Textbook: Chapter 10
1. Women were upset and would not take the inequality anymore, therefore the revival of feminism came about. Women were upset that they were doing so much work involving political campaigning and such but never getting to those leadership positions. The “glass ceiling” was in their way, while the men shot right through it. Women were making and pouring coffee while the men wrote speeches and articles and did the work credit would be given to. Women were tired of not being appreciated in the ways they should have been. Since Martin Luther King passed away in the late 1960s, nonviolent protests ceased and African Americans had to find another way to voice their needs. Black and other minority women needed to take a stand for themselves and began their own feminists groups as well.
2. The protest at the Miss American pageant shows us that many women were, well, pissed off. I think their anger got to them a little too much and they went over-board. It showed that women were really upset about the stereotypes that were placed on women. Feminists wanted to be equal to men, but certain things in society, such as Playboy and the pageant, made that impossible. But what really is impossible is to change every single womens' opinions. These women who participated in this protest only created more publicity for the Miss America pageant instead of putting a stop to it. Personally, I think the Miss America pageant is a little silly and degrading, but if it makes some people happy, then what is so wrong with that? The women participating in these protests should be working on their education and their people skills.
3. The war of the sexes will most likely never end. Women and men will be competing for centuries to come. As more and more women gain better education, more of them will be fighting men with the same education for positions in the work force. I think a large disadvantage for women is their ability to bear children. That is just a personal opinion and assumption, thought. Many young women entering the work force will eventually take time off to have and raise children and I think employers know this from the start. Losing an employee later on and having to replace her might be more difficult than hiring a male who will not have to do the same thing. So the war between sexes will never end because men and women are just to different to coexist without conflict.
Source Interpretation
Textbook document
4. Mary Tyler Moore was able to accomplish more substantial things in her life than did the women of “Sex and the City”. Moore's TV show gave more hope and promises to her future. Moore had male friends and not just “ 'gay boyfriends' “ as Orenstein puts it, making her seem like she may be a more well rounded female. I feel that Orenstein is trying to say that Moore does not need a man in her life, whereas the ladies on “Sex and the City” need to constantly have a male present in their lives that gives them pleasure. Moore's story was not all about sex and love, but more feminism in that it was more about her career and her life. Orenstein values education and her career, not men and sex, and that is what shapes her judgment.
5. I would expect Rebecca Walker is disagree with Orenstein. Orenstein puts down the women in “Sex and the City” for always wanting and needing sexual partners. Walker embraces their feelings toward sex. Walker is telling women to be sexually active so to grow and learn. Women need those sexual encounters to know more about themselves and their bodies. Walker is a huge advocate for premarital sex so that women know how to love their partners, but most of all, how to love themselves, which is what she feels is the new wave of feminism.
6.I think that “Sex and the City” paints a realistic picture of the lives of many women within the United States. It is not a perfect picture for every woman though. Many women are just like the ladies on the show who have careers and friends and a healthy sex life. But with the health risks that come with engaging in that much free sex, I think many women hold back. As Walker said, women are called sluts and whore for having a lot of sex, so I believe that keeps them from being as sexually active as the TV show characters as well. I do believe though that sexual liberty has gained enough ground for all young women to be sexually active, but that comes a high price that we women have to pay, where men do not.
3 comments:
Rachel R#1
Hi Tyler,
I thought your response to the question about the pageant was very refreshing. Although I understand the protesters reasons, and I don’t believe they went overboard, I agree that it is impossible to change every woman’s opinion. And I don’t think that is something we should strive for either. A lot of women do find gratification in pageants and I acknowledge the hard work it must take to be a part of it. During the time however, when women were still fighting so hard for equality, I can see how some women would view the pageants as degrading in a way, since so much focus went on the women’s appearance and it still does today. Pageants are not something I would protest, but they’ve also been a part of our entertainment growing up. You are right on when you say the war between men and women will never end. But is it supposed to? We are different. Women are different from other women. I don’t believe in total equality between any two persons let alone two genders. What I do believe in is the equality of opportunities which is a very different thing. As women take and reach for more of those opportunities the equality of jobs and titles may balance and create more ‘equality’ but men and women will never be the same and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.
Elias-R#1
First, I want to thank you for your comment to my blog and I am also sad that this is the second to last blog that we will be able to comment to each other. Therefore, I am writing this while tears are running down my face with a box of tissues next to me. I also want to tell you that you did a great job on your blog because of your interesting insights that you provided. Your analysis of the reading was done very proficiently. I really loved the way that you used figurative language in your first response in which you described how men shot through the women’s “glass ceiling.” I thought that was very beautifully stated. I had a great time reading your response to the Miss America Pageant as well. You made a great point when you said that the women allowed for more publicity for the Miss America Pageant while they were trying to put an end to it. I though that was funny because of the irony that occurred. Oh how I love the Irony! These women definitely need better people skills. You are also absolutely right about your comment on how women usually end up having children and leaving the workforce after doing so. We see this occur a lot in our society throughout the lives of many women. While these women are responsible on taking care of the children, the men are the ones expected to bring home the money creating a war of the sexes all over again. Since men and women are too opposite to coexist, as you said, the war of the sexes will indeed go on. Then again, opposites sometimes do attract.
Gohar R # 2
Hi Rachel, your response to the Tyler blog # 14 is very clear and nice and I enjoyed reading your response, but you forgot to right any response for other question. You just focused on second question and forgot about the rest. You thought the answers about Miss America pageant is refreshing. You are right it’s impossible to change every woman’s opinion, but it’s possible to teach them new stuff. Tyler wrote about the main sources of feminism’s revival in the late 1960s and early 1970s, about the Sex and the City TV show, and it’s the war sex is over in this century.
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