WARNING: There will be no organization to this blog. This will accurately represent the lack of organization of thoughts when it comes to topics brought up today in general.
Rape culture and feminism, I was delighted to learn about you from the wonderful Ella. I thoroughly enjoyed her passion about the subject and her desire to keep the focus on facts. However, our class was somehow unable to just sit quietly and take in the data that she would be able to support with references, I'm sure. Almost everything said was challenged by someone in the peanut gallery. Sure, this is a controversial topic, but I think we could have at least given her time to fully explain the information before pouncing! And don't even get me started on getting off topic onto other topics which lead to heated opinions being thrown about that aren't even related to correct subject matter. For example, there was a picture of Miley and Robin performing at the VMAs. She was going to talk about the performance and song in relation to rape, but somebody instead brought up the changes Miley has gone through and everything. IRRELEVANT.
Anyways, on to my next thought...
I used to think 'Oh, we're just getting heated in arguments because of the topics,' but now I realize that EVERYTHING is a heated topic for our class. I love that we all have our own opinions and are willing to share them. However, we need to be respectful of other's opinions as well (see "Maybe we actually SHOULD read this book...?" for more on that topic). We don't have to agree, but at least listen to what other's are going to say. Or even simpler, let them finish their statement before starting a new one. We can at least do that, right? (I hope so).
I have another idea I came up with today! I personally enjoyed learning about something from someone who is passionate about the topic. It would have been AWESOME if all of our classes were like this one. Each of us has a passion about something. Why not give every student a day where they lead the class in a lecture-type-thing about said passion. It would be a great way to learn a lot of things and a lot about our classmates.
The only trouble with this is that some people are passionate about controversial topics.
Oh no! What will we do?!
I think that people should just man up and deal with the presence of differing opinions in a positive way. This does NOT include interruptions, snide remarks, rude looks, or muttering under your breath. It does include listening, being patients, being kind, and being respectful of others. The only topics that should be steered clear of are those which are "triggers." These topics affect the core of one's being in a negative way. Not just because they are against it, but because of a personal experience that has haunted them. For example, rape would not be a good topic to discuss in class if a victim of rape is sitting in one of the seats. There are various ways to evaluate the topics that are off-limits, but since this idea won't actually come to fruition I won't go ahead and talk about that.
On to another thought.
We talked a lot about rape not being taken seriously. This is true. It is not taken seriously. A lot of serious things are not taken seriously. Offensive statements are said and people get hurt. Our society has become somewhat numb to other's feelings. Our feelings are still quite important to us, but most people disregard the possible consequences of actions regarding other people. I know I already wrote a blog about this topic, but there were some things that I'm sure were left unsaid. On the other side, people should be less sensitive to thoughts shared. Not everything is a personal attack. I know that I am one of those people that tends to personalize everything, so I'm being a slight hypocrite, but we should be able to look outside ourselves for a bit and see OTHER PEOPLE EXIST. Gasp. I know, it's a shocking truth.
On to feminism!!!!
Well, actually I'm not going to talk about feminism really. One thing that in general annoyed me about the feminism argument is the fact we are generalizing the two genders so much. I think that every person is different, and so saying "Women do this" and "Men do that" is kind of pointless. I think we've come far enough in this society of equality that we can't lump everyone together based on gender and make a valid argument. Everyone is different, so everyone will probably be treated differently. Equality ain't no thing. Also, I believe the reason there are more men in the medical professions is because more men choose to become doctors, not necessarily because they are more successful in math and science. If more women pursued the career then maybe it would be more equal. We all have different talents and different passions.
So next time a point is brought up that is generalizing a population we should remember that it is a blanket statement and there WILL BE EXCEPTIONS to the generalization ALWAYS. Instead of pointing out every little exception during the class time, realize that the person making the generalized statement probably knows it is a generalized statement and there will be exceptions.
Now that that unorganized little rant is done...
While I was coming up with my GENIUS IDEA of how the Scholars class could have been conducted, I realized that I don't know what my chosen topic would be. I don't really know the thing I'm most passionate about. I'm kind of a renaissance man in the way that many things interest me pretty equally. I'll just ask my parents what I rant about most to them.
No comments:
Post a Comment