Ten Ways an Intro to WGSS Course Will Change Your Thinking

Ten Ways an Intro to WGSS Course Will Change Your Thinking

Chinaza Nwosu

Hira Mahmood

M/W 11-12:15

1) If you hear a racist comment, SPEAK UP!!!

2) Truth about Feminism and their purpose.

White privilege was an invisible force that white people needed to recognize. They overshadow the fact that white privilege is both a legacy and a cause of racism. Black people should not remain quite from any statement made by a white person that may be offensive or unpleasant. A white person can say the slickest comment towards an African American person but will not notice their actions are wrong. For example, in Peggy McIntosh article “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” quote five states, “I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed.” If a white man were to congratulate a black person on making an expensive purchase, the white man is belittling the person. I recommend Peggy McIntosh article because it lists out real case scenarios of white people overstepping their boundaries regularly.

bell hook “Feminism is for Everybody” book is a hand out guide for people who do not know what feminism is. The book is written to get rid of the stigma of what people thought feminism was and is a tool of learning. Hook believes men should be a part of the feminist movement. Men should not participate in sexism thoughts and actions; however, they should frame relationship that is not dependent on subordination. The lifestyle of feminism is the idea of separating politics from feminism. An example of feminism is the Rosie The Riveter icon. The symbol represents women who were recruited to work throughout World War 2. It even reached a point where female took most of the male’s position in the workforce.

3) How does patriarchy explain how men and women are portrayed in society?

Allan Johnson is a rape crisis center volunteer, who wrote “The Gender Knot: Our Patriarchy,” which looks at values, behaviors, and personal motives to take the path of least resistance. Patriarchy is a set of symbols and ideas that make up culture embodied by everything from the content of the everyday conversation to literature. The system of social space is not neutral. The rape culture tends to blame the victim. Women are always given a rape whistle rather than giving it to men. Society promotes how people joke about men doing horrible acts toward women, instead of fixing the problem. Men are seen as breadwinners, while women are seen as childcare. Companies usually hire someone who will benefit the workforce, such as, women being pregnant, or newlywed is overlooked for high positions.

4) Why are women so emotional?

African American women can initiate a conversation with white people, especially men, about power dynamics and how to make them see that a problem exists by address the topic as is. Bringing different perspective to back up their claim shows a person is well educated. Feminism has taught us that emotions are knowledge. Women are seen emotional while men are rational ties with binary; women are sensitive due to their biology correlates to essentialism. For example, if a black woman who is passionate about a cause gets loud or ratchet is labeled as an “Angry Black Women,” while if a white woman were to do the same, she would be considered an activist. Guilt from white people leads to defensiveness. Audre Lorde, “The Use of Anger: Women Responding to Racism,” article helps distinguish the difference between hatred and anger. Lorde states that we should turn anger into actions.

9) Police Brutality

State violence is nothing new in the United States. State violence consists of brutality and aggression toward people of color from police, government, and the education system. We as a community believe that prisons protect society and is meant to reform (to teach the inmates a lesson) people. We think of a prison as a system to hold criminals accountable for their actions and provides jobs. It's hard to imagine a world without a prison. The reality about the prison is it’s only for profit. For example, crimes continue to happen, and the government continues to use tax money to invest in new prisons. Prisoner work for way little money while in the system, which is cruel. Black men are mostly in prisons which affects a black family because African American men are the primary source of income. Angela Davis article, “Are Prison Obsolete” states violence toward black should come to an end and argues for the transformation of society.

10) Global feminist issue is rising!

7) She wore what?

Straight hair is something you wear to a big event. Society made us believe certain hairstyles are not acceptable. AMA is an American Music Award, mostly a White American ceremony. If African American were to wear an extravagant hairstyle, it would be ghetto, but if a white person were to do the same style hairstyle, it would be classified as iconic or standing outside the box. Men can wear little cornrow braids and still not be accepted in the workforce, because it does not look professional. Rihanna hair-do, as a mode of resistance, was to have her hair pinned up (something black girls do before going to bed). Rihanna did not care what the audience would say about her appearance because she was that chick who as a black person success was equivalent to a white person. Brittney Cooper article “The politics of Rihanna’s hair” helps explain the hairstyle that Rihanna wore and had biased thoughts of her hair being ratchet. I personal am for Rihanna’s hair choice because it is time to be different; we should not always have to follow what society expects us to do.

Melissa Wright site of investigation is the Duanggoun. Wright’s informants are mostly general manager, production manager, & head engineer. Wright is investigating the myth of Chinese female disposable. The women are dexterity, attain to details, are cheap, flexible, and docile. For example, the factory managers control their women workers as a father and daughter relationship. Guys can take breaks, but girls cannot. Girls may not get pregnant, married, or engaged. Men are allowed to walk into women factory space, but women are prohibited from leaving their place. The purpose of these restrictions is to keep the women working. Men monitored the women reproductive cycles & sex drive. Younger women were classified as good worker because older women were seen as causing problems. If a female worker questioned authority, became pregnant, or fell ill, they were classified as a bad worker. I would recommend Melissa Wright, Disposable Women & other Myths of Global Capitalism, because it enlightens how young women workers worldwide eventually turn into living forms of waste.

6) Men are left out of feminism.

Men tend to be seen as enemies. Everything in society is anti-male; therefore, we do not need men for anything. Women should have the same equality as white men. It is known that African American women are characterized as poor and men are excluded from feminism. It is essential to have men participate in the feminist movement because they benefit from patriarchy but also suffer from it. For example, men can make a difference in who gets hired or fired in the workforce. They can stop the stereotype of not acknowledging how hard women make a difference in a company. Shelia Tobias “Face of Feminism” article helps distinguished the gender & politics redefined, patriarchy & politics, race gender & class, and politics of difference.

5) Gender is a social construction.

Gender is a system of meaning and symbols. It is different from the sex of a person. Anything can be gendered. Suzanne Kessler article “The Medical Construction of Gender” explains what goes into the physician’s decision-making process. The physician determines gender based upon the size of the penis or clitoris. Size is based on how something looks which produce gender. Intersex health does not have physical harm with ambiguous genitals. Biological essentialism gives you the idea that since you have a certain feature, it will determine what you will be; therefore, you behave in that character. You have to learn to become either a boy or a girl. For example, an institutional school forces girls to wear skirts only, even if they want to wear pants. Men tend to harass other men by telling them to “man up” when they are in a tough situation; however, men are allowed to cry without feeling less of a man.

8) Stop fatphobia!!!

Fatphobia is a queer and feminist issue because fatness is perceived as unhealthy. For example, when a doctor receives a patient result and says everything is fine with the person; however, the patient can still lose weight is a problem. Hegemonic ideas of beauty in America is blonde hair and blue eyes. People in America strive to get straight hair or lighten their skin tone. Society is trying to characterize one image everyone should look. Fat people are living longer; therefore, they are not unhealthy; they are just born with a slower metabolism. If you were to see a fat person compared to a skinny person, people automatically assume the obese person cannot be active as a thin person, but that’s not always the case. Normality is dangerous because if an overweight person were to judge themselves on why they are not as skinny as the majority in society, they would start to have a second thought about their life. The “Fat Camp Celebrating Body Positivity” video is a motivational clip that presents overweight people doing activities skinny people tend to do. The video needs more exposure in the world because if thicker people see what others are doing to stay happy, they will be less conscious about their body.