My Comments on Posts for Week #2

From Kristen Marie:

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Becoming Gendered from Birth
This week my Eureka Moment came to me in the 7th chapter of our reading. I could not believe how gendered we really are from babies on up. I always new we wore pink of we were a girl and blue for boy BUT I never though about only being able to play with "girl" toys or not being able to do certain things like get dirty because I am a girl. When I was little my father did so much with me. i went fishing and baited my own line, went bowling, also my dad is a mechanic so I always wanted to pretend I was fixing cars. So maybe I was one of the few children who was allowed to do "boy" things. Really, what was my Eureka Moment was the fact that parents went so over board to make sure their girls were girly and their boys were boyish. Is it really that big of a deal if your son likes dolls at the age of 2 or 3. My brother is going on 5 and when he was about 2 he use to take my purse and walk around with it. i thought my dad and boyfriend were going to pass out!! It was ok when I was little to want to fish and play with cars BUT my brother canNOT touch my purse!! I am interested in if any parents read this what they think since I am not a parent?!?! On I like how you were not brought up in the typical feminine way. As a result you had a lot of great experiences that have created in you a greater understanding of yourself, and gender in its entirety. One reason in which society likes to make certain lists of feminine and masculine things, is to create a greater sense of bond. For example, a mother may want her daughter to wear dresses as to emulate her, and therefore feel closer to her creating a false sense of intimacy between them. Since the mother cannot truly relate to her daughter, she may force her into "feminine" things as to better understand her or identify with her.

Maria's Blog for Gender and Communication said...
I like how you were not brought up in the typical feminine way. As a result you had a lot of great experiences that have created in you a greater understanding of yourself, and gender in its entirety. One reason in which society likes to make certain lists of feminine and masculine things, is to create a greater sense of bond. For example, a mother may want her daughter to wear dresses as to emulate her, and therefore feel closer to her creating a false sense of intimacy between them. Since the mother cannot truly relate to her daughter, she may force her into "feminine" things as to better understand her or identify with her.

From Shaina's Blog:

Eureka # 2
Last night I was watching Jon & Kate + 8 season 5 premiere along with Millions of other men, women, children, entire families, however, I was attempting to watch it from a different perspective, something that most people wouldn't want to look at. All of the scandals involving Jon cheating, Kate cheating, a pending divorce, etc., have left Jon looking like a complete villian. I thought that the show would even the score, making sure to point out that he is home with the kids while Kate is out on her book tours, however, they showed Kate struggling to care for the children alone while Jon "took the weekend off." What I felt the producers only showed Talk of, and no visual examples, is how much Kate is on the road. Whenever they showed Jon, he was distant, tired, slumped over, and often not watching the kids. However, I feel as though it is easy for them to leave huge chunks of time out where he could have looked better, more awake, and maybe they were playing a trick on us? Is it possible that Kate is more at fault for being star struck than they want us to think. There is no doubt that when I start a family I hope I could be somewhat near as organized as her, because a lifestyle like that with so many children seems really hard. However, I feel like Jon taking care of the kids wasnt shown at all and that he does more for the family than they showed. Probably because people like Kate more, but it also makes the stereotypes about men and their lack of parenting skills even more apparent. It is also negative towards women because it shows that Kate's power within their household is too strong and imposing that Jon can not handle it, he feels as though he has lost his "manhood."

Maria's Blog for Gender and Communication said...
I like your understanding of how this show is portraying men! Men are ALWAYS shown as being lazy, stupid, and inadequate when it comes to child rearing, and being a vital part of the family. Shows like The Simpsons, and the King of Queens also like to utilize the stereotype of the stupid alpha male in order to get higher ratings. That is why most commercials for cleaning products are geared to women, because society is buying the concept that only women can take care of their home and family, and men are simply bystanders or are in the way. Extremely common dialogue on nearly all sitcoms involves some type of put down of the opposite sex. It is pretty interesting how television can reinforce and create gender stereotypes!