I LOVED Laurie’s piece we watched in class last week! It took me a few seconds to realize that this piece was about society’s obsession with flat chested women, not big breasted women. It’s amazing to step out of our own lenses for a second and look into some ideas in a new light. I also started to look at how much society, media, and Hollywood affects the body image and consciousness of women in our country. I think every woman feels they are beautiful in some way, but when they begin to compare themselves to all the other women standing next to them, that is when it becomes an issue.

Women thrive off of their looks in our country. As another classmate of mine has stated, this is what society defines as beauty right now. Why? It’s unfortunate, but it’s because that’s what people want. Men want to date women that look like the celebrities and models they see. Men have been conditioned to want what the image puts forth. Obviously some men have different preferences, like larger boobs or bigger butts, but someone put that image out there in the first place. Someone decided that that is the trendy thing a woman should want for herself.

But look at the confusion it causes. It causes people like Heidi Montag to undergo 10 plastic surgery procedures in a day… not that I think she looks better or that many people do, but her perception of beauty has been contorted by a weigh and body image obsessed society. Look at the cover of almost every woman-targeted magazine; it’s a woman with perfect hair, an unblemished face, airbrushed toned bodies, and revealing or tight clothing. It’s what the fashion industry wants people to wear. They make the celebrity look perfect. Why? They want people to think “Oh my God. She looks amazing.” They want people to want the image. They want people to buy their magazine. The trends may be a little recycled, but society adds their own twist. Right now that twist is tight, outlining, and low cut. I’m not saying that as a girl I want to always wear these clothes, but you have to wear them if you want to be considered “normal.” You have to own hardtails and Uggs and tight going out clothes if you want to even be considered by a guy (who is doing the same thing, to a lesser extreme). I agree that this puts a great deal of pressure on women that are overweight, but you can’t blame them for wanting to fit in.

We live in a country that dictates style, trends, and people that the rest of us want to emulate for some reason. It’s a twisted idea, but everyone wants to be included, you just have to draw your own line and not undergo 10 plastic surgery procedures in one day. I’m really glad Laurie brought this to class because I think it’s something really cool we can all take a look at in a new light.

It was really difficult to watch that clip in class last week. It was saddening to see how people struggle for us to enjoy something so irrelevant to our wallets and basic human needs. I admit that I did eat the second piece of chocolate, but there was no way to enjoy it nearly as much as the first. After eating the first, I kind of expected like the psychology game where you can see if you can wait to eat the other piece, but that obviously wasn’t the case. It’s weird to think that something we eat to satisfy our sweet tooth enslaves many people. Growing up you always want to sneak candy and chocolate; it is usually a reward for doing something well. But the people that gather the cocoa plants for us to consume sweet treats get nothing.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I have a real answer to your question. Maybe I ate the second piece because I was hungry and it was almost dinner time. Maybe I ate it because my friends sitting next to me did. Maybe I ate it because Sam ate his second piece. Or maybe I ate it because I really didn’t know what else to do, and I also mean this as I don’t know if I can individually make a difference if I chose not to eat it. Do I think I supported slavery by eating the second piece? No, not really this product was already produced and purchased in this simulation. But can it affect my future purchasing decisions? There’s a possibility and I think that’s the point. I realized that we can afford an extra few cents to support better treatment of workers. Most of us probably do not even know the price of the candy we consume anyway. We buy it at the check-out counter, fun packs, or as miniatures. We would still buy it as a treat.

We need to open our eyes to those around us because like it or not, our decisions affect them. We need to realize that slave owners do this to their employees to make a quick profit off of us, as consumers, and the slaves, who ultimately will probably never see any of this money anyway. I think Sam presented this to us because unless we are ready to make a leap to demand a change, whether that better treatment to workers or supporting Fair Trade products, it’s still a step in a better direction. If this modern day slavery had more publicity, I think Americans really would be shocked, as most of us were. I personally don’t think that they would jump on purchasing every Fair Trade product available, but I think that more of the legislation being put forth would have more attention. I think that the big businesses may realize in order to keep customers happy, they could find cocoa plants that are fair to employees, raise prices slightly to ensure wages are being met AND still see a profit.

I was completely mortified when I watched this clip. I honestly couldn’t believe how vulgar these Chinese video games are. I was shocked to see that even the woman “skyping” with the interviewer didn’t think this was disgusting. She actually didn’t see anything wrong with what the games portrayed.

Personally, I think it’s pathetic that the video game industry not only provides sex and rape in their games, but obviously supports it considering they created games centered on groping and rape. I know Sam doesn’t want us to emphasize the sickness of this idea, but it’s hard to see past the surface and not criticize the game creators. I do not understand how Chinese women allow this portrayal to occur; the voices and physicality of their culture to be mocked. Are there not people that think this will lead to more violence, rape, and assaults to occur? Is this not sending a message that says, “doing this to women is allowable?” Then again, why does this culture see this as acceptable, since brothels and prostitution is not frowned upon?

Why is our world obsessed with sex? And since when has it been okay to openly display, whether in video games or on television shows, the degradation and raping of women? Even American video games, like Grand Theft Auto, are made to allow brutalization, beating people, stealing vehicles, and pimping/groping women. I guess it makes me think that people around the world enjoy participating in things that made them feel powerful, mostly in the gaming world, but in reality too. People play games to win and beat the game. The find cheats somewhere on the internet and use them to get ahead, yet they really didn’t do anything at all other than follow the directions of someone else that actually did the work.

What happened to the times our grandparents lived in, where chivalry and respect for women (and their bodies) were of the utmost importance? When did society begin to value multiple partners, infidelity, and assault? I’m sure that there were issues among some couples, but were these instances covered up better or were there just less of them. Are these issues a result of the media or something that has always existed but has now exploded?

It’s actually scary that these things exist (video games like this I mean). What kind of message does it really send? After reflecting a little bit more, it’s uncomforting. Men are partaking in a video game that in most countries and games devalue women in some way. Guys want to play video games that their friends play; they want to feel accepted by the group. I feel like women’s reactions can occur in one of two ways: either succumb to this perception, or exhibit (as I have) a growing fear and concern for their future safety. If possible, I hope that games such as these will be more censored or completely removed in the future. I think they message they infer, whether in a joking or serious matter, can alter the perceptions of young children that want to feel cool playing video games.

I can see how some people may/will perceive this as shocking or concerning, yet considering the world’s current demographics this is a very real situation. I remember a few years ago that I was told English will no longer be the primary language of the United States. I remember being an 8th grader saying that it was stupid my ancestors’ came to America and learned the language, and that today’s immigrants should do the same. I remember being surprised when Sam presented the increasing percentages of English-only speaking homes as generations passed. It was then I realized, my ancestors were also concerned about being in the minority and wanted their children to be a part of “normal” society. Now, as I reflect with my knowledge from Soc119, I can see that when my aunt and grandmother spoke fluently, my dad only knows of the most frequently encountered words, and now I do not know any.

Last semester in my human geography class, we explored how birth rates in developing countries compare to developed countries. In developing countries, we see women having children later in life, be it due to jobs or marrying later, we also see women having fewer children. In developing countries, we see women have more children at younger ages. Now, I am not technically trying to assume these are the women currently immigrating; however, the culture these women did experience will influence the culture they bring with them to America. Maybe my thoughts will be perceived as concern for white people not being called the “majority,” but I do not really see them in this sense. Personally, I think that the births will succeed the number of white and people of color’s birth rates for another generation but I don’t think it of it in terms of lasting for three whole decades. I think that the rates will increase but that generation will follow whatever the current trend set in America is.

I think that we can use past history to mark this point. Just as the amount of English-only spoken in homes increased with new generations, I think this will also occur with birth rates. Many Americans, both white and people of color, have significantly less children then their parents have. Both sets of my grandparents had 5 children. My parents only have 2, and all their brothers and sisters have 2 children, except for one of my uncle’s who has 4 children. My boyfriend comes from a family of 4, but his father is one of 7. I think this marker can be used to imitate what will likely play out with the “minority” birth rates. Because more people that are not just white and black are living in America, at some point will have more children than Americans. Most of their ancestry is found in developing countries where lifestyles, marriages, and the utilization/education of contraception are different than many Americans have been accustomed to. So I guess to summarize, no I do not think white people will feel forgotten. If anything, we might just all (I’m including everyone: white, black, brown, etc.) feel more accepted, develop an appreciation of all cultures, and feel a little less pressured about protecting ourselves.

It took me a little while after class was over to make the connection on how we moved from the topic of the stages to talking about bleeding. I think we were discussing how white people will never know what it is like to be people of color, which led to how men can never experience having a menstrual cycle like a women. At least that’s the connection I’m making at this point. I think it was pretty interesting to note how people in class began to react when this discussion. (I am not saying that I do feel as comfortable as other people in discussing this bodily function.) Some people starting saying eww and others started to leave the room. After class I started to wonder why “bleeding” is really addressed and when it is, it is addressed not positively. I reflected on television and advertisements, have anyone ever seen menstruation positively? In commercials for products like Pamprin, women complain about aches, pains, and bloating. We see advertisements for birth control like it’s no big deal. But I can’t say I have ever seen a commercial about how good women feel about their ability to become pregnant or the beauty in this natural bodily process. Even in advertisements for pregnancy tests, we usually see women nervous or scared about being pregnant.

The ability to conceive and birth children is a job only women possess. Without women, the world really cannot be what it is and new generations would never exist. It is kind of surprising to me that I have not really seen the importance of this discussion. I guess I never really thought about why it isn’t okay to proudly display this bodily function. Then again, maybe women have been taught to suppress these thoughts and not acknowledge the importance of this ability. I mean most men NEVER want to talk about this topic; they just freak out and like turn it off. I know that my boyfriend thinks I am exaggerating if I have PMS symptoms or if I’m moody during that time of the month. And of course, I always argue back that he won’t ever understand how it actually feels, and I guess I’m right in a sense. I also think it’s kind of funny because he took Sam’s class in the fall and said that Sam is probably the one of the only guys that’s sympathetic to menstruation. My boyfriend also says that having a period isn’t an excuse to be a b*tch. Maybe, maybe not, but who really gets to make the call?

I guess the term bleeding is an accurate literal interpretation but I think that term made me feel more uncomfortable than period or menstrual cycle. Judging from the poster and first comment they didn’t think the term “bleeding” worked well either. I don’t really know what but something about it just feels awkward and uncomfortable.

Wow. That was my thought when I read the caption of this blog post and article. This is definitely not something I have given much thought too, probably because I never knew of any similar situations in my area during high school. I went to a Catholic high school and I have to say that it was in our prom packets that only heterogeneous couples could attend prom. Living in a primarily white suburban area, no one really questioned or argued this “rule.”

Now, two years out of college, I still really haven’t reflected on this idea recently until I read this. Can Catholic schools just make this judgment solely off of religion? Is that treating all equally? I think this is such an unfortunate situation. If this couple really wants to attend the prom, they should not be denied if they meet all the eligibility requirements to attend. Does it really matter who someone takes? They have chosen their date for a reason and who is anyone to judge our right to choose? This student isn’t harming anyone with her choice to take her same sex partner to school.

From what I read, the article does not seem to say whether the student attends a Catholic school or if her date attends her school. What I am wondering though is what if these female students chose to attend prom alone and met up with one another there? I’m not saying that this solves the issue of inequality, but it does create an exception that would probably get both of them to prom if they attend the same school. I can recall a story that somewhat reflects the point I think I’m trying to make. My cousin attended a large public high school and a few years ago her and three friends didn’t want to take dates to prom so they just went individually. I wonder if this school would have a problem with this if the two girls attend the same school. I also wonder if their prom guidelines have specific dress codes set forth PRIOR to the purchase of the prom tickets and PRIOR to the student’s request. In regards to the wearing a tuxedo, I believe a student’s choice of clothing is entitled under freedom of speech so I think that if there is not an acting dress code which states females cannot wear tuxedo’s, a female should be able to attend dressed in one if she so chooses.

Unfortunately this student is really experiencing some unjust treatment. I wish the available article went a little further into the details because I feel like her story isn’t really being justified in and of itself. I guess no matter what the same details entail, all people should have the opportunity to be in a relationship or in a date setting with whomever they wish. As we have discussed in lecture, American corporations and states are moving toward the acceptance and acknowledgment of equal rights for LGBT and this should be no exception.

I will admit that I was a religious watcher of this show until Monday night when Jake picked Vienna. That's probably off topic, but I believe it's relative in a sense that I wonder if he is humiliated to know that America is not on his side with this pick. I just had to put it out there before I seriously discuss my opinion on this topic because I now, for the first time (which is probably long overdue), doubt the integrity and reality of the show.

While I think that the contestants and the bachelor (or bachelorette) must have some issues in order to apply to be on this show (and actually appear on this show for that matter), I think that assumptions are being made about the applications of people of color. While the network does not usually have contestants that are obviously not-white, we do not have statistics on the ethnicity or the application rates of this show. We also do not know how the application process/elimination process works for this network. We also do not know if the bachelor/bachelorette is allowed to request characteristics for the contestants that will be on the show. I’m not saying that it’s fair but I really do not think we have adequate information to make these assumptions.

As for the ABC network, since most of their shows portray white actors, maybe their strides should be longer in effort to reach all ethnicities in their programming. But in reflecting on some shows on ABC, they do have black and Hispanic characters or contestants in several shows such as Scrubs, Shark Tank, Ugly Betty, and Dancing with the Stars to name a few. None are in leading roles to my knowledge, except for a black man on the panel of Shark Tank. Granted, I have not done much research about this topic on my own, but the network has apparently made some conscious, or unconscious, efforts to rectify this predicament that some viewers may be addressing. I am wondering if the network has ever been asked about why they present the people they do, or if they have received complaints on discrimination.

While ABC may need to re-evaluate the actors or contestants of the roles are, plenty of other networks do run shows that are similar, most likely as spin offs to this show. “Flava of Love” is a prime example, but maybe there should be more diversity in all network shows so that it doesn’t appear as a “white” bachelor and a “black” bachelor to audiences questioning this topic. MTV’s “A Shot at Love” with Tila Tequila offered a chance for bisexuals to be contestants on a show similar to the bachelor. There have obviously been newer opportunities for people to participate in reality shows in which they want to find love, but I guess the network and casting crew may still need to look at the demographics of the contestant pool in the end.

I am pretty curious now what the ABC network, or even the producers of the bachelor/bachelorette, would think of this discussion. The show has been highly advertised and has had many seasons. It is an interesting argument to pose considering this show airs in a prime time slot on Monday evenings. I’m actually kind of curious as to why this question hasn’t come up sooner and what the response of the network or producers would be.

After watching this clip, I have many thoughts. My religion is not supportive of same sex marriages, yet there are times when they view other sinful acts as okay. I guess I have trouble drawing a line because I have been taught to expect some exceptions within the Catholic Church. My church isn’t perfect, and I really don’t think many of them are. I think they all have their flaws.

Learning about marriages in Catholicism, you are taught that sex is between a man and a woman, no one else. It is not called a marriage if two people of the same sex want to be “together.” I remember that marriage and sex were only discussed in terms of men and women during middle school. But even when high school started, same sex marriages were rarely addressed. I only remember having a formal debate about this topic once and it was during my senior year. So I feel as though I’ve been hardly prepared to even look at this topic from the other side of the spectrum.

After our LGBT lecture, I really started thinking about my feelings toward same sex marriage. If you asked me my stance a year ago even, I would probably have answered that I would not want it to be called a marriage, but a union. Now that I’ve watched this clip and heard opinions about how these couples are just as loving as a heterosexual couple, maybe we need to reevaluate. Obviously some states have taken a position to allow same sex couples to be together by law and I think it’s fair.

When Sam showed the comic of the types of couples that are together, it is so true that some same sex couples provide families with just as much if not better care than some heterosexual couples that are married for some pitiful reason. This family struggled to stay together and probably traumatized the children involved. Any child would be traumatized to see a parent taken away in handcuffs, especially when they don’t think their parent did anything wrong.

Basically, I am still developing and evaluating my thoughts toward LGBT issues that are presented in our society. I do believe that two loving people should be allowed to be together regardless of their sex, but I am still unclear about the title “married.” I know that sounds a little wrong, but I only mean it in terms of being married in a church because the bible define marriage as being between a man and woman. I’m not neglecting that people do things that are wrong and get away with it as I stated earlier, it is just I cannot see the Church allowing same sex couples to be married there. While that’s unfortunate, I do believe that same sex couples should be able to be together and raise children. There are many children in need of love and care, and if you are willing to provide that, you should be able to adopt children regardless of your sexual orientation.

You’re right Laurie. Every race relations discussion I have been a part of thus far, including these discussions for other classes, has at some point discussed black and white people. I’ve never thought of this in light of not discussing other races because we have not seen their movements and it did make me think about it. Many of us have not witnessed the struggles of some peoples like we have for black people, which is why we probably can actually discuss white and black people.

To be honest, this topic seems inevitable to be discussed because unfortunately it is like the big pink elephant in the middle of the room. I’m not saying that it’s a cop out to have a discussion on the differences between white people and black people but I can’t help but wonder why it’s still uncomfortable to do. I wonder if it’s because prejudices that have been passed down within families are still present or if there is still inequality between the groups. There are obvious differences between being black and white, but sometimes there are obvious similarities which are never acknowledged. Why is it that we barely address simple laws of attraction when discussing intermixed or same race couples? If it is acceptable to call a white person racist, is it ok for white people to call black people racist? Why is it that we constantly discuss how white families would feel about a non white person dating into the family? What about a white person dating a non white? How does their family react? Why is it that white people don’t ever ask these questions in a race relations discussion group? Do we feel that it’s not politically correct to address the opposites of what is usually asked to whites? I feel white people are constantly asked whether or not they feel guilty for what has happened in regards to slavery and inequality decades ago, but why aren’t black people asked whether or not they feel guilty?

Clearly being in a discussion group allows us to further explore these questions and I hope we do further discuss them in the duration of this semester. I’m most certainly not trying to continue building a barrier between black people and white people but rather help each race possibly understand where the other is coming from. I feel too often in these discussion groups we question and assume answers based on stereotypes we may have been exposed to. If we had the opportunity to discuss the same question in light of all races it may help tear down the stereotypes. Understanding our differences from multiple angles may help all people to see that we are more the same than we are different.

Reflecting on this blog, it’s true many of us take language for granted. We use it minimally with all of our recent technological advances, like e-mail, texting, Facebook, and BBMing. Our words are something to cherish, butwe hardly use them in our everyday life unless having a conversation with someone face to face or answering the question of someone around us. Come to think of it, many of us probably take advantage of our ability to even speak. Though the deaf community has developed a signing system to communicate with one another, many will not be able to use words because they cannot or because they don’t know how.

I’ve always heard stories about my dad’s grandparents only using Italian when they came to America, but how they were thrown into a world full of English that gave them no choice but to speak as everyone else did around them. They resorted to only speaking Italian in their home but as their children grew up, they would only speak in Italian unless it was necessary because they didn’t want to appear different. I’ve also heard this story about my mom’s grandparents speaking Polish.

So now that everyone has been “conditioned” to think that speaking English is the politically correct thing to do, we criticize those around us speaking in their native tongue. Sometimes we criticize them because we can’t understand them, other times we do it because our families forfeit speaking their language to create potential for their families. But now that I think about it, my generation hardly wants to speak. We don’t like talking on the phone; we’d rather text or Facebook chat. We interact with other when we have to or if we feel they are worthy of us, God forbid, taking the time and energy to speak to. Basically, we are using a language we thought was “best for everyone” to use minimally. So what language will come next? Will we not exchange words with people at all? Will even English become extinct as many other native languages already are?

Obviously, I wouldn’t know the answer better than any other college student in America but I do feel privileged to know our language. Many people, including Americans, struggle with proper grammar, sentence structure, spelling, and even speaking in an intelligent manner. And how is this situation responded to? Things are made easier for us; we have spell check and Google. Why would you actually take the time to learn how to spell a difficult word when someone else will show you it’s wrong, provide you choices of what you may be trying to say, and then fix your problem for you? Because for the most part people are lazy and we aren’t forced to do things for ourselves; instead we just tell other people, like immigrants or foreigners, to work harder. Go figure.