Fighting Social Blinders When Understanding Violence

  While reading the Hatty article, I was disturbed by the apparent result of some of our social conditioning. Especially when reading about the murder of Leigh Leigh, readers could see the results of masculine competition mixed with the psychological occurrence of groupthink and the desire for power. It reminded me of a murder committed in my hometown, which centered around a group of mentally-deficient people (both male and female) who tortured, raped, and killed a woman with the mental capacity of a 12 year old. The details are absolutely horrendous and I don't feel much like describing them for anyone, but suffice to say that many issues, some related to gender, were all at play and, for me, speaks of the importance of avoiding preconceptions and taking into account that gender issues were not the sole reason of the murder. If we pigeonhole ourselves into creating the "sex monster" that Hatty describes, we will never be able to change our current practices in order to avoid future tragedies. The definition used in Hatty was extremely effective. It read, "The monster is the bodily incarnation of difference from the basic human norm; it is a deviant, and a-nomaly; it is abnormal." Viewed in this way, bystanders have little agency in preventing such a monster. While some citizens are certainly biologically predisposed to these kinds of heinous crimes, that by all means does not mean that everyone else is helpless. Culture is so focused on demonizing the male form and their endless supply of libido, or the idea of 'the outsider' with little interest in mainstream society, that they do not comprehend that these single narratives are in no way absolute.
    Take, for instance, the case of Phoebe Price, who ended her own life after being harassed and bullied by her peers. The media instantly demonized the girls who were accused, choosing to adopt the stereotypical narrative of the physically attractive girls terrorizing someone lower than themselves on the social totem pole. However, it was later discovered that in her home country, there were several account that found that Phoebe was often the one perpetrating this violence on others. What everyone failed to realize is that the two are not mutually exclusive. Neither side is 'evil' and Phoebe Prince was not able to receive the help that she so desperately needed because school officials believed that intervention was not needed. As is often the case, Phoebe was accused of being a "whore" and a "slut," adding another gendered layer to such an unfortunate case. I have included two links below further elaborating on the issues I was discussing. I could type for days and still not be able to break the surface on how or why these events occurred. All I can hope for is that more people understand that there are socio-economic, political, and social changes that can be made to prevent such tragedies from happening again.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-6202062-504083.html
http://jezebel.com/5616690/phoebe-prices-past-adds-another-layer-to-the-story

The Beauty of the Gray and Rediscovering Pleasure

    In Connell's "Making Gendered People," the social truth that one cannot exist without participating and interacting with a highly gendered society was especially striking. It is incredibly difficult to partake in nearly any activity in this country without adhering to these constructs, especially as one difference (namely reproductive) "is assumed to be reflected in a whole range of other natural differences: in strength, sexual interest, physical skills, recreational interests, character, and intellectual." These inequalities exist to such an extent that it begins to become impossible to discern how different my interests would be had these social restraints not existed. By rejecting our current dichotomy and accepting the fact that "modern Western societies distinguish five sexes (based on genitalia), three sexual orientations, five gender displays, six types of relations, and ten self-identities," our culture can begin to celebrate gender gray-areas, rather than admonish those who are not able to fill our own narrow boxes.
  Sexuality is a major area that is slow to recover from a conservative culture. The fact that are less than half as likely as men to reach orgasm during sex is one example of how women are still feeling ashamed of being sexual entities. Women are expected no have no libido whatsoever, simply relenting to a man's demands out of a feeling of duty. Men receive pleasure while women offer it to men. Their joy lies solely in the ability to please a man. These facts are obviously flexible, as ubiquitous resources allow women to rediscover their bodies. It will be interesting to see the changes in this arena in the coming decades, as sex education, birth control, and abortion are surely not topics set to be resolved in the foreseeable future, if ever.
    I apologize for the winding and convoluted nature of this blog entry. I blogged as I was re-reading the article and it's pretty easy to see where I would get frustrated. It is truly amazing to see how much of centuries-old dogma has been dredged through history and is still seemingly omnipresent in our culture.

Fiercely Feminist: An Analysis

     In Jessica's Valenti's piece, "You're A Hardcore Feminist, I Swear" her angry and explicit tone took a necessary step in dissecting and rejecting common ideas about what it is to be a feminist, while offering no apologies or passiveness for her views. By urging readers, "Don't hold back, now" in the opening paragraph, she makes her purpose obvious by addressing the veritable "elephant in the room," pointing to some of the worst insults hurled toward women and men alike, all with the intent on making the idea of femininity strictly negative. I admired her ability to seemingly spew these epithets out non-offensively, as if those intending to hurt her, both as an individual and part of a cause, are now simply shelling out empty slurs.
    Valenti is also very effective in her ability to call out those who have attempted to remain neutral on the subject. While admitting that she was once part of this group, reminiscing on thoughts such as, "Oh, there's so many kinds of feminism, how can I say I know what they're about," and the classic argument of being a "humanist" rather than a "feminist," she begins picking off the reader's doubts, pointing out the clear inadequacies of the current hierarchical structure, making it difficult for any clear-headed individual to avoid labeling themselves as a feminist. As I was reading through the article, it was so refreshing to read the words of a woman who is so unapologetic in her views. She is lewd in her language, but this conversational tone is easily accessible to young women who are still trying to discover their own identities. While the feminine ideal of remaining dainty and passive further demonizes women who make such an aggressive stance, her rallying call to all women who have felt insecure or not good enough strikes the nerves of young women. As she states, "Really, imagine how nice it would be to realize that all the stuff you've been taught that makes you feel crappy just isn't true," her use of pathos  is straight on.
    Pointing out the stigma of being a feminist, saying that "The easiest way of keeping women -- especially young women -- away from feminism is to threaten them with the ugly stick," allows Valenti to delve deeper into the heart of feminism. Although no woman wants to be labeled as a "dyke" or an "ugly bitch," Valenti poses some disheartening questions that lure the reader further into her state of mind. One of the most striking questions that she poses is, "Seriously, are things really cool the way they are when so many of us are upchucking our meals and getting raped and beat up and being paid less money than men? And being denied birth control, and being told not to have sex but be sexy, and a hundred other things that make us feel shitty?" Here, she reaches the apex of her argument, taking all of the ridiculous opinions of opponents that she offers and challenging them with her own version of reality.
   By offering young women some examples of female empowerment, minus the burning of bras or other   common misconceptions, she creates a stronger, more beautiful image of womanhood than what is currently being offered. Through the entire article I was touched by her frankness, and her ability to sway readers while being forceful yet still persuasive. I believe that this should be a necessary piece of writing for young women being inundated by the media's expectations of who they should be.

Week One: Examining Preconceptions

    Though we have yet to delve into much of the reading, the initial comments that have been made are certainly a harbinger for the feuds to come. Being that each of our identities is so strongly linked to gender, it is difficult to avoid being insulted or to feel personally attacked by certain arguments made to stamp a certain stereotype or label on what is, essentially, linked to a biological circumstance. The exercise on Thursday reinforced the idea of societal expectations, and the fact that our society became successful with the notion that certain genders were linked to certain tasks, clearly polarizes its citizens and, in the examples we discussed, limited the accomplishments of certain members. At the same time, these ideas cemented down a status quo that allowed for a clear hierarchical structure. It is interesting to note that the formalization of these ideas has developed right along with an increased sense of a stable society. It is mainly believed that in the paleolithic era, women lived with more equality than we do even in the present day.
   There are those, however, who have noticed the inequalities of this system, including many members of our own class. As our society has expanded and information has become more easily accessible, it has become clear that the facts are not so clean cut. Though society expects women to be maternal and right-brained, two X chromosomes do not guarantee these characteristics. Because "being different" is directly linked to ostracism and ridicule, women (and men) have been struggling to fit into these molds which have been being perfected for centuries. Women will put on a front that they are less intelligent, and men still view asking for help as a sign of their "feminization." Because media has become so encompassing, it has become impossible to decide whether our feelings, specifically those related to gender, are a result of our natural instincts, or are a reaction to repeated attempts by society to feed their machine by urging women that they will never be good at math, or parallel parking, or any other ridiculous notion that has been passed down through innumerable generations. These stereotypes are mentally and physically detrimental to women and men, and it will be interesting to study how these ideas (singularly) were formed through philosophical, biological, and sociological spheres.