Comment on Nelson's post "Detroit's Image"
Well said, and I completely agree. Fortunately, there are some efforts going on to look at the positives of the city, like the "Breaking the Cycle" campaign. But for all Detroit's culture and potential, it will be very difficult to ever bring the city back to its former glory because it is essentially like building from scratch on a very large scale. Despite all the criticisms of the city, many people are optimistic about the future. There is also a small number of young people who are dedicated to studying and fixing it. Progress won't happen all at once, but steps are being taken in the right direction!
-Shelby K.
Comment on Devin's post "Feminism: My Opinon"
I've noticed the same about women and men dressing in ways that defy societal expectations. It's a shame that we judge and control the way people dress, and I hope our generation breaks this societal habit. It is true that men get more criticism for cross-dressing and wearing feminine clothes than women get for wearing "manly" clothes. It's possible that this is because mansculine is viewed as a foundation or default in our society, whereas feminine traits have negative associations. Famous quotes speak of "he who does x..." and "man must do y..." Professional clothing tends to be masculine. "Man" is the default suffix for careers: businessman, fireman, policeman. Mankind. Things that are "girly" - pink, sparkles, dresses - are viewed as infantile, while things that are "manly" are viewed as powerful. This stems, I think, from the time in our past when men possessed, protected, and provided for women & children (who, consequentially, belonged to the same category - possessions to be protected & cared for). But as a society, we are long past that, so it is time we call attention to the fact that these societal expectations around clothing & behavior no longer align with reality.
You raise a great point when you say "Just because the baby does not come out of a man's stomach doesn’t mean he is any less fit to raise and care for a child." I hope that soon it will become widely accepted that feminism should fight to correct this problem, instead of this problem being used to fight feminism. If feminism achieves its goal - "equality of the sexes" (despite what the prefix "fem" implies) - the problem of unfair custody battles will benefit.
Also, I agree that Emma Watson is a stellar example of rational, relevant feminism. To answer your question, the movement is called feminism because when it was started its only purpose was to fight for women. Now, this word is somewhat outdated. However, it is absurd for people reject the movement entirely because of the title (not that you are doing that!).
-Shelby K.
Response to a post about diversity at Groves
One of the wonderful aspects of Groves is that we have diversity in almost every sense: racial, economic, geographic, sexual orientation, political ideology, and more. But it is a valid point that just because the school contains such a range of people doesn't mean these people all interact in equal proportions. Integrations of that kind takes effort and a willingness to step out of our comfort zones, and I think students should be encouraged more by staff to do this, but unfortunaley that is a bit of a taboo topic, as the faculty wouldn't want to admit to this part of our "diversity".
-Shelby K.
Comment on the "Society Influences" discussion
Good points, Devin. The inspiration and motivation the media can provide for us is very important. I do wish that this power were more often used positively, because most of the time it seems to motivate people to go to unhealthy lengths to acheive a "perfect body", to neglect their health, close relationships, and leisure time for the sake of making money, and spending that money on expensive and basically useless products. Unfortunaly, I don't think this will change until the general population pushes for a more realistic, wholesome, and humane set of ideals. The good news is that I think this is starting to happen. Many individuals (especially celebrities) and larger corporations are campaigning - for example, Dove's Real Beauty Campaign.
- Shelby K.
Comment on Chandler's "Gender Issues" post
I agree with your point about gender difference being more due to society than genetics. However, I think that often differences among people based on family genes are sometimes equated with differences between men and women that are directly caused by gender. My life is, in a way, a great social experiment related to this issue because I have a twin brother. I've always found it interesting how people react to our personalities. Both of us are not highly attached to our phones and like having our alone time. We are both busy people who like to be present and focused. Because of this, we both get irritated when our inconsistency in responding to texts and phone calls is misinterpreted as animosity, indifference, and annoyance. My brother and his girlfriend have had several arguments because he isn't "good with his phone", which makes her feel like he's not interested in her anymore. My parents laugh about this with friends, calling it such a "typical relationship" and Ben such a "typical guy" and his girlfriend such a "typical girl". On the flip side, I've had this same issue with nearly every guy I've dated, and then my family has no comment, but rather worried glances and warnings that this guy might be crazy. Why is it that the same behavior - actually less extreme in my situation - is "typical" for a girl but worrisome for a boy?
- Shelby K.
No comments:
Post a Comment