Integrity is an important thing to have in all aspects of your life. If you have integrity I think you can make it big in life. Integrity is knowing the differenced between right and wrong, sort of like having morals. Integrity also deals with acting out what we believe and attempt to live our ideals. Integrity relates with knowledge and all knowledge is associated with power. Knowledge arises from your background and where you’ve been. Traveling around the world gives you more resources and understandings of the world.
Integrity can be enacted in any group, including feminism. One way to live with feminist integrity is to set feminist priorities and stick with them. Feminist integrity requires advocating a sustainable physical environment. A peaceful and sustainable future celebrates difference and diversity, but you need to know diversity doesn’t always imply equality. Just because there is a bountiful amount of races in a group doesn’t necessarily mean everyone will be treated equally. I think that is wrong and people really shouldn’t racial profile or judge a book by its cover.
The last component of living with feminist integrity is to have a sense of humor. If you can’t laugh at yourself you won’t get far. Sense of humor is by far one of my best characteristics. I love laughing and I am probably one of the clumsiest people I know, so of course if I couldn’t laugh at myself I would seem stuck up. I love to laugh, at myself, and with other people. You only live once, so why not laugh it up?
Friday, July 23, 2010
Pro-life vs. Pro- choice
Pro- life verse pro- choice has become an increasing battle. Many people vote pro- life because they think a fetus is a person and they don’t want the mother to kill their own child. Many people also vote pro- life because they think couples and intimate partners should know the consequences to having sex, and being pregnant is one of the major side effects. However, many people vote pro- choice because they don’t think anyone should be able to control anyone’s body but their own. I myself definitely vote pro- choice. For those of you who have read any of my other blogs, you know I am a firm believer in knowing you are the only person in charge of your body. No one else has the right to say what anyone can and can’t do with their body.
I don’t think it’s fair to be forced to have an unwanted child. It won’t only be bad for the mother, but the child will grow up in a horrible household. What if a prostitute gets pregnant? She’s supposed to raise a child under those circumstances? She might not even know who the father is. Clearly if she’s a prostitute she struggles to make money for herself, so how is she supposed to add another mouth to feed? I think it’s unrealistic and the child might God forbid end up in a dumpster.
If a woman doesn’t think having a child at the time she is pregnant is a good idea, she shouldn’t be forced to have one. I think in the long run if a woman has an abortion she has a good reason. It’s no one else’s business but hers and it’s only her decision to make.
I don’t think it’s fair to be forced to have an unwanted child. It won’t only be bad for the mother, but the child will grow up in a horrible household. What if a prostitute gets pregnant? She’s supposed to raise a child under those circumstances? She might not even know who the father is. Clearly if she’s a prostitute she struggles to make money for herself, so how is she supposed to add another mouth to feed? I think it’s unrealistic and the child might God forbid end up in a dumpster.
If a woman doesn’t think having a child at the time she is pregnant is a good idea, she shouldn’t be forced to have one. I think in the long run if a woman has an abortion she has a good reason. It’s no one else’s business but hers and it’s only her decision to make.
Rape and Sexual Assault
Have you ever been a victim of rape or sexual assault? A sexual assault including rape occurs about every two minutes in the United States. This is a scary but well known fact. Rape and sexual assault does not only occur in the U.S., it is a persistent global problem. You can never be too careful when you go to a party, out with friends, or on a date with an unfamiliar person. Rape and sexual assault vary in a few different ways. Rape is when the other person does not give consent to having intercourse, while sexual assault is when the other person not only doesn’t give consent, but they are physically forced to have intercourse.
Most rapes occur within racial groups, so black males will primarily rape black females. This may happen because women of color are especially vulnerable as victims of violence because of their marginalized status. Women of color are more common victims to rape and sexual assault which could be the reason men of color accused of rape or sexual assault are more likely to get convicted and receive longer sentences. I don’t think it’s fair to racial profile and automatically assume a man of color is guilty, but when the statistics have proven that men of color are mainly guilty it’s hard not think an accused man of color is.
I’m not sure if I believe a woman can be raped by her husband. Rape is not giving consent to sexual intercourse, but why wouldn’t you want to have sexual intercourse with your husband? The only reason I can think someone wouldn’t want to have sex with their husband is if he were drunk, but if he were drunk and the woman said no, I would imagine he would use force to make it a sexual assault rather than a rape. I don’t know the situation thought because I haven’t been married. All together, I think rape and sexual assault are major crimes and shouldn’t be over looked.
Most rapes occur within racial groups, so black males will primarily rape black females. This may happen because women of color are especially vulnerable as victims of violence because of their marginalized status. Women of color are more common victims to rape and sexual assault which could be the reason men of color accused of rape or sexual assault are more likely to get convicted and receive longer sentences. I don’t think it’s fair to racial profile and automatically assume a man of color is guilty, but when the statistics have proven that men of color are mainly guilty it’s hard not think an accused man of color is.
I’m not sure if I believe a woman can be raped by her husband. Rape is not giving consent to sexual intercourse, but why wouldn’t you want to have sexual intercourse with your husband? The only reason I can think someone wouldn’t want to have sex with their husband is if he were drunk, but if he were drunk and the woman said no, I would imagine he would use force to make it a sexual assault rather than a rape. I don’t know the situation thought because I haven’t been married. All together, I think rape and sexual assault are major crimes and shouldn’t be over looked.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Hegemony
Do you think ruling by ideas is cheaper and easier than ruling by force? I do, and I think it is a much more effective way of gaining control. This idea is known as hegemony, when a dominant group gets and keeps power by persuading subordinate groups to rule by ideas. Power is a word that has a lot of meaning. If someone or a group holds too much power, things can get ugly. Take a look at Hitler, he had way too much power and it went to his head in a disastrous way. In America we have something called the separation of powers so that no one group of government can hold too much power or more power than the other.
I think that the hegemonic way of thinking is a good way. It has also been incorporated with feminism. Hegemonic feminism relates to the dominance of the western world assumptions about what it means to be a feminist and how women need to be liberated. I think this is important because women always need to be liberated and have motivation to express how important women are. Feminism has many different groups and it’s cool how many things can be incorporated into feminism.
All together I really like the hegemonic way of thinking. I’m sure ruling by ideas is much easier and cheaper than going to war or using force. War has become a second nature to most countries in today’s society and I hope one day everyone can be at peace. I don’t necessarily see that happening but I hope it will be able to.
I think that the hegemonic way of thinking is a good way. It has also been incorporated with feminism. Hegemonic feminism relates to the dominance of the western world assumptions about what it means to be a feminist and how women need to be liberated. I think this is important because women always need to be liberated and have motivation to express how important women are. Feminism has many different groups and it’s cool how many things can be incorporated into feminism.
All together I really like the hegemonic way of thinking. I’m sure ruling by ideas is much easier and cheaper than going to war or using force. War has become a second nature to most countries in today’s society and I hope one day everyone can be at peace. I don’t necessarily see that happening but I hope it will be able to.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Welfare
Poverty has always been an on going dilemma dealing in most countries. I’m not sure if there are any countries that have not undergone poverty. Especially now during the recession many people have been laid off and are unemployed. The amount of single mothers has increased leaving many more empty stomachs. Marriages really need to pull through during hard times, not separate and move on. I really feel like marriages will help decrease poverty because then spouses will be extra motivated to work and put food on the table. It’s hard during these times though because landing a job is ridiculously hard right now, especially if you need to provide for a family.
Food stamps and welfare are a form of money for people with no to little money so they will be able to eat. They have to have a certain low percentage of income to apply and receive welfare. I think our government did a great job with designing the welfare system so hopefully America won’t have a poverty problem. Unfortunately, poverty will remain an issue for an unknown amount of years. It is an unhealthy epidemic and hopefully other countries will be able to rid their poverty problem as well.
Luckily, there are donation funds to give money to countries with major poverty problems. An adoption system is also set up, so people not living with poverty problems can give good lives to the children. Many celebrities do both of these things. You always hear in the media how another celebrity is adopting a child from a different country. Look at Angelina and Brad, they have a child from just about every race, I’m glad they are color blind when it comes to race.
Food stamps and welfare are a form of money for people with no to little money so they will be able to eat. They have to have a certain low percentage of income to apply and receive welfare. I think our government did a great job with designing the welfare system so hopefully America won’t have a poverty problem. Unfortunately, poverty will remain an issue for an unknown amount of years. It is an unhealthy epidemic and hopefully other countries will be able to rid their poverty problem as well.
Luckily, there are donation funds to give money to countries with major poverty problems. An adoption system is also set up, so people not living with poverty problems can give good lives to the children. Many celebrities do both of these things. You always hear in the media how another celebrity is adopting a child from a different country. Look at Angelina and Brad, they have a child from just about every race, I’m glad they are color blind when it comes to race.
Mom's Work
Do you even realize how much women do in terms of household work? Do you know how much your mom does? Women do over 2/3 of the household work. Statistically, women do as much a 14 hours of household work during the week, while men do a mere 90 minutes. After a couple is married, the woman does twice the household work of the man. I think this is absurd. Men pretend they want women to do the majority of household work because they are better at it, fact is, women are only better because they’ve had more practice.
Statistics say that men who do more house and child work have a better sex life with their wives. I completely agree with that. Women who already have a full time job have to come home to cook, clean, and take care of the children. That’s a lot of work, a full time job plus an extra 14 hours of house and child work. I don’t blame women for being too tired to have sex after that much work. Of course it would be helpful and make women more willing to make love to their husbands if they are helping.
All my life I’ve wanted to have a family, I want to be a stay at home mom and raise my children. I love children as it is, and if they are my own I can only imagine how much I will love them. Cooking and cleaning however are not my best areas. I hope my husband will be rich so we can hire a cook and a maid. I’m sure I’d be able to adapt to learning how to cook and clean, but maybe my husband could help out. If he cooked I’d gladly take care of the children and clean.
Statistics say that men who do more house and child work have a better sex life with their wives. I completely agree with that. Women who already have a full time job have to come home to cook, clean, and take care of the children. That’s a lot of work, a full time job plus an extra 14 hours of house and child work. I don’t blame women for being too tired to have sex after that much work. Of course it would be helpful and make women more willing to make love to their husbands if they are helping.
All my life I’ve wanted to have a family, I want to be a stay at home mom and raise my children. I love children as it is, and if they are my own I can only imagine how much I will love them. Cooking and cleaning however are not my best areas. I hope my husband will be rich so we can hire a cook and a maid. I’m sure I’d be able to adapt to learning how to cook and clean, but maybe my husband could help out. If he cooked I’d gladly take care of the children and clean.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Sexual Identity
Heterosexuality, homosexuality, bi sexual, what is the proper sexual identity?? Of course in today’s society, heterosexuality is the “norm.” However, homosexuality is beginning to become more normal. In some states, homosexuals are allowed to get married. I’m not homophobic at all, but I would prefer no PDA, although, I don’t like seeing PDA from heterosexuals either. All together, I prefer what couples do with each other to be concealed behind closed doors.
Is bi sexual really a sexual identity? Sure I see girls make out with each other when their drunk, but does that necessarily mean they are into each other? How can you not know your own sexual orientation? You either like girls or boys; I just don’t understand how you can’t know. Can’t it be unhealthy to go from a boy to a girl? I would think you’re more prone to have an STI or giving one to your partner. I’ve never known a bi sexual, the closest I’ve come to one would probably be drunk girls, or the TV show Tila Tequila was on where she chose from a group of boys and girls to find “love.” That was probably a publicity stunt, so I don’t know what to think of bi sexuals.
I also hate the mean words associated with homosexuals. A lot of people use the word “gay” to describe a shirt looking bad or funny, but that can be really hurtful to someone who has a gay sexual identity. I used to use the word gay, but after I realized its various terms I stopped. “Butch” and “dike” are words primarily associated with lesbians and neither of those words are nice. I hope one day people won’t be judge mental and everyone will be accepted for who they are.
Is bi sexual really a sexual identity? Sure I see girls make out with each other when their drunk, but does that necessarily mean they are into each other? How can you not know your own sexual orientation? You either like girls or boys; I just don’t understand how you can’t know. Can’t it be unhealthy to go from a boy to a girl? I would think you’re more prone to have an STI or giving one to your partner. I’ve never known a bi sexual, the closest I’ve come to one would probably be drunk girls, or the TV show Tila Tequila was on where she chose from a group of boys and girls to find “love.” That was probably a publicity stunt, so I don’t know what to think of bi sexuals.
I also hate the mean words associated with homosexuals. A lot of people use the word “gay” to describe a shirt looking bad or funny, but that can be really hurtful to someone who has a gay sexual identity. I used to use the word gay, but after I realized its various terms I stopped. “Butch” and “dike” are words primarily associated with lesbians and neither of those words are nice. I hope one day people won’t be judge mental and everyone will be accepted for who they are.
A Fat Rant
Being overweight is becoming a “norm.” Obesity is becoming an epidemic. I think if you are comfortable in your own skin that’s all that matters. I watched a YouTube video call “A Fat Rant,” it was a documentary about a woman who weighed about 227 pounds. She seemed so comfortable in her own skin. I don’t think you should ever be ashamed of your weight and I feel like if you had a real problem with it, you’d try to fix it. However, she is a 227 pound young woman and she couldn’t have seemed happier.
Obviously many factors occur to make people overweight such as eating too many sweets, or not getting rid of baby fat, but she made it clear that it’s just a number and nobody other than you should worry about what it is. If you have to shop at a clothing store that goes up to size 5x, who cares?? I’ve always thought that getting a size that fits is better than getting a size that looks skin tight, even if the one you have to get seems bigger than u expected.
The media has had a huge part on how women are supposed to look. The fact is, everyone is different with different bodies and different body types and nobody should look the same. How weird would that be, if everyone looked the same? I’m so glad this brave woman could post this and be comfortable in her own skin. I’m really impressed with how she publically broadcasted her feelings toward being overweight. She is a role model for many young overweight girls.
Obviously many factors occur to make people overweight such as eating too many sweets, or not getting rid of baby fat, but she made it clear that it’s just a number and nobody other than you should worry about what it is. If you have to shop at a clothing store that goes up to size 5x, who cares?? I’ve always thought that getting a size that fits is better than getting a size that looks skin tight, even if the one you have to get seems bigger than u expected.
The media has had a huge part on how women are supposed to look. The fact is, everyone is different with different bodies and different body types and nobody should look the same. How weird would that be, if everyone looked the same? I’m so glad this brave woman could post this and be comfortable in her own skin. I’m really impressed with how she publically broadcasted her feelings toward being overweight. She is a role model for many young overweight girls.
White Privilege part 2
Apparently no matter what color you are, black, red, orange, or yellow, you will always believe that “white privilege” exists. The only group of people who may never believe that term is true are white people; however, every white person has experienced “white privilege” at least once in their life. My blog entry below goes more into detail about this term and my thoughts. Can it really be true that all other races want to be white? I find it rather humorous because white people are always trying to look dark. You always see white people laying out at the beach and obsessively going to the tanning beds.
What if a young white man grows up in the projects, do u still think he will get the “normal” “white privilege” white people get if they are from a rich neighborhood? I’m not sure I think so. Perhaps if it’s a white man verse a black man on a crime, do you think the judge and/or jury would automatically racial profile their opinion? They might do that. I feel like color is overrated and I just wish everyone were completely color blind so no one felt the need to be judge mental.
When I go out on the weekends, one of my favorite things to do is meet new people. I don’t care what color anyone is, I’ll go up to anyone and introduce myself. I think everyone needs to look beyond the surface and use the cliché sentence of you cant judge a book by its cover. Many people thought that after we had a black president a lot of racism would change; however, in a way I think it’s gotten worse. I sincerely hope one day America will rise above color and treat everyone with the same privileges.
What if a young white man grows up in the projects, do u still think he will get the “normal” “white privilege” white people get if they are from a rich neighborhood? I’m not sure I think so. Perhaps if it’s a white man verse a black man on a crime, do you think the judge and/or jury would automatically racial profile their opinion? They might do that. I feel like color is overrated and I just wish everyone were completely color blind so no one felt the need to be judge mental.
When I go out on the weekends, one of my favorite things to do is meet new people. I don’t care what color anyone is, I’ll go up to anyone and introduce myself. I think everyone needs to look beyond the surface and use the cliché sentence of you cant judge a book by its cover. Many people thought that after we had a black president a lot of racism would change; however, in a way I think it’s gotten worse. I sincerely hope one day America will rise above color and treat everyone with the same privileges.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
White Privilege
I feel like being white definitely gives me certain privileges in life, politically, socially and economically. Being young, tall, blonde and female give me even more privilege. The amount of disciplinary action I have encountered at school and with the police are lesser than those of my colored counterparts, especially males. Women, especially white women are able to flirt their way out of speeding tickets, gain sympathy and privilege from men and use their sexuality to gain access to what they want. When it comes to employment and opportunities in the labor market, I have never been turned down at a job interview and I have always gotten hired on the spot. Even when I attended high school, no matter how poorly I did on tests or quizzes, I always passed my classes. I would classify all of these examples as white privilege.
I’m sure that if you are of color, you are prone to encounter much more social inequality throughout the course of your life. Hailing a cab, for instance, seems like a miniscule effort to a white person, but can be an arduous task to a colored person because of socially constructed fear that a cab driver may perceive when passing by a colored person. Similarly, with age, drivers purposely don’t stop for elderly people, maybe because they fear if they have places to go that the elderly person could be immobile and take too long to cross the street. Getting hired on the spot at any job is tricky for anyone. I have been blessed throughout my life to not only be hired everywhere I’ve applied, but I’ve been hired on the spot. Unfortunately, I’m sure that many people that were equally suitable for the position were turned down because of their perceived race or ethnicity. For all of the above reasons, I feel that being white has privileged me as a young woman throughout my short life.
I’m sure that if you are of color, you are prone to encounter much more social inequality throughout the course of your life. Hailing a cab, for instance, seems like a miniscule effort to a white person, but can be an arduous task to a colored person because of socially constructed fear that a cab driver may perceive when passing by a colored person. Similarly, with age, drivers purposely don’t stop for elderly people, maybe because they fear if they have places to go that the elderly person could be immobile and take too long to cross the street. Getting hired on the spot at any job is tricky for anyone. I have been blessed throughout my life to not only be hired everywhere I’ve applied, but I’ve been hired on the spot. Unfortunately, I’m sure that many people that were equally suitable for the position were turned down because of their perceived race or ethnicity. For all of the above reasons, I feel that being white has privileged me as a young woman throughout my short life.
Relationships
Ever since I was young I always watched how well my mom and dad got along. They are not only romantic, but they are best friends. When it came to my sister and I dating, we were always taught that we shouldn’t label a boy as being a boyfriend unless he was husband material. Neither of us had a boyfriend during high school partially because the only options were young and immature.
Growing up in this structured household really limited all of my dating choices. Another reason I didn’t have a boyfriend during high school was because I watched my best friend go through endless boyfriends; they all treated her horribly. Watching her experiences made me not one of my own. I guess looking back that wasn’t a good idea because everyone is different, but I didn’t want to set myself up for failure and at the same time I was still looking for a long term thing.
My sister dated the same guy on and off all through college. He was a nice guy, but she’s my sister so I’ll always think she can do better. They got engaged a year after she had a stable job. The engagement fell through, but I couldn’t help but be happy. She’s now 26 and has been dating a guy for a little over a year now. My family and I think he’s great and I really hope that they get married.
As for me, I had my first boyfriend my first semester at JMU, which was this past fall because I transferred here. To my dismay it was a horrible relationship, it literally defined the disaster relationship. We dated for a mere 8 months and it was nothing but lying, obsessing, and verbal abuse. In the back of my mind I think I knew it would never work because I hid it from my parents. I tried to introduce him to my mom after we first met and she didn’t like him off the bat, so I knew I couldn’t tell her or my dad I was serious about him.
Luckily, I am now out of that hole and I am starting fresh again. Relationships are tough especially when you see how others are and turn out. Everyone needs to make their own experiences though and find things out on their own, despite how you were raised. I think I need to date lots of guys and see what I like and don’t like in them to see what will make husband material.
Growing up in this structured household really limited all of my dating choices. Another reason I didn’t have a boyfriend during high school was because I watched my best friend go through endless boyfriends; they all treated her horribly. Watching her experiences made me not one of my own. I guess looking back that wasn’t a good idea because everyone is different, but I didn’t want to set myself up for failure and at the same time I was still looking for a long term thing.
My sister dated the same guy on and off all through college. He was a nice guy, but she’s my sister so I’ll always think she can do better. They got engaged a year after she had a stable job. The engagement fell through, but I couldn’t help but be happy. She’s now 26 and has been dating a guy for a little over a year now. My family and I think he’s great and I really hope that they get married.
As for me, I had my first boyfriend my first semester at JMU, which was this past fall because I transferred here. To my dismay it was a horrible relationship, it literally defined the disaster relationship. We dated for a mere 8 months and it was nothing but lying, obsessing, and verbal abuse. In the back of my mind I think I knew it would never work because I hid it from my parents. I tried to introduce him to my mom after we first met and she didn’t like him off the bat, so I knew I couldn’t tell her or my dad I was serious about him.
Luckily, I am now out of that hole and I am starting fresh again. Relationships are tough especially when you see how others are and turn out. Everyone needs to make their own experiences though and find things out on their own, despite how you were raised. I think I need to date lots of guys and see what I like and don’t like in them to see what will make husband material.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Body Image
Ever since I was young I have had a fast metabolism. I would play outside with my neighborhood friends playing things like tag, kickball, or hide and seek. All of these activities were very active which is why I think my metabolism is so tolerant. I had to change schools when I was thirteen and I became depressed about it and ate a lot. At first it was great because no matter how much I ate I didn’t gain weight, but when I began to, it was just in time for when I started high school. I was taller than most of the other girls at my school and I wouldn’t have called myself fat, but I was definitely thick, I had a full backside and curves.
When I walked around high school I was a head taller than all the girls and I was much curvier. However, I was never ashamed and it never gave me low self esteem. I’ve always had very high self esteem, so I was able to carry my head high. I didn’t care that I looked different than the other girls, I would much rather stand out than look like everyone else. I hated hearing that one of my so called “overweight” friends became bulimic because she didn’t think she was thin enough.
Today’s society women are portrayed as being thin and having big breasts; I hate that. I really feel like media should send out the message to be happy with their own body. I also want other women, especially young girls to realize that the “beautiful” women they see in the magazines have tons of airbrush done, and women on TV have caked on make up. I find it ridiculous and absurd that women have to measure up to what they see in the media.
When I walked around high school I was a head taller than all the girls and I was much curvier. However, I was never ashamed and it never gave me low self esteem. I’ve always had very high self esteem, so I was able to carry my head high. I didn’t care that I looked different than the other girls, I would much rather stand out than look like everyone else. I hated hearing that one of my so called “overweight” friends became bulimic because she didn’t think she was thin enough.
Today’s society women are portrayed as being thin and having big breasts; I hate that. I really feel like media should send out the message to be happy with their own body. I also want other women, especially young girls to realize that the “beautiful” women they see in the magazines have tons of airbrush done, and women on TV have caked on make up. I find it ridiculous and absurd that women have to measure up to what they see in the media.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Consciousness Raising Groups
There are many consciousness raising groups that I'm sure not everyone is aware of. These groups try to focus the attention of a wider group of people on some cause or condition to make them more aware. Women's Liberation has a pamphlet of consciousness raising groups. Many of them are familiar topics such as mothers, fathers, ambitions, rape, and abortion. There are others such as sexism in education, anger, violence, and fear of being alone. I would like to talk about a few of these topics to try and make others aware.
By the age of twelve, most females begin to find boys attractive. They grow up in households being taught to find a loyal life companion. They see their mother and father everyday and the way they behave. They are taught that having a husband and being married is what they are supposed to have. This pressure can put definite fear of being alone on a young woman's life. Pressure is also found if a young woman finds another young woman attractive, fear of sexual orientation. A young woman is taught to fall in love with the opposite sex, not the same one.
When it comes to women's bodies it gets very tricky, especially during teen years. High school girls read magazines with every woman being a size zero and when she goes to school it's the same way. This puts a lot of stress on not only young women, but any insecure woman, which could cause them to have an eating disorder such as bulimia or anorexia. Women, especially young women are also more common to obtain physically hurting their bodies using razors or any sharp object to permanently scar their bodies. I do not think women should be able to have a consistent eating disorder or continue to scar their bodies; however, I do believe that women should be entitled to have an abortion if they feel they have a good reason.
By the age of twelve, most females begin to find boys attractive. They grow up in households being taught to find a loyal life companion. They see their mother and father everyday and the way they behave. They are taught that having a husband and being married is what they are supposed to have. This pressure can put definite fear of being alone on a young woman's life. Pressure is also found if a young woman finds another young woman attractive, fear of sexual orientation. A young woman is taught to fall in love with the opposite sex, not the same one.
When it comes to women's bodies it gets very tricky, especially during teen years. High school girls read magazines with every woman being a size zero and when she goes to school it's the same way. This puts a lot of stress on not only young women, but any insecure woman, which could cause them to have an eating disorder such as bulimia or anorexia. Women, especially young women are also more common to obtain physically hurting their bodies using razors or any sharp object to permanently scar their bodies. I do not think women should be able to have a consistent eating disorder or continue to scar their bodies; however, I do believe that women should be entitled to have an abortion if they feel they have a good reason.
First Wave
I don’t understand why it took so long for the American society to realize that men and women should be equal and that women should have the right to vote. Suffrage relates to the right to vote and winning the global right to vote. There were many issues with granting women the right to vote. Women who lived during women’s suffrage didn’t necessarily want women to be able to vote. Segregation was also still a big deal during women’s suffrage and not all white women groups wanted African American women to be in their groups.
Some women didn’t even know if they wanted the right to vote. If their husband was a rich politician she felt obligated to vote the way he did. This issue made some women think there would be serious domestic problems. A lot of women wanted to remain only being responsible to maintain the household and reproduce. Not many women back then knew how much they were capable of. Thanks to women such as Alice Paul, more women were able to see what they could do. During World War I and II women were very helpful with nursing, seaming, and doing factory work including being in assembly lines. These acts of helpfulness showed America that women were more than what most thought. How was anyone supposed to know what women were capable of if they never had a chance? In a way the wars were good.
Segregation was unfortunately still a huge issue during women’s suffrage. Not a lot of white women groups wanted African Americans in their groups. I don’t think this was fair for African American women because women’s suffrage occurred after African American’s were equal. Obviously this made African American women feel like everyone was in higher authority, I genuinely felt badly for them. Finally, white women began to realize that if they included African American women in their groups they would be demonstrating equality. On August 26, 1920 women were granted a ballot.
Some women didn’t even know if they wanted the right to vote. If their husband was a rich politician she felt obligated to vote the way he did. This issue made some women think there would be serious domestic problems. A lot of women wanted to remain only being responsible to maintain the household and reproduce. Not many women back then knew how much they were capable of. Thanks to women such as Alice Paul, more women were able to see what they could do. During World War I and II women were very helpful with nursing, seaming, and doing factory work including being in assembly lines. These acts of helpfulness showed America that women were more than what most thought. How was anyone supposed to know what women were capable of if they never had a chance? In a way the wars were good.
Segregation was unfortunately still a huge issue during women’s suffrage. Not a lot of white women groups wanted African Americans in their groups. I don’t think this was fair for African American women because women’s suffrage occurred after African American’s were equal. Obviously this made African American women feel like everyone was in higher authority, I genuinely felt badly for them. Finally, white women began to realize that if they included African American women in their groups they would be demonstrating equality. On August 26, 1920 women were granted a ballot.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Contracetion and Abortion
Women have always had trouble obtaining equal rights, but the thing women should always have the right to is their own body. Before the 80’s, women had no legal right to contraceptives or abortions. No wonder women were only seen to reproduce. While World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War were going on men were drafted overseas for long periods of time. Before the soldiers left and while they visited home they had sex as much as they could, to their wives or to any woman who would have them. With this much sex going on without any sort of contraceptive, of course women reproduced more often causing the baby boomers.
Before the draft, the government hired enough prostitutes to have sex with all the soldiers who were drafted. That’s not only a lot of money, but that could be a set up to increase the amount of broken homes. What if one of the prostitutes got pregnant by a soldier she didn’t even know? She would automatically have to keep a strangers baby. What if a woman got raped? She too would also have to keep the baby, raise it, and be reminded of the traumatic experience of how it was produced. I don’t think it was fair of the government to not allow women the right to use contraceptives or have abortions. I’m glad that in today’s society, the government gives women equal rights and rights to be pro life or pro choice. I believe an abortion is truly based on the women’s opinion.
Before the draft, the government hired enough prostitutes to have sex with all the soldiers who were drafted. That’s not only a lot of money, but that could be a set up to increase the amount of broken homes. What if one of the prostitutes got pregnant by a soldier she didn’t even know? She would automatically have to keep a strangers baby. What if a woman got raped? She too would also have to keep the baby, raise it, and be reminded of the traumatic experience of how it was produced. I don’t think it was fair of the government to not allow women the right to use contraceptives or have abortions. I’m glad that in today’s society, the government gives women equal rights and rights to be pro life or pro choice. I believe an abortion is truly based on the women’s opinion.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Feminist Theories
I never knew how many different types of feminism there are!! Radical Feminism stuck out to me the most. The description that women and men are biologically different and these differences are used to oppress women is completely true. That exists because the patriarchal society devalues women’s experiences therefore oppressing them. A geocentric society in which oppressive societal structures are eliminated should exist. To solve this problem, Radical Feminists believe they should overthrow the patriarchy. Patriarchy, heterosexism, racism, and classism are oppressive to women; all of those things must change before society will.
It is sad that we still have these issues among our society. Multi Culture Feminism disgusted me a lot because that faces the issue of not only men oppressing women, but it also addresses racism. Both of those topics should be non issues. We have Amendments in the Constitution stating that women and multi cultured people should have equal rights. It is dejecting to know that our society still faces these troubled issues.
Liberal Feminism points out how women are unequal in the public sphere, which is also unfortunately true. That exists because women’s subordination is rooted in legal constraints. The goal of Liberal Feminism is gender justice and sexual equality by removing legal constraints. Liberal Feminists can solve this problem by compensation for past hurts, the use of law, and androgyny.
I am really grateful for all of the feminist groups. They are helping mold our society into becoming more equal and diverse. Feminists aren’t bad people who are trying to over throw men; they are just trying to make women equal to them.
It is sad that we still have these issues among our society. Multi Culture Feminism disgusted me a lot because that faces the issue of not only men oppressing women, but it also addresses racism. Both of those topics should be non issues. We have Amendments in the Constitution stating that women and multi cultured people should have equal rights. It is dejecting to know that our society still faces these troubled issues.
Liberal Feminism points out how women are unequal in the public sphere, which is also unfortunately true. That exists because women’s subordination is rooted in legal constraints. The goal of Liberal Feminism is gender justice and sexual equality by removing legal constraints. Liberal Feminists can solve this problem by compensation for past hurts, the use of law, and androgyny.
I am really grateful for all of the feminist groups. They are helping mold our society into becoming more equal and diverse. Feminists aren’t bad people who are trying to over throw men; they are just trying to make women equal to them.
Profane Parallels of Sexes
How is it justified that when a woman sleeps around she is called a slut, while when a man sleeps around he is praised as a player? This is a parallel that I have never understood. I made a list of different profane parallels that opposite sexes call each other. Bitch, slut, and whore are typical names that women are called. Asshole, dick, and douche are typical names that men are referred to as. Obviously bitch and asshole are paralleled, maybe because a bitch is technically a female dog while men are called assholes because they act like butt holes. The parallel that sticks out to me are words such as whore, slut, and hoe which women are all called. What male stereotype goes along with those?
Why is it cool and acceptable for men to be man whores while no man will look to date much less marry a slut? This has always been an issue to me and I’ve heard various answers. Some say because the male sex drive is much higher and they need it more. Well guess what, some women love having sex too. Another reason I’ve heard is because women are going to be mothers. That’s an obvious statement, but men are going to be fathers. The other one I’ve heard is that men can not get loose. Once again, what an obvious statement, but it’s not that easy for a women to get loose unless she has a baby.
I’m tired of hearing how cool men are for sleeping around while no classy guy will take a slut on a date. I want this unfair non parallel to end.
Why is it cool and acceptable for men to be man whores while no man will look to date much less marry a slut? This has always been an issue to me and I’ve heard various answers. Some say because the male sex drive is much higher and they need it more. Well guess what, some women love having sex too. Another reason I’ve heard is because women are going to be mothers. That’s an obvious statement, but men are going to be fathers. The other one I’ve heard is that men can not get loose. Once again, what an obvious statement, but it’s not that easy for a women to get loose unless she has a baby.
I’m tired of hearing how cool men are for sleeping around while no classy guy will take a slut on a date. I want this unfair non parallel to end.
Feminism
I have signed up to be in a Women’s Studies class for the summer. I have always been interested in successful women overtime. From this class I hope to have a better understanding of how women have progressed overtime and the struggles they faced to get where we are today. The first topic we discussed was about feminism. Many people have mixed feelings and opinions on feminism.
Feminism is a word that can mean many things. To me, feminism is a woman who believes in Women’s Rights. You believe in women's rights, that sounds like a noble belief. If you believe in something you shouldn't just let it go, you have to fight for it. In today’s society there are many groups relating to the issues of Women’s Rights and most of them consist of feminists.
There are several misconceptions when it comes to feminism. Many people go wrong when they think that feminists are only women because many men are feminists too. Wanting women to have rights doesn’t mean they don’t want men to have rights, but they just want everyone to be equal. Feminists don’t want women to push men out, they just want men and women to be eligible for the same things such as jobs, voting, and home owning.
Most people say that the Women’s Rights Movement began in the 1960s; however, that is just the year women became bold enough to stand up for themselves. Women were always seen just to reproduce and take care of the household duties. During WWII women contributed a lot to anything that needed to be done. I am so happy that everyone began to see that women were more than something that could reproduce or just clean and cook.
For the most part, I think that equality between sexes has been achieved. Look at Condoleezza Rice, Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, and Sarah Palin; they are all successful, well respected women figures. They achieved a lot of dominance in the system and not because they are strict feminists, but because they went for what they wanted. These women alone really reflect the impact women’s suffrage has had.
Feminism is a word that can mean many things. To me, feminism is a woman who believes in Women’s Rights. You believe in women's rights, that sounds like a noble belief. If you believe in something you shouldn't just let it go, you have to fight for it. In today’s society there are many groups relating to the issues of Women’s Rights and most of them consist of feminists.
There are several misconceptions when it comes to feminism. Many people go wrong when they think that feminists are only women because many men are feminists too. Wanting women to have rights doesn’t mean they don’t want men to have rights, but they just want everyone to be equal. Feminists don’t want women to push men out, they just want men and women to be eligible for the same things such as jobs, voting, and home owning.
Most people say that the Women’s Rights Movement began in the 1960s; however, that is just the year women became bold enough to stand up for themselves. Women were always seen just to reproduce and take care of the household duties. During WWII women contributed a lot to anything that needed to be done. I am so happy that everyone began to see that women were more than something that could reproduce or just clean and cook.
For the most part, I think that equality between sexes has been achieved. Look at Condoleezza Rice, Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, and Sarah Palin; they are all successful, well respected women figures. They achieved a lot of dominance in the system and not because they are strict feminists, but because they went for what they wanted. These women alone really reflect the impact women’s suffrage has had.
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