POLITICS, GENDER & RACE - Bad Feminist - Cheyenna, Sandra, Laura
Global Issue Thematic Statement:
The intersectionality of being a political, racial and genderwise minority
(The discrimination felt by those oppressed under either or all politics, gender and race
The difficulties of being an intersectional human being in the world today )
Quotes:
“We say we hate stereotypes but take issue when people deviate from those stereotypes. Men don't
cry. Feminists don't shave their legs. Southerners are racist.” (Gay 257)
“We can always be better, but will we ever be ideal?”(Gay 259)
“Historically, society has only wanted the “right kind of people” to have a right to life.” (Gay 267)
“The raging class inequalities and widening gap between those who have and those who have not, the
looming student loan and consumer debt crises, the fractured racial climate, the lack of full civil rights
for gay, lesbian, and transgender people, a health care system too many people don’t have access to,
wars without cease, impending global threats, and on and on and on.” (Gay 268)
“Everyone holds certain judgements about others, and those judgements are often informed by race.
We’re human. We’re flawed. Most people are simply at the mercy of centuries of cultural
conditioning” (Gay 290)
“There are ways you behave in public and ways you behave in private. There are things you can say
among friends, things you wouldn’t dare to say anywhere else, that you must keep to yourself in
public”.(Gay 292)
Hey guys i'm gonna write my notes for the lecture under here xx Laura
I will take “A Tale of two profiles”, “the racism we all carry’ and ‘ tragedy. call. compasion.
response”
Cheyeen and Sandra you can split the first four between you guys just make sure to like to do them
for the lecture xxx.
Laura:
A Tale of Two Profiles - Pg 285
In “A Tale of Two Profiles,” Gay compares the investigative reporting of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the
Boston Marathon bomber, with that of Trayvon Martin, the black teen murdered in Florida. She asks
if it is queer that in-depth “looking for the good” reportage had been done for Tsarnaev while
“looking
for bad” had been done for Martin.
“We have certain cultural notions about who looks dangerous and who does not”
“Another example of white privilege - to retain humanity in the face of inhumanity”
“Certain people worked overtime to uncover his failings, even though he was the victim of the crime”
“Only in America can a dead black boy go on trial for his own murder”
“Racial profiling is nothing more than a delusion born of our belief that we can profile danger. We
want to believe we can predict who will do the next terrible thing. We want to believe we can keep
ourselves safe. It’s good that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is on the cover of Rolling Stone, tousled hair and all.
We need a reminder that we must stop projecting our fears onto profiles built from stereotypes. We
need a reminder that we will never truly know whom we need to fear.”
Questions:
Has anyone here ever experienced where they either felt profiled under any circumstance for the race
that they are, or has profiled others subconsciously in regards to their race?
The Racism We All Carry - Pg 290
Cooking show star Paula Deen opens up about her casual use of racial slurs behind the camera.
“Everyone holds certain judgements about others, and those judgements are often informed by race.
We’re human. We’re flawed. Most people are simply at the mercy of centuries of cultural
conditioning” (Gay 290)
“The real reason Paula Deens in the news is not because shes racist, but because she broke the
unwritten rules about how to be racist”
“There are ways you behave in public and ways you behave in private. There are things you can say
among friends, things you wouldn’t dare to say anywhere else, that you must keep to yourself in
public”.(Gay 292)
“… she leaned in to me and whispered, ‘You know how those people [Koreans] are.’ This was one of
those rare moments in which I got to see the rules of racism in action in a multiracial context. A white
person felt comfortable confiding in me. In that moment, we were an us conspiring against a them.”
Being aware of our own biases and privileges is essential. The book emphasizes the importance of
self-reflection and recognizing that no one is entirely free from prejudice. By acknowledging our
privilege, whether it be in terms of gender, race, or socioeconomic status, we can actively work to
mitigate its impact and uplift marginalized voices.
Tragedy. Call. Compassion. Response. - Pg 294
Breivik, Norseman bombs and kills 70 people. Gay navigates how people comprehend and process
the tragedies that have occurred, and compare it to other tragedies happening simultaneously.
“The man who committed these crimes has blond hair and blue eyes. These details are shared with a
litany of disbelief. Too many people expected the perpetrator of this crime to have brown skin and a
Quran because we need to believe that there is only one brand of extremism.”
“We pretend we are somehow different from those we otherwise condemn.”
“The tools of the modern age afford us many privileges, but they also cost us the privilege of time and
space and distance to properly think through tragedy, to take a deep breath, to feel, to care.”
Questions:
Should there be a death penalty?
How have you experienced processing tragedy through modern media platforms?
RACE AND ENTERTAINMENT
Cheyenne:
The Alienable rights of Women
- ilk - similar to the said thing, like politicancs etc.
- Throughout history, whenever governments wanted to achieve
some end, often involving population growth, they restricted access
to birth control and/or criminalized birth control unless of course, the
population growth concerned the poor, in which case, contraception
was enthusiastically promoted. Historically, society has only wanted
“the right kind of people,” to have a right to life. We shouldn’t forget
that.
-
The actual problem is the lack of healthcare and attention brought to womens reproductive rights, they
have to do it illegally and dangerously, Many politicans use this to create a smoke and mirro affect
where we argue about how abortions shouldnt be a thing,
- Women were forced underground for contraception and pregnancy
termination before and we will go underground again if we have to.
We will risk our lives if these politicians, who so flagrantly demean
women, force us to do so.
- Pregnancy is an experience that invites public intervention and
forces the female body into the public discourse. In many ways,
pregnancy is the least private experience of a woman’s life.
-
- Things have gotten complicated, in too many states, for women who
want to exercise their right to choose. Legislatures across the United
States have worked very hard to shape and control the abortion
experience in bizarre, insensitive ways that intervene on a personal,
should-be-private experience in very public, painful ways.
-
- QUOTE : And what of medical doctors who take an oath to serve the
best interests of their patients? What responsibility do they bear in
this? If medical practitioners banded together and refused to
participate in some of these restrictions, would that make any
difference?
- QUOTE : Thank goodness women do not have short memories
- Quote : I struggle to accept that my body is a legislative matter
- → they make the reproductive rights talk a debate a way to win votes,
but its not a debate. Once a women makes up ehr mind its hard to
change it, because the decision takes a lot of time and effort and a
lot of choice + impact.
-
Holding out for a Hero
- Heroism has ben heavily idealized
- We wantto become better and be the hero in someones story
- Heros suffer, they have a background story and have truama
- Heroes fight for justice → relates to the trial.
- Justice system fails (USA)
- George Zimmerman trial - aquitted
- History repeats itslef
- Black young men = criminals
- QUOTE : justice is at times a wek word
- we could demonize the black guy or george zimmerman
- Just like to kill a mocking bird
Bad Feminist Notes - Gender & Sexuality
- page 154 - she highlights how she was opressed but how her standing up gets them justice
(success stories)
- the closer you get to power, the more you are truly powerless
- she states that women havent achieved enough, but men and women csnt be at the top
- The more weight she put on the safer she felt, and when she was meant to go to fat camp it
contradicted her beliefs, what she leartned only is to smoke
- sometimes you betray your body, and sometimes your body betrays you
- progress hasnt served women as well as it has served men
-
