Will Bardezbain

Ivey, Christina. Comm 160

October 28th, 2016

Blog #2

“Fear is ultimately the reason I have survived” – Andres Gomez. In this article called ‘Fear: Beneath the Façade’ Gomez is explaining how ever since his toddler years he has been afraid of nearly everything, from the dark, to needing glasses, to not having friends, even being afraid of his parents divorcing. He explains how terrified he was constantly and was living with great anxiety. He also mentions the fact that ever since he was little he has experienced and observed that whenever he got scared or another little boy around him got scared, they were told to “man up” and told to toughen up, as a way to overcome fear and exude the predominate manly persona. This here can be linked back to chapter six and relates to identity and perception, as a boy he was confused about identity because he felt scared and he perceived being a “man” was to be tough and buck up to fear. What he experienced as a child was different than what was expected of him causing him to not feel accepted into his surrounding culture. This is more of an issue that he was never explained that his ‘perception’ was failing him. He fails to realize that he actually contradicts himself in his writings by first rejecting the concept of “toughing up” and then embraces it by eventually overcoming all of his fears. I don’t think “toughing up” is necessarily a male thing exclusively, it may be expressed more outwardly but females must toughen up as well, or else we would all be living in constant fear and crying all of the time. I think it is taken out of context in the way that he is relating toughing up to a gender rather than just a motivational phrase like saying “let’s go” or “come on, you can do this”. If someone feels inadequate because they were told to toughen up and then were unable to accomplish the task being asked of them, then that also relates back to chapter six definition of social construction. It is kind of a flakey article because he is just playing a victim type of role then says that “fear, ultimately, is the reason I have survived” when in fact courage is what helped him overcome his insecurities. Now if he had been running from his fears to survive this would be a different article and he would be correct. Example being, someone sees a bear in the woods, first reaction, fear, one could simply respect the fear and run away to get away from the bear, but the bear would still remain. Or one could decide to neglect the fear and kill the bear, ultimately eliminating the fear. Which is what this author did in this article, not realizing that he in fact is an example of symbolic interactionism (also chapter six), by being told to buck up and toughen up, at first he rejected that theory, feeling inadequate, but he became tired of being afraid, in order to overcome his inadequacy, he then embraced toughness. The definition of toughness according to Dictionary.com is, strong and durable. There is no correlation between being tough and being a man. Nor that toughness is only a physical trait. The only correlation is that some people believe that toughness has to be assigned a gender role, but that is their own ‘perception’ due to lack of explanation. Some of the toughest people in the world are women, and they at some point in their lives had to be courageous and overcome fears to be that way as well. Manly to me is more of an adult reference, like “grow up”. Little kids have fears no matter the gender, if you don’t embrace growth you will remain either a little boy or a little girl. If a man is not ‘tough’ he is not ‘manly’, if a woman is not ‘tough’ she is ‘womanly’. I speak for myself when I say nobody wants a bunch of whiny, inadequate people running around because they don’t want to face their fears and grow up. So toughen up, it’s for your own best interest.

Citations

"The Definition of Toughness." Dictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.

Warren, John T., and Deanna L. Fassett. Communication: A Critical/cultural Introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2011. Print. Chapter Six. Pages 99-105.

October Post

Chase Sahlin

COM 160

October Blog Post

            Growing up I was always taught that I had to be a responsible man.  Being a man means different things to almost everybody. However, one common perception about a man is that they must be fearless. Whether it is their family, friends or strangers; they all picture the man of the family as the protector or someone who isn’t afraid of any challenge. I think this is perfectly represented from Andres Gomez in “Fear: Beneath the Façade”. He states, “Every day I watch men around me struggle with the burden of concealing their fear, like I did for so many years”. This way of thinking is wrong in many ways, but I also do agree with it to a certain extent.

            First, fear is a natural thing for humans. We will all fear something at some point in our lives, even men. What will differ from person to person is how they handle this fear. As one of my favorite actors, Charlie Day, said in a graduation speech, “You don’t have to be fearless, just don’t let fear stop you”. Fear is inevitable, but real men will embrace their fears rather than shying away from them. For example, a few years ago I had a terrible fear of public speaking. Did I stop taking communication classes to try and avoid public speaking as much as possible? No. I took a public speaking class so I could do my best to get over my fear and feel comfortable while speaking publicly. I think this is a great example as to how a man should handle his fears.

            Next, I think men shouldn’t be looked down on whether they feel fear, but I think how they handle their fear is very important. Whether it’s a father son relationship or something similar, men have a lot of people looking up to them for guidance. For example, I had always looked up to my dad for guidance my entire life. About two years ago he was diagnosed with stomach cancer and was given one year to live. My entire family was obviously terrified, but the reason we were able to get through it was the way he handled it. He always had a positive attitude no matter what was thrown at him. He handled his fear so well, even when his health was quickly declining. When he passed away it was now up to my mom, my sister and I. At the beginning, we weren’t very good at handling our fear of continuing our lives without him, but we are slowly becoming better.

            In conclusion, expecting men not to have any fear is absolutely unrealistic. Handling their fear on the other hand, is very important. Men are expected to set an example on how to handle one’s fear, which is ultimately one of the many lessons I learned from my dad. Learning how to handle your fear is a great way to improve yourself and overcome some of the most difficult challenges of your life.

October Blog Post

“Being a female soldier is always being trouble. Being a female solider is making sure not to cause trouble; to be the girl that ruins everything. Being a female solider is a built in assumption of many that you could not have done what a man has done and you could not possibly have given the same that a man gave,” (Hicks, 2011). This passage illustrates the struggle of a female solider in the military. In Dr. Hicks’ prose poetry, she explains how men view women in the military. Female soldiers are trouble, burdens, and the victim. Women in the military are marginalized and oppressed and have been treated as such since the beginning.

Before this semester I didn’t have much knowledge when it came to how women were viewed in the military. But through class discussion and readings, it became clear that women are not on the same playing field as men. This surprised me, because clearly after all of these years women and men in the military should be treated equally, right? Unfortunately this isn’t the case.

The military was originally created for white straight male soldiers, and once women were allowed to join the military, the men didn’t know what to do with them. Women were placed in roles such as cooks, secretary’s, nurses and other roles that are associated with women so they could avoid going into combat and perpetuate gender roles (Prividera & Howard, 2006). Men viewed women in the military as trouble. They were bound to get themselves captured and men would feel obligated to save a woman who got herself in trouble rather than help their other fellow soldiers. Due to this mindset, the media has also followed suit.

In 2003, Private Jessica Lynch was captured by Iraqi soldiers. After a week of being held hostage, she was rescued by a Special Ops team. During her capture the media continually referenced her small frame, her young age, her gender and her family and continually mentioned her rank as Private as an afterthought. She was represented as a fragile being, her worth being put into her femininity rather than her being a solider. Meanwhile, male soldiers were being represented as heroes, taking great care to mention their rank and strength. When she was rescued, the Special Ops team called out to her, “Jessica Lynch, were United States soldiers and were here to protect you and take you home,” and she responded “I’m an American solider too,” (Howard & Prividera, 2004). It’s as if these male soldiers forget that she too was a solider. By needing to be rescued she was fulfilling her role as a women, and her role as a solider was taken away from her. This all begs the question, if she was a man would they have said the same thing?

It is important for soldiers, civilians, and the media to realize that woman can be both woman and solider at the same time. A woman’s worth in the military is not measured by how she furthers a man’s heroic image. A female solider deserves to be treated and viewed with the same respect and opportunities as any other solider.

Sources

1. Hicks, Manda V. (2011). Making my narrative mine: Unconventional articulations of a female  solider. Qualitative Inquiry 17(5) 461- 465.                                                                                           
2.  Howard, J. W., III, & Prividera, L. C. (2004). Rescuing patriarchy or saving “Jessica Lynch”: The rhetorical construction of the American woman soldier. Women and Language, 27(2), 89-97.                                                                                                                                                     
3. Prividera, L. C. & Howard, J. W., III, (2006). Masculinity, whiteness, and the warrior hero:   Perpetuating the strategic rhetoric of U. S. nationalism and the marginalization of women. Women and Language, 29(2), 29-37.

October Blog on Amy Arellano's poem - Emma Hyyppä

I think that we have talked about some very important issues in class lately; women's rights, gender inequality, oppression and stereotyping. Amy Arellano's poems take a stand on the first one of these topics; issues that women might face. I found her poem "Mississippi Burning aka Personhood Amendments", about right to choose, very powerful and touching. 

I cry because I know

this amendment affirms

I have no

value

just an incubation tube

no incubation womb

for you

to continue civilization 

This part of the poem summarizes Arellano's poem, because it discusses how the state of Mississippi regulates abortion very strictly, and that many people view abortion as a controversial issue where going through the procedure is as bad as murdering a human. To me, the main reasons that make this poem powerful are that the author is narrating in the first person so it sounds very personal, and also that the wording is so direct. Also, the sentences are short so that makes it sound like the author is angry or yelling and that she has to take a breath after a few words. I see this poem as a very brave, strong stand on women's reproductive rights in the United States, especially in states like Mississippi where women don't have a right to choose. Arellano is not just advocating pro-choice or pro-abortion, but criticizes the laws for not individualizing women's needs and restricting women's feeling of being respected and important.

Growing up in Finland, one of the most liberal countries in the world, with a female president in the office for 12 years of my childhood (2000-2012), female rights are something that I often take for granted. I don't want to get all political here, but I personally agree with Arellano and her views about abortion being a woman's personal choice and right if they think it's the best for their own wellbeing. The most important thing that pointed out to me in my group's discussion was that the poems being so informative and factually supported, but also having so much emotion makes them interesting, even though this is an academic article. I think it is great that poems can be an effective way to educate and advocate different issues and I find it important that we discuss about these kind of topics in class. 

Arellano, A. (2013). Word Wielding Womb: Using the Body to Fight the War on Women. Cultural Studies ↔ Critical Methodologies, 15(1), 45-46.

October Blog Post

Daniel Park

Christina Ivey

10/28/16

Comm 160

            When we recently read poems from Amy Arellano, it really presented a culture that I was not really aware of. “Battles lines have been drawn in your living room” was the very first sentence in the Word Wielding Womb poem by Amy. I chose this quote because it’s the first thing you read and the language used in the poem already prepares you for the poem ahead. I chose a simple quote because of the language that is used. The certain type of language can really illustrate a picture in your head when reading poems like this. The language is also a powerful tool that can be used to explain a culture, explain a point of view, bring out emotion, and illustrate a picture.

            “Language influences thought and action. The words we use to describe things- to ourselves and others- affects how we and they think and act.” (“The Power of Language to Influence Thought and Action,” 2015). The words in the poems can help someone understand something that they had no idea of. It’s a tool used to express and influence thoughts and ideas. This can help when it comes to culture as well. Cultures are so complex and it is hard to understand them at times. Sometimes we don’t understand how language can cause certain topics and ideas to explode but it is language that can influence an idea and be used to express themselves and illuminate thoughts and ideas.

            Culture is complex but language that is used can understand culture. We use language as a tool to explain and illustrate different meanings and messages. Within culture, I have learned that there are many different meanings that can be blurred if we don’t use correct language. In the poems by Amy, the language she uses really illustrates a picture and has an influence on my ideas and thoughts. Even though I have not gone through what she has, through her language, and can get a small taste of what she’s been through, what emotions she felt, and the message she was trying to convey.

Oct. Blog Post

Blog post  

Disney has effected the lives of children all over the world. Generation after generation, children have grown up with some sort of impact by a Disney film. There are not too many people I know who didn’t have a favorite Disney movie. Disney is extremely popular and one of the biggest companies in the world. Disney for many years has produced worldwide classics, from Snow White to Frozen. After watching the documentary, in class I do see where the critics of Disney are coming from. They made good points about how some Disney scenes are offensive to the viewers. As an adult, it is easy for me to see how there could be some racism and sexism. But I feel little kids don’t know that is going on. Disney brings innocent joy and happiness to every kid that watches it. Have you ever seen a kid at Disneyland? They have a huge smile the whole time and are having the greatest time of their life. Disney teaches kids a lot of morals that the documentary didn’t credit them for. In every Disney movie, the main character has a pet that they love, it helps teaches kids to care for animals. Loyalty is another trait Disney focuses on every main character is loyal to their friends and families no matter what, such as Bell in Beauty and The Beast, who went to go save her dad. Courage is shown in  Mulan, when Mulan goes and becomes a solider to protect her families honor. Even though there are things that Disney may not being doing right doesn’t mean their movies don’t teach kids valuable lessons and values.

            Miami University of Ohio published a webpage for their Advanced Social Psychology class. The article, “Disney's Portrayal of Culture and Race in Film”, discusses something the documentary didn’t bring up. When Disney was filming Pocahontas the company wanted to make sure they respected Native American history. According to the website, “Disney sought counsel from actual decedents of Powhatan Indians as well as incorporating resources from academics, historians, and the leaders of American Indian organizations.” (“Disney's Portrayal of Culture and Race in Film”) I thought this was important information because it shows Disney does want to try to be sensitive to other groups and that they are trying to make leaps and bounds to prove that documentary wrong. Also that documentary we watched was dated, Disney made some wrongs in the past but maybe after seeing that documentary they decided to change for the better.     

            Disney is a company that I feel brings pure joy to children. I don’t feel we should stop letting kids watch Disney movies because some movies decades ago were offensive. Disney is a part of every kid’s childhood and the movies leave mark in their lives. My grandmother was close friends with Walt Disney’s daughter and my grandma has always assured he was the sweetest man to her and her family. She went to the first screening of Bambi with his daughter and at ninety-three it is one of her fondest memories. I genuinely believe it was Walt Disney’s dream to create movies and stories that would bring timeless joy to children everywhere.

Works Cited

Disney Portrayal of Culture and Race in Film. (2014, March 11). Retrieved October 28, 2016, from https://www.units.miamioh.edu/psybersite/disney/disneyculture.shtml

October Blog Post

Kevin Kelley

Christina Ivey

Comm 160

10/28/2016

Recently we read the poems of Amy Arellano and and she had quite a few powerful poems in our most recent reading. Of these poems one of the lines from Word Wielding Womb stood out to me. "That women are to be seen and not heard." This line seems even more impactful in the midst of everything that is happening currently especially in America. There was a movement recently that took place on Twitter with people posting with the hashtag to #repealthe19th. This movement is just one example of many related to the Trump campaign currently. However, there has been quite a bit of sexism floating about recently regardless. Despite women being able to vote since 1920 and women being involved in traditionally male jobs and college major, women are also still facing many challenges in today's society. In class we were able to talk about privilege and being able to use privilege to help others overcome the hardships facing them. For me, this has meant trying to be able to use my voice with those being oppressed to help them land on an even playing field and hopefully become fully equal. I personally define myself as a feminist and hope that I am able to help with what little I can do. But beyond that, this quote also shows the massive view, that is women are an object to solely be the sexual desires of a man. This can be seen in everything from video games, like in League of Legends where almost every female champion has big boobs and a perfect body (by American standards), to TV shows, where a superhero like the Black Canary in Arrow is in a skin tight leather suit for fighting, and her sister always has her boobs on display. This is a problem in that it can make young girls who see this think they have to be sexy to be seen or have to use sex to get their way. This make traits like strength, intelligence, etc. worth a lot less in the scheme of things for most women. This is a hard problem to be solved, but could be solved mainly through time dedicated to the issue, but hopefully will be solved in my lifetime, as it's already been almost a hundred years since women gained the right to vote, but women are still far from equal.

October Blog Post

"The desire for control is tempered through a desire for collaboration.  I want to maintain ownership of my experience, but I want to share it as well."

In this thought from her essay "Making My Narrative Mine: Unconventional Articulations of a Female Soldier," Dr. Manda Hicks voices contradictory desires often encountered in the social sciences, particularly the areas dealing with culture.  What is the line between appreciation and appropriation?  Is it possible to acknowledge without otherizing?  Can I recognize ethical issues within the exclusivity of the cultures to which I belong while still seeking acceptance within them?  Can I share myself while still maintaining my identity and my integrity? Is it even possible to be authentic?

From the concept of the "gold star" homosexual to forcing women to prove their legitimate interest in various "boys club" activities, exclusivity remains a prominent component of gaining acceptance within a culture, particularly a historically otherized culture.  A homosexual may feel the need to exhibit his or her commitment to homosexuality by claiming the "gold star," a term applied to homosexuals who have never had sex with a member of the opposite sex.  It is easy to see how concept of a "gold star" would gain favor.  Homosexuals are a traditionally oppressed group.  Through exhibiting a lack of sexual desire for the opposite sex, homosexuality is theoretically shown to be a "legitimate" lifestyle.   I can completely understand the need prove one's own legitimacy, but in the end, such litmus tests only serve to be exclusionary.

Culture has a very strong impact on identity.  We all want to feel inclusion and belonging.  However, the very nature of using culture to create our identity forces us to relinquish some control over our identity.  Is it ultimately possible to create our own identity while sharing it with others?  Does the creation of my identity inherently depend on difference?

I know I have written a lot of questions here, and I don't have the answers.  However, if I were to recommend a rubric with witch to judge one's own authenticity, I would have to rely on Sartre.  Sartre was a proponent of avoiding acting in what he called "bad faith."  Acting in bad faith is essentially giving up your ability to choose under the guise the decision was made my forces outside of your control.  Rather than choose which lover to stay with, a person acting in bad faith might let his or her lovers fight it out, removing that person's culpability.  Am I behaving in a certain way because of my desire for belonging or am I behaving that way because it is the way that I choose to behave?  Am I forcing someone to prove their legitimacy to prove my own?  Can I collaborate without sacrifice?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHrbeBTiO5w

October Blog Post

As a little girl, my favorite movie was Pocahontas. She was my all time favorite Disney movie princess because of her beautiful long brown hair and her dark features. Out of all the Disney movies at that time, she was the princess that was most relatable to me. The Disney documentary in class brought up numerous amounts of evidence that were valid. It highlighted that Disney has been insensitive towards race, gender, and culture.  I think the millennial generation is the most affected by Disney movies because it was at the time when the most iconic Disney movies were released. The herd instinct comes into play into this situation because millennials are afraid to admit Disney may be racist, sexist, and derogatory to minorities. No one wants to truly accept this horrible realization because the majority of this generation and generations after us love Disney movies. I think it’s important for Disney to be politically correct and to make sure they respect the cultures and accurately depict them in movies. They have such a heavy influence on children for the last twenty-thirty years and it’s important they know that. Disney does bring joy to millions of children but the amount of influence they have is frightening. According to Colombia Journalism Review (2013), Walt Disney owns multiple media companies. They own ESPN, radio stations all over the country, multiple news outlets, Disney theme parks, and TV channels. That is a lot of control Disney has over our media and is more proof they need to make sure to be politically correct at all times.

A scholar journal called  published by Towbin, Haddock, Zimmerman, Lund, and Tanner(2004) discuss how women are portrayed in Disney. They observed in multiple movies that “a woman’s value was determined by her appearance rather than her abilities or intellect” (Images of Gender, Race, Age, and Sexual Orientation in Disney Feature-Length Animated Films, p.30) I thought this was interesting because looking back on this there is a visible pattern that proves there statement. Every princess faces some sort of adversary but they face it because someone is jealous of there beauty. Movies like Beauty in the Beast, Little Mermaid, Cinderella, and Snow White are perfect examples of this. All of these movies have plots that focus on how beautiful the princesses is. Cinderella is hated by her stepfamily because she is prettier than all of them and her petite beautiful blonde self makes the prince fall madly in love with her. Ursula betrays Ariel because she is jealous of her beauty, but Eric still falls in love with her for her because of her physical attributes. This scholarly journal gives really good examples and is something you should read if a person is ready to retreat from the herd instinct mindset.         

The majority of people in my opinion have wonderful memories watching Disney movies. I think that is what makes it hard for us to accept the fact Disney is not perfect and has perceived the fairytale life in derogatory ways to all types of groups. Hopefully, our world is becoming a more accepting and respectful place and that Disney will adopt these values. I have hope that Disney is becoming a more culturally aware company and in the next years to follow will show respect to all people in this world.

Works Cited

Mia Adessa Towbin , Shelley A. Haddock , Toni Schindler Zimmerman , Lori K. Lund & Litsa Renee Tanner (2004) Images of Gender, Race, Age, and Sexual Orientation in Disney Feature-Length AnimatedFilms, Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 15:4, 19-44, DOI: 10.1300/J086v15n04_02

Who Owns What - Columbia Journalism Review. (2013, February 14). Retrieved October 28, 2016, from http://www.cjr.org/resources/?c=disney

October Blog Post - Rhian Sage

I’ll be the first to admit that I have slightly too much attachment to my phone; I scroll through hundreds of Instagram photos, blog posts, news articles, and tweets every day. However, it is not every day that I come across a photo like this:

            After my initial disgust at the “humor” of this costume, I was quickly reminded of our class discussion about cultural appropriation in the form of costumes. This particular costume does not depict the culture of a different race, religion, or ethnicity, but instead the sad reality that we have a culture of domestic violence as a norm in today’s world. Domestic violence is not always something people feel comfortable talking about, but to my surprise many people responded to this photo with some sort of opinion and criticism. On the other hand, there were also a handful of people who did not “see what was wrong it”. This is the problem we have to fix. Speaking up about often uncomfortable topics can be difficult, but there is a way to guide conversation to be opened up.

Amy Arellano is a great example of someone who is taking a stand to start the conversation surrounding this subject. After reading several of Arellano’s poems, I was left with a sense of shock but also a real recognition of the implications that often come along with being a woman. In her piece titled, Word Wielding Womb: In Response to Comments Concerning “Legitimate Rape”, Arellano writes, “That women are meant to be seen and not heard”.  This sentence stood out to me because it truly hits the nail on the head to explain what many women struggle to battle each day. Arellano uses her poetry as a way to stand up and protest this. Each of her poems are all titled with right that we assume every individual in America has but she juxtaposes these rights next to some very real, very serious personal stories about those rights being taken away. I think Arellano is successful in protesting this unacceptable culture because she chooses a stance that is not the type of protest we typically think of. Arellano makes a point to show that protest doesn’t have to come in the form of violence or outrage or large groups of people. Protest can come from the personal truth. The truth that we live in a world where women are abused and as much as we want to believe that things are equal they simply aren’t.

Although many people won’t have the chance to read her work, I am glad I had the opportunity to come across it. Our culture sometimes forgets that there is a fine line between humor and disrespect, and some things as simple as a costume on one day of the year can convey a very negative image. The hardest thing to do is be sensitive to something that you haven’t seen or experienced first hand, but by opening up conversation surrounding these issues, we can work towards creating a space where more people can be mindful to do so.