The readings this week put an emphasis on how some of the personal problems we have in our households are actually rooted to the political problems we have in our society. In the first reading “The politics of Housework” by Pat Mainardi the writer explains to us the difference between a liberated woman and womens liberation. Explaining to us a liberated woman more-so walks to the beat of her own drum and while there are men who prefer an independent woman who does not play into the old school wife roll they have a hard time splitting and sharing household duties even when they claim to be willing. Men are so conditioned to letting women handle housework it seems like a dreadful minuscule task to a man. Whereas they are more willing to do what they feel is masculine work. It leads to men becoming defensive and finding ways to not split the household duties using excuses for it to all fall back on the woman in the end giving validation to the claim personal is political.

            In the second reading “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” by Anne Koedt the author is explaining how the hierarchy of society (men) not understanding the way simulation and orgasms work for the woman’s vagina has caused a misdiagnosis of some women when ordinary intercourse is only geared toward what makes a man feel good. In-fact man of what we call ordinary positions are relatively geared only to a man’s satisfaction. The author believes the facts need to be approached differently and looked at from a woman’s point of view instead of a man’s so there is more clarity on what actually stimulates a woman.

    The hierarchy has dictated much of what a woman’s role should be and making sure a man is satisfied after working and being the bread winner while there has been progression in equality of sexes many of the embedded old expectations and knowledge still linger in our personal lives making personal situations also political ones.

  Suffrage, equal rights amendment, and labor rights are related because they all circle back to equality for all specifically women in some cases. Each stands alone but relatively leads back to the same desire for all. The equal rights amendment made it so women and men have gender equality amongst one another no matter the situation. The women’s suffrage movement is what led the change to voting and sparked the forward movement of labor rights for women. Gender justice is essentially equality for women in the work place allowing them to be viewed as equal rather than lesser. Without gender justice labor rights would not be carried out efficiently. These same historical issues are enacted today by not offering opportunities to people who transition into the opposite sex or identify differently, employers still viewing women as the lesser in jobs they assume a woman cannot do as if these laws do not exist. Women are still working double as hard as men to prove they are worthy of a promotion or raise. Years ago I applied for a warehouse job (2015) and while I did get interviewed it was very clear they had no interest in having a female do the work as if I was incapable. It was almost like a joke for them and even with these laws that say we are all equal that type of situation lets me know that although the laws say one thing there is definitely still a divide in looking at everyone equally regardless of their gender !!

This week’s readings gave me much to think about I was most taken back at the reading out of “The Macho Paradox”, where they focused on the role porn plays in boys/men lives. I begin to question myself for feeling like well women watch porn too why are we only focused on the men?. However, when I continued reading and saw some of the examples they used I was wide eyed and wondering why I had not felt this way prior none of it alarmed me prior to reading this. This made me Question if what the author Is saying is really true. We all have our guilty pleasures but given the context of the examples I agree something needs to change. Then there is the aspect of the world progressing and this kind of material still being made it becomes a POOR choice in a sense for women to subject themselves to the disrespect. I don’t believe the same narratives from 50 years ago are being pushed onto women and if they are the women are and can rebel against it so at what point do we recognize this is a choice being made and focus more on lack of self-love aside from then blaming porn for how they portray women. Why are the women still doing and allowing it in a progressive world!! I want to be clear I am not speaking of the way it encourages rape or any of that I more-so want to understand why women are still ok with participating in degrading porn in 2022.!!

  After reading the book passages and viewing the film my definition of Activism is a movement of people pushing for change where change is needed. The film I watched was “Knocking down the House” the film was about four working class women running for congress seats against the then current powerful and known seat holders. Their names were Alexandria Oscasio- Cortez, Amy Viela, Cori Bush, and Paula Jean. Although three of the women fell short of winning their races Cortez ended up beating 10-term seat holder Joe Crowley in 2018 taking his seat in congress. All four women displayed activism by engaging and connecting with the public and spreading their message and intentions clearly. It is through such activism Cortez managed to beat Crowley she had far less recourses than Crowley specifically funding. However, by having grassroots behind her and getting her message out through footwork in the community, internet and news platforms Cortez had a clear and direct message that she spread throughout her district and beyond to secure her win. In the reading this week “How To Think Like An Activist” By Wendy Syfret she explains the power of a clear message saying, “The goal here is to come up with a clear and direct message that reflects what you stand for, what you want, and how others can take part” (41). I chose this quote because it resonated with the movie and Cortez’s victory. She pushed for a change and even though Crowley had all the funds and big names to back him he didn’t have the working people. His message was never clear!!  I have practiced activism in my work environment with the children I work with. Every year in pre-k the kids are taught about activism and even make signs and march everyone chooses one thing they want to advocate for we write it out and walk around the block. Outside of that I encountered a woman on a train who was terribly cursing an older man out for accidently hitting her foot with his bike I stepped in and spoke up for him he reminded me too much of my grandparents to just sit there and say nothing.

 Patriarchy is embodied in the way we function as a society.  In this weeks reading “Patriarchy the System” Allan G. Johnson, gave us many examples of how we unknowingly or not aide in patriarchy and privilege. In being part of a social system we all fall into a category upheld by patriarchy. He says, “We need to deal with the social roots that generate and nurture the social problems (28). Culturally, people raise their children and are raised themselves to believe in a particular set of rules that keep them in compliance with what is expected this is an act of patriarchy because essentially you’re being told to act a specific way that will keep you in good standing with society and your culture, anything outside of this means to not be living the right way. Outside of culture in your home some are raised to believe women’s ultimate goal is to marry and begin a family and living outside of that narrative perhaps dating multiple men is frowned upon and viewed as unacceptable these are some examples of narratives and situations that societal groups inflict upon one another -therefore aiding in patriarchy, just off of the set of beliefs their particular social system had instilled in their way of thinking and functioning. Privilege is existent and given without even being earned because the social systems are set up in a way that rewards and is fruitful to some simply for the skin they’re in so even if it is not wanted or desired it will be given regardless there is no escaping it and even with this privilege the same people who receive it can be oppressed for not being straight or desiring to live outside of society’s definition of living right. Audre Lorde seemingly is delivering the same message in short with her writing from “There is no Hierarchy of Oppressions” she says, “I have learned that sexism and heterosexism both arise from the same source as racism (2). In other words, all these stigmas arise from the same social system although all are different issues they arise from the same core which is society, making it not just an issue for those who are victimized by it but all of us. Instead of staying in a never ending loop of a created narrative we should band together and revamp it completely because we are society we hold the power to change all of it.