September Blog

            For my September blog, one concept I found interesting was the Standpoint theory. This theory was created by Sandra Harding and Julia Wood. This theory is how we view the world around us. It is our viewpoint, outlook, or perception. We can use the inequalities of race, gender, or class to observe how different positions on the social hierarchy lead us to create distinctive relationships. This theory is also about objectivity in society. The idea where someone falls in the social hierarchy sets the tone for how open and objective that person is. Being on the “low” end of the social ladder, you have to look up and be able to see and understand those around you. Whereas if you are at the “top” of the social ladder, you only have yourself to worry about. This theory suggests that being able to see and understand those above you leads to a more correct view of the world. Those at the top of the ladder may have a false view of the world, and their view is limited to themselves. In our society, it is typical to see or feel that while males have a falser view of the world compared to women because of their place in the social hierarchy.

            An example of Standpoint theory is seen in the movie Mean Girls. The movie starts with Cady low on the ladder. When Cady first comes to the new school, the “freaks”, Janice and Damian, who feel they understand and relate to her, welcome her in. They are open-minded and see others clearly. Cady sees everyone for their own uniqueness as well when hanging around Janice and Damian. Later on, she works her way up to the top of the ladder. Once Cady becomes the leader of the “Plastics”, she starts to become very self-centered that she only sees herself. She is out for herself and only herself. She does whatever she can to get the guy she likes, disrespects her parents by throwing a party while they are gone and doesn’t invite her very 2 first friends, Janice and Damian. Gets drunk, and tries to hook up with the boy she likes, which is something she wouldn’t have done before she was so high up on the ladder. When Cady was low on the social ladder, she cared about her friends, parents, and looked/saw others in a clear way. Once she jumped up the ladder, she only saw herself. This transformation we see of Cady is exactly what the Standpoint theory explains, that her objectivity slowly withered as she went up on the social ladder. 

            Standpoint theory is important to understand because it is often how we form our opinions on many different things, such as people, politics, and so on. With where we stand on the ladder, gives us a sense of if we have power or not and whether we are looking up to people or not. Being lower on the ladder allows us to see those who are at the top being unaware of how they only see themselves and no one else. They are full of their own power, and not a lot of people like when others are full of themselves. We often find good relationships with those who are in similar areas of the ladder to us, allowing us to create good relationships with those we can relate too.