Women in Management

This article I found in The New York Times talks about an effort being made to include women in more management positions:

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/04/29/new-group-aims-to-increase-number-of-women-in-management/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Of course it would be nice to see more women in management positions, which is what a group of chief executives and corporate leaders of major companies are hoping to accomplish. Having women in higher positions in the workplace would have a great image for women and only strengthen the argument that women and men are equal. It would give young girls the motivation to aspire to be like these successful women.

 I don’t agree with the article, however. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for women in power, but to just be handed this power to meet a quota isn’t right. Women should be promoted to higher positions if, and only if, they deserve it. If they have truly worked hard to get to where they are, and they qualify for the position, then yes, give them a management position.  If they are given management solely for the fact that they are women, then that is only insulting.  

Another blog for the blogosphere about Donald Sterling

The topic of Donald Sterling and his racist rants to his ex-girlfriend are a hot topic right now. This is the big news story of the moment and people can’t get enough. Simply searching “Donald Sterling” brings up pages upon pages of articles discussing his recent insanely racist views and the recorded audio of said rants. The blogosphere is ablaze with opinions and thoughts on Sterling, but I thought I would throw my two cents in as well.

Honestly, I had no idea about this entire scandal until I saw bell hooks speak last night and she briefly discussed it. It may be because I hate the NBA or because I have one week until graduation and a mountain of schoolwork that has yet to be completed, but whatever the reason, this story was not on my radar. Today, with a little research, I learned that Donald Sterling is the 80-year-old owner of the Clippers who apparently is super racist. In recordings, thought to be done by his ex-girlfriend, V. Stiviano, Sterling goes on rants about disliking people of color, especially Black individuals.

Sterling makes some insanely racist comments that are actually horrifying to read or listen to. It’s bizarre that in 2014, there are still people who believe these things. However, bell hooks brought up a great point last night about how these comments were all said in private to someone Sterling believed he could trust. It’s unfortunate that because he is such a public figure that his private thoughts are now out there for the world to see. I don’t agree with anything Sterling said or believes, but as bell hooks said, “Would you want the things you say in private to be broadcast to the world?” I know I wouldn’t.

In reality, Donald Sterling is not the problem. Sure, it’s easy to see him as a racist and blame him completely and then move on with life. But Donald Sterling is not the only person in the U.S who feels this way. He is a public figure and it’s easy to just see him, but the problem is much more widespread than just this one man. At one point in his rant Sterling makes a comment about the players on his team and how he is the one who “gives them food, clothes and housing.” This idea that his Black players owe him something because he is the one who signs their checks is this “plantation mentality” in effect. The fact that people, not just Sterling, still view the races this way is the real problem. We can blame Sterling and then move on, but at the end of the day, our entire society needs to change its thinking because as bell hooks stated, white supremacy is very much still alive today. Donald Sterling’s thinking and beliefs are a problem, but they are not THE problem because that extends much further than just one man’s racist views.

Walk of Shame or Stride of Pride

Last Friday started out like any other day. I woke up and drove with my boyfriend to get coffee and on our way we saw a guy walking down the road, clearly still dressed from the night before with his sport coat draped over his shoulder. It was evident that this guy had been out the night before and probably got too intoxicated to return home. I laughed, looked at my boyfriend and said, "Oh the walk of shame, we've all been there." My boyfriend also laughed and replied, "Walk of shame? When it's a guy it's called the stride of pride." I was completely taken aback. What is that supposed to mean? When girls can't walk home or choose to stay over at someone's house, it's seen as shameful and funny. However, when guys do the same, it's something to be proud of?
This difference in judgement based on gender is appalling. We have been taught that women who stay out all night are slutty and should be ashamed, but guys who do this are awesome and should be celebrated. This perpetuation of gender based judgement on the same activity has to stop. It is the same judgement that is used when a person loses their virginity. Guys are celebrated as heroes while girls are judged as sluts and whores. This slut shaming has to stop and by using phrases like "walk of shame"  we are perpetuating gendered language about sexuality. The solution seems simple, stop using language like this, but someone needs to start the trend. I nominate us.

Report from the Bahamas by June Jordan

June Jordan's article focuses on the exploitation of workers in the poor countries that wealthy Europeans and Americans vacation to. These workers are making not even half of what their visitors make, yet they work just as hard to maintain their job and please greedy customers. It's so sad to see the way people treat hotel and service workers. Every year, my family spends a week in Mexico on vacation. We have had our time shares for over 50 years and know many of the employees because they have been working at the resort for ages. Last year was my first time going in two years, but I was immediately recognized by the manager, who called me by my name and told how beautiful I had grown to be. It makes me truly sad to think that other people talk down to this man because he isn't American, doesn't speak perfect English, and works for a resort where they are guests. "It's his job to do what I ask and what makes me happy because I'm paying for his salary" is just so gross. People let themselves get wrapped up in the luxury of being on vacation and somehow think that excuses disrespectful, rude behavior.
In relation to women and what we learned about woman's labor last week, I think minority groups and women have similar experiences in the work force. They are both discriminated against and expected to do 'lesser' work that white men simply would not do. Most of all, they are both treated like shit. People talk down to them and think that, because they are minorities and women, that they are there to do what the customer pleases.

Report From the Bahamas

Report From the Bahamas is an excellent essay written by June Jordan about racial issues and insensitivity that she observed on vacation. Jordan begins the essay with a description one of the hotel's ads which displays a smiling Black man, fully dressed in a tux, standing in water up to his calves holding a drink tray. This image is disturbing to say the least. It portrays this man as being so eager to serve you and make you comfortable, that he will happily walk into the ocean in a tux just to serve you a frozen cocktail. She goes on to discuss the women in the marketplace who are haggled with by cheap western tourists. This all occurs on an Island where the poorest people leave their families in order to work at vacation resorts to wait on wealthy guests. These guests, who probably make more money in a week than these people will make all month, are the same people who will haggle for a lower price with a local market vendor.

There has obviously become some sort of disconnect between social consciousness in "normal life" and social consciousness on vacation. Most people would probably think nothing of the clearly racist advertisement while on vacation. However if a similar ad was presented here in the U.S, everyone would be fighting against it and bashing the company for lack of respect. The degradation of people based on race and gender is still very much alive. June Jordan's reading prove that realness and we can no longer let ourselves go on vacation from social consciousness.

Consciousness Raising

I liked the fact that the article, Consciousness Raising, addressed the advancement of women studies, and the awareness that women have gained about feminism, sexism, etc. through the years.  It is nice to see that more and more women are learning that the way they are treated and/ or viewed in society is lesser than the image of men. We have come to realize that we do indeed live in a male dominated society and understand that this can no longer continue. Although the consciousness of women has been raised, it seems as though the action is still lacking. It is great that women acknowledge that what is going on is wrong, and that they know what needs to be done, but now it is time to get it done. The study of women has become accepted, but what about women themselves? It is about time that women and men's equality become accepted in society. 

Color Me Non Toxic

Personally, I kind of like the smell of nail salons. I have to admit I would be kind of disappointed if I walked into a salon and didn't get that overwhelming whiff. The chemicals used, however, are dangerous for the patrons, so you can only imagine how dangerous it is for the workers who are exposed to it for hours. If a new method has been developed in which chemicals are not used, then it is something definitely worth trying. The workers use little cloth masks to avoid breathing in the toxins, but that's not doing anything. They are still putting their lives at risk by going to work every day.  Many of these workers are immigrants who are just trying to make enough money to get by and send home to their families. They are just trying to make a living, but that doesn't mean they need to put their lives on the line at a job that probably pays minimum wage. The men and women who work in nail salons definitely deserve better working conditions. 

Color Me Non-Toxic

It was actually unsurprising to me to read about how dangerous working in a nail salon can be. All you have to do is open the door to a nail salon to smell the toxic chemical smell that emits. It can be difficult to be a customer and smell that acetone smell for the hour it takes to get a manicure, but to work in a salon and breathe in those fumes all day is not only unpleasant but harmful to health. Uyen Nguyen's sister had a miscarriage in her eighth month of pregnancy after working in a salon and breathing in the carcinogenic chemicals all day, every day.
Why are these unsafe practices allowed to continue? Why is no one advocating for these women, mostly immigrants, who are risking their good health in order to give me a manicure? These women are afraid that speaking up about these harmful effects will cause them to lose their jobs, so we must speak for them. We must demand safer practices and the removal of formaldehyde chemicals from our salons. No manicure is worth someone else's life.

Color Me Non Toxic by Momo Chang

When people think of dangerous jobs, manicurist isn't usually what comes to mind. Momo Chang, in her article "Color Me Non Toxic", speaks out for the nail salon workers who are exposed to chemicals throughout the work day. Chang wrote that workers breathe in chemicals from the different nail products all day long, and without protection! Her article caused me to think back on my past few trips to get my nails done and think about the atmosphere and the people working there. The second one opens the door to a nail salon, there is a powerful wave of air that smells like nail polish and chemicals. I am very conscious of chemicals and sprays; I don't like to expose myself to lysol or febreeze because they are not healthy to breathe in. I could not imagine working in an environment where the air is mixed with formaldehyde, toluene, and dibutyl phthalate (I don't even know what these chemicals are, but they are obviously not natural and do not belong in the human body!). Many of these workers are foreign and do not speak english or have much other work experience, so they don't have the option of leaving their job because of the air. Also, a lot of them probably do not realize how awful the chemicals are for their body. One woman at my local salon worked throughout her pregnancy, as did the owner. The owner's daughter was then basically raised in the salon, and now at eight years old, all of the customers know her and love to play with her. She does her homework, plays with dolls, and watches movies from her own spot in the corner of the nail salon. Her mother probably has either no idea or no other choice but to expose her child to these chemicals. I agree with Chang that salons need to move towards eco friendly practices, especially for the health of the manicurists.

The Way It Was by Eleanor Cooney

Reading Eleanor Cooney's article, The Way It Was, gave me a first-hand account of what it was like to get an abortion before 1973. I could not imagine being pregnant and trapped, with only few dangerous and expensive options. 

Before this article, I didn't really know anything about abortion history in the United States. I honestly did not even remember what Roe v. Wade was, but I did some research after reading this article because I was actually embarrassed by my lack of knowledge. While the internet gave me many facts, statistics, laws, and important people, Conney provided me with an in depth account of her personal experience. It was much more interesting and important for me to read her story because it illustrated how truly horrible it was for women trying to get an illegal abortion. She recalls going to dirty offices with creepy doctors and attempting to get a dangerous procedure because she simply had no other options. That scared me. I would never want my friends or sisters to feel trapped between two equally awful decisions: giving birth to an unwanted child or paying tons of money for a dangerous procedure that would put them in the hospital. 

After reading Cooney's article, I don't understand how anyone could say that abortion is completely awful and should be illegal. It saves lives and protects women who otherwise would be doomed to awful consequences. 

The Way it Was

In "The Way it Was", Eleanor Cooney explains the difficulties a young girl experiences in order to get an abortion. Unfortunately many of these procedures are done in unkempt places that may not be sanitary because they are inexpensive and low key. People try to keep the procedure a secret for fear of judgement.

Although I have been raised Catholic, I have always been very pro-choice. I believe in a woman's right to choose what she does with her body. If she wishes to abort a fetus, I only hope that it is done in a proper way, rather than tripping or falling down a flight of stairs. Even though I do not agree with using abortion as a form of birth control, I do believe that the procedures should be safe and not cause judgment from others.  

Health and Reproductive Rights

This week I read all of the readings about health and reproductive rights because it is a topic that I've always been very interested in. Being raised devoutly catholic, I was always taught that abortion is wrong no matter what. Throughout my college career, I have begun to educate myself on abortion and reproductive rights and although I'm still trying to find my opinion, I now know that abortions being legal is saving lives.
In "The Way it Was" by Eleanor Cooney, she discusses the way things were before Roe v. Wade. Women had no other options and were forced to get basement abortions that left them sterile or dead. These practices are unsafe and cannot come back into practice. If abortion were to become illegal, abortions wouldn't stop, they would just become unsafe again. I don't know where exactly I stand on abortion, but I do know that women don't deserve to die if they choose to terminate their pregnancies.

Rape Culture 101

Melissa McEwan does a great job pointing out what rape culture is, even though there is no concrete definition. Most people associate rape as an act of violence in which sex is forced. For some reason, however, our culture creates a certain criteria that one must meet in order to claim that they were actually raped. According to our rape culture , you can only count rape as rape if you are a woman, if you are a virgin, if protection was not used, etc. There also tends to be a lot of victim blaming involved, where the victims are considered at fault for maybe dressing too provocatively or being intoxicated. Regardless of how many sexual partners a person has had or whether or not they are in a committed relationship, rape is rape. If consent was not given, it is rape, and it should not be taken as lightly as it is in today's society.

Textual Harassment

The invention of text messaging has had some of the biggest impact on our generation than any technological advance in the last twenty years. Texting has made it easier to contact friends, send quick messages without the obligation of a phone call and to harass and bully other individuals. I think every teenager or twenty-something can recall a time where a person texted them constantly either saying mean or inappropriate things or just simply bothering them. In Donna St. George’s article, she examines what happens when these harassing texts are not just annoying or uncomfortable, but they are abusive.

St. George discusses cases where young women have been killed by there abusive boyfriends and only after this violence, are hundreds of harassing text messages are found. This type of abusive is a largely psychological one because of the controlling aspect of texts. If a boy sends a girl a text and she doesn’t answer, usually he will wait around until she answers. In these abusive situations, these men are sending text after text demanding to know where the woman is, who she is with and proof of all of these things.

Textual abusive is a huge issue because it is a largely private one. Most people don’t share their texts to a significant other with anyone else, so if there is this kind of controlling behavior, it is largely kept private. Also, a lot of young women aren’t reading these controlling behaviors as warning signs, especially young, high school girls who may be in a first-time relationship. Some women will normalize this behavior by saying that their boyfriend is just worried, or that he just wants her to be safe. But the truth is, relationships are about trust and when this trust is impeded on through textual harassment, that relationship becomes an abusive one.

Rape Culture 101 by Melissa McEwan

"Rape culture" is a term thrown around a lot, especially in feminist articles like the ones we read in class, but does not have a clear definition. There is no brief, short and sweet, factual definition of what rape culture is; it cannot be summed up in a sentence or two. McEwan does an amazing job describing every angle of rape culture and providing all the different examples of rape culture in society. She also includes pop culture references, such as how football teams hiring a dogfighter would "elicit more outrage" than a rapist (during the last NFL draft, players accused of sexual assault and rape were drafted without a second thought while Michael Vick is considered a disgrace to the NFL). I would recommend everyone I know to read this article because it covers all the bases and does not rank rape as one concrete thing. McEwan discusses all different types of sexual assault and makes a point that rape is not a woman's issue, which I think is really important. Rape is too often referred to as a woman's issue, but men and children can also be raped. Also, women have families. They have husbands, children, parents, siblings, and friends. Why would society consider rape a woman's issue when more than just a woman is affected?
Another important point that McEwan makes is that rape culture is so saturated into our society that people cannot even point it out. It is common for rape jokes to be on TV or for a woman to be warned about her outfit before going out at night. As a woman, I don't even blink an eye at a guy yelling something provocative at me or a passing car honking their horn when I walk down the street. All of these things prove that our society is deeply sexualized and that rape culture is the norm.