18. Participation in Electronic Discourse in a "Feminist" Field

Oh gosh, I think this was my favorite article all semester. As soon as I read "men's literature" my mouth dropped open and I felt that rush of anger and disbelief run through me. Although, I really shouldn't have been that surprised. "Men's literature" is what the literary canon is already comprised of, men are the ones who determine what is considered classic literature, thus creating a gender dominated discourse that continues to silence the female perspective in most genres of art, most fields for that matter. I encounter this frequently in the English department, not from my professors, per se, but from the literature they require me to read. When having to take a medieval, ancient, or modern literature course, more often than not, the majority of the stories or poems we read are written by men, white, upper class men at that.

And of course, if someone is going to propose such a course, they must be ready for the resistance they will receive, especially in academia. Everyone involved in that particular discourse has a opinion, regardless of gender, and should have every opportunity to share it without fear of retaliation or disapproval at the absurdity of their proclamation, and come to a viable solution where the views of both parties should be respected and addressed.

17. 'I Totally Agree With You': Gender Interactions in Educational Online Discussion Groups

I have found, especially in this class, that I use "I" more when I am on the discussion boards (or even in this sentence). This prevalence is partly due to the fact that most of the class members are of my same gender, as reflected in the article. I have taken other online classes and have come to points of contention with other male members by there lack of respect when countering an argument or statement I have made. In one such instance in an online research class at Fresno City College, a male classmate criticized my rationale that I had trouble finding credible resources on the web. He highlighted my statement in his response to my post and stated that he found it hard to believe that I had made any real effort to look for sources. I took offense to his accusation and replied that I stood behind my comment and if he was so sure of my findings then he could look for himself. He replied to my comment that maybe I should start taking "meds" to control my anger. My initial response was not more anger, but a resolve that maybe he was right. I ended up apologizing for my initial response. I think this exemplifies the point the article is making about the dominant group having control of the nature of language used. It was obvious that this class was predominantly male by the class roster and indicated by this man's use of abrasive language to prove his point and one down his adversary, me. Since then I have learned to defend myself and not back down in an online setting regardless of male or female group dominance. As an analytical essay writer, I have used this technique to argue my point in spite of the fact that my words as a women will be attacked more because of the predominance of males in most literary canons. I think I fit into these findings, unfortunately, but believe that with more awareness, I can express myself in a balanced way, regardless of gender dominance.

20. Stale Roles and Tight Buns

Sometimes I forget that men can be portrayed in a sexist image. Maybe it's because so much focus is put on the images of women being sexist that the male predicament gets overlooked. What I found most curious about this video was the way OASIS presented the ads. The emphasis on the cowboy image reminds me of my grandfather. I remember seeing these ads, seeing him smoke, and thinking that he is just like those men on TV and in magazines. Ironically enough, the infamous Marlboro Man died from lung cancer. What I can conclude is that misogyny does not only pertain to women, but men as well. Women also have expectations of men that they see in ads, but is not a direct representation of all men.

16. Gendered Voices in Children's Television Advertising

It seems that the sexism in advertising doesn't begin at the adult level. From this article I ascertained that the techniques to focus advertising towards a specific gender also include age. As a child I never noticed the gender biased language that was more than likely extremely prevalent in my youth. However, as I continued reading I started to think about ethnicity and the lack of analysis in this area in regard to commercials. Growing up multi-ethnic, I already had an identity crisis occurring. I lived with my white mother, but looked like my Mexican father I only saw on the weekends. Like most children that come from a mixed race family, the need to identify with one parent is overwhelming. In my case, I wanted to look like my mother because that was who was most popular on television. As I mentioned in my previous post, I spent a lot of time in front of the television. Not only was I subjected to gender bias in advertising, but I was overcome with a need to be like the majority of women I saw in commercials and programming, an ethnic bias, if you will. This need to identify with the images that surrounded me was also a form of social acceptance. If I looked and acted like these women then I too would have the protective white man to defend me from the evils of the world, or at least a bald man with an earring that could make my linoleum floor sparkle.

15. Gender Issues in Advertising Language

My formative years were in the 1980's. I imagine this to be the time when the benefits of the feminist movement were being felt by society. I also spent a lot of time in front of the television while my mom worked. This seems like a double edged sword after reading this article. One benefit of the feminist movement was that many more women were encouraged to enter the job market and seek professional careers. One disadvantage, for me, was that since my mom was working more, I was left alone in front of the television. As sexist ads infiltrated my living room, I did not have the guidance to discern the derogatory language and images that determined my identity as a young girl. I believe that the conscious effort of advertisers to use gender-neutral language is pertinent to the development of positive self-esteem, whether for females or males.

14. The Epicene Pronoun: The Word That Failed

I think it is a lame excuse to prefer the sentence, "Everyone loves his mother," over "Everyone loves their mother," just because one is too lazy to say, "Everyone loves his or her mother." Because isn't that what it comes down to, laziness? Like any concept, language is meant to evolve to adjust to the changing cultural climate, not remain stagnate to appease the grammatical politics of a sexist society. So, the argument that using "his or her" is "ugly and cumbersome," has nothing to do with rules of number agreement, but based on the fluidity, or lack thereof, when spoken out loud. Really? That's all you got? Even today, the usage of non-gendered words like "chairperson" or "police officer" are said by some as a form of political correctness, a humoring of those who prefer these terms, instead of a concentrated effort to create equality in language.

13. Beyond the "He/Man" Approach: The Case for Nonsexist Language

As a writer and an English major, language is the medium I choose to express and identify myself. In essay writing I have learned to use "one" when referring to the reader i.e., "one would assume when reading this..." instead of a gender specific term. What I find just completely silly is the opposition to changing the apparent sexism in language, even in our civilized society. Isn't it obvious that by bombarding children with only one gendered option to identify with in literature or school curriculum, specifically "he/man," that this creates an exclusion of female identification? I don't know, maybe I'm one of those man-hating feminists who believes in equality only for women, that men should suffer the consequences of their world dominated oppression, or maybe I am a peace-loving-equality-for-all-people-lover who has hope for the whole world. Or, maybe I'm a little bit of both.