Thought at the end

It was funny how for the first questions, I pretty much said the same thing. However, this time I used "proper language" such as ideology, unbalance, superior vs inferior, etc. Also, I find that feminism do not only fight for women's right, but for all human's right. I thought that all feminists were only women, but I was wrong...conception and reality is two different thing.
I believe, I am moving slowly, but smartly towards being a feminist...maybe I am already, but I am not totally award of it. The only problem is I never know when to be a lowed ally or a quiet one, I will figure this out with time, I guess.
Coming back to the questions, I was laughing when I read the number 2 in first paper, I first thought that the US represent fairness, equal opportunity and equality for all, but after this class and all that we had read and study, I changed my opinion. For the other questions, I believed it is pretty much the same.   

Demand Rwanda cease all support for M23 and remove Rwandan troops from Congo.

We're at 2,050/25,000 signatures right now - PLEASE HELP!

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/demand-rwanda-cease-all-support-m23-and-remove-rwandan-troops-congo/JmYRbzJ8

Ally by Ayvazian

Ideology and Media

Ideology AND Media

When I was back home, I had an instructor who called television "L'enfer vision," literally translated in English it is "the vision of hell." His religion forbid their members to watch television, just because of message it portrait. When I was little, I was really septic about his ideology ( ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture.)But when I see what is on TV this day, I wonder... I was chocked when I saw one day ON TV the number of young teenagers girl who accept to get pregnant so they can become famous. Either the intention was purely educative or not, that life style is becoming or it is already unfortunately, the ideology of many Americans family.

      

                                                                                                   
          

                      

Election Day

Election Day

I am a little jealous about those who had the opportunity to vote today :( but it is ok, I will one day.
I went to a bar in Attleboro, man it was quiet for a long time. But as soon as the numbers started to be up and the suspense started...OH MY GOD it was something else. It was funny because in the beginning we were all mix up (President Obama and Mr. Romney team all sitting together). Little by little during the result people started to shift and separate. One side (Mr. Romney team) was happy in the beginning and made so much comments to president Obama team. As the results was coming up the quiet side (President Obama team) started to talk louder and louder. It was funny to wash.

I am just glad that President Obama will have the opportunity to continue his work and make it better and clean up what is to be cleaned up. Particularly foreign (international) law and policies...my people are dying right now. Other than that Congrats to the Re-elected president Obama and Good luck to Mr. Romney.

PS: I will never be 100% ok with president Obama method, but I will  make it work for me.

        

JUST SAW THIS AND I WANTED TO POST IT. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY...

Sex Positive

I understand that people have open door to communication about sex; Less taboo. But I don't believe that pornography have to be expose to children. Those discussion have to be done in a "positive and healthy way," not like it is done right now.

 

Cinderella ate my daughter

Argument, Reflection, and Point of view

I don't want to be that obvious, but I am a black women (girl...whatever). I washed all the Disney princesses movies when I was growing up. Because I was the only one girl in my family with three boys, my parents wanted me to be comfortable playing with the guys, but in the same time they did not want me to forget that I was a girl and from time to time I was suppose to be girly. My parents figured out really early that I was not a girly girl (NO PINK, NO PUFFY PRINCESSY DRESSES...NONE OF THAT) and I am pretty sure my mom was a little disappointing by that. I am not going to lye, I loved washing Cinderella, sleeping beauty, snow white, and all those wonderful  "fantasist" movies, but in the same time it did not help me. Me, as a black little girl, I grow up feeling left out; my skin was not light enough, my hair was not good enough pretty enough to be in a beautiful princess head. Even though I grow up liking those beautiful fantasy girl/women, I did not relate to any of them and for a little girl, it is confusing. 
I do not blame my parents for that, there were not really much choice at the time. I am glad that I am the person that I am today and I feel really confident to say that I will prefer not showing those "Disney princesses movies" to my future children. I believe those movies have a negative point of views, women have to wait on "prince charming" to save them or the day, a certain type of women are considerate beautiful/ princesses (size zero, if that is possible), for women to be happy they always have to find that particular prince charming. also what a pressure to pit on a man. 

I was chocked and curious 

      

"Do not let your self-worth be defined by bullies...the cruel words of one are nothing compare to the shout of many"  Jennifer Linvingston

What Are Little Boys Made of?

                             

  "When they say boys will be boys, they mean boys will be uncivilized animals."  Kimmel

Argument

"Gurian adroitly point out the nearly unbearably pressure on young boys to conform, to resort to violence to solve problems, to disrupt classroom decorum. But he thinks it's entirely due to biology-not peer culture, media violence, or parental influence. And Biddulph agrees: 'Testosterone equals vitality,' he writes  All we have to do is 'honor it and steer it into healthy direction." (157)

By reading this i realized that both, Gurian and Biddulph, are contradicting each other. They are both saying that the environment is not in any case responsible for the boys/men violence behaviors, but biology (testosterone) is. While continuing reading the article, they said, "All we have to do is 'honor it and steer it into healthy direction." I laugh because when you steer something/someone into a healthy direction, it means that you are influencing/modeling it/him/her into something/someone else. It also mean that the environment has an important influence on it/him/her change and/or behavior. Of cause testosterone has a big influence on boys, but that is not the only aspect that pushes them to violence. Which bring us to the feminism, they wants to change the traditional "boys mentality;" (boys don't cry, boys must be strong, boys fight...). Here is a quote

"Feminism encourages men-and their sons-to be more emotionally open and expressive, to develop emphatic skills, and to channel emotional outbursts away from violence." (159)

By disregarding Gurian and Biddulph theory of only testosterone equal violence in boys, The author said that by being openly emotional and understand their pain, boys will learn to be less violent and compassionate toward themselves and others. 

                                   

       Why is the first image is more acceptable than the second picture??? 

ANOTHER ONE GONE SO YOUNG 

STOP THE BULLYING

AND 

CARE FOR A SECOND

JOHNS/FRYE

Oppression by Frye

In her article Frye said "oppressing is oppression to those who oppress as well as to the oppress." The society were I grow up is a more dominate by masculinity than femininity. Men are to be strong, providers, protectors, the head of the household etc. Mostly do not act womanly; no crying, no girly attitude, brief men are not to be feminine. That is how I grow up, I believe that it is in oppression against themselves too. Can you imagine how hard it is to stop yourself from crying because something is hurting you. It is more hurtful that cry and forget about it. They oppress themselves physically and emotionally to get to that point.
And for women, she compare a men and a women sexual behavior in this society; if a man has multiple sexual partner, it is a good thing. But if a women behave the same way as a men, she is label as a prostitute (to use a proper name). It is a double standard and an oppression against women.   


Just see how men always cry alone or if it is in from of people, they have to say "I AM SORRY." It is not a crime!!!

  

EVENT #2: RACE AGAINST RACISM

I am so happy that I volunteer on Oct 7,2012 RACE AGAINST RACISM. I was an honor and a pleasure to assist at such an event. The race started at nine am at Woonsocket World War II memorial Park, but I had to get there at eight am to meet with Jamel Lee (the intern from Rhode Island College). I contacted Jamel because he is working for the Lady who organised the race this year. When I got there, they were a lot of people registering already to race. 
(At the right Jamel in a blue hat and underneath the starting spot of the race.)  
                                                                                                                                                             
I was please to see so many people; not only black, but many whites, some Asian, Spanish, old, young, kids, one baby in his stroller while the father was pushing it and so much more.       This event represent so much for many people, RACISM still exist and it is a feminist issue. As I study in the Women study class, it is a fight for tolerance, acceptation, and equality for all. This race is the definition of freedom and recognition that some people care and are tired of it too. As the suffragist did so long ago, this race is another way for protesting against RACISM and what it stand for.               
In that race I saw CEO and vise president of companies running nest to high school kids and people sheering along the way. It was also breaking the barrier of Social status; no rich, no poor...just people running for a common goals: "STOPPING THIS INJUSTICE AGAINST RACES." It is not fair to stay quiet when against any injustice. 
                                        (My spot: to help runner) 

                  (Second runner passing me by)

                 (the first group coming)

                 (another group)

                   (rids and friends)

 (the mom, dad, and the baby in the stroller. The lady and her two boys where there to cheer the runner. The love in the house               
                          in that corner)

 (those 2 groups were the loudest one: they were having so much fun)

                (the finish and refreshing spot)

                (security first of cause !!!!)


                                      

Anzaldua,"La conciencia de la mestiza: Toward a new conciseness."

Reflection
I am definitely not an "mestiza*" as the author Gloria Anzaldua descried herself, but by reading this text "La conciencia de la mestiza: Toward a new conciseness." She said, "the new mestiza copes by developing a tolerance for contradiction, tolerance for ambiguity. she learns to be an Indian in Mexican culture, to be Mexican from Anglo point of view. She learns to juggles culture. she has a plural personality, she operates in a pluralistic mode-nothing is trust out, the good the bad and the ugly, nothing rejected, nothing abandoned. Not only does she sustain contradiction, she turns the ambivalence into something else.."

What I understood with this quote is, for every person living in this world (as we learn in class) fitting in is the most important thing. So to fit in we (as people) have to learn the "Norms" of the society we are in. Which bring me back to social class. To be accepted and welcome in any groups, culture, race,... we need to know the "book code." The book is a pass to all the doors in front of us. For the Mestiza, because of their past history, they have to make more effort, swallow their pain & pride to just fit in. They can not accept one culture and reject the other just because it will be easier and accepted for the "privileged" people, but they have to juggle both or multiple culture. At the end, I feel like, they become chameleon and most of the time lost without any knowledge of who you really are.

I am so tired of seeing people who are "different" making so much effort to just fit in; the LGBTQ community have to "come out" as if the straights even come out of something; the "culturally poor" have to work harder to be in the same circle as the "culturally rich," women has to constantly fight for their right ... YOU KNOW WHAT? BEING DIFFERENT IS A WONDERFUL PRIVILEGED...AT LEAST I DO NOT PUT MYSELF IN A SMALL BOX.
Even though, I will not accept John Frye idea of "Privileged" people as better than anybody else, I believe that those who only look up their nose at those who have less than them made the effort of braking that social class boxes, Mestiza and others will be much better.
If that never happened, I will patiently way for the idea of Gloria Anzaldua; "the future will belong to the mestiza. Because the future depends on the breaking down of paradigms, it depends on the straddling of two or more cultures. By creating a new mythos- that is, a change in the way we perceive reality, the way we see ourselves and the ways we behave- la mestiza creates a consciousness."

         


*Metiza : a woman of racially mixed ancestry, especially, in Latin America, of mixed American Indian and European ancestry or, in the Philippines, of mixed native and foreign ancestry. 
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mestiza

"Compulsion heterosexuality" and "Lesbian existence"

I am sorry, but this article was a really hard to read and understand. I do not know if everyone got it, but I will try to something about it.
From what I understood the author was making a comparison between the norms of heterosexuality women and the place of lesbians in the society.
She said that even though homosexuality among women existed for a long time, many scholars were not willing to talk or to write about it. Even when they were studying the "lesbian phenomena," they (scholar men) were more focus on making that image of a women as a home care lesbian were badly treated or tortured by the medical profession in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Adrienne Rich wrote: "Women have become the consumer victims of various cures, therapies, and normative judgments in differences period (including the prescription to middle-class women to embody and preserve the sacredness of the home-the 'scientific' romanticization of the home itself ). That for me put women in a box. She continues by adding information about the old time: "The ironic title For Her Own Good might have referred first and foremost the economic imperative heterosexuality and marriage and to the sanctions imposed against single women and widows-both of whom have been and still are viewed as deviant. Yet in this often enlightening Marxist feminist overview of male prescriptions for female sanity and health the economics of prescriptive heterosexuality." For a long period of time, women had no power over their own money or properties. A women was suppose to be married and everything was on her husband name which made it difficult for single women and widows...they had no power. Now a day, with the work of many suffrage and feminist movement, women have a place in this society. Women in general (heterosexual and homosexual) are placed in powerful offices and they have the power/opportunity to move opinion around. We this economical freedom for women in general, especially for lesbian who were persecuted for not being in to the society "norm," were able to be as free as they are today. Again it is about people you know.      

EVENT #1

                                                      
                                                        Fist Event: Visit to the Youth Pride

•                                                       743 Westminster Street Providence, RI 02903                                               
•                                                                  401.421.5626      info@youthprideri.org                                                                            
•                                                                                                                                                                  

1. Describe the event(s) in detail. Your post should be no fewer than 750 word but may be much longer if needed.
    * I was welcome for a tour at the Youth Pride building by Saron Vongsavanj, one of the HIV prevention      
       help educator and staff member. He helps a lot with the tours, organisation, information such as  
       organizing health education session especially on safe sex; changing condoms in bathrooms so everyone
       can have new ones.






* He talked about support group for the everyone, but he specifically said that members are between the age of 13 to 23. He said that they want to offer a safe and welcoming place for everyone. They want them to feel free to express their identity honestly and the support group usually help to break the ice so young can feel better about themselves and with others.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                         
*I asked him if the Youth Pride help their member with school payment, he said they contact people for scholarship opportunities and make them available for the member to see and apply. They have support from around the world and many local companies.
 *The events (cooking lesson, HIV programs, YPI DOL,) calendar for the month and the year. Saron said they are very organized in what have to be done and when is it going to be done.  



*And they have the food Pantry sponsored mostly by RI food bank. It is a place where people in need can came and take food for a certain amount of time (for a week, or four days, or three days). Saron said that it only by appointment and the keep track of the food donation. It is done one a week and it is done by volunteers (mostly members and students).  

                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                       


                                                           




2) Make connections to three course readings and themes to help you analyze the events. What does this event have to do with feminism as we have discussed it in class?
     *The Youth Pride remind me of the suffrage's fight for the women's right. Now they are fighting for the right for  
       marriage and the right to be who they are. They have made a major step forward, it least today they have places to 
       go and feel free to express themselves the way they want. Women today can vote and they opinion matter 
       immensely during election time, it was not easy to get there and we (women) still have a long way to go the same 
       way the gays, lesbians, transgender...have.

3) Include pictures and links to at least three external web resources to help explain the meaning of this event.

     743 Westminster Street Providence, RI 02903

•             401.421.5626      
• info@youthprideri.org

    http://www.youthprideri.org/

*Outside sources to see how others are doing it.
   Office of Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Life at Emory University

www.unitedwayatlanta.org
The United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta

www.chriskids.org/programsRainbow.htm
The CHRIS Rainbow Program

Project South
Project South seeks to eliminate oppression by education and action.

The Atlanta Pride Committee

Georgia Safe Schools Coalition

   

I used to live in a cloud: "Economic inequity a feminist issue?"

We like to think that we are all equal or if we "fight" for it we will all be one day. I don't believe in total equality in this world: people to people, men and women, rich and poor etc. I believe there will always be a CEO, who makes more money then the cleaning (man or lady) who clean the office at night. There will always be that idea of men have to make more money that women. There will never be 100% of the population becoming rich.    

I am not septic, I am realistic, there will always be one person who have less then the other. But I do believe in RESPECT. No matter how much or how little someone has, respect from one another will always be the key to advancement. I think, poverty in any aspect; economic, educational, mental etc, takes away respect for yourself and from others. 

So the question is; "Is Economic inequity a feminist issue?" YES, it is. Because we, as human being, always want to  have more then others, we sometimes tend to even walk over others to get what we want "Money." As we all know money equal Power and for most people in power looking down and abusing their power on those who have less is usually common. They always fine a way to take even the fewer the less privilege receive. As I am starting to understand, one of the aspect of  feminism is to fight against injustice and I believe, PEOPLE LIKE US exposing this unfairness to the world to see is a good step. With the CENTER FOR WORKING- CLASS STUDIES school people can at list find in information on how to fight injustice and regain their respect.  

Nancy M.

      

Something to think about

Thank God we are all different and have different mind & point of view. Which brings me to the speech the ex-president of the United States, Bill Clinton, gave on September 05, 2012 at the Democratic National Convention, he said:" `We're all in this together' is a far better philosophy than `You're on your own.'---It turns out that advancing equal opportunity and economic empowerment is both morally right and good economics. Why? Because poverty,discrimination, and ignorance restrict growth. When you stifle human potential, when you don't invest in new ideas, it doesn't just cut off the people who are affected.It hurts us all." 

Those works were so profound to me because I did not took/understood it only for the economical advancement in this country, but also as unification of the people. 


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/09/05/transcript-bill-clinton-speech-at-dnc/#ixzz260Zcw58l

I do not understand this logic

After watching the movie about the role the suffragists had in the United States, I was surprised to see how women had to fight so hard for their right to vote...I did not know it took so many years. It made me proud to see how women could organised and accomplished such an important mission, but my joy was short because among the suffragists, they were many who did not included the other race such as "colored" women (as they were calling them). I was chocked that the African american women were able to vote in 1920,but  because of the price poll taxes the did not vote.