Discussion on Various Topics.
ANSWER
- In Hill-Collins’ reading, I was particularly struck by her emphasis on the unpaid labor that many Black women engage in when taking care of loved ones. This unpaid work often goes unnoticed and unappreciated, yet it plays a crucial role in supporting families and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this issue as many Black women had to juggle their existing caregiving responsibilities with new challenges like homeschooling and providing care for sick family members.
The pandemic highlighted the disparities in access to resources and support, with Black women disproportionately shouldering the burden of unpaid labor. It made me reflect on the importance of recognizing and valuing this labor and advocating for policies that provide support for caregivers, such as affordable childcare and paid family leave. It also underscored the need for a more equitable distribution of both paid and unpaid work within households and society as a whole.
- Cofer’s discussion on the influence of societal values and beliefs on body perceptions resonated with me. I’ve noticed that my own perceptions of my body are influenced by societal beauty standards and media representations. In situations where these standards are emphasized, such as in fashion magazines or on social media, I sometimes feel self-conscious about my body.
However, in different situations where body positivity and self-acceptance are promoted, such as within certain social circles or self-help communities, my perceptions of my body become more positive and accepting. This demonstrates how societal beliefs and values can shape our self-image and self-esteem, and it highlights the importance of challenging unrealistic beauty standards and promoting body diversity and acceptance.
- Canada’s experiences illustrate how violence as a masculine characteristic is a social construct. He and other boys in his neighborhood were taught to be violent as a way to conform to traditional notions of masculinity. This highlights how socialization processes shape our understanding of gender roles and behaviors.
In my own life, I’ve seen similar social constructs at play, where men are expected to display aggression or dominance to prove their masculinity. These expectations can have harmful consequences, perpetuating harmful stereotypes and encouraging violent behavior.
Recognizing that these constructs exist and actively challenging them is essential for promoting healthier and more equitable notions of masculinity and reducing violence in society.
- Collins’ argument about how our ideas and behaviors can perpetuate someone else’s oppression made me reflect on my own biases and actions. One idea I’ve held is the assumption that everyone has the same access to opportunities and resources if they work hard enough. This belief can overlook systemic barriers that certain groups face.
Additionally, I’ve sometimes unintentionally engaged in behaviors that perpetuate inequality, such as making assumptions about someone’s abilities or experiences based on their gender, race, or background.
It can be difficult to recognize these behaviors because they are often deeply ingrained and unconscious. To address this, I’ve been actively working on educating myself about systemic inequalities and biases and challenging my own assumptions and behaviors.
- Martinez’s explanations for the difficulty in viewing issues of race beyond a black-white dichotomy make sense to me. She highlights how the historical binary framework has shaped our understanding of race in the United States, making it challenging to recognize and address the diversity of racial experiences and identities.
Expanding issues of race beyond this binary is essential for a more inclusive and equitable approach to racial justice. Recognizing the experiences and struggles of various racial and ethnic groups can help us develop more nuanced policies and solutions that address the specific needs and challenges of different communities.
Moving toward a system of equal access to opportunity with regard to race requires acknowledging and dismantling the structures and biases that have reinforced the black-white dichotomy and working to create a more inclusive and intersectional approach to racial justice.
QUESTION
Description
Question 1: Dolan interviewed four environmental activists. In what ways do they see feminism enhancing climate justice work? What are three things you can do to positively impact the environment?
Question 2: What does Naples mean by “activist mothering?” How do her findings challenge the dominant ideology of mothering?
Question 3: Hill-Collins argues, “The assumed split between the ‘public’ sphere of paid employment and the ‘private’ sphere of unpaid family responsibilities has never worked for US Black women.” She highlights how many women engage in the unpaid labor of taking care of loved ones. What stood out to you from this reading? How do you think the COVID-19 pandemic impacted women’s unpaid work?
Please do not plagiarize. Do not copy-paste. Each response should be 150 words before citations. Please use the sources provided to answer these 3 questions.
Question 4: Cofer’s discussion illustrates that the way we see our bodies is influenced by dominant societal values and beliefs. How do you see your own perceptions of your body influenced by societal beliefs and values? How do these perceptions change in different situations?
Question 5: Canada describes the way in which he and other boys in his neighborhood were taught to be violent. How do his experiences demonstrate how violence as a masculine characteristic is a social construct?
Question 6: Collins argues that we often fail to see how our own ideas and behaviors perpetuate someone else’s oppression. What are some ideas or behaviors that you possess that perpetuate the inequality of others? What makes it difficult to recognize the ways that we participate in transforming difference into inequality?
Question 7: Martinez offers some explanations for the difficulty the United States has with viewing issues of race beyond a black-white dichotomy. What do you think of her explanations? How might expanding issues of race beyond the black-white dichotomy help us to move toward a system of equal access to opportunity with regard to race?
Each response should be 150 words before citations. Please use the textbook to answer questions 4-7. You can refer to chapters 35-50 in the textbook
Textbook: Tracy E. Ore. 2019. The Social Construction of Difference and Inequality: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality, Seventh edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780190647964 (pbk).
Respond to these discussion posts. Replies to peer posts should offer additional insight and should be around 50 words in length before citations
1. Environmental activists see feminism enhancing climate justice work and that there are many takeaways and strategies from feminism that can be used in environmental activism. Here are some examples from them: like feminists, environmental activists should learn and understand diverse communicative strategies and dialogues to ease communication between those cultures apart and generations apart. Environmental activism sees sexism and misogyny within their spaces just like feminists actively struggle against. Feminism should be naturally adopted into that sort of activism because it understands how women are typically “disproportionately [bearing] the brunt of the harm . . . [and are]excluded from real and equal participation in local, national, and global natural resources governance” (p. 2). One of the interviewees also recognized and pointed out the fact that environmental activism spaces would benefit from feminism because of the fact that feminist WOC build deep trust and authenticity between each other and others while POC in environmentalist spaces are often tokenized and exploited for momentary, shallow attention despite real struggles. Three things that I can do to positively impact the environment are by implementing lifestyle and metacognitive changes to better understand this form of activism and participate in it. For example, conserving water and purchasing and reusing reusable items, as well as actually understanding what NOT doing so affects. Second, I can positively impact the environment by participating in keeping nature natural like wildlife parks and forest preserves which I can do by actively using them (no use = fair play to bulldoze) and appreciating those spaces. A third way I can positively impact the environment is by spreading word and such.
2. For this discussion on the reading,In what ways do they see feminism enhancing climate justice work? A feminist approach to climate policy not only addresses injustices and barriers that keep people from participating change, but to encourage all people to work together toward climate.What are three things you can do to positively impact the environment? The ways I can impact the environment in a positive way is recycling, conserving water, improving energy efficiency, planting trees and passing environmental protection laws. Protecting natural preserves and forests to maintain the natural diversity, the growth of endangered species. Feminism helps us see the different impacts of climate breakdowns and women don’t bear the harm to continue.