equality for everyone, please.

The first website, People like us, really had some good insight into what "class" you belong too. I read all of the stories and was blown away by a few, especially Ginnys. In one aspect, I understand why she isn't accepting help from the government because she has a lot of pride but at the same time she should also think about her kids who might benefit more if she were given more money. Reading that story also made me sit back and be extremely thankful for my family background and where I come from.

That website also had a few games and I played all of them :). The first one you had to create your own living room and what you picked to decorate your room says a lot about what class you belong to. When building this living room, I had what my parents living room looks like and went by that. I picked hardwood floors, an Ethan Allen couch and a Labrador to name a few and in the end it turns out I am "Middle-middle" class. Next was an matching game and I did surprisingly well, although there were some things I didn't know; like the proper name of a bowling shirt. Lastly was a quiz, and once again I was named middle-middle class.

The next website, had to do with equal pay for both men and women. I also enjoyed this website because it had a lot of information about the differences between men and women in the work place. This also made me think of the "third wave" of feminism. As said before, the third wave is not over and I don't think it will be close to being over until women are treated as equally as men in the work place. We've come this far and theres no stopping it now. I hope that some time in my lifetime I am able to see women be treated as equals and this anti-women phase will come to an end.

Obama and Gay Marriage

The issue I want to focus on for the upcoming project and election is gay marriage. I am an ally of the gay community since I have many friends who are gay and want equality when it comes to marriage. This has been an ongoing battle for many years, and I believe it is time for a president to make a change.
"The president, who had been against gay marriage in 2008 but later said his views were “evolving,”  explained that he had decided to support gay marriage some time ago, but had been deciding the most appropriate time to publicly announce it". Mitt Romney on the other hand, believes marriage is between a man and a woman. The article I came across is whether or not Obama supporting gay marriage will benefit him for the upcoming election or hurt him in the long run. Read it here . In May of 2012, Obama made the announcement that he did in fact support gay marriage and this could earn the support of many young adults nationwide. So far, I believe Obama will fight for equality for the gay community, hes already taken so many steps to prove he will do whatever he can.

In this article, it states how many people of the LGBT community are backing Obama and how many contributions have been made to Obama for America.

Love this interview: Its not letting me embed the video but heres the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0usiWHp_PI

Fear of Feminism

In this article by Hogeland, I can't help but agree with her argument points. Many women are in fact terrified of being called a feminist, or admitting to being one. Hogeland touches on many reasons of why this happens, why women are afraid. I would like to touch on some quotes Hogeland says in her article:

"Allying across differences is difficult work, and is often thwarted by homophobia-by fears both of lesbians and of being named a lesbian by association. Feminism requires that we confront that homophobia constantly."(pg2). 

-This made me think of the men who support feminists. Does that make them gay? Sure some men are against women and power altogether, but there are many out there who rally along with feminists. Many of these men are in heterosexual marriages and believe women are to be treated equally. There is an organization of these men and they are called "meninists". Society is just so used to labeling and stereotyping there is no escaping it.

In the last paragraph of the article, Hogeland states:

"If offers-and requires- courage, intelligence, boldness, sensitivity, relationality, complexity, a sense of purpose, and lest we forget, a sense of humor as well. Of course young women are afraid of feminism-shouldn't they be?"(pg4).

-Hogeland is saying there are so many different aspects of being a feminist. In some cases, you could be put out of your comfort zone and realize you will be making bold decisions and moves during your lifetime. Most importantly, I think shes saying its okay to be scared, its okay to be afraid of the unknown. We're only human. Being a feminist isn't a punishment, it can be rewarding and gratifying. It just might take women some time to see that for themselves.

Seriously? Opression by Frye.

First and foremost, I need to say that I completely disagree with Frye when she says a man holding a door open for a female is sexist and it means that women are "incapable". She states, "The door-opening and similar services provided are services which really are needed by people who are for one reason or another incapacitated- unwell, burdened with parcels, etc. So the message is that woman are incapable"(177). Although I identify as a feminist in some way or another, I could not disagree with this statement more. When a man holds a door open for me, I see it as having manners and being a gentleman. When a guy sees a female behind them in close proximity and doesn't hold the door open, I think its rude. I researched what other females have to say about this and I came across a few articles titled "is chivalry dead?" or "Where can I find a good man?". Seeing these titles make it clear that most women appreciate a man holding the door open for them. I did however come across this article which seemed a little silly to me. This kind of made me realize maybe I'm not as much as a feminist as I originally thought.

Exactly:

 

However, I do like when Frye talks about the double binds women get in today's society. If one women engages in heterosexual sex, she is a slut. If she doesn't, shes a virgin and guys constantly insist she "lets her hair down". It just shows women can never win, no matter what the situation is.

The following statement is a little awkward to me, "The same parents who would be disapproving of her sexual activity may be worried of her inactivity because it suggests she is not or will not be popular or is not sexually normal"(176) It could just be me, but I'm not entirely sure of who shares their sex lives with their parents. Usually, parents like to believe their kids are virgins up until the day they get married and try not to think about their kids sex lives. Also, what is "sexually normal"? Is there such a thing? Therefore the statement quoted above is a a little farfetched and exaggerated, in my opinion.

The F word

When reading this article, many aspects about it struck me differently. In the beginning for example, Finkbeiner states that between the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we forget how society came to be as it is today. I realized that I never gave a second thought to voting, or women coming up in the work place. Its amazing to look back and realize just how strong these women had to be in order to accomplish such a task.
When Finkbeiner is speaking of the third wave, she says some people think we are post-feminism. I could not disagree with this more. I actually think that even though some people don't want to call themselves a feminist, they are indeed a feminist. I just think some people are scared to refer to themselves as one because of the reaction they'll get from people. One example that came to mind when reading that last page is the use of slang and swears when referring to a woman in certain rap and hip hop songs. Rap artists are often referring to women as "bitches" or "hoes". Yet, when do we hear a woman rap artist or any type of artist for that matter referring to a man in a derogatory way? I think women especially in todays society, need to fight for equality and especially respect and this third wave isn't going to be over for a long time.

One quote that I loved was said by Irina Dunn; "A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle". This to me shows how independent women are becoming in today's world and we no longer need a man to gain respect.

Insert cliche title here

Heyheyyy :)
I'm Kaitlyn but everyone calls me Katie. I'm almost 22 and this is my fifth year of college. HOPEFULLY I only have two years left. I'm a business management major with a minor in communication and I love it.I work at Kohls and hate it, but thats besides the point. I'm in the Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority here at RIC and it is the only national sorority on campus so I'm very proud to be a part of it. During the summer, I became obsessed with the fifty shades of grey series and I moved into my first apartment off campus with a couple of close friends and its ridiculously fun. I'm taking this class to satisfy the requirement for social and behavioral science and this class seemed the most interesting. I'm a huge sports fan with the Patriots being my number 1 team. Besides working, school and sorority business, I love going to Federal Hill, shopping, and all of the other things a typical girl my age does. Thats about it :)