In response to a recently read article:
I just read a post from Amanda's blog and at the end she makes a plug for the blog Gender Agenda. Because I am at work and therefore bored, I followed the link that she included to the article she recommended starting with. I enjoyed the article and I especially enjoyed the comments that followed, although I only read the first three or four before becoming a little uncomfortable. (I share my office with three other people and didn't want them to look over and not really understand what I was reading about, just see SEX everywhere.) =D So I may finish them when I am home.
This article addresses something that has always bothered and confused me, and for a long time made me think I was anti-feminist. (Don't be too mad!) I was under the impression that feminism was well-intended but misguided and sought to achieve a sort of "equality" that was in actuality much more beneficial to men than then women they hoped to be "liberating." Don't get me wrong, I am very glad to be able to vote and to be able to work in any career I choose. However, it seemed to me that the end result was that women now *have* to work--our economy has become such that it is almost impossible for a family to be supported by only one family member--to me this seems almost a form of slavery. What bothered me the most, however, was reading articles about how women should not be ashamed of stripping, having lots of random sex, etc. I was under the impression that this was one of the most important agendas of feminism: the right of every woman to act like a slut and not feel bad about it. (Sorry if this seems harsh.)
My problem with this idea did not simply come from my being a prude. (Seriously!) What bothered me was that these women seemed to think that it was crucial to the happiness of all women that they be having sex! Whether you like having sex or not, it is foolish to think that this is what we need to become equal to men. This makes us nothing if not more dependent on them and less sure of our self-worth without some man validating it for us.
This relates to my anger with the media, an anger which is not just for women but for children, too. It seems to me that under the guise of being more "open-minded" or some similar virtue, the media has been increasing the amount of explicit sex in movies and like venues. I see this simply as propaganda for the above mentioned campaign. Women see beautiful women in movies portrayed as if they wield some kind of power which is linked to their sexuality. Seducing men: what greater power can there be?
It makes me even angrier when they go after children though, particularly young girls. This is generally pretty transparently for money. This is old news now, but there was a mini-scandal in Burlington a few months ago over some snowboards Burton Mountain produced. This is the best article I could find about it now. Basically, the company released two different lines of snowboards with pictures on the bottom: "Love" which pictured Playboy models and Primo which depicts self-mutilation. I'm going to be honest and say the latter makes me even angrier although the former certainly got more press. (The annoying thing about the whole situation is how much press they got for it, and how many boards they consequently sold.) I like (sarcasm) how the article opens with a tone of surprise that such a "laidback" and "progressive" town would get so riled up about this. So, I haven't been in education that long, but I have been around children my whole life. Many of them are, sadly, very susceptible to pressure--from their peers and from the media. These snowboards are pretty cool looking to a kid. I am not even saying that they would make a kid who didn't cut him or herself start because it seemed cool. However, self-mutilation is a serious problem and it happens more than you might think. The fact that anyone could have considered this an acceptable picture actually makes me sick.
Pictures of suffering are not decorative. But maybe that's just me.
This article addresses something that has always bothered and confused me, and for a long time made me think I was anti-feminist. (Don't be too mad!) I was under the impression that feminism was well-intended but misguided and sought to achieve a sort of "equality" that was in actuality much more beneficial to men than then women they hoped to be "liberating." Don't get me wrong, I am very glad to be able to vote and to be able to work in any career I choose. However, it seemed to me that the end result was that women now *have* to work--our economy has become such that it is almost impossible for a family to be supported by only one family member--to me this seems almost a form of slavery. What bothered me the most, however, was reading articles about how women should not be ashamed of stripping, having lots of random sex, etc. I was under the impression that this was one of the most important agendas of feminism: the right of every woman to act like a slut and not feel bad about it. (Sorry if this seems harsh.)
My problem with this idea did not simply come from my being a prude. (Seriously!) What bothered me was that these women seemed to think that it was crucial to the happiness of all women that they be having sex! Whether you like having sex or not, it is foolish to think that this is what we need to become equal to men. This makes us nothing if not more dependent on them and less sure of our self-worth without some man validating it for us.
This relates to my anger with the media, an anger which is not just for women but for children, too. It seems to me that under the guise of being more "open-minded" or some similar virtue, the media has been increasing the amount of explicit sex in movies and like venues. I see this simply as propaganda for the above mentioned campaign. Women see beautiful women in movies portrayed as if they wield some kind of power which is linked to their sexuality. Seducing men: what greater power can there be?
It makes me even angrier when they go after children though, particularly young girls. This is generally pretty transparently for money. This is old news now, but there was a mini-scandal in Burlington a few months ago over some snowboards Burton Mountain produced. This is the best article I could find about it now. Basically, the company released two different lines of snowboards with pictures on the bottom: "Love" which pictured Playboy models and Primo which depicts self-mutilation. I'm going to be honest and say the latter makes me even angrier although the former certainly got more press. (The annoying thing about the whole situation is how much press they got for it, and how many boards they consequently sold.) I like (sarcasm) how the article opens with a tone of surprise that such a "laidback" and "progressive" town would get so riled up about this. So, I haven't been in education that long, but I have been around children my whole life. Many of them are, sadly, very susceptible to pressure--from their peers and from the media. These snowboards are pretty cool looking to a kid. I am not even saying that they would make a kid who didn't cut him or herself start because it seemed cool. However, self-mutilation is a serious problem and it happens more than you might think. The fact that anyone could have considered this an acceptable picture actually makes me sick.
Pictures of suffering are not decorative. But maybe that's just me.