Activism plays a major role in our everyday lives whether we recognize it or not. Most people would not have the rights and opportunities of today without some form of activism. The topic of How to Think Like an Activist by Wendy Syfret and the documentary The Punk Singer- Kathleen Hanna was activism, the effort for change in a system. A movement is led by activists trying to influence those in power to hear their voices. 

  The text began with some history related to activism. The French Revolution and the Salt March were discussed and juxtaposed in a way. The author compared these two movements for their different methods of igniting change. The French Revolution was a lot more violent and ended with many deaths but also led to massive changes. These changes included the rise of democracy in Europe.The Salt March was more passive and Gandhi participated in civil disobedience for which he and many others were arrested. 

  The article goes on to discuss the waves of feminism. The first wave of feminism was the suffragette movement in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The main goal was for women to attain the right to vote. The second wave was focused on “systemic sexism, gender pay inequality, reproductive freedom, and access to education” as Syfret writes. This was done through protests and marches. The third wave of feminism was in the early 1990s and took a more artistic approach. Music was greatly influenced by feminism. Feminists during this era also recognized the lack of intersectionality in earlier movements. Feminism before mainly fought for white, cis, middle class women and their rights. Currently, the fourth wave of feminism is active and it is similar to the third wave in a sense but with more tools like the internet. The Me Too movement has also grown to be a big issue at hand. 

  Syfret went on to talk about the youths influence on activism and mentions Greta Thunberg’s efforts to speak on climate change and her powerful speeches. Many of the youth’s activism is allowed by the internet. The internet allows for quicker delivery of information like spreading the word on protests, live streams to be seen, and videos to be shared. 

  Finally Syfret goes into tips and various approaches to activism. She advises knowing what the message of your activism is, forming a group to engage with this message and allowing the group to be diverse. Syfret also says to unite and learn from others in similar situations. One can also learn from groups that have already been established and remain vigilant of the information you take in, separating facts from opinions. 

  In the documentary about Kathleen Hanna we learn about Hanna’s rich life as an activist and artist. She was a feminist who decided to approach her audience through her art which were zines and music. Hanna formed Bikini Kill and made music that inspired women to fight back against the violence inflicted upon them. Hanna faced a lot of backlash, having people say she was troubled or she had issues with her father. Personally, I really enjoyed this documentary. I knew a little about Bikini Kill beforehand and about riot grrrl as a movement. It fascinates me to see all that she accomplished and continues to do for feminism. 

  I’d like to mention Sadira Mohammed’s snapshot and the controversy behind it. The snapshot depicts AOC wearing a dress that reads “Tax the Rich” on the back. While the meaning may be powerful, the ways it was carried out and where it was done feels performative. Politicians talk a lot and hardly get much done. The event costs 35k per ticket, an exorbitant amount of money for an event designed as a grand display of wealth. It seemed shallow. 

  The readings this week were based around intersectionality and oppression, specifically the oppression of women. In Patriarchy, the System by Allan G. Johnson, the author proposes a new outlook on the patriarchy. The patriarchy is often described as a system with faults but is vague beyond that description. Johnson says the patriarchy is used as a scapegoat which can be blamed for many problems but cannot actually have any of these problems be resolved. The ambiguity of what we are referring to when we say the patriarchy allows for this to continue. In this text he implores us to break down the different aspects of the system.

  He also explains that as people who compose a society, we also participate in the patriarchy, including women. Johnson clarifies that by “participation” he means take part in. This is because participation is the path of least resistance. It is simply the easiest choice to go along with the social systems put in place. Unless someone is prepared to deal with the consequences of resistance and going against the current, they will succumb to the path of least resistance. This is a matter of comfort and convenience. 

  Johnson goes on to say that a system is composed of individuals and if one individual in the system goes against the status quo they can alter the system by influencing others. However, he clarifies that because we participate in the patriarchy this does not mean we are the patriarchy. Every system is composed of tiny moving parts.

  Our participation in the system has come from socialization which has trained us to participate in the system. Johnson goes on to say that until we fully understand the patriarchy, we will not be able to find a way out of it. It is a web of factors intertwined to divide. He says “the web of relationships that structure social life, and the unequal distribution of power, rewards, and resources that underlies privilege and oppression.”

  Towards the end of the text, Johnson writes about patriarchy in terms of power and control. Patterns in how we interact with one another are exchanges of power dynamics.

  In the excerpt from Audre Lorde’s There is No Hierarchy of Oppression, she talks about the different aspects of her life that come together and intersect. Some enabling her and some disabling her from attaining what she seeks. She says we must care about every social issue because one group cannot thrive unless the other does as well. If one group is oppressed for example, the other will suffer with it because there will be overlaps. 

  Emely D’s snapshot was interesting to me because it depicts a feminine presenting person of color racing against who I assume to be a cis white man. There are way less obstacles for the man in the race even though the distance of the race is the same. Women of color, for example, have to fight ten times harder than a white man to get where they aim to because of the patriarchy and the implications that come with it. 

  In White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy MacIntosh, she explains the complexities of white privilege. MacIntosh begins by explaining that racism not only puts others at a disadvantage but puts white people at an advantage. It is a device in which not only some are hurt by but others benefit off the harm. 

  Not only is this harmful effect in play but many white people do not recognize their own privilege. MacIntosh writes “Have been conditioned into oblivion about its [white privilege] existence.” Throughout the passage she reiterates that it’s been so customary and embedded into the system that many don’t realize these aspects of privilege. She then includes a long list of aspects in which many indulge in white privilege. These include housing benefits, lesser chance of being followed in a store, representation in the media, trust in monetary affairs, and lack of interference when regarding legal or medical care. These aspects are taken for granted. Not only are they taken for granted but they are part of a white person’s daily experience. 

  MacIntosh also writes that there’s positive and negative advantages. Positive advantages can benefit anyone while negative benefits present hierarchies or rejection. She concludes her essay by saying those with white privilege must use their knowledge on white privilege to “reconstruct power systems”. 

  In the second reading, Oppression by Marilyn Frye, the author discusses what the word oppression means and what it means for a group to be oppressed. Firstly, she clarifies that not being oppressed does not mean you don’t suffer. Often men use this narrative that they are also oppressed because they suffer in some form too but it is inaccurate that they are oppressed for their gender. 

  Frye goes on to say that oppressed people must comply. “We participate in our own erasure”, she writes. Then she continues to elaborate on the oppression of women. She gives an example of being caught between systematically related pressures; regardless if you are active in heterosexual activity or don’t, either way a woman will be blamed for their own rape. If a woman is raped she will be accused of wanting it, thus no longer is it even considered rape.

  An oppressed group is “confined and shaped by forces and barriers which are not accidental or occasional”. Frye gives an analogy of a cage and how wires interlock on a cage to create barriers that capture a bird. Similarly, different forces work against women to capture her. 

  Frye ends by saying “barriers have different meanings to those on opposite sides of them”. For example, a prison’s barriers can mean something completely different to a prisoner than to a free person. For a prisoner the barrier is a confinement and for a free person it is a safety measure or the confines. Men generally benefit from the barriers. 

  Raquel Hernandez posted a picture in which two women with different attires/aesthetics are both equally criticized just in different ways. I think this has to do with the reading on oppression and how either way a woman will not be able to please everyone because we have been conditioned to deter womanhood. 

  This week’s reading talked about the non-binary experience and what it means to be gender non-comforting. In this piece of literature, the author’s perspective is essential to the reader. The author is delivering a nonbinary person’s view on what said identity means in a world where nonbinary voices are often shut out. Vaid- Menon expresses this concern that gender noncoforming individuals have their experiences talked about by people outside of the community rather than people engage with members of the community to discuss first hand. 

  Moreover, they say “Our existence is made into a matter of opinion, as if our genders are debatable and not just who we are.” This lack of support in a person’s life creates an unbearable toxicity that leads to detrimental effects. The author delivers terrifying statistics saying that, “40 percent of trans and gender noncomforming people have attempted suicide” (42). Perhaps the binary is easier to understand and that is why most people see individuals as either men or women. Vaid- Menon tries to get us to understand that just because the traditional western approach is convenient does not mean it is the only truth. 

  In efforts to combat the possibility that there’s more than two genders, many arguments are made for the binary. The arguments are largely based around power and control or rather in an effort to maintain it. Vaid- Menon explains that most arguments fall into one of these categories- dismissal, inconvenience, biology and the slippery slope.

  Lastly, the author makes a brutally honest point. “Often critics of gender no conforming people are more concerned with the conception of life than they are with the care and social structures needed to sustain it” (52). This means that most critics are always so adamant about their beliefs regarding other’s lives but at the end of the day seldom do they care to make sure that person is physically, mentally, and emotionally well enough to stay alive. This proves to be true when you look at how many trans and lgbt people are homeless and living in poverty.

  One of my classmates, Sadira Mohammed, tells a story about their younger sibling and confusion with gender. Sadira made really good points that gender and sex dont always align and labels can be frivolous. However, I’d like to point out that while the lack of labels may be liberating for some, labels also can be empowering. Many individuals take pride in the label they associate with especially lgbt+ members. This is often because it takes courage to be comfortable with an identity that for so many is not acceptable. Regardless, whether we choose to label ourselves or not, we should be respectful of how we approach one another.

  Isabella also shared an interesting post about how gender does not define what someone can wear. I really agree with this statement and to add onto it I think it’s interesting how in recent years, we as a society have made strong strides in understanding that. For example, the MET Gala just happened and a few celebrities wore outfits that are not traditional for their gender. Pete Davidson wore a skirt and looked great!