I experience the privileges’ of being able to thrive in a place with a roof over my head running water. The privilege to cook what i want , voice my opinion about who and whatever i choose. Also prey to which ever higher power of my choice. I don’t feel its so much oppression ( i hate that word being used so freely, see my other discussions) as it is institutionalized racism. That is one thing that i have experienced in my life time quite a bit. As far as white privilege, wouldn’t that just fall under the umbrella of institutionalized racism ? I don’t think you have extra privilege because your white i think that the mind of people in places of power who happen to be your similar skin color has enabled you to progress faster then other would. I am also positive my grandmother could give you an example or two on what oppression feels like. When i think of the word oppression, i think of “these people eat off of a table and you eat the scraps off the floor” i am lucky enough where i never experienced anything as cruel as that . Watching the video basically was a gauge for how some people are more “oppressed” then others even ones you wouldn’t even consider. The Marilyn Frye gave me a view of “oppression” through the perspective of the oppressed .One such paragraph that stuck out to me was where she discussed acceptable behavior restraint from both parties. This intrigued me and lured me in because I am thinking she is about to unveil this masterful solution of how it could be done……NOPE!!! the men get thrown under the train. She states “the woman’s restraint is a part of a structure oppressive to woman, the mans restraint is a part of a structure oppressive to woman”. I was actually with her the first half until it became more of a finger pointing rally. It reminded me of the banter that went on between AL and Peg Bundy on married with children ( i am showing my age). Men do this!!, and then they do that, but then when you do this , they go and do that .For the video one thing that i found odd , I didn’t get why they said ” if you got time off from your religious holidays take one step forward’? in the context of privilege where did it fit?

For Alok this means being more then what you may label yourself, more then your preferred sex pronoun and or gender construction. I can agree that We all express and experience our gender in different ways that is what makes us unique. I disagree with Alok saying that there are an infinite number of options outside of either being man or woman. I would have liked to have heard some of those options. I do love Alok’s enthusiasm and charisma about a subject that is near and dear to his or her heart. This goes back to what I previously discussed in my last post where so many people for many reasons want to feel oppressed or have fake outrage and or want to be placed in groups separate from everyone else. Which I understand totally understand but i should not have to take part in what someone’s theoretic belief to make them feel better. My passion is art i am an artist i paint draw, sketch, graffiti etc. My style of drawing and creating figures that i would imagine had no real structure to it , that is until i started fashion design class. The class taught me how to proportion my figures also how to express emotion with body language. I guess that is one way my gender identity goes against binary norms It was a class of 20 students with 2 other students being men . In one way i suppose it “fits the binary norm” is that i love to portray the woman i paint as very goddess like a technique that has been seen for centuries by the masterclass painters that have been men, not saying there were not any woman masterclass painters i am sure if we look we will find some. My question is why does what i like have go against a binary norm? that actually ridiculous even to type. As a man i watched sailor moon as equally as dragon ball z. The discussion seems less about making people aware and more forcing people to care. Your sexual orientation should be personal and how you choose to live your life in whatever power ranger you identify with is your choice and that is my ted talk.

“a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” The authors definition is a fitting one that coincides with what i have read about the movement of feminism. Bell Hooks eloquently sums up some of the mistreatments and hurdles females have faced along the years, fighting basically for there dignity. While this definition is one I agree with, understood and may rally behind. The part that does not sit well with me is the oppression part, I feel as thou to really experience female oppression one would have to travel outside of the west. However this is not the Olympics of oppression. I was familiar with the movement of feminism just not in detail. Feminism then was deemed more towards giving females a foundation of equality to stand on, ending institutionalized sexism . The feminism of now seems to pick and choose there targets , also removing the spotlight from black woman who were there at the inception in place of the white woman victims. The equality around the board that was preached within Feminism is for everybody has been destroyed. Instead its been rebuilt into this a finger pointing man ruining machine that has everyone walking on eggshells. Maybe its karma ? who knows but it is slowly getting more and more out of control. The sex and gender 101 was interesting but nothing groundbreaking as I have seen this same reoccurring theme played tirelessly over the last couple of years. The reading attempts to broaden the spectrum of what biological sex by coming up with new labels for peoples personal likes and who or what they identify with. Labels I feel I should not have to memorize or care to remember. Lets say you are a “Cis” gender person , does that automatically make you a good person because that’s all i really care about . I also do not understand why it is so hard to understand that men and woman are different biologically, mentally, sexually . The author states that that they refuse to subscribe to the idea that a persons sex is unchangeable. As much as you don’t subscribe to it does not make it less true that biologically men cannot give birth, men cannot get there period , woman cannot produce sperm it cant happen and no amount of unsubscribing or science and detour that from being any less of a truth. If we start subscribing to the idea that identity falls along multiple spectrums rather then dichotomous boxes, where does it end?. I appreciate the reading for what it is and I am sure this is not the last author to push this convoluted ideology.