blog post #3

Gillian White
10/24/17
Blog post #3


A concept that really stood out to me in lecture and in the chapter 11 reading was the pressure of surveillance and how we behave when we perceive that we are being watched. The concept of a panopticon really intrigued me into how we behave when we are watched or think we are under constant supervision. A panopticon is a type of prison that is circular in shape and has no doors to the cells. In the middle of said prison is a tower with limited windows were the guards are, supposedly watching the prisoners around the clock. With the prisoners assuming they are under constant watch and are vulnerable to any consequences they behave accordingly. This concept is important for us to recognize because it allows us to open our eyes and be aware of the surveillance that may or may not be on us.
An example of an everyday panopticon is technology has more access than we think. It is said that technology tracks our moves and can potentially be listening into our conversations. A big notion is that our computer's camera can be in use even when we believe the camera is off. Now that this concept is becoming a well known thing, people have been putting stickers over their cameras when it is not in use, just to be safe. In this day in age technology has so much access and surveillance that we must be aware of the potential threats and behave accordingly so we don't get in trouble from a greater force.
This topic is very important for us to learn and study because without this information we can keep living day to day making mistakes and not realize that there may be someone watching us and ready to proceed with consequences. If we turn a blind eye we may end up in a sticky situation and be in a virtual panopticon.

October Blog Post

“Killing all of the fears inside me became an obsession. It became a way for me to dare myself into not being the little boy I still was and prepare myself to one day become a man.” –Carlos Andres Gomez, Fear: Beneath the Façade

“A lot of people told me I couldn’t be a boy and soft, a boy and not masculine.” –Carlos Andres Gomez, How Poetry Can Help Fight Gender Inequality

            Being a “boy” or “girl” in any country can be extremely hard. All different cultures have their own societally constructed definitions of both. In a country like America, where white male privilege is alive and well, there are very specific qualifications as to what it is to be a man. A man must be powerful, brave, strong, tough, show little emotion, be good at sports, be advanced in construction or destruction of either building materials or financial assets, and be a provider for his family. A man must do all things on his own and rarely ask for help while being not scared of anything.

Body type is another socially constructed gender quality. Men should be strong and fit to be considered healthy. Strong and fit men must be better at athletics, building things, and lifting all the pretty ladies. It is common to see male greetings that consist of mock fights such as punching each other or wrestling; Little hidden messages that show males are not afraid to take on other males because they want to be seen as strong and superior, even over males. Scrawny males are only considered attractive if they have something else to bring to the table such as a great mind that can make a lot of money. Otherwise, skinny males are considered more feminine, weak, and geeky.

Emotions in America, are also seen as being incredibly feminine. You do not see men cry, or if you do, you might feel weird about it. In both the chapter from Carlos Andres Gomez’s book and the article about him, we see snippets of how from a young age, he knew he couldn’t fear anything and felt a strong need to excel in basketball to be considered a man in his father’s eyes.

In this past week’s episode of the Big Bang Theory, Howard and Bernadette find out that they are having a baby boy. Howard is scared because he doesn’t know how to do any “man” things such as play sports. His wife makes a joke about how he is small like a baby. His friends even make jokes about how he doesn’t know any manly activities and how Bernadette, who is known as being bossy on the show, and Penny, who grew up strong on a farm, would be good masculine figures to Howard’s baby boy. All comments from our culture’s socially constructed definitions of gender.

Link of that doesn't work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVAihT1vBU8

It is important to study social constructions of gender because it helps us to question and change the definitions. Even though these gender beliefs remain strong in many Americans, times are very different. My nephew loves to get his nails painted and will play Barbie’s with his sister but he is also obsessed with Legos and construction. My niece wears dresses with sneakers and backwards hats while she carries around her dolls or wrestles with her brother. The struggles that Carlos Andres Gomez faced to be a man no longer exist. Expressing emotions is considered honest and relieving. Even thoughts on body shapes and sports for males has changed. “Hot nerd” was a huge fad for a while and really did open the spectrum of how men come in all different varieties, as well as women. Howard is a genius who was an astronaut and he is incredibly caring. He has a lot more to offer as a father to a son than he even realizes. His friends eventually point out things that may not fit in the constructed definition of “masculine” but are still very masculine. Every person should create their own definition of their own gender if they feel a need for a definition at all.

References

Caspani, M. (2014, December 10). How poetry can help fight gender inequality. Retrieved from World Economic Forum: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2014/12/how-poetry-can-help-fight-gender-inequality/

Davidson, J. (2017, October 17). The Big Bang Theory Having a Boy. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVAihT1vBU8

Gomez, C. A. (n.d.). Chapter 2 Fear: Beneath the Facade. Retrieved from https://blackboard.boisestate.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4900568-dt-content-rid-24073094_1/courses/1179-75912COMM1601070/Andres%20Gomez%20Fear.pdf

Blog #3

Something we recently learned about in class that I thought was significant was the controversy with the major company of Disney. As we talked about in class, Disney has been with family and kids for generations. For most kids, it was a huge part of their childhood and shaped the person they are today. I have always thought Disney has made a positive impact in shaping my childhood and my outlook on things but the discussion we had in class really made me think a lot harder about Disney and the message they are trying to convey. In an article online titled, “Thought Catalog,” by Nico Lang the controversy of Disney is further evaluated. After reading this article and having the discussion in class, I really thought about Beauty and the Beast. I had never really thought about it before but it really is a controversial  plot. First of all the beast kidnaps her and her father and tries to deny her food and water because she will not eat with him. He is abusive and she forgets about all that when she falls in love with him. Many argue that Beauty and the Beast is even a case of Stockholm Syndrome because she ends up falling in love with her kidnapper. After thinking about all these hidden messages I find it much harder to look at Beauty and the Beats the same way I did as a kid. But at the same time I also argue that Disney did not mean to convey these messages. Beauty and the Beast was one of the first Disney classics and at the time it was released many would argue that America was a much less sensitive place. People did not get offended as easily and I don't think many people were really thinking deeply about the messages in the movie, but just trying to enjoy the film. It is good that America is more sensitive now because we live in a more welcoming world but at the same time I wonder if we are being too hard on Disney. Yes a lot of their movies convey women who need men to make them happy or that women have to look a certain way but after thinking deeply into the debate I really do not think that Disney does this on purpose. I think they make the princesses look the way they do because they thought that's what would make them the most money, not because they want children to think that is how they're suppose to be. I think they made Belle fall in the love with the Beast because that's what made the most interesting plot, and I think they made men and women fall in love in all the movies because everybody likes a good love story. This begs the question that if they changed their movies to make it so people were not as offended by them, would they be even close to as popular as the movie would have been originally? Would Disney still be the great cooperation it is today and make all that money? Lastly a great point brought up in class is how hard Disney is working to change the message they convey and still be as popular as they can be. Moana did not need a man and neither did Elsa in the end. Disney is doing as much as they can to not offend people anymore but it makes you wonder if people are just looking for reasons to be mad with Disney or if Disney is actually in the wrong. I believe people are looking for reasons to be offended.

BLOG #2

     "How we see is affected by what we know and believe, and by time and place" (Ways of Seeing, Berger). This statement, when coupled with the Kent State sweatshirt image we saw in class during lecture in week 5, had a huge impact on me. What we see through our personal lens can tell us as much or more than the symbols of letters and words. I was a little girl when the Kent State massacre happened, but my parents referred to it for years so this was a subject of reverence in our home, not only for those who were killed, but for those who did the killing. It was utterly tragic because it was our National Guard doing the killing.
     Seeing the replication by Urban Outfitters of a sweatshirt, clearly with what looked like blood splatter on it, was grossly inappropriate. Culturally, as American's and perhaps in many other societies, negative images leave a bad taste in our mouths. Does it remind us of our own short comings? Does it show us of struggles others have had, that we've remained exempt from? A few years ago I ran across an add regarding childhood hunger and it had a profound impact on me. The goal was to encourage shoppers to purchase and donate canned goods for the children in the community. The unbelievable life-like image at the bottom of the grocery cart tugged at your heart strings and my guess is that no matter how dire your financial situation may have been, shoppers most likely purchased at lease one can to donate. The persuasiveness of an image in the bottom of simple shopping cart was profound. To view, click this link: https://sites.psu.edu/rclweitz/2014/10/15/rhetoric-of-a-shopping-cart/comment-page-1/
     Returning back to the Kent State sweatshirt. I found myself perplexed as to the 'why' behind it. What was the story that was being told through this recreation of something so horrific and sad? What was the rhetorical positioning desired?

Blog Post #2

Identity is a word that I always find myself struggling to define for others and even myself. In the reading Man Up by Gomez, he starts his article with the notion “Men are not allowed to be afraid.” When reading this, I caught myself discrediting the reason for why he chose to place this sentence as a starter to the discussion of identity until I was relating identity to stereotypes. I always thought identity was something we all as individuals got to define for ourselves, and how we choose to identify. Though, this is far from reality. 

            A concept we discussed in class was social construction, and how our social reality emerges through our actions. Along with impression management. Both emphasize the reasons for why we  choose to reveal certain characteristics of ourselves, how construct the world, and those around us. I found this to be very interesting because in every interaction we are developing a perception of that thing, or of that person. Stereotypes are found in the development of our everyday actions, characteristics, gender, and sexuality. 

            Color, was brought up in class discussion. Pink and Blue. Both are classified to a specific gender, usually when revealing gender. As a class we discussed why some toys are manufactured with a strict intention of who the consumer will be. When listening to reasoning’s as why there shouldn’t be sectionalized toys sections or why there should, I found that we were already losing grounds for argument. Toys and colors aren’t the reason why people find it hard to understand why some boys like Barbie’s, and why some girls like trucks, but because of the defining traditional history, boys and girls have regarding stereotypes. Social construction is misconstrued for those who don’t relate or can even identify with the understanding of shared assumptions about reality. Because as noted before impression management translates how our PERSOANL characteristics construct OUR world, and those around us. 

            When people say “come on, it’s 2017” I find radical intuitions for new rituals, and change in social reality. Relating this to the reading Crooked Room, in which I thought was very interesting and very enlightening, lead me to the distinction of standpoint theory. People are very aware of major changes in the United States, whether that be individual rites, laws, or ideologies. Marginalized, and oppressed individuals have made a huge impact in changing cultural norms, and stereotypes. Identification has become less than official papers, or what letter is capitalized at the bottom of your license, but rather recognition of self-actualization.

Blog #1

"Hearing is a physiological experience in which sound waves vibrate our ear drums, we take hearing as a passive act, contrasted with the more active practice of listening. Listening is a practice that requires our active attention and focus, when we are listening we believe ourselves to be engaging with, and thinking carefully about the message" 

This reference in the reading stood out to me most because it framed class discussions, along with a particular in-class activity. As a class, we essentially used yarn to visualize the process of active listening. The yarn was passed around to those who wanted to share their opinion on such topic, and was wrapped around your hand for however many seconds you spoke. This gave a clear indication of those who were active listeners, and those who chose to passively listen or to just “hear” the conversation at hand. I thought this was very interesting and fun because the topic was very controversial as it had to do with big time athletes choosing not to stand while the pledge of allegiance was being played before their game. This activity also shows what kind of speaker you are, and overall contributor to the conversations, and open discussion.

            I found myself relating to critical paradigm in that my worldviews, and my own ways of communicating didn’t line up with everyone in my group as we all had very interesting and different points and ideas towards the topic. In reference to culture where “shared meanings and assumptions that draw people together within a social context of shared power.” I learned more about a certain perspective than I had previous to the conversation, and also developed an acquired listening skill towards modes of listening.

Modes of listening is in terms of “competencies or strategies we might develop to relate to specific listening situations” in regards of this definition, and my group discussion it seemed very present that some knew more about the topic than others. In which may have led others towards a passive act of listening rather than being active and focused within the group discussion. Because of this specific context within our discussion, I believed it shaped the overall expectation of social and cultural approaches within each group member individually. From my personal understanding of the topic I chose to form a relation towards politics, and our president. This caught attention from more of my classmates as this relates to everyone living in the United States, finding a mutual spark within a historical context. 

As our conversation grew we all became more compassionate towards critical thinking, as we benefitted from engaging with one another, the discussion was accounted for by the end of the activity. Listeners and speakers within the group held one another accountable, and were open to share ideas, and beliefs.

Blog Post Two

Blog Post Two

Cultural perspective starts at an individual level. How one preserves the culture around them plays into how they “perform” in a sense. More important than how one preserve the culture around themselves is how the culture of people, aka society, preserves the individual. This can be related to an essentialist perspective “which assumes people are essentially or fundamentally, their positionalities” (Warren, Fassett 110).  This is the basis of stereotypes, an oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. When one possesses these theories, they prevent themselves from recognizing the true personality of those around them. In Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America by Melissa Harris-Perry, the idea and consequences that there are only three examples most people image of black women are discussed. Mammy, Jezebel, and Sapphire, according to Perry, are the three stereotypes for black women in today's society Mammy is considered to be the caregiver, who is desexualized, while Jezebel is over sexual, considered, as a promiscuous woman. Sapphire is stereotyped to be the loud, over aggressive black women, always causing a scene. These are especially presented in the media, and the limited number of roles for black women actresses. According to Perry

“An individual who is seen primarily as a part of a despised group losses the opportunity to experience the public recognition for which the human self-strives. Further if the group itself is misunderstood then to the extent that one is even as a part of this group, that seeing is inaccurate. Inaccurate recognition is painful not only to the psyche but also to the political self and citizen self” (Perry 38)

To simplify this, basically when someone does not recognize one’s own personality aware from the generalized group, they not are only wilted down to the stereotype, but there is no progression.

            Perry interviewed women, and discussed the truths and myths they seen within their own culture of black women. These women even agreed to the statement that there are “welfare queens” but that there are a large majority whom have worked hard to be finically independent. Their work, goes unrecognized, and their personalities are belittled to false generalization, almost making their tangible.

            To put this in a none communication term, one can look at the course our government is taking with global warming. Although there is much information and evidence that proves our climate is changing, the man with the power to stop the progression of this damage chooses to ignore the facts. Because President Trump has not expanded his previous view off climate change, he takes no new action. Since there is no action and no confirmation of the knowledge, it is almost as if there is no evidence. Just like how many black women are not on welfare, but are treated as if they are. In both cases “the political and citizen self” are damaged. When a person or idea is left in the same context as before, there is no progression. In both cases people may act on the mythical norm; that if the president takes no action for global warming, there must be no global warming, and that all black women are promiscuous, so she is too.

            There are some who embody the stereotypes of their culture, but individuals have a reasonability to acknowledge those who have broken the generalizations. The quote acknowledges that taking action on a myth norm not only stops the progression of one’s identity when they are stereotyped, but it stops the progression of culture.

Reference

Harris-Perry, Melissa V. Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America. Yale

University Press, 2013. 38. Print.

Warren, John T., and Deanna L. Fassett. "Chapter Four." Communication: A Critical/cultural

Introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2015. 110. Print.