Sandra Harding and Julia Wood’s Standpoint Theory:
A Communication Phenomenon of Looking but not Seeing, and Hearing but not Listening
Feminism, classism, ageism, sexism, ableism, sizeism, anti-semitism — these are merely a fourth of the various terminologies begotten by societal oppression. I am an upper middle class, privileged, able-bodied, young, cishet woman in a deliberately structured male-dominated society. Feminist activism and the fight for women’s rights have been carried through the years generation after generation and still, to this day, the struggle for female empowerment continues to prevail. In addition to this, the ignorance visible in various forms of daily communication is glaringly observable as a considerably more “dominant”
…show more content…
Gillig and Sheila T. Murphy of the University of Southern California (USA) conducted a communication study on how various audiences viewed the portrayal of two adolescent gay characters on the TV show, The Fosters. This experimental research aimed to apprehend the responses that could be obtained from a group of young viewers from seeing a media representation of an LGBTQ+ personality. By the end of the study, it was concluded that disgust was prominent in the cisheterosexual group, compared to those who are in the LGBTQ+ community. Another finding was that most of these cisheterosexual viewers are more affiliated with religious groups. This could have reflected the difference in the foundation and structure of beliefs. “It reveals the impact of identity and orientation on experiences with a narrative.” (Gillig and Murphy, 2016). Those with religious affiliations are more likely to see homosexuality as sinful or far from the lines of being “normal” due to their belief system, and that is their standpoint. Those who are also part of the LGBTQIA+ community gave more positive responses to the show for not only does it serve as representation, but they understood where they were coming from, and that is their own standpoint because of their past experiences and personal …show more content…
“A postfeminist political fantasy… [that] ultimately undermine[s] feminist politics by denying the material consequences of sexism, [and] displacing stories about the misogyny that constrains women in politics.” (Anderson and Sheeler, 2014, p.233), quotes Rhode and Dejmanee in the article. Sexism is a major motivation of feminists. It is what started the movement in the first place. Personally taking into consideration Clinton’s act of creating a nurturing female image as a political candidate, she creates a safe space for those who view themselves as unsafe and she advocates and aims to beat the sexism that prevails in the country. While Clinton is putting a woman’s mark on presidentialism and breaking boundaries on the stigma of male presidency, she uses the history of female marginalism and oppression as a way to gather voters, supporters, and followers who have the same standpoint on gender equality as she
American Governement 170: Profile Paper: Hilary Clinton When we first were asked to write about an American politicians, the first one that always come to my mind are Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin, because of all their achievement and characteristics as good politicians and charismatic human beings, but we need to write about a”living” politician of the nowadays United States. My choice is Hilary Clinton, a Candidate to presidency, who was a Secretary of State and a Senator before that. For me she is a strong woman, fighting men’s political battles and trying to create a balance in her personal life as a wife and mother. To Write about Hilary Clinton, I went through her husband biography, former president Bill Clinton, and even her daughter biography: Chelsea Clinton.
Thousands of women have screamed at the top of their lungs, clawed at the patriarchy, and tirelessly fought for their rights as citizens of the United States of America. From the beginning of mankind, women have been labeled as inferior to men not only physically, but mentally and intellectually as well. Only in 1920 did women gain the right to voice their opinions in government elections while wealthy white men received the expected right since the creation of the United States. A pioneer in women’s suffrage, Susan B. Anthony publicly spoke out against this hypocrisy in a time when women were only seen as child bearers and household keepers. Using the United State’s very own Constitution and Declaration as ammunition, Anthony wrote countless
Critics have disagreed with the idea of the show, “The Fosters”, before the pilot was even aired. Although, many did not like the fact that the show was released, mainly because it portrays the LGBT community, it has had an amazing outcome. I have read of teenagers being able to sit down with their parents ( who at first, did not agree with homosexuality), and watch the show with them, making it easier to be able to come out to them. So, maybe it may not attract everyone in a direct way at first, but somehow, it still draws in those who do not agree with the way society’s changing, and shows them that it is not wrong for people wanting to live the way they want. Others, might just watch the show just to criticize it, complain to the network,
A few years later, after the widespread voices that ascended women into recognition for change, movements had begun to assemble in towards greater equality. Women had no place to be involved in political affairs, and as recognition started to manifest, in 1848, “the first women’s rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, New York.” (Imbornoni n.d, para. 2). The purpose of this convention was to acknowledge the equality between both genders and allow voting rights for women. This was the first women engagement into American Politics, it’s also the “story of women’s struggle to be treated as human beings –“separate and equal” “(Lynne 24).
“The 2012 Project is a national, non-partisan campaign determined to address this recruit, train and mentor women candidates. Why does it matter if women have a voice in politics? Clearly, because women 's specific rights and interests are not protected otherwise.” This quote provides perfect insight into what women would be more invested in that men would otherwise disregard because they aren’t as involved. Second, we need our current politicians to listen to our voices.
The Chicana feminist is not widely accepted, or even recognized. At its best, Chicana writers and artists take to paper and other mediums to share the message. Writers, such as Andzaldua, comment on the necessity for writing. The Chicana expression of creative thought, otherwise unnoticed by the majority of people, is important in that it allows people to show the struggle, emotion, and wisdom surrounding personal experience (Andzaldua). Poetry, for instance, can be described as a political act, which enables further thought and understanding between people.
Throughout the ages women have faced varying degrees of sexism and during the progressive era this was a very prominent issue, women had finally had enough of being treated as second class compared to white males and simply males in general. They weren’t allowed to vote, own property if married, they were extremely restricted in what types of jobs they could get and often encouraged to just stay home, not to mention the large wage gap between white males and white females ensuring that on their own women would be hard pressed to survive. In many of the divorce cases the women were still required to take care of the children even though the male technically had custody. Sexism all though not as prominent today is still a very big issue, ranging
In her speech, “For the Equal Rights Amendment” Shirley Chisholm addresses her views on securing women’s equality to ensure women have better opportunities. She is an American politician, educator and author that became the first black woman elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm supports her claims about equal rights for women by using examples of statistics to prove a point. Her purpose is to persuade her audience that women in America are neglected by equal rights and excluded from things that men are not. Throughout her deliverance she expressed an inspiring and informative tone to uplift her audience so that Congress can make a change for women.
In her speech, “Women’s Rights are Human Rights,” First Lady Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton discusses the importance of fighting for women’s rights, as she argues they and human rights are one and the same. Clinton uses rhetoric, such as logic, empathy, and credibility, along with some propaganda to convince her audience of her point. The speech was given at the Fourth World Conference on Women on September 5, 1995 in order to convince people to stand up for women throughout the world and to respect their roles in society. Clinton supported women’s rights long before her speech. She had always been involved politically, first by being the president of the Young Republican’s club at her school (Harris).
This can be related to C. Wright Mills idea of the power elite, in which those ruling our country have the political and economical power to make decisions that keep their power intact (Marshall, 2012). We have historically had a patriarchal society in which men have held the political power and women were prohibited from it. McCammon, Campbell, Granberg, and Mowery (2001) discuss the suffragette movement and how along with the ability to vote, it led to another the passing of laws that allowed women broader citizen rights and helped to change gender roles (p. 61). This helped with the movement’s success by changing the thoughts of those in politics about the role of women in society (McCammon et al., 2001, p. 65). A woman’s role was clearly defined as being rooted in domestic work and family life, while men’s roles were in business and politics (McCammon et al., 2001, p. 53).
Since Harriet Tubman’s time, slavery has been abolished and is viewed as it should be: a grave miscarriage of human rights. Women have since been given the right to vote in the United States. Unfortunately, this did not occur all at once, and significant racial and cultural bias involved due to the almost simultaneous emergence of the abolitionist and suffrage movements. This timing accentuated areas where the two movements overlap, bringing to light many issues that we now consider a substantial part of intersectional feminism in our modern era. At first, the right to vote was exclusive to men and was then given only to American and African American women, which defeated the purpose of broadening the United States electorate as it alienated all of the other races, ethnicities, and cultures that resided there.
Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered her speech “Women’s Rights are Human Rights” September 5, 1995 while speaking at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China with the intent to educate and spread awareness in regards to the rights and treatment of women around the world, while encouraging women to take initiative and highlight the potential women have if presented with the opportunity of equality. Early in Clinton’s speech, she uses the power of ethos to establish her credibility and continues to build upon it throughout, bringing attention to the fact she has had years of experience fighting for change among people of all kinds. Clinton convinces listeners that she has made women’s rights a priority in her life
Prejudice and fear are weak barriers against passions, which inherent in our nature and demanding only judicious training to form the ornament, and supply the best joys of our existence, are maddened into violence, varied with as pernicious indulgence.” (Doc #2) The efforts made by the feminist movement of the Antebellum-era set forth a precedent for the expansion of women’s rights in the decades following and up until present day. The patriarchal society that had controlled the nation since its birth was finally met with opposition from those who had been oppressed for so long. Through the dismissal of restrictive gender roles and expectations, the voices of women were finally allowed to influence decision making, and ultimately create changes that would promote equal opportunity for all
The women’s rights movement being an extensive movement helped women to occupy better jobs and higher positions “Increased access to leadership positions is an important achievement because – in terms of gender – the field is more level now: some women will be allies, some are not, but no one is excluded only for being a woman”. Today, women can choose to occupy the jobs that were once titled only for men and they have an equal employment opportunity “Because of workplace rights, women enjoy freedom to work in almost any position they choose. They join the armed forces, work as cab drivers, own businesses and become executives in large corporations” Women can now become ministers, juries, senates, and even the president “1975 — In Taylor v. Louisiana, the court denies states the right to exclude women from juries….1981 — Sandra Day O’Connor is appointed as the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice… 1997 — Madeleine Albright is sworn in as U.S. Secretary of State. She is the first woman in this position.”
Introduction Hook: Since the beginning of time, the existence of women and men has been undeniably considered as one of the integral factors that forms our society as it is today. Despite their parallel existence and contribution to the growth of the society, it was considered that women were not treated equal to men both in domestic and working circumstances, leading to a wave of movements demanding equal rights for women, known as feminism. Despite its success in claiming benefits for mistreated women in the past, recent feminism actions and point of views have gone above their original purpose, and created negative impacts and false mindset as its consequences, 2. Credibility I have done some in-depth research about this matter to prepare for the speech, and I myself do not stand for contemporary feminist. 3.