Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Reflections from the middle of week three - Fall 09
I think more than anything this week, I have been struck by the constant battle over Joe Wilson and whether or not he was being racist when he called Obama a liar. As a matter of fact, race has played a huge issue in commentaries this last week. For me this realization started with Serena William’s tirade during a tennis match then moved to Kanya West and his debacle at the VMAs. Oh, and yes, intermingled in this mosh pit is the unprofessional scene that Joe Wilson caused during Obama’s speech. Now, the first thing that commentators pointed out in each of these instances was race and/or some issue surrounding racism. Why? After sitting in class watching Tough Guise (again) I was reminded about how we look at race, gender, class, and sexual orientation in our country. When we think of each of those categories with think in terms of the minority identity not the majority. In other words: Black/Latino/Asian = race; gender = female; class = poor; sexual orientation = LGBT. So, why do we totally ignore the fact that white, male, str8, and wealthy = race, gender, sexual orientation, and class? Why do we also rank what should be nominal variables here as good or bad? I think Jackson Katz does an excellent job explaining how we got to this point. Our culture provides a good definition of systemic structures and dimensions of power. The next question is, “are these distributions change for the better or the worse?” I think in some cases, yes! I am surrounded by folks everyday who do not fit the stereotypical, socially constructed gender roles depicted in popular culture. Unfortunately, for the vast majority I am afraid it is getting worse. Models are getting thinner and posing in objectified and brutalized position, violence against women in film (and if real life) is more abundant than ever, and men are expected to be “tuffer” than ever. Is this what happens during war-time maybe? This is sort of my first war since I was really young during Vietnam. Is this why we are seeing these culturally defined roles magnified? I am not sure I have all the answer but maybe we can work together on them in class.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
I've been reading Erich Fromm for another class, and says that we are a Society modeled after our capitalist system. So we look at people the same way we look at houses, cars, jeans, etc. We want to get the best bang for our buck. After I read that, I saw an interview with a "Tea Party Nut", I tried to find it again, but it's gone... anyway she basically said that African Americans are not from good families and so Obama could not be fully prepared for his responsibility (bang for the buck) America tells us rich white men and pretty petite, white, blond, tan women are valuable. The rest of us aren't worth as much. This is really funny, because a lot of us spend our entire lives trying to increase our property value. Girls try not to sound too smart, stay thin, wear the right clothes, cut themselves to look young, etc. And men! They have to be straight, tough, rich, powerful, etc. all so we can trade positions and relationships with people as valuable as we perceive ourselves to be. Maybe the problem is capitalism after all.
Post a Comment