I recently took a trip with my roommate. We met some guys and introduced ourselves (their names were Steve and Chaz). However, my roommate always makes up a fake name instead of using her real name. I don't know why she does this, I never have. We decided to go to another bar with these guys, and as we were leaving, my roommate said, "Where's Chaz?" Steve then replied, "Who's Chaz? Do you mean Joey?"
So it turns out that guys give fake names too. Why do both men and women find it necessary to give fake names? I realize that it was the first time we had ever met these guys, but I find it a real turn off when someone is dishonest right from the get-go. Why can't people just use their real names? It's not like we were being interrogated and they were asking us for our first and last names, life history, and social security numbers. I understand it was just an acquaintance, but I just think giving a fake name is ridiculous. I find it annoying when my roommate (and anyone else for that matter) does it. Anyone wish to share or comment on this??
January 30, 2008
January 29, 2008
Experiential Blog 1b: Men's Movements
If you personally know someone who has attended a Promise Keepers rally or the Million Man March, talk to him and find out more. What motivated him to get involved? What was the experience like? What was the most memorable thing about the experience? What changes does he perceive in his life because of the experience?
Experiental Blog 1a: Women's Movements
Call your grandmother (or another older woman in your family) tonight. (C'mon, I know you have a cell phone!) She'll love the attention and you will cherish the memories you will make from this phone conversation. Ask her what it was like being a woman throughout the decades. What was life like for her and her female friends when she was your age? What career options were available to her? What changes has she seen in her lifetime for women? What does she think about these changes?
Gender in Workplace
Although many agree that females still make less than men to this day, is it true? If so, is it because a majority of jobs males hold are more hierarchy-based high up or demanding? If unfair wages are so important, comparative to racial discrimination, then why is no one actually doing anything about it? Should the activity for change in unfair gender wages be a sign of its importance not only to the main workforce, but even to women?
In terms of class discussion, are men and women's bodies generally disposed to being more fit for certain types of work? We discussed men's general physical dominance in terms of muscle mass, but there have been arguments as well for many right-sided brain based jobs being higher paying. Is it necessarily male's faults for the continuation of unfair wages, or the fault of unmotivated females who still let themselves be paid less. What could be done in the near future to curb a problem that many only talk about changing, rather than actually doing something about?
In terms of class discussion, are men and women's bodies generally disposed to being more fit for certain types of work? We discussed men's general physical dominance in terms of muscle mass, but there have been arguments as well for many right-sided brain based jobs being higher paying. Is it necessarily male's faults for the continuation of unfair wages, or the fault of unmotivated females who still let themselves be paid less. What could be done in the near future to curb a problem that many only talk about changing, rather than actually doing something about?
Newsweek Article
Just a quick post to share an article I found interesting. It was run in Newsweek and discusses whether men or woman have higher IQs and how each feels about this. Give it a read!
January 26, 2008
The Conundrum behind Female Singers
When my friends and I are bored at parties we play what we call the name game. The game has simple rules, we all sit in a circle and someone will start by naming a celebrity, such as Brad Pitt, then the next person in the circle takes that name and uses the first letter of the last name to name another celebrity, such as Peter Fonda. The object of the game is to come up with a name within five seconds or you get kicked out of the circle.
The most recent time we played this game we tried to only use names of female singers. Usually, we never have problems keeping the game going, but for some reason this topic threw a lot of people off. We then got into a discussion about female singers in the music business, or rather the lack there of. We discussed how we though the reason there weren’t many female singers are because music has, for the most part, been pioneered by men.
Writers like Sylvia Plath are all too familiar with fighting to be recognized within a predominantly male occupation. Looking at female authors, especially poets, their work reflects a search for identity. Plath, among other female writers such as Anne Sexton, helped advance the genre known as confessional poetry, a genre that was initiated by men. With this genre, the author discloses personal, intimate, and sometimes unflattering information about themselves. I think the real question here is: Did women advance this genre because they are more comfortable addressing the emotional and being open and honest? What do you think?
Female singers have always been around in the form of girl groups or pop singers, but rarely to they set foot onto the “rock” genre. Bands like the Pixies or the Velvet Underground embody how female vocalists can add a lot to the overall sound of a band. Does the music change if it is written and sung by a woman? Does it make the music less credible to have a female lead singer? Is our decision based on their talent, or their stage presence, or their overall look? Are female singers more scrutinized than their male counterparts?
It seems like women in music are being pigeon held. We all remember in middle school and high school the “new” sensation of female singers and girl groups, but their music was written for them, it was generalized, women then were supposed to fit into a certain image set forth by Britney Spears. Even today, with Hilary Duff and Miley Cirus, we see women’s potential in music only being used to sell an image, not a sound. Is this because women don’t have the same interest in writing music and lyrics as men?
In the past few decades women singers are finally making their presence known. Bands like Garbage, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and I hate to say it, but No Doubt have finally shown that a woman can lead a band and create an image that doesn’t reek of sex. Most recently female lead bands such as Rilo Kiley or Neko Case, Denali or Pretty Girls Make Graves have shown that women can write music and play instruments.
In the end we finally decided our top ten favorite female lead singers, in no particular order:
1. Neko Case
2. Bjork
3. Dolly Parton
4. Debbie Harry
5. Aretha Franklin
6. Etta James
7. Leslie Feist
8. Loretta Lyn
9. Lauryn Hill
10. Fiona Apple
So what do you guys think? Why aren’t there more female lead singers, especially in bands? Do women have a place in modern music?
The most recent time we played this game we tried to only use names of female singers. Usually, we never have problems keeping the game going, but for some reason this topic threw a lot of people off. We then got into a discussion about female singers in the music business, or rather the lack there of. We discussed how we though the reason there weren’t many female singers are because music has, for the most part, been pioneered by men.
Writers like Sylvia Plath are all too familiar with fighting to be recognized within a predominantly male occupation. Looking at female authors, especially poets, their work reflects a search for identity. Plath, among other female writers such as Anne Sexton, helped advance the genre known as confessional poetry, a genre that was initiated by men. With this genre, the author discloses personal, intimate, and sometimes unflattering information about themselves. I think the real question here is: Did women advance this genre because they are more comfortable addressing the emotional and being open and honest? What do you think?
Female singers have always been around in the form of girl groups or pop singers, but rarely to they set foot onto the “rock” genre. Bands like the Pixies or the Velvet Underground embody how female vocalists can add a lot to the overall sound of a band. Does the music change if it is written and sung by a woman? Does it make the music less credible to have a female lead singer? Is our decision based on their talent, or their stage presence, or their overall look? Are female singers more scrutinized than their male counterparts?
It seems like women in music are being pigeon held. We all remember in middle school and high school the “new” sensation of female singers and girl groups, but their music was written for them, it was generalized, women then were supposed to fit into a certain image set forth by Britney Spears. Even today, with Hilary Duff and Miley Cirus, we see women’s potential in music only being used to sell an image, not a sound. Is this because women don’t have the same interest in writing music and lyrics as men?
In the past few decades women singers are finally making their presence known. Bands like Garbage, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and I hate to say it, but No Doubt have finally shown that a woman can lead a band and create an image that doesn’t reek of sex. Most recently female lead bands such as Rilo Kiley or Neko Case, Denali or Pretty Girls Make Graves have shown that women can write music and play instruments.
In the end we finally decided our top ten favorite female lead singers, in no particular order:
1. Neko Case
2. Bjork
3. Dolly Parton
4. Debbie Harry
5. Aretha Franklin
6. Etta James
7. Leslie Feist
8. Loretta Lyn
9. Lauryn Hill
10. Fiona Apple
So what do you guys think? Why aren’t there more female lead singers, especially in bands? Do women have a place in modern music?
January 24, 2008
Nature VS Nurture
So a couple days ago I recieved an email from a female friend of mine giving me this link to a video of the differences in shower routine between men and women...there's no nudity but, somewhat explicit material so if offended easily don't watch....
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/412867/how_to_shower_men_vs_women/
although the video was quite humorous, and easy to relate to, I sat around for a while afterwards and thought about the reasons of why we do what we do in our daily routines whether it be a shower routine, or going to bed. It brought up the question of nature vs nurture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_versus_nurture), just a quick overview of the subject Nature= everything innate in our DNA that tells us instinctively what to do without outsider learning, whereas Nurture= everything we have learned from role models we have selected, such as how to eat our cereal, how we drive, how to read, write, and sometimes learn...After much laughter from the video, and consulting friends and seeing if the video describes their routine, every male and female I talked to said they have done one or multiple of those things during a shower routine, which brings up the question is our daily routine learned, innate? leave thoughts....
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/412867/how_to_shower_men_vs_women/
although the video was quite humorous, and easy to relate to, I sat around for a while afterwards and thought about the reasons of why we do what we do in our daily routines whether it be a shower routine, or going to bed. It brought up the question of nature vs nurture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_versus_nurture), just a quick overview of the subject Nature= everything innate in our DNA that tells us instinctively what to do without outsider learning, whereas Nurture= everything we have learned from role models we have selected, such as how to eat our cereal, how we drive, how to read, write, and sometimes learn...After much laughter from the video, and consulting friends and seeing if the video describes their routine, every male and female I talked to said they have done one or multiple of those things during a shower routine, which brings up the question is our daily routine learned, innate? leave thoughts....
Mind of a Man: Bridging Our Differences
Read the article "Mind of a Man" by Melvin Konner (posted on Blackboard). What kind of argument is Konner making about the development of gender? Do you agree with his assessment of the sources of communication differences between the sexes? Why or why not?
p.s. I will try to figure out a way to post PDFs so you don't have to cross over to Blackboard.
p.s. I will try to figure out a way to post PDFs so you don't have to cross over to Blackboard.
January 23, 2008
Guy vs. Girl on Guys and Girls
Last night I was at work with a male co-worker. We started talking about guys and girls and how they are different and similar, and it got pretty interesting so I figured I would share what I learned with the class and see if you all agree, disagree, have other opinions or things to add, etc.
It started out with him talking about how he objectifies women. He rationalized it by saying "Well woman dress up to show off their bodies, so they must want to be objectified!" And I said, "That's not true. We dress up to look good so we have confidence in ourselves, not to be objectified by men. " Then he asked me if I ever wear heels, to which I responded yes, occasionally. He said "That's a perfect example, they hurt your feet, but you wear them so your legs will look good so others notice you." Again, I told him that's not true. I wear heels because they add to the outfit, not to have my legs objectified. Although I don't mind attracting attention from the opposite sex, my goal in dressing cute is not to be objectified. If it gets me noticed that's one thing, if it gets catcalls, that's not what I'm going for.
The next part of the conversation went on to how men and women approach one and other. He told me that guys are extremely intimidated by good looking girls and have a hard time approaching them. I told him the same is true about girls with guys. Then he went on to say that if a girl is not as good looking, they are much more approachable, although also not as desirable. Finally, he said that the only real success he's ever had in relationships with females have all been initiated by the female with outright flirting. He claims that guys never pick up on subtle hints and if you want something you have to put yourself out there.
I responded to this with "Yes, but if I walked up to a guy and said 'hey, you're hot, I wanna be on you.' there are two negative things that could come of that interaction. It may work out nicely and they'll be flattered and hang out with me, or I may get completely outright rejected, which hurts the self-confidence a little bit, or the guy will think I'm a hoochie who walks up to guys and says I wanna be on you on a regular basis. Not to mention the fact that doing that takes some major cajones, which I don't necessarily have! Therefore, I don't usually approach guys, or if I do I say something along the lines of "Hey, I'm Kiki, what's your name?" and start up a conversation.
I also told him that I feel the same way about guys approaching me. If a guy makes a sexual advance towards me without initiating any kind of conversation or showing any vested interest in me first, I'm not going to respond well. I will assume this guy does this to lots of girls and I'm just another random one he happened to notice.
So for the guys and girls out there, how do you feel about approaching others and being approached? Is there a technique you use that works well or things that you refuse to do? Do you agree or disagree with the opinions in this blog post? Let's hear it!
It started out with him talking about how he objectifies women. He rationalized it by saying "Well woman dress up to show off their bodies, so they must want to be objectified!" And I said, "That's not true. We dress up to look good so we have confidence in ourselves, not to be objectified by men. " Then he asked me if I ever wear heels, to which I responded yes, occasionally. He said "That's a perfect example, they hurt your feet, but you wear them so your legs will look good so others notice you." Again, I told him that's not true. I wear heels because they add to the outfit, not to have my legs objectified. Although I don't mind attracting attention from the opposite sex, my goal in dressing cute is not to be objectified. If it gets me noticed that's one thing, if it gets catcalls, that's not what I'm going for.
The next part of the conversation went on to how men and women approach one and other. He told me that guys are extremely intimidated by good looking girls and have a hard time approaching them. I told him the same is true about girls with guys. Then he went on to say that if a girl is not as good looking, they are much more approachable, although also not as desirable. Finally, he said that the only real success he's ever had in relationships with females have all been initiated by the female with outright flirting. He claims that guys never pick up on subtle hints and if you want something you have to put yourself out there.
I responded to this with "Yes, but if I walked up to a guy and said 'hey, you're hot, I wanna be on you.' there are two negative things that could come of that interaction. It may work out nicely and they'll be flattered and hang out with me, or I may get completely outright rejected, which hurts the self-confidence a little bit, or the guy will think I'm a hoochie who walks up to guys and says I wanna be on you on a regular basis. Not to mention the fact that doing that takes some major cajones, which I don't necessarily have! Therefore, I don't usually approach guys, or if I do I say something along the lines of "Hey, I'm Kiki, what's your name?" and start up a conversation.
I also told him that I feel the same way about guys approaching me. If a guy makes a sexual advance towards me without initiating any kind of conversation or showing any vested interest in me first, I'm not going to respond well. I will assume this guy does this to lots of girls and I'm just another random one he happened to notice.
So for the guys and girls out there, how do you feel about approaching others and being approached? Is there a technique you use that works well or things that you refuse to do? Do you agree or disagree with the opinions in this blog post? Let's hear it!
January 21, 2008
Female or African American President
Does anyone think that focusing on the candidates racial background or gender creates distraction from what the candidates actually stand for? It seems like people focus on Hilary's gender and Obama's race because they're easy topics to talk about, almost like stuff you'd find in gossip magazines. Her gender in the big picture nor Obama's race are irrelevant and don't really matter when you think about it. Keep us distracted long enough to get in the Whitehouse, both of you.
January 20, 2008
Favorite Hotspots in Lincoln
This is my attempt at a lighthearted post to get feedback on spots in town ppl like and why...maybe even post events and dates.
January 17, 2008
Women President's
In class today we briefly talked about women and presidency. What are your thoughts on this and why?
January 15, 2008
Welcome to the COMM 380 Blog!
Welcome to the blog for COMM 380. The intersection of gender and communication is a fascinating, complex, and sometimes highly controversial area of study. And in a 16-week course, we can only look at the very tip of the proverbial iceberg.
Therefore, this forum is dedicated to giving you an opportunity to dig a little deeper. On this blog, you may reflect critically on class material, initiate or extend discussion on course-related topics, express insights that you were not ready to articulate in person, share links to interesting articles and websites, and/or whatever else you think is appropriate.
The only ground rule for this blog is to use good judgment when posting. This does NOT mean you have to be politically correct. In fact, I encourage honest reflections and reactions--including those that are not P.C. However, I would hope that we, as contributors, would refrain from patently offensive remarks and personal attacks. Let's stick to arguing about issues and not insulting individuals.
Therefore, this forum is dedicated to giving you an opportunity to dig a little deeper. On this blog, you may reflect critically on class material, initiate or extend discussion on course-related topics, express insights that you were not ready to articulate in person, share links to interesting articles and websites, and/or whatever else you think is appropriate.
The only ground rule for this blog is to use good judgment when posting. This does NOT mean you have to be politically correct. In fact, I encourage honest reflections and reactions--including those that are not P.C. However, I would hope that we, as contributors, would refrain from patently offensive remarks and personal attacks. Let's stick to arguing about issues and not insulting individuals.