Tuesday, August 28, 2007

CRJ#1 - Defining Feminism

When I first heard the term feminism being discussed in this class, I thought, “What did I get myself into?” I’ve always thought of the word in a negative aspect, and I found I believed the exact myths the readings were attempting to disprove. I am a very liberal person and believe in equality for all, so I was surprised to ready the authors’ two core principles that define all concepts of feminism. The first principle was that “feminism concerns equality and justice for all women, and it seeks to eliminate systems of inequality and injustice in all aspects of women’s live” (pg 9). Before reading I had believed that feminists were simply trying to gain power over men, but after reading the context I realized that feminists are simply trying to gain equal rights. This is one of my main beliefs, that everyone should be treated equally, so I began to start thinking that maybe I was a feminist. The second core concept defining feminism was that it is “inclusive and affirming of women; it celebrates women’s achievements and struggles and works to provide a positive and affirming stance toward women and womanhood” (pg 9). Since I am studying in the field of science, I find that I do not find much information about women’s discoveries and inventions. I was excited to hear that feminists actually celebrate these less famous achievements and make a point to show that women are capable of amazing achievements. After reading the short description of a feminist and actually understanding the meaning, I realized that I truly am a feminist. I couldn’t believe that a word that had immediately begun to turn me off to women’s studies actually defined me.

I now see feminists in a very positive aspect and agree with the authors that these people are still needed today. A huge leap was made during the women’s movement, but, especially in my industry, I see that women still struggle to attain the same respect as men. Shaw and Lee define some of the problems that still exist to include discrimination and harassment in the workplace, domestic violence, rape and abuse, and homophobia along with many others (pg 17). It’s almost shocking to believe that in our advanced culture today that society still places these burdens upon women. After reflecting on my two years I spent co-oping in the industry, I do remember witnessing some of these problems and feeling there was nothing to really be done about these situations. I think Deborah L. Rhode explained this phenomena best when she stated, “…where women feel powerless to avoid inequality, they are likely to avoid acknowledging it” (pg 56). Until I actually read about the issues where women should still be fighting for equal rights, I didn’t even realize it was happening right before my eyes.

These first sets of readings were very interesting, and I look forward to reading more about the problems that still persist and what I can do about them. I actually have found myself discussing this topic with my mom, sister, and boyfriend and found that none of them even realized what the word feminist actually meant either. I am excited to learn more this semester and help spread this hidden knowledge.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Activity #2 - The "F-Word"

In order to get a wide range of opinions on the topic of women’s studies and feminism, I interviewed my mother, Marsha, an ex-boyfriend, Ryan, and one of my best friends, Kate. I was a bit nervous to bring up the subject of feminism, especially with a male; however, I found the results very interesting. First, I will discuss the results of my interview and then I will conclude with my perceptions of the topics.

I began by explaining to each participant that I was taking a women’s studies class, and found their responses were quite stereotypical. My mother and my best friend both thought it was a great course and a topic that is overlooked during most history courses. My mom was especially excited to hear about the course because she “never had anything like that” when she was in school. On the other hand, Ryan agreed that it was an interesting topic; however, he thought the idea of the class was a bit obscure. Ryan believed, “If there was a male’s studies class, a feminist group would come over right away and sue the school.”

This directly led me into asking what each person’s thoughts were on the term feminism. Surprisingly, I found each person agreed that the term feminism had a negative connotation. Ryan described feminists as close-minded, especially since he believes “women these days have every opportunity males have”. He continued by explaining that the ground is already level and he didn’t understand why feminists even need to exist any longer. My mom took this a step further and related the term feminism to a “racial type of slur”. Kate was unsure about an explanation for the term. When I spoke the word “feminism”, she slightly rolled her eyes; however, she believed that feminist’s opinions were still vital today.

I concluded my interviews by asking what each person would think if I told them I was a feminist. Kate smirked because she knew the idea was not true. She said she would listen to my views if I were a feminist, but that I would not be able to convert her to one. My mother and Ryan both paused for a few seconds when I asked them the question. I think they were unsure whether I was telling the truth and they did not want to hurt my feelings. Both continued by saying that they would accept my point of views as a feminist. My mother stated that if this was true she would explicitly ask me to define a feminist, because she “might not understand the term exactly”.

In conclusion, I have to admit that I agree with most of the participants’ reactions that I just described. I do feel that a feminist is almost equivalent to a racist; however, I think this may be because I don’t completely understand the term. I strongly believe that men and women should be treated equally, but I do feel that feminists go quite a bit overboard with their ideals. Therefore, I do not consider myself a feminist. I was surprised how much discussion these questions brought up with my friends and family. I think many people have strong opinions about the topic of women’s studies, but, as with religion and politics, it seems we are afraid it is too touchy of a subject to be discussed. In conclusion, at this point I am very interested to learn more about what defines a feminist and recognize that my understanding of the term may not be fully correct.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Intro

Hi Everyone!

My name is Carrie Weaver. I am currently a senior majoring in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Chemistry. I am originally from Canton, Ohio but jumped at the chance of moving south for school. I co-oped with ExxonMobil in Beaumont, Texas for 2 years and absolutely fell in love with the southwest; I hope to move there next. I’m still deciding whether I want to get my PhD or go into the industry this spring. Also, I studied abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark this summer and traveled in Italy for 2 weeks while I was there. I’ve always played soccer throughout my life, so it was amazing being able to attend some European soccer games. I’ve been back for two weeks and I already want to head back to Italy!

I’m taking this class from Blacksburg. All of my classes are so technical I wanted to take a completely different class for my free elective so I chose Women’s Studies. I have never taken a class like this before; however, I grew up with my mom, sister, dad, and a female cat and dog so I always know women were able to be dominant. I’m particularly interested in learning about the gender issues that still exist within the working industry. Throughout my co-op experience I have actually found that as a women I can actually get more people to do work for me (but that may be because I was working with basically all older men). I have very liberal views so I really do not have any dominant stereotypes with women. I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s perspectives though!

Carrie