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Ref #6

Reflection #6: Radical Heterosexuality,

Relationships and sexuality,

and The Proud Boys

Some women may roll their eyes in response to Naomi Wolf’s plea to educate the men in our lives and convince them that sexism is real.  Women already get paid less and even in today’s “modern” society are still second-class citizens.  Why must we prove ourselves again?  Why must we teach?  Why do we have to hold men’s hands through the process of our struggle to alleviate social inequalities? The answer is simple: If we don’t form an alliance and do this together, someone else will.  They will happily fulfill that role of mentor for us ladies and gentlemen; and we may not like or agree with what they have to say.  

There will always be a resistance to change, especially when it threatens the current power system and the ones who benefit most from its structure.  Intellectually we can understand this on a human level.  People like routine, consistency and reliability.  What happens to the dominate members in society when they are told the way the are doing things is wrong?  Many can view this as a welcome change.  They happily step up to the plate, eager to learn the new rules.  Others balk and resist quietly.  Others not so quietly.  

Case in point: Gavin McInnes, founder of the Proud Boys.  This is an example of what can materialize when men feel that they are under attack.  McInnes was the initial co-founder of vice news but his tenure was cut short due to “creative differences.  With his newly found free-time the “Godfather of hipster-dom” fostered a men’s club for the displaced, over looked, chauvinistic, predominately white male. [Insert sarcastic eyeroll here] He calls it: Proud Boys.  Members that pledge to this frat-like club are initiated through a verbal declaration and good ole-fashioned hazing.  Prospective members are required to recite the following: “I am a proud western chauvinist who refuses to apologize for creating the modern world.”  In addition to this declaration, pledges are then punched by at least five members while trying to recite five cereals, after this they refrain from masturbation, get the groups name tattooed on their bodies and are encouraged to pick a fight that they know they will lose to symbolize their “suffering.”  This recipe yields the rest of the North American population with 20,000 servings of sexually frustrated misogynists with a side of traditional sexism.  Enjoy.  

The founder stresses that the group doesn’t want to apologize for being male and that tradition holds value.  “Tradition” is code for the days of yore when women stayed home and raised the children while men “worked the assembly lines.”  McInnes rhetoric includes statements like “Feminism is cancer” and “venerate the house wives.”  There is nothing wrong with choosing to stay at home to a raise a family.  Human beings should indicate what they want based on their own desires and not through social obligation or conditioning.  If men truly did venerate their “homemaker” we wouldn’t have so many stories like the one exemplified in the article “Exploring Major Areas of Tension in Heterosexual Relationships.”  We are introduced anecdotally to one woman’s experience of building her life around her husband.  She gives up her career for her husband’s, has children because he wants them (she had been ambivalent about the choice), and stayed at home to raise them while he worked.  Ultimately, he ends up having many affairs with women he finds more exciting and independent than his dull stay-at-home wife.  This is just one women’s experience, but it exemplifies the realities of many couples in more “traditional” arrangements.  If the housewife were truly honored and respected, wouldn’t we expect to see less of these behaviors?

And effective alternative could be to reframe the current system and reveal that there is a better way of structuring our society by appealing to the interests of those at risk of losing their throne.  Men are more likely to drop out of high school, be diagnosed with a behavioral disorder, binge drink, go to prison, commit a violent crime and to die by suicide.  It is in men’s best interest to reevaluate this structure they are so desperate to maintain.  Perhaps if the flaws of current masculinity were looked at more closely, they too would embrace the change.  These statistics reveal that tradition gender roles in modern society do not seem to be working for men either.  It is understandable that many men may feel confusion around the “me too culture”.  Perhaps even remorseful.  They may think: “Have I ever done anything like that?  Is telling a woman I see on the street that she looks good not a compliment?  Don’t women like those?”

Men are socialized not to discuss these things, not to ask questions, so they internalize them.  They may even begin to feel threatened and turn to radical right-winged clubs like the Proud Boys.  If men are not invited into the conversation and given a safe space to ask questions candidly, they will seek other outlets of inclusion.  We are all looking for our tribe and a sense of belonging. Maybe one day it will include every human being on the planet.  

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Reflection 5

Reflection #5:

Davis, A. Masked Racism: Reflections on the Prison Industrial Complex

Sudbury, J. Celling Black Bodies: Black Women in the Global Prison Industrial Complex

            An exercise in class was assigned in response to the classist, racist and sexist conditions that are endurinng realities in women’s prisons all over the country.  Under the guise of rehabilitation, however it more closely resembles the capitalistic ideals involving the exploitation of at-risk populations. 

In Masked Racism: Reflections on the Prison Industrial Complex, Davis perfectly articulates the full nature of these abuses: “The dividends that accrue from investment in the punishment industry, like those that accrue from investment in weapons production, only amount to social destruction. Taking into account the structural similarities and profitability of business-government linkages in the realms of military production and public punishment, the expanding penal system can now be characterized as a "prison industrial complex."

Monetizing the labor of women prisoners proves to be a poor mask of the actual intentions.  Little if any exit programs exist to provide former women inmates with a reintegration back into society where they can assimilate back into a culture that most likely, won’t welcome them.  Former inmates struggle with job placement due to criminal records, and many skills that they acquired in the prison-work system do not provide skills that translate well into the “normal” workforce. 

It would be interesting to instill legislation that supports women who have served time with job security upon release.  It could possibly take form with the implementation of a vocational job training program.  Women who were interested in this program must adhere to the rules during their incarceration and post-incarceration.  During time served, with the assumption of good conduct, they would receive training for a guaranteed way to make a dignified income after release. 

Upon their departure, former inmates will have the acquired skills to then enter a state-work release program relevant to their vocational training.  In a more idyllic sense, it would be unionized to offer consistent job security to women who proved adherence to the program during incarceration and after.  She would have to show continuous dedication in earnest attempts not repeat offend.  To satisfy compliance random drug tests could be performed and self-run support groups would be a required attendance. 

The prospect of a job once on the outside of the prison would increase morale and offer hope to a marginalized group of our society.  Having a self-supporting group ran by former women prisoners would also empower this under-served population to heal itself without a “white savior”.  The solidarity shared by its members would promote accountability and decrease recidivism.  

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Reflection 4

Reflection #4

Dear Young Ladies Who Love Chris Brown So Much They Would Let Him Beat Them

The opinions expressed in this article are highly charged, fittingly so, but the polarizing reactions to this violent act seem incongruous.  Concerning the physical violence of Chris Brown towards Rihanna and the public’s reaction to the abuse, the reactions of the public and fans are but mere facets of a complex cultural failing.  Some reacted with disgust and others with a shrug of their shoulders.  Female and male fans made ignorant and hurtful comments: they would endure the abuse if meant a relationship with this celebrity.

We heard reactions from fans, media, and news sources but barley anything from the parties directly involved.  We can imagine Brown’s motivation for keeping quiet on the matter and not admitting fault.  He does not wish to further tarnish his career and hopes that time will burry the past deeds.   This is obvious from the outside looking in.  Brown’s managers know that having such a marketable product like their client will ensure his continued success.  They must have jumped up and down when reading such out cries from fans not only vindicating the abuse, but welcoming it.  A brief apology and a few anger management courses should do the trick.  

The most disturbing silence is that of Rihanna and her camp.  This is where implications of victim shaming must be analyzed under a microscope.  She has fame, money and power.  Many victims who experience similar scenarios do not possess these advantages and will not come forward and report domestic abuse.  They lack resources and may depend on their partner finically or have children with them.  There are many complicated reasons that discourage domestic abuse victims from reporting or fleeing.  Rihanna in no way resembles the previously mentioned demographic, so why not speak out?  Why wouldn’t this affluent celebrity seek to educate others or pursue legal retribution from her attacker?  Her lead in this matter could inspire those in similar situations and educate younger generations about domestic violence.  She had a unique opportunity to use her fame to shed light on the darkness and prominence of domestic violence.  

Victims of abuse experience a gamut of emotions and reactions that overlap and evolve with time.  Some blame themselves others may feel protective towards their abuser or love.   Battered woman is a phrase that is loosely used in recent times.  There is no small doubt that Rhianna may have felt many of these things and others not mentioned after the fallout of this violent incident.  Intimate partnerships are infinitely complex and it is understandable to have a desire to keep personal things close.  Unfortunately, celebrities’ lives are fodder for public scrutiny and the silence was deafening and spoke volumes about how our society treats and views victims of domestic abuse and violence.

A theory emerges that Rihanna’s team of talent managers and public relations personnel might have had motivations of their own to sweep this under the rug.  Can a victim be idolized in the same way?  Would she still have that powerful “don’t mess with me” appeal?  Could they still sell this “damaged” product if they identified the true severity of the attack?  Would it hurt their bottom line?  The word “victim” is not so easily associated with strength and power in this culture.  The labeling of “victim” has the tendency to trump defining characteristics of a person.  It stigmatizes them with one note into a ridged role.  There seems to be no reconciliation between victim and everything else that makes up an individual.  

Many survivors return to their abusers, just as Rihanna did initially after Brown attacked her.  Her silence can be interpreted as her desire to protect not only Brown, but her own privacy.  Rihanna has been more vocal recently with criticisms to snap-chat allowing distasteful ads that made light of domestic violence.  Her decision to reenter her relationship with an individual who abused her is common among co-dependent and abusive arrangements due to many complexities.   It takes time to heal from any type of abuse including, emotional, physical, and/or sexual.  If society continues to change its vernacular and culture around treatment of abuse survivors, perhaps it could begin to aid in the healing process rather than hinder.  

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Reflection 3:

Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, And Violence Against Women of Color

 It is a very strange day indeed when one realizes that something as seemingly trivial as skin hue and biology, would determine their direction into a societal cast system.  Our culture continues to agree with the archaic sorting by nonverbal actions.  Many of these ideas are perpetuated in silence, making them so much more insidious.  Even the obvious violent act of rape had/has been sequestered into the confines of the victims’ homes and close support system.  This is one of the more counterintuitive and baffling behaviors our society has historically participated in: A burden that the victim most continue to bear in silence and shame. They are taught that what happened to them is so deplorable, dialogue of their experiences is forbidden and makes the public uncomfortable.  This is an example of society failing them multiple times over.  One being, the failure of society to admit that culture created the problem in the first place.  Secondly, society won’t acknowledge responsibility.  The lack of culpability is illustrated by the neglect of conversation and change that comes often much too slow. 

Another cringe worthy byproduct of cultural failings is intersectionality. Women of color, lower class, gay, lesbian, and trans people are among those who experience the confounding implications of discrimination and societal disadvantage.  Heaven forbid an individual possesses multiple marginalized identities! 

It is worth noting that intersectionality often comes in with direct conflict with the “mainstream” concepts of sexism.  Women of color are habitually side-lined by dominant concepts of social injustice. Compounding characteristics include immigration status, race, and class.  It is interesting to see a “minority” group such as women fragment even further by its failure to tackle issues of racism and sexism from a more multidimensional approach. 

Patterns of intersectional subordination may emerge as an unintentional byproduct apparent in issues of immigration.  Waivers exist with the intentions of protecting immigrate women from domestic violence, but many of these women lack adequate access to resources.  Spousal abuse may not be reported for fear of financial distress and fear of deportation.  It is difficult to obtain an accurate occurrence rate of domestic abuse endured by women in this group. 

Individual victims of rape also have individual needs.  The institutions established to assist women in these tumultuous times often lack adequate funding and the possibly training to aid accordingly.  One can see the frustration a social worker may experience when assisting a woman of color who has experienced violence.  Frustration that is not directed towards the victim but rather the lack of resources and financial budget.  Counseling someone who has been raped or the subject for domestic violence might also include the individual being unemployed and disabled.  This is an example of where rape cannot be handled independently.

The systems that dominate our nation are geared towards the racially privileged and are being challenged to become more inclusive of the women it can assist.    It is possible to infer that victim shaming extends beyond the sexual violence into areas of race.  Bigotry could possibly produce blanket statements such as: Black men are violent and therefore Black women experience increased violence. Intersectionality again becomes a key factor with attitudes like this.  We can see how racism, sexism and classism all lend to these distorted attitudes.  Our society must take responsibility for these splinters if we are ever to move forwards with our ethics. 

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Reflection 2

Reflection 2- The Humiliating Practice of Sex-Testing Female Athletes

 Mandatory “sex” verification in the Olympics began in 1968 in succession to versions of similar tests that originated in the 1920s. 

These practices discriminate against a multitude of persons, including but not limited to, intersex women, women of color, women that are not cross-culturally considered up to par with “beauty” standards and women that emerge from developing countries.  The victimology under this umbrella is appalling.  Scrutinized from the inside out.  Questioned by fellow competitors (whom of course benefit from the disqualification of their competition), internal agencies and then by the critical eyes of the public.  It certainly is reminiscent of the barbaric Roman fighting pits.  A double spectacle: Olympic games and gender shaming all in one.

The mere practice of sex-testing is derogatory and biased.  It would be difficult to imagine athletes such as Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn undergoing such scrutiny around their performances being “natural” or “even.” Both are white women from affluent backgrounds.  These women also subjectively possess the western standard of femininity and beauty. 

Olympians, as a rule, possess many qualities that distinguish them against the average person.  This is the thrill that the public seek when watching athletes push their bodies to the extreme.  The amount of discipline, dedication and training is awe insipring in its’ self.  It is when the body and performance are deemed too extreme and too remarkable, that women are subjected to rigorous and dehumanizing degradation. These are the deviate characteristics that raise eyebrows and activate a ripple effect in the sea of speculation and rumors:  They must not be “real” women. 

The International Association of Athletics Federations (I.A.A.F.) and the International Olympic Committee (I.O.C.) have spent decades attempting to expose men posing as women to no avail.  What appears to be nothing short of a modern-day witch hunt, is now aiming its’ scope towards a new target: intersex women.  It is very apparent that these humiliating verifications single out those with less support and resources. Many of the intersex women come from backgrounds with little exposure to education, affluence and internal advocates to represent their interests.

 Maria Jose Martinez Patino was found to have XX and XXY chromosomes.  She advocated for herself by competing, going against the advisement of Spanish athletic officials. She was then thrown off the national team and rejected by her teammates and comrades.  Gender and sex require an integrated approach when determining identity, even in biological expression. Many geneticists argue that chromosomes alone do not determine a person’s sex, let alone gender. 

The case of Dutee Chand is another example of a woman deemed by officials as an acceptable canidate to scrutinize.  Her hormone levels were found to be above those typically found in female ranges. Studies have difficulty linking the cause and effect between athletic performance and testosterone. These anomalies and variations exist naturally in human beings and are not limited to levels in androgens.  It is noted that the naturally occurring testosterone levels in male contenders are not regulated. 

Padawer’s article sites instances of athletes whom were cajoled into “fixing” their bodies.  These invasive mutilations involved removal of internal and external “abnormalities” such as undescended testes and clitoral reduction.  Enacted to satisfy the grotesque mob of committee members, fellow athletes, and spectators.  All to fit into the schema that is fabricated, woven and agreed upon by predominately White and White-European cultures. 

One cannot help noting the resemblance of an archaic public shaming.  Women paraded around like animals for the masses to judge and disqualify as viable competitors.  Women whose bodies challenge the white-middle class ideals appear to be those that trigger the objections.  Even expressions of exertion during a physically demanding competition were considered untoward, in addition to muscular physiques.  The majority of the public’s consensus seems to pontificate, “They need to know they are women athletes, not athletes.”   

An adult version of bullying in the high school lunch room has emerged on a global scale, plaguing the arena of “modern” ethics.  Too man to be a woman, too woman to be categorized a man.  This vast displacement and discreditation of human beings are more revealing of the ideals held by the accepted dominate cultural attitude rather than actual scientific correctness. These attitudes further suggest that a woman cannot be deft upon her own accord, determination and commitment alone: she must be “part man.” 

Luckily, those ideas are beginning to be challenged.  Battles are being fought outside of the arenas and inside of courtrooms.  Unfortunately for many athletes, the damage cannot be undone. Their careers were prematurely severed by demagoguery as court protests were slow to yield them the legal right to compete within the officially allotted time parameters.  Their unconsented sacrifices do offer hope.  Hope that future athletes might be spared these unethical infringements upon their basic human rights. 

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Reflection 1

Reflection 1: “Backwards in High Heels”

 Even seemingly benign circumstances presented in research studies can produce compounding outcomes and lend to a stereotypical threat process.  For example, administering a math test to a group with only one woman amongst a group of men.  Its what is not present in this scenario that could produce self-defeating conclusions.  The sole female subject may draw the conclusion that women are naturally inferior in math thus explaining the uneven ratio of males to females being tested.  Here, subjects may not have been gender primed, like other experiments mentioned in the reading.  The simple absence of women in the room can reinforce the “math-equals-male” typecast.  Further perpetuating this myth would be the lack of a female role model during the advancement in her mathematical career.  Research has shown that role models, whom most closely resemble the individual aspiring to climb the ladder in her field, will lessen the stereotype threat.  It is worth noting that women may begin to avoid the field altogether due to a likely absence of an appropriate representation of female leaders.

These social implications of female inferiority in mathematics are expressed with various responses.  Most of the responses produce an anxiety the text refers to as “the mind under threat”. Gender stereotypes are so pervasive they often stunt those who occupy the group being referenced.  This threat seems to lead to performance anxiety, less risk taking, perfectionism, self-doubts, and the depletion of working memory resources.  The lab given tests cease to be truly quantitative tools, instead they yield results derived from anxieties rather than talent or true capabilities. 

This is an intuitive conclusion to draw.  For example:  A woman is given a test.  Before she begins, the administrator primes her with a gender-stereotype.  In prior situations, the woman had performed exceptionally well on a similar or near identical tests.  Her mental energy is now having to counter balance the effects the statement had on her own perceptions of her capabilities. Conversely, women who were made to feel like a part of an elite group preformed just as well as her male counterparts.  The inference that can be drawn from this example further supports the concept that gender performance is a social construct. 

This is a very striking realization. We are told from birth the “correct” way to present our gender.  When gender priming is removed from experiments by research, the similarities perspectives emerges.  This is the belief that both genders possess similar intellectual and social capabilities.  In other words, male and female genders perform similarly.

Perhaps the most jarring of revelations presented in the assigned textbook reading are the biases present in research.  It stands to reason that subconscious sexism exists in the laboratory setting.  The biases held by researcher will certainly impact the social behavior of the groups being observed. The danger here is the subtleness of the sexism that can largely impact the collected data. 

 The research presented in “Backwards in High Heels” presents more of an awareness about the impact of sexism.  The creators of the mentioned research scenarios show a sensitivity towards gender stereotypes through the variations of the experiments.  The Psychology of Women suggests the mechanism to avoid influencing research with biases via the application of critical thinking.  Due to the insidious nature of culturally derived gender imbalances, researchers must possess a hyperawareness when designing experiments.  If theories presented by the researchers are biased against women, one would expect the collected data to be distorted.

The Psychology of Women stresses the importance of testing a multitude of operational definitions to produce a more accurate data set.  Even the selection of participants can be at risk for producing biased results.  When the actual study is performed, further biases can influence the experiment through researcher expectancy.  It occurs in two different forms.  The first: expectations about the results could skew the data interpretation.  Second: subjective conclusions that are drawn based the researchers’ expectations on the outcome of their research.  Further complications arise during the interpretation of the data and then again while communicating the findings.  There is a rather large opportunity for research interpretations to misrepresent women.

When joining the information presented in both readings (The text book and the article), the take away is as follows:  simply changing the suggestions to the research populations can have a powerful impact on performance.  Cognitive performance is sensitive to social environment.

 What would happen if we could raise a generation of children on an isolated island without our current cultural gender roles?  One could deduce that a more inclusive humanistic portrait would emerge.  We could assume the playing field would be level based on the findings in the presented experiments. 

  References:

 Fine, C. (2011). Backwards in High Heels

 Matlin, M.W. (2018). The Psychology of Women