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DISCUSSION BOARD #13(DUE 5/10)

Discussion Board #13(due 5/10)

The workshop conducted by Victoria (Women’s Resource Center) and Robert (Counseling Center) focused on healthy relationships. What is one (or two) takeaway for you from that workshop? Based on the workshop and discussion, please write about something that you learned,  or made you think about relationships in a different way, or left you with a question that you want to explore further.

Please title your post: First Name Last Name: DB 13 and select “DB 13” as the category for your post.

Module 13

It's almost over Stay strong - fallen kitten | Meme Generator

There is no new reading for this week, but there is a discussion board post! Please also review the deadlines/schedule below.

DEADLINES

MAY 11: 

Last day of class =

Presentations + End of Semester Review + Final Exam Instructions

Final Deadline for Final Project (Memoir or Manifesto)

MAY 14:

Final Deadline for Short Essays— remember you must complete 3 out of 5 short essays. If you complete more than 3, the additional ones will count as extra credit.

Final Deadline for any late Discussion Board Posts: You can make up posts for half credit (1 point, instead of 2) but you must submit them by May 14.

MAY 21:

Final Deadline for Final Exam 

Discussion Board #13 (due 5/10)

The workshop conducted by Victoria (Women’s Resource Center) and Robert (Counseling Center) focused on healthy relationships. What is one (or two) takeaway for you from that workshop? Based on the workshop and discussion, please write about something that you learned,  or made you think about relationships in a different way, or left you with a question that you want to explore further.

Please title your post: First Name Last Name: DB 13 and select “DB 13” as the category for your post.

 

Essay #2 Danny Washington

The feminist movent durning the 1960s to 1980s was a complicated period. It was a transitional period as well. It went from the traditional understanding of feminism from a predominantly traditional sexism perspective to understanding the complexities of the Black woman experience, other women of color and women who did not fit typical societal norms. In this essay I will analyze the shift in the movement and the importance of that shift. 

In the early 1970s there was an article written entitled, “I Want A Wife” by Judy Brady. The article talks from a first person perspective about the desire to want a wife after a conversation with a male friend. The author does a fantastic way of placing imagery in our minds about the difficulties of being a wife as well as a woman. The expectations of wives and women are similar to a servant. In the article Brady says, “ I want a wife who takes care of the needs of my guests so that they feel comfortable, who makes sure that they have an ashtray, that they are passed the hors d’oeuvres, that they are offered a second helping of the food, that their wine glasses are replenished when necessary, that their coffee is served to them as they like it.” This quote seems like a dramatized vision of the responsibilities of a wife but I believe it isn’t. I believe the author’s purpose was to emphasize a reality for some women. In the beginning of the piece she talks about simple tasks that women generally endure. As the article progresses the imagery seems subservient and less humane. The article forces me as a man to think about my own projections or expectations I have for women. 

Black women were always involved in the feminist movement. However, they weren’t always equally represented in the complex ways in which they experience both racism and sexism simultaneously. It seemed to be too complicated of a subject for white women and black men to understand during the time period. Granted it was not all black men and white women. Similar to Black women, women who have not fit societal norms, such as queer women, were also always involved in the feminist movement. In the article, “How Do We Get Free” introduced by Keeanga- Yamahtta Taylor, they speak of the Black women’s complexities of the Black Woman experience in America, and gaining political consciousness. In the article they state, “ Black women’s extremely negative relationship to the American political system (a system of white male rule) has always been determined by our membership in two oppressed racial and sexual castes.” This quote does an excellent job at simply and directly stating the relationship between Black women and America. Similar to Black men, black women experience racism and similar to white women they experience sexism. However, Black men have privilege in being men and white women have white privilege. Neither group of people experience this intersection of oppression. An issue I believed should be spoken about more, which is the reason I resonated with this article. As a black man, personally experiencing moments in which the intersection of oppression displayed itself onto my mother. I can understand the importance of this topic. Black women have a relationship with America that can only be articulated by Black women but they need the support of the black community as well. The author also speak about the dependance the black feminist movement has with the black community. I believe this to be another important topic to discuss.  Understanding the shift in the feminist movement an the necessity of the shift is important. It helps me to understand my own male privilege. As well as, ways I can assist or support women in my life. Understanding their oppression helps to create a more equal world.

Mariam Varazashvili (NEW)

Women’s problems in Georgian society

  Georgia, is a country where women are given the status of a goddess.  Especially, mother has a huge role in every men’s heart. A lot of Georgian famous poets write about mothers and their values in the world. There does not exist drinking-bout where toast masters and other men will not stand up and say toasts of women, wife, house keepers and mothers. After all of this, they drink one or more glasses wine.  Georgian women are perfect for Georgian men. Georgian men think that Georgian women have a unique beauty, though they like Slovak and Russian girls.  Women are source of a new life. There are a lot of words, where “mother” is basic part of Georgian words in the language. For example: mother tongue ( დედაენა), the earth ( definition is mother ground, დედამიწა)  and so forth.

  Unfortunately, reality is radically different in our society.  I can bravely say that women have a lot of problems in our country. I will start from women’s childhood. There are framework if how must grow up baby girl. Parents think that girl and boy do not have equal terms. In this case, if boy has a freedom that means that they can do what they want, girl cannot live similarly. There are the famous sentence- you are a girl and you must … there are a lot of version how will I finish it; you must study better, you must be sophisticate, you must do house works, you must stay at home and your promised bride will find you, you are mirror of our family, you must eat accurately, you must come at home early, you must be virgin and etc. When you are a girl, almost everyone try to control your life; not only your parents but also your brothers, friends of brother, neighbors and so forth. Everyone try to control you. They want to know everything. If you are a boy, you do not have a problem.  No one try to control you. If a boy has a lot of sexual partner, it just means that he is cool. Almost every boy is proud of this fact and they attract more and more girls. They do not need a high education and accurately manners. They just know how flirt with girls. There are a huge number of boys who have psychological problems. They have a lot of complex and low self-appraisal; they try to cover it with bulling other girls. Georgian men are proud and sometimes they do not want relationship with girl who is more successful. Because of this fact, they try to bulling women; generally boys have a better experience of relationships. Boy start bulling like this, you are short, you have a long nose, you have short hands or what do you know? You do not have an enough knowledge or where do you live? Are you from village? Do you live in suburb?..  This type of man try to oppress woman and try to kill woman’s self-confidence. The man start toxic relationship with his partner. After all of this, he is proud and he thinks that he is better. Unfortunately, a large number of good girls are victims of this kind of relationships. The problem comes from childhood. There does not have mean how much perfect you are; girls always are under the critic. Parents, teachers or society want to be better and better. Parents a lot of observations give to baby girls and they forget to encourage own children. Because of this fact, from childhood woman have serious problems of self-confidence and when they grow up they become easily vulnerable.

   I want to notice religion role in the above mentioned problems. Orthodoxy has a huge influence in our community.  Christian religion tells us that the man is a head of everything. The woman must not have sexual partners before marriage, she must get marriage just once and etc. Women must have more sense of patient. She must be honest…

  Also, I think that women’s role in family is a caustic issue. A lot of women are under the stress. Often, men violence toward women. They do not need reasons. Men jealous; they afraid of everything. For example, if couple separate, he continue control of ex-wife. He do not want to comprehend that the woman is not object; she has own life and she can contact with other men. There are a lot of case where ex-wife was killed by ex-husband, where ex –wife are beaten and raped by husbands and ex-husbands. Violence take place of every level of society. There are large number of famous women who have own bad experience. Fortunately, step by step everything is changing. Years ago, I mean 7 or 5 years ago women do not speak about this problem. They shame on society. They used to start thinking, I must endure it; what kind of reaction will have people; everyone will speak about me and my family and etc. Social media has a huge role in our lives. Today, everything is transparent.  Women know that they are not alone. There are NGOs that can help to them and they can fight for them. I hope that one day everything will change. Our new generations will not have old mentality and they will realize that women and men are equal. The men is not patron of the woman after marriage.