with a better understanding of both and the world’s they encompass. It should be mentioned that I came in with a conservative mindset politically and that remains unchanged but I am much more sympathetic to issues I otherwise would not have been. I do not agree with affirmative action yet I understand the arguments used by those who defend it. I also had a tough time seeing “public art” as art but I can now fully understand why people resort to this art and finally understand that people and artist are not restrained to paper or portraits to convey art, they can simply use a wall to express their feelings. This class has taught me all of this so my part of the story would be of a by stander who was not necessarily revolutionized because he never sought it, rather he grew in understanding of a gender he viewed as gentle and fragile and of a form of expression he did not consider to be a legitimate source.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Lest We Forget: Historical Amnesia and Affirmative Action
This is an amazing article that I found that both historicizes Affirmative Action by understanding white privilege as the first form of Affirmative Action, but also focuses on how some white men are currently using their privilege to fight for Affirmative Action. This links our discussions about historical amnesia, entitlement and what to do with our privileges.
Why Angry White Guys for Affirmative Action are Marching to the Supreme Court
"There isn't a white judge on today's Courtthat hasn't benefited from affirmative action"
by Paul RockwellOakland, California
http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/rocka.html
Thousands of Americans, including the Bay Area-based “Angry White Guys For Affirmative Action,” will march to the U.S. Supreme Court April 1st, in defense of University of Michigan affirmative action programs. The outcome of the national debate -- can a University use race as a factor to achieve cultural diversity in admissions? -- may depend on the frame of reference in which affirmative action is discussed. “Angry White Guys For Affirmative Action” offer a special set of arguments, a new focus that could change the very nature of the controversy.
For over 30 years opponents of affirmative action for women and people of color have overlooked a key American reality -- the role of affirmative action in the lives of white men. Opposition to affirmative action is based on selective inattention to the social props on which white men themselves depend. It is not affirmative action itself, but affirmative action for African-Americans and Latinos, that is under current attack.
Many of us recall our first heated arguments over preferential programs that took place over thirty-five years ago in the teach-ins about the war in Vietnam. In the ‘60s, the first big affirmative action debate was not about minority programs. It was about college students who were getting draft deferments during the hated wars in Indochina. How easy it is to forget that minorities were over-represented on the involuntary battlefields of Asia. Black and Brown kids from working class neighborhoods were being sent to die abroad, while primarily white college youth were building their careers through one form of affirmative action -- college draft deferment. Some professors, judges, and journalists who oppose affirmative action today took advantage of affirmative action (draft deferment) in college years ago.
Minority programs are only a small part of the spectrum of preferential policies in the U.S. It is time to consider the extent to which white males are intertwined with policies of preference for themselves. Tax breaks for corporations, subsidies for middle-class homebuyers, mass transit subsidies for white suburbs, bank bailouts for profligate bank executives, selective allotments for refugees, price supports for corporate farms, are all shot through with considerations of need and preference. Special considerations may be valid or invalid, but preference for those perceived to be in need is a basic concept of American society.
White Male Beneficiaries
In the last seventy years of social engineering, the vast majority of direct beneficiaries of affirmative action policies were not minorities; they were white males. Preferential social policies for those in need were not invented by civil rights leaders. Under Franklin Roosevelt, whom most white Americans still revere, the New Deal embarked upon a massive affirmative action approach to social crisis. With the critical exception of segregation, Americans approached their social problems -- unemployment, poverty of senior citizens, re-entry needs of veterans and GIs, farmers needing price supports -- through planned social engineering. The post World-War II Marshall Plan, a plan that provided billions of dollars for training and jobs, was a massive affirmative action plan for Europe. Former enemies got free training programs in Europe that were denied Black GIs at home in America.
The New Deal concepts became unpopular only after they were applied to the crisis and effects of segregation. It was not affirmative action itself, but the extension of affirmative action to minorities and women, that caused the backlash.
As white men whose own families got free medical care, unquestioned access to higher education through the GI Bill, who shared in the social uplift of the New Deal and Fair Deal, members of “Angry White Guys For Affirmative Action” support affirmative action for those who are still left out.
There is a normal tendency in most of us to overlook the social props, the network of special benefits on which we and our families depend. The late Mitch Snyder, advocate for the homeless, once gave an address to an affluent, white audience. He asked members in the auditorium: “Who lives in federally subsidized housing?” No one raised a hand. But then he asked homeowners to identify themselves. All hands went up, after which he pointed out that homeowners are subsidized. The Treasury gives up $46 billion each year to homeowner deductions in a system that predominately benefits people who earn more than $50,000 a year.
Tax breaks for home buyers may not be wrong. What is wrong is the smug psychology of the Bushites, the Rehnquists, who take advantage of all kinds of breaks for themselves while denying affirmative action for the most oppressed areas of society.
Affirmative action is already part of the fabric of American life. We are all bound together in a vast network of affirmative action, of mutual support systems we take for granted. It is hypocritical and profoundly wrong to call affirmative action for minorities “racism in reverse,” while treating affirmative action for bankers, farmers, white men of power, as entitlements.
There isn't a white judge on the U.S. Supreme Court that hasn't benefited from affirmative action.
Paul Rockwell is a writer in the Bay Area rockyspad@earthlink.net
Published in In Motion Magazine March 11, 2003.
Why Angry White Guys for Affirmative Action are Marching to the Supreme Court
"There isn't a white judge on today's Courtthat hasn't benefited from affirmative action"
by Paul RockwellOakland, California
http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/rocka.html
Thousands of Americans, including the Bay Area-based “Angry White Guys For Affirmative Action,” will march to the U.S. Supreme Court April 1st, in defense of University of Michigan affirmative action programs. The outcome of the national debate -- can a University use race as a factor to achieve cultural diversity in admissions? -- may depend on the frame of reference in which affirmative action is discussed. “Angry White Guys For Affirmative Action” offer a special set of arguments, a new focus that could change the very nature of the controversy.
For over 30 years opponents of affirmative action for women and people of color have overlooked a key American reality -- the role of affirmative action in the lives of white men. Opposition to affirmative action is based on selective inattention to the social props on which white men themselves depend. It is not affirmative action itself, but affirmative action for African-Americans and Latinos, that is under current attack.
Many of us recall our first heated arguments over preferential programs that took place over thirty-five years ago in the teach-ins about the war in Vietnam. In the ‘60s, the first big affirmative action debate was not about minority programs. It was about college students who were getting draft deferments during the hated wars in Indochina. How easy it is to forget that minorities were over-represented on the involuntary battlefields of Asia. Black and Brown kids from working class neighborhoods were being sent to die abroad, while primarily white college youth were building their careers through one form of affirmative action -- college draft deferment. Some professors, judges, and journalists who oppose affirmative action today took advantage of affirmative action (draft deferment) in college years ago.
Minority programs are only a small part of the spectrum of preferential policies in the U.S. It is time to consider the extent to which white males are intertwined with policies of preference for themselves. Tax breaks for corporations, subsidies for middle-class homebuyers, mass transit subsidies for white suburbs, bank bailouts for profligate bank executives, selective allotments for refugees, price supports for corporate farms, are all shot through with considerations of need and preference. Special considerations may be valid or invalid, but preference for those perceived to be in need is a basic concept of American society.
White Male Beneficiaries
In the last seventy years of social engineering, the vast majority of direct beneficiaries of affirmative action policies were not minorities; they were white males. Preferential social policies for those in need were not invented by civil rights leaders. Under Franklin Roosevelt, whom most white Americans still revere, the New Deal embarked upon a massive affirmative action approach to social crisis. With the critical exception of segregation, Americans approached their social problems -- unemployment, poverty of senior citizens, re-entry needs of veterans and GIs, farmers needing price supports -- through planned social engineering. The post World-War II Marshall Plan, a plan that provided billions of dollars for training and jobs, was a massive affirmative action plan for Europe. Former enemies got free training programs in Europe that were denied Black GIs at home in America.
The New Deal concepts became unpopular only after they were applied to the crisis and effects of segregation. It was not affirmative action itself, but the extension of affirmative action to minorities and women, that caused the backlash.
As white men whose own families got free medical care, unquestioned access to higher education through the GI Bill, who shared in the social uplift of the New Deal and Fair Deal, members of “Angry White Guys For Affirmative Action” support affirmative action for those who are still left out.
There is a normal tendency in most of us to overlook the social props, the network of special benefits on which we and our families depend. The late Mitch Snyder, advocate for the homeless, once gave an address to an affluent, white audience. He asked members in the auditorium: “Who lives in federally subsidized housing?” No one raised a hand. But then he asked homeowners to identify themselves. All hands went up, after which he pointed out that homeowners are subsidized. The Treasury gives up $46 billion each year to homeowner deductions in a system that predominately benefits people who earn more than $50,000 a year.
Tax breaks for home buyers may not be wrong. What is wrong is the smug psychology of the Bushites, the Rehnquists, who take advantage of all kinds of breaks for themselves while denying affirmative action for the most oppressed areas of society.
Affirmative action is already part of the fabric of American life. We are all bound together in a vast network of affirmative action, of mutual support systems we take for granted. It is hypocritical and profoundly wrong to call affirmative action for minorities “racism in reverse,” while treating affirmative action for bankers, farmers, white men of power, as entitlements.
There isn't a white judge on the U.S. Supreme Court that hasn't benefited from affirmative action.
Paul Rockwell is a writer in the Bay Area rockyspad@earthlink.net
Published in In Motion Magazine March 11, 2003.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Jessica Bermudez
WMST250Section 0102Tunnel of Oppression Assignment
Due: April 22, 2008
Music: Drawing out emotional aspects of experience of oppression
Even today, a woman who is rumored to be promiscuous is called a “slut” and often disrespected by other men and even other women, where as men are allowed to make jokes about how much sex they have. Presently, this discrimination against promiscuity among women is seen less, but insults such as “slut” or “whore” are still used commonly and throughout joking conversation, even among women themselves. As seen in the tunnel of oppression, women are made into sexual objects daily in songs like “Superman that ho,” which is a metaphor for disrespecting a woman in the bedroom. With degrading lyrics like these being associated to some of the most popular and most successful artists, these thoughts are being disseminated all around the U.S. daily. Most people gladly accept the song lyrics and rarely protest artists because of their right to freedom of expression; it is continuously popular in clubs and definitely hit the music charts. Both women and men laugh at the lyric’s implications and no great activism on part of today’s youth. By simply laughing off the joke, we as a society are accepting and agreeing to that treatment of women and not taking a woman’s worth seriously. If handled naively, this increasing popularity trend would be stopped completely, but that would inhibit freedom of expression. Instead, we should focus on more positive music
Structures of Oppression: US-centric Issues
The tunnel of oppression did cover issues being discussed all over the world, but sadly the stereotypes and prejudiced mindsets that are perpetuated in our present society are broadcast internationally through television, radio and cinema. There was one station with racist Disney clips. I couldn’t believe that at some point, an artist had drawn such scenes and not seen something wrong with it. I’m glad that today we are more aware of these issues and are more careful. These movies very often have a large impact on child development. Subconsciously, a negative message is being delivered. There was one clip that I didn’t agree should be in the collection, and that was the crows being black. I felt like these characters were black just because the animal that had been chosen was the crow, and the crow by nature has a negative image because it preys on other birds and have somewhat of a menacing appearance. However, I did make me realize that small details like these can offend someone.
Most countries around the world depend on Los Angeles for entertainment and the most famous American actors are famous around the world. This cannot be said about the actors who are native to countries such as Mexico, Spain, France and Colombia. Many non-Americans look to the U.S. as a central distributor of ideas. Whatever music, style or thought is seen as popular at the time is easily communicated through international channels such as MTV.
Intersectional Analysis
With that in mind, I think about the social economic environment that established my lifestyle and thoughts. Thanks to my parents’ financial decision to take advantage of the economic recession in the early 1990s and the urban sprawl around Germantown, MD, I was raised in a new neighborhood with access to a new school with great teachers and all different kinds of resources. Most of the leaders I look up to and really have faith in to change people’s mind are our student leaders. Student activism can provide the greatest voice. Role models that many in my generation look up to, however, include the rich and the famous. Those music artists who produce music to the wittiest, but sometimes discriminating lyrics, along with the rich producers who create reality TV shows are continuously shaping kids’ minds.
The Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants are a pageants put on by one of the most famous entrepreneurs in the world. There is nothing “dirty” about placing young models in a competition where talent, physique, and public speaking skills are the core criteria, but why is there even a focus on appearance? Why is the focus of the most appearance-oriented competition on women? Society’s perception of beauty and overall way of thinking has been developed by those who hold the money. And these moneymakers, along with all the other producers of lust-driven primetime shows like Tila Tequila and other dating shows, are making money by brainwashing youth to watch their shows, with the most proactive and sometimes violent episodes peaking interests in viewers. Unfortunately, the mentalities of future leaders are being shaped by the media and society and the media is directed by money.
Competitions such as these can become famous around the world and can be fun, but at the same time severely harming the reputation of women as serious leaders in the workplace and are often responsible for eating disorders and a desire to fit a certain profile.
At the anorexia and cosmetic surgery station, I found out that 40% of women between 18 and 25 years old are affected by anorexia and that 91% of all cosmetic surgeries are conducted women. The collection of beauty magazines all had pictures of really skinny or photoshop-ed models. All lot of the women who choose to spend money on their beauty usually has excess money to spend and are in upper socio-economic classes. It would be difficult for someone not well off to become anorexic.
Activism: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Rights
I’ve heard other students make racist jokes about Mexicans in reference to me and make statements such as “Women are meant to cook, clean and not own companies,” jokingly. As much as I enjoy jokes, I do not think that those immigrants who are living underprivileged in real life would feel as accepted as they should feel in a society made up of different cultures.
While in the tunnel, I was impacted by on particular station that had me listen to several insults against a homosexual while looking at myself in front of a mirror. This made me realize that sexuality is something we all choose. Choosing a lifestyle other than heterosexual is a choice that perhaps I could have been influenced to make. It is a personal decision and no one should be discriminated against. It bothered me to read the statistics about the increase in suicide rates. This motivates me to take action. At the University of Maryland, I hope to become more involved with the minority student groups. At the most recent town hall meeting hosted by the Latino Student Union where the Latino Studies Program was being promoted, fellow students from many other organizations such as the Asian American Student Union were present. It is important to show support for one another, and I agree to support other groups’ fight for equality by fighting just as fiercely for them as I do for the student groups I am involved in.
WMST250Section 0102Tunnel of Oppression Assignment
Due: April 22, 2008
Music: Drawing out emotional aspects of experience of oppression
Even today, a woman who is rumored to be promiscuous is called a “slut” and often disrespected by other men and even other women, where as men are allowed to make jokes about how much sex they have. Presently, this discrimination against promiscuity among women is seen less, but insults such as “slut” or “whore” are still used commonly and throughout joking conversation, even among women themselves. As seen in the tunnel of oppression, women are made into sexual objects daily in songs like “Superman that ho,” which is a metaphor for disrespecting a woman in the bedroom. With degrading lyrics like these being associated to some of the most popular and most successful artists, these thoughts are being disseminated all around the U.S. daily. Most people gladly accept the song lyrics and rarely protest artists because of their right to freedom of expression; it is continuously popular in clubs and definitely hit the music charts. Both women and men laugh at the lyric’s implications and no great activism on part of today’s youth. By simply laughing off the joke, we as a society are accepting and agreeing to that treatment of women and not taking a woman’s worth seriously. If handled naively, this increasing popularity trend would be stopped completely, but that would inhibit freedom of expression. Instead, we should focus on more positive music
Structures of Oppression: US-centric Issues
The tunnel of oppression did cover issues being discussed all over the world, but sadly the stereotypes and prejudiced mindsets that are perpetuated in our present society are broadcast internationally through television, radio and cinema. There was one station with racist Disney clips. I couldn’t believe that at some point, an artist had drawn such scenes and not seen something wrong with it. I’m glad that today we are more aware of these issues and are more careful. These movies very often have a large impact on child development. Subconsciously, a negative message is being delivered. There was one clip that I didn’t agree should be in the collection, and that was the crows being black. I felt like these characters were black just because the animal that had been chosen was the crow, and the crow by nature has a negative image because it preys on other birds and have somewhat of a menacing appearance. However, I did make me realize that small details like these can offend someone.
Most countries around the world depend on Los Angeles for entertainment and the most famous American actors are famous around the world. This cannot be said about the actors who are native to countries such as Mexico, Spain, France and Colombia. Many non-Americans look to the U.S. as a central distributor of ideas. Whatever music, style or thought is seen as popular at the time is easily communicated through international channels such as MTV.
Intersectional Analysis
With that in mind, I think about the social economic environment that established my lifestyle and thoughts. Thanks to my parents’ financial decision to take advantage of the economic recession in the early 1990s and the urban sprawl around Germantown, MD, I was raised in a new neighborhood with access to a new school with great teachers and all different kinds of resources. Most of the leaders I look up to and really have faith in to change people’s mind are our student leaders. Student activism can provide the greatest voice. Role models that many in my generation look up to, however, include the rich and the famous. Those music artists who produce music to the wittiest, but sometimes discriminating lyrics, along with the rich producers who create reality TV shows are continuously shaping kids’ minds.
The Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants are a pageants put on by one of the most famous entrepreneurs in the world. There is nothing “dirty” about placing young models in a competition where talent, physique, and public speaking skills are the core criteria, but why is there even a focus on appearance? Why is the focus of the most appearance-oriented competition on women? Society’s perception of beauty and overall way of thinking has been developed by those who hold the money. And these moneymakers, along with all the other producers of lust-driven primetime shows like Tila Tequila and other dating shows, are making money by brainwashing youth to watch their shows, with the most proactive and sometimes violent episodes peaking interests in viewers. Unfortunately, the mentalities of future leaders are being shaped by the media and society and the media is directed by money.
Competitions such as these can become famous around the world and can be fun, but at the same time severely harming the reputation of women as serious leaders in the workplace and are often responsible for eating disorders and a desire to fit a certain profile.
At the anorexia and cosmetic surgery station, I found out that 40% of women between 18 and 25 years old are affected by anorexia and that 91% of all cosmetic surgeries are conducted women. The collection of beauty magazines all had pictures of really skinny or photoshop-ed models. All lot of the women who choose to spend money on their beauty usually has excess money to spend and are in upper socio-economic classes. It would be difficult for someone not well off to become anorexic.
Activism: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Rights
I’ve heard other students make racist jokes about Mexicans in reference to me and make statements such as “Women are meant to cook, clean and not own companies,” jokingly. As much as I enjoy jokes, I do not think that those immigrants who are living underprivileged in real life would feel as accepted as they should feel in a society made up of different cultures.
While in the tunnel, I was impacted by on particular station that had me listen to several insults against a homosexual while looking at myself in front of a mirror. This made me realize that sexuality is something we all choose. Choosing a lifestyle other than heterosexual is a choice that perhaps I could have been influenced to make. It is a personal decision and no one should be discriminated against. It bothered me to read the statistics about the increase in suicide rates. This motivates me to take action. At the University of Maryland, I hope to become more involved with the minority student groups. At the most recent town hall meeting hosted by the Latino Student Union where the Latino Studies Program was being promoted, fellow students from many other organizations such as the Asian American Student Union were present. It is important to show support for one another, and I agree to support other groups’ fight for equality by fighting just as fiercely for them as I do for the student groups I am involved in.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Analysis of Everyday Life
“Sex and race because they are easy and visible differences have been the primary ways of organizing human beings into superior and inferior groups and into the cheap labor in which this system still depends. We are talking about a society in which there will be no roles other than those chosen or those earned. We are really talking about humanism.”-Gloria Steinem. Steinem tackles all the main factors that prevent equality in this country as well as expands the control of power structures in this country. Throughout the course of this class I have been exploring my role in society. I have been a victim of stereotypes as well as the initiator. I have been complemented, criticized, and categorized. My name has been slandered and used in both negative and positive connotations. Through it all I am still searching to find myself and to set my mark as an individual in this country. Saying it out loud makes assumptions that the task will be easy however power structures, Matrix of Domination and Marked and Unmarked differences tend to be the speed bumps in a road that we wish was smooth. The following paper will cohesively connect the three previous themes mentioned as well as integrate my own personal experiences and attach the foundation in which stereotypes are built.
Before you can really voice out your opinions on the bigger picture, it is significant that you take a look around you to the little things that often go unnoticed. It is important you examine the environment that surrounds you. Growing up in New York it was almost impossible for me to be narrow-minded when it came to culture, race and individualism. I have grown up my entire life-classifying race by ethnicity and not by skin color. Ethnicity was something beautiful, something that tied our country together. I was possibly one of the very few people in this world who thought that way. I spent my earlier years going to public school until the sixth grade. I remember my dad came home one day, and declared that he was finally capable of affording Private education for both my brother and I. It was something he wanted for us for the longest time. I did not know back then what I do now, but it what his attempt to allow us the proper education that would ensure success in this dog eats dog world. It was his way of cheating the system and allowing us to be above the power structure.
As usual I was very nervous about this brand new start, because I have always been fearful of change. I gave this new school a try. The school was a forty-minute drive from our house and was in a very wealthy neighborhood. I remember staring out the window thinking I was in a fairytale. The school was predominantly white and had very few minorities. I did not realize the racial separation that existed until they made it evident for me by ostracizing me. I feel as though my brother had an easier time than I did because he was a boy and all they ever cared about was playing. However girls were a little more difficult to befriend. It was a coincidence that when my brother and I started attending the private school things were reported missing. There was an incident when a boy’s game boy was stolen, and then a girl lost her bracelet and someone’s pokemon’s cards were stolen. Till this day I have no clue who took them or whatever happened to those missing items but the principle of the school will always feel as though I took them. I remember one afternoon while in class, I heard over the loud speaker “ Will Ashley Taylor report to the principle’s office”. Typically all the students made all types of sound effects, which made me even more nervous. As I was walking I was shaking because I had never been called to the principle’s office let alone been in trouble before. She asked me to sit down and explained to me the list of items that had been missing. I remember being so confused as to why she was telling me. Then she went on to say “ I don’t know if stealing was appropriate at your old school but it is not tolerated here. You are to return each and every item that you took to its rightful owner.” It amazed me how she could just accuse me and not ask. I was in no way shape or form a thief. Later that night when my parents came home I immediately told them what had happened and they met with the principle and before I knew it I was back in my old school. My dad’s integrity was way more important than the reputation that came with attending a private school”. It goes without saying that I felt discriminated against and was being Marked because of my race, upbringing and economic situation.
In everyday life the power structures and factors that divide us as a community are often acknowledged yet neglected and swept under the rug. When examining power structures and the basis of them, it is essential to define what power structures are and who belongs where. Power structures are those persons or groups in a nation, city, organization etc., who through economic, social and institutional position constitute the actual ruling power. Whether it be intentionally or accidentally power structures are responsible for the three distinct social classes that exist in America. The first of these classes is Upper Class. Ironic to its actual definition it is the minority of the other two classes. Upper class consists of the economically wealthy population. Then there is the middle class, which a large portion of Americans fit into. Middle class consists of the working class and is the middle ground between upper class and lower class. Middle class occasionally has financial burdens, however not as drastic as those of lower class. Lower class is the final social class and possibly a majority of the countries population. Those apart of lower class experience poverty at first hand and depend on government assistance for survival.
“The idea that any hardworking American by dint of good character and hard work could rise up the social ladder has long been celebrated in the great American myth of Horatio Alger who rose from “rags to riches” providing a fictional example instructing young men--- and it was men--- of what they needed to do to make their fortunes in 19th Century America.”- Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr. I completely agree with this quote. I especially love Furstenberg’s choice of words. He explains that it is the common belief to think that anyone can be successful and climb up the social ladder if they receive proper education and work hard is a myth. There are exceptions and this myth does apply in certain cases but in others race, economic background and networking are key issues in who is more qualified for the job. Furstenberg claims that there has and perhaps always will me social/economic inequality in America. A rightful question to ask is “How can we change this?” How do you change a society where hard work is not always acknowledged; where what you look like represents what your capable of doing. It almost seems as though there will be no solution, however I like to think that if American government made more of an effort or expand opportunities or immigrants to climb the social ladder as well and not just make enough to get by then possibly we can eliminate the notion if inequality in a country that promotes equality.
Social scientists believed that life chances are also determined by the values and skills obtained in the family and structures of opportunity in the child’s immediate environment; that these values and skills have shaped their chances of economic success. Furstenberg explains that “Fine gradations of social class could be linked to virtually everything from toilet training to marriage practices” Social class, has become a tool or strategy to label and categorize people. It has become a tactic to divide a country that thrives on unity. I love Furstenberg’s argument that social class has become this idea of who is rich and who is poor. Furstenberg also uses the example of single parent families. He explains that stereotype that comes with being a single parent and how it often gets categorized under poverty rather than “a differentiated category of families that experience life differently as their two-parent counterparts.” I feel as though Society narrow down people in this country into two categories, poor and rich. This is an unfair practice because there are many categories that people can fall under.
Among the three social classes, I have been a member of two of them and often feel as though I am the middle ground between lower class and middle class. It was not until the Conceptual Map exercise did I feel that my social class defined who I was as a person and truly separated me from a lot of the students that go here. The purpose of this exercise was to distinguish each person’s location in society through social class. The exercise began with a series of questions. The questions were scrambled and varied. For each question that was asked, the instructor would state if we were to step back or step forward depending on the question. We were also asked to hold hands and refrain from letting go. For a large portion of the questions I had to step back, but there was quite a few that allowed me to step forward. A lot of the questions were phrased to determine/differentiate who the privilege and unprivileged were. While discussing the results with my partner she realized she was over privileged and often took it for granted. It was through this discussion I developed a new concept. I was neither over privileged nor under privileged but rather middle privileged. There were specific questions from the exercise that stood out and persuaded me that I was of neither category but in between. The first question was “Have I ever been to a Broadway play/show?” My response was no, and I felt as though things like plays and shows are things you go to or do on a special occasion. I’m sure many people go on a regular basis however where I grew up, it wasn’t common to go see a play unless it was a special occasion or we won tickets. A few other examples/questions that stood out for me were “If I have ever been dependent on public transportation, If I had my own credit card and if I grew up in an environment surrounded by drugs, violence and prostitution. The first question implies or rather subliminally suggests “ who owns a car”. Unfortunately I do not have a car nor did I ever need it growing up in New York. A car for each of my siblings and I would have been expensive therefore we grew accustom to the subway and public transportation. Cars are not as abundant in urban areas as it may be in suburbs where there is actually space to drive. To follow up on the question in reference to the credit card, I feel as though attaining a credit card is a big deal. In order to have a credit card you have to be financially qualified. The banks has to be almost certain that you are accountable to pay back all the money spent on the credit card. My personal opinion is that even something small and materialistic like a credit card gives you status and can sometimes place you on a economic pedestal. Credit cards may seem helpful but it can also be a scam. For those who are unable to pay off their balances, they are fined, which puts them in more debt that they originally were in. having a credit card may not be a luxury but it is definitely a privilege. The last question that stood out to me was in reference to the environment each of us came from, this question truly separated the minority from the majority. It opened the eyes of those that are not familiar with a world filed with violence, drugs and another negative aspects. It also gives hope to those who do come from such upbringing that a perfect world possibly does exists.
The one thing I am proudest of is knowing what I am and loving every bit of it. Despite peer pressure and media influences I have never tried to change who I am in order to blend in with the normalcy that society has constituted. However, throughout my entire life my ethnicity has been unclear to everyone else. I have often been told that I look Black, Indian, West Indian, mixed, Hawaiian and some have rightfully guessed Hispanic. A lot of people assume my race because of my skin color, facial features and even the texture of my hair. It is almost unbelievable how people often associate you with a certain race because of your appearance yet fail to see that ethnicity is an internal thing as opposed to external. Oddly enough I did not experience this racial scrutiny in high school but outside of high school. My four years of high school were spent in a predominantly Hispanic environment. As sheltered and narrow-minded as this may sound, I felt safe; I was in my comfort zone. I am far from racist however there is something abut being around people of a similar ethnicity who share the same morals, values, culture and language that is comforting. It was as if high school was one big sorority or sisterhood; to be completely honest I still miss it everyday of my life.
I have been exposed to other races an cultures while living in New York but it was not until I attended the University of Maryland that I had full on interaction with people of various races and cultures. It took awhile to adjust and accommodate to the College Park atmosphere. It was almost impossible for me to find my niche at this school because I was that city girl looking for security and acceptance with the Latin crowd. Despite what I thought and how I felt, I was able to make friends pretty fast. Most of the friends I made were African Americans and I would always accompany them to numerous Black Student events. I am not sure if I made myself comfortable or that sense of comfort came naturally but it did. This caused even more speculation on campus as to what my race was. Here was this girl with a heavy Spanish accent hanging out with African Americans. It didn’t bother me though because it felt right to me. However this “new me” was not what my parents had in mind when I returned home. They reminded me almost everyday that I changed and that they did not recognize me anymore. They felt as though I traded in my Latina culture and pride to assimilate with the black culture. They found it odd that I hardly ever wanted to speak Spanish and would respond in English whenever they spoke to me. They saw a change in my accent, they saw that I had a taste of both worlds and were almost scared of what this would do to my identity. The irony of this all was that while they thought I was abandoning my Latin culture my friends thought I was too attached to it. They often considered me “too Hispanic”. It was as if both sides classified me with the other when in reality I was a combination of both.
This is a broader scope analysis of the power structures that exist throughout the world today. Through personal experiences, the effects of immigration, education and religion on a money-oriented society are examined.
Nature is an omnipresent force that drives human behavior, both by providing a natural environment for humans to grow in and by creating the biological response that makes up human thought. It both separates and brings together different marked and unmarked categories of people. However, within the U.S., for whatever reason, we choose to separate each other by race and socioeconomic status. Our country does not have an inherent desire to help others, but relies mainly on defending its own. This is seen in developing countries that still lack a constantly available fresh water supply, medical technologies and dependable food supply. Although the leaders of more developed countries have access to technologies that can improve the lives of millions, they find no reason to invest in poorer countries when they can invest in their own security. Because we live in a wealth-dependent world, it is more in nature to do something that will benefit both you and the benefactor.
Burdens such as the energy crisis, natural disasters and global warning test the human race’s ability to work together for survival. Global warming is a test to see how far we are willing to go before we realize that we are exhausting all of our natural resources too rapidly and taking action. It is also a time to see how capable we are of helping those in less privileged areas because when natural disasters strike, the richer, more developed areas are more likely to survive. Unfortunately, disaster relief demonstrated in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina proves that we are not a united race, but one easily divided by race and social status.
The tunnel of oppression did cover issues being discussed all over the world, but sadly the stereotypes and prejudiced mindsets that are perpetuated in our present society are broadcast internationally through television, radio and cinema. Most countries around the world depend on Los Angeles for entertainment and the most famous American actors are famous around the world. This cannot be said about the actors who are native to countries such as Mexico, Spain, France and Colombia. Many non-Americans look to the U.S. as a central distributor of ideas. Whatever music, style or thought is seen as popular at the time is easily communicated through international channels such as MTV. The world’s two richest men, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, are born in the USA and therefore most of the rest of the world believes we are the richest nation.
Ever since man was created, reproduction and dominance over nature to use resources wisely were needed to survive. Lust and desire to dominate are innate human characteristics that are seen in everyday human interactions. Because women were the divine bodies that carried children, they were treasured by man, but this resulted in females becoming sexual objects. Sexuality is a force that many would not consider a power in their lives. Everyone always talks about how often men think about sex, but could this saying exist just because sexual feeling in women is suppressed? In some ways, I feel that this oppression of feeling has resulted in the greater objectification of women versus men. This power structure has existed since ancient times when women were forced to wear wardrobes that covered their breasts. In that time period, women were valued and sought after for either the fortunes they inherited or for their mystery. Unfortunately after a while, those who wanted the same rights as men to be free and express their bodies as they wanted to were discriminated against. Even today, a woman who is rumored to be promiscuous is called a “slut” and often disrespected by other men and even other women, where as men are allowed to make jokes about how much sex they have. Presently, this discrimination against promiscuity among women is seen less, but insults such as “slut” or “whore” are still used commonly and throughout joking conversation, even among women themselves. As seen in the tunnel of oppression, women are made into sexual objects daily in songs like “Superman that ho,” which is a metaphor for disrespecting a woman in the bedroom. Most gladly accepted the song lyrics; it is continuously popular in clubs and definitely hit the music charts. Both women and men laugh at the lyric’s implications and no great activism on part of today’s youth. By simply laughing off the joke, we as a society are accepting and agreeing to that treatment of women and not taking a woman’s worth seriously.
With that in mind, I think about the socio-economic environment that established my lifestyle and thoughts. Thanks to my parents’ financial decision to take advantage of the economic recession in the early 1990s and the urban sprawl around Germantown, MD, I was raised in a new neighborhood with access to a new school with great teachers and all different kinds of resources. I was even able to attend pre-school, something only a small percentage of the 3-4 year olds could take advantage of at the time. With GT and magnet programs getting all sorts of funding, and Montgomery County having one of the best public education programs in the nation, I grew up with a tremendous support system and learned from teachers that knew I could and encouraged that I reach my full potential. I’d say that the reason I am here at a top-ranked university today is because of all that support early on that drove me through several special talented programs. However, the current government policies and academic institutions that set tuition rates govern many of the fundamental factors affecting my academics, from monetary worth to the amount of stress and motivation in me. Because tuition rates are high, not only will I have to plan ways to pay off my loans right after graduating, but I am motivated to help others in the area. The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) is a society that encourages outreach to younger students in the College Park area as well as students on campus seeking professional development and mentoring opportunities. When I see the numbers of admitted Latino students and see that they are pretty much exactly the same from year to year, I wonder what is keeping Latino students from being accepted and wonder if there is some sort of quota for minority students that needs to be filled year to year because the numbers are almost identical. I wonder if these numbers stay the same because no one is being outreached to, or if it is a reality in our society too rigid that cannot be changed through our society’s efforts. I understand that change takes time, but maybe we need more effective leaders to initiate this change effectively.
Most of the leaders I look up to and really have faith in to change people’s mind are our student leaders. Student activism can provide the greatest voice. Role models that many in my generation look up to, however, include the rich and the famous. Those music artists who produce music to the wittiest, but sometimes discriminating lyrics, along with the rich producers who create reality TV shows are continuously shaping kids’ minds.
The Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants are a pageants put on by one of the most famous entrepreneurs in the world. There is nothing “dirty” about placing young models in a competition where talent, physique, and public speaking skills are the core criteria, but why is there even a focus on appearance? Why is the focus of the most appeareance-oriented competition on women? Men love watching, thanks to their hormonal drive, and women love watching and comparing themselves with what is considered beautiful. Society’s perception of beauty and overall way of thinking has been developed by those who hold the money. Other producers of lust-driven primetime shows and other dating shows are making money by convincing youth to watch their shows; the most proactive and sometimes violent episodes are the ones that peak interest in viewers. Unfortunately, the mentalities of future leaders are being shaped by the media and society and the media is directed by money.
Competitions such as these can become famous around the world and can be fun, but at the same time severely harming the reputation of women as serious leaders in the workplace and are often responsible for eating disorders and a desire to fit a certain image. As much as I disagree with some of the stereotypes associated with some pageants and the scandals, sex and violence portrayed in reality TV, I myself have benefitted from the media by receiving pageant scholarships in the past. I participated in order to receive a scholarship, so the end goal was legitimate, and the money I raised to enter the competition was directed towards a cause, so the money was going to the right places, and the talent competition did make up 35% of the score, but many people still stereotype pageants as superficial and focused on looks.
Where government regulations fail to inhibit media deemed indecent by some, religion comes in. The dress of modern Mormons is meant to show modesty and conformity. Outfits usually go down to the ankles and wrists, and are often worn over garments or pants, making sure every possibly provocative inch of skin are covered. John Llewellyn, a polygamy expert and retired Salt Lake County sheriff's lieutenant, says the women cover themselves "so that they're unattractive to the outside world or other men."
Importance of Education
One major contributor to my level of motivation is hearing my mom’s experiences as an exchange student from Colombia. She didn’t have access to a private school because it was too far away from her home and her dad forbade her from walking to school because it would have been “too dangerous for a girl.” Though she was raised in a loving family, her father never believed that the girls in the family needed an education. He paid full tuition for his sons to attend the best private school, while his daughters attended the nearest public school.
In areas where public schools are out of reach, private schools are the only solution, but are unaffordable for many, especially around certain towns in South America. My mom’s first exposure to the English language was in Colombia but she received little training there and it wasn’t until she entered the ESOL program at her high school in the U.S. that she understood the importance to her learning. Upon arriving, she was in shock at all the things that were available at her disposal. A few things she never imagined having were library access to all types of books, good teachers and a chance to meet students who were just as motivated as her.
Now that I’m in college, I see how privileged I am to have all of these resources and more. I still hear stories from foreign students who moved here 2-4 years ago. A large part of my current life is my involvement in college academics. First, there is the burden of taking out student loans knowing I have to pay them back. Second, there is the need for me to be involved with campus life outside of academics to become a more competitive graduate school candidate. So how is the U.S. system of government allowing me to get a free and productive education, while others around the world are barely able to get to class? When those students arrive in the U.S. seeking the same education that’s offered to me and other American’s, why are they sometimes turned down by immigration laws?
Issues like these motivate me to be involved in societies such as the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and other outreach programs. Through these we are able to reach out to students and families around the College Park area that may not have a clue about how to graduate high school and move onto college successfully and possibly qualifying for financial aid. In an academic year we are able to reach out to hundreds of students, but why must students such as those involved in SHPE be responsible for establishing the equality that the U.S. government is trying to promote? All students should be rewarded for their hard work and determination no matter how much English their family speaks.
However, there is one problem to minority programs like this, and that is that they are known to target a minority. As long as society focuses on the word “minority,” I do not think we will ever succeed at promoting equality. The government’s goal is to serve its people and provide benefits to as much of the population as possible. But as long as a group considers itself a minority, it will receive minority treatment. In order to change this mentality and finally end the grouping of minorities that lead to stereotyping, we need to promote outreach to students of all backgrounds. Lack of communication is a problem that affects people of all backgrounds and does not need to target Hispanic families only.
On a more global scale, how is education being dealt with? Sure, those students who do make it to the U.S. with a decent knowledge of the English language have the potential to be successful students, but those who stay behind in developing countries are left pretty much hopeless unless their family has a decent family income. The wealth distribution in these countries, however, is so large that a decent education is basically impossible.
In reference to bell hook’s “railroad tracks,” I am not on the margin, but on the other side across the tracks. I am not prohibited from entering certain stores or looking at someone in the face, nor do I aspire to someday work in a position no higher than a maid or janitor. I do, however, see those with similar stories as my family who think they are living on the margin because they see the number of workers who do work long hours in minimum wage jobs and sometimes because it is illegal for them to work. “We could enter that world but we could not live there. We had always to return to the margin, to cross the tracks, to shacks and abandoned houses on the edge of town.” This is not the case for me, but because so many immigrants have arrived without a proper academic background, many in the U.S. are forced to see Latin Americans as incapable of living and working in this country. In a way, it is my job to encourage those who are still across the tracks to take advantage of the opportunities offered to them and not be afraid of the stereotypes or fall into a certain category of immigrant.
Is this fair?
When I first examined the conceptual map for where I see power in my everyday life and saw how privileged I was, I began to think about the reasons for why I am where I stand today. Time, location, and inherited wealth all contributed to my success and all of the actions that lead up to my current state seem to add up to sheer luck. I didn’t need to attend and pay for a private school because I was welcomed into a highly gifted math and science program throughout middle school and high school. The main reason that I was accepted was because of the preparation I had received in elementary school thanks to my parents choosing a nice, new neighborhood to move into. Though I have received many of the privileges I do have today because of the family I was born into, I know that the progress I’ve made up until this point in my life is due to passion and determination on my part and my constant desire for challenge.
I have always been thankful for the experiences I have received; they are all thanks to a supportive family and group of mentors that have helped me throughout the years. I’ve never seen a point to categorizing people by appearance or accent, but it is inevitable to see that others do see me by the marked categories that I belong to, especially race and gender. Whether it was me being one out of 24 girls in a 100 student magnet program, or the fact that less than one percent of employed engineers are Hispanic women, I have tried to turn this attention into motivation and continue pushing towards a world where the word “minority” doesn’t need to exist.
I’ve heard other students make racist jokes about Mexicans in reference to me and make statements such as “Women are meant to cook, clean and not own companies,” jokingly. As much as I enjoy jokes, I do not think that those immigrants who are living underprivileged in real life would feel as accepted as they should feel in a society made up of different cultures. As for the gender jokes, I think it is just a matter of time until women change around those gender ratios in tenure positions and are more welcome in higher management positions.
I hear news reports about guerilla warfare and petroleum demand conflicts that bring turmoil to my family’s native countries daily. How did the situation escalate to this point and is there a reason for why I’m here in the U.S. and not there? It’s not fair that I was born into a family fluent in English, with a college education, and ready to raising a family in the U.S., while others are struggling to feel accepted in the U.S. let alone make it across the border. I am American who happens to be strongly rooted in Hispanic heritage and proud of Latino culture, but there is no reason why I should receive special attention just because my background indicates that I am some kind minority by appearance or the number of languages I speak.
Before you can really voice out your opinions on the bigger picture, it is significant that you take a look around you to the little things that often go unnoticed. It is important you examine the environment that surrounds you. Growing up in New York it was almost impossible for me to be narrow-minded when it came to culture, race and individualism. I have grown up my entire life-classifying race by ethnicity and not by skin color. Ethnicity was something beautiful, something that tied our country together. I was possibly one of the very few people in this world who thought that way. I spent my earlier years going to public school until the sixth grade. I remember my dad came home one day, and declared that he was finally capable of affording Private education for both my brother and I. It was something he wanted for us for the longest time. I did not know back then what I do now, but it what his attempt to allow us the proper education that would ensure success in this dog eats dog world. It was his way of cheating the system and allowing us to be above the power structure.
As usual I was very nervous about this brand new start, because I have always been fearful of change. I gave this new school a try. The school was a forty-minute drive from our house and was in a very wealthy neighborhood. I remember staring out the window thinking I was in a fairytale. The school was predominantly white and had very few minorities. I did not realize the racial separation that existed until they made it evident for me by ostracizing me. I feel as though my brother had an easier time than I did because he was a boy and all they ever cared about was playing. However girls were a little more difficult to befriend. It was a coincidence that when my brother and I started attending the private school things were reported missing. There was an incident when a boy’s game boy was stolen, and then a girl lost her bracelet and someone’s pokemon’s cards were stolen. Till this day I have no clue who took them or whatever happened to those missing items but the principle of the school will always feel as though I took them. I remember one afternoon while in class, I heard over the loud speaker “ Will Ashley Taylor report to the principle’s office”. Typically all the students made all types of sound effects, which made me even more nervous. As I was walking I was shaking because I had never been called to the principle’s office let alone been in trouble before. She asked me to sit down and explained to me the list of items that had been missing. I remember being so confused as to why she was telling me. Then she went on to say “ I don’t know if stealing was appropriate at your old school but it is not tolerated here. You are to return each and every item that you took to its rightful owner.” It amazed me how she could just accuse me and not ask. I was in no way shape or form a thief. Later that night when my parents came home I immediately told them what had happened and they met with the principle and before I knew it I was back in my old school. My dad’s integrity was way more important than the reputation that came with attending a private school”. It goes without saying that I felt discriminated against and was being Marked because of my race, upbringing and economic situation.
In everyday life the power structures and factors that divide us as a community are often acknowledged yet neglected and swept under the rug. When examining power structures and the basis of them, it is essential to define what power structures are and who belongs where. Power structures are those persons or groups in a nation, city, organization etc., who through economic, social and institutional position constitute the actual ruling power. Whether it be intentionally or accidentally power structures are responsible for the three distinct social classes that exist in America. The first of these classes is Upper Class. Ironic to its actual definition it is the minority of the other two classes. Upper class consists of the economically wealthy population. Then there is the middle class, which a large portion of Americans fit into. Middle class consists of the working class and is the middle ground between upper class and lower class. Middle class occasionally has financial burdens, however not as drastic as those of lower class. Lower class is the final social class and possibly a majority of the countries population. Those apart of lower class experience poverty at first hand and depend on government assistance for survival.
“The idea that any hardworking American by dint of good character and hard work could rise up the social ladder has long been celebrated in the great American myth of Horatio Alger who rose from “rags to riches” providing a fictional example instructing young men--- and it was men--- of what they needed to do to make their fortunes in 19th Century America.”- Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr. I completely agree with this quote. I especially love Furstenberg’s choice of words. He explains that it is the common belief to think that anyone can be successful and climb up the social ladder if they receive proper education and work hard is a myth. There are exceptions and this myth does apply in certain cases but in others race, economic background and networking are key issues in who is more qualified for the job. Furstenberg claims that there has and perhaps always will me social/economic inequality in America. A rightful question to ask is “How can we change this?” How do you change a society where hard work is not always acknowledged; where what you look like represents what your capable of doing. It almost seems as though there will be no solution, however I like to think that if American government made more of an effort or expand opportunities or immigrants to climb the social ladder as well and not just make enough to get by then possibly we can eliminate the notion if inequality in a country that promotes equality.
Social scientists believed that life chances are also determined by the values and skills obtained in the family and structures of opportunity in the child’s immediate environment; that these values and skills have shaped their chances of economic success. Furstenberg explains that “Fine gradations of social class could be linked to virtually everything from toilet training to marriage practices” Social class, has become a tool or strategy to label and categorize people. It has become a tactic to divide a country that thrives on unity. I love Furstenberg’s argument that social class has become this idea of who is rich and who is poor. Furstenberg also uses the example of single parent families. He explains that stereotype that comes with being a single parent and how it often gets categorized under poverty rather than “a differentiated category of families that experience life differently as their two-parent counterparts.” I feel as though Society narrow down people in this country into two categories, poor and rich. This is an unfair practice because there are many categories that people can fall under.
Among the three social classes, I have been a member of two of them and often feel as though I am the middle ground between lower class and middle class. It was not until the Conceptual Map exercise did I feel that my social class defined who I was as a person and truly separated me from a lot of the students that go here. The purpose of this exercise was to distinguish each person’s location in society through social class. The exercise began with a series of questions. The questions were scrambled and varied. For each question that was asked, the instructor would state if we were to step back or step forward depending on the question. We were also asked to hold hands and refrain from letting go. For a large portion of the questions I had to step back, but there was quite a few that allowed me to step forward. A lot of the questions were phrased to determine/differentiate who the privilege and unprivileged were. While discussing the results with my partner she realized she was over privileged and often took it for granted. It was through this discussion I developed a new concept. I was neither over privileged nor under privileged but rather middle privileged. There were specific questions from the exercise that stood out and persuaded me that I was of neither category but in between. The first question was “Have I ever been to a Broadway play/show?” My response was no, and I felt as though things like plays and shows are things you go to or do on a special occasion. I’m sure many people go on a regular basis however where I grew up, it wasn’t common to go see a play unless it was a special occasion or we won tickets. A few other examples/questions that stood out for me were “If I have ever been dependent on public transportation, If I had my own credit card and if I grew up in an environment surrounded by drugs, violence and prostitution. The first question implies or rather subliminally suggests “ who owns a car”. Unfortunately I do not have a car nor did I ever need it growing up in New York. A car for each of my siblings and I would have been expensive therefore we grew accustom to the subway and public transportation. Cars are not as abundant in urban areas as it may be in suburbs where there is actually space to drive. To follow up on the question in reference to the credit card, I feel as though attaining a credit card is a big deal. In order to have a credit card you have to be financially qualified. The banks has to be almost certain that you are accountable to pay back all the money spent on the credit card. My personal opinion is that even something small and materialistic like a credit card gives you status and can sometimes place you on a economic pedestal. Credit cards may seem helpful but it can also be a scam. For those who are unable to pay off their balances, they are fined, which puts them in more debt that they originally were in. having a credit card may not be a luxury but it is definitely a privilege. The last question that stood out to me was in reference to the environment each of us came from, this question truly separated the minority from the majority. It opened the eyes of those that are not familiar with a world filed with violence, drugs and another negative aspects. It also gives hope to those who do come from such upbringing that a perfect world possibly does exists.
The one thing I am proudest of is knowing what I am and loving every bit of it. Despite peer pressure and media influences I have never tried to change who I am in order to blend in with the normalcy that society has constituted. However, throughout my entire life my ethnicity has been unclear to everyone else. I have often been told that I look Black, Indian, West Indian, mixed, Hawaiian and some have rightfully guessed Hispanic. A lot of people assume my race because of my skin color, facial features and even the texture of my hair. It is almost unbelievable how people often associate you with a certain race because of your appearance yet fail to see that ethnicity is an internal thing as opposed to external. Oddly enough I did not experience this racial scrutiny in high school but outside of high school. My four years of high school were spent in a predominantly Hispanic environment. As sheltered and narrow-minded as this may sound, I felt safe; I was in my comfort zone. I am far from racist however there is something abut being around people of a similar ethnicity who share the same morals, values, culture and language that is comforting. It was as if high school was one big sorority or sisterhood; to be completely honest I still miss it everyday of my life.
I have been exposed to other races an cultures while living in New York but it was not until I attended the University of Maryland that I had full on interaction with people of various races and cultures. It took awhile to adjust and accommodate to the College Park atmosphere. It was almost impossible for me to find my niche at this school because I was that city girl looking for security and acceptance with the Latin crowd. Despite what I thought and how I felt, I was able to make friends pretty fast. Most of the friends I made were African Americans and I would always accompany them to numerous Black Student events. I am not sure if I made myself comfortable or that sense of comfort came naturally but it did. This caused even more speculation on campus as to what my race was. Here was this girl with a heavy Spanish accent hanging out with African Americans. It didn’t bother me though because it felt right to me. However this “new me” was not what my parents had in mind when I returned home. They reminded me almost everyday that I changed and that they did not recognize me anymore. They felt as though I traded in my Latina culture and pride to assimilate with the black culture. They found it odd that I hardly ever wanted to speak Spanish and would respond in English whenever they spoke to me. They saw a change in my accent, they saw that I had a taste of both worlds and were almost scared of what this would do to my identity. The irony of this all was that while they thought I was abandoning my Latin culture my friends thought I was too attached to it. They often considered me “too Hispanic”. It was as if both sides classified me with the other when in reality I was a combination of both.
This is a broader scope analysis of the power structures that exist throughout the world today. Through personal experiences, the effects of immigration, education and religion on a money-oriented society are examined.
Nature is an omnipresent force that drives human behavior, both by providing a natural environment for humans to grow in and by creating the biological response that makes up human thought. It both separates and brings together different marked and unmarked categories of people. However, within the U.S., for whatever reason, we choose to separate each other by race and socioeconomic status. Our country does not have an inherent desire to help others, but relies mainly on defending its own. This is seen in developing countries that still lack a constantly available fresh water supply, medical technologies and dependable food supply. Although the leaders of more developed countries have access to technologies that can improve the lives of millions, they find no reason to invest in poorer countries when they can invest in their own security. Because we live in a wealth-dependent world, it is more in nature to do something that will benefit both you and the benefactor.
Burdens such as the energy crisis, natural disasters and global warning test the human race’s ability to work together for survival. Global warming is a test to see how far we are willing to go before we realize that we are exhausting all of our natural resources too rapidly and taking action. It is also a time to see how capable we are of helping those in less privileged areas because when natural disasters strike, the richer, more developed areas are more likely to survive. Unfortunately, disaster relief demonstrated in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina proves that we are not a united race, but one easily divided by race and social status.
The tunnel of oppression did cover issues being discussed all over the world, but sadly the stereotypes and prejudiced mindsets that are perpetuated in our present society are broadcast internationally through television, radio and cinema. Most countries around the world depend on Los Angeles for entertainment and the most famous American actors are famous around the world. This cannot be said about the actors who are native to countries such as Mexico, Spain, France and Colombia. Many non-Americans look to the U.S. as a central distributor of ideas. Whatever music, style or thought is seen as popular at the time is easily communicated through international channels such as MTV. The world’s two richest men, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, are born in the USA and therefore most of the rest of the world believes we are the richest nation.
Ever since man was created, reproduction and dominance over nature to use resources wisely were needed to survive. Lust and desire to dominate are innate human characteristics that are seen in everyday human interactions. Because women were the divine bodies that carried children, they were treasured by man, but this resulted in females becoming sexual objects. Sexuality is a force that many would not consider a power in their lives. Everyone always talks about how often men think about sex, but could this saying exist just because sexual feeling in women is suppressed? In some ways, I feel that this oppression of feeling has resulted in the greater objectification of women versus men. This power structure has existed since ancient times when women were forced to wear wardrobes that covered their breasts. In that time period, women were valued and sought after for either the fortunes they inherited or for their mystery. Unfortunately after a while, those who wanted the same rights as men to be free and express their bodies as they wanted to were discriminated against. Even today, a woman who is rumored to be promiscuous is called a “slut” and often disrespected by other men and even other women, where as men are allowed to make jokes about how much sex they have. Presently, this discrimination against promiscuity among women is seen less, but insults such as “slut” or “whore” are still used commonly and throughout joking conversation, even among women themselves. As seen in the tunnel of oppression, women are made into sexual objects daily in songs like “Superman that ho,” which is a metaphor for disrespecting a woman in the bedroom. Most gladly accepted the song lyrics; it is continuously popular in clubs and definitely hit the music charts. Both women and men laugh at the lyric’s implications and no great activism on part of today’s youth. By simply laughing off the joke, we as a society are accepting and agreeing to that treatment of women and not taking a woman’s worth seriously.
With that in mind, I think about the socio-economic environment that established my lifestyle and thoughts. Thanks to my parents’ financial decision to take advantage of the economic recession in the early 1990s and the urban sprawl around Germantown, MD, I was raised in a new neighborhood with access to a new school with great teachers and all different kinds of resources. I was even able to attend pre-school, something only a small percentage of the 3-4 year olds could take advantage of at the time. With GT and magnet programs getting all sorts of funding, and Montgomery County having one of the best public education programs in the nation, I grew up with a tremendous support system and learned from teachers that knew I could and encouraged that I reach my full potential. I’d say that the reason I am here at a top-ranked university today is because of all that support early on that drove me through several special talented programs. However, the current government policies and academic institutions that set tuition rates govern many of the fundamental factors affecting my academics, from monetary worth to the amount of stress and motivation in me. Because tuition rates are high, not only will I have to plan ways to pay off my loans right after graduating, but I am motivated to help others in the area. The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) is a society that encourages outreach to younger students in the College Park area as well as students on campus seeking professional development and mentoring opportunities. When I see the numbers of admitted Latino students and see that they are pretty much exactly the same from year to year, I wonder what is keeping Latino students from being accepted and wonder if there is some sort of quota for minority students that needs to be filled year to year because the numbers are almost identical. I wonder if these numbers stay the same because no one is being outreached to, or if it is a reality in our society too rigid that cannot be changed through our society’s efforts. I understand that change takes time, but maybe we need more effective leaders to initiate this change effectively.
Most of the leaders I look up to and really have faith in to change people’s mind are our student leaders. Student activism can provide the greatest voice. Role models that many in my generation look up to, however, include the rich and the famous. Those music artists who produce music to the wittiest, but sometimes discriminating lyrics, along with the rich producers who create reality TV shows are continuously shaping kids’ minds.
The Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants are a pageants put on by one of the most famous entrepreneurs in the world. There is nothing “dirty” about placing young models in a competition where talent, physique, and public speaking skills are the core criteria, but why is there even a focus on appearance? Why is the focus of the most appeareance-oriented competition on women? Men love watching, thanks to their hormonal drive, and women love watching and comparing themselves with what is considered beautiful. Society’s perception of beauty and overall way of thinking has been developed by those who hold the money. Other producers of lust-driven primetime shows and other dating shows are making money by convincing youth to watch their shows; the most proactive and sometimes violent episodes are the ones that peak interest in viewers. Unfortunately, the mentalities of future leaders are being shaped by the media and society and the media is directed by money.
Competitions such as these can become famous around the world and can be fun, but at the same time severely harming the reputation of women as serious leaders in the workplace and are often responsible for eating disorders and a desire to fit a certain image. As much as I disagree with some of the stereotypes associated with some pageants and the scandals, sex and violence portrayed in reality TV, I myself have benefitted from the media by receiving pageant scholarships in the past. I participated in order to receive a scholarship, so the end goal was legitimate, and the money I raised to enter the competition was directed towards a cause, so the money was going to the right places, and the talent competition did make up 35% of the score, but many people still stereotype pageants as superficial and focused on looks.
Where government regulations fail to inhibit media deemed indecent by some, religion comes in. The dress of modern Mormons is meant to show modesty and conformity. Outfits usually go down to the ankles and wrists, and are often worn over garments or pants, making sure every possibly provocative inch of skin are covered. John Llewellyn, a polygamy expert and retired Salt Lake County sheriff's lieutenant, says the women cover themselves "so that they're unattractive to the outside world or other men."
Importance of Education
One major contributor to my level of motivation is hearing my mom’s experiences as an exchange student from Colombia. She didn’t have access to a private school because it was too far away from her home and her dad forbade her from walking to school because it would have been “too dangerous for a girl.” Though she was raised in a loving family, her father never believed that the girls in the family needed an education. He paid full tuition for his sons to attend the best private school, while his daughters attended the nearest public school.
In areas where public schools are out of reach, private schools are the only solution, but are unaffordable for many, especially around certain towns in South America. My mom’s first exposure to the English language was in Colombia but she received little training there and it wasn’t until she entered the ESOL program at her high school in the U.S. that she understood the importance to her learning. Upon arriving, she was in shock at all the things that were available at her disposal. A few things she never imagined having were library access to all types of books, good teachers and a chance to meet students who were just as motivated as her.
Now that I’m in college, I see how privileged I am to have all of these resources and more. I still hear stories from foreign students who moved here 2-4 years ago. A large part of my current life is my involvement in college academics. First, there is the burden of taking out student loans knowing I have to pay them back. Second, there is the need for me to be involved with campus life outside of academics to become a more competitive graduate school candidate. So how is the U.S. system of government allowing me to get a free and productive education, while others around the world are barely able to get to class? When those students arrive in the U.S. seeking the same education that’s offered to me and other American’s, why are they sometimes turned down by immigration laws?
Issues like these motivate me to be involved in societies such as the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and other outreach programs. Through these we are able to reach out to students and families around the College Park area that may not have a clue about how to graduate high school and move onto college successfully and possibly qualifying for financial aid. In an academic year we are able to reach out to hundreds of students, but why must students such as those involved in SHPE be responsible for establishing the equality that the U.S. government is trying to promote? All students should be rewarded for their hard work and determination no matter how much English their family speaks.
However, there is one problem to minority programs like this, and that is that they are known to target a minority. As long as society focuses on the word “minority,” I do not think we will ever succeed at promoting equality. The government’s goal is to serve its people and provide benefits to as much of the population as possible. But as long as a group considers itself a minority, it will receive minority treatment. In order to change this mentality and finally end the grouping of minorities that lead to stereotyping, we need to promote outreach to students of all backgrounds. Lack of communication is a problem that affects people of all backgrounds and does not need to target Hispanic families only.
On a more global scale, how is education being dealt with? Sure, those students who do make it to the U.S. with a decent knowledge of the English language have the potential to be successful students, but those who stay behind in developing countries are left pretty much hopeless unless their family has a decent family income. The wealth distribution in these countries, however, is so large that a decent education is basically impossible.
In reference to bell hook’s “railroad tracks,” I am not on the margin, but on the other side across the tracks. I am not prohibited from entering certain stores or looking at someone in the face, nor do I aspire to someday work in a position no higher than a maid or janitor. I do, however, see those with similar stories as my family who think they are living on the margin because they see the number of workers who do work long hours in minimum wage jobs and sometimes because it is illegal for them to work. “We could enter that world but we could not live there. We had always to return to the margin, to cross the tracks, to shacks and abandoned houses on the edge of town.” This is not the case for me, but because so many immigrants have arrived without a proper academic background, many in the U.S. are forced to see Latin Americans as incapable of living and working in this country. In a way, it is my job to encourage those who are still across the tracks to take advantage of the opportunities offered to them and not be afraid of the stereotypes or fall into a certain category of immigrant.
Is this fair?
When I first examined the conceptual map for where I see power in my everyday life and saw how privileged I was, I began to think about the reasons for why I am where I stand today. Time, location, and inherited wealth all contributed to my success and all of the actions that lead up to my current state seem to add up to sheer luck. I didn’t need to attend and pay for a private school because I was welcomed into a highly gifted math and science program throughout middle school and high school. The main reason that I was accepted was because of the preparation I had received in elementary school thanks to my parents choosing a nice, new neighborhood to move into. Though I have received many of the privileges I do have today because of the family I was born into, I know that the progress I’ve made up until this point in my life is due to passion and determination on my part and my constant desire for challenge.
I have always been thankful for the experiences I have received; they are all thanks to a supportive family and group of mentors that have helped me throughout the years. I’ve never seen a point to categorizing people by appearance or accent, but it is inevitable to see that others do see me by the marked categories that I belong to, especially race and gender. Whether it was me being one out of 24 girls in a 100 student magnet program, or the fact that less than one percent of employed engineers are Hispanic women, I have tried to turn this attention into motivation and continue pushing towards a world where the word “minority” doesn’t need to exist.
I’ve heard other students make racist jokes about Mexicans in reference to me and make statements such as “Women are meant to cook, clean and not own companies,” jokingly. As much as I enjoy jokes, I do not think that those immigrants who are living underprivileged in real life would feel as accepted as they should feel in a society made up of different cultures. As for the gender jokes, I think it is just a matter of time until women change around those gender ratios in tenure positions and are more welcome in higher management positions.
I hear news reports about guerilla warfare and petroleum demand conflicts that bring turmoil to my family’s native countries daily. How did the situation escalate to this point and is there a reason for why I’m here in the U.S. and not there? It’s not fair that I was born into a family fluent in English, with a college education, and ready to raising a family in the U.S., while others are struggling to feel accepted in the U.S. let alone make it across the border. I am American who happens to be strongly rooted in Hispanic heritage and proud of Latino culture, but there is no reason why I should receive special attention just because my background indicates that I am some kind minority by appearance or the number of languages I speak.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)