Sunday, April 27, 2008

Response to Pat

Essay 3 was not the easiest piece to write.  I found at times i was simply rambling on and listing things.  I tried to give it a more personal effect by beginning with a story about seeing someone with devil horns and having a person wonder how another person could implant those in someone's head.  After that i pretty much claimed that it is a persons body and they can change it as much as they want.  They just have to live with the consequences of it.  If a procedure goes wrong or they do not like it, they have only themselves to blame.  Its a choice.  I would rather make(or not make) that choice than have a person tell me what i can or cannot do with my own body.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Response to Katie's post

In response to katie's post about the Cancer Free at 33 article,  I have to agree that it is a very moving subject to go over.  The idea of knowing that you are almost guaranteed this disease is also a very startling subject to think.  I could not imagine knowing that this would happen to me or even that the chances were high.  I was surprised with her families reaction and their lack of support.  If it were my daughter, i would support whatever decision she made.  I would not want her to go through chemo treatment or radiation when the entire ordeal could have been prevented.  And if a man marries a woman for her breasts, that says a lot about their relationship.  Whoever she marries ought to love her for who she is and not for her well...breasts...

Sunday, April 13, 2008

The article that we have to read for tomorrow titled Visibly Queer: Body technologies and sexual politics touched on a topic that i really did not know much about.  It was an issue i did not think much about.  The use of certain techniques like piercing, corsetry, scarification and branding by certain groups like West Coast leatherdykes was the type of thing that i had heard vaguely about but never given much thought.  Brandings was one that i never really knew about.  IT would be what i would call not normal but until recent years, i never really questioned why they did these things. The testimonies by actual people gave this piece a lot of weight and i thought that was important.  Overall a very interesting look at another life perspective.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

response to dana's blog

In response to dana's blog about fair/lovely, I agree that there was a time when i thought certain ethnic groups looked exactly the same.  I think that Indians and asians get this notion of light skin=dominance from their imperialist rulers.  India did not begin to get out from under the thumb of Britain until the 1950's.  It is clear that the impacts that imperialism has had on that group of people has had a lasting impact.  Hopefully with younger generations, they can be more independent and not look to the west for all of their ideals.  The west is far FAR from perfect when it comes to doing whats right...

Response

In response to Brianne's post on sunday april 6, i too was shocked about the skin bleaching.  I love how our society revere's dark skin while other cultures are trying to become more white.  It should not matter what the skin color looks like.  I agree with her and i am happy that i personally am not affected by skin color change.  I feel no need to change my skin color.  I am saddened though by the fact that some people feel lesser than simply based on the pigmentation of ones skin...I look forward to a day where peoples differences are cherished and people can be happy in their skin.

todays class about obesity

I was pretty amazed at the way the debate over Jordin Sparks went.  I could not believe that a person should not deserve to win something based on their physical appearance.  While obesity can pose serious health issues like diabetes, is the opposite side of the spectrum of being under weight that much better?  I think that it is a persons choice whether or not they wish to change their body.  As long as they are happy with the way they look and understand the risks that may come with it, then they can go for it.  Look at steroids.  People know the harmful risks that come with steroids yet professional athletes choose to take them.  I think it is their choice.  If they want serious health side effects later on in life, then they can go ahead, shoot up and be superman for a game.  

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

hair cont.

I thought about the whole hair issue..and it dawned on me that this is not a recent issue.  Being the history major i am, i realized that in ancient rome, beards were often considered barbaric..i think that the idea of having body hair is linked to being very animalistic.  Since animals are covered in fur, the idea of having more body hair than others is seen as animalistic too.  I think that this idea has carried over to modern times.  A beard is not necessarily seen as not professional.  Its the manner in which the beard is kept that makes people question the person.  If it is unkept and dirty, then it is looked down upon...if its clean cut and trimmed, it is sort of revered.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

hair

After watching the interview and going over the two readings from WebCt, i never realized how much of an impact hair could have on people. I guess i never realized this issue because my hair(for the most part) has not been unusually long. No one ever told me I had to cut my hair. The whole race and hair issue never hit me either, but that may be due to the fact that i was never really exposed to such an issue as a child. For me, its hard to understand what the big deal is with hair. I was never raised to judge people based on appearances. One would think that by this time in US society, we would be well beyond basing a persons values on the length or color of his hair.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

second paper

Yeah its 1:33 in the morning...and i have got to say that this is a difficult paper to write. I dont think it is so much what to write as it is how long i can draw it out. I decided to do the third option for the essay. So many of these issues overlap that i find it hard to simply stick to one. I chose body image but i find myself writing a lot about how the gender roles are tied to body image as well as physical abilities. All of these issues intertwine into what i see as being a larger issue. Regardless I have struggled this far so i might as well keep going to see what comes out. Maybe this will be the first paper that writes itself.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

new paper

for the new paper, i am going to write about what is normal. I think a lot of what people perceive as being normal is what they see from their parents, the people around them and the media. Children often imitate their parents and are directly affected by their peers. I think it is important that people know that just because something or someone looks different, that does not mean that they are less normal. Its also important that people dont overlook differences too. Not everyone in the world is the same and thats what makes it a great place. There is a huge differences between uncovering differences and simply making judgements based on appearances.

Freaks movie

I thought that the movie about "freaks" was very interesting and pretty revolutionary for the time. I never imagined that sex would be a widely accepted issue that people could discuss in movies..and especially between "freaks". I think that the idea of what is normal is something that has changed a great deal since this time. I believe that people that were once seen as freaks are more accepted than during the 30's but its important to understand that equality has not been reached between the two sides. People considered normal still look down upon some of the people not considered normal. Even feeling pity for someone who is not normal is just as bad as being mean to them. Hopefully people can one day simply see a person for who they are and not for what they look like. Looks can be deceiving..

Saturday, March 8, 2008

response to kates blog

Looks can be very deceiving, as seen by Sylvester Stallone. I too did not think he was as eloquent was he was and i love his movies. I pretty much grew up on Rambo and Rocky so I've gotta give the guy respect no matter what. I think that sometimes we judge people too much on their actions instead of actually getting to know that person. While this is hard with celebrities, it is not uncommon for this same thing to happen to normal people. There are a lot of people who you would think were completely brain dead that could debate you into the ground. One thing i have learned is not to judge anyone on face value. Actions dictate a lot about a person but it does not represent that person in his full self. Stallone wanted to make some money so he sold his soul and took a part he may not have agreed with. Let's not judge him on his movie career. Regardless, he did a good job. Go Rocky..."ADRIAAAAAANN!!!"
I thought our discussion today about what is normal was very interesting. I am a firm believer in a difference of opinion and interest throughout the world. Just because something is different does not mean that it is not normal. It simply means it is not normal for that person. People should be more accepting of differences, whether it be physical disabilities or simply ideas. I know of many people who are too closed minded. They could learn so much if they simply opened their thoughts and heard another perspective. I enjoy conflict. I think it makes the world turn. Despite enjoying conflict, i think i enjoy the resolution that occurs when two parties come together and make an agreement even more

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Advertising

I find that while women are the primary victims of advertising, men are also victims at times of advertising. While not as severe, men still look at magazines and are pressured to look a certain way. Most won't admit it and I certainly try not to but there is that pressure to look a certain way in order to be perceived as "attractive". Its a foolish thought to simply roll with the punches and accept the norm. Everyone is different so why should people feel a need to be like everyone else? That defeats the purpose of being an individual. the message is clear for both men and women. Be yourself and if people dont like you, you'll find someone better.

kilbourne article

I thought that the Kilbourne article we read was very interesting. I agreed with most of the article but there were parts that I felt were far fetched. I agree with her that women have been exploited in order to sell goods. It really is sad that people are impacted to heavily by the media and these magazines. These ads really portrayed women as merely being tools for trade. I thought she was rather selective with the ads she chose. I don't feel that all the ads in the world are this sexually driven. The ad of a little girl in a cherry dress was of a girl in a cherry dress. Why would you try to think of it in a sexual context? Unless there was writing that implied something sexual, it is pretty awful to think of that in a sexual way. Interpretation is the key word in these ads. Some people perceive these ads as being one thing when really they are not portraying that message.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

In response to Brianne's post about stuttering, i must say that i agree with what she is saying. It would drive me insane to not be heard as i want people to hear me. I know there are other ways to say how you feel through writing but it isnt the same as speaking what is on your mind. Sometimes it isnt what you say but how you say it. That is something i think i forget sometimes and i take for granted that i do not stutter. I dont know what i would do if i stuttered and it must take a lot of work to keep it under control.
I thought that writing this first essay was pretty difficult. It's hard to write about some part of your body because of all the memories that are tied to it. It was a personal journey for me and a big step in accepting a lot of things in life. Sometimes you put some of these memories in the back of your mind and forget them. Writing this piece brought those memories out, both good and bad. It is important to never forget your past experiences even if they are not the greatest. Those experiences are what shape and define you as a person. To forget your past is to forget yourself.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

In response to Danielle's blog, it is very true that we rush life away at times..It is hard to take the time and enjoy life because we are all so young and want to move on to the next point in our life. We want to grow up. We should be enjoying every moment that we have because you cannot get yesterday back. Time is one of the hardest things to cope with because there never is enough of it. I think that at times we need to just take a step back and enjoy the moment, even if that means not doing anything at all. I think it is important to enjoy the time that you have with your family too. Regardless of whether or not you agree with them, they still are your family...

One of the hardest things in life is becoming an orphan....enjoy every day like its the last time you'll be with them...

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Andre Breton response

I thought that Free Union by Andre Breton was interesting and thoughtprovoking. The objects and situations Andre used to describe his wife are very different compared to the normal way that people describe someone they love. I personally would not have described my wife this way, for fear of losing my bed for the night/indefinitely. It makes me wonder if he really wrote this about his wife or actually was writing about women in a more general sense. Upon further research, I noticed that he was married three times throughout his life. Although it may be interesting and funny to read, it obviously did not help his love life out at all.

Silence question

The question of silence, as we talked about in class, was pretty interesting to think about..I never thought of the word silence as being negative but i can definitly see how it can be taken that way...i dont think that silence is always a bad thing but being silenced is definitly something that is not good...By personal experience, i have been brought up under the thought that "talk is cheap...silence is golden"...so if i have nothing to say, i generally do not try and say something that does not pertain to the situation..that does not mean i will not speak what is on my mind...i just try and think before i speak...sometimes i feel that silence is more comforting than anything else..words have a tendency to do certain situations injustice...so why say anything when the silence screams volumes?

Monday, January 28, 2008

Alice Walker Response

I was both impressed and surprised at how Alice Walker set up Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self. While much of the emphasis was put on the eye, it was clear that she did not spend the entire short story simply talking about her eye. She used other past life experiences to set the tone of the story before really going into detail about the impact her eye has had on her life. I was surprised at how one accident could change how a person acted. While the consequence of the accident could have been worse, the main point to realize is that it was not. She could have lost sight in both eyes but only lost sight in one. Sight was not the main focus of her anguish. She was more upset with the fact that her one eye made her look different from everyone else. "I do not pray for sight. I pray for beauty" (Walker 306). It takes her years to realize that there is something more important than beauty. After the accident, she rarely lifts her head. After having the "glob" removed, she finally lifts her head and becomes the girl she once was. I do not think that the removal of the glob really made a difference. Had she lifted her head before, she still would have been smart and popular. It was her actions and attitude while she had the glob on her eye that prevented her from being seen as a normal person. Everyone is different and can say that they have a part of their physical appearance that they would change. Inner beauty rarely is something that rarely changes with that of physical beauty/