February Blog Post - Tommy Drorbaugh - ManFearPig

Tommy Drorbaugh

Com 160

Christina Ivey

February Blog Post

            The quote I’m choosing for this month’s post comes from Andres Gomez’s ‘Fear’ reading. This reading hit close to home with me because my parents have also gotten divorced and I found a lot of his stories relatable. I’m actually going to quote two parts of his readings, one at the beginning and end:

“Men are not allowed to be afraid… Men puff up their chests and curse and yell and fight and even die to avoid being called afraid, as if it were a mortal sin, the worst one of all.” (Page 1)

and

“Fear is what makes us great. It’s what makes us commit to the leap and dive in, full-bodied, and risk and dig and push.” (Page 12)

            I chose the first quote because that’s how I identified as an aspiring man when I was younger; to be tough and act like you like to fight. I did this because a lot of my friends were like that and I thought girls liked a big, tough, emotionless guy who could protect them. I wouldn’t share my feelings if it would make me look weak or sensitive about certain things. Also, I would always look to fight someone if they talked bad about me or challenged me. I would never show fear or uncertainty about anything. This identity is also a lot like how I perceived my dad being. He didn’t share his feelings much and always knew what to do when we went out places and traveled. I think a lot of young adult males feel this way and bottle up their emotions to fit the stereotype identity of being a male. However, with the rise in popularity of feminism this stereotype forced identity is becoming less oppressing on men.

           

            I chose the second quote because I relate to it a lot because of my now perceived identity and life philosophy. I learned that being scared is usually a good emotion and having emotions in general is ok. When you’re scared it’s usually because of a big life change or you’re doing something new and you’re unsure of that things outcome. Spoiler alert: every human being is scared of a change or new experience at some point in our lives and it’s ok to talk about because it’s so relatable. I learned that sharing that fear with someone can comfort you in the intimacy of not being alone. I’ve learned that it takes a real ‘man’ (or just strong person in general because women can be strong in this regard too… and even better than men at it) to express fear, you have to be strong to let someone know you feel vulnerable. I learned you can still be tough and show fear. Another plus to expressing emotions is that girls actually dig a guy who has vulnerabilities too. Overall I have learned to embrace fear in my life and now know fear usually means I’m doing the right thing and whatever is making me afraid will help me grow as a person if tackle it head on. Also, that just because I’m a man doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to be afraid. The definition of what it means to be a ‘man’ is changing and I believe it’s for the better.

February Blog Post- Tomas

Tomas Idoeta
Blog Post 2

It mentioned in the reading of The Master's Tools, "Difference between a passive be, and the active being" (pg 111). I am taking this into the subject of being an active bystander in your communities. For examples, when someone is not being treated equally, racism, or for their sex that you try to intervene. These topics a lot of times are pushed underneath the rug in a sense, because it is an awkward thing to talk about for others, or to event confront others for their mishaps. These kind of actions needs to stop, in America we need to make even more awareness for the communities inside our states, and treat these subjects of personal attacks as how it should be treated, with respect. America as a whole is afraid of conflict, and tend to avoid it as much as it can. 2016 has been a very tough year for a lot of personal attacks, and it is sickening that not much has been done to help. The article of The Master's Tools, "It is learning how to stand alone, unpopular and sometimes reviled, and how to make common cause with those others identified as outside the structures in order to define and seek a world in which we can all flourish"(pg 112). Most people have the desire to be accepted by your peers is very strong to you. This is true for young people, since their social environments like family and school are where we first learn how to "fit in" with the people around who we are surrounded by. Much of our self-image is shaped by our early formative experiences, so our perception of social success or failure during those years is a vital factor in developing our self-esteem. An argument, or a thing that I have extreme passion for is social activism. Which is defined as intentional action with the goal of bringing about social change. Always working for a change in our society, and I believe that means we need to do what is best for our society and the people who are living in it. For example, racism is set of beliefs that some people are inferior or superior to others because of their distinctive biological characteristics which are defined by race. It is a hard topic to talk about for sure makes people feel awkward, and like to avoid conflict. That is something that I have learned over the years is that the world is afraid of conflict. That if you confront someone for the wrong doing that they will usually collapse in fear of conflict. That is why "standing alone", is a major key to life, how that you sticking up for yourself, and view point can make a change on this world.

February Blog Post

Although this month’s set of readings was overall very interesting, one reading that stood out specifically and sparked many ideas and questions in my head. The piece Man Up by Andreas Gomez. This entire reading was very intriguing to me, the part of it that sparked me personally though was towards the begining (39-40) when the author list his fears. He begins by listing outside factors that scare him such as the dark, his father and monsters under the bed. But then the author begins listing internal, personal factors that scare him, things about his looks that he can not necessarily help “And how was I ever going to get a girlfriend with flat feet, headgear, braces and glasses!?!” (40). All normal things that scare people. But why? This is something I have always struggled with. Why do people judge others on factors they can’t help? Factors regarding appearance and looks. Sure you can help the way you style your hair and the clothes you wear. But people can’t help having to have braces to straighten their teeth and glasses to correct their vision. So why is it seen as a negative thing? This topic hits home for me. When I was 2 years old I dumped a steaming hot glass of tea down my chest and in turn received third degree burns covering the entirety of my chest and abdomen. Growing up this was a huge factor in my social life. I remember always finding it necessary to wear t shirt when I went swimming and not buying any shirt that was even somewhat revealing. It wasn’t a huge issue to hide my scars, until after puberty. When young people, including myself started experimenting with risky wardrobe, developing body parts, and sexual desires. I wanted so badly to be normal and I always feared rejection based on an aspect of my looks that I couldn’t help. Looking back now I realize how silly I was for thinking that the important people, the people who care and who I should surround myself with would care. But I did, I worried more than anything. Much like the author I was scared. With maturity comes acceptance for many people, but judgment and stereotyping will always happen, we discussed this in great detail in my Communication 101 course. It is important to provide support for people with low self esteem and poor body image. Everyone regardless of the external view has something they are self conscious about something, it's human nature. Looks are important not just in romantic relationships, but friendships as well, but if we can overlook the aspects that people can't help, our social community can be much healthier. This is a societal issue, an issue that has no easy solution. Although this this wasn’t the author's main purpose of writing this piece, his purpose was to shed light on society's view of masculinity and identity, this was a huge aspect of the reading that stuck with me.

A connected blog that I found very interesting can be found with this link: https://livelifegetactive.com/blog/body-image-self-esteem/

Blog Numero Dos

The concept which I am looking at for this February blog post is Barthes' Mythologies, and in particular the reading, "Toys"

The story "Toys," is a short narrative from the book 'Mythologies,' which comes from a collection of mythologies written by Roland Barthes. The myth, in essence, is an interesting look at toys from the old days in France which were made out of wood, and comparing those with modern toys that are made of other materials. Barthes' opinion is that he is discouraged by the creation of toys today. They are breakable, not long lasting, and the most important point is that the toys take away the sense of a child's want to create. Wooden toys rather, had a sense of purpose and creativity.

My example relating to the myth, 'Toys," is the difference between my house in Edinburgh and visiting my grandparents house in the north of Scotland, more commonly known as the middle of fucking nowhere. They have a grand house, lots of fields surrounding their house and an abacus or a VHS player where you can watch the first Harry Potter- HD of course. Nonetheless it really made me feel at one with nature, walking around the fields with no internet and rain slashing down can actually make me love the countryside and the simplicity of it all. Now I am sucked in to checking social media for endless hours and every 2minutes, checking who has done what, where someone has been and what they are doing. I wish I could go back to my grandparents' house, just for a weekend to hit the reset button.

I can take the idea of Toys to the kitchen and into the spare time of my day. Rather than buying ready cooked chicken, and ready made salads, I can take the time to be more creative and have more purpose with my cooking. I can buy each individual ingredient and my own seasonings to create something new and exciting, and experiment. Additionally "Toys,' has made me think about reading rather than browsing social media or watching Netflix. I'm not talking about reading a book on my phone or kindle, but rather a weighty 250 page book.

February Blog Post

February Blog Post

The quote I’ve chosen this month was from our week six reading of Andres Gomez’ Fear. I really enjoyed reading this chapter and plan on reading the entire book. This chapter was easily relatable for me as I remember fear being a characteristic of my identity as a young child, and how I too actively worked to face my fears head on and conquer them. In fact, I still do today.

A very powerful quote that stood out to me from the reading was, “And courage is never the absence or avoidance of fear- it is the deep inhalation of it- frightened, shallow breath turned in to a powerful shout or belted song note (Gomez, p.61).” To explain this quote in my own words, I believe it is saying that courage is not necessarily being brave or fearless. It is instead the idea of accepting and embracing your fears, dealing with them head on, and overcoming them with confidence. It’s saying that it is okay to be afraid of the unknown or whatever it is you fear, but instead of hiding behind this fear and letting it define you as a person, you conquer that fear by recognizing what it is you’re afraid of, and actively work to overcome it.

An example of fear that I’ve personally overcome, is being alone. I used to apply value to myself based on who and how many people I was surrounded by. If I wasn’t invited to every social function with my friends, my fear of being a loner and left out would bring on fits of anxiety. I behaved in ways that would warrant approval and likeability from my friends. In some situations, I would “dumb myself down” to fit in with certain friends. I changed who I was to fit in with different groups, because god forbid I spend time alone with myself.

After tormenting and exhausting myself for years with this mindset, I can now report that I love being alone. The time I set aside for myself, alone, has been one of the best anti-stress medications I’ve prescribed to myself. I don’t have FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) anymore, as I recognize the benefit of personal time and all that I get accomplished physically and mentally in this allotted time. Just because I miss a social event here or there, does not make me a loner. In fact, my quality of life has increased because instead of attending every party, dinner, road trip- I am able to pick and choose the events I want to attend and appreciate them more getting the most out of the experience.

Overall, the idea of facing your fears is a great motto to live by. In addition, instead of hiding behind fear and letting it define your identity, you increase your self-esteem and confidence by dissecting whatever that fear may be, and overcoming it. This is important because as you get older, fears become bigger than something like being afraid of the dark. Situations arise in life that are daunting and take courage to overcome. Having the ability to recognize challenges, or fear, and turn them in to constructive learning experiences will always yield the best results in general, and personally.

January Blog Post - Active Listening

I think my favorite sentence from this month's readings comes from the reading Between Speech and Silence: Reflections on Accountability by Ann Russo. The sentence is this: "One of the simplest, most profound, and yet consistently difficult practices that disrupts the automatic entitlement to hegemonic speech is active listening." This sentence really stuck with me because it is what I am trying to do to improve my own advocacy work. The reading demonstrates that active listening is important in several ways. One reason that active listening is so vital is because it gives marginalized individuals that space to speak and actually feel their ideas and input are contributing to the struggles they face. Active listening is also important because is allows individuals of privilege to hear criticisms of their society without also feeling "bad, excluded, or blamed." This instinct to feel blamed or "called out" is one that is strong, but by actively listening to what is being said, one has the opportunity to realize that the argument is not about them. Finally, active listening also allows us to learn about the prejudices marginalized individuals face every day, as privileged individuals do not have the ability to experience it first hand. By practicing active listening, power dynamics can also be shifted to a more equal plane.
Another resource that discusses the power of active listening when it comes to advocacy is an article from Everyday Feminism titled "The Importance of Listening as a Privileged Person Fighting for Justice" (http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/04/the-importance-of-listening-as-a-privileged-person-fighting-for-justice/). This article, written by Jamie Utt, also emphasizes how active listening by privileged individuals discontinues the silencing, denial, and neglect of individuals who have systemically been those things for generations. It allows powerful and diverse voices to speak because "no single voice can speak for every person of that identity." It also allows for open, honest, and safe discussion about important issues facing our fellow community neighbors.
I think active listening, along with action, is our best offensive tool for changing the status quo. Not only does it allow us to discover the most effective ways to fight against oppressive leadership and policies, but it allows us to learn -- both in the classroom and in life. The process of listening is one of the most valuable gifts, it is a shame more people don't take advantage of it.

January Post

Lilly Crolius

Professor Ivey

Comm 160

February 6, 2017

Ever since Luke brought up fallacies, it’s been on my mind quite frequently. Our world today is very vocal about how we are viewed as, accepted, and treated. My generation, the millennials, are especially keen on protests, picketing, and in my opinion creating unreasonably weak arguments.

The fallacy that sticks out to me the most and seems highly relevant is Red Herring, or a distraction thrown into an argument to draw attention away from the main topic. I see on the news over and over again of how certain groups and protesters are caught in a discussion or an argument and are only left with resorting to ad hominem or the genetic fallacy.

Ad hominem is the fallacy where a person starts attacking the other arguer rather than the argument. On the Australian health show Insight, a woman asked another if having a heavier weight caused health issues. Another woman, Kelli-Jean Drinkwater, piped up and stated that it was rude to assume that overweight individuals are expected to not be as healthy. She then turned to a third member who was quite thin, Breanne and asked if she was happier at her weight than before when she, too, was overweight. She responded with a yes and that losing weight was the best thing to ever happen to her. She also claimed that she felt healthier and that her fertility rate was higher and may have been abolished if she remained at an unhealthy weight. Breanne turned back to Kelli and asked her the same question- “are you happy with your weight?” Kelli then became very defensive and said it wasn’t fair of her to ask that question because she found it offensive. She then continued to claim she was being personally attacked when in fact she had initiated the first ad hominem fallacy with Breanne.

The genetic fallacy is when a person is judged by their origin. This is very common when it comes to racial and gender issues in today’s society. Many white people are deemed racist, guilty of white supremacy, and are the reason racism has gotten worse. According to the Independent Journal Review, racism has actually decreased. In 1959 the approval rates for interracial marriage was at 4% whereas in 2013 it reached a remarkable 87%. Under no circumstances is racism gone in the world, in fact it would be an amazing task if it were to ever disappear. However, I truly believe that combating the racism against non-whites by using the genetic fallacy of assuming all conservative Caucasians are fascist, racist, xenophobic, misogynistic, and against people of color isn’t the answer and to me seems like fighting fire with fire and even possibly creating hate that wasn’t even there to begin with. Calling people names is no way to have a civil discussion. The same goes for issues of gender equality. As a female who promotes treating both sexes with respect, I can honestly say that I have seen far too many males be beaten down whether it be physically or verbally just for being born a boy. Nonexistent things like the patriarchy, the wage gap, and rape culture are perpetuated by the unreasonable idea that all males fulfill that stereotype. There are sexists and racists out there, but don’t assume just because innocent people share similar genetics means they share similar morals.

No matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on, it is important to realize that attacking people due to their origins, or attacking them just to get away from the main point in an argument is very unhealthy and probably won’t solve any problems, at least long-term. Overall, a lot of the scenarios containing racism and sexism that have occurred have been cherry-picked (another fallacy; used to pick rare and slanted cases to support a claim) by both sides to make a point of their accuracy and truthfulness in politics and society today.