Feminism

There was another part of that video that really punched my emotional capacity in the face.

There was a section of the video that discussed the feminist movement. The video includes words from a few big men in the media (Pat Robinson, Rush Limbaugh, I forget the others... watch the video). The general consensus from these men's message was that the feminist movement was created by ugly lesbians. Really? Ugly lesbians.

I have a problem with this. First of all, this gives the message that only women who COULD NOT attain status though sex appeal (because they don't have it apparently) would be a part of something so ridiculous and evil, which just reinforces the message that I talked about above. (e.g., the way for girls/women to attain status is through sex).

Also, this message tells girls that if they are a part of the feminist movement, they are a lesbian. And in an already largely homophobic culture this would have significant impacts on ones behavior. I am sure that truly straight women who are constantly being called a "lesbo" because they believe in women's equality would be damaged and in many cases just revert back to the norm, just like a gay man who is called a "fag" because of his behavior is damaged and in many cases just gets pushed further and further into the closet (been there).

I just find it so upsetting that the dominant, masculine culture is giving this message about the feminist movement... Considering that this is a movement to empower women and give them freedom and equality. These are things that women should have and should not be afraid from attaining. Of course the culture at large thinks differently.

It is really hard for me to hear things like this. I am a very personal person. My sister is a lesbian and she is beautiful. She is also a feminist. Fuck you media messages that make her out to be something she is not... putting a bad connotation on her living her life the way she should be (as she is, and fighting for what she believes in).

Sociology is very hard. Not just because you have to learn things, but because the things you are learning impact you on a personal level. It is hard talking in class and thinking "Oh, so this is the pointless reason that people hate women, or homosexuals, or blacks."

Now, I am going to go out on some thin ice here... I don't know many black people. This is not my fault. I just don't know many. So, black issues are not as personal to me, because it is really hard for me to attach a face to that. (I do think that any discrimination, including that against blacks is wrong. It is just not an issue that is going to make me cry, where as others do.) Discrimination against women and homosexuals is completely different. I have faces, many faces to attach to that. It is actually really hard for me to learn these topics.

It is an injustice and one that has no real REAL meaning. There are the reasons, but those reasons seem so trivial to me. This world would be a much better place if issues like this did not exist. Because discrimination makes both sides look bad.

Take male vs. female. Females end up having all the problems that I've talked about. So what about men? We are the victimizers. I have never hurt a woman as far as I know (Okay, I told Kathryn that her paisley shirt was not a good idea, but that was just me being a good friend).

We are assholes, dangerous, etc.

This is wrong. And something should be done about it. Period.

New Blog, First Post, and Misogyny in the Media

Okay, so, I am making this. It is new. This blog is not really for venting about things. Well, it is. But different things. Mainly, I want this to be about me writing about my experiences thought my newly cut back SOCIOLOGICAL LENES! That's right. Basically I am going to be writing a lot about the gender paradigm, heternomativity, hyper-masculinity, the media, and how all of this effects who we are and how we live our lives.

I'll probably also get into politics and such. Because I like that shit.

So, if you are ready to be informed, read my blog.

The past couple of days I've had significant troubles with my life, or rather with the things that I do, watch, listen too, etc. For example, I recently started listening to Lady GaGa (I am a total homo, I know). She has a good voice and some nice electronic beats floating through her music, which is appealing to myself. She is also perpetuating a very big and real problem.

Last week we watched this documentary in Sociology of Gender called "Generation M"*. It was a fantastic documentary by Dr. Thomas Keith concerning misogyny in media. There were two parts of the documentary that really stuck out to me. The first one was the idea that women gain status and are liberated though their physical attractiveness and their sexuality. We see this all the time (and this is where Lady GaGa and such women tie in). Watch some music videos on MTV. I guarantee that it won't take more than 10 minutes for you to see a woman dancing very sexually with a man, in probably little clothes. Personally, I do not have a huge issue with this. I think the human body is a beautiful thing. What I have a problem with is that young women are told that this is how to gain status. But, it gets worse.

These girls who follow what the media is feeding them gets a very different response from their immediate culture (family, peers at school, etc.). Here, they are considered and probably actively called sluts, whores, etc. The media gives them this idea that women attain status though sex, so girls do that, and then they lose respect for being a slut. They may be accepted, but they are not given status or respect. They are just a slut.

So what becomes of those girls who don't follow the social norms? Well, the documentary did not discuss this. However, I think I can make some safe assumptions here (keep in mind, these are anecdotal as far as I know. I haven't studied the literature) based on other accounts. A girl who disregards the cultural norm is deviant, and thus weird, and thus discriminated against (because that is just what we do with deviance... we fight it).

So, going back to the girls who do just go with the culture at large and try to fit into this over-sexualized behavior... it gets even worse for them. Think about it. What happens when a girl gets taken advantage of? Or raped? In many cases, one of the things that you will hear is "It is her fault. That girl worse short skirts, and she danced provocatively with guys. She gave men signals, and men cannot be blamed for acting on signals". I certainly have heard things like this before. It is not the man's fault, it is the woman's. She made herself a whore, men cannot be helped for taking advantage of that. Most or all of the blame is removed from the man and put on the girl, even though the girl didn't want the sexual advances and potentially was fighting against them**. Furthermore, this girl was most likely simply trying to fit in and attain status, just like any girl would. This is natural. The desire to fit it in natural. It is evolutionarily based in species like our own (herding species).

So essentially what is going on: girls are fed this message to be over-sexualized, if they do not align they are deviant and lose respect, and if they do align they are considered sluts and lose respect, and if anything happens to them it is their fault because of that.

How is this okay? First it puts women in a terrible position. They must make the choice between prude or whore. There really is no middle ground, as far as I can tell. As for men, we are considered mindless drones who see a pretty girl and fuck her, and it is okay (even if is not okay, it is not our fault).

Seriously? This is fucked up.

*Link to other blog, with trailer and synopsis for Generation M

**It is interesting to note that many men who rape girls actually believe that girls want it. That when a girl says "no" they really mean "yes". And this idea is perpetuated by the media as well. (Have you ever seen Gone with the Wind for example?)

I'd like to note: I do not blame individuals like Lady GaGa or Britney Spears or what have you for perpetuating these things. Because, as far as I know, they were just like every other woman. The only difference is that they actually attained status with their sexuality, and with their status came money, which gave them more status (I'll get into status and money some other time). I'm not coming down on those women. I am coming down on the fucking social structure.

Alright, time for sleeping. I'll write more about the movie later.