Disney's Mulan

I am kind of driven in two opposing directions when it comes to this movie. I love it because it does give the sense that Mulan defies her stereotypical roles yet she doesn't. Okay, if you remember watching the part where she is trying so hard to fit in and be lady-like to find a suitor because her family tells her to. This illustrates my point when she gives in. Yet again the whole movie she spends trying to fit into a male dominated place, that I am convinced she makes a positive impact on young girls. In the beginning she is awkward because she hasn't found her place but in the end she seems centered yet is still this girly-girl who is just important now. For some of the movie she is sort of conforming and being this helpless woman who does what she is told. For this blog though, I am leaning more towards the side of me that says this movie breaks down the gender roles. There are many examples but I have many examples to counter my own arguments. I will begin with the way Mulan is very defiant throughout the beginning. It is not on purpose most of the time but she just has better things to fill her mind with, than the normal things her society expects of her. Next is how Mulan makes this very brave decision to take her fathers place in the army because she knows he would not fare well in it. She is no better qualified than her father according to her society yet she still is willing to take the risk. It shows her love and dedication to her family and also this is her way of defying her parents wishes because they want her to stay an marry a rich man. By pretending to be a man in the army she is doing much more than fooling people. This was something that could get her killed. I can't agree that she completely holds an image of independence but for young girls her actions must mean something. The last piece of evidence for my argument is that she spends this entire movie kicking butt! She is able to beat her own trainer Shang when she is learning to fight. She is able to defeat the Huns. Saves Shang a few times too. And all of this is done almost all by herself (might I add) and she is even given the respect of even the emperor. That is saying something! I know that watching that movie and thinking of Mulan I do not get the same image in my head of the other princesses that need help to be saved. She is definitely one that can hold her own and stand up for what she believes is right and I think that is important in breaking down those gender roles that the Youtube video says it portrays. As we discussed in class too the video does not include the opposites that these movies portray too. In this one the balance of the men who are all looking for one girl who looks a certain way is taken down by the role of Mulan when she does those things that no one expects of her. I think this is what makes her role so important and influential to others.

Presentation Week: Influenced by The Wide Sargasso Sea

Before I get angry readers here I would like to say that every presentation had its charms and I was actually interested in all of them. Yet there is always just that one book that gets your attention and you want to know as much as you can about it. The presentation on a book that interested me the most had to be "The Wide Sargasso Sea". I loved reading Jane Eyre in class, it was my favorite novel we read. Yet I always had that unfilled space in my mind about what really happened to Bertha Mason in the story and her past. I firmly believe in the saying that there are two sides to one story and knowing that Jane could not provide this information to us in some way really frustrated me. This is currently on my wish-list for Amazon and I plan on getting it as soon as I am done with all my Christmas shopping. I am angered/ amazed/ and feel slightly "rubbed the wrong way" with the fact that so little was mentioned about the Bertha Mason character in the first place. I think it would have added to the readers understanding of Mr. Rochester and how he really should be portrayed. From the book I kind of had a sense that Mr. Rochester was not so innocent as he might have seemed and that the reason he was hiding Bertha was to maintain that status he always hoped while not feeling guilty about it. I am glad that in this book the author does portray him that way because I felt all along that is what he deserved. And another part that was my frustration that Bertha was almost never recognized as being normal in her society. She did follow the rules in the beginning but the prediction that she was going to be crazy followed her and it gave readers the impression that she was crazy from the start. Almost like there was no need to pay her any attention because she was already crazy, she just didn't show it yet. I did not particularly like that because as I said, there is always another side of the story. I think this book would clarify my thoughts about Bertha and how things were for her at this time. Of course no one knows exactly how Charlotte Bronte meant to portray her but I don't think she meant harm by placing her as that crazy attic lady. I am so sorry I do not remember the presenter's name (Kristi maybe?)[I'm sorry!] but I enjoyed the presentation as well knowing that the author had as much background similarities as Bertha also known as(Antoinette).Knowing only what I saw in the presentation I would think that the author of The Wide Sargasso Sea was kind of irritated with Bronte. And wanted to do some justice for the Bertha Mason character and judging by the presentation it must have been a great point of view story. I think that the book had to be just as intriguing as Jane Eyre was and I think I can finally fill in that space that always wanted to know more about her.

Cruelty in our culture?

This article really caught my attention because it brought up my doubts about it in general. I confided in a male friend who told me that these things really do happen, much more often than we tend to think they do. He had similar experiences that he wasn't exactly too eager to share with me but I could understand easily after reading this material. I was just as oblivious as many others to the fact that this type of cruelty and mental as well as physical abuse is present among young males in our society. I agree that there are certain stories that really do make your childhood out and have a vital role in forming who you are when you are older. Just as the author points out those stories aren't always the greatest to remember or even tell to others. For boys in our society they are faced with a much greater challenge of the taunting that comes from the social roles that they are forced to play. Naturally in a young boys eyes he might think that the others are going to tease him more or that by revealing the truth he might make things worse on himself. Boys are raised by parents and other family to be tough and macho and brave of all things. By telling someone else this purpose is defeated and they become "feminine". (Although we know that this is not the case, in any situation.) Any revealing of their true feelings would be a dangerous move for all involved, and he would become the target of harassment in the future.
My point is that the fear of this harassment and treatment from others ultimately convinces them that they are doing a greater good by not making things public. It is this fear that they all have within them that drives the cycle in which it continues. The fact that I did not know much about it and how much it actually does still happen is just more proof of how much boys keep this under wraps.
This also ties in to the fact that they are just regular human beings trying to feel like they belong to a certain group. Everyone has felt that type of emotion at one point in their life. Boys are convinced that by not following what everyone else is doing that they will no longer be included to join the group or a certain crowd. It is a natural human emotion of course but it is also being driven by the endless cycle of boys constantly teasing and hurting each others feelings with no way of releasing that stress to anyone. I think that the author has a very valid point on this because they are just like any one else when they need to release emotions, but they are not expected to do so on the level of comfort-ability that women have. It is ridiculous to think that as adults the world is constantly trying to get men to share these feelings and be more open and yet as children they learn that they are the ones who are supposed to be tough little men and never fail or show weakness. At least I think it is ridiculous, don't you?

Sharing the Responsibility: Child role models in nedia

Artists of any kind are public figures just as we think of a president of a country or a famous actor/ actress. Musicians, rock stars, and famous celebrities are held at a higher statue than most people. Their actions are public and scrutinized within seconds after they make them. Everything and anything they do should be considered publicly known and not without knowledge of others. Knowing this I think actors, actresses, celebrities etc. should be slightly more conscious of the messages they send out to children and just the general audience they intend to affect or not affect too. Because whether they like it, they are going to influence people who they never intend to reach. Having said that I think it is true that they need to control the image they project to the world. This seems like something that is fine and amazing until you realize that not every celebrity or influential person does this. They do not feel that it is their responsibility for the types of people that a child is looking up to in the media and world. The problem lies with taking the responsibility because no one will own up to the job and just take care of it. I am not blaming celebrities because parents alike share the responsibility of restricting the access to the media that children have. It is true that some people don't have that type of censorship but I think that if a parent or a child care provider does not care enough to change a channel, or take away the media they are viewing and receiving this image from, that they don't have the right to complain. I can't completely defend this idea to the core because not every child out there has parents or guardians to guide them in these directions but this is where the artist has to take their own responsibility because they should know that the things they do can influence anyone whether they have a parent or not. There really can't be any distinct set of boundaries that these artist can and cannot cross. I say that because it only makes sense for the artists to know that if there are people who later on come to dress like them and act like them that they indeed are the responsible ones. It does not entirely depend on other people to shelter children from behavior that is inappropriate, or offensive in some way. Each and every person is sensitive to different things and I think as an artist you should try to be understanding. Of course, you will always have people who hate or dislike what you do but that doesn't mean you can't continue doing it. An artist has a right to think and dress the way they feel is appropriate.They also should have it in mind that they are held to a higher standard than the rest of the world. They are two conflicting ideas yet they need to be balanced. An artists options on how to behave really do have an impact on others so they need to keep that in mind when doing anything. Parents need to be mindful of both these positions that artists face and be sensitive to the fact that they can't control how things are portrayed in the media. They can't turn a blind eye and hope that their child chooses the best outcome. They need to guide their thinking and help them choose something that best suits the ideas they are trying to instill in their children. It's definitely up to both parties to do whats right; it falls into everyone's' hands.

Week 12: "Superman and the Bride"

As the video, Sexual Stereotypes in Media: Superman and the Bride, stated we have tons of messages that come from our newspapers, radios, and magazines that all influence the decisions we make. One sentence that stood out to me from the film was that it was MASS produced. This should be shocking to us because we don't think much of television, radio, or newspaper ads. Most of the time they influence what type of person we want to be and how we should make our relationships work. It also stated: ".. you get what you want, you want what you get," and I believe this is such a true statement for our culture today and I have seen it myself, I will even share my own recent experience and example.
We go thorough our day to day lives seeing the things around us thinking we are no person to change what we see because it is what society wants. The only reality to this is that we don't change things because we don't care to see them changed. People who complain about something but don't take a stand against it are just passive and indifferent about it. Men are portrayed in media as strong, driven, decisive, and fearless while women are shown as weak, inferior, useless unless given direction, and usually wanting to please men. In my eyes these stereotypes are not as existent as they were in the video but for the most part stereotypes have not changed. We as individuals begin to question this and ask, why this is so. And it is just as I have stated above. People are INDIFFERENT about these types of stereotypes because they never challenge them and accepted them their whole life. I am not passing judgment because I am guilty of this also but it doesn't makes sense to accept the things we are spoon fed our whole lives. Not only are we not acting out against it but we begin to believe this as a true statement or type of way things should be. Only because it is being told to us. Not because we have our own reasoning for it. This is what is the scary part. The movie tells it like it is because we do not act out to change things we see on television or advertisements we don't like, or that are stereotypical.
My experience with this was this new commercial passed by the Axe hair/body products advertised on television and radio. The link is at the bottom of this post but it was a shocking commercial that I did not expect. Although the meaning is slightly covered up I just was shocked at the way that society is now including this type of vulgarity into live television that is accessible to millions of children worldwide. I only say this because I work with children and it is very offensive to hear the term "balls" from a 6 year old's mouth. Not to mention when they are using it in the appropriate offensive context. Maybe the sexual context is too much for me because I have not been exposed to it as much as other people. It's not so much vulgarity as it is the use of terms like this in a way that is meant to be funny or entertaining for people. I know that male testicles are natural in every way but this commercial I thought went slightly overboard. Any comments about it? I know I laughed at the commercial but for children who are exposed to this type of language and behavior is kind of a shock that they would even allow it to air. This relates back to the class because of the image of men that it portrays as well, did you notice the guy in the row with so called "blue balls". Or the way that this is supposed to help you get in better with the "ladies". I know it is probably trying to reach and older audience but it just gave me a bit of shock and how this is probably affecting much more than its intended audience. The media is very powerful indeed. We also see what we want because apparently this is accepted by "society".. I just thought that was interesting.




Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bevJr3Ra84Q

Reading Gender

"Even though most reviewers agree that the narrator is female, the only evidence that they marshal is highly contestable and merely exposes the often stereotypical and hetero-normative biases in their own reading practices." I think that this statement from Rubinson's article is in many ways exactly the point of the book. Everyone who has read the book or is still reading will at some point try to search for clues about gender. We as humans using language and imagery have invented this stereotype about each gender. We assign certain characteristics to a person based only on that knowledge. It is not something that we should be ashamed of because it is the only way we've ever learned to read. The clues are usually put in the book for us to determine and give us an image of what character we read about. Now when these elements are gone, we have so much trouble identifying with a character. In this story the author wrote the narrator as a completely genderless person and I can safely assume that almost everyone read the book looking for clues. I can acknowledge the fact that I did this as well. No matter how hard I tried to avoid this idea of gender I still took each clue as a hint and tried to pick what I thought it was. Even if you didn't want to look for those key words and points, your mind still did the searching. With books like this we can realize the way that we've been taught all along and how it makes us conform to the roles our society places for men and women. It really helped me see just how far this has taken me, because I can't even read the book without some small part of my mind wandering and trying to pin a gender to the main character. This is just one of the ways in which we are conditioned to think differently about sexes and not for how much they are the same. Throughout the novel the descriptions that are given about the narrator are things that can not be specifically designated to one sex or the other. In Rubinsons article it states, "And that is exactly the point: it implies that such information is or should be useless." A reader will always have the desire to know who it is they are relating to. Reviewers of the book also took parts of text and use those clues to determine what gender they were reading. It is not something important so why was there such a need to find this piece of information out? Only because we are trained that way. I also think another safe thing to assume that if the audience did find out this information it would change their perspective of the narrator completely. A reader will assign certain characteristics like being the more assertive male or female. Even though these traits are things that they can assign to each gender it just makes them feel comfortable reading when they can fit into these prescribed roles that society has conformed them to. I don't think there is anything wrong with us because we never knew about it until this book came along. I do think that now it should be changed. This book allowed me to experience and understand just how far it is implanted and we didn't even know it. I came to realize that I myself am biased much more than I thought I was. I found it difficult to read and understand without generalizing somethings to a certain character.

Book vs. Movie: Battle to End All

The intriguing novel, The Hours written by Michael Cunningham was turned into a movie in 2002 and as with most novels-turned-Hollywood there is criticism from both ends that argue over which was better. In my recollection of the book and movie I will try to give my own review here. I don't quite know myself which is better; they both have very admirable qualities and suspenseful action that sincerely captures the moment. First is the novel, it really allows for details that are not quite available in the movie. Where the novel can interpret thoughts and be all knowing, the movie is not one in which the ideas that people are having are voiced over while the action is happening. This is especially important in the portrayal of the themes that it is sending out. In the movie I saw several different scenes where I would have been completely lost had I not already read the book. I don't think the movie was intended for audiences that had not read the book exactly so I can understand what my knowledge already added to it. In that respect, the book is much better than the movie because of its ability to go into details with the thoughts that most do not speak. I feel that the roles of women in the society were portrayed better in the movie than in the book. I could see the behavior of the women and men instead of reading something and thinking about it in my own way. The movie allows for those images of restrictiveness, pain, and internal conflict to show that they are really a part of what a woman had to go through in certain times. Yet, without the novel I would not have known most of those internal thoughts, like in some of the scenes with Julianne Moore as Mrs. Brown, I could see how she was emotionally distraught. The acting was done so well that I could recall certain phrases from the book that were describing what she was feeling at the time and it made sense. The next idea or theme of having a single day in a persons' life tell so much about a person was clearly evident through both the novel and movie. There were shots in the film that allowed me to see that each moment was crucial and still reflective of time. The book also had the same effect and it was what still reminded the reader of the "hours" in which everything is taking place. There was also the parts in which the novel where they all contemplated or thought about suicide in some way. The book gave so much intensity and thought into those things where as in the movie you could not really get much detail about it. In watching Clarissa throughout the movie I could see how she was concerned about Richard and his health and even how she felt after his death but not to the extent in which I understood her exact feelings; it had a largely vague feeling. The movie had a tough job in being able to portray all of these things but overall it truly was a great performance that was moving. I can say for sure which one was better because they had some amazing parts but I guess if I was forced to choose it would be the book. There is just so much more intimacy within the book itself that allows for a deeper understanding. I think most people would agree too. Comment if you disagree. :]

The Single Day Novel is a Black Hole

"The whole human story is contained in every day of every life more or less the
way the blueprint for an entire organism is present in every strand of its DNA." This quote by Michael Cunningham from the article "Homage, Sexual Identity, and the
Single-Day Novel by Cunningham, Lippincott, and Lanchester" by James Schiff speaks to me. It wasn't until the 1950's that DNA was discovered and it revolutionized the way people handled scientific advancements or criminal investigations. The idea is that DNA is present in every cell that comes from our bodies. Now the fact that one person can be represented by a single small DNA sample is relevant to the book in that it is a one day novel. Meaning that one single day of an entire person's life can represent or discover everything about them. The quote speaks to me because it is such a true statement. There will always be a day in your life where you could look back on it and tell so much about yourself, and not just one day, it can apply to any day. Like the time you sat at home all day because you had nothing to do besides eat ice cream and watch re-runs of Friends. The combination of your life and how you react to scenes or even what your thinking of in that time gives so many clues to your very soul and much more. The same is for other people, if they could examine a day in someones life, they would see so much about the person in general. Especially with this novel it gives insight into the persons thoughts and how much they think about their mistakes, life, and future. Each thought breaks down to a simpler idea of their fears, values, and hopes. It all can be traced back to how you were treated as a child, how you were raised, and how your experiences through life shaped you into who you are at the present moment. All of these are critical pieces of information to find out the true character of a person. Throughout the reading of The Hours it was easy to distinguish the important aspects that influenced the characters lives. Each one being no more influential than the next, it shows that you can include such a large amount of information about a person in a book that only covers one day of their life. Some of the information that can only otherwise be visible through a lifespan novel. It is a much more concise way of explaining their values and culture by incorporating it into the story. An author can clearly put out this type of writing style and make a novel take place in a single day and still communicate to the readers many aspects of a characters life and values. We can take everyday situations and take a look at them at every angle including the perspective of the own character. Most insight is developed through many perspectives not just any one perspective and it can surely play out well in a single day novel.

Should Dominant Culture Include Homosexuality? (Prompt 3: Week 6)

The world in which we live is increasingly growing in population and advancing in other places too. The word "advances" can be defined as aiding growth, and we see that changes are made everyday. Most of the values that held true long ago have changed or advanced to be more useful in our lives today. Everyone has been willing to go along with the changes they feel are acceptable in culture and society as a whole. One enduring idea is the acknowledgment homosexuality, and this is where the values are tough to change or advance in a society, unlike others that have grown and become a part of society.
One example of changed values is how we now are adamant in our search for child molesters, rapists, abductors etc. Years ago a society did not openly search for or even being to acknowledge that they were even there. Many women were increasingly abused and it was never to be blamed on a man; the woman was believed to have done something to induce this treatment. Another changed value that has been eagerly changed is the open communication of sex or the once private bedroom matters. It is increasingly popular to watch television, videos, movies, or even read articles that have the main topic of sex or are related to that topic. Just as with the topic above this was not something that just came out in everyday language and was presented in discussions. People believed this to be a thing that you kept between your partner and yourself. Only recently people have found that it is better for health reasons to openly discuss sex. Widespread information is given through many sources and people can learn to be safe. This is going off topic a bit but these examples illustrate the changes in society that have been happening for so long. Our values and culture have changed in ways that people would have never thought possible. I believe that with time and continued growth that we see today the topic or existence of homosexuality will be among the other topics in our everyday life. In case no one else has noticed our society is great at learning to grow and change the ways that are oppressive to others. It takes some time and there are others who are against it but usually things get straightened out it just depends on how fast a society wants to progress. I don't really believe on forcing an agenda on a society that is not ready to move forward. People must become educated about the subject and then they can move on into bringing it into their culture. And as the legislation regarding homosexuality is changing even right now, we know that this is a time when people are indeed ready for a change. All it takes is patience and understanding on both sides to really make that connection into the personal lives of others. It is to my understanding that there is even now a television channel devoted to they LGBT community, called LOGO, and this is something that shows the progression on our behalf. My point is that we should include homosexuality and other types of gender roles into the dominant culture but it has to be at at time when people are ready for it. The fear of the unknown is something that is great and once people become aware of what it means to those who are homosexual and how it affects them, the changes will soon appear.

Jane Eyre's Message: "Keep Within Compass"

The message of this image "Keep Within Compass" is showing an ideal girl/woman, and she is doing right while the women in the pictures around her are the “troubled women" she is trying not to be like. It gives women hope that as long as they keep within the standards set for them they will obtain peace, happiness and enjoy life. It makes the contrast clear by showing what happens to those who do not follow along as the woman in the middle does. The main woman is keeping within the compass and remaining within the confines of these areas that they are supposed to be working in. It is a very realistic depiction because other than tending to the family they are supposed to depend on the men to work and provide for them. It is also symbolic of the presence that women are supposed to have around men. No woman should be doing the things that the women in the surrounding images are. Society would condemn them to a life of disgust and eternal pity . The symbolism makes it easy to see the contrast of how they should behave and how they should not behave, not only with written words but images as well. The women around the middle picture are seen as having a life with troubles. The top left hand corner is showing a woman who has a baby on her lap and from the way the baby is almost falling out of her lap she is having much trouble. The picture in the top right hand corner is showing a woman who is working as a domestic or tavern worker, these people are not thought very highly of. The bottom left hand corner image is of a woman standing in a street selling things to make her money and again this is not what women are supposed to do. The last image on the bottom right hand corner is of a woman who has probably taken on a life of prostitution. All of these lifestyles around the main image are not ideal and they are not to be followed because they lead to a hard life. They are the "troubled women" because they have engaged in the ways that are not expected of women. By doing so they have fallen upon hard times and now must live in shame and through many hardships. No respect is given to them in the smallest form where as a bit more is given to those who do not step out of their boundaries. One interesting aspect about this image though is not just the pictures of the women themselves but the actual shapes used. The woman who is doing good is placed in a triangle which means much more. The triangle most times is the symbol representing god or holy beings and actions. The woman in the middle is surrounded by this triangle because according to the text she is doing right in god's eyes and being true to what women are expected to do. The women around her are not and they are wrong. This same moral message is in Jane Eyre and we can see that in many ways. The main example is Bertha. She was a crazy woman who lived her life known as a lunatic. As Rochester's wife she was taken care of but still was in the wrong and her life could never be filled with happiness she probably longed for. She ended up having a hard time through it all and could barely even see the light of day. She could be considered one of the troubled women in the images because her life was full of misery.

Ambiguity in the 19th Century

Jane Eyre is a complex character that is on a road to discovery but at the same time knows so much about herself and how she should be according to her society. The role as a governess is something that is just as complex as her inner self but being portrayed for the world to see. In her own emotions she recognizes herself as being intelligent and mentally up to par with the people of the upper classes and could fit there just fine. The only thing that holds her back is her title as governess, this is considered servant work and based on that she is treated as such. A governess's job is to teach children, mostly young girls, academically, socially, and artistically. She has knowledge on how to interact, read, write, behave, and express herself on a level that those of a higher class can, yet because of the title itself she is very limited as to how much she can express to others. Another aspect that keeps her in this lower class is because she is paid as a servant in the house and could never be seen as anything better than that. This portrays the confusion she has internally regarding her place in society. She is no more than a servant yet at some points in the book she compares herself to Miss Ingram. This of course would be a common thought today, yet back then that sort of thing was not even to be considered. To others she would never be able to amount to anything Miss Ingram was because of the societal standards, even though it is clear she was much smarter than her in many ways. She does break the standard norms for people of her time in this exact moment of comparison. Women in her working class are not supposed to step out of the box they are placed in. She is placed in a box where she has to only do her job, be present when necessary, and remain quiet about her thoughts and ideas. Jane expresses her emotions and sometimes wishes to be out of the seen differently by others. The next huge area in which she steps out of the 19th century role for women with this idea for independence she is in search of. She leaves Gateshead for her school and she is searching for her independence through that and in some ways she gains it. When she leaves Lowood for Thornfield Manor she is also gaining that new found freedom she never had before. Each time she moves somewhere she gains a bit more freedom than the last place. Her final place before heading to Ferndean where she ends the novel is Marsh End where she gains the most independence and can learn to be alone and to rely on herself for her needs. Women of this time are not supposed to be this way, they are expected to maintain that dependency on the men around them. All the rules around them make it so that they have no other way but to be dependent. As I recall, we discussed in class how a widows inherited land from the death of her husband is never hers, it is given away and she only gets a small portion of means to survive from it, but that is barely enough. This dependency means that women of this time are to keep relations with men their whole lives, and not rely on their own ideas or work to get them by. She takes these giant strides of independence each time and learns what it really is to be alone and free of a bond or tie to anyone. This is the one idea that sets her free ultimately and she can return to Thornfield. Jane's role is complex; as is her job, her internal emotions, and the role she has to fit into cannot contain these aspects of her character, so she is forced to be conventional and find ways around it. Bronte must have wanted to convey this internal emotion to others through her writing. Charlotte expresses the idea of woman's independence, freedom and autonomy so well through this book by making Jane a person that is a non-conformist. It proves her strength and endurance as well as her maturity. These are all characteristics that people admire and will ultimately model themselves after so she did very well in showing them and making them something restricted females can relate to.

Face-off: 2 versus 5 (or more) Sexes

As the world turns, and as the days go by humans all over the world continue to categorize, divide, and (at least try to)explain everything life has to offer. Animals are grouped based on what they eat, how they stand, their range of motion, size, colors, and most importantly by their sex. Humans, being mammals as well, also are categorized by divisions just in this way. This is by all means a great way to come to conclusions about an animals behavior and way of life. In no means, however, is it a great way to gain an understanding about the actual preferences that each individual has. Sex is such a major part of a humans identity that they strive to understand on a daily basis. Most intelligent societies, for the most part, has been forcefully driven to seek shelter under only one of the two main sex labels in history; male and female.

These two categories attempt to regroup every being in a new way that helps create understanding. An understanding about the sexual differences in humans. In other words, these labels are constricting what society can call an "A subject" and a "B subject." Until recently there have been few additions to the descriptive category but it could still be considered a work in progress. One of the consequences for having such a small system to organize ideas is that there is little room in these areas in which someone can condense the idea of themselves. If you are not in the boxes, you are most definitely out. But what happens if you are neither inside nor outside the box? Very few will gladly make room in their minds for what you want to be understood as. Transgenders, inter-sexual people, gays, lesbians, etc. all have an image in mind of how they want others to view them and it will never be the same as the reality of it. If they are trying to always fit into that same box with no luck, how much more would they possibly stand before they became truly unhappy? Not much. As an example you can try to imagine trying with all your might to squeeze into some pants or clothes that were 5 times too small. How happy would you be seeing that they were not even close to fitting? It is safe to assume you would not be very thrilled about your experience.

Why, you ask?

Because no one wants truly enjoys being uncomfortable. [[If we did we'd probably try to fit an entire Antelope Valley College English classroom into a smart car.]]

So now to an even bigger question... Why wouldn't people accept these new ideas and just wrap their old ideas around them?

It is because humans usually never imagine expanding their range of thinking to include something that might actually be new and helpful. Including more than these two allotted sexes for puts new thoughts in a persons mind and most of them aren't ready to handle that. Having up to 5 of the discovered sexes and maybe including more down the line allows for differentiation of peoples preferences based individually. Morally, not allowing these new ideas to flourish would be detrimental to any future societies because they too will prolong the existence of the prime images of males and females that have shaped people for far too long. This type of action would affect the society by allowing for continuation of discrimination and disregard for those who may feel left out. Problems will continue to be put on hold if no one chooses to recognize that they are time sensitive. Being a human and wanting to just be comfortable in your own skin without change is something every person can relate to. Even though all of the old thoughts have to be rearranged, and it will take some work, it is much easier to have an open mind and accept these new labels. People need to use them appropriately and plan to gain a deeper understanding than what they had in mind. If not, they must choose to prepare for the other consequences that come from not addressing an issue right away. Plain & simple.

Prompt 2: Week 2 - "Multiple Genders" Video Debate

Most people can talk while they walk. Just the same, most people can see with 20/20 vision. And of course, most people can run. Each of these 3 statements takes an action and applies is to a group of people that can perform it. Those that are not mentioned or are not apart of the group are forgotten or disregarded. Each one of these statements include the phrase - "most people" and although our language supports this type of generalization, it is wrong. Being in the majority does not mean that others should be excluded or not mentioned. The small percentage (the "some" group) that cannot perform these tasks are missing their share of perspectives.

An example that this can be related to is of a handicapped person. We describe a person as handicapped to indicate they have a disability that does not allow them these opportunities to run, walk, or see with 20/20 vision. The term is broad and it includes a wide range of disabilities not just the ones mentioned, but my point goes beyond that. The other end of these statements is that there are some people who cannot function to the fullest extent. Saying: "People can categorize themselves into the role as a male or female," is not correct either. What should be considered is all those who fit in, on, or around this specificity. There are just some people who cannot, no matter how hard they try, be one or another. Many of these people wander with no real sense of identity because no room has been made for change other than what has been provided. It should be encouraged then that we have a new open dialogue in which not just males and females exist, but more than that can. This is what we should strive to do as we pull away from the rules and regulations put on our society from people of the past.

The debate in the movie "Multiple Genders: Mind Body and Conflict" brought up some very interesting points about this aspect. One of the debaters seemed to believe that people should try to fit into one or the other, basically having changes made to themselves in order to conform and pick one side to be for the rest of their lives. I do not particularly agree with this person because I think everyone should be able to live with what they are given and not feel ashamed of themselves. If more people are born with darker hair color, those with light hair colors would not be ashamed. So why should people feel ashamed and made to conform for being born with no clear distinction between being a "male" or "female". People today find comfort in being considered male or female; yet there are certain others who would like to be recognized as something different. No change should be needed and no restrictions should be set up for a person to be identified. Many people take pride in what they are and those who don't ever get to feel that pride cannot be weighed down by the strict rules or standards of our society.

The other ideas that interested me about this video debate was the couple that adopted a baby and they were planning on raising the child as an inter-sex couple. They did not want to squeeze themselves into the male and female roles that society claims is the "norm" for parenting styles. I agree that families can take many different forms and this is just one of the ways that can lead to a healthy lifestyle for children. The way to raising a healthy child is not about how much money you can provide them with or about the male and female dynamic involved. It just takes the right kind of attention tailored to each kid.

Instead of only focusing on the inter-sex or gay couples as factors for an unhealthy childhood they should weigh the risk of having many other factors like missing parents, abusive parents, or even uninvolved parents. All of these and many more problems put a child at risk for being raised in the "wrong" way. The people who oppose this type of relationship with parents and children are not thinking clearly about all the potential issues that have nothing to do with gender specifics.

Meaning in Gender and Identity

I believe gender is the physical sense in which someone can categorize themselves or another person. This pertains mainly to the male and female roles in society. People take on these characteristics that most people try to fit in to. That is, until recently. There are certain people who are opposed to the "norms" of our society. These people are using their freedoms to explore the other options out there besides the ones they are told to have. A person can take on a new identity or conform to one that is in their mind. I believe the way in which a person sees themselves is the identity of their choosing, in relation to gender. The role in this identity can be something learned from others yet it can also be a new idea and can break the status-quot. Most often, humans, they try to take on a role that makes them feel comfortable. Others may not welcome such a plan but learn something new about themselves by rebelling against these preset gender roles.
The essay written by Judith Lorber entitled "Night to his Day": Social Construction of Gender is something that can be both agreed with and disagreed with. The idea that we as humans created or "constructed" this idea of gender is something that I can agree with and believe in. Just like no person is born knowing about discrimination, no person is born knowing about gender. The values we have in our culture put gender differences at a higher mark than most other issues. Rules are created and the social context of everyday interactions speak for themselves. People assume these are the norms and anyone who breaks them will be outcast. Girls and boys are expected to be different on many levels; from going to bathrooms and in the way they dress. These ideas that were sparked early on were what stuck and there is no real way of changing it now. Most people know this as a "rule" for years and they do nothing to stop it because they accept it.

This class, I hope, will change my perspective on women in this country and broaden my knowledge of the past and how it affects everyone now. Something that troubles me about the topic of this class is that I don't agree that women should be put on a higher rank than men. As humans and as a race people need to be equal; not one better than another. I do see that over the years there is no clear definition as to when that stops but slow changes have worked for women in the past and will work for them in the future. We do not need to radically change our world and values to make sure that people recognize women and give them more acknowledgment than men. Contrary to what most people might believe after reading that, it does not mean that I favor more support for men. I strongly believe that no one particular race deserves to be heard out more than another, so why would it be any different with gender? We are all humans and of course there have been wrongs in the past but that is what we are here for now.

What we can do now is speak out against wrongs that were made and change them so they don't happen again. Another belief I have is that life is a process and things can't happen at the snap of a finger, or we at least shouldn't expect them to. Change is inevitable so we should just continue to lobby for our interests and hope that one small step at a time is taken to resolve the issue.