Blog 12

Women and religion…. wow I could probably go on and on about this but then I would probably come off as a closed minded hypocrite. Which is not true, in fact I grew up in a religious family, and I have been through communion, I am technically a member of a church, and on holidays I will attend church. I will admit that if it was not for my religious back ground and prior knowledge of the bible would I have come to the conclusion that I have at this point in my life, nor would I be able to defend myself against verbal attacks. Despite my history I have been able to separate myself from the constraints that religion provides. While several people find them to be comforting, and familiar, to me it is a cognitive straitjacket.  This really upsets my parents, and honestly I could never tell my grandparents that I don’t believe in god, this is only because I couldn’t stand to break their hearts.

While most of the women that I know are religious and or are Christians, they do not embrace the fact that the Bible has completely neglected them. While I have come to understand that religion as a topic is taboo and to talk about with most Christians, but I have only found this with Christians. I have come up with my own theories to why that is, but I am not going to put them on the internet.

Blog 10

This weeks topic that was covered in class was women and violence. I do believe that women are more prone to be the victims of some sort of violence, if it is sexual, verbal, or or some sort of harassment. The fact is that college girls are a huge target for sexual harassment and abuse. I am nearly sure that every single one of my girl friends has been sexually harassed by a male. While I am not talking about rape, but verbal assaults and or psychically.  It could be very possible that men are harassed at a much higher rate than reported, but the probability that they are harassed more than women is very unlikely. There are thousands of women that are psychically assaulted every year that are never reported. To me this is ridiculous, I can not phantom the horror, embarrassment, humiliation,  let a lone the other feelings that bombard someone who has been sexually assaulted by a stranger, or even worse a family member/someone close.

I wish that we lived in a safe world, or at least safe enough to where I could go on a walk alone with out looking over my shoulder every minute or get yelled at by passing vehicles. Unfortunately we don’t, and it makes me sad to know that I can’t do certain things like go running at night( which I love to do), be able to sit my drink down at a bar, or trust a stranger to help me carry my groceries. I hate it!

Blog 8

Working roles for women. How is it that the majority of men that I speak to share a similar out look that it is not only a woman’s job to take care of the children, house, and are expected to have a full time job. The fact that women receive less pay then men, while it is illegal to pay women less than men for doing the same work, that is not what I am addressing. In most cases women are not directly receiving less pay than men it is more like women are more likely to work different jobs and receive less pay. A woman may have a college degree and her masters in teaching, and she works as an elementary school teacher and makes approximately 45,000 a year. While her husband who did not go to college, nor did he receive any education after he graduated high school, but he works for a factory and makes 60,000 a year. Some how and some way jobs that women are more likely to seek out receive less pay like, nursing, teaching, merchandising, secretarial  and etc. While jobs that men are more likely to seek receive higher pay like pluming, construction, mechanical, and business.

What really pisses me off is that women are can not be seen a equals, and even when a woman is a savvy business woman she is seen as a bitch, but man is applauded. On top of that there are movies that mock savvy business women, like The Devil Wears Prada, and The Proposal. The movies basically say that to be really successful and to get to the top you must be a cold heartened bitch. While to survive in such an industry I imagine that you must be tough, but what is difference from men? I DON’T UNDERSTAND!!

Blog Seven…I think

I watched “The Day my God Died,” and oh my goodness. I wanted to cry, honestly if I hadn’t been in the library and instead been at home safely sheltered in my room I would have cried. This documentary or what ever it was has changed me, I mean I knew that there was such thing as a sex slaves but I had no idea that it was so huge, nor that there were so many girls that were in it. I was floored when heard the number of women that are trafficed everyday, and how many are in the industry. Most of all the average age of the females was only FIFTEEN. At fifteen I was still a child, I would never have admitted that I was a child, but I was still a child. I felt so disgusted, and repulsed, not only by their age but because they have been robbed of any chance that they had of a normal life. I mean they just happen to be in the wrong place, and trusted the wrong person and their lives where stolen away from them, not only the children but any woman that was forced into the industry. I could not imagine the horror, or what was going through their heads when they learned that they were sold into slavery. What is the worst is that the police do not do anything about it, I guess I don’t understand because the difference in the culture, but don’t any of these men have daughters of their own, or sisters. How would they feel if one of their family members were abducted, would it be different, would they just forget about her, or would they do anything to find her and bring the people to justice. It is not as though there are not laws against minors being kept as prostitutes or that it is legal to traffic women. Because there is, there is just nothing done about it. The system is broken, I feel like I need to do something about it. If anyone knows of a program that is dedicated to helping this girls then let me know.

Blog 6

Addressing the main topic of this weeks assignment, which was health care, conditions, and laws that affect women. The majority of the material covered how medicare has changed over time, different contraceptives and last but defiantly not least, abortions.  While health care has always been a hot button in politics, but there are few subjects that derive such emotions from politicians and lobbyist as abortion and birth control. Personally I think that all women should have the right to birth control. This is only common sense, if you look at the statistics it not the higher class that is having children with out the ability to take care of them and that is draining government health care funds and is receiving welfare.  The fact is that women that need birth control the most can not afford it, so it is just a repeating cycle of women having kids and not be able to afford to take care of them, and then what happens to the kids they go into the system. Then there is the question of where are the fathers, they are in lock up or choose not take responsibility for their children. These women have no business having children, in most cases they can not afford to take care of themselves. They are making their children suffer simply because they do not have access to birth control.

On the subject of abortion, a very touchy issue, I am pro-choice. While I have taken part in several heated debates on this vary issue with other peers, I have decided that I am pro-choice because if I was faced with an unplanned pregnancy at my current age and didn’t not have a steady boyfriend i would want the choice, I would not want some one to make the decision for me. I have put a lot of thought into this, and I will honestly say that if I had become pregnant in my current state of life, or when I was in high school I would probably get an abortion. Why because it is my body, and I understand that it is my responsibility, what if I am not currently able to assume those responsibilities to the best of my abilities then it should be my option to make the decision that is best for me. If that means that I choose to have an abortion then it is my decision and I have to face the burdens.  This could be because I am young and I do not fully understand what it is to be with child, nor do I have the religious background that is against such acts.  It very well could be because I have become accustomed to the idea of aborting an unwanted child. I have seen what a pregnancy can do to a young girl, and I have also witnessed the emotional trauma and see those same girls be turned into social outcasts when they have abortions.

The fact is that I grew up in a small town, and I know several girls that are the same age and me that have have had an abortion, some have had more than one, rather it was in high school, college or even middle school. What upsets me is that what society puts them trough. Girls face becoming social outcasts if they do decided to have the child out of wedlock or if they choose to abort. They are screwed no matter what they do, and that is that. Where do the guys stand, they are not nearly as impacted by a pregnancy that a female is, he doesn’t have wear the pregnancy like she does. You can say that women that choose to have an abortions are taking the easy way out, and are not taking responsibility, but the fact is that they are left with a huge emotional burden. Unless you have been put in the same position you have no right to judge, them or what they did.

Blog 5

I would like to say that I am enjoying this class. This past weeks assignment has really allowed me take a deeper look into the way that I look at myself and the way that other girls perceive themselves. I really found it disturbing because I know that I have relatively low self-esteem and I have a skewed self perception. Right now it is at its all time low because over the summer I injured my foot. Now for several people this would not be a big deal, but for some who runs 5-7 miles a day and lifts weights daily or does some type of muscle building activity for an hour everyday it is life altering. This was detrimental to my self confidence and sent me spiraling into a mild depression, this was all because I could not work out.  Some reason I just stopped caring and I gained approximately 20-25lb in a few months, now none of my clothes fit me and I am too stubborn to buy new ones. This has been very hard for me to accept infact I refuse to accept it. This could be because before I was injured was the first time that I felt good about my self on the inside and on the outside. I have never been that confortable in my own skin before, I have struggled with low self esteem and an eating disorder for a good portion of my life. Knowing that I cant run, jump, play basketball, or nearly any sport for that matter has completely crushed my morality.

To be continued……

Blog 4

I do not understand people today. Mostly I do not understand their actions and their reasoning for what is acceptable behavior, and last but not least what is driving them to act this way! I am trying to figure out what this obsession is with having someone or being in a relationship, or sex in general. I started to wonder this after spending some time with several of my female friends. I observed how much time and effort they spend thinking, talking, or getting ready for guys! My friends may be the acception  and they very well may be the only girls like this, but for some reason I find this very unlikely. I began to wonder how many other females in my age range are like this. How many of them are consumed with how they look, and how they are percived by the opposite sex, and or spend a large portion of their time on guys. While I think a portion of their drive is based on wanting to feel wanted, while the other is low self esteem. Either way I blame society and the media for this, I blame them for brain washing and driving other wise pretty and intelligent girls to be shallow and empty minded robots that base their activities and actions not on what they want to do but what they think that men want them to do. After thinking about every thing I started to count up the hours that I spent txting, thinking, or getting ready to see a guy. fortunately I can honestly say that my time is close to zero. Im not talking to any guys, nor do I want to, and the only time I spend getting ready is when I go to work, and thats only driven by money. I just want to know what is going on in their heads that is telling them they need to have a guy at all times.

TO BE CONTINUED

Blog 3

In regards to this weeks chapter that covers sex, gender, and sexuality, I found it very interesting. While I have realized that in numerous ways women use their sexuality to manipulate men, like getting into a club, or getting free drinks. I think that these are small exceptions that rarely happen( or depending on how attractive you are it may happen more or less.) It is much more prevalent for women to be objectified by their appearances, while some women are able to use it to their advantage and make a living off of it, the rest of us are crushed by its weight on society. But I have had some theories about the way that people perceive others that are more or less attractive. My question is, are attractive people privileged, and less attractive people disadvantaged? YES! I have easily concluded that people who are more attractive receive more attention, in positive and negative ways but attention is attention. I am a server at a popular family restaurant/bar chain, and on numerous occasions I have documented my appearance at work, the tips I receive(depending on the guests count and amount of sales), the guests comments, and the attitudes of guests towards me. I have found that there was a significant enough correlation between my appearance, tips, and the guests interaction with me. When I came to work with my hair and makeup done and wore a tight fitting, lower cut shirt that I received better tips, and people were more understanding and more friendly to me.  I found that I recieved a higher tip percentage from women as well as men, and with most couples. Despite the number of guests that I had I was always able to have a higher percentage in sales in food and alcohol. Meaning that not only was I able to sell more expensive menu items, but I was able to sell more alcoholic beverages to more people, typically a higher percentage in sales equals higher percentage in tips.  While the days that I came to work with my hair pulled back and little to no make up on guests appeared more distant, less patient, and my tips and sales were not drastically  lower, but they were low enough that I was able to make a distinct correlation.  Honestly I strongly believe that in most cases people are not only aware but they are prejudice against people that they find to be unattractive, but are people on an unconscious level more favorable to people that they find attractive?

Blog 3

Recently, I have noticed that several of my classes are over lapping in several areas. In most cases this is the usual, but I am taking a very broad spectrum of classes. In my communication course that is based on analyzing media, and how it effects us, I have been able to recognize how we are brainwashed by the media. Honestly the majority of the media messages are based off of gender. Even back in the fifties when media and publications were not nearly as explicit as today, companies sold and packaged ‘gender’. The advertisement of ‘gender’ and ‘sex’ has been going on for quite a while. With all honesty I could not believe how much magazines and publications use ‘gender’ roles to advertise to people. They are using gender roles to target their specific audience, which is very effective, but they are also brainwashing the next generation that can not yet use their product. Like the commercials for the Venus razor, which shows models with ‘perfect’ bodies laying out by the pool, and dancing.  . While on the surface it just appears as just another advertisement, but what it is actually doing is telling young girls that if you are a girl this is what you should like, and this is what you should do.  In a summary pretty women have smooth legs, and to have smooth legs you have to use the Venus razor. All I can wonder is what a child would act and perceive themselves if they were not bombarded with all of this ‘stuff’ that was telling them how they act, look, and think!

Blog 1

Hello, this is my first blog.