The concept of a doppelganger is a fear or interest that has been around for centuries. The idea that there is another who is exactly like you yet evil is an almost unbearable thought. The question is why do we fear something similar to ourselves? Why is it that we cannot allow another to exist? It all stems from our cultures infusion of “special” and the need to stand out. We all have this need to fit in, yet at the same time we must feel special in some way. We try and differentiate ourselves from the majority.
Throughout the class, we have looked at many different representatives of the doppelganger concept. We have looked at the photographic example, the biological and the double achieved through other means. The photographic double is the most prevalent today. We have cameras and mirrors; we have film and video games. Today’s society has gotten use to seeing ourselves in the third person, but some of the novels we have read have taken it to the extreme. The Invention of Morel was photography and film taken to an almost real level. Everything from smell to three dimensional records and sounds were all captured and played on an eternal loop. The comfort zone that people have developed around pictures and video was stretched and tested. Would we be able to live in this world where there was no differentiating real from video? Morel also questions the ability to have a double. If there was something that could capture every aspect of us, it may kill us.
Can we live with a double? This is another concern that comes up often. In movies it’s a common theme that “only one may live.” The movie The One is a perfect example of this. There are multiple dimensions with multiple people but in order to be as powerful as you can get you have to destroy all your doppelgangers. This is also brought up in the movie we watched about time travel. Almost every time travel movie or story talks about the dire effects if one were to communicate with oneself while traveling through time. The fact that it may lead to total destruction of the world or death of that person instills more fear in us. We have been told continuously throughout our lives that if there are two of us it is bad.
This is where biology starts to play with the concept of doppelgangers. Twins and cloning are two things that throw a hinge into common perceptions of doubles. We have all been around identical twins. We know that there is not always a “good” and “evil” twin. We know that twins are usually very close as opposed to enemies and we know that twins are not identical in personality. We know this yet it does not eliminate our fear that if there was somehow another of us it would be bad and chaotic. This may be why so many people are opposed to human cloning. There is the argument that it is immoral and wrong, but never a full explanation of why it is so. Maybe it is the fact that the majority of the human race are scared to not be special. If we can just make another one of us, why would we need to exist? It is similar to Brave New World. Everyone is perfect and content, until one person throws a wrench into it to make people different. This wrench is the exact opposite wrench that would be thrown into our society. We all believe we are completely different and do not want to be told otherwise. We are special. We are unique. We are better.
Biological doubles are feasible. Other doubles through time travel or brainwashing are less feasible. It is hard to understand a double made from time travel because of how confusing time is in general. How can we exist in two different times and places at the same time? Doubles through brainwashing seems science fiction, yet is all around. We see it everywhere. People who think they are very different, but because of advertisements and influence from media they are all very similar if not identical. America or any culture, tries its hardest to create a homogenous world. It is easier if everyone is identical. Propaganda affects us and clones us.
Because technology is requiring us to do so, we are slowly accepting doubles. There are so many ways to create doubles with today’s technology, that our fear is becoming obsolete. We have so many websites, cameras or even robots that are slowly developing into perfect doubles. If we had these irrational fears of doubles, we would be unable to cope with today’s world. We copy ourselves every time we join a site or take a picture and future will hold opportunities for even more advanced doubles. Eventually we may live in a world were genetic modification before birth will be commonplace. Once each child can be “perfect” either the standards will change or children will all become doubles. Once everyone is the same, there is no way the fear of evil doppelgangers will be the least of everyone’s concerns.
The Filth explores technological advances leading to evil doppelgangers with the para-personality of Greg Feely. Once Greg Feely was forced into the world of Ned Slade, he was replaced by another who took up the life of Greg Feely. It was as easy as taking a shot.
Technology supposedly opens up all these opportunities for “individual” expression. This is counterintuitive. The more we start to rely on technology the further away from individual we become. We start to all have our websites, cell phone, video game and photographic representations of self. We start to separate ourselves further from the physical world the more we rely on the digital world. How does this eliminate individuality? The digital world has limitations. We must sum up our personality in pictures, words and videos. All the words are already used. Slowly all the pictures seem the same. All the videos have been done before. As we eliminate our limitless physical selves we replace it with the bounded digital world. Because it is limited there is no way to be a complete individual. We slowly mold into doppelgangers whether we want to or not.
Monday, June 8, 2009
The Small (Part 2, essay 2)
Now in America, we are focused on the big picture. We’re told to stand back and look at the big picture to fully grasp the meaning. I’ve never been a fan of this concept. I am one for looking at the details of the “big picture.” Each minute detail needs to be looked at in order to add up to the whole. Each tiny part is important. This is the small. The small is the parts that we skim over, ignore or deem obsolete.
The small is physical, social and emotional. The small is also relative. Physically the small could be the letters of a word, the words in a book, the books in a library. But why is this important? In order to understand words, we must focus on the letters. Each letter was specifically chosen for the word. Each letter has a history and a meaning. In order to grasp the meaning of the word we must grasp the meaning of the letters. We will unlock deeper meaning in all we focus on once we look at the small.
A more relevant physical type of small is nanotechnology. Lately culture has shifted from bigger and better to smaller and more efficient. The opportunities that open up from nanotechnology are unimaginable. The ability to boost any part of your body from the inside would be priceless. The Filth explores nanotechnology with I-life. These tiny nanobots have the ability to befriend mutant proteins and bacteria in the body and convert them to something useful and positive. This is why the small is important. The ability to generate a new and modified immune system would open up all new opportunities to the human race. The Ticket that Exploded is another way of looking at the small. The cut-up method is literally breaking down written works and building them back up. This requires us to examine the works piece by piece.
Socially, the small is interconnected with social alterity. The other within society is the minorities. Because minorities are the small they are easily looked over. Decisions that better America almost always go by majority vote. Majority vote eliminates any opportunity for minorities to have their voice heard. This is why the small is important. In order for America to be truly free, the big picture is meaningless. This is why I fight for social justice. I focus on the small. I focus on everyone’s voice.
Socially the small has a lot to do with our selection of friends. We focus on tiny details to pick and choose our friends. Each person has different values in friendship. We had a discussion in class about what kind of friend we value either aesthetically similar or politically. This made me realize that it is a privilege to see the big picture without focusing on the small. Because my rights are up for debate, my friends must be politically similar. Others in the class talked about how it doesn’t matter what political values their friends hold. They want a similar friend. If you are not a part of the small, you can ignore the small.
This is closely tied to the emotional small. This is focusing on not only your personal emotions, but the actions and reasons behind the emotions. It is just as important as exploring words and letters, one must explore meanings and causes of emotions. The emotional small can help one grow and develop just as focusing on social smalls helps a community grow and develop and focusing on a physical small helps develop meaning. Focusing on the small is a step in development. We must use the small to build on the big picture.
The small is physical, social and emotional. The small is also relative. Physically the small could be the letters of a word, the words in a book, the books in a library. But why is this important? In order to understand words, we must focus on the letters. Each letter was specifically chosen for the word. Each letter has a history and a meaning. In order to grasp the meaning of the word we must grasp the meaning of the letters. We will unlock deeper meaning in all we focus on once we look at the small.
A more relevant physical type of small is nanotechnology. Lately culture has shifted from bigger and better to smaller and more efficient. The opportunities that open up from nanotechnology are unimaginable. The ability to boost any part of your body from the inside would be priceless. The Filth explores nanotechnology with I-life. These tiny nanobots have the ability to befriend mutant proteins and bacteria in the body and convert them to something useful and positive. This is why the small is important. The ability to generate a new and modified immune system would open up all new opportunities to the human race. The Ticket that Exploded is another way of looking at the small. The cut-up method is literally breaking down written works and building them back up. This requires us to examine the works piece by piece.
Socially, the small is interconnected with social alterity. The other within society is the minorities. Because minorities are the small they are easily looked over. Decisions that better America almost always go by majority vote. Majority vote eliminates any opportunity for minorities to have their voice heard. This is why the small is important. In order for America to be truly free, the big picture is meaningless. This is why I fight for social justice. I focus on the small. I focus on everyone’s voice.
Socially the small has a lot to do with our selection of friends. We focus on tiny details to pick and choose our friends. Each person has different values in friendship. We had a discussion in class about what kind of friend we value either aesthetically similar or politically. This made me realize that it is a privilege to see the big picture without focusing on the small. Because my rights are up for debate, my friends must be politically similar. Others in the class talked about how it doesn’t matter what political values their friends hold. They want a similar friend. If you are not a part of the small, you can ignore the small.
This is closely tied to the emotional small. This is focusing on not only your personal emotions, but the actions and reasons behind the emotions. It is just as important as exploring words and letters, one must explore meanings and causes of emotions. The emotional small can help one grow and develop just as focusing on social smalls helps a community grow and develop and focusing on a physical small helps develop meaning. Focusing on the small is a step in development. We must use the small to build on the big picture.
Alterity (part 2 essay 1)
Alterity may be a new term to me, but is far from a new concept. Any minority identity will tell you they know all about the “other.” Socially othering is something that any minority must face at a young age. We have to deal with the fact that there are few that understand us and few that care to understand us. It seems as though the need for humans to fit in creates this intense other factor. The best way to show that you are like everyone else is to point out those who are not.
Radical Alterity truly explores the concept of the other and alterity. It does this on a less social aspect and has really opened my mind to “othering” by means of vacation or “escaping reality.” It is an intriguing obsession that humans have with vacationing or drug use in order to escape reality. I never thought about that as the other before. We view our lives as this stuck reality that is unchanging. Vacations, drug use, theme parks and media are our ways of escaping this reality. We want to get out of the ordinary. Why is this different from reality? What makes vacations “other” and a trip to the store routine? This is what Radical Alterity has done for me.
I question the other much more than I use to. We are so bored with our lives. This is why it’s so important to do what you love. The other won’t be as important or even an other if you enjoy your work like a vacation. Although Radical Alterity’s main influence was opening mind to the need for otherness, it also made me even more aware of social otherness.
The blog entries really helped me to develop my ideas about otherness and connecting it to our reading and class. Being able to write down my ideas as well as read others is extremely helpful. I was able to concretely explore my own thoughts and feelings about the discussions in class. Plurk was another useful tool for this. Glimpsing everyone’s ideas and discussions sparks my own curiosity. People are forced to be pithy in Plurk. Make every word, letter and symbol count for as much as possible. This forces a creative exploration of our readings and discussions.
It is intriguing that social otherness is such a problem in America with our need to be special. Wouldn’t we value these differences? Wouldn’t we praise the other? America has values that are oxymoronic. We all want to fit in yet we all want to be different.
Alterity is a means of control. Show people that otherness is bad and they will stay in line. Different values are scary. Different behavior is evil. Different religion is terrorism. We see it constantly. In order to succeed and live a happy, fulfilling life in America, one must do their best to stay in line. We live in a democracy controlled by propaganda and alterity. We learn in school less about the world than about how to fit into the world. We learn about white history and claim it as universal history. We say “under God” in our pledge of allegiance because it has “always been there” when it was introduced in the 50’s. We use the word equality and nation of the free as if it applies to everyone, yet we teach our children there is only one way to love. If we teach that alterity is bad, we can create a nation of easily controlled doppelgangers.
Radical Alterity truly explores the concept of the other and alterity. It does this on a less social aspect and has really opened my mind to “othering” by means of vacation or “escaping reality.” It is an intriguing obsession that humans have with vacationing or drug use in order to escape reality. I never thought about that as the other before. We view our lives as this stuck reality that is unchanging. Vacations, drug use, theme parks and media are our ways of escaping this reality. We want to get out of the ordinary. Why is this different from reality? What makes vacations “other” and a trip to the store routine? This is what Radical Alterity has done for me.
I question the other much more than I use to. We are so bored with our lives. This is why it’s so important to do what you love. The other won’t be as important or even an other if you enjoy your work like a vacation. Although Radical Alterity’s main influence was opening mind to the need for otherness, it also made me even more aware of social otherness.
The blog entries really helped me to develop my ideas about otherness and connecting it to our reading and class. Being able to write down my ideas as well as read others is extremely helpful. I was able to concretely explore my own thoughts and feelings about the discussions in class. Plurk was another useful tool for this. Glimpsing everyone’s ideas and discussions sparks my own curiosity. People are forced to be pithy in Plurk. Make every word, letter and symbol count for as much as possible. This forces a creative exploration of our readings and discussions.
It is intriguing that social otherness is such a problem in America with our need to be special. Wouldn’t we value these differences? Wouldn’t we praise the other? America has values that are oxymoronic. We all want to fit in yet we all want to be different.
Alterity is a means of control. Show people that otherness is bad and they will stay in line. Different values are scary. Different behavior is evil. Different religion is terrorism. We see it constantly. In order to succeed and live a happy, fulfilling life in America, one must do their best to stay in line. We live in a democracy controlled by propaganda and alterity. We learn in school less about the world than about how to fit into the world. We learn about white history and claim it as universal history. We say “under God” in our pledge of allegiance because it has “always been there” when it was introduced in the 50’s. We use the word equality and nation of the free as if it applies to everyone, yet we teach our children there is only one way to love. If we teach that alterity is bad, we can create a nation of easily controlled doppelgangers.
Blog comparison: "Must Warn Others" (Part 1, essay 3)
I focus on Social Justice. I am unique in my obsession with it. I could write for days upon days, words upon words, and books upon books of just Social Justice. I thrive, live and feed off it. It is infused in me as I am infused in it. This is the difference between my blog and that of Brian’s blog “Must Warn Others” as, I am sure, is the difference from many blogs.
His blog also seemed very different organizationally. I had a lot more smaller posts with small and large paragraphs. His is very much large posts with large paragraphs. He likes to have very thought out singular posts that he can pour into, whereas I am one for writing all my ideas and connecting them somehow in a later post.
We seem to have touched on many of the same things. We both questioned the concept of “I” and were enthralled in our conversation about pornography. A lot of our posts were very similar. This class really makes you question the world that you’ve grown up in. It makes you even question questions. The difference is that Brian focuses a lot on the physical: photographs, technology and porn. I focus very much on the psychological: social constructs, emotions and the mind. It’s interesting reading him connecting otherness to photography. He makes very awesome points that I really didn’t explore myself. I thought about it a little while reading Radical Alterity, but didn’t really focus on that aspect of the book. The fact that a “photograph isolates the object and does not allow (us) to see what is happening before or after” is a very valid point. We look at photographs as truth, but in reality they are nothing but a representation of truth. This is far from truth. It is like saying a simile is reality when in fact it is the representation of reality. Even the smallest minutest details of photographs can only possibly be truth for the nanosecond the photograph was taken. Nothing is the same from one time to another therefore the instant after the picture is taken, it is not reality. We shed cells, change expressions, move and mold. We are not the same from second to second nor can we ever be exactly the same as we were. After reading Brian’s blog, it really got me thinking about photography. I find it intriguing that this class can inspire everyone from completely different aspects of their lives.
It makes me wonder if the differences come from social justice. Is it the fact that I am a minority that I focus on social justice or is it that I have been trained in social justice and see it in everything? It is as this class has done on my perception of the world. After all of the classes and trainings I’ve had on social justice have transformed everything I see and hear into social justice or privilege. Because of this class I see everything further. The class has done the same for Brian. He has combined it with his experiences and life as I have combined it with my experiences and social justice. Reading many different blogs it seems that the majority of the class took away one common theme: reflection.
We have all renewed our interest in reflection. This class has required us all to look at everything critically. Question the Status Q. Question the “different.” When in doubt: question. Use your thoughts and your opinions. Don’t be afraid to stand against the norm. Don’t be afraid to stand out. Don’t forget the small. Don’t ignore the large. Critical thinking is our friend. Nothing is our enemy. The best visualization of the values taken from the class is Plurk. Everyone explores such unique outlets through Plurk. They use the 140 character max as a means of being creative. Very few of us viewed less as a boundary and more of a freedom. We were able to learn and express ourselves in an all new way.
His blog also seemed very different organizationally. I had a lot more smaller posts with small and large paragraphs. His is very much large posts with large paragraphs. He likes to have very thought out singular posts that he can pour into, whereas I am one for writing all my ideas and connecting them somehow in a later post.
We seem to have touched on many of the same things. We both questioned the concept of “I” and were enthralled in our conversation about pornography. A lot of our posts were very similar. This class really makes you question the world that you’ve grown up in. It makes you even question questions. The difference is that Brian focuses a lot on the physical: photographs, technology and porn. I focus very much on the psychological: social constructs, emotions and the mind. It’s interesting reading him connecting otherness to photography. He makes very awesome points that I really didn’t explore myself. I thought about it a little while reading Radical Alterity, but didn’t really focus on that aspect of the book. The fact that a “photograph isolates the object and does not allow (us) to see what is happening before or after” is a very valid point. We look at photographs as truth, but in reality they are nothing but a representation of truth. This is far from truth. It is like saying a simile is reality when in fact it is the representation of reality. Even the smallest minutest details of photographs can only possibly be truth for the nanosecond the photograph was taken. Nothing is the same from one time to another therefore the instant after the picture is taken, it is not reality. We shed cells, change expressions, move and mold. We are not the same from second to second nor can we ever be exactly the same as we were. After reading Brian’s blog, it really got me thinking about photography. I find it intriguing that this class can inspire everyone from completely different aspects of their lives.
It makes me wonder if the differences come from social justice. Is it the fact that I am a minority that I focus on social justice or is it that I have been trained in social justice and see it in everything? It is as this class has done on my perception of the world. After all of the classes and trainings I’ve had on social justice have transformed everything I see and hear into social justice or privilege. Because of this class I see everything further. The class has done the same for Brian. He has combined it with his experiences and life as I have combined it with my experiences and social justice. Reading many different blogs it seems that the majority of the class took away one common theme: reflection.
We have all renewed our interest in reflection. This class has required us all to look at everything critically. Question the Status Q. Question the “different.” When in doubt: question. Use your thoughts and your opinions. Don’t be afraid to stand against the norm. Don’t be afraid to stand out. Don’t forget the small. Don’t ignore the large. Critical thinking is our friend. Nothing is our enemy. The best visualization of the values taken from the class is Plurk. Everyone explores such unique outlets through Plurk. They use the 140 character max as a means of being creative. Very few of us viewed less as a boundary and more of a freedom. We were able to learn and express ourselves in an all new way.
Book Group (Part 1, essay 1)
My book group was the Robber Queen group. We decided to conduct our conversations over a Facebook thread. It was really interesting and different from class and blogs for a few reasons. I really liked that it was on Facebook because of how often I am on it. Every time I got on Facebook there was more discussion that I could be a part of. I liked reading and adding anecdotes about the novel. It also really helped me understand what was happening as I read. There was also a downside. Part of a discussion is listening. In person or group discussions, it is easy to tell that someone is actively listening. This would show their involvement in the conversation. Facebook doesn’t allow this. For those who just wanted to “listen” by reading other’s messages, appeared as though they weren’t part of the conversation or didn’t care. This was the biggest difference between a verbal conversation and a Facebook thread discussion. There were many other differences also. The fact that in a message one can go back, edit or reread comments is an amazing addition to a conversation. It is not as spontaneous yet it allows for thorough investigation and critical thinking. It is an interesting way to discuss a novel. It also makes it much more linear. With a verbal discussion or Plurk, there are many more tangents and distractions. The thread is very linear. There is much less opportunity for tangents or distractions because the messages are very straightforward.
Blogs would have been a very interesting way to do a conversation. The problem would have been the fact that whatever blog we did it on, that person would inherently have dominance in the conversation. Although we would all have the chance to speak and add our input, whoever’s blog it is would have a slight influence over the rest of us. It would be like a party in someone’s house. The owner of the house would inherently have the last word over what happens at the party. The Facebook thread eliminated the dominance aspect. No one person had a dominant say because all of us were in the thread equally. It was also a conversation that could take place on our own time. We can read at our own pace with very little pressure to finish by a certain date. As long as you can contribute to the conversation, you were reading perfectly. Because it was on Facebook, it was in a very accessible spot for the majority of our group. Most of us are on Facebook every day. This helped with keeping up with the conversation.
The Facebook thread allowed for many types of conversations. We could ask questions, explore concepts further and talk about whatever we pleased. There were not too many exceptions to the direction the conversation was allowed to go. There are few limits to the Facebook thread. The limits we encountered include adding files or pictures we wanted to show the group. We couldn’t write something outside the thread then attach it for all to see. This hindered our creative endeavors. The other hindrance, that was most important to me, was the fact that we didn’t have the personal connection. I knew the names of my group, but I probably wouldn’t recognize them on campus if I saw them. We talked entirely through this thread. It didn’t allow us to make the personal connections that a book group usually allows.
Blogs would have been a very interesting way to do a conversation. The problem would have been the fact that whatever blog we did it on, that person would inherently have dominance in the conversation. Although we would all have the chance to speak and add our input, whoever’s blog it is would have a slight influence over the rest of us. It would be like a party in someone’s house. The owner of the house would inherently have the last word over what happens at the party. The Facebook thread eliminated the dominance aspect. No one person had a dominant say because all of us were in the thread equally. It was also a conversation that could take place on our own time. We can read at our own pace with very little pressure to finish by a certain date. As long as you can contribute to the conversation, you were reading perfectly. Because it was on Facebook, it was in a very accessible spot for the majority of our group. Most of us are on Facebook every day. This helped with keeping up with the conversation.
The Facebook thread allowed for many types of conversations. We could ask questions, explore concepts further and talk about whatever we pleased. There were not too many exceptions to the direction the conversation was allowed to go. There are few limits to the Facebook thread. The limits we encountered include adding files or pictures we wanted to show the group. We couldn’t write something outside the thread then attach it for all to see. This hindered our creative endeavors. The other hindrance, that was most important to me, was the fact that we didn’t have the personal connection. I knew the names of my group, but I probably wouldn’t recognize them on campus if I saw them. We talked entirely through this thread. It didn’t allow us to make the personal connections that a book group usually allows.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
I finally saw a positive gay movie.
Wow...it took a while.
I'm sitting here reflecting on the first POSITIVE gay movie.
Now there are some fabulous gay movies. Really great ones that involve a lot of real issues and that educate the masses...but I don't want to see a million movies of sad endings, hate crimes and HIV.
This was the first movie truly about love. About two men falling in love. Now there was still a little bit of coming out and a little bit about being gay in a hetero world, but it was minimal. It was very cute.
I'm very giddy now.
On another note, no gay movie is not rated R. If they aren't, they are unrated which usually implies worse content. We need to make more movies for younger audiences. Gay children will always feel different until we do. Time for equality.
I'm sitting here reflecting on the first POSITIVE gay movie.
Now there are some fabulous gay movies. Really great ones that involve a lot of real issues and that educate the masses...but I don't want to see a million movies of sad endings, hate crimes and HIV.
This was the first movie truly about love. About two men falling in love. Now there was still a little bit of coming out and a little bit about being gay in a hetero world, but it was minimal. It was very cute.
I'm very giddy now.
On another note, no gay movie is not rated R. If they aren't, they are unrated which usually implies worse content. We need to make more movies for younger audiences. Gay children will always feel different until we do. Time for equality.
Critical Thinking is Depressing.
I'm officially convinced: ignorance is truly bliss.
Sometimes I wish I could be oblivious. I was reading Cosmo in the car coming back from Seattle. I use to love reading Cosmo. It's shallow and funny and sexy. I must have refrained from reading for a while though because this was a much different circumstance.
I was appalled. Reading it for the last time I was disgusted by what I saw: heterosexism, gender enforcement and rape culture enforcement. I'll break it down piece by piece.
Heterosexism: There was no consideration of woman who like woman...or men who like men. Every page was about women pleasing men. How to best serve men. There wasn't any acknowledgment about any other sexual orientation.
Gender enforcement: Every page was about how women should act. About what man they should be looking for. There were articles talking about how if men don't want sex there is something wrong. I almost threw up. Every page was a visual example of why women have so many body issues and why its so hard for men and women to connect. This magazine was single-handedly separating the genders.
Rape-Culture enforement: this is a hard concept to understand. America is a rape-culture. Meaning our culture allows excuses for rape and almost encourages it. . So how does this magazine do this? This magazine had a 6 page article about how women should protect themselves from rape and horror stories of women being attacked on the streets. Ok...two things: we need to focus MEN to stop rape. It is not the woman's job. Scare tactics should not be a way to educate. Woman should not be afraid to step on the street alone at night. Another thing is that getting raped on the street RARELY happens. As in hardly ever. This article was almost implying that its the woman's fault because she was drinking. It was on the verge of saying that women shouldn't drink because they'll be raped.
This is why I want to be ignorant. All of these magazines, commercials, TV shows, movies and any media would still be funny or entertaining. I would find humor in more jokes and live life less angry.
Social Justice is my passion and I'd never give it up, but sometimes I dream of a different world. I also know that I have much closer and better friends because I am not ignorant...but I guess ignorant people wouldn't realize their friendships are shallow.
Sometimes I wish I could be oblivious. I was reading Cosmo in the car coming back from Seattle. I use to love reading Cosmo. It's shallow and funny and sexy. I must have refrained from reading for a while though because this was a much different circumstance.
I was appalled. Reading it for the last time I was disgusted by what I saw: heterosexism, gender enforcement and rape culture enforcement. I'll break it down piece by piece.
Heterosexism: There was no consideration of woman who like woman...or men who like men. Every page was about women pleasing men. How to best serve men. There wasn't any acknowledgment about any other sexual orientation.
Gender enforcement: Every page was about how women should act. About what man they should be looking for. There were articles talking about how if men don't want sex there is something wrong. I almost threw up. Every page was a visual example of why women have so many body issues and why its so hard for men and women to connect. This magazine was single-handedly separating the genders.
Rape-Culture enforement: this is a hard concept to understand. America is a rape-culture. Meaning our culture allows excuses for rape and almost encourages it. . So how does this magazine do this? This magazine had a 6 page article about how women should protect themselves from rape and horror stories of women being attacked on the streets. Ok...two things: we need to focus MEN to stop rape. It is not the woman's job. Scare tactics should not be a way to educate. Woman should not be afraid to step on the street alone at night. Another thing is that getting raped on the street RARELY happens. As in hardly ever. This article was almost implying that its the woman's fault because she was drinking. It was on the verge of saying that women shouldn't drink because they'll be raped.
This is why I want to be ignorant. All of these magazines, commercials, TV shows, movies and any media would still be funny or entertaining. I would find humor in more jokes and live life less angry.
Social Justice is my passion and I'd never give it up, but sometimes I dream of a different world. I also know that I have much closer and better friends because I am not ignorant...but I guess ignorant people wouldn't realize their friendships are shallow.
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