Better Late Than Never ~ 3 Blog Posts I Missed

4/3
Response to Power Plays (Martha Burk)
I found this article very interesting, especially working in such a small local company, experiencing some of the same points that were made within the article. The owners are older white males and they continue to pass down higher positions within the company to family members, usually the younger men in the family. Martha Burk made the point that, "power elites enforce norms and systems that guarantee continued power" (437), and I think that is very evident among these type of businesses. I have witnessed young white men who under qualified come in and take positions making more money than I was. They all had one thing in common, they were family friends with the owner, like the article states, "he is usually nominated by the CEO or someone already on the board" (Burk 437). I guess it is true what they say, to become successful, it's not what you know, but who you know, making it harder for people of color to advance within companies. Or as Burk states, it becomes like a competition, where the people of color who do advance to higher positions have to hold down their spots and try not to pull others like them up, but keep them down for the sake of comfort (Burk 438). It's sad to see this is still an issue, but hopefully one day these issues within high power groups can change, even if that means creating new companies and businesses that have majority people of color working within them.


4/17
Response to Sexting (Amanda Lenhart)
I found this article interesting because it seems today the topic of sexting is usually overlooked and made to be normalized. It's bad enough that children are exposed to so many explicit things already at a young age, but to see the statistics say that cell phones are being given out as young as 12 years old hits home (Lenhart 493). I have a 7 year old niece who has an iPhone 7, and to even think that one of her classmates could have the thought to sext her really frightens me, just like how parents, educators, and advocates have grown increasingly concerned about cell phone amongst the youth (Lenhart 493). I agree with the statement that texting and social media have become huge factors in teen social life and that things that happen during those young teenage years can follow people well into their adult years. I'm not even exactly sure when I was exposed to sexting, but I know I was way too young to even have those type of messages coming into my inboxes. I think the problem with sexting is that the younger generations look up to a lot of people older than them whether it be a sibling, cousin, upperclassmen, etc. and that tends to lead to early exposure to sensitive topics such as drug use and sexual activities. I also think it's really interesting that Lenhart observed, "the data reveals no difference in this practice related to genders" (494). We can't blame a certain group of people, but only aim to appeal to these younger generations and further to the parents to keep them safe.


4/24
Response to We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For (Bailey and Gumbs)
This article was interesting to me because it talks about black feminists coming together to talk about their views and standpoints, and I like the fact that they addressed how hard it is for a black woman's words to survive throughout the generations (Bailey and Gumbs 674). I also don't know if this is one of the last articles on purpose, but I also think that is ironic in the sense of making black feminists feel welcome by putting their content in the back of the book, even I know they were several articles written by black authors throughout the book. Both Bailey and Gumbs mention a quote from Audre Lorde, "when we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak" (675). It was a very encouraging quote, that I assume, inspires all the readers, especially the two authors of this article. I was glad to see this end with events and plans to better the community of black feminists because I had never heard of the group Quirky Black Girls. I hope that they continue to reach out and connect people who feel alone and isolated as that stated in the conclusion of the article because they are on to something great (676).

Violet Newborn............Fear of Feminism or a Healthy Denial?

Lisa Hogland’s essay argues that young women are far less embracing feminism as older women, therefore having a smaller stake in the system and fewer ties to it. Bringing up the reality  that younger women have the increased tendency to normalize any kind of oppositional politics. I would have to agree only in the sense that the awareness of  gender  demonization is seen as the normal. I would have to agree before this class I to just assumed that I was to accept life as it came along not really thinking I was able to make a change in it. But with the knowledge of women's studies I can fight back if not seeing a change in my lifetime I can create a ripple that will allow my daughter and granddaughters a life closer to equality. Hogland says women’s consciousness  versus feminist consciousness has succeeded  over the past three decades and takes two forms, the self-awareness of women's vulnerability towards men's violence and the celebration of women's differences. Creating a women's culture of useful and valuable formats in self-help books, talk shows, and mass media.

Fear of Feminism

Lisa Marie Hogeland’s article “Fear of Feminism” brought up some interesting points about the stigma around being Feminist. A big problem for Feminism is the way it’s viewed from the outside. It’s common for the term itself to be met with reactions of hesitation or hostility toward the movement, even by people who aren’t terribly opposed to the goals or ideas of it. Many young women feel that being associated with the movement will effect how others see them. An important part of fighting for equality of any kind is asking questions about how things are at the present, why they are that way and how they can be changed. Big questions about changing societal structures can very easily intimidate people. It’s often like when someone is corrected on the pronouns for a queer person, they may feel bad for being called out and become somewhat resentful of the fact they’re being asked to change their ways.

Lisa mentions the importance of intersectionality and cooperation for any kind of social movement and how homophobia and racism frequently get in the way of making more significant progress. She also mentions how the construct of heterosexuality sculpts the lives of people who live it. Children are expected to fill gender-based roles in society before they’re even born yet, and heterosexuality also plays heavily in how these kids are raised and socialized. When it’s so important to a heterosexual society to procreate, it can be hard for young women to consider it when a lot of men are threatened by feminism and by social change.

Future Vision 4/25

As I read this section, I've noticed aomething that caught my attention. It states at the beginning, the prediction pf U.S of A that people will live to see pass 65, fertility rates in non white ethnicity will expand by 2025, number of the aged people will receive better healthcare. I believe that these predictions will become true, until put society is ready for that change. We need to make working for women and men just as equal, along with better education and usr of their degrees. We shouldn't force mothers to work and take care of  her children at the same time.  My favorite quoute from this section, " Fear of Feminism, yhen, is not fear of gender, but rather fear pf politics." Our country does not want to be ran by women or give women the power to be able to. And that's what need to change, we need yo learn how to be equal rulers and being able to stand side by side. One race or gender ahould not conquer one another but should be able to stand beside each other as an equal and one whole party as one. As a society, as thy neighbors, and as one

Subtle - Emily Martinez 4/26

In “Amber Waves of Blame”, Katha Pollitt sheds light on the media’s reduction of feminism to a mother/daughter spat. She emphasizes how a deep ideology with roots in other movements is brought down to catfights and sex instead of the reclaiming of “girl culture and their commitment to the intersectionality of race, class, and gender” (673). I see this a lot in life. Teenage girls are made fun of for their interest: boy bands, fashion, makeup, cellphones, hell even coffee.  Women are made fun of for the same things: specifically clothes and shoes. Women are pinned down as frivolous spenders, wasting money, specifically their husband’s money. That’s not to mention the constant references to an angry woman being on her period. As if a small monthly hormonal change determines a person’s entire personality. Women are patronized and their opinions and views swept away because of their gender. The media has already decided that women are not smart enough to know what they are talking about. However, since this view is sexist and our society is developed enough to call them out on it, they create ‘reasons’ to invalidate women’s opinions.

Fourth Wave Feminism... thoughts? -Henry Wilkinson, 4/26/17

I really enjoyed reading "Amber Waves of Blame," by Katha Pollitt from 2009, not only for the way it spoke about and critiqued feminism and the various waves but also because of the way it examined relationships. At feminism's core is relationships- how people perceive the world around them is directly tied to those around them, their upbringing, society, etc. so I found it very interesting how Pollitt examined the lumping-together of third wave feminists in their 40's with possible third-wave feminists who are closer to my age, 20. In my own experience and understanding of feminism, I identify as fourth wave in that I believe in intersectionality and combating the issues that fourth wave feminism deals with, especially the debate of sexuality/sex/bodies, though I can understand how some may not be aware of or even agree with fourth-wave feminism. But at the same time, I do feel like categorizing into waves various people from the movement, it can be a bit problematic. Take, for example, my ceramic teacher. She and I would go to all the same protests, discussions and seminars, and rallies... only she was in her sixties and I was in my teens. We believed in all the same things, we fought the same fights, only I could easily see people lump us into different groups because of the worlds we grew up in. It's an interesting thought and Pollitt touches on it a bit when she says that in some ways, "[60-year-old's] were more sexually radical than today's youth, because they made a bigger break with conventional ideas of sexiness." My ceramic teacher definitely was a "braless free spirit back in the day," that is for sure, but she is also a modern and contemporary feminist. I guess what I am trying to get at is that we're all feminists at the end of the day. There are some like Judy Chicago who were revolutionary in their day but are a bit passe now/not quite as "woke" as they should be given the day and age, but the vast majority of feminists believe in all the same things, regardless of when they were brought up and when they identified as a feminist.

Pro-feminist Men- Bria shelby

In kimmel's "Real Men Join the Movement", he talks about  pro feminist men  and their efforts to join the the fight against discrimination against women. One interesting part was the mention of of how some pro feminist men said that it was a struggle being an activist for feminism. They saw  themselves as  being a minority and on some occasions, other men turned against them. I found it intriguing how some men, usually seen as oppressors, can easily become the oppressed when they defend other oppressed groups, like women. It seems very ignorant for men to be oblivious to certain issues like sexism to the point where one does not notice it unless it happens to them. But I'm the other hand, it  takes a lot of courage to become an active defender of the oppressed even when ones opinion is not popular. It is better to be late than to never do anything about it. It makes me wonder why so many people turn against activism and it seems to me that they become too worried about upset the status quo to do anything about inequality. I think that  more people would strive more towards equality if they worried about the bigger picture rather than what others think. If more people  were willing to help end inequality like the pro feminist men, we would be much closer to equality.