Friday, June 20, 2008

The Independent Women

I think independence for any gender can be determined by how that person maintains and handles challenges in life. I’ve heard women and myself being coined the phrase the independent woman. What exactly is an independent woman?

I have been told this many of time, when sharing my outlook on myself in relationships. When discussing with others on genders expectations with a woman or man they seem to view and label my comments as the independent women scenario. I figure this phase has been coined when women like myself has an opinion or communicates strongly about what is acceptable and not acceptable conduct in relationships. I never speak on what a man has to do for me, but how we can share the same gender responsibilities that do not way heavy on one partner and being open and honest with our feeling towards the other.

I say I am liberal in values and principals; I communicate trust and well being. Happiness for me is having a strong interpersonal connection between us as partners that reflects our unity. I speak of choices and multiple roles. Genders alike have view my comments and statements as an independent woman. Most women I know say a man has to wine and dine them; spend money on them, and bring home the bacon. Then the women would reward her mate for example, preparing a bath for them, cooking them food, and sex. Then they wake up and do it all as a ritual or dance. If not the man is punished and she does not perform her wifey duties. Most women that speak the wifey duties talk think this is the norm. ‘Our ways of knowing and communicating are influenced by our context of thinking, communicating and performing identity, including gender” support my commentary above, taken from the book Gender Lives, by Julia Woods.

Transsexual and Transgenders

I have assessed and observed a Transsexual and it has to be tough in their work environment and social relationships from my standpoint. I worked in the same department part-time evenings with a Transsexual named ‘B.’ Prior to mine and others public introduction to ‘B’ transformation to a Transsexual, we perceived him as a feminine male. He used the men’s restroom like the other men. Then suddenly we notice small breast, we gossip that he was taking hormonal shots. But he continued using the men’s restroom. Then one day he came in to work dressed as a woman; and begun using the women’s restroom. The women objected and complained to upper management. Management informed ‘B’ by memo that he could only use the men’s restroom. ‘‘B’ at that time had male organs. So technically even though ‘B’ had breast and wore women’s pants and functioned like a women he was still a man. B’ refused to use the men’s restroom and waited to the end of his shift to use his bathroom at home. ‘B’ spoke softly like a women, wore a women’s hairstyle, clothing, shoes, painted nails and jewelry. During our two fifteen minute breaks, B’ would not move too far from his desk. He would just sit, talk, and always seem to appear sitting with a stiff straight back, as on guard and somewhat uncomfortable. A few female co-workers would tell him their personal business and issues with their mates. How weird. They did not want to share a public restroom, but it was ok to seek advice or complain about their spouses as if he had the answers.

Genders Portrayed in the Media

Gendered Media

The National Congress of Black Women’s Coalition for Dignity and Diversity in the Media had a scheduled meeting with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on July 12, 2007. The meeting has not yet taken place; it was postponed to a later date. The women of the coalition campaigns to changed the messages broadcasted in some programming that has a ‘corrosive effect on the dignity and self-worth of young women. The group wants to increase public awareness regarding the way women; especially women of color are portrayed in media. I have assessed that women mirror the behaviors displayed in the various mediums. Most young women wear clothing and dance provocatively like the young women seen in music videos. The same as older women in the past mirrored women on the television’s sitcoms like the Brady Bunch, Partridge family, Beverly Hillbillies, I Love Lucy, Carol Burnet Show, Leave it to Beaver and Lawrence Welk Show, to name a few. The magazine publications tell us how to present a fantasy on how and the way to attract the opposite sex; what proper clothing to wear, etc. Most women’s clothes show a lot of bust, or outline the shape of a women body to preview her curves.

For example, celebrities shown on the Hollywood’s Red Carpet. Most of those women are walking media billboards for fashion industry and their hunk/companions who walk with them. Celebrity women wear clothing that show off some aspect of their breast; with long slits in their gowns or dresses that allowing symbolizing sex or gendering behavior by showing off their leg(s) or a side photo of both their breast and leg(s). Just as Julia Woods state, ‘Women and minorities are underrepresented; portrayed primarily in stereotypical ways that reflect and reproduce conventional views of gender; and the relationships between men and women are usually portrayed as consistent with traditional gender roles and power relations. May that why the House Committee on Energy and Commerce rescheduled the coalition’s meeting to a far later date. It is an acceptable practice in our modern society.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Assignment-1

Definition of Gender: 1) A grammatical category used in the classification of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and in some languages, verbs that may be arbitrary or based on characteristics such as sex or animacy and that determines agreement with or selection of modifiers, referents, or grammatical forms. 2) Sexual identity, especially in relation to society or culture. 3) The condition of being female or male; sex or considered a group.

Julia Wood’s definition of gender is a social, symbolic system through which a culture attaches significance to biological sex.

Julia Wood states gender is socially constructed and expressed. Gender is something individuals learn through culture. Genders vary over time and across cultures.

I think Julia Wood is correct in stating in the text, ‘that gender is socially constructed and expressed’ among people who do not know what they are and who they truly are. I think cultures/societies are made up of ‘Thinkers’ that have no facts and truth too whom they believe they are and the purpose for having a life or being granted to live in the body to function on earth. God would not create a being in its image to not know their sex or accidentally grant a person life as a female or male gender based on preferences. I know people do not believe in Western culture that God do not make new souls. We are recycled come back again to try again to live life the way God intent, which is in his/her image. We have to remember that most cultures are not based on the Laws of God; man has created misunderstanding and misconceptions of roles, relationships, gender preferences, cultures, mental issues, wrong beliefs, fears of the unknown, and the control to enforce ones’ opinions created these issues; all based on man’s beliefs, desires, and thinking. When nations function in the likeness of God and know they have a choice of being a divine person or human/animal, that determines the communication among people and genders, sex and other factors stated in the text would resolve past, current and future issues on this subject. Again, people conduct themselves based on their beliefs, fears and their thinking; not by facts or truth. Western cultures are based on intelligence of opinions, or how properly you speak, or how pleasant you present yourself that makes others different from you comfortable with their beliefs, thinking, and fears.

Yes, we are a society of two sexes and three genders. There is only two sexes, but in regard to gender; I would say we have to consider the intersexed people who have both sex organs.