Philosophy_of_Gender

     In chapter 2 of Asta’s book “ Categories We Live By : The Construction of Sex, Gender, Race, and Other Social Categories,” Asta connects the social significance of social construction(s). An interesting question to answer from the points provided in the chapter is what, if any, social construction makes an individual socially meaningful?       Asta talks about the different types of social occurrences (e.g. wheelchairs and their access) and how each can go from a cause of social phenomena to an effect. I believe that social phenomena is an effect in most cases. For example, the cause of physical inhibition is typically caused as a result of social effects (eg poor drinking water in a certain district/area, increased violence and lack of jobs, etc). An individual gains social meaning based on their perceived abilities and geographic location. Although some legal measures are evaluating based on merit, in some cases employability is still rooted in ...

   Viewing the category of "woman" as having a universal status basically provides a template for "performances" and "guides" for social success and survival in social/political climates. If there is a "way" for a prescribed gender to behave in order to have success in an occupation or field, it'd be through a tried and true template for 'success.'     Merleau-Ponty's quote asserting the "body is a historical idea...with a set of possibilities to be continually realized" is a better perspective to hold in forming change to the value of "woman" as a category. Rather than solely relying on one person defying the potential or success prescribed in the category of "woman," valuing the category as a historical idea provides momentum and agency for anyone who 'fits' under the category of "woman."     A universal status can certainly lock those who fall under said status into socio-politica...

       This makes me feel upset and uncomfortable. As a student leader on campus (CA), I have never had a transgender resident but have transgender friends on campus and they have been ‘beaten back’ from the normal hangouts on campus. The only locations on campus that don't present the possible sense of unease are Damietta and GSA meetings. I don’t want to be a part of the problem, but few people cannot control an entire environment.  What has been do so far and should continue happening is more dialogue on campus with transgender students and off campus activist/voices (eg Latinx poetry slams from this semester). Furthermore, there should be more surveys investigating the reactions of our transgender student population on campus in order to gauge success with implemented changes. 

In the paper “It’s All In the Family: Intersections of Gender, Race, and Nation” by Patricia Collins, one of her arguments is to reform the power ‘family values’ hold in areas of gender, race, and nation social politics. One means listed by Collins is asking to reform the aspects of family that support hierarchical thinking and reject them. Resistance of this sort could look like small adjustments to the social organization of local communities. These changes could be seen in more cross-culture community engagement, social events hosted by religious organizations, or city/town hosted seminars. These suggestions would only find success if all parties were eager in sharing their cultures and experiences with one another. Learning about new cultures and ideas is the first step in introducing change. The next step would be seeing those ideas ‘in real life’ to actualize and normalize them.            In terms of effectiveness in relation to other strategi...

  Marxist-feminist philosopher Shulasmith Firestone (1954-2012) has argued that in order for women to be equal to men in society, women must be freed from their traditional roles in society as reproducers. Firestone’s solution for women’s freedom comes in eliminating the necessity of women in the reproductive process.  I believe that Firestone’s utopian society for women is possible but it will take a long time for it to be accepted as normal when compared to other methods . I think the beginning of such a movement would have a better chance in a more liberal-accepting country in Europe than the US (given the current unwillingness for public discourse). I would go further by saying Firestone’s utopia for women is playing out currently in  modern Japanese society. While reproductive technologies have not met the level of standalone embryo birth (beyond IVF), female citizens are not penalized for pursuing their own professional/personal careers independent of social pr...

In response to the question of whether sexual orientation is more liberating when one considers it as something one is born with versus something that develops over time, I think the latter is more liberating. I believe so based on the fact that each person is unique in their lived experiences and shape themselves based on them. This is not to say that one bad or good experience with the same or opposing gender wholly dictates where one falls, but may influence their range on, for example, the Kinsey scale. Sexual orientation influences both the socially drastic and socially insignificant decisions; for example, going to a gay club when we identify as exclusively heterosexual or being comfortable enough to dress in drag as a form of expression.  In support of sexual orientation as something more liberating when viewed as changing over time, here's an example.  In this (binary) scenario, let's say an individual, fe(male), goings off to war as a soldier. A fellow soldier of the ...