Assignment # 5

I Missed class on Thursday and therefore I do not know exactly what the conversation on Thursday was like. Does our culture promote rape? I would say that the word promote is a little strong. Promote is almost synonymous to condone and I have yet to meet someone who has not viewed rape as one of the worst things one can do or have done to you. However, we are shown day to day that men's biological drives are insatiable and are taught that it is OK to acknowledge your sexuality and are also barraged with women in the media as sex objects which may encourage some to step over the line and the line to be blurred. Sometimes I hear stories about guys bitching for sex until girls just say OK or even guys in relationships doing likewise . I guess I'm saying I do not know how I feel about the statement. I could argue that the media devalues women etc, but we are the media aren't we. I believe that we should be at a point where we can control our urges. We all have urges sexual and food wise and otherwise we all have urges. Perhaps it is not that society promotes rape I would say that weak people with no game and a hedonistic attitude use propaganda to fulfill their sick needs. I am curious to see what a statistical analysis would say if it is people in lower class upper class history of violence in family etc... I am going to go with my first instinct and say that when people with strong urges find an excuse through what they see in society as OK then they will be more likely to act out these urges. Therefore I believe that while society does not promote rape it does facilitate an excuse for rape and indeed for some be an excuse for rape.

unpacking the napsack

Laying myself out:
Male
Average Height
Average Athleticism
Typical Hair
Darkish skin
Half Mexican Half Canadian (directly anyways)
Not quite sure what I actually look like however been mistaken for middle-eastern, half black, half whatever else,
I speak English and Spanish fluently


I would say that like everything in life there is a compromising state. That is to say while our superficial privileges are just that, superficial, and barring extremes of the stigmas associated with your appearance "meritocracy" can and hopefully does apply. What I am saying is that in my life I have experienced many interesting things, some of which have been very hurtful but in the end have taught me alot about the nature of people. I have found that before people get to know me I am judged based on my perceived status. This could get really annoying seeing as this means that even though I am in my opinion of at least average intelligence and comparable to any other person who managed to get into the University of Colorado, I have to go a few extra steps to be equal in perception.Sometimes I have found myself working harder than my white peers for the same results as in hospital care, work positions, or peers opinions.

However, I do not have to worry about there being a ramp or other handicap accessible features at a building or location I have never been too.

I do not have to worry about being tall enough to reach into cabinets at a normal house

I do not have to worry about whether or not I can communicate with and get my point across to the majority of people I will encounter during my daily routines.

I do not have to worry about whether or not I will have a home to go to.

I do not have to worry about having an amorous relationship with a girl.

I do not have to worry about being labeled or stigmatized as a homosexual.

I do not have to worry about being charged for two seats at an airline.

I do not have to think about what condition my body will be in next week.

I do not have to worry about being mistaken for a terrorist. (usually)


If anything I have realized that while I do have many privileges I have to overcome first impressions before I am regarded as equal to my white peers. As sad as it is to admit it even for me it takes me a while to exemplify my skills and prove that I am an equal. Whereas they have to prove that they do not merit this status before it is taken away. I do appreciate not being paralyzed, not being extremely short, not being obese, not being many many many things, because these things allow me to work towards being someone fairly easily. While the color of my skin may hinder me in some places in a few aspects for the most part it requires a few utterances from me to show people who I am. For this I am Grateful. I do understand that I am very lucky as far as being a perfectly normal human being again I just wish we all could be given the same chance to be deemed idiots or people worth knowing.

asssignment # 4 Response

While going to target and I later went to a wal-mart. I realized that they both go way out of their ways to please their customers. Neither store has unrealistic super skinny anything for girls or super duper machism for men. They do adhere to a relatively high standard but compared to an A&E or victoria secret not bad I suppose. The problem is holy stereotypes batman. I was looking in the toy section at target and there is a section that is devoted to more expensive family toys. There was a 14 in 1 air hockey thingy showing 2 boys and 2 girls of different ethcnicities playing. There was a basketball game with two young boys and a father playing, also there was a game with various things like bean bag toss with two young boys a young girl and a father figure. The more I looked the more the pictures depict the image of daddy needs to play with the kids buy this and fulfill your duty. On the other side there was this inflatable shade intended on sun protection that showed a mother caring for a child, I believe the company was sunsafe. Anyways This struck me as the most surprising only because like I said before holy stereotypes. You can tell that most of these were chosen carefully in regard to show of race, affluence, and lets say bmi. I guess I shouldn't and am not in the end upset by any of it just surprised that the very places I shop instigate the propagation of stereotypes. Perhaps these are harmless but subtly I believe these lead to the people who sit around differentiating between the "proper" duties of men and women. Why not just have pictures of the product and what it does. This should make sense marketing wise to I think. If someone is looking for your product then show them the product not... Well I guess halfway through a thought struck me I am completely wrong. This marketing does work it guilts, and encourages the thoughts in the back of their minds. It makes a father who goes with his child to a store believe that this is what he should be doing. Etc... I don't know it seems that the social pressures are preyed upon by the stores. Men are asked to be rugged, stoic, dependable, and callous. We are put under pressure to seem like we don't care and if we over care about anything then we become the weird ones. If you wear axe cause it has become necessary thanks to commercials to smell nice. A super smooth face with a 5 bladed razor. I bet that when it becomes possible to choose to eliminate facial hair that it will become favorable and indeed more attractive if you can grow that stubble in one day. I guess What I am now trying to say is that the stereotypes around us exist because of a very strong set of checks and balances we may not want to follow them but there are consequences you will pay that, save but a few of us, are not willing to pay. So if a guy calls a girl once in never and she is proud of herself when he finally opens up. Now that he probably always wanted to to everyone he just didn't want to be labeled. Also if a guy calls a girl everyday because she won't answer because "he's just creepy," well this is what happens when a guy decides to be too open. I have seen both with friends and in myself. Stereotypes make human interaction awkward, slow, and round about. With no stereotyping we would be free to live in our own skins be straightforward and honest without worrying about being judged. I would much rather find out someone is obsessive and jealous the first date than to attribute it to normal female behavior. I want to find a place where I can be me.

Assignment #3 response

Getting "rid" of the binary gender system? Making the assumption that this is well thought out and the information/awareness is out there that everyone is educated in what other genders lie out there. I do not believe that society should be harmed or helped by this. However, if this were to happen stereotyping and more than likely a few negative stigmas would apply to those select few born with unique gender traits. That is to say if we would make it so that children born with whatever traits grew up naturally well. I have to say that I believe this is ridiculous when reading about the standards that newborns are measured against and the manner in which they are handled upset me. I will admit I hadn't really thought about it but this upset me just like it upsets me when people are judged by superficial characteristics. The only bad that could come from "allowing" other genders would be by those who have the power to oppress saying that this is bad. The only evil that could come from eliminating the binary gender system is the negativity that would come from those who will not and could not possibly accept it. I think that in large part we will always recognize the "two main" genders as male female and those anomalies that lie somewhere else in the spectrum well they are still human right? This I think would be good for society only because if we are forced to interact with unusual people and come out of that experience with the understanding that they are just that people then maybe it will help us see other people as just that people.


As far as it affecting me well I don't know if I pretend that we have allowed the binary gender system to dissolve for 3 decades before my birth I could see myself as being affected if lets say I start a relationship with an individual that falls in one of the interesting categories of gender. Then perhaps I see myself as being judged or otherwise demeaned. Or if my child was born this way I would be grateful (hopefully) that my child would at least be given the choice to live as they chose whether that be to remain natural or change one way or the other. Aside from this I don't think it would affect me for good or worse because male assholes are no different than female assholes which I would assume are no different than any other combination of asshole. Or nice person if you prefer.

First Thoughts

I have thought for a few moments I would say about this class. I went around analyzing looking for sexism then found that well I don't think I'm sexist, and the world is. I like that the mission statement is not hate men but hate the world men created. This is not quite accurate however as the book states that thanks to a few assholes out there and the way we are groomed from day one a biased world is maintained. One solution and one solution only, deal with it on a case by case basis. I dunno to much to think about. The more I write the more I feel like I am trying to say I have more wisdom than I possess. So hmmm.