#unitpost

[gencityy]

Teenage Pregnancy and Purity Unit Post

There is so much emphasis put on the fact of women not having sex, or having sex and not getting pregnant, or getting pregnant and not having an abortion. There are all of these rights and wrongs, and dos and don’ts, but do we really have these same rules for guys? Do we really see it as horrible if they have sex? Or if they have a baby, I mean since they aren’t the one carrying it. All of it comes down to women.  And in reality women don’t win. If a young girl gets pregnant and have an abortion, they are seen as a horrible human to some because they are seen as “killing”. Or if they do have the child, they are seen as horrible for having sex. Either way in our society, if you get pregnant when you’re not married you’re seen as screwing up your life, just pretty much a big screw up. So like we see in the tv show 16 and Pregnant, you have to keep you’re child if you are one of these women, but you’re then seen as a horrible mom because you’re a single mom. There is just no win in having sex.

When it comes to purity and marriage, it is seen that when women lose their virginity then they are losing something? What really is that thing that we’re losing? That we’re giving into our humanly needs? Or that each time you add to that number of guys that you have slept with, then you are losing something with each guy. But in reality you are really gaining something. You are gaining experience and knowledge of what you want. I think our society needs to see sex in a totally different way when it is concerning women. It needs to be seen as something we are meant to do. Humans are meant to have sex. That is how we reproduce. It shouldn’t be seen as a sin, or bad if you do it. There are a lot of people that will disagree because of religious views and what not. But at least there should be the same standards for both genders. Not the standard of “oh you’re a slut if you sleep around” (for women), and “oh you’re cool because you get a lot of girls”. Once again women are shut down and not treated with respect on their decisions. And the show, 16 and pregnant does not help with going against hegemonic structures.

[gencityy]

Supernatural Sexuality Unit Post

We may think of supernatural or fantasy books and movies as a positive thing, because they openly have sex in them. But the way it is portrayed is, errrr not so great. Even though in Twilight Bella is scene to want sex alll the time. Which can be seen as good. It is counteracted because Edward won’t allow them to. It is shown throughout the book that HE knows what’s best for her. And she must obey him. Just as when he breaks up with her (because it is what is best for her). And then of course she can barely live without him. This whole concept is portrayed to us and really isn’t a surprise. A lot of people don’t really question things that happen in Twilight because it is seen as normal. It’s seen that women do need men, and without them then our lives are miserable. It is also seen that is shouldn’t be weird if a man is stalking you and watching you in your room at night. NO, THAT IS FREAKING WEIRD! I don’t care if he has uncontrollable love for you. No guy should be watching you sleep alllll night. Weird. Back to what I was saying about the break up, it is seen that Bella should just deal with it. That is something that is so apparent in our society today. It is okay if a guy breaks up with a girl, they should just take it, not ask any questions, and go on with their life. Oh and they should be suuuuper devasted. But when a girl breaks up with a guy, OH hellll no. That’s not okay, and if the guy doesn’t like that it is fine if they keep persisting to be together. But for girls we should just deal with it. Twilight enforces this fact, clearly, since we see that Edward is in control of the relationship.

Along with the whole relationship part of the Twilight saga, we also see a lot of class and race stereotypes involved. We have the Cullens, who are white, beautiful and rich. Then we have the werewolves who are Native Americans and poor. With these aspects of Twilight, these things really aren’t noticeable to people that read these books for pleasure. And this is not a good thing, our society sees men and women treated like this in life and now in the movies and books we watch and read. This is teaching our future generations what it should be like in a relationship. If we keep doing this and buying into these books that enforce these stereotypes then our society won’t change. 

[gencityy]

Unit Post: Claiming Sexuality

A lot of people would love to talk about sex. I mean it’s a very interesting subject, in my eyes. Buuuuuutttt, in our society it is something that is not really talked about. It’s kind of a hush hush topic. We may make jokes about certain things, or watch movies with sex in them. But it’s something that is not really talked about unless maybe with very close friends. And really it depends on the person, how much he/she tells their friends. WAIT WAIT, my friend that I’m with just asked if I’ve had an orgasm before. HAHAHA I’m dying…

Okay anyway, for women it is expected that we don’t “want” sex. Or think about it. But wait, why is it that “that’s all guys think about”? Ummm, I’m pretty sure women have the same sexual desires that men have. We have the same needs, we are all human! So with 50 Shades of Grey, it allows women of all ages to explore what they want, and by reading these books to experience it. When they read these books (since they have so much sex in them), they experience the sex that they fantasize about explicitly. It is right there in front of them. AND many other women are reading the exact same thing. Which is an additional plus because then they aren’t just reading it, they can then talk about it!

Women need to have a positive attitude about sex. But the media does not have this portrayal to women. They want women to be careful and cautious with sex (because we are the ones that carry babies), so it is portrayed that we should have minimal sex (unless married). But yet the double standard is that men can have as much sex as they want no matter what, as long as they are protected. When a woman has had multiple partners she is seen as a slut, but when a guy has had multiple partners, he is just scene as well “a guy” or a player. Which is a good thing to them, because they are coooool then! But this makes a girl uncool? 50 Shades of Grey allows women to have a positive attitude toward sex, which is what we should have in the first place.

Girls are taught at very young ages that they should be abstinent, with the rise of purity balls and purity rings. And um do guys have these purity balls? HAHA nooo. It’s funny to even imagine that. And it’s sad that we put so much emphasis on a girl or woman’s worth by the fact of her sexuality. If she has had sex or not, and if she has if it was with someone she has been married to, and how many people. We have to be sexy but not have sex. This standard really needs to change and hopefully will once people stop confusing sexuality with worthiness.

[learningwithculture-blog]

Unit Post: Supernatural Relationships

Supernatural beings are usually highly sexulized. Don't believe me? Here are some examples..

Twilight. (Edward vs. Jacob)

Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter. (Succubus with vampire, werewolf, wereleapard, werelion, more vampires.. and more were-animals) 

True Bloods. (sexy crazed vampires)

Warm Bodies. (falls in love with a zombie....WHAT?!)

City of Bones. (Shadowhunters, super sexy)

Blue bloods. (vampires who's bite makes you want them)

I really don't think I have to go on. 

The question is why are these beings being sexulized so often? Well, what do they have in common? They are all strong, protective, dangerous, and not real. 

These people are not real!

How in the world could they actually hurt you? That's right, they can't. They are dangerous.. to a point. Thinking about them and fantasizing about them is easy because in the long run, you will not be hurt. Not emotionally or physically. They are a safe danger that we can let our minds run wild on. Women can imagine romantically or sexually a scene with these men and they control what they do. 

Of course things can happen in these stories that don't paint pretty pictures, but that's what fanfics are for! Change it! It's your imagination. If you want a strong, smart, super rich vampire that looks like Edward, but you don't like the controlling douche he is in the books? Make him not so in your mind.

The tricky part to this is going in with the knowledge that these characters have flaws. Know that Edward has his problems and be able to point them out. Wanting Edward does not mean you want all of him. You can want only pieces and because this is all made up, you can have it.. without the abusive relationship tagged on. And in your imagination, don't be Bella.. that's just sad. Have a little emotion.

We need to realized what an abusive relationship is and that in a fantasy world, you can change the guy to not be abusive. The scary part is when you try this in real life. Do not try to change an abusive partner. Just get out. You cannot change them, and if you can, at what cost? You are more important than that. Let's also be aware that Bella is abusive in this relationship too, women can be abusive!! This does not make it better, but we need to acknowledge that women are not always the victims and guys, you are not less of a man, if you get out, you're more of one. 

There is a fantasy world, but ultimately, there is the real world. People who read these stories need to know the difference and what a healthy relationship is before they go around saying they want these types of relationships. Plus, if you asked these young girls what they love about Edward, I bet they don't say that it's because he is a stalker, killer or emotionally abusive. More often than not it's because he is good looking, smart, and rich. What these girls need to know is that you can have one without the other and if they are in a relationship with both, it's not worth it.

[caseylyons19]

Unit Post: Supernatural Sexuality

Exploring sexual desires appear in many female fantasies where one is able to escape and open up their mind set. Although the word fantasy is usually portrayed in an imaginary world, it is a place to take risks, examine, and aspire your feelings. Looking deeper into specifically sexual fantasies, the appealing aspect of danger and risk taking can be used in female fantasies in an arousing manner, but the fascination can also become very frightening. Usually this becomes very problematic once romantic relationships begin to form.

Gaining tremendous attention and popularity, Twilight is a series of novels and movies that juggles between romance and fantasy. Thoroughly focusing on two of the main characters, Edward and Bella become instantly attracted toward one another disregarding all of the forceful dangers that come with their relationship. The obsession and love Edward has for Bella demonstrates an emotionally and physically abusive relationship. In spite the fact that it is easy for the reader or viewer to fall for this love story and root for Team Edward, we are not realizing that we are actually encouraging domestic violence.

Lets take a look!

The obsession Edward has with Bella is so immense that he literally craves her blood. Edward actively stalks Bella in her own room without her even knowing; also he becomes her own protector from any sort of danger. Edward is extremely controlling over Bella, which brings me to the main female role that is portrayed in the series. Bella cannot care for herself and is portrayed as boring, clumsy and powerless. Once again the female character is seen as an object. Bella is so dependent on Edward that we still are favoring male dominance over females, which is extremely problematic. Edward threatens Bella with violence and constantly reminds her he is more powerful than she is. When these two characters are finally able to have sex with each other, Bella wakes up to bruises all over, things broken and ripped. Just re-reading that last sentence it is clear that this is not a healthy relationship! Whether we call it love or a fantasy, sex should never be related to violence in any sense.

Feeding off of this failure fantasy I wanted to touch base with how Twilight demonstrates race and class through their characters. There are two main families that play a certain fantasy role in the series. The Cullen’s being the vampire family is the extremely wealthy, intelligent, powerful ones. Their skin color is white, where it can even sparkle…(come on now). The father figure of the Cullen clan is a doctor, $$$ and all of the kids in his family attend school. On the other hand we get to meet the werewolves. This family is literally portrayed as animals and consists of poor, dark skinned African American who are associated as the working class. We never see this family attending school, only working as mechanics.

All in all I do believe that supernatural fantasies are a great way to escape and explore sexuality, but the way Twilight has portrayed these fantasies is unhealthy and it needs to change. Also having this series come out in the 2000’s, it makes me disappointed to see that our society is still accepting how we portray race and class the way Twilight has. If you were able to get something out of this blog…don’t bother choosing a team!

Source: Twilight

[gencityy]

Unit Post - Race and Cyberspace

Basically the internet is something that is not necessarily tangible. It is all just out there. And we have now come to a place where we have multiple social medias where we can make an identity (even different identities) on multiple sites. I’m sure what you post/say on Facebook isn’t the same things you post on Twitter or Instagram or Tumblr. All have different purposes and you can make yourself seem very different in each of these networks. For instance my mom, 14 year old sister, grandma, and other family members are on Facebook. I’m always aware of what I put on there, as well as all my other social media because I know that these things are public and someone can use things against you at any time. I take my mom’s advice on many topics, and she told me “you can really tell a lot by a person’s Facebook” which can be very true depending on how much is revealed.

People on Twitter just like to say what they are thinking (and sometimes without even thinking), whereas on Facebook, it doesn’t really work that way. With #whitegirlproblems and all of the other race/class defining groups, these are causing us to be identified based on race, class, gender, age, sexuality, etc. People use these as humor to not make fun of others, but themselves. Like it is funny to agree with stereotypes? This then just reinforces that it’s okay to have these stereotypes and to use them. This theory reminds me a lot of when girls with call each other derogatory names (slut, hoe, bitch, etc.) and think it is okay (such as in a friendly way) but then get at mad at guys for saying it. This is how I see these groups on twitter. If you keep reinforcing something that has to do with an identity of you, then other people will think it is okay to go along with too. This is one of the major problems with social media and the internet.

I feel that it is hard to overcome this. We can’t just get rid of social media or these hash tags or groups. That wouldn’t get rid of the problem.  Just like a lot of other things we have learned in this class, a big solution to these issues is to educate people. Once you have a critically thinking mind, you literally think “why?” in so many things you do/see/interact with. And I believe the less and less we will have with race separation and things along that line. Our country needs to start this education of critical thinking in public schools, not just in college, because not everyone can go to college. And I believe knowledge will triumph our troubles.

[learningwithculture-blog]

Unit Post: Hail the Fandom!

I am a fangirl. I mean... Superwholock type.

I am not ashamed. I love my beloved fandoms. It's a wonderful place to lose yourself and be able to be around people who have the same interests as you. Most, if not all, my close friends watch some if not all of my shows; Supernatural, Dr.Who, or Sherlock.

I can go on and on about these shows, but I won't. Just know that they are all on Netflix. Now watch.. but wait til after finals please, for your own good.

These shows link me to not only my friends, but sometimes to complete strangers. Comic Con is a usual spot to find other fans. But when you are just out and about and meet a new person, they could watch these shows and you have double digit seasons to talk about. There will not be a dull moment, trust me. 

Another huge fandom at the moment is My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

 The guys in this fandom are not called fanboys, oh no, they are bronies. This is, bro-ponies. Guys get a lot of shit for liking my little pony, a children's t.v. show. The thing is, the maker of this show made it so that it would be entertaining for adults that have to watch t.v. with their kids. This fandom lets guys connect on something not "masculine" and lets them learn a new side of themselves that they can share with other guys. How important is that!

There are places on the internet for these fans also. The internet is the perfect place for fandoms. It lets fans from all over come together and share ideas and sometimes fanfics. These are stories that are popular among the internet fandom community. It's when fans write stories that have the characters of your fandom but are not part of the story-line in the original work. It's like a side quest. 

Fandoms help people connect with each other with things that interest them and it's a healthy way to build relationships. Everyone is on the same level.. well maybe not all the time. Someone might be related to Felicia Day, that's a whole other level! That's not the case most the time. Usually, everyone is on the same level and no one's opinion is bad. It's a community where people can build friendships based on similar interests.

http://superwholock.tumblr.com/ <---- Follow them

And for your enjoyment, I give you Dr. Whooves! (10th Doctor pony)

P.S.: He is actually on the show.

[caseylyons19]

Unit Post: Video Games & Sexism

Video games for as long as they’ve existed have never belonged to anything other than the hegemonic group and particularly involving sexism. Examining the gaming world, the majority of it seems to be made by men, specifically for men/boys, and dominated by men/boys. Not playing many video games personally myself, I did own a Nintendo 64 station when I was a kid. Having Mario Kart be one of my brother and I’s favorite games, I thought analyzing this game would be best. Right off the bat it is obvious that Princess Peach is the only female character you can choose out of the other 7 players, which explains itself. Whitewashing also exists in many video games. Out of all of the 8 characters on Mario Kart, there is not one person of color. And if we do look deeper into this subject people could argue that Donkey Kong would be portrayed as the person of color…but he is actually a gorilla. WTF! Lastly, the good guy is usually always portrayed as a white person, for example, Mario (the heroic one who saves Princess Peach in other Super Mario Brother games) and then the bad guy that is usually portrayed as a person of color, for example, Donkey Kong.

The damsel in distress trope is also a typical theme in video games. This theme is usually a female character placed in a frightful situation where she cannot escape on her own, which then requires a hero (male character) to attain her rescue. A great example Anita Sarkeesian uses was the Tarzan of the Apes book made in the early 1900’s. In the book a monkey takes a pretty woman, and then her loved one (a man) comes to the rescue for her. This theme has snowballed throughout many video games simply because it is an easy plot device. Another great example she expresses relates back to the one and only Super Mario Franchise. In one of their games Princess Peach is stuck hopelessly in a ball when Mario and Bowser are flinging her back and forth as she screams “Mario!” for his help. Not to mention Princess Peach appears in 14 games and is kidnapped in 13 of them, the women character is typically seen as weaker and vulnerable and is suppose to be saved by the male. Specifically looking at the underlined phrases, Princess Peach is only the spotlight of attention because Mario and Bowser portray her as an object and because she is so dependent on a male character. This brings me to how video games are marketed typically to young, straight, boys and men. This just screams male power fantasies!

Hopefully these problems will be spotted and conquered faster knowing that video games are being played all over the world by every race. With this being said, not only men enjoy playing video games and I would hope we as a society will realize and respect these two main problems.