http://www.ksl.com/?sid=27801877&nid=148&title=discrimination-against-women-in-the-workplace-can-be-subtle-study-says&fm=home_page&s_cid=queue-7

Activism to me is to take the opportunity to act on the changes that you want to see take place in your own community and in the world today. If no one acts, then nothing gets done, and therefore things stay the same and it proves the theory that activism and action have to start with one person and then can have a ripple effect that involves many people. Standing up for your beliefs, signing a petition, going to a rally, walking for cancer awareness, attending a conference, voting, volunteering, are all ways to be an activist. It doesn't have to be something major, it can be the little things we do each day that show that we are striving to make our communities and our world a better place to live in for ourselves and for future generations. Hilary Clinton is a women's activist that has been an example to all of us as someone who fights for women's rights and all human rights. She leads by example and shows us that women can be powerful and in control of their lives and be successful as a wife, mother, politician, and activist. Before this class I thought of the 60's as the era of activism and reform and thought of it in an extreme way, I now feel as though it's the little things we do each day and the small acts of activism that can make our communities and our world a better, safer, more peaceful, more equal place to be.

http://redemptionpictures.com/2013/11/20/how-i-became-a-jesus-feminist/

 God Says Yes to Me

Kaylin Haught (1995)

I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic

and she say yes

I asked her if it was okay to be short

and she said it sure is

I asked her if I could wear nail polish

and she said honey

she calls me that sometimes

she said you can do just exactly

what you want to

Thanks God I said

And is it even okay if I don’t paragraph

my letters

Sweetcakes God said

who knows were she picked that up

what I’m telling you is

Yes Yes Yes

*This poem feels like it was written by a younger child as if asking her God questions and in this case "She" is answering them. It feels like she is emphasizing feminine power and this is her form of authority. It shows how our everyday actions and smaller things in life impact us and her God is affirming what she believes and is supporting and loving her. This God accepts her for who she is and who she wants to be and is a God that she can relate to in everyday life. Also, accepting her human imperfections and loving her and accepting her anyways. It implies feminine power and superiority as she is speaking to a female God but at the same time a humble God who knows each person individually and tries to take care of their needs and know them as one their own daughters that they have a personal relationship with.

Blog Post-Week 11

Blog Post: Week 11

            Donald, Donald, Donald, I sometimes feel he just wants attention, other than for his hairpiece and Celebrity Apprentice for firing people. He is quick to make judgments and rash in what he says. It is a very naïve response to a bigger issue that needs to be brought to the fore front of the military and nonmilitary alike. Quit treating women poorly that are willing to sacrifice as much, or more, for their countries than men do.

Women that want to serve should not be punished for it and they definitely should not expect to be sexually assaulted or raped or harassed while doing so. This is a 1950’s attitude that men are superior to women and can control them and not take any responsibility for their actions, but justify their actions by making women feel guilty and like they deserve this type of treatment. The expectation in putting men and women together should be one of camaraderie and the common goal of serving their country and fighting to protect our liberties and freedoms, which is all in the constitution.

In the article, “Sexual Violence,” it resonates that we need to all readjust our lens of life and begin to see ourselves as capable human beings that work to reconstruct our violent society.” The military needs to take a long hard look at this and start treating women the way they deserve to be treated.

Barbara's

Week 10 Blog Post:

            Barbara story differs from other African American women because it’s not the stereotypical live in the projects, don’t care about your kids, on drugs or dealing drugs, go to a scary crime-filled school, can’t walk down the street for fear of being killed, works at a minimum wage job, no teeth, gets pregnant on purpose to get more welfare and has no idea who the “baby daddy” is. She’s being abused and is controlled and can’t leave because she has no way to support herself and her children. Parts of this run into her story but she does debunk a lot of myths surrounding the typical African American single woman.

            First of all she has a decent job that pays well and she has some education. Although, her neighborhood is a little rough, she lives in a pretty decent place and can provide more than the basics for her children. She works hard too, which debunks that myth because it shows that she’s not another “welfare” mother living off the system and too lazy to get a job. Barbara very much cares for her children and supervises them and wants them to get a good education. In fact, she regularly checks with the teachers and school counselors and she drives miles out of her to get her son to a school that has a good reputation.

            The biggest thing that stands out to me is that she has a support system that many women that are single are not that lucky to have. She has family around and also a group of friends that regularly do things together and have known each other for years. She also is very cautious in her relationship with Marvin, she doesn't want him to use her or to treat her badly. Although, she has some challenges in her life, like her son getting his girlfriend pregnant, it goes to show that we can’t always judge a book by its cover and most myths can be debunked flat on their faces.

 *Another view: Bill O'Reilly's at it again!

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/oreilly-single-black-moms-have-devastated-millions-of-children-and-led-to-disaster/politics/2013/07/24/71617#.UnV0o_nOnlR

 

           

Week 9 Blog Post: What about the “Founding Mothers?”  Maegan Green

            The thing that struck me the most about this podcast is that in while we are all grateful for our founding fathers; but where are the “founding mothers?” You know the saying that behind every good man is a good woman. Who were the mom’s that raised these men to be so great and have such great morals and principles? The mother’s that are behind the scenes working tirelessly day in and day out should deserve some credit too. Linda Curbert at a commencement ceremony stated that, “You fair ones; America is in your hands.” It is up to women to marry good men that are supportive and have the same morals and values that we do, and that we want to pass onto future generations.

            Motherhood took on different roles in the 1900’s and the role is constantly changing. With the absence of the father away working, moms took on both the role of mother and father and had to try to do her best at both. There were more rights for women as well during this era and some wanted to pursue their education or work, and didn’t want to be so oppressed.

            I think we all “take a piece of mother when we leave home,” because home is where mom is and where we learn what we need to know to be out on our own. Every Mother’s Day I have to admit I cry and feel so guilty. I wonder what I could have done differently with my children and for my children, especially when I was single. I always buy my mom a nice gift and celebrate her success as a mother, but don’t really want to celebrate my successes. Last year my kids chipped in to buy me a massage gift certificate and I lived it and enjoyed every second of it. I finally was able to let go of my mistakes and enjoy the day and appreciate my own mother, as well as the “founding mothers” of our country.

            

Week 8 Blog Post: Frontline: Abortion Clinic     Maegan Green

            There were a few things that struck me as I watched this documentary and truthfully I found it difficult to watch an abortion and it made me cringe to watch the girl in so much pain and heartache as she went through this ordeal. I feel she was not properly educated on the whole process and she was torn about her decision.  Physically it was hard to watch, but emotionally I felt sorry for her and wanted someone to stop her from making such a life-altering decision. It struck me that they were alone and generally didn’t have any parental support or anyone with them to support their decision.

            Another thing that struck me was the preacher that was outside trying to prevent the girl’s from getting the abortions and educating them that there were resources out there for them and they didn’t have to go through with it. One of the girl’s mentioned that she was afraid of what would happen when the state funding ran out and she was on her own without any help. I can see her point, having been a single mother myself. I don’t personally agree with abortion but I could see the predicament that some of these girls faced. The nurse’s in the video actually did take the time to explain the procedure and tried to be sensitive to the girl’s needs, although I don’t agree with their jobs in assisting with an abortion, under the circumstances they were at least sensitive towards them.

             When the preacher said, “What are you going to do with your baby? Because it is already a baby.”  That struck me hard and the I think the couple too because it made them think about the fetus as a real person and not just some object growing inside of her. He tried to explain that the abortion wasn’t the only option out there and that there was help with the other options too. It’s a tough issue that probably will not go away and will always be controversial but I feel there needs to be better sex education in the schools and parents need to address these issues with their children and try to help them through the difficult teen years and these tough decisions they need to make.

                      Mirror Mirror On The Wall...Who's The Fairest Of Them All?


     We are surrounded by mirrors; in the bathroom, in our rooms, at work, at the department store, for decoration or for a purpose they are everywhere. They rule our lives, we use them to get ready in the morning, we have to check our outfits to make sure they look good in them, we check our makeup in them, we even check our reflection in the windows as we pass by or in a water pool,we can't help but look. Why are we so obsessed, is it a part of our lives and we can't help it, or we are obsessed with ourselves and narcissistic? Everyday people use them constantly but in the documentary it represents something more, outward beauty and obsession with it, pressure to look perfect and be thin, to judge only on outward appearances, not inward beauty. It represents the pressures we feel from our parents to be better, to do better, from our teachers, from our employers, from our friends and even strangers, and from a model scout.
     Who do we blame for this pressure? The media? Magazine covers? Fashion shows? Social media like Face book and Twitter? Store Mannequins ? The makers of Barbie Dolls? Movie stars? Athletes? Or just our society in general? It's difficult just to blame it on one thing, it seems to encompass a variety of factors. In the documentary there was an enormous amount of pressure on these girls to be "perfect" and to stay thin and beautiful. They were taken advantage of and for what? They received no monetary reward or even any sense of self-satisfaction. It was for the gain of the model scouts and the photographers only. Adults taking advantage of children. It took away their childhood and their innocence and placed the value of the mirror above the value of the who the girl's really are from the inside out not the outside in.
     There was no happy ending like maybe in Snow White and other fairy tales. The tale just goes on and on and we don't know what happens next.

Eleanor Roosevelt, the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, was born on this day in 1884. She has been most remembered for her social justice efforts, having spent much of her life advancing the rights of women and minorities. Roosevelt was an ardent supporter of civil rights, calling out her husband's New Deal programs for discriminating against African Americans and opposing FDR's Executive Order 9066, which forced Japanese Americans into internment camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor. She also advocated for more women in the workplace and urged women to vote as a bloc.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56963037-78/women-mormon-church-priesthood.html.csp

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/05/20803178-painless-death-or-precipitous-cliff-transsexual-chooses-euthanasia-after-failed-operation?lite
This is sad to me and kind of crazy too that they allow people to die like this!

                                                     Week 5: Blog Post 

• The name of my campaign is: Embrace the "Softer" Side of You...
• The take home message will be: That men can tap into their softer side and still be masculine in a sexy, and thoughtful way. 
• Differs: It will differ from the women's campaign in that it will show images of men doing things that will shatter the image of men having to be angry and mean in order to be masculine. It will show images of a father bathing his baby with Dove, a father coaching his son's baseball team and cleaning the mud off his uniform, a husband coming home from work early and making his wife a romantic dinner and then running her a bath with Dove...All images of tapping into a more sensitive, softer side of men, yet portraying that this can be sexy and appreciated by women.
• Similar: In that it will help men to have a better self-image and know that being masculine doesn't always translate to being mean or angry or selfish, but that there are other images of masculinity that are sexy and fresh and bring out the "Softer" Side of You...
• Such campaigns don't seem to exist for men because it would break the stereotypes that we normally think of when we think of the masculinity of men. I think there needs to be more because it can show men that women aren't necessarily looking for someone that is masculine in a negative way, it can be a very positive attribute for men to possess as well.

http://www.kutv.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_7074.shtml
Interesting but not great for the women of Utah, maybe Mormon feminists should be all over this instead of whether or not they can wear pants to church, LOL!