Global Women's Oppression

Global Issue: Women’s Oppression

          Our social conditions define our perceived reality. To some extent everyone has experienced oppression; some more than others. Women in particular are a group that, although have made huge strides for equality, still remain inferior across the world. As a white female in America, my experience is drastically different compared to women in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The conditions I encounter are much more liberated due to the feminist movement in the West. However, this is not the case for women in the majority of mass populated areas. Religion, male authority, lack of rights and cultural practices keep these women silent with little to no power. Women’s oppression is still heavily prevalent, yet is somehow not only tolerated, but accepted.
          Religion is an institution, created by man, to create rules for society to abide by. Among the many vastly different religions, there is a running theme of female inferiority. The Bible states that “Men are superior to women. Jesus is superior to men and God is above all. Women should worship all of them.” (14: 34& 35, Corinthian). In other religions, the Qur’an, for instance, claims that “Men have authority over women, for that God has preferred in bounty one of them over another, and for that they have expanded of their property. Righteous women are therefore obedient and those you fear may be rebellious, admonish them to their couch, and beat them.” (Koran, Women, verse 38). Not only are these statements reiterating that females are less than and should not act out, it also allows permission in the latter quote, for the man to physically harm any female. A current example of this is the disturbing occurrences of “bride burning” in areas such as India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Because dowries are still a form of exchange for marriage, the men resume full access and responsibility to the bride’s resources. If the resources are insufficient, the female is blamed and puts shame on the family name. Because the female is tied to the man she was arranged with, there is virtually no way out. “Kitchen accidents” are then the outcome of strained monetary relations, where the woman is doused in kerosene and lit on fire by her husband. The women have no rights and no voice, which is consequently perpetuated by the communal recognition of such ludicrous instances of women being burned to death. This is a “cognitive level of prejudice,” where a major religious group acknowledges the inferiority of one group; that being females.

          Another form of women’s oppression is seen predominately in Africa called “genital mutilation.” There are multiple forms of the procedure; ranging from removing the clitoris to removing the vagina entirely. One elder who performed the rituals said that “In order to be respected in the community, she must be cut.” When asked why this practice is still held in high regard, it was only a matter of the past tribal history performing it. It supposedly reduces a woman’s libido into a subdued “proper” state. The vagina has also been said to be seen as “dirty” or “unsightly,” and therefore must either be mutilated or even completely removed. This is a very extreme case of not being ‘good enough’ in our natural state, but is all too common across cultures. The most sacred part of a woman, her reproductive system, is being violated and dismembered…all for the sake of respect and acceptance. The message that is being perceived it that as women, we are never fully presentable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBEhynDDRkk

          In Saudi Arabia social stratification is implemented into all areas of society, at the expense of the women in the country. The apparent physical boundary appears with the hijab, or veil, used to conceal the women in public. She is not allowed to show her face, in fear of men acting upon such a seductive action. Women are not allowed to vote or drive a car. They are under strict male guardianship at all times, whether it be a brother, father or husband. This male guardian is in complete control of her every move. If she requests work, it must be “suitable” and approved by her guardian. There is sex-segregation in public and up until last year, all education was separated by gender. Polygamy is also practiced involving as many as four wives. In all of these non-disputable laws, it shows that women literally have no voice and thus have no personal freedom. Dictionary.com defines slavery as “a civil relationship whereby one person has absolute power over another and controls his life, liberty, and fortune.” It’s hard to see any form of liberation in a culture as controlling as Islamic rule. The most disturbing aspect of Saudi culture is that women have been conditioned to be so compliant that they accept their conditions under the name of Allah. But do they really have any other choice in such a patriarchal society? This is an evident form of institutional discrimination where the customs and laws dictate a certain group’s existence. The selective employment, limited education and lack of resources make it difficult for any woman to break the mold and speak out against such belittling and insulting treatment.

http://www.globalshift.org/2010/02/28/slow-changes-to-womens-rights-in-saudi-arabia

          These are just a few examples cross-culturally and internationally that women are still knowingly being oppressed and treated clearly substandard. Knowledge is power, and by exposing this type of tyranny it allows people to see their world in a different perspective and hopefully provide a voice to a seemingly silent group.

Resources

“The Elders” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-JcpNBiRcM Jimmy Carter says that “religion is the cause of female inferiority.”

http://www.bikhodayan.com/Islamwoman/10.htm

Adapted from a speech given at a seminar on 8 March 19999 held by NUS’ Women’s Campaign at Cambridge University – U.K.

Copyright © New York Times, Jan 15, 1989 http://www.aintnowaytogo.com/hotBride.htm

 “Saudi Arabia: Women’s Right’s Promises Broken.” Human Rights Watch, July 8, 2009.

“War Against Women.” CBS News, 60 Minutes, August 17, 2008.

Manipulative Media

Nicole Lemas

SOC Domestic Paper

Mayeda 2/11/11

Manipulative Media

Allen Ginsberg, a passionate poet who criticized conformity and capitalism in America, used his words as a social force demanding honesty in humanity.  He once claimed that “whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture.” In a generation where mass media and technology has defined our current culture, it’s clear that as a nation we depend on media. Our primary source of information is found in our computers, on our TV’s and through our cell phones. Our communication is reliant on these means of contact, but what we fail to recognize and question is who is responsible for providing this information?

Politics are the key player in the distribution of advertising and propaganda. For instance, in a 2005 New York Times article, they stated that “the Bush administration spent $254 million in its first term on public relations contracts.” By maintaining a seemingly strong visual relationship with the public, any government is allowed more leeway on their actual motives. We can take Karl Marx’s ‘Conflict Theory’ into account as we see the consumer mentality of the majority of Americans. By emphasizing that there are limited resources, in whichever arena, individuals are urged to act quickly on their innate desires. This market censorship allows manipulation in all forms of the media to be a constant force.

As a culture, we are conditioned to demand instant gratification. We can see this within our relationships, our “self-help” phenomenon and even our concept of beauty. In “Celluloid Dreams” Kellner and Share (2005) point out that ‘individuals are often not aware that they are being educated and constructed by media culture, as its pedagogy is frequently invisible and unconscious’ (p.372). This insistence for immediate satisfaction has stemmed from the mass media telling us as consumers that we can have and be it all. But in reality it is deteriorating our relationships by impatience, our faith by intellect and our beauty by artificial products. Now when a question arises, an Iphone is illuminated by Wikipedia. There is no search for deeper knowledge and as a result our citizens are becoming more surface oriented by collecting what they see as the ideal being.

There is a new wave of socialization that is happening in our society where the customs and cultural norms are constantly being redefined. The way we experience symbols and interact with one another has become more and more distant. Long were the days when an individual’s audience only extended as far as their voice could carry. If anything the “freedom of speech” is being fully taken advantage of, for now everyone’s voice truly can be heard, even across borders. Globalization is happening at a rapid rate where our communication is the foundation to this spread of culture. Medium forms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube allow people from all corners of the world to share their opinion and unique community. We can also see that these forums can also be monitored and controlled by powerful forces such as the local government. Whereas in the U.S. there is a wide spectrum of free speech, in other areas such as China, “Big Brother” is always watching. In that sense as free as we may feel in our speech, because of the easy access to media, we are all being observed.

Fear is a common emotion felt amongst every human being. It is a vulnerable state to dwell in as we gather more anxiety about the current experience. Networks like Fox News fan people’s fears by wearing a propaganda costume and calling themselves a credible source of information. Our entire institution of information is based on seducing the innocent. We long for warm and fuzzy stories to make us feel safe and secure as a society, but instead we are bombarded by negative images of racism and inequality. This then instills more fear in our communities further strengthening the discord between humanity. If the analogy “we are what we eat” can apply to the concept of nourishing ourselves with ideas and concepts fed to us by media, we are all stuffed of false impressions of our reality.

The mass media manipulation may seem very abrasive and people may even outright deny being influenced by it. But the fact of the matter is, we are conditioned and brainwashed to be exactly what the media wants us to be: Compliant Consumers. We consume materials just as we consume others culture. Which makes me question if there is such as thing as ‘cultural integrity.’ And if there is, as an American society we honor this system and will perpetuate it for years to come.

http://www.projectcensored.org/ This is a link dedicated to uncovering censored media.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJnFZKbSqxw “Dreamworlds” is a documentary about how stereotypes are highlighted and praised in music videos and the alarming correlation between violence and sexual authority in the videos and in real life.

Celluloid Dreams: How Film Shapes America (Kendall Hunt) 2010

David Mayeda, Lisa Pasko, Christopher Ramos

Kellner, D., & Share, J. (2005). Toward critical media literacy: Core concepts, debates, organizations, and policy. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 372.

http://www.globalissues.org/article/532/media-manipulation

"The Rape Of The World"-Tracy Chapman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMtvrG8_N_E

Mother of us all
Place of our birth
How can we stand aside
And watch the rape of the world

This the beginning of the end
This the most heinous of crimes
This the deadliest of sins
The greatest violation of all time

Mother of us all
Place of our birth
We all are witness
To the rape of the world

You've seen her stripped mined
You've heard of bombs exploded underground
You know the sun shines
Hotter than ever before

Mother of us all
Place of our birth
We all are witness
To the rape of the world

Some claim to have crowned her
A queen
With cities of concrete and steel
But there is no glory no honor
In what results
From the rape of the world

Mother of us all
Place of our birth
We all are witness
To the rape of the world

She has been clear-cut
She has been dumped on
She has been poisoned and beaten up
And we have been witness
To the rape of the world

Mother of us all
Place of our birth
How can we stand aside
And watch the rape of the world

If you look you'll see it with your own eyes
If you listen you will hear her cries
If you care you will stand and testify
And stop the rape of the world

Stop the rape of the world
Mother of us all
Mother of us all
Mother of us all
Mother of us all...

"Oh My God"-Michael Franti

Slam bam I come unseen
but like gasoline you could tell I’m in the tank
like money in the bank
I smell appealing, but I’m toxic, can send you reeling
without an inklin’, keep ya thinkin’
‘cause you gave cash to the feds, left your school district for dead
fucked you up in the head, but still they sayin’ nothin’s wrong
selling firewater behind hot, loading the bomb
still believing the systems workin’
while half of my people are still out of workin’
anonymous notes left in the pockets and coats
of judges and juries from ‘Frisco and Jersey
threats and protests politicians mob debts
trumped up charges and phony arrests
stage a lethal injection, the night before the election
‘cause he got donations from the prison guard’s union
Oh my, oh my God
out here mama they got us livin’ suicide singin’
oh my, oh my God
out here mama they got us livin’ genocide singin’
Oh my, oh my God
out here mama they got us livin’ suicide singin’
Oh my, oh my God, oh my God

Listenin' to my stethoscope on a rope
internal lullabies, human cries
thumps and silence, the language of violence
algorithmic, cataclysmic, seismic, biorhythmic
you can make a life longer, but you can’t save it
you can make a clone and then you try to enslave it?
stealin’ DNA samples from the unborn
and then you comin’ after us
‘cause we sampled a James Brown horn?
scientists who’s God is progress
a four-headed sheep is their latest project
the CIA runin’ like they're Jones from Indiana
but they still won’t talk about that Jones in Guyana
this ain’t no cartoon, no one slips on bananas
do you really think that that car killed Diana
hell I shot Ronald Regan, I shot JFK
I slept with Marilyn she sung me “Happy Birthday”

Well politicians got lipstick on the collar
the whole media started to holler
but I don’t give a damn who they screwin’ in private
I wanna know who they screwin’ in public
robbin’, cheatin’, stealin’
white collar criminal
McDonald eatin, you deserve a beatin’
send you home a weepin’, with a fair bill for your Caribbean weekend
for just about anything they can bust us
false advertising sayin’ “Halls of Justice”
you tellin’ the youth don’t be so violent
then you drop bombs on every single continent
mandatory minimum sentencin’
‘cause he got caught with a pocket full of medicine
do that again another ten up in the beneficial
oh man I wanna peaceful revolution

singin’
Oh my, oh my God
an' maybe he say oh my, oh my god
here mama they got us livin’ suicide singin’
oh my, oh my God
here mama they got us livin’ genocide singin’
Oh my, oh my God, oh my God

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9K9GVD9qVs

Mokauea Island Field Trip

Saturday October 9th:

"The wheels on the bus go round and round..."
As we boarded the yellow school bus I was brought back to the days where you have to share seats with classmates. Slippery seats, hot cheeks and sweaty feet-this was a great start to my first field trip of the semester. Crossing over to Sand Island was like traveling back in time. We passed rural and industrial scenery as we reached our destination at the last fishing village in Hawaii, Mokauea island.

Paddling to the island was even more of a realization of the difference between life on this island and the life I lead on "the other side." As we were paddling to this new land, I couldn't help but be humbled by the experience. Synchronicity, a key role in paddling, was demonstrated almost effortlessly. We all had a direct purpose to provide whatever service we could and were willing to work together to get there in the first place. As we pull up to the shores I see overgrown plants, shards of glass and garbage bags galore. It feels like a no mans land. Listening to the history makes me sick to my stomach. This seems to be the running theme when I hear the ugly truth of power. These families were stripped of everything all in the name of development and profit. I was impressed at the involvement with Kai Makana, and saw the passion in the people's eyes. I couldn't wait to help in any way I could.

Instructions proceeded and the volunteers followed the guidelines to work. Gloves on, sunhat situated and water by my side, I am ready to get down and dirty. Groups of friends are carelessly chit chatting away and picking 'pickle weed' almost robotically. Slow and steady, taking breaks to fix hair and take off shirts. I observe for a bit and actually get upset. I see the reason for these massive groups of people to be here is to make change. How much change can happen if we aren't attached to the end result? If my duty was to pick that pickle weed, I was going to pull and fight as hard as I could to clear the land back to it's original state. I was over just picking the 'weed' because we weren't getting to the 'root.' So I went to the shed and grabbed a bunch of hoes and distributed them in hopes that people would take the tool and use it wisely. Then I went to the far end of the landscape all alone and began hacking away. Digging my feet in the dirt, both hands on the root and yanking with all my strength. This was how my field trip went. Exhausted, perspiring and perplexed at other work ethic...our time is up. 2 hours?

I am the last to leave. I don't want to. I see how much help this island needs, for the families and for the Hawaiian people. I am willing to stay until dark, but this was just an appetizer to activism. I must go back across the waters to the land I live. I couldn't help but draw comparisons to how our society works. The masses of people just do what they're told (pick weeds) to fix a problem. But what we neglect is the real root of the issue. In this case, the literal root of this invasive plant. We pick and pick and pick, and wonder why the problem keeps coming back. When we think we're actually contributing to a cause we aren't. How many people are willing to work to rid the root of deeper issues of politics and power? It's discouraging that inspiration to help can come and go so easily. I suppose the trappings of life trump the importance of these teachings. 

Back on the canoe, paddling away from poverty. The sweat stings my face as the wind brushes through my hair. On the water between both islands I dwell on which land is my home. I look forward and see city, lights and corruption. I look back and see simplicity, family and truth. I am divided on which of these components make up me. I conclude that each island holds some intention and it's how I balance each end of the spectrum that determines my existence.

Back on the bus, chugging away back to the life we all lead.

Malcolm Gladwell's 'Small Change' article was well supported with equal examples of the difference between activism with and without technology. The civil rights movement was a ground-breaking shift in human rights. It was a clear distinction between who was the oppressor and the oppressed. We knew who "belonged" and who didn't. And when you've been clawing your way to freedom in the dark trenches of society for so long, and you can see the blisters of banishment on your brothers, there comes a time to take a stand. True activism challenged the status quo at the risk of physical violence and ostracization. The thousands of individuals who participated in the boycotts, sit-ins and rallies are the ones who took that risk of being a target. A lot has changed in the last sixty years in regards to activism.

With the integration of information and access to any given person, we have opened the floodgates to networking. In the article it suggests that sites like Twitter and Facebook are responsible for numerous events that have started change. But the biggest difference I see with the cross-comparison is the issue of accountability. When you are behind a computer screen or some fancy phone, you are completely anonymous. Yes, you can still support a cause and express your views, but how much change are you ensuing? People nowadays are so eager to jump on the next bandwagon. If we're supporting starving children in Africa, these followers will quickly jump on board, send copious amounts of money to the cause and then feel philanthropic for being a part of something at large. Yet that doesn't build a connection to anything; you must have a personal connection to the movement you support. It's the difference between motivation and participation. These waves of trends motivate people to take part, but the part they play is insignificant and therefore doesn't have a lasting impact. There are no real sacrifices in social media weak ties.

When we challenge any socially entrenched norm we are risking our status, resources and safety. And in a day in age where those values are so highly prized, it is unlikely we will confront that dissonance. And by vocalizing our views on an anonymous venue we aren't really taking that moral, literal stance for what we believe in. There are so many issues at hand in our world today, and I do think that people genuinely want to help, but instead of sending pennies to Africa and Asia, why don't we start a little closer to home? What ever happened to going out into your community and getting your hands a little dirty? That 's where those personal connections begin. Working with other people, side by side for a higher purpose. If every community valued this kind of work ethic and accountability, we'd feel our purpose and strive to work together to make it a better place.

Save Your Soul

The documentary '180 Degrees South' was an inspirational journey to follow. As we see this one man following the footsteps of his heroes on his travels to Argentina, it's hard not to question our own journey. Sitting in the front row, captivated by the awe-striking images of nature I kept thinking 'What am I doing sitting in a classroom?" "I should be right there, in nature, escaping from it all." But this is where the illusion begins. To some extent, we all want to flee from the dull reality we all exist in. We all feel there is more out there and we must avidly search for it. Isn't that the pursuit of happiness? And because we are all searching, we never really feel in the present moment. I think we are so disconnected from ourselves, our families, nature, and are so afraid that if we stop to realize where we are, who we are, we will see that we have nothing.

Where are our ties nowadays? We have no relationship to anything other than to ourselves; and we all know what a selfish, egocentric relationship that is. It was said in the movie that "Fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all." What is unknown is why we are all here. What is our purpose? And who wants a purpose; doesn't that require accountability and responsibility...when have we ever wanted that? It was gut-wrenching to hear the discussion in class after the video. I remember input about just 'doing what you can,' 'stopping to smell the roses,' and 'smile at someone.' And as much as I can agree with all these, it's a challenge to whole-heartily support it. Our world is in so much pain, that unfortunately one smile will not change anything. The self-enlightening traveler to Argentina was just that, only the "self." How can we incorporate the 6 billion other people on this journey? We  need to end the suffering in the world first in order to achieve this enlightenment.

We all can't go on some spiritual journey across the world and document it for the masses. That's just a story to be told. But who's to hear our story right here, right now? The story of our earth dying. The story of our broken families. The story of our self-hatred. It's the etic perception; looking in on the situation from the outside. Detaching ourselves in order to see where we are and where we should be. These are all trappings we have been conditioned with, and I truly believe there is a possibility of reversing it and not feeling like we're living in bondage. I feel this oh too often. It's hard not to feel like a victim in this world of victimization. But there is beauty in the breakdown. So maybe we are all finally breaking down to eventually rebuild our minds. For the mind is the most powerful thing we as human beings have. I believe we are all one mind. And along the way we have just separated from that union, that brotherhood. This is where we must return. I wish I had the answer to the world's problems. All I know is that knowledge is freedom, and we are all seeking exile. The higher our awareness, the more we are able to see our impact and respond accordingly.

I am committed to releasing the shackles that are ignorance. This is where the journey begins, and ends in liberation.