Examined Life is an extraordinary documentary that features interviews with prominent contemporary philosophers in the U.S. One of the thinkers featured in the film is Judith Butler, a philosopher and gender theorist. Butler presents her views on the moral issue of vulnerability and precariousness in society. In this essay, I will summarize her ideas on this issue, why she believes it is essential, and give my response to her position. Additionally, I will discuss why the filmmaker chose to make this movie about philosophy in the way she did. Judith Butler's discussion in the documentary centers on the concept of vulnerability, which she considers central to the human experience. According to Butler, vulnerability is something that we all share, and it is something that is often overlooked in our society. She argues that our community tends to view …show more content…
She asserts that vulnerability allows us to connect with others and that we can only achieve a just society if we embrace and recognize our vulnerability in others. Butler also discusses the concept of precariousness, which she defines as the condition of being vulnerable to harm, injury, or death. She argues that precariousness is not limited to specific groups of people but is a universal condition we all share.
Butler's position on the issue of vulnerability and precariousness is highly compelling. I agree with her argument that vulnerability is an essential part of what makes us human and that we need to recognize and accept it. Vulnerability is often viewed as a weakness in our society, and people are encouraged to hide or suppress it. However, acknowledging and embracing our vulnerability can make us stronger and more compassionate. Acknowledging our vulnerability allows us to connect with others and empathize with their struggles. This can lead to a more just and equitable
It is tragic how humans try to be open to the world and trust other human beings and their environments but our values and inspirations are constantly challenged when good human beings try to live by what they care about. This is due to conflicting evils. Human goodness is fragile. We are vulnerable to disaster, because of the limits that we will reach in order to fit our models of what is good and just as well as what we care
In the film, families disclose how their young daughter’s undergarments were stolen; as well as how older women, while not yet elderly, were beaten and sexually abused. This helps the viewers to identify with the vulnerable and defenseless, and direct our compassion towards them (Davies, Francis & Greer, 2008), and direct our anger at
Brené Brown lecture, “The Power of Vulnerability”, uses years of research to explore and explain vulnerability existing. Brown is a research professor and wrote many books. Brown’s lecture starts with her talking about the long ride of research on the topic of vulnerability. Brown discovers and tells the audience that connection is the purpose in life. People want to connect but shame is the reason which then it becomes disconnection or painful vulnerability.
Susan Oliver writes an exceptional biography that describes in detail the life, success, struggles and failures of Betty Friedan. From her childhood as a divergent American-Jew living in Peoria, Illinois to being an outstanding student and writer in school, finding her path as a strong feminist at Smith College, her struggles as a mother and wife to mothering the second feminist movement. Susan Oliver explored all the factors that contributed to Betty Friedan’s strong private and public persona. Betty Friedan, a driving force of the second feminist movement, is barely recognized for the emancipation of women. Mostly known as the author of the Feminine Mystique, Susan Oliver made sure to demonstrate that Betty Friedan was more than a mere
Some individuals opt to embrace violence and exploitation as a means of ensuring their own survival, while others display compassion and empathy, seeking to protect the vulnerable. These divergent actions underscore the inherent disparities that emerge from contrasting identities and belief systems, ultimately influencing how individuals respond to the challenges they
On September 21st, I attended an event featuring guest activist and author Susan Burton. The event started at 2:00pm as the room overflowed with people eager to hear Susan 's voice. There were people occupying every space of the rather small Whitsett room. Ms. Burton first talked about the traumas she suffered as a child and later, as an adult. Susan 's son was tragically ran over and killed by a police officer, which led to alcohol and drug abuse and her eventual incarceration.
Traditionally structured gender roles place both men and women into very strict categories. However, as we move into the future this way of thinking becomes increasingly archaic. Thinking of such things in such black and white terms gives one a narrow point of view and places people in categories which they do not fit. In Octavia Butler’s Dawn and William Gibson’s Neuromancer the ideas of the feminine gender role are redefined.
Frederick Buechner once said, “Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else's skin.” Similarly, an author by the name of Barbara Lazear Ascher wrote an essay called “On Compassion,” in which she states that people learn about compassion when they experience hardships and begin to put oneself in another’s place. Along with the idea of compassion being learned, Ascher also tries to make us wonder what our motive is that leads us to being compassionate. Ascher tries to make us question why we feel the need to be compassionate towards others throughout her essay.
After helping out an old friend family, Ken Butler was brutally murdered. In his book Mark Smith asked his audience the question, will we have a different personality and outlook on life if we were forced to live in dangersome
Its insightful and thought-provoking nature beckons us to contemplate the complex machinery that governs our society and the profound implications it holds for marginalized communities. It unveils the institutional structures that perpetuate inequality and contribute to the unjust treatment experienced by marginalized communities. Through its illumination of these dynamics, the narrative
Today, oppressed women around the world still face difficulty regarding their personal survival, and the survival of their children in their communities. Butler, however, does a tremendous job in presenting the struggle of a woman with their limited ability to help themselves and their love ones. Another key contribution to women oppression is young men and the examples that they have in their lives. Rufus the boy/men from Kindred doesn’t respect the females slave, not even his mother. “He had spent his life watching his father ignore, even sell the children he had had with black women.
12 years of intense studying and interviewing is a good amount of supporting evidence, but she didn’t back it up enough with reasoning to persuade. After analyzing Dr. Brown’s “The Power of Vulnerability” we can see that the way her talk is structured helps us to see that we are all vulnerable, but that we are all capable of belonging, and of love. Brown’s credentials makes all of her points very valid, while she lacks the persuasion of her audience. Furthermore, Brene Brown captivated her audience and made them really look internally to find out what their vulnerability is, and how to embrace
Judith Butler’s Gender Troubles emphasizes gender as the constant repetition of non-existent ideals to uphold a masculine-dominant culture. Likewise, “Body Politics” highlights this belief within the overtly feminine qualities of city women. As a whole, the poem contrasts idealized feminine “city women” with a “real woman” who possesses both feminine and masculine qualities. The mother figure challenges both the gender binary and the patriarchal order by rejecting the feminine gender norms of the society. This feminist reading of the poem makes many valuable and probable claims, however the feminist approach contains some weaknesses.
For instance, Blabbermouth lost specific rights, such as the ability to wake up and do as she wishes comfortably in her own skin. Not only does she lose many of her rights, but her self confidence too. Lastly, when she concludes to an exposure, she faces the harsh reality from society. Understanding gender inequality puts a significant impact on many people’s lives by educating them on the potential dangers and outcomes. However, eve after seeing what difficulty many people face, will there ever be an end to
Lucy Friebert says that changing the power dynamic to be sexist is making a “woman’s biology her destiny” and “exposes the complicity of women