Make Love Not Porn

Here is Cindy Gallop's website "Make Love not Porn." As she mentions in her TED Talk (posted by Prof McGee in the comment section of Jayson's post), it is a site that encourages honest conversation about sex and discourages the myths surrounding women and sexuality and perpetuated by pornography. It is not, as she mentions in her talk, an anti-porn site, rather it is a place where one can go to learn about sex, and all kinds of sexuality. It's both amusing and interesting. Thoughts or general comments?

http://makelovenotporn.com/

Have a great weekend!
Kris

Contemporary Issue

I completely forgot I had to do this other-wise I would have done it earlier. AHH!!!!!!!!

I guess the way I will try to compensate is to quickly review this article (In Class) and then ask a few questions so that the reading itself isn't so much required/expected. Again I'm really sorry about not posting earlier, if you see this before class stop reading, I will read it in class.

My post in part is due to the fact that while we are in "Feminist Theory," we don't really talk about sex/sexuality all that much. I mean we do, but only in secondary terms as a means to deal with issues such as reproductive rights or abortion. Maybe because it's too big a topic to fit into our FTR or because the editors of the book determined it to undermine the essays provided. Or maybe because it's "too easy" as feminist to discuss sexuality and in turn understand that when woman begin to talk about sex, no one listens. Well without further hesitation, lets begin.

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Because I like being irritating and controversial, my discussion specificly is on the subject of PORN! With Rick Santorum claiming within the past couple of weeks that

""hard-core pornography is very damaging, particularly to young people, and that exposure on the Internet can be very damaging to a lot of folks who are in all sorts of settings," 

and that,

"a wealth of research is now available demonstrating that pornography causes profound brain changes in both children and adults, resulting in widespread negative consequences."

While no such research exist it does bring to attention the fact that the "porn world" is far from gaining a comprehensive understanding by the mainstream, general population. It's simply something that is regarded as inherently sleezy and dirty, and I would even go as far to guess that it's not discussed because it is written off as "trash." But if the industry is so dissmisable then why is it at the staggering size of an estimated value of 13 billion dollars (AVN 2006, down since then)?

Santorum Article -

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-25/news/ct-met-teens-and-porn-20120325_1_sexual-activity-playboy-magazine-young-people

Tough times in the Porn Industry, 2009

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/10/business/fi-ct-porn10

The following is a couple of quotes taken from an exhausting account of the 1998 AVN (Adult Video News) Awards written by David Foster Wallace.

Excerpts of Chapter 1 "Big Red Sun" from "Consider the Lobster" By David Foster Wallace

 The adult industry released nearly 8,000 adult releases in 1997, including over 4,000 “new” releases (non-compilation). AVN reviewed every new release in every categroy this past year, logging over 30,000 sex scenes.

Awards will be presented in a record 106 categories over a two night period.

Feminists of all different stripe oppose the adult industry for reasons having to do with pornography’s putative effects on women. Their arguments are well-known and in some respects persuasive. But certain antiporn arguments in the 1990s are now centered on adult entertainment’s alleged effects on the men who consume it. Some “masculists” believe that a lot of men get addicted to video porn in a way that causes grievous psychic harm. Example: An essayist named David Mura has a little book called A Male Grief: Notes on Pornography and Addiction, which is a bit New Agey but interesting in places, e.g.:

At the essence of pornography is the image of flesh used as a drug, a way of numbin psychic pain. But this drug lasts only as long as the man stares at the image. . . . In pornographic perception, each gesture, each word, each image, is read first and foremost through sexuality. Love or tenderness, pity or compassion, become subsumed by, and are made subservient to, a “greater” deity, a more powerful force. . . . The addict to pornography desires to be blinded, to live in a dream. Those in the thrall of pornography try to eliminate from their consciousness the world outside pornography, and this includes everything from their family and friends or last Sunday’s sermon to the political situation in the Middle East. In engaging in such elimination the viewer reduces himself. He becomes stupid.

 The gynecologically explicit sexuality of Jenna, Jasmin, et al. seems more than anything like a Mad magazine spoof of the “smoldering” sexuality of Sharon Stone and Madonna and so many other mainstream iconettes. Not to mention the fact that the adult industry takes many of the psychological deformities that Hollywood is famous for—the vanity, the vulgarity, the rank commercialism—and not only makes them overt and grotesque but seems then to revel in that grotesquerie.

Q. $4,000,000,000 and 8,000 new releases a year—why is adult video so popular in this country?

A. Industry journalist Harold Hecuba: “It’s the new Barnum. Nobody ever goes broke overestimating the rage and misogyny of the average American male.

Mr. John “Buttman” Stagliano—CEO of Evil Angel Inc., a man described by US News& World Report as “the nation’s leading director of hard-core videos”—not only has publicly announced testing positive for HIV but has identified the infection’s vector as a transsexual prostitute in São Paulo with whom Stagliano had unprotected anal intercourse in 1995. He’s anxious that people not get the wrong idea: “I am not particularly interested in guys, but I am interested in dicks. Forbidden taboos lead to all sorts of neurotic behavior, which leads to me being fucked in the ass without a rubber.”

The whole 15th AAVNAs Show lasts 3.5 hours and resembles nothing so much as an obscene and extremely well-funded high school assembly. The mix of garish self-congratulation and clumsy choreography is often so weird as to be endearing.

Back at the journalists’ table with us is a 40ish woman in two-piece Armani who’s doing a spot on the Awards for ABC Radio; she spends most of the evening hunched over with her head in her hand and her tape recorder not even on.

http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780316156110_ChapterExcerpt(1).htm

Thoughts about this ?

So all of our discussions concerning race and jokes and what is considered humor got me to thinking about something I have seen circulating around the internet. I'm sure some of you are familiar with memes. They are pictures that express an idea or concept, often they are satirical. I am curious what all of you think about the successful black man meme? Do you find that it is humorous and undercuts the traditional way of thinking or do you find it damaging? Does it aid in promoting harmful stereotypes or do we have " bigger fish to fry." Let me know what you think and if you would like me to clarify. http://www.quickmeme.com/Successful-Black-Man/

The Importance of the Little Things

http://www.cracked.com/article_19785_5-ways-modern-men-are-trained-to-hate-women.html

I don't know if any of you are familiar with the website cracked.com (if you are on facebook you've probably seen it...) but a friend of mine posted this a couple of days ago and I thought I would share. This reminds me of part of our conversation this morning about Kris' contemporary issue. We questioned whether the little things like a joke on tag in a pair of pants was important or if there are "bigger fish to fry". My response, which I believe is highlighted by some of the things brought up in this blog, is that the little things are equally important as the big things. In my opinion the little things are in some way almost more important then the big things because it is the little things that create and perpetuate an environment where the big things are possible.
This also brings me back to the essay we read by Sharon Marcus "Fighting Bodies, Fighting Words..." where she talked about how much language affects the way our society functions. She was talking specifically about rape, but if we connect her idea of scripts and learned language for rape and rape culture to the ideas in the Cracked article we see how prevalent these insidious little things are.

Because I Had to (Yay Art!)

Here is something that we don't do enough as a class. Share and celebrate women-hood. We get so caught up in all the "work" of feminism that their is no celebration. Well here I have decided to list a few of my favorite artist who are women. Women who have surpised, challenge, and engaged me. Artist who have changed the way in which I perceive the world and some of whom's works I am completely enamored with.

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Frida Kahlo - Love Frida, love this portrait. One of Fridas best in my opinion.






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Gwendolyn Brooks - Just recently discovered this amazing poets work. Included is a link of "Negro Hero" which I absolutely recommend, it's incredible.



Excerpt from "Negro Hero,"

"I had to kick their law into their teeth in order to save them.
However, I have heard that sometimes you have to deal
Devilishly with drowning men in order to swim them to shore
Or they will haul themselves and you to the trash and the fish beneath,
(When I think of this, I do not worry about a few
Chipped teeth.)"

http://www.unz.org/Pub/CommonGround-1945q2-00044

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Patti Smith - One of my favorite attitudes from the punk rock era.


From "Babelogue"

"In heart I am a Moslem; in heart I am an American; In heart I am Moslem, in heart I'm an American artist, and I have no guilt. I seek pleasure. I seek the nerves under your skin. The narrow archway; the layers; the scroll of ancient letters. We worship the flaw, the belly, the belly, the mole on the belly of an exquisite whore. He spared the child and spoiled the rod. I have not sold myself to God."


<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2wDmR4sYZ2U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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Sharon Olds - Another one of my favorites. Met her at a reading in central park, she was lovely. Included is a link to a couple of her poems.




http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/m_r/olds/poems.htm

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Mary Harron - Not only gets a spot for being one of the few female voices in mainstream film today, but specificly for directing "American Psycho" which if anyone has seen, is just beyond quick words.All of Harron's movies, while there aren't many, adress the issue of "Women," specificly "I shot Andy Warhol" and "The Notorious Betty Page."



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Ida Presti - One of my Personal Heroes and virtually unknown due to a relatively young death. One of the worlds greatest Guitarist.





<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pHrYmwGgjg0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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Andrea Gibson - She is one of the biggest up and coming performers of slam poetry. I found this through a friend a couple of semesters ago and have been promoting her ever since. Seriously Recommend her work. She performs regularly at colleges and night clubs.



The video I'm posting is opened by a little guitar intro so don't mind that, the poem itself is great.

"Lover, I smashed my glass slipper to build a stain-glassed window for every wall lit inside my chest. Now my heart is a pressed flower in a taterred bible, it is the one verse you can trust, so I'm putting all of my words in your collection plate. I am setting the table with bread and grace. My knees are bent like the corner of a page, I am saving your place."

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MXc8Ct7qezY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


And

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BCIu7-r1yK0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

"Once I found a butterfly's wing on the sidewalk, I wanted to keep it but I didn't. I knew there were things I should never find beutiful like death, or girls."

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Feel free to respond or add  to the list women artist who you think are the *hit.

Because you knew it was coming (A reflection on our last class discussion)

"White guilt," or the self-depricative standpoint that one assumes responsibility for the historical and contemporary "mistakes" of a community which one belongs to, is to me an argument that holds no water. A “guilt by association” standpoint based on the decisions of another individual (or a group of individuals) fails to acknowledge the intersectionality of identity. This meaning, that if for example, if I was white, "white guilt" assumes me to be predominantly if not exclusively "white." Then by association I'm in part responsible for all of the abusive practices of a white, male dominated, Western machine which has colonized most of the free world. By this logic all whites share the "guilt" of slavery, the exploitation of immigrant workers, the mass murdering of the countless "others" who have been murdered in the face of war.


It is this very type of thinking that leaves us trapped, immobilized, and quiet. The problem being that if we assume modern day minority groups, communities, in the U.S. today to be communities of the "victimized," then we serve to only perpetuate an ideology which structurally positions those communities at the mercy of "white, male dominated, western patriarchy." In victimizing these communities we remove their agency and void (or at least make it even more difficult) for members of these communities to excel and progressively contribute to their communities.

Another main concern in the coining of hegemonic oppression in our social "thought" is villainizing this face as being white. While, yes, the wealthiest and most powerful members of our community, the ones who perpetuate abusive-dominative practices are white (and those who are non-white have only become powerful by absolving themselves of their "diversity"),  this form of labeling and generalizing imposes a fabricated sense of connection between a small percentage of the population and the masses. A more honest depiction of our nation’s social construct is that we are a nation comprised of many identities, all of which clash and harmonize with each other. Unless you belong to a community that strictly promotes a "eugenics" purity of progeny, chances are that in this country being "white" is but a fraction of the many identities and roles which one presumes. Therefore, "white guilt" serves only as a hegemonic tool whose only purpose is to exploit emotion and keep individuals at "guilt," while subjugating their inherent artistic drive to contribute and advance within their communities.



Like patriarchy, this dichotomy of villain vs. victim as a social construct only serves to harm all members of said communities. “Whites” and “non-whites” both suffer from the constant instigation of the “guilt” of the past.



And finally a quick note on hegemony.



“Faceless” hegemonic oppression doesn’t need to be faceless. Today we can, more so than ever, hold those in violation of human rights accountable, the “face” of hegemony does not need to be presumed as “white.” Patriarchy, hegemonic oppression, can be dealt with in more concrete, case by case, contextualized analysis. This is required for us to move beyond the old haunting ghost, the “Villan” of the past.

Term Paper

For my term paper I would like to discuss feminism and pop-culture. I would like to investigate how gender roles manifest themselves in pop-culture. To explore how gender roles, patriarchy, feminism, transectional identities, relationships of dominance, romantic relationships are represented or constructed by pop-culture. From hip-hop culture to advertisement to Tyler Perry films, I would like to investigate what pop culture has to say about relationships of dominance and what feminism has to say about media.

Working Bib

Bonnie Krepps, "Radical Feminism 1"

Simone de Beauvoir, "The Second Sex"

Heidi Hartman, "The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism: Towards a More Progressive Union"

Audre Lorde, "Age, Race, Class and Sex: Women Redifining Difference"

Final Project Proposal-- Rebekah Calhoun

I feel obliged to write my final paper on war rape and the social construct of rape-- basically, that rape is the exact opposite of a biological function. I will not have any trouble finding sources on either side of the argument. What I will have trouble with is staying credible, sifting through the load of heavy biases, and dealing with the romanticism that surround the topic, as it is a theory of human sexuality (a subject near and dear to all of our hearts). I am not out to defame anybody or shock anyone. However rape is a shocking thing. A horrible thing; I myself am not sure if I am prepared to find out what I am about to find out. Nevertheless, I won't be afraid! I refuse. Unless my research compels me to believe that I should be afraid, in fact. 

Working Bib:
 Thornhill, Randy. "A natural history of rape"
"Gender violence-- interdisciplinary perspectives" Ed. Laura O'Toole
"Sexual Violence" Ed. James F. Hodgson

"Ra/pe and War in the Democratic Republic of the Congo" ERIKA CARLSEN

Bir Savaş Silahı Olarak Kadına Yönelik Cinsel Şiddetin Sağlık Üzerine Etkileri: Bosna Savaşı Örneği. (Turkish) [Health Effects of Sexual Violence Against Woman as a War Weapon: Case of Bosnia War]. (English) By: Gögen, Sibel. TAF Preventive Medicine Bulletin, Jan/Feb2011, Vol. 10 Issue 1, p119-126, 8p; Language: Turkish

“Sexual Coercion in Primates and Humans: An Evolutionary Perspective on Male Aggression Against Females.” (edited by Martin N. Muller & Richard W. Wrangham, 2009

Evolution, Gender, and Rape (edited by Cheryl Travis, 2003)

Got sumptin to say? Well say it today.

Research Proposal

The core of my interest for my research is in how sexuality relates to and interacts with feminist theory and practice. One of my concerns are how sexuality is represented and received in literature. I would like to explore the similarities and differences in queer and feminist theory. I have noticed that in both activism and scholarship there is often an overlap of these two theories. I think it is important to explore the specifics of how and why they are often linked in order to perhaps strengthen the bond. I am also interested in the way the discourse of sexuality has evolved over time in literature, the academic world, media and in our daily lives. The genesis of these theories is important to see where heterosexism has dominated in the woman's movement and where it has been battled against. My focus is mainly based in western culture because there is very little conversation to be found on this topic globally. I am also interested in how governmental policies affect our cultural understanding and tolerance of sexuality.


Working Bibliography

Wiesen Cook, Blanche. "’Women Alone Stir My Imagination’: Lesbianism and the Cultural Tradition." Signs 4.4 (1979): 718-39. JSTOR. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.

Hale, Jacob. "Are Lesbians Women?." Hypatia: A Journal Of Feminist Philosophy 11.2 (1996): 94-121. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 26 Mar. 2012.

Correa, Sonia, and Rosalind Petchesky. "Reproductive and Sexual Rights: A Feminist Perspective." Femist Theory Reader. Ed. Carole R. McCann and Seung-kyung Kim. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2010. 119-32. Print.

Feinberg, Leslie. "Transgender Liberation: A Movement Whose Time Has Come." Femist Theory Reader. Ed. Carole R. McCann and Seung-kyung Kim. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2010. 133-143. Print.

Puerto Rican Women and Political Parity from Operation Bootstrap to Current

Here is my overview of my project and research:  Puerto Rican Women and Political Parity from the time of "Operation Bootstrap" to current time.  

In examining the effects of the United States-initiated "Operation Bootstrap" post-colonial era on the island of Puerto Rico and the subsequent Puerto Rican migration to the mainland United States, discourse can be initiated on the subject of Puerto Rican women and political parity,such as whether it exists upon the island of Puerto Rico or only for Latino women registered to vote in the mainland states.  In the case of voting rights on the mainland United States, are there obstacles still remaining to political parity for the Latino female?

When considering contemporary issues for the Latina female the history of Puerto Rico and its colonization must be examined. A strong Spanish influence existed in the island prior to the American colonization  along with a traditional culture based around small farms and haciendas.  Operation Bootstrap  was a factor in the degradation of the traditional means of survival for the island people and the economic base was severely affected.  In the 1950s a great migration to the mainland United States occurred.  Puerto Rico is not a state, and vacillates between desire for statehood and independence with all the benefits of American society and government.

I would like to examine the development and factors of contemporary oppression that may affect the Latina female and what obstacles are currently preventing soci-political-econmic advancements for Latinas.

Contemporary Issue for 3/28

Please read this article for discussion on Wednesday, March 28th: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/08/u-k-pants-label-give-laundry-to-your-woman/. You do not have to watch the video, as it is rather repetitive of the article, however do pay attention to some of the comments on the article.

Thanks,
Kris

Want to hear a funny joke? Women’s rights

“Laughter is the best medicine” is a phase people will hear more than once in their lifetime. In a culture where there is a channel called Comedy Central that is purely devoted to making people laugh, we highlight being funny as a positive personality trait. When women and comedy mix however, the outcome is more or less negative. Making fun of women is an easy task for most comedians with the raging stereotypes of the "woman's place" in a relationship to the weaker characteristics associated with women to the sexualization of women. Not to mention being a female comedian is a difficult laughing matter. In the last decade we have come across a slew of funny women that not only tell the jokes but also write their own including Tina Fey and Sarah Silverman for example. Why are there more comedic women now? Where were they before? And who is the guy to say women aren’t funny? Feminism is the butt of jokes at times but so is sexism. So with these questions arising, I want to relate the material I find to articles we’ve read involving stereotyping and gender roles of women.
Then there is my ex's favorite joke in the world......"Want to hear a funny joke? Women’s rights."

Working Sources:
Bell Hooks, “Feminism: A Movement to End Sexist Oppression.”
Deniz Kandiyoti, “Bargaining With Patriarchy”
TV Reed, “The poetical is Political: Feminist Poetry and the Poetics of Women’s Rights.”

Add various articles and essays I am in the middle of sorting through.

final project proposal

For my final research paper I will be exploring feminism in other countries (possibly just one to get more information), and if in other countries it can actually be considered “feminism.”  I’m sure there are different types of feminism all across the globe, and I’m curious to see how else it can be defined.  Women in other countries are obviously treated differently than women in America, so some do not know any better than to be treated as inferior to men.  I will be trying to compare feminism between countries, or women that are from other countries that now live in the United States. I hope to find information on what women from other countries think of feminism in America.

I am also thinking about incorporating feminism with religion and finding out if feminism in other countries has to do with what they believe in and who they worship.

Working sources:

Inji Aflatun, “We Egyptian Women”

Elizabeth Martinez, “La Chicana”

Almas Sayeed, “Chappals and Gym Shorts: An Indian Muslim Woman in the Land of Oz”