Beautiful

  As a women, we always have so much attention. Both that of negative and positive. Positive because we  are suppose to: dress, look, and be a certain way.To be Beautiful is what we as women are suppose to be.Of course everyone has a different meaning of beautiful, however media depicts what  beautiful women should look like. We see all the time that sex sells and usually that is a half naked women on tv, adds,and on billboards. We either meet other expectations or not . All though the chapters mainly touched based on how women are treated different than men and by men(which are all very important)  a part of this topic that I believe has to deal with the oppression of women are the pressures from the media and society to look and be a certain way.

Women-VS-Media

  When reading chapter 68  a women opened up about her experience with a food disorder and that she basically hated the body she was in due to all the pressure she had to look a certain way. My daughter was recently bullied because of her weight and so she felt that something was wrong with her.  After a while of hearing the things the other girls had said to her, my daughter Anastasia then started to not eat. At that point I of course notice that she was throwing away her food and addressed the problem.  Just knowing that she did this just because other little girls said she was "FAT!" is very disturbing. And although I teach my daughter to love herself and to be comfortable being who she is, these girls still got to her. Where did these little girls learn what someone should look like or how skinny someone should be?...no where other than the media. Why are 10 year olds worried about how much they should weight in the first place. Its ridiculous for a 10 year old to think they need to be on a diet. Eat healthy yes but diet no. Eating disorders are happening with girls that are too young and why. The pressure women have to look BEAUTIFUL and if we don't meet that expectation then we are looked as different.

               These are the role models our children are suppose to look up to from television:

And this is my idea of what beautiful looks like, my daughter Anastasia.

(These are some good songs that are specifically dedicated to women loving who they are and especially our children)

Women-vs-women

Sexism is something that women experience all the time. If its not bad enough that we are perceived a certain way by society and men, we sometimes get oppressed by other women. Other women oppressing other women, endless cycle. If  women can not uplift other women then why should men? I'm sure men hear other women  degrading other women all the time. Just like with kids, how can we teach them something if we don't practice what we preach? Women degrade other women when they have more power or just because they are apart of a dominate group.  Just today I  felt oppressed by my boss who too is a women. Because I expressed myself and told her the facts, she was quick to remind me that they did not have to work around my school hours and that I was lucky to even still have a job with them. Many people will simply see this experience as a dispute among 2 grown individuals but when power and authority is quickly thrown in, its different. At any rate, I think all women can agree that we deserve rights and to be seen equally by men. But ultimately it starts with us- WOMEN.


http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2007/01/03/women-in-the-workplace-just-who-is-oppressing-whom/

Going Backwards

In reviewing all that has been happening in these past few months and weeks I could not help but to think that we, as a people, are going backwards. We hear the notion all the time that History repeats itself, but one would not think to this desperate measure. While some things likes racism has never yet to be resolved while other issues we thought were final and no need to worry. I’m speaking of the issues in Arizona where  Mexican-American books are being pulled because they are “perceived as antiwhite”, Women’s rights and insurance and whether they should cover contraceptive and finally one that is very important, Trayvon Martin and his attacker not being arrested. Justice not being served.

Why in the world is there even a law targeting Mexican –American studies? The article(Racial Lens Used to Cull Curriculum in Arizona) states that the state wanted Mexican-American studies program disbanded. They,the state, were even willing to spend 110,000 on a consultant to conduct an audit. And if Arizona’s school are like our schools here in Texas, why would they spend all that money just to investigate books that could possibly be anti-white? I am sure there are many other programs that the money could have went to and really benefit students.  This whole situation is alarming, its bad enough that we and our kids are getting taught only a specific side of history in our schools but to have authorities not allowing any books that teach against this history that we all know left out so many other facts, is terrible.  Yes this is happening in Arizona but who is to say where its going to happen next.  The Zinn Education Project purposes iS to : introduce students to a more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of United States history than is found in traditional textbooks and curricula. The empowering potential of studying U.S. history is often lost in a textbook-driven trivial pursuit of names and dates. Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History of the United States emphasize the role of working people, women, people of color, and organized social movements in shaping history. Students learn that history is made not by a few heroic individuals, but instead by people’s choices and actions, thereby also learning that their own choices and actions matter. Now what if  our state said that the Zinn Project was anti-white, what then?How would we feel if they prohibited U.T  from using the Zinn book?  How would that affect us?

The big question is should insurances cover contraceptives? This has had a great impact on women because this is saying that we don’t have a right to protect ourselves. To me its just another way of implementing Pro Life on everyone, which should be a women's choice.  I don’t understand this because without contraceptive being covered by insurances then there will be more women forced to bear a child,can lead to more children in foster care, and more children being neglected  . We all know that there are already way too much children in foster care that cannot find a home and that cost a lot of state dollars. We also know that if a couple is not ready to have kids or are in a state where they can provide for  their children there will be an high possibility that those children will suffer . Whether it be by their parents struggling to clothe or feed them, ultimately the children suffer. So why do women have to still protest our rights when we all can see this decision can cause a lot of destruction and does not have a great outcome. It does not take a genius to see this so I'm perplexed as to why politicians would even push this. I mean insurances cover Viagra why not something to counter act that? You would think a lot of activity will be going on with Viagra but what helps a women from not becoming pregnant from this?? Like the whole Rush Limbaugh thing, he took or takes Viagra and what  the heck does he think his wives took in order to not get pregnant? Rush Limbaugh does not have any kids so  I wonder how that could have happen with out his wives even taking contraceptives.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/june-carbone/how-were-all-paying-for-r_b_1346241.html

Trayvon, I think its safe to say that everyone is touched by this. To think self defense can be used so freely and let a killer get away with it. The whole situation is so messed up and that it makes us question the justice system. I mean there have been many other cases that makes us question the justice system but this case has no evidence that Trayvon was doing wrong. In a criminal case there has to be burden of proof and there is no proof that this young man was involved in delinquent acts. As a mother you think if this man(Zimmerman) can get away with killing an innocent child then what does this mean  for your children? Why raise our kids to be respectful and to stay out of trouble when your race or the way you dress can get you killed? Why not just focus on teaching our kids what to wear and what not to?  Of course no one wants to neglect teaching our kids morals but its sad to see that this is the case for Trayvon.   Our justice system is quick to arrest people for powder bombing(not to say its right) Kim Kardashian but not Zimmerman. How does that even compare? Maybe its because she is famous that action was taken so quickly but that does not justify how different these two cases have been treated by our justice system?

Officials acted so swiftly for Kim- "The woman was detained by cops at the event and the local fire department was called to ensure the powder was not dangerous.

They left again when they determined it was just all-purpose flour."- http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/03/23/kim-kardashian-attacked-flour_n_1374501.html

I think that all of these situation can teach us something, that if we let them they will. All the protesting that is going on for Trayvon is empowering and we hope that justice will be served in the end for him and his family. 

Something Different

Religion helps create ethics and morals and because of this very reason any religion other than Christianity might find themselves frowned upon or even hated only because they are not apart of the religious group. In our reading we find that Christianity has very long roots in our American History. It is very true that Christianity has its privileged in American, they don't have to worry about the holy day, holidays or even things their children partake in at school. Its sad to think that other religions have to feel that they are out casts in this" land of the free". We can read millions of stories of what people from different religions go through because for one reason or another people deem to see them as different and not belonging here. I think it is safe to say religion effects prejudice by having strict ethics and morals that are not inclusive. We either fit into the "ideal" American views or not. Many people that do practice different religions are American and yet still are harassed by people telling them "Go back where you came from!!!" I like that show All- American Muslim, which showed the point of view of Muslims that are Americans. Even this show only lasted one season because of the the criticism it gain, which goes to show the distaste people have. http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/32/36384/Arts--Culture/Film/-AllAmerican-Muslim-TV-show-ends-as-viewership-slu.aspx

I personally was raised Catholic and during the journey of attending many different Christian churches I have found that Christians criticize the Catholic faith. Christan's don't like how Catholics honor the Virgin Mary or any of the other Saints because to them that is worshipping a  false idol. Or the fact that they have the rosary and say the Hail Mary. The prejudices never end. One way or the other something is wrong and will not fit into the "Ideal" way. And when I say "Ideal" I myself don't even know who or what the Ideal is....I just think that to each their own and and what ever makes them happy then do it.

Religion is a very interesting topic and I know my mother said this topic is one to never discuss along with politics because their is so much controversy. I understand her telling me this but I think its healthy that others share their point of view so that we can understand and respect them.  Especially because I believe our ignorance of the different religions have a lot to do with how people treat others.

Low Cost for a very High Price- Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart! I never knew what this company has done. I personally only shop there since a new one was opened up by my job on Anderson Lane and its convenient. However, after looking at this documentary I will not be shopping there ever again.  You know prior to them opening up the new one by my job I seen a lot of flyers indicating that the neighborhood did not want it there and to say NO TO WAL-MART. When seeing these flyers my automatic response was to think why not? What is the big deal anyway? Of course I asked these questions but because it did not effect me or my neighborhood I did not even bother to look into why they did not want one. After seeing this and knowing why, I feel so naive to just overlook something that was so important. Here I am in pursing a social work career and wanting to save the world but yet I'm ignorant to what is really going on. I seem to have been more focused on issues that I could see the end results of  like children in foster care and homelessness .I failed to pay attention to businesses and its effect on a community. I paid more attention to business like CPS and the legislative system . At any rate in reviewing this movie I had a revelation of what I was missing and it has made me have a complete different view on how everything has an effect on society. It's very sad that this company has cause such a negative impact on many towns and states and yet they are still allowed to continue doing what they are doing.

Wealthy or Not????

 

In reading chapter 27 in Adams, I ran across the whole wealth issue. The book indicated that wealth is what people have to fall back on and pass on to our children. Yet only 1/6 of households has zero or negative wealth!! What does this mean for me?A single mother to two children, working part time, and going to school full time? While in pursue of this goal I don't have no wealth and in fact I may be going into negative wealth with all of these school loans. I suppose it will pay off when we complete our degree but climbing out of debt(school loans) will be the next obstacle to conquer. Reading about wealth and this big gap between rich and poor has just caused my mind to race.





This is the land of the free and of opportunity, but to who?Its sad to know that this is a leading country but yet the amount of people living in poverty is higher than those who are wealthy.
That there just show how much this land is not the land of opportunity. So with that I believe out of the isms, classism is a powerful divider. Many people are living in poverty and it does not matter what race you are but only a few are able to be in that wealthy class.

Its so easy to feel discouraged when the statistics show that the rich/wealthy population are the ones to benefit here in this country. I thought this little picture was a good illustration of what I feel it is.








I know I've expressed a lot of discouraging information and thoughts but I am optimistic. I am very thankful for many things. Although I can not be a millionaire right now, I'm content with having a roof over my head, clothes on my back and healthy children. I know many other countries have it worse and may think we,American citizens, complain too much and to an extent they are right. I think we do so because of the labels that come with being an American like -"Justice for All", "Land of The Free and Opportunity"....so we tend to challenge our nation to live up to that expectation. Had the Statue of Liberty or Constitution said the opposite we would not be here and/or we would not be so shocked to know that the wealthy only consist of a few.

Another Name for Slavery-13 amendment

In  Adams book chapter 12, I read about the 13th amendment and I was just stunned!

SLAVERY AND INVOLUNTARY SERVITUDE

THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT

SECTION 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except

as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have
been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or
any place subject to their jurisdiction.









What amazes me more is that prior to that, Abraham Lincoln created a version of the 13 amendment to state:

No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give to Congress the power to abolish or interfere, within any State, with the domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said State.

(See US House of Representatives, 106th Congress, 2nd Session, The Constitution of the United States of America: Unratified Amendments, Doc. No. 106-214)
 Slavery never really ended. As with everything else our grade school taught us that slavery was ended by the civil war and the the Emancipation Proclamation proclaimed the freedom of slaves!They sure did fail to mention that "oh by the way the 13 amendment  allows slavery"  Now the book also states that prior to the 13th amendment whites were the dominant color within prisons but after slavery ended and the 13th amendment was ratified did the population of black people grow within the prison.  So now there were many black people who were criminals and had debt just to have them behind bars were slavery was okay.  Doing others people's work for free was not over.

You know it is sad to think that we get feed what they(I don't even know who to blame?!) only want us to know about our history. I'm thankful that this class has opened our minds and understanding to what it truly is.

Is rich a Sign of Superiority?

In chapter 11 of A People's History, the author indicated that because there was a chance for the oppressed to be rebellious the community( schools, churches and literature) taught individuals  that to be "rich was a sign of superiority,to be poor a sign of personal failure". Personal failure?Well that is very discouraging. How can it be personal failure when individuals in poverty and working class do not have the adequate means to overcome? And although this was taught back in the 1890's I think this is something that is still taught to us today. "If we work hard enough we will get to succeed".In fact that is what the definition of an American Dream reads : The American Dream is an idea which suggests that all people can succeed through hard work, and that all people have the potential to live happy, successful lives. As you can see the definition does not include all the obstacles one can have and how a person does not have all the means to do so.

Herman Cain stated this same idea:   
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/05/cain-not-rich-no-job-blame-yourself/

In this chapter we read over and over how the superior group did everything in their power and money to keep the poor poor and did not give them no access to become better or move up the ladder. Today we see that in government programs. For instance welfare benefits:A individual can get them if  they  have no job, but should you decide you want to start working they take benefits away from the individual.What other choice does the individual have? Work and not get paid enough to even pay the bills or live off of the government programs? Doing nothing, in this case, seems like the easiest thing to do.

What really  is an American Dream? and what percentage of Americans even have the pleasure to say they have achieved  the American Dream?


For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil- 1 Timothy 6:10