Invisible privilege

Privilege is often invisible because if you grow up having things and thinking of them as provided for you sometimes it is hard to image people not having them. The category of people most likely to be aware of privilege is the low income and people who grew up in a low income environment. Andrea was so uncomfortable because she was not aware up till that point that people can get along without things she has or with things being so bad. Yes people can overcome social differences, but it takes a lot of work because you are almost adapting to a different culture to do it. Funding for schools is an invisible privilege because people in the same income bracket tend to gather together and when they pay tax for the schools they pay more because they make more. This creates an imbalance in the funding a school system has and is what creates this invisible privilege. BY TYLER

Cultural Obsessions with Thinness: African American, Latina, and White Woman

According to the American Anorexia/Bulimia Association, seven million woman and one million men, ages 10 to early 20’s, suffer from eating disorders. Seeing Ourselves used three different models explaining eating disorders, biomedical model, psycolological model, and cultural of thinness model. Biomedical adopts medical treatment and stradegies that can help woman be less traumatized by this disorder. Psychological model explores effective therapeutic treatments except tends to neglect woman of color, lesbians, and working class woman. Culture of Thinness model is a key reason why eating problems predominate among woman. In this reading it says due to stereotypical thinking that these eating problems are restricted to white woman, African Americans and Latinas once diagnosed, their problems seem to be more severe. I’d have to agree because we as students learn in sociology how race is a big part of life. The darker your skin the “uglier” you seem to be. Which obviously isn’t true but thats how a majority of our society thinks. With that been said, I think African Americans and Latinas try to follow a white womans way of living. For example, when a white woman is thin, an African American or Latina feels as if she becomes thin then maybe society will look at her as “beautiful.” And thats the problem with cultural obsessions with thinness! Skinny does not equal pretty but most people think that is the case. And that’s exactly why eating disorders is and will continue to be huge problem in today’s society.

Invisible Privilege

Privilege is often invisible because people do not realize what class they are in unless they are directly effected by the consequences of that class. For example a rich white man may not realize that he has more privilege than a poor black man living on the streets. The white man looks over the black man day after day like he isn’t there while the black man looks to him in envy. So privilege is invisible to those it does not directly effect. Andrea was uncomfortable in Jewel’s Newark home because her lifestyle was so much different than Jewel’s. Andrea is used to a certain way of living where they can use lights as decorations for their homes, but in Jewel’s home they conserve energy and use the lighting as little as possible. I think people can overcome these social differences by just accepting that some are more privileged that others. In my life i am not as privileged as some of my friends.

Many of my friends having parents that make a lot of money got sent away to an all paid for trips to thirty thousand dollar colleges. They were more privileged than i am because they got their schooling paid for while i had to earn my own way to pay for my schooling. This high class free schooling that they received puts them in a better position to succeed than myself. This has caused me to lose quite a few close friends because i couldn’t go to college like they do and we drifted away. Was my relationship with them seriously affected? No, but privilege did effect the situation.

Thinness

The united States is the wealthiest country in the world, yet Americans are denied the simple right to proper nutrition. Americans are forced to abstain from basic human needs to be accepted members of society. Popular culture suggests that thinness is not only a fashion statement, but an expected lifestyle choice. The past hundred years have seen the rise of this horrific trend that is the thinning of the nation’s young women. One in five college women suffers from a severe case of either anorexia or bulimia. Those dying are not the poor and unfortunates from the slums and ghettos of the inner cities they are the young generations that choose to follow this trend of thinness and those who have enough money to eat properly but instead choose not to. Those who struggle with eating disorders, 95 % are female and the small percentage of men who suffer are all either athletes or homosexuals. So why isn’t this a big deal as it should be? The answer is unknown but most would just assume it’s because thinness is a desire and a want that women choose to follow to stay current with America’s culture

Prostitution: A Worldwide Business of Sexual Exploitation

Like Melissa Farley I can see how prostitution exploits women everywhere.  Some choose to work on the streets.  Mostly because the lack of education, unhealthy state of mind and severe financial issues (poverty).  These girls/women are using what they have to meet simple needs. Many who have low self-esteem can’t see themselves as achieving anything better in life. The men around them are a constant remember that they are useless and good for nothing.  If anyone’s been in a abusive relationship whether verbal or physical can understand this.  Men degrade and breakdown these types of girls/women to gain control and increase their status.  These are men that are insecure and mentally unstable in some way. This goes to the idea of abuse and prostitution because many girls now women can’t decipher between a bad or healthy relationship. Their insecurities and unclear emotions  are apparent towards the male figure.

As for the girls/women from other countries it’s truly sad they are taken by their will to perform sexual behaviors and provide manual labor. Many of them are young girls and forced to have multiple partners and perform degrading acts. They are overworked and enslaved with no means of leaving or receiving an money for such horrific services they are to provide. Men sell their wives and daughters because of financial burdens shows these men to lack empathy, love, commitment to these women that share a piece of his life.

Many say that women choose prostitution and in sometimes thats the case but think long and hard why people do the things they do.  Whether its morally or ethnically right or wrong people do things for certain reasons.  So the next time you think about doing something analyze exactly what you are doing and why and you may be surprised your reasoning behind it.  We all do things for a reason whether we realize it or not.

Thinness

Many women and men are fixated on how they look and how people perceive them.  The physical appearance is the first thing we see when meeting someone and then follows conversation and their personality.  Looking a certain way is very important to people.  It ranges from the type of car you drive to the new “it” item your wearing this season.  Models are known to be thin especially runway models that have to be 10lbs thinner than commercial models.  Labels with can be a girls worst enemy. The idea of having two digits instead of one is subconsciously telling him/her to lose weight.  The smaller the number the better fit of the clothes and how much prettier he/she is.

Eating disorders are a growing concern many people at some point in their lives have had one whether they realized it or not.  Not eating for days, eating and then forcing themselves to get sick, hoarding food, using food as punishment are examples of a eating disorder even if your not a size 2.

Pressure from cultural backgrounds can play a role.  Having thin family members and expectations of how you should look.  They may see them living an unhealthy lifestyle and have little respect for someone who doesn’t take care of themselves.  Their actions and words can be demeaning and make the person feel even more insecure and develop low self-esteem.  With low self-esteem the person feels useless and tries to please everyone and including herself to any means.  Drastic measures may occur to make the person feel better about themselves and to prove to others they are worth something.

Women and the Birth of Sociology

   In this reading the authors Patricia Madoo Lengermann and Jill Niebrugge-Brantley both talked about how throughout history women have been “written out” when it comes to their contributions to sociology. The term “written out” does not necessarily mean ignored, but “erased from its records” is a better explanation. In the early studies of sociology women were taken seriously and their work was similar to that of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim. Majority of the women were well known public figures, they helped create social theory and they practiced along side of male sociologist during the same time, they were recognized to be significant social analysis, they were active in the sociology community (employment as a sociologist, member of sociological association, publication dealing with sociological principles, self identification as a sociologist and being recognized by contemporaries as a sociologist. Their work was published very often and they all visited the Hull-House. The Hull-House was the working base for many of the women, including Addams. A lot of their research focused on gender, class, race, ethnicity, and/or age. Their work included balanced of theory and research to support their theories. These women were committed to their work and it isn’t fair that all their hard work and time has been “written out” of what we’re taught today.

     I believe that these women should continue to get credit for what they contributed to sociology. It’s a shame that they are now not recognized for their work. Sexism is definitely a huge part of these women not receiving the credit that they deserve. Like many things in our society the role of women has been overlooked. It’s easier for the male population to dominate what we learn about in schools because it’s been this way for many years. And just as the saying goes, “if it’s not broken don’t fix it”. People haven’t tried to fix what is taught in schools because what we learn still “works”. Textbooks and curriculums have been molded to teach only of men’s accomplishments (there are a few exceptions, such as Rosa Parks and Anne Frank).  I don’t believe that only one particular group should get all the credit when there are obviously more people that have also made important contributions, but I understand that it would be nearly impossible to memorize every single name and what they contributed to sociology.

Prostitution: sexual exploitation

1. Melissa Farley believes that prostitution is not a free choice for most women involved. She saw that the women who are prostitutes “tend to be the ones who have the fewest options.” She was stunned by the fact that some see little or no harm in sexual exploitation, and cited how the US was increasingly socially ligitimizing pimping through strip clubs, nude dancing, escort services, phones sex and computer sex. Farley also included tanning salons and massage parlors. This is a little extreme in my opinion. Tanning salons and massage parlors in no way have to do anything with sexual exploitation, in most cases. I also believe, contrary to Farley’s opinon, that prostitution is a free choice. Whether a woman decides to be an exotic dancer or personal escort, there is a definite line to cross to become a prostitute. These women can choose to dance for men and exploit their bodies in that means, they can also choose NOT to perform sexual favors.

2. Prostitution promotes the oppression of race, sex and class. Farley felt that the women who choose to enter prostitution do so because they have little or no choices. A woman decides to work at a strip club, for example. She may have little or no education, therefore few choices for income. A woman from a high class family, with no education, could be supported by her family. On the other hand, if a woman were from a family in the lower class, her family may not be able to financially support her if she choses not to finish high school. Using sex as a means of income is a relatively quick way to earn money. Prostitution obviously oppresses women since it promotes the idea that women can be ‘bought’ and are merely objects for men to own. Farley agreed with this point of view.

3. Farley’s concern for the legalization of prostitution is that it doesn’t address her major concerns of prostitution in the first place. Most legislature doesn’t account for the spread of STDs for example. In Nevada, for example, the state merely acts as a pimp for prostitutes, determining the size and location of brothels. Farley also believes that legalizing wouldn’t eliminate the violence involved in sexual exploitation.  Decriminalization of prostitution is the cessation of enforcement of all laws against prostitution. Businesses encourage the decriminalization because they feel it may remove the negative stigma connected with prostitution. Farley also disagrees with this concept because it would not reduce or eliminate one of the major problems connected to prostitution: the trauma and humiliation. I agree with this opinion of Farley. I feel that in order to end trauma for women who are prostitutes, we need to somehow give power to them, instead of the ‘John Does’ who exploit them. Whether this is possible or not remains to be seen.

Domestic Violence

In chapter 41: Domestic Violence by Elaine Leeder she discusses three countries, India, Japan and Vietnam. Wife battering is normal family dynamic in India because many women see it as that did not listen to their husband. It is discussed in this chapter that many women is India are domestically abused for different reasons. In rural India, there are a couple of the reason why wife battering is a normal family dynamic which is if they do not keep up on their house work like their supposed to, or they have been disobedient to their husband then its okay if they get beaten. Also women that live in rural India believe that husbands they have been drinking cause them to be abusive because drinking leads feeling hopeless.  Domestic violence is viewed as being “normal” unless seen as extreme. When seen as extreme a village elder or a monk will step in and intervene.

Industrialization and modernization has led to an increase in child abuse in India because India is become more urban. Middle-class families are experiencing competition to try and move upward in their class. In India children are brought up to a high level of obedience towards their parents. If children do not obey their parents there is strict discipline. Leeder says in her article “In north India, the killing of female infants is quite an old phenomenon” Reading this sentence is absolutely crazy to me. Reading about child abuse towards children in India seems like it is almost no big deal just like its no big deal when a wife is beaten by their husband.

Discussed in the section on Vietnam “invisible violence” is viewed as when a Vietnamese women are forced to do housework for 5 to six hours. Where “visible violence” is viewed violence as actually having injuries or death. Reason for this may be low socioeconomic status when has to do with poor men thinking its okay to take their anger and frustration out on their women. Another reason is feudal attitude which is basically “thinking highly of men and slightly of women.” Other reasons may be drinking, gambling, adultery, and jealousy and “intra-individual theory” which basically means that people who are angry blame issues onto other. Violence is not tolerated in Vietnam and the government has local state programs.

On (Not) Getting By in America

I would find it almost impossible to live off of minimum wage even in Massachusetts where we have one of the highest at $8.00 an hour. Ehrenreicht says that according to the Coalition for the Homeless, in 1998 it took an hourly wage of $8.89 to afford a one bedroom apartment. Costs of living have only gone up since 1998.

When you add children to the equation, it becomes necessary to work more than one job to make ends meet unless you want to live in the crowded (and many times full) homeless shelters. It then becomes necessary to provide for child care which isn’t cheap. Welfare would be an option but providing for two kids takes money and no matter what aid a mother gets, if she is earning minimum wage, food and basic needs will go unmet.

As much as it would be great for minimum wage to go up, small business owners are strapped already and raising wages would put some businesses under which would be counterproductive.