Ivan De Los Santos

Prof. Hollis Glaser

GWS 100-1300

Discussion 7

Today I will speak about how women are being objectified more today because of the internet. For example, Instagram plays a big part because it creates a facade of how a person is supposed to look when you are looking through the Explorer page. Because of this, men have begun to model what a perfect woman is based on what they see on the Explorer page. I disagree with this because of what I see on my explore page, but that’s different from what I go for. With most of those women, men see them as a nightstand and only see them for their looks and not their personality or how they carry themselves, so I feel like the best way to stop men from objectifying women on the internet is for people that work at Instagram not to overload the feed was the same type of woman add some natural in there add some curves some stretch marks promote the normal not the facade.

Ivan De Los Santos

Prof. Hollis Glaser

GWS 100-1300

Discussion 6

Think about your relationship to capitalism in the United States.

I never really had a relationship with capitalism in the United States because I’ve never worked in this country, but I have noticed that in some workplaces, the difference between how women and men are treated is gradual; usually, the men on the top of the chain and the woman are generally towards the bottom an example is how most movies depict women in the workplace they are usually assistance to the boss. Capitalism has been a significant factor in women’s bodies being objectified and used as labor. For example, Instagram, a part of capitalism, is a false narrative of the “perfect woman.” And this issue makes it so that men judge women if they don’t look a certain way.

What are your goals for your career? Are you confident you will reach those goals?

I have many goals in my career because I don’t just want to do one thing; I want to make sure that I experience all avenues given to me. For example, my first career is becoming a basketball coach, and my goal, if we come up basketball coach, is to become the youngest NBA head coach in the league’s history. Another career I want to get into is filmmaking. To be more precise becoming a YouTuber because ever since I was little, I’ve Loved YouTube, and I’ve always wanted to try it out and see if it works; now it’s the best time for that, so I started like month ago with my friends, and my goal with you to is to entertain people mainly but also if it goes well it is a good paying job. Now the last career that I want to achieve is acting. I like working because it takes you out of your comfort zone and helps you think faster and better. My goal with acting is to say that I had an outstanding performance and whatever job I do. 

Finally, what would a feminist economy look like so that nobody is exploited? 

A feminist economy that has no exploitation would be that everybody is treated equally no matter what they identify as when it comes to race, gender, and sexual orientation. Still, according to the article, one way for a feminist economy to not be exploited is by fixing the wages they should be the same and the gender pay gap that happens between men and women. One example is the NBA versus WNBA debate that has been going on for years. For example, The average WNBA salary is $100,000, and the average NBA salary is  9 million dollars, so the pay gap between these two professions is huge; enough feminist economy, it should be equal and fair.

Ivan De Los Santos

Prof. Hollis Glaser

GWS 100-1300

Discussion 5

A patriarchal society Is defined as a male-dominated power structure that includes relationships, values, and beliefs. It is known to be structured as gender equality between both genders. Men are seen more as the king in structural terms, while women are seen as a Lower tier. It is a system that is not fair to women, but not everybody agrees with the system. For example, my thoughts on the system Are that I am opposed to this because, Bass on personal experience, most men want equality with both genders. Still, on the other hand, some people I know, because of their religious culture, see this system as how life should be. For example, they’re the provider, and she’s the one that cooks and cleans. Some people I know have a very traditional mindset, but I never grew up like that. My mom was the provider and did everything, so I do not believe in this system. 

Personal

The personal aspect of this Society relates to people’s beliefs and women being undervalued in this generation also, From what I hear from the woman who is my friends, when they are in a male-dominated space, they feel like they have to prove themselves more than men because they see as weak. In addition, I’ve also heard That they’ve been sexualized in their workspace, so with that being said, the patriarchy makes it seem that women are less than men and they are seen as objects. 

Interpersonal 

The interpersonal aspect has to do with behavior. A lot of men expect women to behave how they see in the movies from 1990.  they expect them to be quiet, listen, and do as they’re told. In my case, I don’t want that to that extent. Of course, I want my girlfriend or wife to be able to listen to what I have to say, but it has to be a conversation, not just me talking. In addition, I wouldn’t want my significant other to be quiet because that’s boring. I want her to be louder than me. So with me, I don’t listen to traditional gender roles. I want somebody that’s hard-working and has to strive for their ambition, so all these rules that the patriarchy has I do not follow. 

Institutional

Regarding the institutional aspect, the policies in this world are disadvantaged women, not all but some. For example, in late 2022, a lot of states voted for a woman not to be able to get an abortion, and that was taken away by politicians who are primarily men. Still, we can’t only blame the men because some women in the government also voted for that. I believe when this policy was brought to me, even people around me, who I would say are more on the traditional side of things, thought that this policy was not correct women should have the choice to decide if they want to have a kid or not. That right should not be taken away from them. For me, it goes against what America stands for. 

Cultural/Structural

On the cultural side of things, when it comes to patriarchy, some countries are still traditional because of their culture. For example, I’ve seen women care for ten in the Dominican Republic. There was one instance where I saw somebody yell at their wife to get him a cup of water, and that was the first time I’d seen something like that. Still, women are the ones that usually take care of their children. You barely see the men hanging out with their kids or even getting to build a connection with their children, but this isn’t just going on now. This has been the way it has been in the Dominican Republic forever, and regarding myself, I’m taking care of my kids.

Ivan De Los Santos

Prof. Hollis Glaser

GWS 100-1300

Discussion 4

In what ways do you experience privilege?

My understanding of this article was that even the littlest things in this world could be seen as a  privilege, such as having water and light and having things that most countries people don’t have. Before reading this article, I defined privilege as everything given to you, and I’ve always put privilege and spoiled in the same category. Still, when I heard Mcintosh’s definition, it transformed by definition by her saying privilege is what people work hard for and the benefits you get from it.

 In my life, I have been very privileged with the way I grew up. I grew up in America. Yes, in the beginning, we didn’t have much money. Still, my mother made it our mission for me never to feel like that, so in a way, I was privileged enough to be able to have somebody in my life that worked so hard for me not to be able to see how bad life was but also in America being able to have free education and accessible mode of trial because when I am in my home country, I see the difficulties people go through every day, for example, a lot of people in the Dominican Republic do not have light or Wi-Fi. I always take advantage of Wi-Fi, but this article has opened my eyes to say that I should be grateful to have Wi-Fi because many people don’t have that pleasure.

In what ways do you experience oppression?

If I’m completely honest, I’ve never experienced oppression, and there is one reason for this. When I was growing up, My routine was to go to school, and back home, I never really was outside, so the experiences that other people wanted were the same.

 How does watching this video and doing the readings help you define the concepts of privilege and oppression, and what are your current definitions?

In Mcintosh’s words, privilege is referred to advantages somebody has regarding religion, ethnicity, and location. “People without this skin tone are consequently viewed differently because it is not the dominant “skin tone.”  for example, privileges are based on the color of your skin, so if you have lighter skin, you have more privilege than somebody who has darker skin.

These videos and readings gave me a different viewpoint than I thought before these videos and readings. They have shifted my definition of privilege, and my impression of my current definition of privilege is still being determined. It says that sometimes it could be based on how you look. Also, when it comes to oppression, I didn’t have any experience with that topic, So reading the article made me see it from her experiences.

Ivan De Los Santos

Prof. Hollis Glaser

GWS 100-1300

Discussion 3

What does it mean to move beyond the gender binary for Alok?

What Alok Means by moving beyond the gender binary is to have the ability to see past somebody’s gender because that is not what matters. Alok feels like what matters is how a person displays themselves daily. Alok also speaks on how gender puts people in a box and thinks that it is very harmful to a person. For a long time, Alok did not know how to find acceptance within for a long time. When it comes to being Beyond the gender binary, it is hard for people that have transitioned because it is not globally accepted yet. 

In what ways does your gender identity go against the binary norm, and in what ways does it fit the binary norm?

I grew up and thought I was not being taught all these things because of a religious background, and even now, I still don’t understand some stuff in the reading. That was the reason why I took this class. I wanted to understand a bit more because I just know the basics of gender roles. For example, I still need to understand why we use pronouns when, according to my knowledge, pronouns weren’t used before. So I’m just trying to understand. I’ve been more about people who are non-binary, who are they slash them because I’m a little confused.

Ivan De Los Santos

Prof. Hollis Glaser

GWS 100-1300

Discussion 2 

“a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” Explain what you understand this definition to mean.

What I understood from this definition is that Hooks felt that one of the major problems in society was sexism, And then not only men but women have sexist thoughts. Hooks stated, “it was clear that men wanted to lead, and they wanted women to follow.” Her saying showed how most men think about women in a traditional sense. Men wanted to be the leader, and women were the follower. That is not what feminism stands for. Feminism, to me, is about equality and that women should be seen as a contributor to society, not background characters.  Hooks’ definition States that it is equality for women and any gender. That is what I understood from this definition. 

How does this definition compare with what you thought “feminism” meant before you did this reading?

Before I read this essay, my thoughts on feminism were utterly different than now from my experiences. I thought that women who are feminists hated men for us not being equal when it was  our fault the society was like this because, in my eyes, I felt like I got hate for just being men when I supported the calls until I started getting hate from feministS also my idea of feminist was that it was not for us to be equal but to belittle man. I understand what women go through and the experiences and sexism they face, but I can’t say personally that I have done that because I grew up in a family full of women. Technically, I was the only male, so I was taught not to do that, but I do know people that have sexist thoughts and say sexist remarks, so this definition was completely different than what I have thought before because it shows me that all women want it’s to be equal or be seen equal to the opposite gender.

How does the reading Sex and Gender 101 compare with what you thought about gender before you did this reading?

Sex and gender 101 was a great article. It gave me some insight into stuff I didn’t know before. I didn’t understand why people used pronouns because I had never used them. This article talks about how girls are taught and expected to be soft and submissive as men are expected to be tough and rowdy. I could say that I didn’t grow up like that, so these Norms did not apply to me, but they apply to many people around me. I feel these norms shouldn’t be used because they put people in a box. I feel like from a man’s perspective. It gives mental trauma to men because they always think they shouldn’t cry. Still, this reading gave me some insight into some stuff. Still, I already knew some things, like the sexual orientation aspect, but when it comes to everything else, I learned A little bit more about gender assignment and how that goes together with pronouns.