In “Oppression”, Marylyn Frye argues how women are oppressed, all the limits that they have in society as that is growing every day. She makes a comparison with a cage so that we readers can see how women are imprisoned . That society wants a submissive woman and that she is always smiling when she shouldn’t be, because if you don’t feel good about yourself you can’t show something that you are not or that you don’t feel.  She visualizes how women put the burden on her since she was little that she should remain silent.  I think that oppression is seen faster than a privilege but for me both are situations created by the same society and ignorance. People when you are experiencing oppression or a moment of loneliness, often say that you should smile not show that weak side.  But for me personally I thought it was like that but it’s a lie, because it’s also good to have stormy days without seeing the sun because they are the ones that teach us to take advantage and fight for rainbow days.    

   In other ways, In Peggy article “White Privilege: Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack”.  She recounts how an unborn white person already has an advantage compared to someone with darker skin. As we know, racism and the privileged have existed for years.  For example, when a white person goes to the supermarket, none of the workers are aware of what the white man is going to buy, but if he is a black person, all the other shoppers are aware of whether they are going to steal something.  As for your color, you are classified as person grata or non grata. The text states “Whether I use checks, credit cards or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability ” (White Privilege Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack Peggy McIntosh). This evidence illustrates that with the power of white privilege certain groups of people rely on their skin color to help them in society.  This relates to certain events that have happened in our society where a person of color was wrongfully arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill which resulted in him dying. If it was a white person this event would be completely different because their skin tone gives them a level of protection that others don’t have. I disagree because the privilege is not always the white person knows that he is privileged or because he is doing the racism on other black people. Many of them are born into white families that do not teach their children about racism, about the correct way to treat others for having a darker color and that we are all human beings and have the same value. You are no more than me, just because you look different or come from a different family.

This quote was mentioned by Alok Vaid-Menon in the video. “We call activism just empathy for other people.” Yes I am and that in one way or another has brought me problems, because if you need me I’m there for everything and if something happens to you I’ll give you my support.  Many people when they do treat you as if they don’t need your help, many times they talk to you in a bad way when you are only trying to help.  That happens to me quite a lot and for that reason I decided to let everyone solve their problems as they can, because I am the one who is there for all the people around me all the time and many of them do not know how to thank me, they only speak in a bad tone and do not be helped.  When someone needs me, I love being there because I always say that as you can be today, tomorrow I can be the one who needs you. All of this has happened these days and I only ask God to give us more love and more empathy for others, because no one thinks of anyone and no one cares about others. So when someone does, many people don’t find it bad or make you feel bad. For me, we all have a commitment to other people that we should give them a helping hand, however many people do not think that way because they are only interested in their own benefit.

     In the book “Beyond The Gender Binary” by Alok Vaid-Menon. This agrees and disagrees with him, because on the one hand he is right about nonbinary because they are people who do not define themselves as a woman or a man.  For example, in society they tend to recognize that when a woman is pregnant and they have the famous Gender Reveal parties, most tend to wear the color pink if she is female and blue if she is male.  I don’t see it that way because they are all colors we cannot catalog or define a color for a girl or a boy. Because colors don’t really define your gender.  But society has cataloged it that way. For example when the girls make everything pink, the decoration of the room, the clothes and everything.  In the same way, when he is a boy all blue. Non-binary people are often patient and take their own ideas into account.  But I disagree with him, since I don’t consider myself non-binary .Because I have a religion not 100%, but I spent most of my childhood and adolescence visiting the church learning from the word, from God and that goes against their ideals.  Because of that I am not non-binary, because he created man and woman.Regardless, I have always respected the decisions of each person and if you are non-binary, I respected you and I love you just like a binary person.  Because we all deserve respect and are worth the same.  I believe in the freedom that each person has to choose what they want.

Before I read the article “Feminist Politics Where We stand” by Bell Hooks.  I had a similar perception to the author.  However, since I was little I have read stories of women who fought for our rights.  That they were feminists, that they gave everything to defend their rights.  The definition that I have of feminism or rather the perception is that the fight of women for their rights is not against men as many people think no, but rather the fight for gender equality.  That if a man and a woman have the same career, they should earn the same, not like before in past centuries when men earned more money for the simple fact of being a man and being the one who takes control of everything. Thanks to God and to the women who fought for equal rights, today many women can earn more money than men.  Because before the woman was classified as weak and submissive because of this they challenged the value that they really deserved from her.  I came to hear when I was little that the word “Feminism” was created by a woman who only wanted to take power away from men and devalue them.  When I understand that it is not like that because feminist women only have the purpose of having gender equality. 

     I understand the quote “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression”.  This teaches that feminism is not against men. Its purpose is to end the injustices that were created by society and the stereotypes . Of being oppressed and limited by the opposite sex. That women do not want to be the ones who dominate simply to be understood, taken more into account by men and society. Hook mentions “Lifestyle feminism”. This means that your ideas don’t matter in the sense that you don’t have to share the same point of view as another feminist because she is the one who allows politics to be eliminated from a movement and she puts a different spin on it in the sense that the common stories feminists only defend their perception of rights.  Similarly, Hooks mentions “as women realized that males were not the only group in our society who supported sexist thinking and behavior that females could be sexiest as well”.  This emphasizes that women can be sexist just like men and that being a feminist does not mean that a woman hates a man, or that she does not show prejudice.  After reading this book, I changed my definition of feminism a bit because I understood that women in the feminist movement must start from 0 because it has become a raising consciousness movement.  That not all women have the same point of view of feminism changes a lot due to origin and status.  

   On the other hand, in the article “Sex and Gender 101” by Kyle Mayer’s.She tells a small explanation of the differences between sex and Gender.For me, the definition of Sex was that it refers to different characteristics of men and women. The different development of men and women, related to chromosomes, organs and hormones.  The change that we all have from childhood to adulthood as a man’s voice becomes harsher and as a woman’s breasts grow.  Generated for me is the social construction of the characteristics of a man and a woman of physical appearance, roles and relations between both genders.  Maye’s mentions “Upon assigning a gender, children are then socialized according to the gender roles of the cultures they were born into”.This teaches us reality and how almost all of us pass this stage of asking ourselves these questions: Who are we?  Is it good or bad to change?  Why do they make fun of me for my physical change?  .  Genders cause oppression and are what create stereotypes.

Hello guys. I hope everyone are doing great. My name is Merichel Almonte. I’m from Dominican Republic but now I’m living in Long island. I’m 18. My major is Liberal Art because when I get here . I was having a lot of problem because everything was a new system . I had a big changed because I left my mom in Dr and I’m not living with my dad either. In the beginning everything was hard for me, but I always try my best because I want to make feel proud to my parents. I was having problem when I was in High School because how you know here the students don’t have a grade by the age , they have a grade of they history and the work the have made. I was supposed to be in 10 Grade but they said no and put me in the 9 Grade. One thing that helped me to graduate in the year that I was supposed to , was that I passed all my Exams quickly and in my last year 12 grade for me I was doing the 11 grade but not, because in the half of the year they told me that I was in 12 Grade. I didn’t have any an idea and I was force to do applications for Colleges at last time. For that reason in that moment I don’t have any idea about a student college life, because they don’t give me the oportunite and either the time to think and get the right information. Other thing that happened to me was the Cov start the same year of my 12 Grade. I don’t have a Prom and nothing. The 2020 was hard for everyone and more for me because in that year I was having the hope to get for information about College , to get a Good major something that I love. But I never have the chance. Everything was closed and I never have someone to help me. In one point in my life I feel like falling down, not help , not hopes, not motivation and with nothing that I really like to study in College. So, I start with my major Liberal Arts until I decided. In my first semester at Bmcc I was searching for majors but nothing got my attention. With the past of the time. I start realize that the things I like are a career but in Bmcc they don’t have it. I decided to finish my major and see what will be happen in the future. If my major don’t work out, I will like to open my own business or a Beauty Salon for Curly Hair.

I hoping to get a New major when I get done at Bmcc. I want to learn more English because sometimes is hard for me to talk with other people. I want to be succeful in this Class and Learn about everything.