"Entwined"
(Male/Female/Freedom/Control)"
November 19, 2013

"Male/Female Entwined" by Joyce Tenneson

The following Q&A is from questions posed in a recent Ethnicity Class at College of the Siskiyous, Weed, CA.

 Module 14 Assignment: Answer TWO of the following questions (10 points each):

Outline how the three sociological perspectives (functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism) would explain sexism. Be sure to address each of the terms in bold as highlighted on pages 23-26 of chapter 1.

I.























II.











III.

Functional Theory – Obviously this wasn’t working at the time that women began to fight for equal rights or the rights would have already been equal.  It would seem that something shifted and men no longer were caring for the women for them to want to have a vote, since up until this time … there was no problem with not being able to vote.  So men seemingly were taking advantage of the power offered them by women.  The power to have all the control and use it wisely.  When one begins to use power against those that have submitted to it in a way that is detrimental to them both … the tides will shift rapidly.  As you can see in the 1900s.  Everything everywhere had begun to shift against the white male.  If you can see this without a gender and without a race, and see it just as a power struggle between the species of humans then it doesn’t add fuel to the flame.  It allows for the changes that were required to occur and for the shifting of power to become more leveled out.  We can learn from these things as we begin to stop blaming anyone and appreciate what blossoms from the change.

Though it is hard at this time to see where the benefits of all this liberation have created … where we now have a drug addicted society with many of our children in foster care and prison and absent parents on both the male and female side, or if they are present are exhausted from juggling too many things at one time.  It will be good to see a bit further down the road how we all pull together to serve each other.  There will require a great time of rest from all this movement and change of the 19th century.  Will be good to see the Functional Theory in actuality and not theory.

Conflict Theory:  This seems to be more the case of the last 100 years.  Women wanting more of an active role, the ability to have an income, an education.  This will dissolve over time as we see each other as more the Same than different.  When one discovers the Sameness then the differences become the colors that make us unique out of the Same.  It is easier to see this if we look at the deer (the animal) you don’t normally look at one deer any different than the other because they all look the same (usually) this is how it is for humans except there are variations of skin and hair, gender but underneath the skin, hair, gender … it is the same as what is under and animating the deer.  It may take many more centuries for this to become something discovered by the majority and not the minority, however eventually these things are always discovered because it is what is at the Core.  When people are treated right then the conflict dissolves.  It seems simple enough, right?

Interactionist Theory:  It would seem that the Interactionist Theory is seen and plays out because, ultimately, in the belief that we are all different and not the Same.  However, the body does make it appear we are different and yes there are certain attributes of the body that can not be had by the other (at least in this point of time) such as, a man can have a sex change, but still cannot create a child.  A woman can also have a sex change but cannot impregnate another woman.  That ultimately is the biggest difference between male/female bodies (though there is everything in-between in relation to capabilities).  The male (if not seeing the working relationship of the species to continue … i.e. the puzzle completion of male/female parts to create another male/female part) could fear the female since she has the power to create which is actually the greatest power you can have in this world other than giving up all power to something Greater than yourself.  So the male may attempt to dominant the female out of this fear.  The female can also mis-use this power to create fear in males and imagine that this did happen at some point in time or we wouldn’t be in the scenario we find ourselves in right now … which is the power to create yet no power to provide our creations with a meaningful life (in general).

If the pendulum swings in either direction too far then we do not have a healthy way of living for anyone.  If women gain control again and then use it against men, then nothing will change.  If woman are able to use their power that they achieve to not tear the male species down but to support it’s growth as well as her own then things may dramatically shift.  Truly the only clear way to do this is to discover that you are not either male/female but that those characteristic appear in Who you Are not the other way around.  If you come from no body, no thing, no gender, no nationality … if you come from that then things natural reveal themselves in equality to you and equality becomes the way of life.  This does not mean that everyone in the world becomes the same … it means that everyone in the world has the ability to discover the Sameness within them and then look out upon all the differnces.  “I was blind but now I see” (was blinded by the differences, but now I see the Light within us all, that is my Same Self.)

In chapter 2, page 32, sociologist Robin Williams outlined what he deemed to be basic US values. Considering the experiences of women as a minority group in America, would you consider his framework adequate in explaining that experience? Explain why or why not.

1. Achievement and success.  Seems like things are going well for women.  We had a woman run for President.  Seems they are achieving what he says.
   
2. Activity and work.  It would seem that what he sees is relatively so since so many woman sacrifice a good up bringing of their children to go to work instead of being seen (even though not true) that being in the home is “lazy.”
   
3. Moral Orientation.  Not sure how this relates to woman as a minority.  Maybe he is saying that if a woman behaves a certain way it would be judged in a black and white world.  That is always the risk of just being yourself.
   
4. Humanitarian Mores.  It would seem this is true in the case of women, since things have shifted so dramatically in the last 100 years.
   
5. Efficiency and practicality.  Would agree with the quickest but not the less costly.  The quickest is usually always the most costly and this can be seen by women entering the work force … it was a quick solution that has left damage, utter damage on the home front, it cost us our children.
6. Progress.  Not sure how to relate this to women but technology has helped them with house cleaning … it is much easier to cook and clean now of course everyone’s health suffers for the garbage that they feed their families and the mass products that are in our landfills.
7. Material comfort.  It does seem that all that fighting to have equality was so that one could buy the latest handbag, shoes or gadget that comes on the market.  But no one really has the time to slow down and see if that is what was sold out for.
8. Equality.  If this was the case there wouldn’t be any movement women’s or otherwise.  However we are different in the world and will not ever be equal in the world … yet at the Core there is only Sameness (there is nothing to be equal to).
9. Freedom.  The only true freedom is being willing to die.  Not trying to die or wanting to die … Willing to.  Then you are forever free from anything and anyone.  That doesn’t just mean physical death, it can mean the death of a relationship, death of an idea of who you are, death of certain tightly held beliefs.  That “Freedom” relates to women, men and anything else on this planet.
   
10. External conformity.  Usually stems from fear of any kind of death.  Not sure how it relates to women specifically but if they did not see themselves as women, then there would be nothing to conform to.  Not as a denial of being in a female body, just the realization that the body is secondary to who One Is.
    
11. Science and Rationality.  Not sure how that relates to sexism or being a woman either, however science and rationality once again are secondary to who One is At The Core.  Science is in That.  The Core is not rational.
    
12. Nationalism.  Would say that women seem slightly more accepting than men which maybe part of the brain functioning, however, women still have just as many hang ups and fears as men and the more independent they become … the more fears of the other arise.
    
13. Democracy.  Would say that this is not the case and that this country is not democratic at all and that it is just a giant wheel that eventually will begin to crack and fall apart and not sure how that relates to women and sexism.  
    
14. Individualism.  Would say that this is what the women’s movement ended up creating and now there are not great support units for women, cause there is no time for the women to go get the support.  It does seem like a phase of to each his own … right now in the world but it’s hard to say … don’t get out very much.
    
15. Racism and group superiority themes.  Obviously.  People just like what they like and swarm toward what they do like and away from what they don’t.  It is no different for women.  They swarmed together to get equal rights and the fight amongst themselves to keep what they got?  Sounds like a mess that power tends to make.
    

For the additional 10 points, EITHER write a response to two separate answers posted by others OR answer all three questions below.

1.    “Identify one important concept, research finding, theory, or idea … that you learned while completing this week’s module.”

Learned that there is very little known about why women fought seemingly so hard for so very little in fact it seems that they lost more than they gained.  Will have to spend more time looking at this.

2.    “Why do you believe that this concept, research finding, theory, or idea … is important?”

It seems important so that one can really take value of what they have.  What they worked so hard for and what it is they will have at the end of the achievement whatever it is.  Too many seem to only have the goal but not what will be had once the goal is achieved.  It might be wiser to look at the end before starting.  What will you have in the end.  Have women really gained anything and was it worth the price paid to gain it? 

3.    “What question(s) has the activity raised for you? What are you still wondering about?” A one-word answer is not acceptable.

We now have fast paced, high stressed lives where families are secondary to the income.  Was it worth all the trouble?  

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