#myk32

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So true. No one is ever asking to be raped, no matter what a person is wearing.

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Poverty Podcasts

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the third plenary. As a make up assignment, I listened to two podcasts that focused on the subject of poverty; both of these podcasts were informative and beneficial. The first podcast was titled, “Fighting Poverty with Actual Evidence,” which contained a discussion between a moderator and two behavioral economists. Their main point of discussion was the importance of collecting evidence in order to discover solutions to poverty. They also discussed different ways of helping those in need, whether it’s by giving money or providing assets. The discussion was definitely informative and made me realize how many ways there are to help those in need. The second podcast was titled, “Cycle of Poverty Hard to Break in Poorest U.S. City,” and this was conducted by Pam Fessler. The podcast consisted of three women’s stories about their lives and their continuous battles against poverty. I realized that all three of these women shared similar struggles in that their kids were their motivation to not give up. These women continued to work hard to set good examples for their children and to show them that hard work can lead to opportunities in the future, and this mindset is truly inspiring. Overall, both podcasts were definitely eye-opening and informative.

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Egg and Sperm

After reading Emily Martin’s article, “The Egg and the Sperm: How Science has Constructed a Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles,” I realized that gender stereotypes can even be found in the way scientists conduct research and write scientific journals. Regarding contraception, a females’ egg is always seen in a negative light, as it is considered passive. Sperm, on the other hand, are regarded highly and considered to be active, strong, and swift, when in reality, they really are not as strong as scientists portray them to be. An analogy that has been made that really promotes gender stereotypes is one that compares the egg to Sleeping Beauty, and she waits for the right sperm, or “Prince Charming” to come and “save her.” This creates the idea that females are passive, unmotivated, and weak like their eggs, which is definitely not the case. I never really realized how prominent gender stereotypes are in science, and it is unfortunate that people continue to teach science in such a way that degrades or lessens the value of a women’s egg when compared to a man’s sperm. These stereotypical ideas can affect how women see themselves; they may see themselves as weak and unproductive, and in turn, this can affect the confidence and self esteem of women. This article was definitely eye-opening as it made me aware of how prominent gender stereotypes are. 

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Forbidden Talk: Second Generation Immigrants

I was unable to attend the second plenary, so my make up assignment was to watch and respond to the Forbidden Talk interview which discussed difficulties second generation immigrants face daily. It was definitely a very interesting interview to watch; the interview was between a half Iraqi, a quarter British, and a quarter Irish man named Philip, the reporter Ms. Delaney, and Dr. Ali, a specialist in the subject. 

During the interview, Philip explained his life as a second generation immigrant living in England, and he discussed the struggles immigrants face, including alienation and assimilation. Dr. Ali explained that often times immigrants feel that they have to let go of their cultural identities in order to be accepted by society. Philip felt that as one himself, second generation immigrants should be proud of their identities and try to create a balance between trying to fit in while still keeping their own cultural identity.

 I agree; second generation immigrants should be supported by society and accepted for who they are in terms of their cultural identities. They should not have to feel like they have to hide a part of their identity in order to be welcomed and accepted by society. 

This idea of cultural identity discussed in the interview is a topic we have discussed in class-during class we learned the importance of our gender, sexual, religious, and cultural identities. This interview reminded me of the difficulties people often face while trying to discover their true identities in the judgmental society we live in. 

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#MAKERS: Bethany Hamilton

Every time I hear Bethany Hamilton’s story, it never ceases to amaze me. Hamilton is a well-known  professional surfer. She was born in Hawaii, and she has enjoyed surfing ever since she was 4 years old. She faced a severe hardship when she was 13; however, she worked hard to be the professional surfer that she always dreamed of being. When she was 13, Bethany experienced an extremely traumatizing situation; as she was surfing with her friends one morning, a shark attacked her and took her left arm. She lost 60% of her blood; she states herself how lucky she feels to have survived. However, Bethany did not give up. Instead, she became stronger, and even after losing her arm, Bethany was able to chase and achieve her dreams of becoming a professional surfer and winning national competitions. Bethany’s disability became a huge part of her identity after the attack, and instead of allowing this disability to be the cause of her downfall in surfing, she used it as a source of motivation. Her disability made her feel empowered, and she worked hard to prove that she could follow her dreams of becoming a successful surfer even after losing an arm. Bethany’s story always amazes me; losing an arm only made her more motivated to get back in the water and continue doing what she loved.

http://www.makers.com/bethany-hamilton

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Life without the Women’s Movement

Yesterday during class, we discussed some of our assigned readings regarding feminism. One of the articles we had to read was called “A Day Without Feminism,” and it was definitely eyeopening. The author of the article wrote about all of the struggles women would have had to face in this day and age if the women’s movement never happened, and reading this article definitely allowed me to realize how truly grateful I am for the women’s movement. Without it, soccer wouldn’t have been such an important part of my life, as I would not have been allowed to play because of my gender. I wouldn’t have been treated seriously if I did not have a man escort me in public; I can’t even begin to imagine having to worry about a man accompanying me everywhere…

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Personal Reflection Exercise

Before starting this assignment, I honestly did not realize that I could define my identity in so many ways. I didn’t realize how many parts there really are to my identity-my racial, ethnic, religious, gender, and sexual identities all complete who I am. Part of my project was a “book” that I made using a small box. I decided to use a book to represent the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” a statement I often relate to. I painted the box, making it look like a book, and then I covered the book with words that are often thrown at me because of my religious identity. The outside of the book represented our society’s views and assumptions of who I am. I decorated the inside of the box with words that I truly define myself with, words that make up my identity-the real story. In the process of trying to think of words that I identify with, I realized that there are so many pieces that make up who am, and each aspect of myself is important to my overall identity. This exercise definitely allowed me to view myself as something more than just a girl attending Rutgers University; I was able to expand my view of myself and discover all of my different identities that make up who I am as a person.

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Racial Caucus Group Discussion

During this past week, we split into groups based on our race and engaged in group discussions. While coming up with different caucus groups, one of my peers suggested that one of the categories could be “Muslim.” This was weird for me; although I ended up participating in and being a member of the Muslim caucus group, I found it strange how being Muslim is considered a racial identity in the society that we live in today. Me being Muslim clearly falls under my religious identity, not my racial identity. “How come being Muslim falls under my racial identity, but being Christian or Jewish isn’t considered a racial identity?” I asked myself. 

As soon as I got to my group, I knew that I wasn’t the only one who found it weird; we all decided how strange it was that we were all paired together based on our religion, even though we all possessed different ethnicities. We figured that it’s because of how society portrays all Muslims in such a negative light ever since 9/11. Although we all agreed that it was weird that we were all considered the same race by society just because we practice the same religion, we decided to just go with it and answer the questions. I found myself feeling very comfortable talking to other Muslims about the struggles that we face every day because of the religion we choose to identify with, Islam. We discussed several stories in regards to racism and discrimination, and I learned that a lot of my group members had been discriminated against after 9/11. It was nice to be able to talk openly with my group members, not having to worry about being cautious or “too open.” I found it easy to talk to them as we all very much related to each other, and we understood each other’s struggles. 

When all of the caucus groups came back together and had a large group discussion, I decided to share with the class a story about me facing discrimination and religious hate at the airport. Looking back, I’m glad I did so, because I think it served as a way to put things into perspective for others, and I hope I gave my peers insight on how Muslim women are often treated negatively just because of how they look or what they choose to wear. When we got into one big group, I was able to learn a lot from each caucus group, and overall, I found the group discussion interesting, beneficial, and informative.