12-7 Final Draft

Justin Vizcaino                                                                                                                                  

Eng 215

Professor Patel

11/30/2010

The Effects of Media on Gender Roles in America

Hip-Hop music is one of the most influential genres that affect gender roles today. “Misogyny and male dominance run rampant through hip-hop music” (Mook 25). Hip-Hop is often classified as the youth’s preferences of music. “Approximately 80% of youths aged 8-18 stated that they enjoyed hip-hop music” (Mook 41). With such a wide audience, the misogynistic themes of hip-hop music are able to shape gender roles. Numerous rap songs criticize males who are “soft” or who do not exemplify male dominance. These types of criticisms discourage the youth from taking on the stereotypical woman role of “care and compassion”. Women are constantly criticized, and any female rapper in the early 1990’s was labeled as inferior. Although hip-hop music has recently begun to become more progressive, rap music continues to negatively shape and reinforce gender roles and stereotypes.

Men and women have been pigeon holed into the same gender roles for thousands of years. “Men possess a greater physical capacity then women and therefore have always been categorized as the aggressive counterpart” (Justice 60). Women birth children and traditionally raise the youth while taking the nurturing caretaker role. These long lasting gender roles are still being reinforced today by rap music. “Women are pigeonholed into the role of inferior baby mama, and men are gloried as street thugs who have no compassion for their female counterparts” (Mook 12). These gender roles are overdramatized in rap music and are exploited in order to reinforce male dominance.  Rap music encourages our culture to prevent the acceptance of dual gender societal role integration.

Men are portrayed in rap videos as over aggressive barbarians. “The average rock/hip-hop music video will show on average thirty four images of women degradation and violence” (Deveaux 22). Women are often depicted as objects and are often labeled as property. Rappers with the most “girls” are labeled as the most successful and popular. “Rap music also glamorized the idea of pimps and hoes” (Mook 6). Jay-Z’s 2002 song “Big Pimpin” topped the Billboard charts and received constant air play on MTV and BET for its accompanying music video. Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin” video contained images of champagne being poured on girls and subtly reinforced male superiority and woman helplessness.

The girls shown in the music video acted as though they were surprised by being sprayed with champagne. They did not appear that they offered consent. However, the music video did not depict any remorse for Jay-Z’s actions and no repercussions were show to affect Jay-Z. Another theme that is popular in hip-hop is the “diss record.” Jay-Z and many other famous rappers constantly label other rappers as feminine and insult their masculinity. “This feminine label and questioning of manhood is often regarded as one of the most severe insults that can be created. “Terms such as sissy girl and hoe are evidence that men who possess feminine qualities are often shunned from hip-hop society.” (Deveaux 32).

 American society structure was built on the principle of equality for all. However, Rap music is helping to hinder the integration of dual gender roles. “The average person experiences an average of 3000 hip-hop media images a day” (Deveaux 25). Rap music could be used as an optimal vessel to affect the current youth in a positive way. “Misogyny and male dominance run rampant through hip-hop music but the tide is beginning to change.” (Mook 25). Americans need to recognize the power and potential of our hip-hop music outlets, and need to instill better monitoring. Rap music can be used as a positive outlet to promote the acceptance of dual gender roles, and we have seen evidence of this today. “Conscious Rap is beginning to take the forefront in hip-hop music. Artists such as Common, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli have begun to rap about equal rights and discourage misogyny” (Mook 56). Rap music can promote strengthened relationships between sexes, promote integration of dual gender roles, and help our society to evolve.

 http://s0.ilike.com/play#Dr.+Dre:Bitches+Ain%27t+Shit:185503:m32548609

Work Cited

1.Beedles, Bonnie, and Michael Petracca. Academic Communities/disciplinary Conventions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001. Print.

2.Deveaux, Monique. Feminism and Empowerment: A Critical Reading of Foucault. New York: JSTOR Press, 1994. Print.

3. Justice, Laura M. Communication Sciences and Disorders: A Contemporary Perspective. Pearson Education Inc., 2010. Print.

4. Mook, Richard. Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt, 2009. Print.

12/2 Essay Reviews!

April Page
April, I thoroughly enjoyed your writing and it was extremely well researched, and information packed. I think that one of the strengths of this essay is your use of narrative. I am instantly sucked into your story from the opening paragraph. Since you introduce a story narrative in the opening paragraph, I believe you could do this a little more throughout your paper. You lose the narrative aspect in your third paragraph. Also, I really liked your precision of editing throughout the paper!

I also like the facts you present in your conclusion. However, I think your conclusion could have a little bit more of a bang. You could better integrate some of the information you introduced previously in the paper. Another way you could end your paper is by posing a question to your audience. I really liked your transitions throughout the paper but I think you could quote source material a little more efficiently. Your quotations are not properly formatted! I really enjoyed reading your writing this unit and I wish you the best in the semesters yet to come!

Amara Villa-Rodriguez
I really enjoyed your paper and it is evident that you spent a great amount of time researching. I think that your introduction could be stronger. Your topic sentence is a fact instead of a bold statement or intriguing question. I think you quote beautifully throughout this essay but I think your quotes could be introduced a little bit better. I feel as though your quotes sort of hinder the flow of the essay, especially in the third paragraph. The information you are introducing is very beneficial in the quotes but sometimes they catch me by surprise. If you added legitimacy to why you are introducing these quotes your paper would be stronger.

I really like how your paper comes across as professional and well-edited. Maybe your voice could emerge more? Your paper is very technical, and if your voice came out more I think your paper would be more intriguing. I also like the structural organization of your paper and your thesis is very narrow. I think you could state your thesis one more time throughout the paper that way the audience is reminded of the point you are trying to make, Other than that I thought this was a really wonderful paper and I enjoyed reading your posts all semester long! I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Amara Villa-Rodriguez Blog Review Nov 23rd

Amara, I really enjoyed your Nov 4th post on financial gains. You are very skilled at covering a wide area of topics. Covering a wide area is beneficial because you are able to enhance your validity. Amara, when you cover a wide area of topics, you are also very good at transitioning. In your Nov 4th post, you were able to comment on the World Wars and psychology. These two subject matters were very different but you flawlessly transitioned and tied the concepts together. You are very talented at tying key concepts together and making them come alive for the reader.

Your Oct 5th post about Bio Love was extremely well written. The introduction was great and I feel that you are very good at enticing your reader from the exposition. Once you grab the audience’s attention, you are also skilled at sustaining that same attention. Throughout your post you directly question the reader and ask them to consider the key concepts you were explaining. You asked “what is the realistic reason for wanting to be with this person?” This type of question engages the audience because it makes them focus more, and conveys that your post discusses events that affect their lives.

I also enjoyed your sept 23 post about technology and family. You discuss how the use of technology could directly threat the stability of the family model. I liked how you were able to discuss these potentially threating topics without seeming like you resented technology. You provided many attention grabbing facts which glued me to my paper. I would love to see you write more posts because your voice is also unique yet non-overbearing. Perhaps you could “let your hair down” in a post and see if that style of writing is exciting to you. I loved all of your writing and I hope you have a wonderful winter break!

April Page Nov 23rd Blog Review

April I greatly enjoyed your writing this semester and it is evident throughout your work that you are a very intelligent person. I liked your post on homosexuality in human society. Such a controversial topic can often lead to ill-taste papers and bias. However, I believe that you approached the topic from a very levelheaded point of view and approached it very scientifically. I also liked how you were able to incorporate your opinion into the paper without pushing it on the reader, or seeming like you were bias.

I also really enjoyed your “marriage will fight post” on sept 30. Your use of quotes helped to make your post have more validity. Also, I admire your skill set of establishing validity yet still being able to engage the audience. I liked your discussion on how men and women can work together. Too often posts will focus on what doesn’t work and only try do disprove other claims. You touched on many different points which allowed me to fully comprehend your posts and allowed me to be fully enveloped in your work.

Your Septetember 9th post on the art was also phenomenal. I love how you chose a picture that could have many different subtexts. I think it was a wise choice to observe the picture from an objective and impressionistic view. Your posts are very informative, yet you still ponder all the hidden subtext. You make this hidden subtext available to your reader, which in turn makes me think deeper about the material. This increased stimulation makes me want to keep reading your post in order to experience your valued opinion. It also help me ponder the materials more extensively. I think you are a wonderful writer and I hope you have a wonderful winter break!

11/09 Blog Reviews

Ricky Kriebel ,
Ricky, I really liked your blog posts and thought that you really cared about the information you were presenting in your blogs. You Nov 4th post presents a lot of good information and I believe you could expand a little bit. In your second paragraph you claim that risk is very complicated but do not elaborate. If you elaborated on why it risk is complicated your argument would gain justification and your post could also become more engaging. Your 11/2 post was very interesting to read and it quickly captivated my attention with a strong introduction and topic sentence.

Tasha Cerimeli
I loved reading your posts! They were very intriguing from the beginning and easily sustained my attention the whole way through. In your Nov 1st post I like how you explored different figures and their impact upon your overall topic. I would introduce a couple of adversary characters that way your argument could gain validity by looking from two different angels. I loved your 11/3 post. I like how you explained all of your facts and I believe that the only I would fix is to add a few more examples. By adding examples, the concepts you are trying to explain would come more alive. Overall I thought it was really good writing!

Pg 455 Freewrite.

The current financial theories emerged from the progress we have made in physics. The law of thermodynamics and elementary mathematical manipulations of infinite series have proven to drastically affect finance. I believe that new financial options are allowed to be created because of post war economic stability that was brought on by the conclusion of World War II. The Great Depression was the result of a stock market failure and I believe the depression created great scrutiny on financial trading. With new interest or scrutiny is placed on a subject, Americans have a tendency to create new methods to understand the subject.

“Much of the quantitative work in finance seeks to establish the value of new and oftentimes complex derivatives” (Beedles 452). Finance has begun to evolve mathematically and I believe that another reason for this is because of the scientific breakthroughs. Instead of relying on religion to explain such things as planetary movements, Einstein and others sought to explain the world via science. The new quest to explain the world in terms of science has led to many discoveries in the science field. However, I believe that too much faith has been placed on these mathematical finance theories.

“The study of finance as scientific entity is relatively new” (Beedles 451). The fact of the matter is that we have not been able to scrutinize financial tendencies long enough to have any definitive theories. All of the theories that are in place explain how the finance market runs currently but we do not know how it will continue to run definitively. “Insider training is a problem that runs rampant in the financial market” (Beedles 453). I believe that the extensive market analysis that has been conducted so far was only done so people could extort the market. However, as more people begin to analyze the market and more time passes, we will be able to create more accurate, effective market models.

11/2 Blog Post Reviews

Jacqueline Pridgett
Your writing is always very informative and it always makes for a good read. The facts you presented in your 10/28 post were amazing and I believe that it really convinced me of the point you were trying to make. The only thing I could say to improve your 10/28 post would be to cite your material and then your post would be a total success. Your 10/26 post is also very well organized and it quickly captured my attention. The only thing I would fix is your conclusion. Your conclusion is very interesting but instead of just making a comment to end the post, perhaps your post would be stronger if you suggested a remedy for the problem. Other than that it was great reading your posts!

Armando Teran
I really like your posts and your voice is always very strong and evident. I like the structure of your paper, but I believe you could transition better. Your ideas jump around sometimes particularly in your 10/28 post. If you find ways to tie your ideas together more fluently, I won’t get distracted from the overall point you are trying to make. On your 10/26 post, I believe you could have a little stronger opening sentence to begin the paper. Other than that your post was amazing and it really captivated me!

Pg 443 Freewrite

I believe that this country was based on democratic foundations that were intended for the people to rule themselves. The country was founded in order to allow libertarian government to work, but I do not believe that the country’s current government could handle full libertarianism. When the constitution was created the rights secured were aimed at affluent white property owners. The constitution only secured the rights of the people that the 1700’s society deemed were important. In 2010 we have a very a different outlook of the world.

Our current moral standing as a country involves including everyone with equal rights. However, we have not fully reached our equality goals and allowing governmental control to dissipate and full libertarianism to emerge would destroy the progress we have made. “For the libertarian set, today’s encryption technology is the best thing to come along since the right to bear arms” (Beedles 437). Libertarians of today are using cyber tactics to protest and defeat the government. The revolution that Libertarians are raising is counter effective. By bringing down the government, only mass chaos and anarchy could be achieved.

I believe that sometimes bringing down a government is warranted, but not in a democratic situation. Democratic governments are set up so that the general population can dictate the people in office and laws. Instead of waging a cyber war, I believe that the most productive actions would involve impeaching people and changing the political figures. “As more and more business transactions are hidden from the IRS by encryption, Parekh predicts, tax revenues will decrease” (Beedles 441). I believe that we as a nation would benefit if we embraced paying taxes. Instead of protesting governmental control of taxes, we should focus on making sure our tax money is being used in the correct manner.

Pg 426 Free Write

Puerto-Ricans drastically affect the American economy. Puerto Ricans are often mislabeled as Hispanic but the majority of Puerto Ricans identify with the Latino race. Natural born Puerto Ricans are born with American citizenship which leads to high levels of immigration to America. There are estimated to be over four million Puerto Ricans living in America which exceeds the population of Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans have such a large impact on the American economy because of the large amount of legal work eligible citizens.

The aggregate of Puerto Ricans have generally been labeled as poverty stricken. However, stateside Puerto Ricans earned 54.5 billion while the total personal income for Puerto Rico was 42.6 Billion. The turn of the 21st century has seen major improvements for the earning power of Puerto Rican Americans. Puerto Ricans can also be used as an example of the success of American attempts to eliminate gender inequality. The average income of male Puerto Rican Americans in 2008 was $36,572 while the average for female Puerto Ricans was 36,572. Women made about 84% of their male counterparts which is the lowest wealth gaps between gender groups of any other Latino group in America.

Puerto Ricans have a high sense of national pride. The annual Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City is one of the most popular parade events in NYC. The economy of America may be suffering slightly from Puerto Ricans’ devotion to their homeland. Recently migrated Puerto Ricans sent an average of $1,235 to relatives on the homeland. This action taken by Puerto Ricans diverts money away from local American economies but does help the Puerto Rican country to sustain itself. However, since Puerto Rico is an American territory, I believe that the sustainability of the Puerto Rican mainland also benefits the United States of America.

10/26 Blog Reviews

Ricky

I really enjoyed reading your article and I liked how in your Oct 21st post the conclusion really made your voice come alive. You did a great job of offering expert opinions on music and offering your own assessments. I believe that if you spread out your opinions throughout the whole paper it would come alive more. Your second paragraph in particular could use more narrative. Your Oct 19th free write was extremely interesting and I was captivated the whole way through. The only thing I could suggest is for you to generate a more interesting topic sentence. Your first sentence is “It was my first day of college.” By having an enthralling topic sentence, your audience will become invested in your paper and will be eager to read it the whole way through.

Natasha

I really enjoyed your posts and I believed it was organized in an efficient manner. On your Oct 21st post, I believe that you could state your opinion quicker. You state a lot of hypothetical questions and they are very thought provoking but if your opinion on the topic was stated, your voice would come alive quicker. Your second post provides a plethora of good information but I believe that your transitions could be improved. The flow is a little choppy and could be improved if you tie the information together better. The area that needs improved transitions the most is between the end of the first paragraph and the start of the second paragraph.

Pg 418 freewrite #3

I believe that Twitchell’s positive assessment of materialism is highly incorrect. “Materialism helps to push productivity and helps society move forward” (Beedles 390). I believe that is a pointless endeavor to produce expendable goods. What is the point of producing expendable goods that do not help society to sustain itself? So many third world countries are not self sustainable and we could aim our productivity to help these countries.

“Materialism does not crowd out spiritualism; spiritualism is more likely a substitute when objects are scarce” (Beedles 392). I believe that materialism can start to serve as a substitute for religion. People try to find the same feelings and comfort from materialism that religion should provide. Religion provides solace, self worth, and security for the soul. People use materialism to buy expensive things to for self worth. Should buying a Mercedes Benz be an acceptable strategy for an individual to feel self worth? I believe that self worth should come from family and friends, and materialism is a cheap way for an individual to generate self worth. When individuals try to self generate self worth, communities become distant and social capital rapidly declines.

When social capital rapidly declines, our community will start to deteriorate. The only way that society is able to civil and operable is because people care about each other. Materialism pushes people apart and pits people against each other. “Young ghetto teens have been known to kill each other for name brand tennis shoes” (Beedles 394). Does the potential for increased self worth validate the larger proportion of America that feels dejected? Materialism will never add to community bonding because materialism only survives if one group is ahead of another. Materialism should be outlawed and we as a society should find better avenues to attain self worth.

Pg 386 freewrite

I believe that power is an inherent gene that humans and animals possess. Animals aspire to attain dominance in the animal kingdom through vicious fights and conquering of territory. Humans have had a long history of expressing possession of power through similar means. For centuries countries conquered other countries and power correlated with how physically dominating a country was. Things have suddenly changed within the past one hundred years. The passage of the nineteenth amendment finally allowed women the opportunity to have equal power.

In America, power has traditionally correlated with the attainment of wealth. To this day, in some parts of America there is still a “glass ceiling” that prohibits women from truly being as equal as men. In order to attain power in other ways, some women can turn to alternative means. Women can use their sexual influence to attain power in our modern world. The use of sexual power is seen throughout the pop music culture. “The record company will exhibit a non-authentic version of a person if it benefits the company financially” (pg 367).

Women are often seen as sex symbols, and hip-hop may sometimes be derogatory towards women, but many songs highlight the heavy influence that women have over men. While some women may find power in the way they are portrayed in pop music, I do not think it is right to stereotype all women under this belief. “Once an act succeeds, corporate pressures the artist to stay the same” (Pg368). It is undesirable for anyone to be stifled. I believe that women do crave equal power as men but would rather attain this power in more legitimate ways. A woman’s power in pop music is only valid as long as men let it be valid. The instant that men stop glamorizing women, a woman’s power will instantly dissipate. I believe that women want power that cannot be taken away by men.

Pg 363 Freewrite

Victor was a very loving brother and would do anything for his little brother Thomas. He wanted to give his brother the best Christmas gift possible. Victor had grown up watching MTV as a child. The two most popular shows on MTV were “Pimp My Ride” and “Cribs.” These shows conveyed to victor that in order to be popular in American society, one must attain great wealth. Christmas is usually about families spending time together and connecting in an emotional way. However, Victor needed to figure out a way to attain great wealth and realized that he must not spend time with his family.

Victor missed his family’s plan to go caroling and bake gingerbread cookies. Instead, Victor set out into the world in order to attain the money necessary to buy his brother a lavish gift. He was not able to attain the money as easily as he had hoped. Christmas is supposed to be a time of great joy and happiness but all Victor could feel was despair. In his desperation Victor turned to extortion. He knew secrets of some people that were rich but were not very intimidating. Victor demanded money from these people in order to keep him from publicizing their secrets.

Christmas is a time when people come together but the desperation to buy his brother a good gift was pushing Victor’s friends away. The people refused Victor the money, and Victor then began to hate the world because he felt like a failure. Victor could not attain the money he needed and began to have very hateful thoughts. Christmas is usually a time where people are allowed to escape the pressures of everyday life. Since Victor was in such a horrible state of mind, he went to the local mall and de-bearded Santa in front of all the children. Victor was known as the man who usually told fantastic Christmas stories to the youth in order to keep the youth’s belief. As Victor finally felt his back against the wall, he decided to rob a stranger. Victor had never robbed someone and his hands began to shake tremendously. His trembling fingers accidentally squeezed the trigger and he shot the stranger. Victor fled and traveled to Mexico to avoid arrest. As news of Victor’s whereabouts surfaced to his family, Jason crept silently to his room. Jason took out his wish list for Santa and crossed out the words “Spend time with Victor.” Victor’s brother did not want lavish gifts. All Thomas wanted was to spend quality time with his brother.

Week 8 Blog Reviews

Jacqueline Pridgett
Jaqueline I really enjoyed your articles. I think that you introduced a bunch of good information and topics. You were really able to engage me into the material. The only notes I have is in your first post, Animal Anomalies, you could have supported your information a little bit better in your first paragraph. You said “recent studies have shown” but you did not state which studies validated the point you were trying to make. I liked your second post a lot, I believe that the only thing it could use is a little bit more enticing introduction but the body paragraphs were extremely solid.

Armando Teran
I really enjoyed your articles and I really heard your voice coming through your writing. I clearly identified your opinion in the post and was well aware of the stance you were taking. In your 10/7 post you provided facts to back up your claims. I think the facts you provide would have more validity if you quoted a little bit more directly from the textbook. I liked the flow of your 10/5 post and the flow of your transitions was very seamless. The only thing I would suggest to fix is the organization of the third paragraph. Your conclusion gets a little bit lost because you are offering a lot of ideas. Good post I look forward to reading more from you!

Pg 340 Directed Freewrite

I believe that Krueger’s essay could be used to accept arguments that homosexuality is a natural orientation. Many people in favor of gay rights claim that homosexuality is not a choice but the way people are naturally born. Opponents of gay-rights claim that homosexuality is unnatural and that it is a choice to be homosexual. Since humans are mammals, we study the animal kingdom to learn about our own tendencies and genetic make-up. “Bagemihl found homosexuality documented in more than 450 species; as few as 2,000 species have been observed closely enough to reveal their full range of coupling behavior” (Beedles 338).

These 450 species would then account for nearly twenty percent of the observed animal population. This high number of homosexual species could lead to the confirmation that homosexuality is an inborn trait. However, criticisms towards classifying these actions by animals as “homosexual” have arisen. “In species that lack sophisticated language-which is to say all species but ours-sex serves many non-sexual purposes” (Beedles 339). Sex is used as a tool to establish alliances and establish dominance.

It cannot be stated for certain if these animals do or do not experience sexual gratification from homosexual behavior. Even if these animals are discovered to receive sexual gratification from homosexual behavior, humans are a different complex animal and findings may not be able to be directly linked to us. Sexual orientation serves as sexual gratification to homosexual humans but homosexual orientation also serves other social purposes. We need to fully understand the social purposes that homosexuality serves for in order to isolate and fully understand the social and natural purposes. I believe that these potential findings in the animal kingdom will continue to create debate and whenever questions are stimulated, humans usually find a way to answer them.

Pg 301 #1

The progression of science could potentially alter society forever. America for the most part is run on traditional Christian values. Mahogany is the societal norm and infidelity is seen as a severe sin. Our society has continually punished and disgraced people who have committed infidelity. However, could the large amount of unfaithful people be a result of our genetic composition? “While many women prefer candlelight and sweet talk, many men prefer a roll in the sack anytime” (Beedles 296). This fact could be a result of our animal instincts.

Women are designed to only have a baby once every nine months. Women also only have a limited time of fertile eggs while men continually produce sperm throughout their lives. This short stint of fertile eggs leads women to be more selective with whom they mate with. Men on the other hand, could theoretically impregnate an infinite number of women in order to spread their genes. The further probing into our genetic make-up could lead to the discovery that our normal social structure is going against our genetic structure and could therefore be unhealthy and doomed to fail. After all, the divorce rate in America is over 50% and the relationships that due succeed are done so with great difficulty.

“Perhaps love at first sight is no more than an inborn tendency in many creatures that evolved to spur the mating process” (Beedles 305). Could this revelation lead to the idea that love only stems from the natural instinct to breed? If further probing starts to lean towards this opinion, we may soon discover that true love does not exist. If true love were to not exist I believe that society could crumble. Our society is based on collaborating and caring for humanity. If true love does not exist, then wars will erupt and we will lapse back into a one-for-all animal-like society. Complex civilized society will not be able to thrive without compassion between humans.

Blog Post Reviews 10/5

Jacqueline Pridgett
Jacqueline I really enjoyed reading your post and it was evident that you understood the readings. I believe that the highlight of your paper is the application of the readings to your analysis. Some things that I think could be improved on are the transitions between paragraphs particularly the transmission between paragraph two and three of your 9/30 post. Also, I think it would benefit your post if you further explored the reasons that people enter mahogany. You mentioned spiritual reasons and personal reasons but could there be more? Does mahogany benefit social structures or could mahogany have potential health benefits?

Armando Teran
I really enjoyed your posts and I especially liked the relevancy you incorporated in your 9/30 post. I think that you could give more examples of how the media affects relationships. In your 9/28 post I really liked the examples you quote from the book but they should be cited properly in order to add validity. I liked your conclusion on the 9/28 post and the general overall tone. The only other thing I would add to your 9/28 post is a more enthralling introduction sentence to entice the reader to continue reading.

Pg 292 #2

I believe that heterosexual marriage should be outlawed. I believe that marriage is an old tradition that is no longer relevant. Marriage in the past was essential to the survival of man and woman co-existence. Women have traditionally been dependent on men. “As more women enter the workforce, they can better afford to premise their marital decisions on something other than a man’s income” (Beedles 287).

Since women are becoming more independent, the union of marriage is no longer needed. “There are only about twenty-five years of fertility per woman” (Beedles 288). This span of time could explain some of the reasons behind divorce. I believe that the other purpose marriage serves is to provide a healthy environment for children to be raised. It has always been believed that a supportive family is necessary for child development. However, divorce is over fifty prevent in this country.

I personally grew up with divorced parents. They divorced when I was five and always had custody battles and constantly fought in front of me. This constant battle propelled me onto depression and I had to attend therapy many times. Since the divorce rate is fifty percent, the chances of growing up with divorced parents have drastically increased. Could the dissolution of marriage today be seen as beneficial to a child’s development?

Blog Reviews

Jacqueline Pridgett
Jaqueline I thoroughly enjoyed reading your article and I believe your Kll Bll article was very strong. I believe that your Hidden Histories article could have been a little stronger by offering more support. In your post you stated some great ideas but they will come across more strongly if you back them up with factual evidence. Also, if the blog post was a little bit longer I could have really been able to hear your opinion. I would have liked you to delve into the topics a little more. However, the structure was good and I liked the organization. You also found a way to hook me and I was interested in your post from the beginning..

Armando Teran
I really like your article on Jersey Shore and it was very interesting from the beginning. However, on paragraphs two and three I was a little bit confused of the point you were trying to make so you could possibly clear that up a bit. One way to clear that up would be to make a concise statement and then follow it up with facts. I also like your hidden histories article and I could really hear your voice coming through. Once you present your ideas I would like to hear more about your topic because you introduced your article so well. The only I would give is to het me hooked earlier with a more enticing intro but other than that it was really good!.

Pg 244 Free Write

I have encountered many conflicts with my mother. One of the main conflicts I encountered growing up was my method of consoling my younger brother in high school. Whenever my brother had a social problem, I was the first one he would come to. When my brother Jason would tell me of his girl problems I would tell him that he was over reacting and that his problems weren’t that bad. This advice would infuriate my mother because she believed that I was being insensitive to my brother.
Our book states “women reassure each other by implying that the other party shouldn’t feel bad because the women herself has suffered a similar experience. Men reassure each other by saying that the other party shouldn’t feel so bad because their problems are not the horrific” (Beedles 243). My mother was disapproving with the way that I consoled my brother because I was going against her natural tendencies to console people. If I was naive to think that my way of consoling people and if I would have understood her viewpoint, I could have resolved conflict.

I also encountered intimacy issues with my girlfriends. I would not like to talk about my feelings because my dad had always trained me that men are not supposed to show their emotions. “For women, talk creates intimacy, and for men it is the opposite” (Beedles 244). If I would have been able to recognize that my girlfriend felt secure by talking, I would have been more comfortable engaging conversation with her and growing intimate with her. Understanding how your partner feels is the key to developing relationships.

Pg. 236 Directed Freewrite

I believe that family structure is heavily affected by economic structure. I believe that the financial freedom that D’Emilio describes allows for many freedoms in the way we live. “Economic independence has allowed for the homosexual identify to emerge” (pg 229). Once people are able to support themselves, they are more free to be themselves and not be confined to certain societal norms. D’Emilio explains this perfectly and he states “Sexual identity is not the same as homosexual behavior” (pg 229).

People have been documented for centuries as having homosexual feelings but they always had to mask their identity in order to survive in American society. I find it interesting when D’Emilio examines olden America. Procreation was seen as an essential occurrence needed to occur for financial survival. The transition from farm life to city life has greatly decreased the birth rate. I wonder what other factors could come potentially affect the family landscape. Does our greater tolerance of non-Christian faith have the potential to change traditional American conduct?

What effects would a depression in our current times have? I think that children could be seen as a financial burden because of high education costs and increasing living costs. Even if children are a financial burden on a family, I ponder whether increased birthrates positively impact America as a whole. With more babies being born, there are more chances for Nobel Prize winners, distinguished doctors, and astronauts to be born. Or do increased birthrates harm America’s economy because of excesss tress on our limited resources?

Real Wild Men

I think that a movie that presents “real wild man” is Denzel Washington’s character in Training Day. Denzel’s Washington’s character is named Alonzo Harris and he is a ruthless killer who extorts people to get ahead in life. Alonzo is a product of his environment, and the main place he resides is in the ghettoes of Los Angeles. Throughout the film we see the effects that gender roles have in the inner city culture. “It has been proven that people treat their children differently depending on their sex, boys are socialized to be more sports-oriented and aggressive” (Beedles 204).

This encouragement towards more aggressive behavior for men is demonstrated by Alonzo’s associates. Alonzo’s associates brutally torture cops in front of their women significant others. The women just watch the torture and do not at all engage. The associates would benefit greatly from assistance by the women to aid in the torture of the police. However, the women stand and just watch because of the gender roles for non-aggression that are engrained into them.

The men also believe that physical assistance from women de-masculinates them and this is the reason they choose to torture alone. I relate to a similar feeling because when I am carrying boxes, I refuse help from women. I feel as though if I receive help, then my self-worth will decrease. This is not how I believe society should be run by this is the way I was raised. “Love-making has become an act that is looked upon as an act between a man and a woman” (Beedles 203). Any man that engages in love making with another man is then not seen as a true man. This is apparent when Alonzo uses homophobic slurs to people he does not like.

Week 4 Blog Reviews and Compliments!

Waliah Shamsiddeen – No current blog postings.

Morgan Paulson –
I really enjoyed your article and once again you prove your ability to thoroughly research a topic. I liked your interpretation of the photo and your analysis of Frida and Diego’s relationship. I also like your article on robots and I believe your article could be improved if you support your claims more. You do a good job of citing your sources and backing up what you say, but more examples of how robots have artificial intelligence would help your essay. Also, I like your stance in the blog post but it is semi-subtle at first. A more definitive opinion and stance would make your essay more appealing and intriguing. Overall it was a very solid effort.

Darien Allen-
I also really enjoyed your analysis of the painting you selected. I believe that you choose a painting with many meanings which is difficult, but you were able to interpret all of the images nicely. I believe your article on the painting is very strong and the only slight critique I could add is concerning your abstract science article. I believe that you could summarize the article while weaving in your opinions. The points you make are justified by the facts you present, but the whole entire blog post would be more interesting if you speckled your opinion throughout your writing. I liked the flow of your post and I believe that your voice was very present and I honestly enjoy reading your work!

Pg. 199 #1

The focal point of the picture is a child holding a flame. A mother wearing red garments is holding the child in her arms. The child is naked and there is an eye protruding from his forehead. The woman has long black hair and her hands appear to be choking the baby. The woman and child are in the arms of a green earth woman. The green earth woman has a crack in her bosom and a tree growing from her shoulder.

Near the head of the red woman is a cactus and near the head of the child is a prickly cactus. Holding the earth woman is a backdrop of a sky forming the outline of a woman. The sky is bright on the right side and dark on the left side. The spirit has hands that intertwine and hold all the people and fauna together. There is a wild animal on the right hand of the spirit. There is a moon on the dark side and a sun on the bright side. The sun is more central to the picture and the moon is in the distance.

This picture symbolized many things to me and I believe that this picture showed the hierarchy of the world. The highest ranking spirit is god followed by earth followed by adult followed by child. The contrast of night and day shows that god is both good and bad to people. The cactus near the child’s head symbolizes that being youthful is very dangerous. The flame in the child’s hand represent’s that the youth is the only way to keep civilization warm and healthy.

http://mexig0.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/kahlo-paintings/frida-kahlo-abrazoamoroso1949/

(The add link button isn't working so in order to see my photo you will have to copy and paste the above url).

Kahlo, Frida. Abrazo Amoroso. Photograph. Wordpress. 1949. Web. 8 September 2010.

Week 3 Blog Reviews

Review for Morgan Paulson
Morgan I really liked your articles. I liked how you were engaged throughout the writing of your posts and constantly brought up interesting facts. I liked your use of questions throughout your post because it made me stop and ponder the points you were trying to make. One thing that I think you could improve is to answer your questions more throughout your posts. I know a lot of them are supposed to be rhetorical but if you answered some of them I would be able to more fully understand your stance. Other than that, I thought they were solid posts and I’m really excited to keep reading your work!

Review for Waliah Shamsiddeen
Waliah did not have these posts created.

Review for Darien Allen
I really liked your posts; I thought they were extremely informative. While reading your posts, I feel like you were very educated on the topics and thoroughly understood the reading. On your 9/2 article I think it could be a little more interesting if you stated whether you agree with Brook’s assessment. I do not really have any other criticisms because your articles are so fantastic. I liked how you supported every fact you presented. I also never questioned the relevance of what your facts because you tied in everything very nicely. Keep up the good work!

Pg 165 #5

Wright’s essay invoked great thought and speculation from me. Wright’s essay explored the notion of whether or not machines could someday be classified as living. Machines have become increasingly more sophisticated in the past couple of years and they are able to perform more tasks. Wright’s essay explains the notion of programming a machine to have the same thought processes as humans. Wright details this by explaining the human reaction to pain.

“When a human hand experiences pain, the natural impulse is to recoil” (144). Scientists are creating a machine that will have data sensors that will recoil when a danger is presented that could hurt the robot. However sophisticated machines are becoming, they are still not able to pass the Turing test. The Turing test is a test that is used to determine human qualities in robots. While robots are able to complete mass calculations, their lack of common sense propels them to fail the Turing test. This failure of the Turing test can is delved into when Wright explores consciousness.

Wright’s exploration of consciousness leads me to believe that robots will never be able to be classified as living. Wright explains that machines may be able to be programmed to have reactions, but they will never be able to feel pleasure and pain. The idea of pleasure and pain is an interesting issue that is debated throughout the essay. “Pleasure and pain and the existence of love and grief are central items to life’s meaning” (145). If robots are not able to experience these emotions I do not believe that they will be able to ever have a human’s complexity.

Are Computers Smarter than Us? pg 122 #3

Can Computers Think?

The top down school is “programming computers to process information using symbols” (Davidson 117). Computers will never be able to process information like humans because we use , complexity when analyzing problems. We can instill rules into a computer to make decisions but rules will never be able to replace real world experience and emotion. I believe emotion is key when making decisions because we make many decisions using ethos and pathos. A computer is not able to decipher emotion and could make incorrect decisions based on a set of rules that can be broken by emotion.

Minsky is critical of artificial intelligence because he believes that the human brain is too complex. A computer has a greater capacity to retain information, but according to Brooks a computer cannot critically think and make decisions. The ability to store large amounts of data is highly useful but is not better than human thought. I agree with Brooks and I think that people forget that computers are made by humans. A computer can never be all knowing and superior because it was created by humans and is subject to human error. This is why computers have malfunctions etc.

I believe that the main reason people hates computers is because they are quickly making jobs obsolete. Computers and machines are putting people out of work because they are able to perform menial tasks. However, I am glad that we use computers for these tasks because it helps out society grow. By taking away these jobs, people are force to become qualified for higher status work. If people aim to better themselves and become more educated and qualified, then our society will benefit. I believe that one day we will be able to give basic human characteristics and brain patterns to a robot and I believe this will also benefit society. I hope that one day we are able to put robots in dangerous career fields such as police officers and fire fighters.

Pg 96 Freewrite

Directed freewrite pg 96
What is an idea? What is a thought?
An idea is a collection of memories connected together to make an assumption about the world. An idea always makes an assumption about how something operates or will operate. I believe that ideas can be totally organic or can stem from other ideas. I believe that ideas require a plethora of support in order to survive and too often ideas are destroyed. Many ideas are destroyed every day and it is because of other ideas conflicting with them.

I believe that one idea can lead to the demise of another idea. Thoughts are vey opinion based and require a host to breathe life into an idea. Without the support of belief, a thought will die or alter. A thought can alter by the disbelief of another person. The disbelief of another person can result in the introduction of an idea that can only survive if the said idea is invalid. “The ultimate goal of a theory of consciousness is a simple and elegant set of fundamental laws, analogous to the fundamental laws of physics” (pg 103).

I believe that humans are always searching for knowledge. This quest for knowledge results in the construction of ideas. Without the thirst for knowledge, there would be no motivation to create ideas. I believe very basic organisms have no thoughts. “At each stage, visual information is reencoded, typically in a semi hierarchical matter” (pg 107). The animals just react to their environment and accept it based on the hierarchy of the animal kingdom. However, critical thought can allow for humans to not just accept their environment, but alter it.

Blog Reviews

Waliah- All that was available was your about me section but it told a lot about you. I like the fact that you are a reentry student; it shows that you are not a quitter. I believe perseverance is a desirable trait to have and that is prevalent in your blog writing. I agree with you that it is important to meet new people and feel them out. Meeting new people can be scary and it is best if we have a specific strategy to deal with this challenging idea.

Darien- I feel as though you are a very motivated person. If you are a very motivated person me and you will bond well. I understand the angle you take when you state that meeting someone online is very different from meeting them face to face. There are many physical cues that we miss and take for granted. I feel as though you are very approachable in your writing and I hope to one day meet you face to face.

Morgan- I agree with you that we as a society focus on our flaws. Would we be more of a positive and productive society if we focused on our strengths? I believe that our tendency to focus on flaws bleeds into our religion. We believe that we cannot be truly perfect by ourselves so we place our salvation in the hands of our gods. I also really enjoyed your about me section, I feel as though you are a very intelligent person and I look forward to getting to know you better.

Can man be good without god?

I believe that man can be good without god if it is in his best interest to be good. When it is not in the best interest of man to be good, he will participate in barbaric behavior. I believe that society creates laws and government in order to manage the impulses of man. The impulses of man are often times related to sexual conquest and power. A man’s search for power and sexual conquest could lead to negative ramifications for society.

Government is one tool that is used to control and sustain society. Government creates and enforces laws that are believed to ultimately benefit the society. When these laws are no longer deemed worthy and helpful they are destroyed. Sometimes governments impose laws that meet opposition from residents. When these laws meet opposition, it becomes extremely difficult to rule the people.

The difficulty to rule people is where the notion of god can be put to use. If the people reject the wishes of government, the will of a divine force can be introduced in order to shape the will of people. Religion can encourage people to do great things, but it is more often used as a way to make people refrain from actions. Many immoral decisions are prevented as a result of a fear of god. I believe that the notion of a god helps sustain morality, but I believe society could be good without god if that particular society places value on morality.

Analyzing the Self

I believe that self plays an important role into my identity in an online class. “The individual is likely to present himself in a light that is favorable to him” (45). I believe that an online class allows us more control over how we present ourselves. In the normal world we may attempt to display ourselves in a certain way, but daily activities and occurrences may bring out our true character. In an online class we are restricted from seeing how each other react to real world situations and are more likely to present false images of ourselves. I don’t believe an online class can allow for people to truly get to know each other.

I believe that an online class can offer ways to get to know certain elements of a person. An online class offers anonymity, which could allow some people to escape out of their shell. Anonymity can allow some people to be as truthful as possible. This is the reasoning behind anonymous evaluation cards. Anonymity can also lead some people to act aggressive in conversations and debates that they wouldn’t normally speak out in.

I think that an online class can be positive and negative. Without physical interaction, we not reduced to making stereotypes about people. Our “first impression” about people is usually through the observation of physical appearance. Our first impression in an online class is through our statements which I believe is a better way to judge people. No physical contact in an online class increases the chance that we will not keep in contact with each other after the class is over. Online friendships and relationships that originate on the internet are looked down upon in our society and therefore discourage from establishing these kinds of relationships.

Introduction

Hello class, well for this post I believe I'll just try to expand on what I wrote in my about me. I love life! I think positivity can take you far in your journey. Right now I am a camp counselor and I love it. Little kids are so in tune with their souls. I also love Eminem. While some of his lyrics are controversial, his lyricism is so superior and I admire it. I love California even though the smog will probably take years off my life haha. I am open to talk to anyone so if you want a decent conversation just let me know!

I grew up in Litchfield Park, Arizona. It’s a small town and we have a strong sense of community. I used to look through the local Goodwill stores in order to find apparel with “Litchfield Park” written across it. I am a suburb boy so city life disappoints me. The city is so busy and impersonal and it doesn’t appeal to the way
I believe life should be lived. Although, I have met some amazing people in cities and all of my family hails from New York City.

I am a Justice Studies major and I want to change the world. I believe that the easiest way to change the world is to start from the top. If we change the laws that govern the people we have a greater chance for evoking change. I love learning about human trafficking and ways we can prevent it. Phoenix struggles with human trafficking and many residents are not aware of the epidemic. I hope to educate people and develop new ways to cure the epidemic.