Multicultural/Global Feminism

I really liked this weeks readings, but honestly, I am becoming increasingly frustrated. It seems to me, as we progress through our readings, that the "feminist movement" is more and more disjointed and theoretical.  I like reading all of the different feminist thought and theories and how many different definitions of the problem there are.  Very interesting and thought provoking.  But come on!  How are we going to get anywhere?

Who do I speak for?  Just me.  But how do I make any changes?  I understand that lumping all women together - the privileged and the others - is counterproductive and completely unfair.  And I realize that the change I think should happen probably doesn't apply to most other women of the world.  But what then?  It seems that most political or social change happens when large groups of people come together for a common goal - and usually have someone that speaks for them. 

As I continue with these readings, I feel more educated but more helpless.  Is it just me?

Ecofeminism

I really enjoyed the readings this week on ecofeminism.  I have always been very interested in environmental issues and the relation of the environment to feminism makes a lot of sense to me.  Coincidentally, I also watched Food, Inc. this week. 

Food, Inc. is a 2008 American documentary film that examines corporate farming in the United States, concluding that agribusiness produces food that is unhealthy, in a way that is environmentally harmful and abusive of both animals and employees.  The film examines the industrial production of meat, grains and vegetables calling it inhumane and economically and environmentally unsustainable.  It also looks at the economic and legal power of the major food companies, the profits of which are based on supplying cheap but contaminated food, the heavy use of petroleum-based chemicals, and the promotion of unhealthy food consumption habits by the American public.

If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.  It was especially interesting to view it through a feminist lens. 

Intersections Galore

The readings for this week were very thought provoking and interesting.  I particularly liked the Crenshaw article outlining the differential treatment that black women receive in the court system.  Apparently there's not a place in our system for the intersection of race and gender.  It's either a race issue (male standard) or a gender issue (white standard). 

The introduction of the Delgado article brought back some memories for me.  In the intro, they ask you to consider some situations and then consider the same situations as if you were a person of color.  I remember my first real experience being a minority.  I had just left Utah after high school and moved to Washington DC - Anacostia SW.  I was stationed there with my AmeriCorps NCCC group.  We had been warned that Anacostia was one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the country and had the highest murder rate per capita than any other area in the country.  But we were there to save the world, why would anyone hurt us?  :)  The first trip to the grocery store was amazing for me.  I was the only white person in the store and heard people telling their kids to stay away from me.  I got dirty looks and people that I interacted with made all kinds of assumptions about me.  It was a very isolating experience.  While I cannot compare my (white privledged) experience to a lifetime of prejudice, I feel like I got a (very) small taste of what that may be like.

I Knew It!

I have really enjoyed the articles for this week.  The reading just keep getting better and better!  My favorites so far: Judith Butler's Beside Oneself and The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm by Koedt.  When I first saw the title of Koedt's article, I yelled out, "I knew it!"  :)  I have long wondered about the idea of 2 types of female orgasms and why one was so elusive.  I would go back and forth between feeling sexually inferior to my female counterparts who claimed to experience them (what was wrong with me?) and later convinced they were lying to cover their own feelings of inadequacy.  After reading this article and doing further research on the matter this week, I'm convinced it's a myth - and a bullshit one at that!

Judith Butler's article, although not an easy read, was very thought provoking.  Her idea that people are not solely autonomous but in our interactions with others we "become" for and of the other.  I plan to explore this further and probably re-read this article to fully comprehend her theory.

I watched Miss Representation this week and loved it!  (It can be viewed on our website temporarily http://www.usu.edu/womenandgender/)  What an amazing documentary.  This is something that I have been aware of and angry about for sometime and it's nice to see that there is a movement to end it, although it seems like an uphill and long battle.  I'm happy to say that I'm making an effort - I don't purchase magazines or tabloids and TV is not allowed at our house.  I talk to my son about these issues when they arise (at a 1st grade level) but I recognize that I'm fighting our entire society and culture in these discussions.