Thinking a bit more about power structures I had a discussion with one of my friends on the topic. One thing that came to mind was this: Despite western philosophy's enrollment of women into the category of unnatural object, or one who is acted upon and has little power over this action, the power structures described by Foucault seem to play out not only within the women-men relationships, but also in those involving men or women exclusively.
I tried to think of examples and the most obvious that I could see was in the American penal system and in the concept of bullying. There are growing concerns over excessive violence between inmates in prisons, much of which involves sexual battery, psychological control, and a power struggle. Bullies, too, seem to relish the very idea of intimidation and manipulation of their targets. What we find in both situations are that people are often only willing to attempt these acts against people who they believe to be weak or otherwise inferior in some way.
The distinction in human power structures as such does not necessitate a conflict between male and female necessarily, but rather the strong and the weak. As we sought different ways in class today to alleviate the objectification of women it seems that one of the best ways might be to empower women by any means available without the added stigma that many attach to women's achievements (i.e. women's basketball is sometimes the butt of jokes for sports fans). Indeed, successful women are an image of appeal and glamour in our society; we should encourage this. As more people embrace progressive ways of thinking about sexuality, moral treatment of other individuals, and a culture of bullying what I hope to see is that a good idea is contagious.
Current institutions that are a hindrance to this process are well-ingrained into society, but as we develop ourselves as empathetic, rational thinkers, it will become more increasingly apparent that these are poor ways of seeing the world. Either that or we will simply continue in this way that has pervaded our species since recorded history. So I am left with the question: Is this way of thinking is biologically inherent to our kind? Or are we, as an adaptive organism, able to surmount the obstacles imposed on us by the male gaze (I'd rather call it the gaze of "them" because it seems to be played out by both men and women as we discussed earlier.)?
I just a few things to respond to, I swear. Firstly, the stereotypes portrayed of incarceration are wildly inaccurate. I've spent some time in jail (as an inmate), and the women are by far very kind and accepting. I did see a few fights, but it not once got physical, only verbal jabs that come from living in such tight quarters for an extended period of time. As for men, the idea that they sexually abuse one another is incredibly rare and vastly overplayed by the media.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the positive portrayal of successful women is necessary to help the masses along this journey of sexual equality, but let's look at our track record: Oprah is consistently criticized for fluctuating weight, Jennifer Lawrence had to defend her looks on a nighttime talk show as opposed to talk about her work, Hillary Clinton is called a bitch, Maggie Thatcher had to change her hair to become Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's first female Prime Minister, was assassinated, and as we know the list continues.
A woman can't just be successful, she must be in a different column from men, she's "successful for a woman". JK Rowling can't just be a wonderful writer who wrote a book series beloved by millions, she's praised because she's a single mother. She's praised because she's the first female author to become a billionaire. We're always a separate category.
So, I guess the question in relation to this is, do we just lump women and men together and say 'people'? Allow the strong and the weak to compete together, regardless of gender? But not talking about inequalities doesn't make them go away. But to make distinctions of this sort, is to indulge in the They-self and will inevitably lead to a hierarchical structure yet again. Wow, now I'm depressed again. Crap, I hate being a girl.
By being in a different category, even the strongest of women seem less strong than men. I just wonder if there's a way to make people into people and not genders, to actually make people equal. So men aren't 'strong' and women aren't 'strong for a woman'. I'm pessimistic at best, but maybe you guys can help!
PS-Sorry if this was ADD....
Overall, I agree with what you're saying. It would certainly be ideal if we could stop identifying people as either male or female and instead just identify them as a fellow human being. However, as Andrea stated, it would be EXTREMELY difficult (if not impossible) to successfully implement that way of thinking in today's day and age when history has classified people according to gender since the dawn of time (or so it appears). However, I disagree to an extent with you statement about the portrayal of incarcaration. As we all know, there is a big difference between jail and prison. I don't doubt that inmates in jail are much less aggressive and troublesome, since most of the inmates are in there for minor to moderate offenses. Further, I understand that most of these offenses are non-violent/aggressive ones, so it is only reasonable to assume that the people who commit these offenses are, in general, non-violent. However, I understand prison (especially the maximum security ones) to be very different. True, the media undoubtedly exagerates the amount of violence and sexual abuse occuring in prisons, but it does exist.
DeleteI have to wonder, along with Katherine, if there is a way to make people be viewed as people and not just genders? I can't imagine a world where that would happen! It seems like such a difficult thing to change!!! I would equate it to the US converting to the metric system. You would have to start with a new generation and somehow get them to look at people as just (and only) people and not genders. But I feel that humans will always classify people by gender simply because there are biological differences (genitals, etc.) that we cannot just get rid of. Thus, I feel that men and women will always be in different categories. I agree that successful women are praised, but I feel that a lot of that praise stems from the fact that the woman who is being praised is following the status quo.
ReplyDeleteKaty Perry was voted woman of the year by Billboard for 2012, and it was VERY obvious that she was praised for being what society deems that a woman should be! She dresses sexy & is sometimes portrayed as weak or silly or ditzy. She sings songs about love and being upset over the loss of a man. As Mish Way put it in an article about Perry's award "Katy Perry isn't "Woman Of The Year" because she's made any great strides for her gender, or questioned her position in popular culture, or challenged the dominant social structures in her life. She's "Woman Of The Year" because she's done the exact opposite on all counts. She's been quiet, complacent, and pretty, and she's made her executives and managers millions of dollars in the process. She's the version of "woman" the industry wants her to be - that is, the exact opposite of a healthy role model for young girls." And I have to agree with Way. Perry even said during her acceptance speech for the award that she is not a feminist but believes in the strength of women. What does that even mean? And why does she care if people think she is a feminist or not? Oh wait...she might not make as much money that way.....
Anyways, my point is that women in our society who are viewed as success are usually praised because they follow the status quo and give in to "the they" and how society wants them to be. It seems that that is all people focus on when it comes to powerful women--are they still acting like a "normal" woman? To me, its super annoying. I'm not sure how we can change how people view powerful women...maybe make the woman of the year a woman who ACTUALLY has done something out of the "norm" or who has stood up for herself, or other women, against how society wants us to be!
Katy Perry's music is great, no doubt, but she is definitely NOT a woman of the year. Not even close.