Response # 6: Essay #1 Proposal: Gender as a Meme

Philip Oliver Roibas Sharkey

Eng 102 – Benton

Essay #1 Proposal: Gender as a Meme

Our society lives under a flawed belief system; this is evident in the way people interact with each other, choose to express themselves, and the way in which social norms construct people’s beliefs.  One of the most poisonous and emotionally hazardous flaws is gender.  From the time we are born we are formed into stereotypes; our guardians and primary school teachers manipulate our behavior by reprimanding and punishing us to better fit into the preconceived notions of the way a man or woman should behave.  This behavior should no longer be tolerated, because it is promoting sexism and restricting progress in our culture.

I want to start a balanced discussion within my essay about the ways in which gender archetypes are hurting our society and, using examples of other culture’s gender roles, I would like to apply the theory of memes to the evolution of gender roles.  I will be trying to persuade my audience into understanding for themselves the ways in which community and social constructs affect the way we perceive the world; ultimately making the argument, that sex should not define ones gender and that we should rid ourselves of outdated and misconceived notions that gender idiosyncrasies can in any way benefit our culture.

It is imperative that we do so, so that our culture can evolve and we can push ourselves towards a more equal world, a world where people will not be discriminated against due to their emotional characteristics or gender particularities; to lead us towards true personal freedom.  Gender equality in the work force, something we have not yet fully accomplished, is only the tip of the iceberg. We need to start thinking about the ways in which we affect others with the limited scope from which we view our world.  Ultimately it will be for the good of all mankind that we try to look at the world from multiple perspectives, polylogical discourse is the only way we can create a more balanced and fair world to live in.

I will be constructing my argument in a way that would make it suitable for a publication like The New York Times.  I will be doing so because it is one of the few newspapers that would accept something so progressive.  At the same time, I would like to make my essay unbiased enough that anyone reading it will find at least some of the things it discusses relatable.  Gender roles affect everyone to some extent and I feel that it is important that we look at the subject from this perspective, regardless of how comfortable we feel in the role society has placed us in.

To support my thesis, I will be primarily using the sources in the works cited section at the end of this proposal.  I have chosen these sources because they discuss this subject from multiple vantage points and I would like to make my argument as fair and balanced as possible, so that it speaks to the multitudes instead of a selective few that are particularly affected by gender stereotypes.

Works Cited

Barnett, Rosalind C., and Caryl Rivers. Same Difference: How         

            Gender Myths Are Hurting Our Relationships, Our Children,

and Our Jobs. New York: Basic, 2004.

Brannon, Linda.  Gender: Psychological Perspectives. 3^rd ed. Boston:

            Allyn and Bacon, 2002.

Cudd, Anne E., and Robin O. Andreasen, eds. Feminist Theory: a

            Philosophical Anthology.  Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2005.

            
Roe, Anne. “Evolving Gender Roles Explored at Anne Roe  

            Lecture: Harvard Graduate School of Education.”  Lecture.  

            Harvard Graduate School of Education: To Prepare Leaders in

            Education.  Harvard University, 24 Nov. 2008. Web. 12 Sept.

            2011.http://www.gse.harvard.edu/newsimpact/2008/11/evolving            

-gender-roles-explored-at-anne-roe-lecture/.

Respose #5: Educational Structure: in Crisis and Near Collapse

Philip Sharkey

Eng102 – Benton

Educational Structure: in Crisis and Near Collapse

            The main argument proposed in John Bellamy Foster’s “Education and the Structural Crisis of Capital,” is that the privatization of the American Public School System and the Capitalist structure of American primary and secondary education has led to its current failing condition.  I have held a similar view for much of my life and it will be my intention in writing this response to expand on this focus, using personal experience and more traditional sources. 

            Growing up in the United States, I have had the privilege of experiencing several educational orders.  I have enjoyed the freedom of Montessori Schools, the repressive nature of the Catholic School System, the over-standardization of Public Schools, and I have been cultivated into a product by magnet programs. While the paradigm of the Public School System in America is universal, private institutions do not always follow the same strict format. Take Montessori schools for example, while they do have some of the same foundations as public schools they also encourage students to supplement their education with independent learning and thinking; as their mission statement clearly states, “Aiming to develop independent and self-thinking individuals who help create a better world for themselves and others.” (http://www.international-montessori.org)

            Although my time in the Montessori School System was probably the most profoundly influencing over course of my education, the most notorious public program I was involved with was The Academy at Henry Clay High School.  At a mere glance magnet programs like The Academy; seem to be advantageous to outsiders. Sure the students within such programs are more likely to succeed, they get better scores in class, standardized tests and college entry exams like the SAT; but what people fail to account for is the reason these programs exist in the first place.

            The main priority of such programs is not to provide the best education for their students, but to off balance the poor testing results of the rest of the school.  As I was constantly reminded during my time in The Academy, it was the duty of myself and my classmates to do exceptionally well on the nationally issued standardized tests.  It was the funding the school acquired through our scores that paid for new sporting equipment, books and other school property.  We were pushed through the program on the grounds that we were the most capable of academic achievement.  Sure they would help us apply to schools when the time came, but we were really a product; something to be developed so that when we were used or ‘sold’ every spring, we could create the most profit or the highest scores possible.

            Montessori Schools taught me how to be a contributing member of society in extreme juxtaposition to magnet programs within the Public School system, which only fed a more primal competitive nature.  What I found to be the most troubling and socially destructive flaw within Magnet Programs, is the disproportionately high level of attention school teachers focus on their students.  It seems to me that this behavior, in many ways, led to a belief held by many students in such programs that they were somehow better than the rest of society.  We are the students that are supposed to make the most money, hold the most power and influence. “The crippling of individuals I consider the worst evil of capitalism. Our whole educational system stems from this evil. An exaggerated competitive attitude is inculcated into the student, who is trained to worship acquisitive success as a preparation for a future career....  A planned economy, which adjusts production to the needs of the community, would distribute the work to be done among all those able to work and would guarantee a livelihood to every man, woman and child. The education of the individual, in addition to promoting his own innate abilities, would attempt to develop in him a sense of responsibility for his fellow men in place of the glorification of power and success in our present society.” (A quote from Albert Einstein found in http://monthlyreview.org)

            It is time that we separate ourselves from these ridiculous notions that any man, no matter how great, is better than another.  We live in a society that values equality and so we should try to make a more equal society, starting with education.  We should not be separated from the time we are eleven or twelve into tiny factions that are designed to stimulate educational growth among the most elite.  Most people have the same level of ability at such a young age and we should be trying to help each individual student, not just those that show the most ‘promise’ for success. In conclusion the capitalist structure of Public Education is leading to its demise, although it is not too late to fix it.

Works Cited

Foster, John Bellamy. "Education and the Structural Crisis of Capital :: Monthly Review." Monthly Review, An Independent Socialist Magazine. Monthly Review, 1 July 2011. Web. Sept. 2011. <http://monthlyreview.org/2011/07/01/education-and-the-structural-crisis-of-capital>.

"International Montessori Schools & Child Development Centres | Mission Statement." International Montessori Schools & Child Development Centres | Home. International Montessori Schools and Child Development Centres. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. <http://www.international-montessori.org/mission-statement.htm>.

Response #4: The Evolution of Education in Contemporary Society

Philip Oliver Roibas Sharkey

ENG102 – J010

The Evolution of Education in Contemporary Society

            The problems with the American educational system are varied and expansive; affecting everyone, even those who have not been in a school system for decades.  The misallocation of school funds and constant lowering of standards has lead to America’s educational decline. In comparing the RSA Animate – Changing Education Paradigms by Ken Robinson and the MSNBC Video: Matt Damon Rewrites Attack on Teachers from The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, it will be my ambition to support these claims.

            Education across the globe is undergoing major reform, although countries are not making similar educational decisions.  This is indicative by the varying levels of ability in the developed world, “The three-yearly OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report, which compares the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds in 70 countries around the world, ranked the United States 14th out of 34 OECD countries for reading skills, 17th for science and a below-average 25th for mathematics.” (www.huffingtonpost.com)  these statistics show where America stands next to her competition and the results are startling. How can a country that prides itself on having some of the best universities in the world be so far behind in secondary education?

            I believe the problem lies with the use of standardized testing scores to allocate funding.  A school that has lower test scores should not be penalized by the government via financial cut-backs.  It doesn’t make sense that a school with lower scores should get less funding; on the contrary it should get them more money.  Perhaps the reason schools with low testing scores stay consistently low, is that they do not have the means to properly teach their students. “The persistently low test scores of TC Williams students have made the school one of the lowest achieving in Virginia…. Gregory Baldwin, a special education teacher, blames standardized tests mandated under "No Child Left Behind." The law was passed under President George W. Bush.” (http://www.voanews.com)  If text books or other learning materials are out of date a schools test scores, however low they may be, should not get in the way of their obtaining new classroom materials; we should be focusing on the schools with the lowest success rates.

In Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell Mr. O’Donnell explains that in his days of classroom learning students’ performance did not lead to the expulsion of educators, but to the failing of students.  He suggests that students’ performance relates more to their personal ability and work ethic, than to the educators’ ability to teach.  While I know that this is partially true, I also know that teachers greatly influence their students and that their ability to teach greatly effects their students’ education. 

A good example of this is how much farther behind some schools, usually in smaller communities, are from their sister institutions across county lines. Why are the schools in cities like Berea and Richmond so much farther behind their Lexington counter parts? This semester I am taking MA109, the last math class many students take in college, and I am shocked by how low the standards are; it is literally the same class I took as a freshman in high school.  I have friends however that are struggling so much with it that they are trying to find ways of bypassing the course. Everyone should know how to do algebra, and you should not need a college degree to solve quadratic equations.

Ken Robinson goes over a variety of subjects in the ‘RSA Animate – Changing Education Paradigms,’ but at one point he suggests that we should raise the standards in our educational system, even asking “Why should we lower them? I haven’t come across an argument that persuades me of lowering them.” When Matt Damon talks about educational reform in Mr. O’Donnell’s video, he extrapolates on the subject by suggesting that his professors would not have been able to give him the balanced and in depth understanding of the world he experiences without having been able to teach him whatever they pleased; that standardized testing is pushing back general education requirements and thusly lowering the standards for everyone. That these exams were not merely raising the standards in some schools, but lowering them in others; and maybe we should listen to him, he did go to Harvard.

In conclusion, it is my belief that legislation like “No Child Left Behind” mixed with the ineffective gauging of ability within the American educational system has led to its decline.  Hopefully Americans will decide to place a higher level of importance on education and try to fix these problems; it is our responsibility as a society to do so.

 

Works Cited

Alexandria, Penelope Poulou |. "Diverse High School Battles Low Test Scores, High Drop-out Rate | Education | English." News | English. Voice of America, 7 June 2010. Web. 1 Sept. 2011. <http://www.voanews.com/english/news/education/Diverse-High-School-Battles-Low-Test-Scores-High-Drop-out-Rate-95789904.html>.

O'Donnell, Lawrence. "MSNBC Video: Matt Damon Rewrites Attack on Teachers from The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell." Msnbc.com - Breaking News, Science and Tech News, World News, US News, Local News- Msnbc.com. Microsoft National Broadcasting Company. Web. 1 Sept. 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/43996175>.

Robinson, Ken. "RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms - YouTube." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. RSA Animate, 14 Oct. 2010. Web. 1 Sept. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U>.

"U.S. Falls In World Education Rankings, Rated 'Average'" Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. Huffington Post, 12 July 2010. Web. 1 Sept. 2011. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/07/us-falls-in-world-education-rankings_n_793185.html>.

Response #3: Left of Center Politics: The Long Road to Change

Philip Oliver Roibas Sharkey

Eng 102 – J010 Michael Benton

Left of Center Politics: The Long Road to Change

The introduction to Dale Maharidge’s Someplace like America, depicts the book as a people’s history of the current economic recession and what has led to it;  ultimately suggesting that America will eventually recover from this depression by moving towards an economic system that, although the article never says this directly, is more leftist. It will be the intention of this response, to discuss the ways in which this is a fallacy.

            The United States has had a long lived inclination towards right of center politics. This is evident not only because “There have been 18 Republican presidents and 14 Democratic presidents,” (www.wisegeek.com) but by the general American assumption that the Democratic Party is leftist; when nearly everywhere else in the world they are considered centrist. In fact, many (including myself) would argue that America is missing a leftist party.

            Most Republicans want to limit the size of the government, claiming that it would lead to more personal freedom for Americans. The problem with that concept is that they are not trying to limit the laws that inhibit such liberties.  The most logical reasoning behind this move, would be that it would give their party and the elite among their constituency more power; by, for example, limiting governmental influence over the economy.  Reducing the size of government alone, could not possibly lead to the changes they claim they are trying to entice.

            How then, is it possible that the masses are motivated to vote for such a party?  I figure that it is not entirely because they agree, or even truly understand, the economic views of the party; but, are motivated to vote for them based on their social beliefs. (Take for example, that most republicans are Christian, pro-life and anti-homosexual.)  For some reason I cannot fathom, many people believe that these are the most pressing concerns for America and her welfare. Obviously, with our tanking economy, this is not the case.

            It is suggested in ‘Someplace like America’, that “We… will begin the long process of rebuilding an economy that works for everyone, but this can happen only if we relearn some lessons about caring for and relying on one another. And relearn we will, for we have no other choice.” (Maharidge 7)  The fundamental flaw in this premise is that it suggests that America will in fact rebuild its economy.  I believe that if this were to happen, it would not be for at least another decade; America has a long way to go before it hits rock bottom and I postulate that only then will its citizenry be pushed towards changing its economic principles towards something more leftist, as this quote suggests.

            Perhaps the most candid aspect of this quote is that America does indeed have a choice, as is evident in the ways we got here in the first place. Living in a democracy should allow us to make the political decisions that will better our country. Instead we decide to do the same thing over and over again in the hopes that it will lead to different results; this is insanity. Especially, because the changes we have made over the past few decades have pushed us in the opposite direction of every other developed country.  Why is it that we are one of the most developed countries without universal health care?  Why do we not offer equal rights to all of our citizens?  Why do we not try to better the lives of the people living in the lowest income levels?

            The culmination of this evidence and these principles, leads me to believe that not only is United States not going down the path towards becoming a more leftist state that cares for its people, but that we are going in the opposite direction entirely.  I hope that the optimistic view of where our country is going, that is made in Someplace Like America, will come into place; but I do not see how it is possible.

Works Cited

"In the US, Have There Been More Democrat or Republican Presidents?" WiseGEEK: Clear Answers for Common Questions. Web. 29 Aug. 2011. <http://www.wisegeek.com/in-the-us-have-there-been-more-democrat-or-republican-presidents.htm>.

Maharidge, Dale, and Michael Williamson. "Someplace Like America An Introduction." Introduction. Someplace like America: Tales from the New Great Depression. Berkeley: University of California, 2011. Ix-10. Print.

All other information provided is taken from personal experience and prior education.

Response #2: Gender Stereotyping in the World of DC Comics

Philip Oliver Sharkey

Eng 102 – J010 Michael Benton

Gender Stereotyping in the World of DC Comics

Due: August 24, 2011

When reading Jefferson’s article If Male Superheroes Posed Like Wonder Woman, three things come to mind. First, is the article’s lacking in the discussion of the DC Universe as a canon of art or as a proportion system. Then, there is the issue of how it fails to discuss the other gender stereotypes in the world of DC Comics and the audience of the comics.

            The Ancient Egyptian system of proportion was maintained for hundreds of years; although the artists creating the works of art over that period of time could have advanced it, they kept it the same out of tradition and to keep the depiction of gods and pharaohs common place and easily recognizable. “This system could be adjusted to any scale, from statuettes to colossal works such as the Giza sphinx, ensuring exact proportions for each.” (Adams 94)  With this in mind, it is not too difficult to see why DC would want to keep the same canon after a period of “over 70 years.” (Sims)  

The last thing DC would want to do is change the artistic portrayal of their most popular characters; as such changes could have potentially damaging effects on the company.  Even if the canon is gender-typical to the point of being sexist; there are not enough reasons to change the canon, because it could lead to the loss of its following.  A company is not going to take the risk of losing profit because people outside of their intended audience disapprove of its message to society. If that were the case, J. K. Rowling would have stopped writing the Harry Potter series because of the Christian backlash against it.

What could perhaps be the most interesting aspect of this article is how although it is so vocal in its concern for the way women are depicted in this art form, it fails to discuss the depiction of male characters and how they also promote gender stereotyping.  While the female characters are over-sexualized, the male characters are overly masculinized. No man, however masculine he may be, can live up to the standards the DC Universe sets. Simply put, no one could take the monstrous amounts of steroids required to look like a Superhero and function at the emotional and intellectual level most DC Superheroes do.  Everything is exaggerated in comics, from sexuality to violence, if it was not it would not be more entertaining than real life.

DC’s “target audience are men age 18 to 34.” (Johnston) Another aspect of the targeted audience is their nationality.  Since DC is an American company that mostly markets to people in North America, where we are still significantly behind in gender equality, it makes sense that they would promote the same gender conventions as popular American culture. 

The difference is how dramatic the stereotypes in comics are, this however is mostly due to the nature of the art form in general as opposed to the comics DC produces in particular.  All comics are ‘larger than life’ in some way or another; they are probably the most commercially successful visual works of art, outside of the film industry, and art is supposed to cause opinion and conversation.  If everyone has the same opinion on a work of art, it shows the lack of value in the wok.  In conclusion, although DC Comics undoubtedly depict women in an overly-sexual way, that is only one of the ways in which people could find them offensive and it is a part of their job, as works of art, to cause people to have differences of opinion.

 

Works Cited

Adams, Laurie S. "Ancient Egypt: The Egyptian System of Proportion." Art across Time. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2007. 94. Print.

Jefferson, Whitney. "If Male Superheroes Posed Like Wonder Woman." Jezebel: Celebrity, Sex, Fashion for Women. Without Airbrushing. Http://www.bleedingcool.com, 9 Aug. 2011. Web. 23 Aug. 2011. <http://jezebel.com/5829204/if-male-superheroes-posed-like-wonder-woman>.

Johnston, Richard. "DC Roadshow Hits Dallas – Million Dollar Ad Spend, Justice League Beyond And Black People Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movies and TV News and Rumors." Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movies and TV News and Rumors. Http://www.bleedingcool.com, 21 June 2011. Web. 23 Aug. 2011. <http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/21/dc-roadshow-hits-dallas-million-dollar-ad-spend-justice-league-beyond-and-black-people/>.

Sims, Chris. "Time and Time Again: The Complete History of DC's Retcons and Reboots - ComicsAlliance | Comic Book Culture, News, Humor, Commentary, and Reviews." ComicsAlliance | Comics Culture, News, Humor, Commentary, and Reviews. Http://www.comicsalliance.com, 8 June 2011. Web. 23 Aug. 2011. <http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/06/08/dc-comics-reboot-history/>.

"Statistics on Discrimination of Women | P.a.p.-Blog | Human Rights Etc." P.a.p.-Blog | Human Rights Etc. | Human Rights Looked at from Various Perspectives: Politics, Art, Philosophy (hence P.a.p.), Law, Economics, Statistics, Psychology Etc. Web. 23 Aug. 2011. <http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/stats-on-human-rights/statistics-on-discrimination/statistics-on-discrimination-of-women/#2>.

Response #1: Computer Hacking and Hacktivism in Contemporary Society

Philip Oliver Roibas Sharkey

ENG – J010 Michael D. Benton

Computer Hacking and Hacktivism in Contemporary Society

            The noun hacker is an ambiguous term which covers a long range of definitions.  For the purpose of this essay we will be examining the illegal hacking of secure computing programs for information. We will be doing so, to try to observe whether or not its use has been detrimental to society, or if it has led to progress; my personal belief is the latter.

            Today the world of computer hacking is larger than it has ever been, which is why it is so difficult to make generalizations in your opinion of it.  No one who understands the full utility of hacking could possess an entirely negative or positive view on the matter.  It has lead to some of the greatest advancements in technology and the social questions of our age, including the internet and the question of at which point hacking transcends our universally negative views of stealing and becomes a question of freedom. Personally I’m against hackings use as a means of personal economic improvement, but I can respect one’s desire to understand the world around them from the perspective secret government and corporate information provides.

            Until stolen information was recently released by Wikileaks, involving the extent to which some Iraqi captives were tortured, many Americans believed that no torturous activities were practiced on these individuals other than water boarding.  “At the torturer's whim, the logs reveal, the victim can be hung by his wrists or by his ankles; knotted up in stress positions; sexually molested or raped; tormented with hot peppers, cigarettes, acid, pliers or boiling water – and always with little fear of retribution since, far more often than not, if the Iraqi official is assaulting an Iraqi civilian, no further investigation will be required.” (Davies)  Obviously, water boarding (as shocking as it may be to some Americans) is only the tip of the iceberg.

            What is it about this information specifically, that could potentially lead to the endangerment of American troops operating in the Middle East?  In my opinion, it cannot.  That is not to say that an organization like Wikileaks does not have the potential to release information that could negatively affect the war on terror only that not all of it already has.  Living in a ‘free’ country should give us the privilege to view this information without it being stolen from the government, only the government refuses to release it on their own terms.

            In today’s political climate we must ask ourselves, if granting the government the power to hide so much information from the public is in the country’s best interests. There are undoubtedly copious amounts of information that should be kept secret, for the safety of America and her interests, but perhaps it should not be entirely up to a government to decide what should and should not be kept hidden. Although, that would lead us to questioning who should have the power to decide what the public should have access to, if not the government.

            These questions will certainly lead to the progress of our nation, regardless of how we answer them.  Much as hacking led to technological advancements in the decades after it’s inception, it is now shaping our social and political beliefs.  It is allowing us to question what we believe ethically and is helping lead us down the path of globalization, the ultimate form of advancement.  In conclusion, although computer hacking can be utilized for negative purposes, I believe that it will ultimately only lead to the betterment of not only our country but humanity itself.  

Works Cited

Davies, Nick. "Iraq War Logs: Secret Order That Let US Ignore Abuse | World News | 

    Guardian.co.uk." Editorial. Latest News, Comment and Reviews from the Guardian |

    Guardian.co.uk. 22 Oct. 2010. Web. 21 Aug. 2011.

    <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/22/iraq-detainee-abuse-torture-    

    saddam>.

Political Compass Test