Blog Prompt for 3/3/10

Blog Prompt for 3/3/2010

This week you are reading the chapters on the ways in which both verbal and nonverbal communication are gendered. Many times we would like to assume that language doesn’t really matter, but after reading the chapter on gendered verbal communication, I hope you were able to see the ways in which language not only reflects but also sustains the our culture’s views of masculinity and femininity. Also, I hope you see the ways that our nonverbal communications expresses our views of gender differences.

Write a response to these two chapters citing examples of the ways that male generic language reinforces stereotypes and demeans women, spotlights women and dismisses them. Also indicate the ways in which nonverbal communication is related to appearance, commanding space and power and indicating submissiveness. Please cite the text and use personal examples to indicate your full understanding of the two chapters.

Blog for 2/24

Chelsea Gamble

The media plays an important role in society and has been an influence on girls and boys, and men and women since it first began. An example of an ad from the media in Think Pink is, the cover illustration featured a blonde bombshell winking over her man’s shoulder, a blazing engagement ring on prominent display as she cradles his head. This type of ads gives girls the impression that this is what they are supposed to look and act like. That they are supposed to get married to a gorgeous man, and get a large blazing engagement ring. In “Tough Guise,” a reference to G.I. Joe’s was used and how the idea of these toy figures influenced boys in how they should look and act. Think Pink also references to the idea of G.I. Joe’s in that, the Montgomery Wards catalogue changed the actions figures name to “action figures” rather than dolls, because fathers and mothers didn’t like the idea of their sons playing with dolls. Similar to G.I. Joes were the toy guns, in the mid twentieth century boys had access to firepower galore. Think Pink states that, little boys could choose from a variety of firepower, from old-west style six shooters to M1 rifles. This idea is also brought up in the film “Tough Guise,” with the notion that boys should play with guns and firepower because they are tough and masculine men. Today the media shows signs of what little boys and girls should look like, act like, and aspire to be. But in the mid-twentieth century the ideas of what little boys and girls should be was reinforced constantly, through media, children’s parents, and everyone else in the society.

Blog Prompt for February 24

Blog Prompt for 2-24-2010

In Pink Think, you have read about the socialization process for girls and boys (yes, binaries!) in the mid-twentieth century. Please consider the media representations back then that we consider ridiculous today and lay them against the images and comments in the film “Tough Guise” from last week’s class. Remember to use concrete in your comments and to reference specific passages from Pink Think and from “Tough Guise.” If you were not in class, the film “Tough Guise” is available in the JC library.

Becoming Gendered: The Early Years

Already before a child has even come into the world it is restricted by the “norms and standards” of society. For instance, Chapter 7 refers to how after a baby is born they are wrapped in a pink or blue blanket; pink implying it’s a baby girl and blue implying it’s a baby boy. The flaw is that these colors although they are simply colors in our society are recognized as feminine and masculine, yet, they identify the gender of a newborn. Later on in a child’s life toys bought by a child’s parent determine gender and identity as well. Toys such as, baby dolls, Barbie’s, and any toy with pink imply a girl to be “girly”, and boys have toys like trucks, sports balls, G.I. Joes and toys with black and blue in them and they are toys for little boys. Later on in the text the author talks about the subconscious technique of monitoring, “ we remind ourselves what others have told us we are supposed to think, to do, look like, and feel…especially what is appropriate for our age, sex and so forth.” This monitoring process is just like an internal dialogue, where a child may want to do something and want to ask to do something out of the norm and standard, but knows that it is wrong because of the ideas his/her parents and society has instilled in them.
Along with the monitoring idea is the idea presented in Chapter 2 of children learning gender roles through a process of receiving rewards and punishments for various behaviors. This process for most girls includes rewards for actions that are cooperative, helpful, nurturing, and all the qualities consistent with social views of femininity. Boys get rewards for behaviors that are aggressive, competitive, independent, and assertive, as well as all the “accepted” masculine qualities. This type of parenting is flawed not only in restricting ‘norms and standards” but in all other aspects. The main aspect is in the message given in the reward and punishment system. This system creates the norms and standards idea in children already at such a young age. It gives children the idea of what their parents and their society defines as masculine and feminine. But the biggest flaw in this system as well as other techniques is in the restriction of “norms and standards.” Because of parents and societies actions in certain types of parenting and shaping, children don’t get to experience and understand life for themselves. Don’t get to decide who they are, what they are, what they want to look like, act like and do. “Norms and standards” are simply defined as what is expected of and accepted of a gender. But who defines the expectations and acceptance of a person and a group of people other than the people who surround us and our society.

Chelsea Gamble

Blog Prompt for February 17

For this week you read a chapter from the Wood text, “Becoming Gendered,” which focuses on the ways in which all of us learn to perform gender. In the Peril text, we learn about the role of advertisements and the popular press in the 1960s in “gendering femininity.” I would like for you to consider the concepts from both texts and list the ways that both males and females have been restricted by “norms and standards.” Be sure to reference both texts in your responses.

Blog for Chapter 4

Chapter 4 on Men's Movements in the United States was a very interesting chapter about men's movements as well as men's groups. The movements and groups are extremely interesting, but the one group I find most interesting is the Fathers' Rights Groups, imparticular the Fathers 4 Justice group. The Fathers 4 Justice relies on the strategies to raise public awareness about the custody rights of separated and divorced fathers. I find this group very moving. Fathers standing up for there rights to there children is an amazing thing. A divorce is hard enough on a family and a relationship, but to go further families and parents are torn away from their children. Because we live in a patriachal society and fathers normally don't spend as much time with there children than mothers do. Courts reward mothers with custody of their child, over fathers. Fathers deserve to chance to parent their child as much as a mother does, but based on the facts of our society fathers lose custody. The Fathers 4 Justice group is an outstanding idea, fathers are standing up for themselves, and making a scene about it. Making people see the injustice and turn to see them do stunts to prove a point. It's about time that fathers fight for their child, because it's their child too!!

Blog For Chapter 3

After reading Chapter 3 on Women's Movement on the United States, I found more than one of kind of feminism least appealing. The most unappealing kind of feminism to me is separatism. Separatists are women, many lesbian women that live independently in mutual respect and harmony. Due to the beliefs of separatists they tend to form individual communities, in which these women exist without the intrusion of men. This type of feminism is the least appealing to me due to the sole factor that we were put on earth to exist in nature together, as males and females have always done so.

Although this type of feminism may be seen as unappealing and wrong to others in certain societies there are benefits. Since men and women first walked the earth, male has been the dominant species. Dominant in stature, in character, and dominant in our world. Women were never given the chance to make decisions for themselves, stand up for themselves, do things for themselves, men did it for them. Today, women have become equal yet the patriarchal, and capitalist society still seems to prevail. So, because our society's fast, and what seems like to be the future is corrupt toward women, and denies them equality, separatists beliefs are understanding. Separatist women live in their own communities, and define there existence as an alternative vision of how we might live-one that speaks of harmony, cooperation, and peaceful coexistence of life forms, because they don't feel the need to live by societies standards. They don't feel that men should hinder on there lives.

Blog Prompt for February 10

Please remember to write your name on the blog post each time! Also, you should be able to write about both of these topics no matter what your sex or gender!

Chapter 3, “The Rhetorical Shaping of Gender: Women’s Movements in the US,” provides an overview of various “feminisms,” and women’s movements. As you saw in the first week’s video clip, feminists come in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors, sexualities, genders and sexes – and we know that the media narrative thread has tended to “freeze” feminists at a certain stage and in their most extreme form.

Prompt: Choose the kind of feminist that you find the least appealing in this chapter of the Wood text and write an argument about why it is the best type of feminist to be. (You clearly do not have to believe your own argument, but you must take it seriously by trying to understand why someone else would choose that particular world view!)

Chapter 4, “The Rhetorical shaping of Gender: Men’s Movements in the US,” provides an overview of various men’s movements. Many of you were probably surprised to learn that there are so many men’s movements and that many are sympathetic to the goals of equity for all people.

Prompt: Choose the kind of men’s group that you find the most appealing in this chapter of the Wood text and write an argument about why it is the best group to be a part of. In this one, it’s important for you to believe your own argument!