Week 10 blog post

Especially after watching the 2 episodes on Half the Sky, I am very pleased to see that women are fighting back against the men who are oppressing them. I was well aware of sex trafficking and the abuse against women in these third world countries but unfortunately I was not aware of what was being done about it until now. I had always given to charity and even worked with the African Children's Chorus while they were in Ellensburg a couple summers ago. Its hard to really feel connected and like you are making a difference when you are not there seeing them reap the benefits of  your contribution. It was really cool to see this documentary and hear the individual stories because it made it more personal and it went straight to the heart of what is going on in the lives of these people. I totally agree and support activism 100%. The people who stand up and say "this is wrong" AND actually do something about it are the people who really change the world. People like Somaly (I think thats how you spell her name) who go through sex slavery as a child and don't come out of it not just feeling sorry for herself but wanting to prevent that kind of life for other girls and knowing that whatever she does, no matter how little it seems to be, makes a huge difference and contributes to the bigger solution. Too many people look at a problem like that and think "theres no way my contribution could help, it would take years and my entire life to solve that problem", so they walk away without even offering a small piece of themselves because they don't believe they could make a difference. I love analogies so I'm just going to put it this way; A single contribution from from you is like puting a quarter in a piggy bank. It doesn't seem like a lot at the time but after even a year of putting spare change in, before you know it you've got a couple hundred dollars! It's amazing how much the little stuff counts. I think, especially as a priveledged American, its our duty to help others in need, like these young girls caught in slavery. We are not all expected to drop what we are doing and move to a third world country but to take what we are good at or even a couple extra dollars to support these kids could go a long way. For instance, I've been thinking a lot about how I could use my special gifts to contribute to these parts of the world. I say a documentary not long ago about the Venezualen Youth Symphony conducted and founded by Gustavo Dudamel (now the principal conductor of the LA Phil). He started a music program for poor children in that country and after years of raising money, supplying instruments, and conducting the symphony they have become the WORLD's  largest and best youth symphony. It has given these kids something to love, to work for, and has kept them out of trouble. I'm not saying I'm going to move to another country and single handedly do the same but I do know that I can use my musical gift for something and someone other than myself and I WOULD be totally willing to travel to poor countries to teach children how to play stringed instruments. Activism is awesome, if it doesn't start with you, who will it start with??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiYFcuIkBjU     this is a link to a youtube video I think you should watch :) Not a lot to do with women but is very inspiring :)

Week 9 Blog

To begin with, I am astonished at what goes on behind closed doors in the military. My mother has been in the military for almost 40 years and I've never heard of such things happening. If I had a chance to respond to Donald Trump's quote on the matter I'd tell him he should be ashamed for blowing off something so horrific and that he is an idiot for even sounding like he was saying that they deserved it! First of all, if he is blaming these issues on just putting men and women together, then what are we supposed to do? Segregate men and women everywhere?? He is making it sound like humans are incapable of controlling themselves and that we are animals just bound to have sex with each other and that its ok for a man to take advantage of a woman. Instead of accepting the fact that its going to happen and blowing it off when it does, he should have made a bigger deal about how hurtful it is and that it COULD and SHOULD have been prevented!

After watching the videos on the model who went to Japan and "The Invisible War", my eyes have been opened to just how much women are targeted as objects to be taken advantage of. It is really sad how women can be sucked into something, thinking that they are doing the right thing and whats best for themselves, and having everything taken from them. The model in the movie from about a month ago came from a poor family and left her home to try to make something of herself. She traveled to Japan being promised gigs and money. Knowing that her family needed help and she needed a way to get out, she took this opportunity thinking it would leave her better off than before. Wrong. Not only did she have a hard time finding any jobs, she wasn't even notified of where her photographs had been published and didn't get paid for them! She ended up leaving Japan in thousands of dollars of debt. All I see is a woman being used for her PHYSICAL body, looks, and desire to do good. And left with less than she had before. Similar things had happened in The Invisible War. Women were drawn to the idea of serving their country, doing something honorable, being considered a sister among their brothers. Not only was being raped a terrible event in itself, but the aftermath was even worse. These women who were supposed to be safe were left with physical injuries, anxiety, P.T.S.D., loads of prescribed meds, and no support. The way these women were treated by the system makes my skin crawl. In my opinion, the Americans who risk their lives to join the armed forces should have access to the highest level of judicial defense, medical insurance, and support systems. It is so trashy how the government can let people fight and give their lives but then turn around and give them NOTHING. It seems for these women that joining the military took away more than it gave them. To be raped by a senior officer (or police officer) and not have anyone to go to (because THEY are the people to go to) is scary! And I think it is absolute horse shit (excuse the language but this is the most accurate way I can put it) that a woman who files a report against someone who raped them is actually the one who gets punished. Instead of that man being charged for rape, the girl gets charged for public drunkness and adultery. In what world is that ok?!?! Apparently in the military. I really do hope that the women trying to change the system succeed because they deserve the same rights as us citizens.

Week 8 Blogpost

Barbara's story was so revealing and accurate in showing what it is like to be a single black mother in the inner city. I grew up in Tacoma where there was a very large black population and an issue with gangs which was very much alive in the neighborhood and in the school. From growing up in this atmosphere for most of my life, I naturally formed a lot of my own opinions. I'd see the lack of presence from the parents in school and even in the street and came to the conlusion that their poor behavior is because they learn irresponsibility from the parents (or lack thereof). I found myself angry at the parents of a lot of the gang members and problem students (and people like Jerrol) at school and didn't place enough of the blame on the person themself. I learned from Barbara's story that kids have a will of their own influenced by the personality they were born with and no matter how much the parent tries to help,   it is always out of their hands. Barbara did things like take her son to school and urge them to finish high school before getting too involved in anything else. She seemed to really try but the actions made by her son did not reflect that. This just goes to show that a child is not only influenced by their parents, but by their surroundings and people at school. The shootings and the people who ganged up on Jerrol would definitely drive him to skip class and hate school more than anything his mom would do.

Week 7 Blogpost

I could not play the video from last week (after multiple tries) so I was unaable to do week 6 blog. But here is week 7!

 I didn't really find anything in this weeks podcast surprising, but I did learn some stuff in church this morning from a Christian standpoint about motherhood that tied in pretty nicely! In the podcast they talked a lot about how a woman should raise her kids to be "good citizens". This changed a little bit as time had passed and society had changed and I expect it to keep changing. Mostly, mothers wanted to raise their children to have god morals, treat people with respect, and to manage their own well-being. As the capitalist economy emerged, more was expected of women to teach their offspring. With this societal change, mothers had to start raising their kids to be motivated, independent, "go getters" and to go out and be innovative. This was necessary for anyone wanting to make a career in this capitalist economy. Also, women were encouraged to stay away from "smother love" in other words, to not smother their kids with love. If this happens, the child is ill-equipped to handle what the real world would throw at them and would lack the ability to cope emotionally on their own. It is hard to find the balance between smothering a child and disciplining them properly.

Another thing I took away from this podcast was where women found their information. Most women will talk to each other and address the internet (web sites like mothering.com) to find out the answers to all their questions. Although these are all great places to gain knowledge, I also believe that mothers have really good instincts and will know what to do when the time comes as well. For instance, I went to church this morning and heard a mothers day service. It was about a woman named Lydia in the book of Acts. She was a woman who invited people into her house..She hosted them, prayed for them, made sure they were ready and prepared before leaving. She was a servant and that kind of thing comes naturally to mothers. It is so typical of moms to want to cook for thier kids and their friends and to always be sharing good news! I feel like this is ingrained in the brains of women and when they conceive a child, their instincts surface. The website and other women's thoughts are definitely great, I am not advising to not research but women have been having and raising children for thousands of years and never had the help of the internet to see how they should raise their kids. A lot of it is trial and error and "learning on the job"

Blog Post 5

If I had to re-invent this Dove campaign for men, I would call it "Inner strength" and I would run it very similarly. The change I would make though would be to have the focus on physical strength as opposed to facial beauty. Women are usually considered to be more self conscious but I think men are just the same about how muscular they are. I will use my boyfriend as an example. He is well aware of my insecurities because I am more open about them and am always talking about what I would want to change about my body. I always thought he felt fine about the way he was built becuase first of all, I had never seen anything wrong with him and second of all, he usually doesn't complain about his body the way I complain about mine. One sunny day, I'm talking about how I could pull off being able to wear shorts and swim suits the way I see other girls (who are pretty stick thin) do it. To my surprise he  says "Well I wish I could pull off being able to walk around with my shirt off"! I was confused as to why he didn't think he could! I mean he's not the buffest person I've ever seen but he's very defined and pretty solid, I love the way he looks without his shirt!! It made me think, do guys have just as hard of a time as girls do with seeing themselves the way others see them?? I think so. They aren't as verbal about it and may not take it to the same extreme as girls do but I definitely think that same insecurity is there. I think the hardest thing for people to see about themselves is their inner beauty and strength that shines through. All we see when we look at ourselves in the mirror are our physical traits and our flaws. One thing we don't get to see (that others see way more clearly) is how we act around others. We know what we do but we don't get to observe from the outside how it comes across to a general public. In my opinion, a person's outer beauty relies A LOT on their inner beauty. Have you ever met someone who upon first sight is absolutely "beautiful"? Then after getting to know them, their outer beauty is either confirmed by a beautiful soul or is ruined by an ugly personality?? Same goes for someone who may appear physically unattractive. After getting to see someones personality and how they treat others, it can actually make their physical appearance change to make them more attractive. Same goes for guys and their strength and "masculinity". I may see a guy who is skinny to the societal standard but if I see inner strength and confidence in that person, they look just as strong to me as someone who may spend 3 hours a day in a weight room. In the opposite direction, if I see someone who is pretty buff but see a weak personality/attitude, they will not look "strong" to me. One reason why I think self-confidence campaigns are aimed towards women, even when guys have insecurities too, is because I feel that society puts more pressure on women in general to look a certain way. If you are watching TV, I'd bet that 80% of commercials are aimed towards a women's appearance or have a woman as the main character and whether or not we try to igmore them, that ideal gets stuck in out heads. Women are targeted more in general so we feel the need to undo that by posting things like Dove's  real beauty campaigns.

Blog Post 4

I watched the video, "Girl Model" and read Teenage Girl Blossoming into Beautiful Object. I'll start by responding to the reading. I was confused by the article thinking, "Oh my gosh how can this be serious??" and then saw what kind of website it was on and realized it was sarcastic to make a point. It's too bad that becoming a woman and becoming beautiful in the world's eyes makes that girl an object for men and their sexual needs. She is no longer seen for her personality nor smarts and is noticed first for her looks. As wrong as this is, this is how society works! We are surrounded by the media and I feel like 90% of what we receive into our brains is through the sense of sight. So, our sight being our primary sense, it is only natural that we perceive people initially by what they look like. I feel like the concept from the video reflected this really well. Nadya was essentially being used for her looks. She was flown to Tokyo and her looks were photographed for magazines. She was taken advantage of because she didn't even get paid for her work, didn't land any paying jobs, and walked away from that experience being $2,000 in debt. The only one who benefited were the Japanese contractors. It's crazy to see what they go through also in their audition process. The way they judged and put these girls down for their flaws was just disgusting! My sister was a model and ended up quitting to go to school because the physical demands were just too high and were even unhealthy at times. I respect her for getting out of the industry when she did. If I had to compare her to anyone it would be Marilyn Monroe. She's a bit curvy (arrcording to scouts, but shes skinny to me!), and believes more in personality, inner beauty, and realness, than in starving yourself to reach a size 00. She's an absolutely beautiful person and it pained me to see her come home in tears because her agent told her she needs to drop 22 pounds if she wants a job (she was only 130!!). It's terrible what these agents will do to tear these girls' confidence down and for what?? Media, fashion, and sexual stimuli.

Week 3 Blogpost

The poem "One..."I actually found quite confusing. I had to read it a few times before discovering her sexuality.  Maybe it was symbolic for how she felt and how people view others' sexuality?? I can see how the poem and how it is organized can symbolize one's journey to find their sexuality. First they see what people consider "normal", for instance the "thrusting" between straight couples. After seeing what society expects of us, the author went on to analyze herself:  her gender, race, family background, and who she loved. After facing her struggles within that, she questioned the norm, asking, why can't we love who we love? She then claimed her sexuality without caring what others may think, even knowing that she may not be welcomed in certain places. The ending to the poem left everything pretty open ended.. "Then I realized"... Realized what?? Its hard for me to identify with this, since I have never struggled with finding my sexuality and coming to realize any significance of it.

Week 2 Blog: Quote

“Why do people say "grow some balls"? Balls are weak and sensitive. If you wanna be tough, grow a vagina. Those things can take a pounding.” 
― Sheng Wang

“I think housework is far more tiring and frightening than hunting is, no comparison, and yet after hunting we had eggs for tea and were made to rest for hours, but after housework people expect one to go on just as if nothing special had happened.” 
― Nancy Mitford

The first quote here is just hilarious and I really wanted to share it becuase I think it is something ALL women can relate to. I don't know about any of you but I feel like guys make them selves out be be a lot tougher than they really are and in a lot of cases can't take as much pain as us women can. I mean for one, CHILD BIRTH!!! Nuff said.

OK now for my real assignment, I personally really relate to the second quote by Nancy Mitford. I live in a duplex with two other roommates and am the ONLY one who has picked up a broom, vacuum, wiped off the counters, cleaned out the fidge, and the list goes on and on! Until one has actually gone through and THOROUGHLY cleaned a house, one does NOT understand all that goes into it. I can easily spend 3 hours cleaning a kitchen and it would look the same on the surface as when I spend 20 minutes cleaning. The true work is in all the details which go unnoticed by the naked eye. For most husbands who have clean wives, they just become used to the state of the house being in prestine order. It happens (in cases where the wife is a stay at home mom) while the hubby is out at work and isn't around to see what goes on behind the scenes. He comes home and she is up and about doing her normal thing and makes it look effortless, little did he know how hard she actually worked while he was away. Yet she is never offered rest or gratitude, it has unfortunately become expected of her.

Introduction

Hi everyone!

I'm Brooke and I'm from Tacoma. I'm currently a music major here at CWU and am aiming to graduate in the next year and attend grad school for performance! I love watching movies, going to the schooting range, and taking bubble baths when I'm not playing my cello. I can't pick a favorite food because it's all just sooo good! I'm looking forward to this semester and getting to know the rest of you too!

Brooke Scholl