In light of my earlier post, merely 2 hours later, further commentary practically fell in my lap. And by fell in my lap I mean was spoken to me across a table at lunch. Whilst crunching on dehydrated broccoli and what I think was chickpeas with Gisele and Javier, good ole Jav began to make fun of a very very skinny soccer recruit kid. Before I could even scold him for proliferating gender stereotypes, he said, "Look at the lion and lioness. Who gets the lioness? The strong lion. Do you want a lion who doesn't try to look good for you? Huh huh??" I said of course I want an attractive and buff lion but that I wish I didn't feel that way. He just gave me the "haha I win the debate" look. I tried to explain the suckiness of gender roles...but he's right...I have an unfortunate obsession with the most attractive of lions.
Totally new subject...I finally turned in my scholarship app today. Finally. What was striking, though, was the way that I actually sounded like I knew what I wanted to do with my life on paper. In the "what do you want to be when you grow up, little girl" section of the app, I wrote, "Double major in Communications and Anthropology, minor in Psychology. I plan on attending graduate or law school and would like to have a career in journalism or law with an emphasis on social justice awareness and advocacy." Good thing my writing hand seems to know my desires better than I do.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Feminist Manifesto Part 9000
I make no bones about my school being the bomb diggity, but I have a big problem with the extortionist nature of facilities and services. I just paid $5 to fax my resume! They are soooo lucky that I was desperate. Where does all our money go? All $33,000/year. Honestly, $8/gross meal, $4 for laundry, none can be spared to fix the recycling system. I have half a mind to request to see where all the money goes. The pres probably wouldn't even be surprised...Last time I had a meeting with him, he said, "Good to see you....again..." But he did compliment my rainboots.
In social problems today we watched a documentary called "Tough Guise" about the construction of gender behavior, particularly as influenced by the media. As broken record as the subject sounds, somehow this discussion seemed fresh and thought provoking. The images of Rambo/Rocky/John Wayne/GI Joe with 26 inch biceps to scale (as opposed to Mark McGuire's 20 inch biceps) put some things in perspective. There is so much focus on girls' unrealistic body images, but how often do we talk about boys'? Boys are just supposed to be tough, unemotional, in charge, brawny. Or what? Or they're called wimps, pussies, girls. By other boys worried about being a wimpy, pussy girl. What sucks is that women reinforce this stereotype by fawning over roided-up macho men, as if they are the ideal. I even have to shamefully admit to myself sometimes how attractive a macho man can be. But there always seems to be a hint of danger, an edge about men who assume this persona. They're tough and brawny and radiate violence. Even if they don't actually hit anybody, the point is that they seem as if they could. Which means they're "a man." In evolution terms, it makes sense. Like so many other things, though, evolution and modern society are at odds.
My prof brought up an interesting idea too, about how modern women hesitate so much to label themselves feminists. In essence, feminism means equality and appreciation of femininity. The stigma now, though, is of seeming like a wild, hairy radical. I, the crazy enviro, very much hesitate to call myself a feminist even though I very clearly am. I guess I'm afraid that macho macho men will avoid me if I do? That's pathetic. In a more stereotypical vain, why do women find it so necessary to put on a sexual display for men? Super scandalous outfits, kissing girls in public, dancing and prancing around with pouting lips. Sort of seems like a baboon flashing its big red butt around so that a mate will be ever so attracted. Again, I even feel this draw, this desire to be seen as sexy. But where is the line between sexy mate-snagging and slutty exploitation?
I'd really like to do an interview study of gender views someday. I'm super curious about my friends' own gender identities and peeling back peoples' layers of gender based behavior.
In social problems today we watched a documentary called "Tough Guise" about the construction of gender behavior, particularly as influenced by the media. As broken record as the subject sounds, somehow this discussion seemed fresh and thought provoking. The images of Rambo/Rocky/John Wayne/GI Joe with 26 inch biceps to scale (as opposed to Mark McGuire's 20 inch biceps) put some things in perspective. There is so much focus on girls' unrealistic body images, but how often do we talk about boys'? Boys are just supposed to be tough, unemotional, in charge, brawny. Or what? Or they're called wimps, pussies, girls. By other boys worried about being a wimpy, pussy girl. What sucks is that women reinforce this stereotype by fawning over roided-up macho men, as if they are the ideal. I even have to shamefully admit to myself sometimes how attractive a macho man can be. But there always seems to be a hint of danger, an edge about men who assume this persona. They're tough and brawny and radiate violence. Even if they don't actually hit anybody, the point is that they seem as if they could. Which means they're "a man." In evolution terms, it makes sense. Like so many other things, though, evolution and modern society are at odds.
My prof brought up an interesting idea too, about how modern women hesitate so much to label themselves feminists. In essence, feminism means equality and appreciation of femininity. The stigma now, though, is of seeming like a wild, hairy radical. I, the crazy enviro, very much hesitate to call myself a feminist even though I very clearly am. I guess I'm afraid that macho macho men will avoid me if I do? That's pathetic. In a more stereotypical vain, why do women find it so necessary to put on a sexual display for men? Super scandalous outfits, kissing girls in public, dancing and prancing around with pouting lips. Sort of seems like a baboon flashing its big red butt around so that a mate will be ever so attracted. Again, I even feel this draw, this desire to be seen as sexy. But where is the line between sexy mate-snagging and slutty exploitation?
I'd really like to do an interview study of gender views someday. I'm super curious about my friends' own gender identities and peeling back peoples' layers of gender based behavior.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Weekly reality check time!
Dear Self,
Please stop wasting your time. Life is way too short to wait for someone who obviously isn't treating you right.
Love,
Your brain and probably a lot of your friends
Some advice from India.Arie:
Because you never know where life is gonna take you
and you can't change where you've been.
But today, I have the opportunity to choose.
I was always too concerned about what everybody would think.
But I can't live for everybody, I gotta live my life for me.(Yeah)
I pitched a fork in the road of my life and ain't nothing gonna happen unless I decide.
[Chorus:]
(And I choose) to be the best that I can be.
(I choose) to be authentic in everything I do.
My past don't dictate who I am. I choose. (Yeah)
From this day forward I'm going to be exactly who I am.
I don't need to change the way that I live just to get a man. (NO!)
I even had a talk with my mama and I told her the day I'm grown,
"from this day forward, every decision I make will be my own." And hey!
Because you never know where life is gonna take you and you can't change where you've been.
But today, I have the opportunity to choose. (Hey ey)
I used to have guilt about why things happen they way they did cuz life is gone do what it do.
And everyday, I have the opportunity to choose.
Dear Self,
Please stop wasting your time. Life is way too short to wait for someone who obviously isn't treating you right.
Love,
Your brain and probably a lot of your friends
Some advice from India.Arie:
Because you never know where life is gonna take you
and you can't change where you've been.
But today, I have the opportunity to choose.
I was always too concerned about what everybody would think.
But I can't live for everybody, I gotta live my life for me.(Yeah)
I pitched a fork in the road of my life and ain't nothing gonna happen unless I decide.
[Chorus:]
(And I choose) to be the best that I can be.
(I choose) to be authentic in everything I do.
My past don't dictate who I am. I choose. (Yeah)
From this day forward I'm going to be exactly who I am.
I don't need to change the way that I live just to get a man. (NO!)
I even had a talk with my mama and I told her the day I'm grown,
"from this day forward, every decision I make will be my own." And hey!
Because you never know where life is gonna take you and you can't change where you've been.
But today, I have the opportunity to choose. (Hey ey)
I used to have guilt about why things happen they way they did cuz life is gone do what it do.
And everyday, I have the opportunity to choose.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Barack the Vote
I should soooo be doing homework right now, but my horoscope said that I should blog the "weird, cool ideas" in my head. So I must obey. I can always rastle up a few weird, cool ideas, especially since I've been a terrible person and have been too lazy to blog for a long time. Look at all those good stories I might forget!!!!
The first thing I woke up thinking about today was my theory that men bounce back faster than women in relationships. I swear it's got to be statistical. Screw the law of odds or whatever the crap it is that says that odds even out over time. (Math is not my strength. Or logic apparently.) Every guy I've ever dated found another girl significantly faster than I found another guy post-breakup. Maybe other people haven't had the same experience, but it always seems to happen to me and seems to have happened to a lot of other people that I know. Are girls just too picky? Or do guys just bounce back quicker in general?
Last night I was convinced to go to the Obama rally in Austin. Now, mind you, I am still on the fence about the primary. But I decided that being a political nerd and the historical nature of going to a political rally at this age were reasons enough to go, despite any misgivings. I think the effect of 5 girls in ADPi sweatshirts with a baby in tow would make quite a spectacle in bucking of stereotypes too, so all the more reason. We decided the line to get in was too long, so we didn't mess with that but did end up in about the 7th or 8th row back from the barricade in the crowd outside the bowl around the stage. After a quick run to Quiznos, we had to push back through the crowd to the rest of our group, suffering the insults of disgruntled Obamarama attendees. My personal favorite: "Are they even old enough to vote??" Whatever, jerk, we were here first. And I probably know more about politics than he does. At 9:00, we finally got some Obama action. The sound system was fantastic and the crowd alarmingly respectful. I was even able to put my parents on the phone and let them hear the whole rally. I will admit that the timbre of his voice is very soothing and nice to listen to. He said some good sort of policy-related things amidst the usual canned kissing babies and one-legged lepers spiels, along with way too many MLKJ, Barbara Jordan, and Kennedy references. But it's a rally...so I guess that's the point. I got pretty into the spirit of things anyway.
Then I went to bed at 12:30 on a Friday night after reading some more Subtle Knife. Yeah college.
The first thing I woke up thinking about today was my theory that men bounce back faster than women in relationships. I swear it's got to be statistical. Screw the law of odds or whatever the crap it is that says that odds even out over time. (Math is not my strength. Or logic apparently.) Every guy I've ever dated found another girl significantly faster than I found another guy post-breakup. Maybe other people haven't had the same experience, but it always seems to happen to me and seems to have happened to a lot of other people that I know. Are girls just too picky? Or do guys just bounce back quicker in general?
Last night I was convinced to go to the Obama rally in Austin. Now, mind you, I am still on the fence about the primary. But I decided that being a political nerd and the historical nature of going to a political rally at this age were reasons enough to go, despite any misgivings. I think the effect of 5 girls in ADPi sweatshirts with a baby in tow would make quite a spectacle in bucking of stereotypes too, so all the more reason. We decided the line to get in was too long, so we didn't mess with that but did end up in about the 7th or 8th row back from the barricade in the crowd outside the bowl around the stage. After a quick run to Quiznos, we had to push back through the crowd to the rest of our group, suffering the insults of disgruntled Obamarama attendees. My personal favorite: "Are they even old enough to vote??" Whatever, jerk, we were here first. And I probably know more about politics than he does. At 9:00, we finally got some Obama action. The sound system was fantastic and the crowd alarmingly respectful. I was even able to put my parents on the phone and let them hear the whole rally. I will admit that the timbre of his voice is very soothing and nice to listen to. He said some good sort of policy-related things amidst the usual canned kissing babies and one-legged lepers spiels, along with way too many MLKJ, Barbara Jordan, and Kennedy references. But it's a rally...so I guess that's the point. I got pretty into the spirit of things anyway.
Then I went to bed at 12:30 on a Friday night after reading some more Subtle Knife. Yeah college.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Donkey power
Oh, I'm such a politics nerd. At 7:03, when I discovered that my room does not get CNN, I nearly had 5 heart attacks as I grabbed all homework-related possessions in sight, did some forbidden running down the stairs, catapulted over the couch, and hijacked the lounge tv from a foreign exchange student watching Disney channel.
Holla atcha girl, Hillhill. And maybe Obamarama. I don't know. I'll probably go to his rally tomorrow.
How did some stupid 10 year old kid get tickets to the debates and I didn't?
Holla atcha girl, Hillhill. And maybe Obamarama. I don't know. I'll probably go to his rally tomorrow.
How did some stupid 10 year old kid get tickets to the debates and I didn't?
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Southwesternorts strikes again
Just had a very thinly veiled attempt by my subconscious to tell me to talk to my adviser again about my career path. In my dream, good ole Ronny Weasley and I took a little trip to another land to visit Hermione at her subpar and unfulfilling job. We couldn't find her at first, but she popped out of a tree in a green robe and threw herself at us with joy. She then chattered on about how she was sick of her job as a tree guard, but what else could she do with her useless degree in Sweets. We all chimed in with how useless our degrees were too. The reason I take this as a hint and not just a Harry Potter-esque gab fest is that I am frequently identified with Hermione, the overworking fireball whose actress counterpart is my identical twin with brown eyes. If she could end up at a subpar, unfulfilling job in a green robe, I could to. I need to avada kadavra that idea.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Blue skies for everyone
In driving back from an anthro field assignment coffee shop observation, I was struck with a sudden sense of full-body-mind-soul euphoria. Could have been the chai, could have been the perfect blue sky, or the great mix of songs on my XM radio. But it also just might have been the overwhelming sense of purpose and perfection. I am really really good at anthro. I love watching people, analyzing them, talking to them, making connections. I also really love my school in that it allows me to explore so freely this new dimension of myself and helps me to articulate my strengths through application of them. I even love Georgetown, in all of its small town pomp.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)