tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987313227376572941.post6010535189323811426..comments2023-07-17T07:28:19.306-07:00Comments on BloggingFeministTheory: Getting Off--An ExcerptRic Carichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12715258697811131789noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987313227376572941.post-61918034481255110472008-01-12T22:18:00.000-08:002008-01-12T22:18:00.000-08:00I want to briefly examine one of the concepts in t...I want to briefly examine one of the concepts in this piece, the harm that patriarchy causes to men, and how men becoming feminists is vital to feminism as a successful movement. I have observed for years the damage done to men by this system, the harm to them and the isolation that is causes. Is the system more damaging to women? At every level the answer to that question is yes.<BR/><BR/>But we need to take into consideration that men are en mass being programmed not to feel. One of the key areas that women must overcome in order to achieve any sort of equality is to make men empathize with their situation and see the inherent truth of it. How can this be achieved if men are trained from an early age to have the emotional depth of a Beagle? It can’t be done.<BR/><BR/>I believe we need to start trying to reawaken the emotions of those trapped in the patriarchal system. I am evidence that this can be done. The process for me involved coming to college and being exposed to contradictory ideas to those that I had previously been indoctrinated by. I eventually came to see women not as objects to service men but as equal, and in some ways superior, human beings.Scottyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04367939682345411103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987313227376572941.post-79461028176559403972007-12-10T18:36:00.000-08:002007-12-10T18:36:00.000-08:00This kind of goes back to that one article called ...This kind of goes back to that one article called Is Feminism Dead? where people thought that she shouldn’t include men in the goals of feminism. This is an example that clearly shows how men’s gender roles have a direct effect on women. Men fight for the dominant role, and that is what is masculine. One reason I think feminism scares people so much is that it works against this male dominance. I know that’s a given, men have the upper hand and don’t want to give it up. But I think it may be a little more than that. Feminism has made many gains toward equality for women and men that have challenged the schema of male dominance. Men are no longer the sole bread winners for most families, and women are no longer the only person involved in childcare. Not only do men not want to give up the power of domination, but they don’t want to have to totally rethink what masculinity is. If women are equal to men, and king-of-the-hill masculinity no longer works, how will men define themselves? That is a scary thought for most men.whitneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08017526437878642540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987313227376572941.post-12774909155774163002007-12-10T16:49:00.000-08:002007-12-10T16:49:00.000-08:00I didn't like the game King of the Hill when I was...I didn't like the game King of the Hill when I was a kid. I didn't like playing with my brother because he was bigger than me. I had to really be sneaky in order to win the game against him. Honestly though, I hated all competitve games that I was forced to play. I hated the feeling of wanting to win. I wonder if that is a socialized desire for women? To hate the desire to win.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, there is a lot that can be said about men and the love of competitive sports. I'm surprised that there isn't some game to find out which guy can get off faster than the other guys. There could be catagories: which guy takes the least amount of encouragement and fastest. I'm not going into any more potential catagories.<BR/><BR/>There does seem to be some fundamental need for men to project their manliness outwardly. I think that the King of the Hill game is a good example. In relation to feminism, I'd say that the need to project manliness is simply a reaction to what they could see as a power switch. The backlash of feminism could be a tougher game of King of the Hill, men getting off more and more frequently, and the hill just being bigger.Brandy01https://www.blogger.com/profile/05305161392417975876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987313227376572941.post-26583760586185385352007-12-09T06:44:00.000-08:002007-12-09T06:44:00.000-08:00The theme of this excerpt is the domination of men...The theme of this excerpt is the domination of men, and thereby, how that domination is used to objectify, exploit, and otherwise subordinate women. As Jensen mentions, this domination often occurs by sexual means. Thus, men sexually dominate and abuse women as a way of keeping them "in check", and therefore, letting them "know who's boss".<BR/><BR/>As bell hooks explains in one of her books, rape is a very effective means of enforcing a patriarchal society. Much of this sentiment dates back centuries, where in many situations, women were viewed as men's property. <BR/><BR/>Therefore, the rape of any woman was not viewed as a crime in the damage it did to her, but rather, as a property crime against her father or husband. Consequently, it turned into little more than a masculinity test, in which any rape was an insult to another man's integrity and masculinity. How he responded to it would be a demonstration of his masculinity. Although laws and many traditions have changed over the years, portions of this idea are still alive and well. Much of the rape and sexual assault in our society are performed in the name of one's masculinity, and thus, as a way, especially in the cases of date and marital rape, to demonstrate one's "ownership" over the woman.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987313227376572941.post-83431841709814396872007-12-07T18:13:00.000-08:002007-12-07T18:13:00.000-08:00I read through some of "Getting Off" when doing my...I read through some of "Getting Off" when doing my research paper. I really like what Jensen has to say and I think its effectiveness is furthered by the fact that it is written by a male.<BR/><BR/>Masculinity does indeed hurt women, but I am most intrigued by the furtherance of the argument which describes how it effaces men. It gives us an interesting perspective of patriarchy and society. The King of the Hill analogy illustrates this well.<BR/><BR/>At any one given time, in any one given place, and within any one given group, their is only one dominant figure. That figure is male. Men resort to measures to be the King of the Hill, and when that battle is lost, they turn those same efforts to women so they at least control something. Men use it on each other, as do women. It creates a chain of power in our society that I would argue looks as follows:<BR/><BR/>White men - black men - minority men - white women - black women - gays and lesbians.<BR/><BR/>I put gay men in the last group because they are not historically male in the sense they do not usually have dominant male characteristics. <BR/><BR/>For society to improve we need to identify these power relationships and extenguish them. The violence ends when there is no hill to overcome for equality.feMENisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07054235758392856844noreply@blogger.com