Modern family, the L word

In the article Modern family, the L word and telling our stories by Rudolph, D., it talks about the struggles of HIV positive people in the gay community. It also discusses the difference between living life as an HIV negative person vs. HIV positive. He is an HIV positive person. It touches on the stereotypes and correlation people face with the HIV positive people mostly in the gay community. In 1983 Denver Principles was written. It discussed the leadership roles and rights of HIV positive people. He also puts in his sassy opinion that he doesn't understand why they are looked at as any differently. He believes they should not be categorized. One of my favorite parts was when he mentioned the fear of blood tests. He talks about the bias in the workplace and in dating. It should not be a competition of HIV positive people with HIV negative people. He also mentions what society believes HIV positive people would do and how to handle it. Even though they have no idea. I wish he could have elaborated more on his brother and his brothers loss of his partner due to AIDS. In facts I wish he could have given a specific example of when he felt the most discriminated against. It would have made the article more personal, maybe more people would have really understood. While reading the article I could not stop thinking about the fear people have of this disease. While yes it can be uncomfortable to live with and talk about, but if it is so uncomfortable to live with why aren't people more cautious? I understand his article was about the opposite and he did not appreciate when people said this, but I feel like people can be more cautious, unless they choose otherwise. I understand if your partner has it and you do not mind, but why is there such a fear of being the recipient of this disease? Especially because only one form of HIV is seriously life threatening.

Gender Neutral Children

While the idea of gender neutral children seems like a great idea there are so many obstacles and 'what ifs' that come into play. The parents said they gave the infants a neutral name but Sasha does sound more feminine to Americans. Although I am aware they are living in Canada. I also wonder what happens when a child came over to play with Sasha? If a little boy cam over would, they judge Sasha because he was playing with legos while in a dress? What if a little girl came over, would she make him fulfill the role as prince? In the photos shown you can clearly tell he is a boy. The parents perpetuate gender stereotypes. It is almost like they are attempting to raise him as a transgender or transsexual. The crazy layers are almost childish on the parents part. Like the child should at least be dressed in a real outfit and not playing dress up all the time. I truly believe in freedom of expression, but I do believe that reality and the "real world" will catch up to him. This idea of a gender neutral child can cause developmental issues, mostly psychological. The scariest part of the article is the fact that they referred to their son as 'the infant', it is a very cold term. Children should be loved and neutered, I am not saying these people do not love their child I am suggesting that the term is very cold. I  have to wonder if the parents are transgender or why this is topic of gender stereotypes is so important?

When reading the comments the funniest comment was someone who said "They obviously wanted a daughter". At first I said that the comment was rude and inconsiderate. The more I thought about it the more it makes sense. Multiple other comments included the child be brought up in an alternative home. So many people were concerned that this child is neglected. Many are offering up foster care, adoption and living with different family members.

Molly Mullee and I’s original Post: We live in a very judgmental society, and as a result, people are afraid to freely express themselves. There is so much pressure to act or appear a certain way, and if you don't meet those expectations, then you aren't "normal." I am challenging this issue by starting the trend #ExpressYourselfFreely and this represents doing what makes you happy without being afraid of rejection. Please support this trend by using the hashtag in your own status and include a picture/video of how you express yourself, whether it is through a hobby you enjoy or something more personal. This hashtag applies to all people, regardless of age, gender, race, etc. so don't be afraid to show what you are passionate about!

We posted this first then posted our own picture with this as the caption.

Mackenzie Rose

Ready, Set, Go Viral!

Express Yourself Freely

The five faces of oppression affect millions of people a day. Exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, violence, and culture of imperialism are the five faces of oppression. Iris Young says the definition of societal oppression is when people reduce the potential for other people to be or to act as fully human. The idea is to make other people less human. The oppression in our society and the amount of social disorders create too much negative mentality in our society. Molly Mullee and I agreed that the “social norm” in our society makes some people feel inadequate when they do not reach the American standard. An online dictionary website (dictionary.com) says social norm is defined as an expected form of behavior or attitude in a given situation. In our society some very specific expectations are to shake hands when you them, direct eye contact, wear clothing, especially new and trendy, shower, say please and thank you, be kind to your elders, do not steal, do not harm one another and acknowledge of personal space. Most social norms can be put in more blanket general terms like use manners/edicts, be respectful, follow the rules/laws and of course personal hygiene. With all these standards and regulations Molly Mullee and I decided it was time to spread some positive thoughts.

Our goal was to have people post on facebook, or whatever social media site they preferred, a picture or video of them expressing themselves freely. It represented doing what makes them happy without any negative comments or connotations. The activity applies to all people, regardless of age, gender, race, etc. The obvious goal was to go viral, unfortunately our standards were slightly high. Other than just posting the explanation on facebook we attempted to spread the word. We reached out to our organizations, sports teams, friends and of course family. We faced a few small challenges. While we preferred facebook some people did not have facebook. Another issue was many people did not want to post it. Some wanted an incentive. Many asked that once they post it, can they remove it down in a few hours because they thought it would not receive enough “likes”? While we wanted as many people to post as possible so we allowed this to happen. I think this is the biggest challenge our society faces. People believe they are marginalized by our social status on the internet. I believe we are marginalized but much more than that. We are marginalized from our socioeconomic status, to race, to our occupations, down to our clothing, and of course the music we enjoy. Tricia Rose wrote an article called There Are Bitches and Hoes. Rose said that, “To be publicly and strongly against sexism in the music industry is to guarantee one’s marginality” (Shaw, 387).

Generally speaking Molly and I came to the conclusion our post was not very successful. She reached out to her organizations, sports teams, friends and of course family a week before I did mine. She received just under five posts on facebook. Once I jumped in on the second/third week, our number raised slightly. No posts were made in the fourth week. In total we received sixteen facebook posts that were not deleted. Four posts were deleted from facebook. There was also a total of four instagram posts. In total the number varies due to the fact that a number of people posted, left it up for a few minutes then removed it. I do not believe successfulness is marginalize by a number, I believe we were successful to those people who did post. It got the people thinking about what really makes them happy, free of marginalization and judgement. I also believe we were successful because we received all different types of posts. Some people express themselves from participating at comic cons and doing cosplay (where you hand make a costume and dress up like a certain character), being a volunteer EMT, going hiking, skydiving, being a mom, being a volunteer firefighter, eating, beach walks, sports and many more things. All in all I believe this was an eye opening experience because it showed us how many of our close friends are scared of judgement and marginalization on and off social media.

Here are a few examples:

How It Feels to Be Viral Me

"Asians in the library song" went viral with over 4 million views worldwide. Receiving harsh feedback the video was removed from youtube. Many remixes were made including Jimmy Wong a man with an average youtube channel. A completely racist, obnoxious music video that landed him a part in an indie film. At the young age of 23 he chooses to spend his free time filming a remix of a racists music video. The article continues on about the Asian American youtubers and their strategies. becoming a youtube star includes: copy right, intellectual property rights, with effective modes of branding, distribution, news reporting, and target audiences. Asian Americans dominate the topten-channel lists. These people are called youtube celebrities or youtube stars. These stars have the option to perform their identities in ways that are not possible elsewhere, meaning everywhere else they go they are given lines or a part, stars are not allowed to do anything freely. Which is why I believe being a youtuber is so popular. Wong Fu productions proves that there is a voice, face, an desire for Asian Americans in the mainstream world. If you get into a large company like ISA or Kollaborations there can be opportunities to expand globally.  Elizabeth Eun and Julie Ma from the Korean claim that youtubers have changes the business of entertainment. It has lowered the standards of comedy because you can watch someone in their pajamas and be hysterical laughing or you can go pay to watch someone on a stage and be laughing just as hard. The article also talks about the knowledge one must have before uploading their first viral video. The ability to change the lighting, edit, talk comfortably and know your material. The Asian American "attitude today references a broader set of emotions than just anger and rage, but still performs the affective labor of transforming alienating episodes into a common understanding". The last point the article made is the fact that if we really followed the channels of some of the youtubers we would be amazed by the different views they have and not just on the video that went viral.

Social Networks

My "friends" on facebook include over 1,000 friends, but I probably only know 1/5 of them. When I was in middle school the more friends on facebook you have the better. Which is now equivalent to the same as the amont of followers/likes you get determines how "popular" you were. Anyway when I scroll down my facebook I see a lo of nonsense. Its birthday posts for their "bff", food, obituary posts for someone who lost a loved one, some fitness person going on and on about how they ran a breezy 10 miles today, people sharing their opinions on facebook with no hard facts, many adorable puppy posts, someone doing a "check in" at the airport or a restaurant, optimistic posts/quotes, and many more people posting crazy statuses. A few things posted in the last few days that caught my eye was a 17 year old girl fro my high school who got pregnant and the father is 29. He beat her Friday night and the baby miraculously survived. She uploaded a selfie of her and the father in the hospital with the caption "love is always stronger than violence". I was extremely confused as to how they made up so fast, why he beat her, and of course why did she forgive him especially when she is carrying his child. I had to ask myself is she serious or is she just fronting for facebook? I mean her face is mauled, her child barely lived, and she is perfectly fine with all of this? Another post I see a lot is the same girl doing a "check in" at the hospital. She's 16 from a very low socioeconomic family. I swear this is like a daily post. I must be the only person who thinks this is a cry for attention all the time because theres always tons and tons of comments telling her to text them if they need anything and to get well soon. In the comments you can always figure out why she's in there that day. The post I saw this weekend she was in there for "a really bad stomach ache!!! Ive had it for hours and it just wont go away mom thinks I could have an issue with my gallbladder!!". She went to the hospital for a stomach ache and is jumping to the conclusion while in the waiting room that she has a gallbladder problem. I have never had a conversation with either of these females, but with the amount of posts they choose to post a day makes their name well known on my friends list. They also both share a ton of almost random photos and posts on facebook. There is not a time I am ever on facebook without seeing a post from one of them, it almost screams for attention.

I believe in our society we all can seem to have a alter ego. On my facebook I must come off as an extreme dog freak, I constantly share photos or videos of dogs. I believe the posts I see about dogs are aimed mostly at women, the dogs are always in cute sweaters, or have flowers in their fur, or accidentally broke into a women's makeup. I do not believe all posts or ads are gendered, but they can easily be. I believe most of the posts on facebook have a story behind them. They are usually aimed toward a certain person on their friends list. I see so many people post about back stabbing family members, as if their family wont see it. Many people front for all social media, not just facebook.  Social media is really good for connecting people or keeping up with people you don't get the chance to see often. What you choose to post and share is a huge part in your online image. It can be extremely misleading the things people say and post.

Slightly off-topic: When doing my homework while sitting next to my boyfriend he asked what homework I was doing, I read him our prompt. He laughed and said "I post about how I'm an exhausted EMT who makes less saving lives, in comparison to garbage men". I thought this was interesting about how many people complain about lack of upward mobility or low pay on facebook.

Reality Tv

One of my favorite shows is How I met your mother, it is not exactly a reality television show, but I do not watch television. I only watch How I met your mother and friends, which are both on netflix. The gender roles are definite on How I met your mother. Lily and Marshal or marshmallow and lilypad have been together since the first day of college. He is a lawyer who brings home the bacon she is a shopaholic teacher. They are a very stereotypical young and in one couple. Barney is one of the most interesting characters as he is your typical bachelor. He has slept with a girl from every country, he video tapes every time he has intercourse, and his goal is to never get old.  He is also making good money, at the same company as Marshal yet does nothing. Barney's gender role is met, his love for being a bachelor is very typical on shows where the young man is very wealthy. Ted is a boring architect who cannot seem to find love. He gets his heart broken all the time and it is always by a girl he really loves. He is trying to find the american dream, a wife, house, family, and being successful. Robin is canadian. She is outcasted slightly because of her nationality and she is a new york city news caster. She doesn't have much of a family. Barney and Ted were both in love with her. Robin defies the typical female role because she is strong and independent. This show is very realistic. This is a very odd friend group considering they all do not have much in common, but of course it is possible. 

 this is Ted going after a future girl friend.

 this is Barney explaining the Hot ad Crazy scale of a women. 

Week 10 I am Cait

Time.com realized an article on the transition from bruce Jenner to Cait Jenner. She was a former olympian and TV start on Keeping Up With the Kardashians. She realized the information that she had long identified as a women, I along with many other people are very skeptical. Usual reality Tv shows would feature Jenner as a fun haps person. Jenner has taken the broadcasting of her transformation as a platform for define the ways in which the public sees transgender people and describe the world from a transgender perspective along with the associated challenges. Her goal is to be a real reality show, apparently. Time described the families emotions as “remarkably unremarkable”. While I do believe her family's emotions are real, I do see this as another publicity stunt by the Jenner's. Jenner show will be broken down into three key events in 2015. The first was her interview with Diane Sawyer where she announcing her transition. The next was her picture on the cover of Vanity Fair. The final one was her acceptance of the ESPY’s award where she described her new found motive in life. She hopes to shed light on the topic of transgender and show the real struggle that people face. Jenner also mentions showing the different definitions of the public world. 

The one line in this article that infuriated me was, "But for all its unwillingness to indulge whatever is dark in Jenner’s life, the show has an apparent willingness, at least in its first episode, to place Jenner’s ease of life in contrast to that of a family who accepted their son but lost him anyway". If your son was really a transgender as he claimed he has been most of his life his family would not be sad that they "lost their son". they should feel like they never had one in the first place, if he was female identified. I also believe the media is way too focused on Jenner, a great example is this: Caitlyn Jenner won the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. The runner-up was Army veteran Noah Galloway, who lost an arm and leg to a roadside bomb in Iraq, and now competes in Crossfit events, runs marathons and competed in the 58-hour Death Race. Many also believe it could have been  Lauren Hill, a 19-year-old college basketball player who died of cancer, should have won.

Is the media focused on Jenner because of her transition or because it is an already well known name?

Reality Televison

reality-noun:the world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them. (wiki)
What really is reality on television? Nothing. Not even the news. Taking a few different general tops I discovered nothing really is reality. The news is swayed meaning it is the opinion or the news casters version of the story. All reality television is made up, all the women are housewives or work very little, the men work, they have a few kids, it is just an exaggerated version of what could possible be a real family. Even sports are not usually accurate. Rumor has it in boxing they usually have a decided winner before the match. It is usually a well paid loss. It is almost like reality does not exist in our society anymore. 
Using a specific example I would like to focus in on one of my favorite cheesy shows, the jersey shore. If you do not know what the show is about it is about the exaggeration of a group of Italian New Jersey residents parting hard in seaside. When the show first started they are all anywhere from 18-26 years old living together during the summer in a party house. They had a job at a t shirt place on the board walk and almost never showed up. The entire show was about GTL-gym tanning laundry of and of course partying. While there was never any drugs featured on the show it was a well known fact that most of them were drug users or addicts. The show featured lots of crazy drama usually involving alcohol or that being the cause of the drama. 
In the one episode Snooki got arrested for being so drunk in public she could barely stand, then attempted to fight a grown man when he told her to go home and sleep it off. While this actually did occur it was completely over exaggerated and Snooki must have felt extremely embarrassed. This is not reality because she was forced fed alcohol that night before she left the house. Snooki was not even of age to be drinking at the clubs. 
Another episode featured the shows "favorite couple" Jwow and Ronni in a physical fight. Ronni was so messed up he tried to push her, she ended up spending a few weeks home because 'he scared her so bad  she did not want to be around him'.We later found out she was paid to go home and "milk it". While yes they did get into a physical fight while they were drunk but both people were unharmed. The couple was fine within a few days. This is not reality because they made her go home even when they were fine as a couple. 

Gender performance on Halloween

The objectification of women stems from a young age of cultural influences. A large cultural influence is being placed on young kids for their halloween costume. The choices that differ between males and females ridiculous. Boys occupational halloween costumes include cops, fireman, doctors, scientists, cowboys, pirates, boxers, construction workers or animals. Girls occupational halloween costumes include nurse, equestrian, ballet dancer or animals. Now boys also have the choice of villains, criminals, or superheros. Girls have the choice of princesses. While you see the difference in amount of choices between the sexes, you should see the actual costumes.

Many parents were outraged by the gender stereotypes in halloween costumes this year. Little girl’s costumes have more skin and less clothing, while the boys have realistic costumes. The girls section does not give the choice of a realistic cop outfit with slacks, they can choose the skirt with the large decorated feminine belt. An article on CNN’s website titled Halloween costume showdown: Superheroes beat princesses this year talks about different children’s and parent’s views on the topic between girls and boys costume. Brown said. "Girls can't run and be active with short skirts and boots", this just shows how a parent views the objectification of his daughter’s costume choice.Because why can’t little girls be superheros too?

Why does toddlers costumes need to be gendered? What does it matter if the pumpkin costume is for a little boy of little girl? This is about gender performance, and gender acquisition. How are the little boys halloween costumes sexualized? They are not. The little boys costumes are very realistic. The girls costumes are always dresses or a skirt, even if the career involves like crime fighting. How is a cop supposed to chase after someone in a skirt? The fact that the only option is for little girls to wear dresses starts the sexuaisation of girls from a young age. An article online on parent tool kit talks about what psychologist Dr. Michele Borba thinks about this topic, “The bottom line is we want to raise happy, healthy, strong kids. If we stereotype in gender, race, age, we really start to pigeon-hole them and it begins to set up bias that there are certain things they can’t be.”

For halloween weekend I went to rutgers to visit a friend on college avenue. The outfits I saw on halloween night were not costumes. Girls walked around with lingerie on with some sort of ears or tail. They also wore knee high socks or sexy stockings. Of course I saw a ridiculous amount of girls in high heels. Each girl was more sexualized than the one before. I almost felt bad for the girls I saw because they were freezing, their feet hurt, some were uncomfortable, yet they felt like they HAD to be dressed like that to receive any form of attention. The sexualization and objectification of the female body needs to stop.

The male costumes are all the same. They throw on a jersey and claim to be some sort of athlete. They do not have any pressures and can practically wear what they want. All I saw all weekend long was men standing there objectifying women and checking out their bodies. The women just let it happen. They had no response when a man “cat called” a girl dressed in a one piece skeleton outfit. The objectification of women stems from childhood and its time it comes to an end.