Question O: Future

I think that all of what I’ve learned over the past few weeks are issues that need to be addressed by more members of society. I think something that I can realistically do is talk to those around me, friends/family/co-workers etc., and open their eyes to the importance of the –ism’s that I’ve learned. I agree with what Johnson states in the book “A key to the continued existence of every system of privilege is unawareness, because privilege contradicts so many basic human values that it invariably arouses opposition when people know about it.” If everyone can spread that there are many issues of oppression, privilege and misogyny still today and try to push change then I think that’d be a solid start for something to do. I think to affect the people in my sphere of influence I need to show my passion for what I’m talking about and provide solid examples that still exist today. I think if people in our culture can stand up for what is right and speak up when they see a form oppression then that would also help with the effort to end a lot of negativity out there in the world today. 

Quick Blog Post #6 Age Segregation

In my social life I encounter people of all different ages but the age group that I see and talk to the least is the elderly. I still talk to younger kids and try giving them advice and what not but the elderly I definitely don’t see as much now that I’m at school. I do wish I had more interactions with elderly people, my moms parents have both passed away so I only have my dad’s parents as my elderly family. I don’t see them all that much just holidays really because they live kind of far away which is unfortunate. I agree that society is segregated based on age and a lot of adults would rather speak with another adult than someone younger. Adults don’t really trust kids all that much and I think have better conversations with each other due to interests etc. so that’s why they typically tend to talk to people in the same age group. Young adults and middle-age adults are advantaged/privileged due to their age because they are viewed as in their “prime period” of life. They are supposed to be at their smartest, and strongest stage of life and its kind of viewed as the desired age range. I think that when people my age work at nursing homes, do big brother/big sister programs, that kind of stuff helps integrate people of all ages. I think that people in our society are realizing that everyone deserves respect regardless of the persons age, and personally I think that our elders deserve the most respect because they are the wisest and have dealt with the most over their life period. 

Question N: Activism

I think in order to be a good activist you need to be extremely passionate for whatever it is you are fighting for and believe every word your saying so that people can see how much truth there is to what you are saying. To be a good activist you need to persevere and not back out if the fight gets to hard, stand strong. I think two strong qualities that I can identify with good activism are commitment and persistence. You need to commit to what you are battling and constantly be trying to reach that goal, not saying no for an answer and never say never. Activists fight because they want change in whatever they are fighting for. I think that my favorite activist would have to be Martin Luther King Jr. He is someone that died fighting for what he believed in, he saw the need for change in the world and wanted equality. I think he’s the most famous civil-rights activist and deservedly so. You could just hear it in his voice during his speeches how much he wanted change and showed that he wouldn’t give up no matter what. That is a true great activist.

Question M: Ageism

Robert Butler defines ageism as “A process of systematic stereotyping of and discrimination against people because they are old…” I never really had heard to this term before but I definitely see this in our society everyday. People in our culture think that elders are weak, frail, forgetful etc. and these characteristics definitely aren’t the case with all elders. Some older people can do things on their own and some older people need assistance but why do we view them as a burden on us? Everyone gets old so why would we discriminate someone just because of his or her age. It doesn’t make much sense to me. These are our societies oldest people that have lived through the many major events and have seen so many different things so why not take their wisdom rather then view them as a burden. I think ageism has developed more and more over the years because our youth today don’t spend much time with elderly people. I know in past centuries people would always see and talk with elders because communication used to be a key aspect in society but now with cars, phones, tv’s etc. people don’t need to be out socializing to stay entertained. The wisdom from our elders is basically being lost because there’s no one there to even listen. We not only owe these elders but we also owe ourselves to listen and dissect their knowledge because I can almost guarantee you will feel enlightened. I don’t consider myself an ageist because I’d like to think I respect older people and take time to listen to them and the stories they have from all that they’ve experienced during their lifetime. No use discriminating against these fascinating people that have lived through so much history, show them the respect they deserve. 

Quick Blog Post #5 Pornography

I read the article “Stop Porn Culture!” and I agree with some of the stuff in the article but I also disagree with some stuff too. In the beginning it says “Do you ever feel overwhelmed by pornography?” No, I definitely don’t, I know if I wanted to find porn I could definitely go online or walk into a store and grab a Playboy or something but its never jumping out at me in my daily life. I agree that there’s an issue with the hardcore material that is both “move overtly cruel toward women and more widely accepted than ever.” The fact that the porn industry is turning into something that degrades women more then before is kind of scary because it already portrays women as sexual objects and with a “hardcore” style that doesn’t make it sound any better. I think that porn culture is bad for young boys especially because it gives them a preconceived notion that porn may not only be ok but that the way women are treated in the videos is ok and something needs to be changed in that facet. I agree with the feminist critique of pornography because a lot of women singing up to be in the porn culture agree to being degraded and stuff and I’m not really sure if they would honestly continue with that career choice if they sat back and thought what image it was putting out there for women. 

Question L: Gimp

This video on the Gimp Project was outstanding, I had never previously heard about this and I’m really glad I got to watch it.(www.thegimpproject.com) I never really thought about how someone disabled could dance or if they even did and the gimp project allows everyone to be able to dance. One of the more fascinating scenes in the short movie clip was when the woman missing her legs was dancing with a man and it was them basically like dancing/climbing cloth coming from the ceiling. I thought this was a really beautiful style of dance and it was amazing that someone with a disability such as missing her legs could still do this and make it look basically effortless. This scene shows me that people still shouldn’t be judged and restricted based on their appearance. Give someone an opportunity and see what they can do before you try restricting them, I have to sit back and ask myself, what would I do if someone tried telling me I couldn’t do something solely based on my disability? I know I’d try show people up and show that I could still do anything regardless of the disability.

I think this piece addresses the issues of ableism because it shows that regardless of disabilities, people can still do things if they try to do it. There is no need to discriminate for any reason but especially based on disabilities. The performances in this video such as the dancing shows that there should be no such thing as ableism because everyone is capable of doing something just in their own way, I think that’s an extremely progressive way of thinking and I wish everyone saw all the –ism’s in this sort of light.

In Willie V. Bryan’s article “Struggle for Freedom” there’s a section on lack of concern and I think it’s crazy how Congress doesn’t do anything to really help people with disabilities. People should be given an opportunity to work a job and not be judged because of a disability and I agree with Willie Bryan when he says that Congress needs to help more with that. 

Question K: "Trans Woman Manifesto"

I'm someone that never really knew all that much about trans gender women before reading the article "Trans Woman Manifesto" and watching the movie "Beautiful Daughters". They both really opened my eyes to what trans gender women have to go through on a daily basis. In the article, it states what the term transphobia means and I had never heard of this term before, the definition is:"An irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against people whose gendered identities, appearances, or behaviors deviate from societal norms." I think many people in our society today struggle with transphobia and it isn't right at all. People, the media especially, ridicule and despise trans gender women because they aren't viewed as "natural". I think this is crazy and its another topic that i'd never really thought about before, why are they any differen't? why can't they be treated the same? This just shows how people in the world still constantly judge someone based on image and that's something that I hope gets fixed somehow, someday. I think that everyone needs to join together as allies to help fight all of this disrespect that gets thrown at trans genders. Why allow people to look at trans genders as "reasearch subjects"? That's not right and everyone should stand up for that I think.