Archive for March, 2008

My Experiences with Gender in Sports

{ March 31, 2008 @ 11:05 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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My Experiences with Gender in Sports 

From the time I was four years old I was playing t-ball along side my sister Julie. At six I was the only girl on my baseball team. The next year I was playing softball with all girls? This is because after a certain age the girls couldn’t play on the boy’s teams anymore. All I know is that I liked to play baseball better, not because of all the annoying little boys but because it was more intense and I felt good about myself because I could hang with the guys. This leads a little girl to believe guys are stronger and better than girls are at such a young age. Why do girls have to all the sudden start throwing this unconventional pitch from the mound? It just doesn’t make any sense to me.

In later years I was in karate for four years, two months short of my black belt. Along with my sister I was one of the few girls in this sport. I ate, drank and slept karate for years. My very first tournament I won third place in kata (forms), and swept sparing (fighting) in first place. The audience was shocked that this little girl with a pony tail had out spared every guy she fought. This leads me to think that people in our society underestimate what young women can do. It’s funny too because the parents of all the other little boys weren’t that happy to see their sons crying after they had lost. I’m sure if they had lost to another boy it would have been fine, but boys don’t like to be beat by a girl.  And aren’t only girls supposed to cry? Absolutely not everyone cries I don’t care who you are (boys its okay to cry.) But it’s okay for girls to cry right. Why do women get the privilege to be able to cry and guys don’t?  It’s because women are supposed to be loving, nurturing, and emotional.

I’m the girl who has a love for sports so I then picked up a racket and started playing tennis. This sport was a little weird at first. I saw all these little girls wearing pink skirts and holding pink rackets. While I was wearing shorts and t-shirt and had a green racket I still played well. Unlike karate and baseball, the girls out numbered the guys in this sport. I think it’s because parents feel as if they have to let their sons and daughters play the more masculine or feminine sports to be accepted in them. I didn’t play volleyball at my middle school and all my friends wondered why. They knew all the sports I played and since then and today they call me “the tom boy”, I don’t mind that I like to play sports, watch sports, wear sneakers almost everyday, and don’t put make up on my face to be considered lady like. I think that many people today still believe that if young girls do things similar to guys, there not considered to be lady like.

Going along with the whole men are better than women at sports. I still don’t understand why men and women do not get paid the same for professional sports totally not fair. The top women basketball plays get paid approximately four hundred thousand a year which is still a lot of money but not compared the millions of dollars male basketball players get paid. Not to forget all the publicity and praise these men get. How many female basketball players can you name? Now how many male basketball players can you name? Women definitely are rising to the occasion and letting their voices be heard but when it comes to sports men are overpowering the women in this unjust aspect of females playing sports in our society.

-Yolanda Mendoza

Gender Stereotypes: Positive and Negative Aspects of Men and Women

{ March 31, 2008 @ 8:01 pm } · { gender }
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Differences in gender have always been apparent. Since the beginning of time, men have been viewed as tough, aggressive, and protective. Likewise, women have been viewed as loving, caring, and nurturing. Although sometimes this can be the case, more often than not these stereotypes are very wrong. They can also be very negative. Women are sometimes viewed as weaker than men, which puts men above women. This supposed supremacy of men is unjust. However, these days women are being seen as strong role models. This is apparent through the presidential election. Hilary Clinton is an example of a strong female running for a major, leading role as President of the United States. Women have come a long way in proving themselves as powerful individuals.

It’s important that women are viewed as strong and independent. For a long time, women could not vote, they pretty much had no say in any important matters, and one of their only services was to be a good wife and have children. These days, many women are single parents, college students, and part of the working class. They work a lot harder, I think, to earn the respect they deserve. And they still make less money than men with the same qualifications. This is another example of male supremacy or superiority. It’s as if no matter what, men are always better than women. I think that men and women are of equal intelligence. It is unfair to say that men work harder than women, or vice versa.

I don’t know where these stereotypes for men and women stem from. For so long, women have taken on the role of a caretaker, someone who is passive and sensitive. Although there are some women that fit this role, there are so many other women that are strong and independent. This is not to say that women don’t need a man. There are still strong and independent married women, for instance. Women need to know that men don’t define who they are, though. They need their own opinions and need to live their own lives. I think that more and more women are becoming increasingly more strong-willed, and it’s nice to see that they can handle their own lives.

Men are also treated unfairly sometimes. It’s as if men can’t possess what some people would call feminine qualities. Just because men like to be clean doesn’t always mean that they’re gay. Men can also take care of their children just as well as women can. There are plenty of single fathers these days. And who’s to say that homosexuals are weaker men than heterosexuals? Society labels homosexual men as women trapped in a man’s body a lot of the times. These examples are of negative stereotypes. It’s important to face these issues as a whole. Society has its way of conforming males and females into something that we necessarily aren’t. I think that we’re becoming more aware of what is right and what is wrong when it comes to gender and gender roles, but we can’t quite seem to get it together. There are still unanswered questions as to why society puts unfair pressure on men and women. Slowly but surely, though, we are rising above these stereotypes into individuals rather than the label of man or woman.

-Christina Justice

The Stereotypes Between Men and Women

{ March 30, 2008 @ 6:05 pm } · { gender }
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      There are many stereotypes between men and women. Why are men usually viewed as strong, responsible, and tough; and women are viewed as soft, passionate, kind, and loving? How come when a man acts loving or passionate they are assumed to be gay, or not manly enough? Men and women are equal, neither gender is better than the other. This is why we need feminism to help make the world realize that men and women are equal.

     The stereotype that men are better then women is clearly shown in this presidential election. At first people doubted Hillary Clinton because she was a lady. Next, look at all those ladies that have very prestigious careers and are looked up to by the whole world just as Oprah and Condoleezza Rice. Women are suppose to be housewives and not work outside the house, and this is wrong.

    In addition, why does a man get paid more then a women for the exact same career? Women are finally overcoming this stereotype and going to college and receiving an education. Following, women are starting to become doctors, lawyers, and even sport trainees. Also, we are starting to find more and more men that are staying home and taking care of their families, this does not make a man less manly.

   Also, why are women more related to soft and light colors, why men are related to strong, and dark colors. I think this is because a man is suppose to be tough and dark so you can not tell what a man is thinking, or what he is feeling. On the other hand, when looking at a lady you are suppose to know exactly what she is thinking, and feeling emotionally. Ladies are suppose to be emotional because we are soft, and compassionate, but some of us ladies are strong, and do not like to display are feelings.

    When it comes to this topic there is no specific answer, it is very personally. Each person feels different about men being stronger than women. Overall, men and women are equal and should be looked at as being equal. Not all men are strong, responsible, and tough; and not all ladies are soft, passionate, loving, and caring. Finally, it is okay for ladies to sometimes act tough, and for a man sometimes to act caring.        Lisa Fakhouri

    

Theory, Stereotypes and Unfairness in Gender

{ March 30, 2008 @ 5:23 am } · { Uncategorized }
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Where did the theory that men are superior to women develop? Or that males should be aggressive while females should be passive? It seems that all cultures and countries have this theory in common. Is the reason just because females give birth and therefore should be housewives rather than workers? This is not just a theory, but a stereotype. When someone sees a bad driver, they say “No wonder, it’s a woman driving”. Very few times do we hear about female accomplishments such as female cures for diseases in medicine, or female philosophers. Neither do we hear of male nurses, and when we do, we think they’re gay.

Homosexuality plays an unusual role in this theory. Male homosexuals are thought to have female characteristics and vise versa. That may also lead to another theory, that marriage is not just about a female and a male but the personalities involved, that one contradicts the other. Maybe that is why they associated that stereotype with homosexuals.

What I am trying to get to is that there is no genetically associated reason for this theory, or at least none that I’ve heard of. It is awkward, as I mentioned earlier, how all societies have this in common. Awkward because if societies could all agree on the same theory, the could have also discovered only one universal language.

I think the sexual stereotypes are negative to society. It makes females feel as if they don’t belong in the working society. As for males, why shouldn’t they become nurses? Why can’t they watch their children if they feel like it? Or why can’t they do the grocery shopping? And in courts, one of the biggest flaws is how females generally win custody over the children and the house. This I just can’t figure out. I’m not saying that ALL women win custody but MOST women do.

Symbols also have a lot to do with gender. For example, the color blue is associated with males and pink is associated with females. Scents that are strong are associated with males, and soft scents are associated with females. The cologne and the color blue seem “stronger” than the softness of perfume and the color pink. This is also a mystery however that I still don’t understand. How could blue be stronger than pink?

The reason that I am going from one subject to another is because gender has so many topics and I am interested in almost all of them. When I write blogs, I usually know what I’m talking about, but with this one, I started off with a question that I didn’t know and thoughts just flowed from there. None of the information in this blog is from research. This information I guess was given to me by society.

Not all gender issues are negative, but in most cases, there are just plain unfair for both males and females considering we’re all humans. Just like how pathetic racism is. One gender issue that is positive is that females are supposed to take care of the family while males are supposed to protect it. I am certainly sure, in my opinion, that there are more negative cases of gender than positive ones.

By: Ronza

*i take back that whole males don’t have no respect thing…

Advertising and Smoking

{ March 26, 2008 @ 4:05 pm } · { Advertising }
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So i wanted to incorporate advertising along with the movie we had seen “Thank You For Smoking”. Not sure if i mentioned it before in class but i have been a bartender for some time now, and have seen all sorts of advertisements and advertising tactics. I’d like to talk about the bar atmosphere in particular. I don’t know how aware most of you are when it comes to the unbelievable lengths and money that are spent in order to get you (the consumer) to buy their products. Not only do they want you to buy them, but be loyal to them, defend them, and hopefully chemically, physically, and mentally dependent on them.

When ever there is some kind of new beer, liquor, or smoke out there always seems to be free bees. So often we would have liquor reps come in trying to sell us on their new latest and greatest booze they’re trying to push. They give patrons raffle like tickets, and they in turn can redeem them at the bar for a free drink with that booze in it. Not sure but i think the ticket thing must have to do with certain LCC (liquor control commision) rules, and believe it or not they have a lot of rules. I think that if they didn’t that liquor companies would be pouring the stuff down peoples throat if they could. But lets face it, when people hear free their eyes light up & just have to try it. (if only they knew to tip on those free drinks). Not only do they give you the product, but they give you fun junk like hats, key chains, t-shirts, glasses, blinking & glowing necklaces, bottle openers, and believe it or not i even had a micro-brew beer give out condoms All with their brand in bold letters. And now you’ve become their walking advertising monkeys.

So let me get to the smoking. Next time you go into a bar start looking around at what kind of images & LOGOS you are surrounded by. Most bars and music venues i’ve worked at had all their napkins, matches, straws, bar mats paid for by cigarette companies. Often times with their brands logo blasted all over them. In turn for them saving money for that establishment, the establishment makes an agreement to only sell that brand of cigarettes. Yes smoking and drinking go hand in hand with one another (pretty sure that was their plan all along). Anyhow when the cigarette reps would come in they would first go to all the bartenders and ask them what kind of smokes they wanted and let us take up to a carton if we wanted. In fact this one guy i worked with was a bit of an entrepreneur and would take the carton, smoke some, and then sell the other packs to customers. That didn’t last once our manager found out though. I personally had only smoked a few times in my life, like when i was a kid & just wanted to try it for the heck of it. But after that is when i developed more of a bad habit then a chemical dependency of Camel Lights. I know it’s bad for you but i strictly only smoke in my car, and in bars. The two vices compliment each other…… Moral of the story is be aware of surroundings, & how intentional everything is, and that a Free pack, or Free drink, or even Free T-shirt might not be worth picking up a really bad habit, or addiction that you will most likely Pay for in the end.

SuAnn Mitchell

ENG1020 J. Gerds MWF 11:45-12:40