Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue

Mar. 7th, 2008 09:27 pm Oh noes! Politicals!

So words can not even begin to describe how happy I am to hear from people about the different stuff I've posted this week. It's definitely more interesting than what's been going on in my life. I particularly loved that, after spending the afternoon thinking that I should go back and clarify a lot of the stuff I posted earlier, particularly that I didn't put up the "women abandoning women" article because I think all women should vote for Hillary (definitely not) but because I was really surprised to see the concept named and addressed in that way, I am greeted by a lively and outspoken post that said many of the same things. Whoo intellectually stimulating friends... dare I say it?... for the win (oh no, I'm a product on the internet!).

( Is the whole girls being wretched to girls REALLY a girl thing? )

( Somehow I have to make this mushy? )

Getting back to the issues raised in my textbook, I think a lot of criticism and backlash came from the rest of the society insisting of viewing any sort of extremism and anomaly as being the unanimous position of the whole. This, in turn, is what spawned paranoia over what all the leaders and groups said or did or supported, for fear of how it would reflect on the whole instead of being taken as, oh, one opinion expressed by one person who's liked and respected for their other opinions. A few splinter groups and one display of symbolic purification and the rejection of constraints mostly consisting of girdles, high heels, sexist texts, housewives manuals, etc, has turned into the massive, pervasive stereotype that feminists are all bra burning lesbians. One display! Nothing was ever on fire! Somehow one "bad" friend makes the whole group look bad, tolerating daring and radical new positions implies agreement and support, etc, etc, etc.

( Doesn't anyone ever hook-up just to have a fascinating make-out session? )

Ah, controversy. And yes, I censored the cuss words, although I would argue that his verb usage is the most appropriate use of the f-bomb possible (it's not an adjective, people!). Since I don't cuss, it seems weird to just cut and paste someone else's swear words into my text, even if it is a quotation. And also because I hope that one day my mom will start peeking at this when she wants to find out what I've been up to because I generally end up re-capping all my recent posts for her anyway and if she'd already read them then we could just start talking about and discussing what I've been up to and what I've been thinking instead.

Tags: class, feminism, fred, i *heart* having so many smart friends, insecurity, masculinity, powerlessness, savage love, sometimes i think i'm deliberately contr, struggle

Current Location: dorm
Current Mood: pleased
Current Music: "Soak Up the Sun" Sheryl Crow

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Mar. 7th, 2008 11:54 am Here's What I've Been Doing in Class Today!

Well, not in actual class time- that was full of really cool presentations on our final project. I was sad because mine ran over so I couldn't say a few of the really neat facts I was saving for my conclusion and it wasn't until afterwards that the phrase "stories and statistics" occurred to me as a better way of describing the struggle and interaction among/between birth narratives and birth facts and figures.

This is actually what's been going on in the discussion board for my Feminist Perspectives class which the teacher utilizes as a way to continue discussions and probe even more in depth into issues then we do in class. Also, in acknowledgement that some students are much better at writing than speaking or feel more comfortable expressing themselves non-verbally.

This week's highlights:
Too much cute: one mother reacts against Always and its "HAVE A HAPPY PERIOD" slogan
"Hillary Clinton and the Women Abandoning Women Syndrome" written by a woman who has been much abandoned in her own life. Hints at the dynamics of threat to women, status, popularity, etc, when one figure either does too well, makes one mistake, or incurs criticism that supporters can't bear to be linked with. I.E. Why do your friends all ditch you when you something bad happens to you, even if it's not your fault?

That's all!

Tags: class, feminism, hillary clinton, look mommy here's what i did today!, the threat of failure as perceived by wo, too much cute

Current Location: library
Current Mood: bouncy
Current Music: "I'm Walking on Sunshine!"

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Feb. 6th, 2008 10:54 am Easily excitable, cause-crazy, or do I have a point?

The editor of a magazine called Salvo is going to speak at North Central's chapel service on Valentine's day. Chapel service, as a moral and spiritual authority, not as a usual campus speaker who's portrayed as presenting one opinion, perspective, radical idea or concept, etc, among many. Here are a few reasons why I'm upset over his upcoming visit, roughly listed in order of anger produced. If you don't want to take the time to read through all of them (a few of the articles are quite length) and I'll send you an e-mail giving all the quotes and attitudes I found particularly problematic. Those who know the special places that feminism, theology, and literary analysis hold in my heart will quickly understand why I think this magazine's editor is a bad choice of speaker.

Girly Men

The Media's Attack on Masculinity

by S. T. Karnick

http://www.salvomag.com/new/articles/salvo4/4karnick.php

The Trenches

True tales of students caught in the academic crossfire

by Alicia Torres, theology major at Chicago’s Loyola University

http://www.salvomag.com/new/articles/salvo2/2torres.php

The Death of Theory

For 25 years or more, the humanities have been in thrall to postmodern theory. Now its empire seems to be breaking up.

by Michael Cook

http://www.salvomag.com/new/articles/archives/academia/cook.php