Injustice

 Thad Whitfield - Final Blog Post H01

Kieran Setiya - Injustice chp. 5

Injustice

There is injustice all around us in this world. One scroll through the New York Times, and you will see countless articles about people being hurt. For some, it is natural disasters that bring havoc against them, and for others, it is their country’s government that discriminates against them. Setiya calls this doom scrolling. Scrolling and being bombarded with bad news makes it easy to feel hopeless. Unfortunately, many have become numb to it instead. I, for one, have seen this in my own life. Phrases like “that’s life,” “just move on,” or “life’s not fair,” come to my mind. And while this is true, it does not mean we can’t do something to help. 

Injustice seems so prevalent in this world that we can’t ever tackle it. To start, let’s define the word. People often associate the word injustice with unfairness; while they are similar, there are key differences. It is unfair that I am not 6’2’’, and yet it is not unjust. Injustice is when something is denied to one group and yet granted to another. Justice can and should always be granted, but fairness cannot.  

One of the reasons why justice is so hard is that even “fair” systems (on the surface) can create injustice. An example Setiya uses is taxpayer dollars paying for public education. At first glance, this seems to be a fair system, but it does not turn out that way. Poor communities pay fewer taxes, so their public education is worse. Therefore, they are less likely to pursue a high level of education, which decreases their chances of getting a high-paying job. You see where this is headed. It is a cycle, and it is easy to get stuck. That doesn’t sound fair to me. Any system that does not actively combat the injustice deeply rooted in this country is unfair. So we have to be careful as a country that we are striving for justice, not so-called fairness. Fairness is long gone due to our country’s past, but we can strive to make it just. That is why the Pledge of Allegiance says “liberty and justice for all.” A just system actively dismantles the barriers that maintain inequality.

Now that we have a definition, you must ask yourself if you even care. It seems straightforward that we should all care, and yet it is evident that so many do not. Or at least many people do not care enough to do anything. Simone Weil was outside this category. She was a French philosopher who believed in self-sacrifice and displayed it at a young age. At age six, Weil refused to eat sugar because the soldiers at the front line did not have any. She continued to practice self-sacrifice to bring awareness to the many who were suffering and ultimately died from starvation at the age of 34. We can all agree we do not have to do what Weil did, but that is what it means to care. People who really care take action.

As Setiya points out, if that is what it takes, maybe I do not care as much as I thought. So, let us go back and reinforce the question of why. Why should we care? Setiya hits on this at the beginning of the chapter and looks to philosophy for an argument to prove that we should. 

Do you believe it is your moral obligation to help as a citizen of the world? Immanuel Kant would say it is. He claims that we can not be truly free without conforming to the moral law, treating others not just as means but as ends. Yet, there is no way to prove this. It is impossible to prove you cannot be truly free because who determines what it means to be truly free? Scientific studies have also found that certain people are born with higher levels of empathy. People with higher levels of empathy are likelier to help, while people born with less empathy are less likely. As Setiya says, if justice does not call out to you, Kant is unlikely to help. At the end of the day, the morals you choose to follow are up to you.

For those who feel called, the next question that comes to mind is: What are we supposed to do to help? As I mentioned earlier, it is a very daunting reality. There is so much that needs to be done it is hard to get yourself to start. Setiya talks about this state of paralysis that we can get thrown into, and yet that is the worst thing you can do. The answer is to try: inform yourself, make yourself aware, and take action. Do not go numb to the injustices around you. From a position of understanding, you can take action.

 What does taking action look like? There are many different ways you can take action, some are more demanding than others but anything is better than nothing. An easy way you can help is to bring awareness. This can be done by reposting stories or articles. Especially information from underrepresented communities. Using the platform that you are fortunate enough to have is important. Any time you can humble yourself to lift others up you are helping fight injustice. Another way is through donations. Donations of your money and time make an impact. Food banks and protests are good examples. Find something you care about and give up something of yours to help. In the book Setiya talked about how he had given up his time to participate in marches for climate change. Climate Change is something that Setiya deeply cares about and therefore he gave up his time to help. 

We can all agree that the world would be a better place if injustice did not exist. Unfortunately injustice is a problem that will never be solved yet that does not mean we should not try. Start small and create the ripple effects in your community that can ultimately lead to change. Do not let the fear of not helping enough stop you from helping at all. 

Questions 

1. Do you all think justice is a moral obligation or a choice?  

2. Why do you think some people feel the need to help more than others?

3. Do you think a just society is an achievable goal?

Articles - Fairness and Injustice 

Our Education System is Unjust 

Injustice in Education 

Simone Weil Reminder NYT

Simone Weil's Morning Checklist

Ways to Fight Injustice

Videos - Chose to Hope in a World of Injustice 

We need to talk about Injustice

Gone, But Never Forgotten by Roman Phillips

   My grandfather died on October 11th, 2024 while I was waiting in the Nashville airport on a delayed flight to go home for Fall Break. He had open heart surgery to correct a leaking heart valve on Thursday, October 10th and I was planning on visiting him in the hospital over the Fall Break weekend. I am saddened I didn’t get to visit with him again before he passed away because we had a special relationship. He was my camping and fishing buddy for many years and we shared a mutual interest in automobiles, trucks, and boats. My grandfather’s death is shocking because it was so unexpected. Not only is there a palpable emptiness felt at my grandmother’s dining room table, but it is also bewildering to see his beloved recliner remain unoccupied. My grandfather had an endearing quality about him that produced lots of laughs that I will sorely miss.

What is grief? I have learned that grief is extremely personal and very complicated, but also universal because we have or will eventually experience a profound loss. It is okay to feel sad or lost, but in time we can find our way again and hopefully it will be easier than we think. Grief is a reaction to a profound loss of someone or something. Although grief is different for everyone, grief affects us both physically and mentally. Grief is a personal journey and there are no certain steps or rules to be followed when mourning. “The good news is that for most of us, grief is not overwhelming or unending. As frightening as the pain of loss can be, most of us are resilient,” states George Bonnano in his book, The Other Side of Sadness (Setiya 82).

In his book Life Is Hard, philosopher Kieran Setiya explains that grief is not just a simple emotion. Grief can look like sorrow, anger, guilt, or fear, but grief also provides moments of lightness as well as depth or clarity. While grieving, I may also experience anxiety or exhaustion. According to Setiya, grief is unstable and difficult to discuss, but he explains there are at least three kinds of grief: “relational grief” - describing this type of grief as a broken relationship, grief at the harm that happens when someone dies, and  at the complete loss of life (66).

Setiya cautions these three types of grief may interact or coincide, but they are not the same because each type of grief hurts in different ways and each says something different about love. Unlike me, Setiya admits he is reluctant to share his thoughts about grieving because he has not had intense experiences with grief even though he has experienced the loss of distant grandparents. In fact, his closest experience with grief is watching his mother suffer from Alzheimer’s. In an effort to further explore the topic, Setiya studied social sciences to better understand the mourning process.

In 1969, psychiatrist Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross outlined a five stage model in her book On Death and Dying. The five steps are neatly broken down into rational emotions one may experience when grappling with grief. The stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. While these feelings are most often associated with grieving, Kubler-Ross actually attributed these emotions to patients who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Her initial study included interviewing over 200 ill patients who were coming to terms with various terminal illness diagnoses. Interestingly, these five stages were not meant to be applied to those who are suffering loss from the death of a loved one. Current research by George Bonanno reveals grief does not come in predictable stages, but in unexpected waves. Bonanno suggests bereavement is a stress reaction and it is not uniform or static. He also points out that relentless grief would be overwhelming. Grief is rather tolerable because it comes and goes (68).

    Other studies on grief debunk the common belief that “you have to talk about it” may actually be ineffective. Studies show being forced to “debrief” or discuss traumatic events in their immediate aftermath may create negative physical and mental impacts that can last for years. Discussing unpleasant events prevents our emotional immune system from suppressing painful memories (68). Personally, I believe talking about my grandfather keeps his memory alive.

 While researching other topics about grief, Setiya found most documents on grief are broken or inconsistent including British experimental novelist B.S. Johnson, who published his book about grief four years before his death. In his book The Unfortunates (and for the record, there was not a copy available on Amazon, but I did find one on eBay with shipping that was $250), Johnson created a book in a box that included 27 booklets to be read in random order with the exception of the “First” and “Last” booklets. As the story unfolds, the reader learns that the narrator is a sports journalist traveling to a city to cover a soccer match who reflects on various memories of a close friend who has died of cancer. The point Johnson makes with his book in a box is that grief has no narrative order and closure is vaguely temporary because grief can be opened and reshuffled repeatedly (Setiya 69). Indeed, grief is elaborately complex and extremely personal. 

Of course, Greek stoic philosopher Epictetus felt that if we could inhabit the truth, then grief could be outsmarted. Stoics have great control over their emotions and calmly respond to life’s disappointments. By focusing on what we can change, we can remove ourselves from everything else. While this may dull our pain, we further distance ourselves from that which truly matters. Satiya reveals, “grief brings pain, the pain is part of living well” and it is impossible to separate that type of pain from love. Our goal should be to grieve well, not necessarily kill grief (72). 

Nevertheless, grief produces a fear of abandonment. The relationship has concluded and there is an intense withdrawal of love. When life changes quickly, grief can be seen as self-indulgent or self pity (73-74). Self indulgence, often characterized as negative behaviors that provide some sort of instant gratification, and self-pity often resulting in a type of  “why me” thinking are not exactly self-centered behaviors because “grief is not a weakness, but a token of persisting love” (74). Years ago, I read Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet and one prominent memory I have from that book was that Brian, the main character, distinctly rejected self-pity because at the end of the pity party, there was important work that still needed to be done. I am aware this idea has resonated with me since elementary school.

 More importantly, grieving well requires working through the changes that the relationship has undergone. Sometimes relationships are completed (meaning they end for whatever reason) and other times, they are archived (meaning death has occurred). While death might end the physical relationship, the emotional relationship continues because the person existed so grief prompts change by placing “demands on us we are compelled to meet, requirements of reverence and respect” (75). Navigating grief allows us to keep the relationship going, but on different and newer terms. Doing this may cause pain, but it may also offer feelings of comfort in memories of the loved one (77). Ironically, when maintaining a relationship with the dead, there is a risk of not engaging with life (75). We are never wrong to grieve and if we do not grieve, then we would not love. 

It is interesting to note that grief is not just one emotion, but a combination of many emotions. Representing a loss, grief may last for as long as we are still living, but thankfully, with the passage of time, grieving should become easier. We are emotionally resilient and according to psychologist and author George Bonanno, “Most bereaved people get better on their own, without any kind of professional help” (82). With the passing of time, grief changes not necessarily because of the reason it exists, but because grief is an emotional process where acceptance and transformation are an integral part of the grieving experience. 

Processing grief can be public or private and mourning rituals differ around the world. For example, Tibetan Buddhists practice a ritual known as sky burials, but strangely this ritual does not involve burying the body of the deceased. The body is actually placed in a special spot and birds come to devour the remains. Not only does this ritual provide a sustainable way of body disposal, but it also symbolizes a full-circle moment as the body now provides sustenance to other living creatures. 

Other examples of mourning rituals include Dia De Los Muertos, prominent in Mexico as well as other parts of Central America, which honors those who have died, but also serves as a reminder of one’s own mortality. Even in New Orleans, some families participate in jazz funerals where public mourning is combined with lively music as mourners escort the body to the cemetery. As in the case of my grandfather, my family had a family lunch at noon on the day of his funeral because my grandfather enjoyed eating lunch at noon. While there are many other death rituals, each one provides an opportunity to receive social support from other family members and friends because “resilience in grief correlates with social support” (84). While rituals and traditions help when grieving, there is no permanent solution to grief (89). The fact remains that the loss of a loved one is one of life’s most stressful events and grieving is an individual process. 

Things have changed - it might be hard to concentrate, there may be feelings of confusion, and it may be impossibly hard to make decisions. I might behave differently - I could lose interests in stuff my grandfather and I did together such as camping and fishing. I might get angry with others for no apparent reason. I might want to spend time alone. I might lose my appetite and may have trouble sleeping. When grieving, it is completely normal to have these thoughts, behaviors, feelings, and bodily sensations. It is natural to grieve and there is no right or wrong way to do it. 

While grief is a reminder that life has ended, my love for my grandfather will be with me until my last breath. Death and loss seem extremely negative, but I have discovered there are some positive grieving tools that may be useful to others. One of the most impactful ways to remain positive during times of grief is to practice gratitude. I am very thankful for the eighteen years I had with my grandfather and I will fondly remember his wittiness especially when drinking horrible tasting ice tea. And I will remind myself to keep moving forward.

Questions

How do you openly grieve? 

Are there any special customs or traditions used in your family to celebrate the loved one’s memory? 

Can grieving be fixed? 

Brooke Hale - What is it like to be a woman?

Question Everything: What is it like to be a woman?

For the beginning of history women philosophers had been silenced. Ignored and discarded; was the reality for most women across the world. Women’s findings had not been contributed to the development of the philosophical industry. When women’s contributions were finally discovered, they could read and be read. The world has advanced far beyond that old existence that once suppressed women’s lives. Although the improvement is notably significant, the world is still not fixed. The reality for women is the realization that you do not run the world. The world will run you.

Power and authority have just now been an actuality for women, but the fight cannot be over. Biblically and politically women have been suppressed and silenced. Within many traditional religions the Bible has discarded women as simple household figures. Jesus spoke “Go and make disciplines of all nations.” How can one speak this truth then remove their voice where it really matters? It is preached in many denominations; the Bible prohibits women from becoming preachers or pastors. Women are restricted to stand upon a stage and speak to the masses. Women are forced to deal with smaller roles. The Bible claims women are not allowed to be a form of leadership, prohibiting female leadership. Women are casted upon the responsibility of the children and women groups. Politically, congress was built as a representation of the American people. Congress should reflect what the American people look like. The United States is made up of 50.24 percent male compared to the 49.76 percent female. The senate only sits 27.9 percent of women, and the house only sits 29.2 percent. Out of the 10,506 seats that have been held in the house only 378 of them are women. That is less than 4 percent of the overall house seats. The movement has started; 178 of the seats are being currently held. Although, the fight has just begun. The same congress which decides important female issues is falsely represented within the American government. The time has come for equality to become reality. 

The book tackles the question, what defines a woman? The question mostly focuses on the inclusivity of being a woman; can trans women be defined as women? There is not one experience every woman faces that can be defined being a woman. In an interview featuring a feminist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, she says, “It’s about the way the world treats us, and all I think if you lived in the world as a man with the privileges that the world accords to men and then sort of change gender, it’s difficult for me to accept that then we can equate your experience with the experience of a women who has lived from the beginning as a women and who has not been accorded those privileges that men are.“ In my opinion this statement was directed towards the situation discussed right after in the book about Caitlyn Jenner. She has lived a life as a man and obtained many opportunities granted to just men. When she won women of the year she thus quoted “The hardest part of being a woman... Is figuring out what to wear.” When women obtain the spotlight, it should not be too radiate being a dumb blonde but to discuss the issues or intellect women possess. It is incredibly hard for the public to recognize women success. The public just cares about what she looks like. How big her ass is, or how many guys she has slept with. The topics being discussed are irrelevant compared to the problems not presented to society.

In the section “#IAmSexist” written by George Yancy, he dives into his realization society is driven by a male-dominated agenda. Yancy’s realizations stemmed from his frustration with his fiancé. Yancy's fiancé expressed her discomforted taking Yancy’s last name; she wanted something for herself. Yancy pondered why he did not favor her decision and why shocked him. Yancy thought of his fiancé as property rather than a partner. He wanted to stamp his name on his significant other to show ownership over her.

Further, he discusses the masculine viewpoint identifying women as meat. Men at an adolescent age are asked to choose; wear a mask objectifying woman, as a piece of meat, or become labeled as gay. The mask most men wear in the initial stages of life imprints upon the character they display. Yancy addresses his experiences in fifth grade; a game him and his friends enjoyed together. The boys would push each other into the girls they liked. In doing so the boys would attempt to grope and touch the little girls. Yancy recognizes the game as violating; he offers the example to allow the reader to understand the foundation men are built upon.

The foundational behavior men are developed from; exponentially influence their essence. This mindset men are forced to implicate, treat women horrifically. Men have been taught to objectify women, and women are taught objectification is a form of interest. The extents men exceed to treat women as meat is disgraceful. Women cannot simply go for a run, get gas, or simply walk the street without a subconscious thought a man will harm her. Women have become terrified to perform normal tasks; scared for their comfort and even well-being.

In my personal experience, living inside a world driven by the male centric focus, it is a constant battle. Men have stalked me; putting an air tag on my car. Boys have attempted to kidnap me out of pure amusement. Every day, leaving my house to run on the greenway, without fail a man honks at me or cat calls me out of their window. Men have mistaken me for dumb taking time to mansplain the simplest of ideas. The list can continue however, these examples just only scratch the surface of the horrendous act's men ensue upon women every single day.

Statistically one out of every five women are victims of rape; about half of these women are raped by an intimate partner. The reality for women is the potential harm not limited to unknown men but their trusted partners as well. Women never feel completely safe; the guard can never be entirely knocked down. Additionally, legal power for women is incredibly limited. The sentences are short, and the process is immoral and extensive. Women during the darkest moments of their lives are further violated, accused of false accusations, and forced to write out their experiences for the legal system to interpret. The system is corrupt and immoral to women it supposedly represents.

Being a woman is so much greater than the choice of an outfit. The life of a woman is learning to live with one eye constantly over your shoulder. Hyper aware of your surroundings while multitasking effortlessly walking through life. The reality of being a girl is growing up being told about this huge world waiting for her and then grasping the world is waiting for her although it is only out to get her.

Discussion Question:

Is a world possible in which masks are never implicated?

With the newly elected congress, do you think the gender norms are shifting even further?

Do you believe this could spiral into a real transition within society?

Erick Martinez- Final Report

 

Life is Hard: How Psychology Can Help Us Find Our Way

Chapter 4: Failure

As humans we like to think were different from others. That we are unique and although that is the case, there are many differences between humans, there is a ton we share. One experience we all share is failure. Everyone experiences failure, that’s something we can’t change, and many people believe you need to fail in order to succeed. But what does Kieran Setiya say about failure?

In October 1951, the Dodgers were going against the Giants to see who would make the world series that year. Ralph Branca, the pitcher for the Dodgers pitched to Bobby Thompson who made a home run. This was historical and this play was given the title, “Shot Heard Around The World”. While Thompson soaked in all the fame and recognition, Branca’s career was reduced to the man who pitched to Thompson who sent the Giants to the World Series that year.

In “Echoing Green” by Joshua Prager, he attempts to break down the lives of both Thompson and Prager to the point of the big game that changed both men’s lives. He came to a conclusion that I feel many of us tend to forget, both of these men’s lives are so much more than this singular moment they share. Setiya states “No one’s life can be reduced to one event, one enterprise, or one ambition” and we shouldn’t want that. Whether a success of fail, we shouldn’t revolve our lives around one singular moment or goal, because living is so much more than that.

We will all fail at some point in our lives, but just like in Branca’s story, there will always be unpredictable situations that remind all of us that we are never 100% in control. This can be seen as a scary realization, but thinking this way helps us realize that we are more than one moment in our lives, that we are so much more than our failures or even our successes.

Setiya then moves to a philosophical idea that is said to help us escape the chokehold that failure has on us. This idea is called “Life as Narrative” The idea is that we must tell/see our lives narratively, as if it’s a story. It essentially shoves all our experiences into a coherent narrative that is said to help us interpret our lives. Many philosophers saw this idea as beneficial as the best way to live a satisfactory life. But what did other people and Seitya believe?

Galen Strawson was a philosopher and an author. His father was a metaphysical philosopher. Strawson grew up with philosophical questions that he strived to find answers to. In his later life, he wrote an autobiography. After writing his story out, he made a discovery that his life didn’t align with the Life as Narrative idea. His story wasn’t cohesive, it wasn’t something he could easily tell because there was so much to tell. Strawson believed he lived a very fulfilling life, even if his life wasn’t the best story to tell, so he questioned the philosophical idea.

Seitya points out a strong case against the idea as well. The negative of Life as Narrative is that it makes us see our lives as if it must follow a certain build, which it might or might not fulfil because remember, we don’t have 100% control. Seitya says this is the perfect stage for definitive failure.

So, we fail, and situations fail, but can humans be considered failures? Seitya says no. “A life can’t really succeed or fail at all; it can only be lived.” What Seitya believed made our lives special wasn’t the climax of our stories or the resolutions, but our experiences. Our deeds and interactions that occupy our day to day. At the end of the day, our lives are built on so many situations. We tend to focus on the big events because we think those shape us the most, but the collection of our small successes and failures impact all of us just as much. The sooner we realize this, the sooner we will stop obsessing over failing or succeeding

Now to be clear, Seitya isn’t saying to let go of the little control we have of our lives. To stop striving for success in life. That’s not the case as he himself spent 2 decades striving for success in his field. He doesn’t regret it, what he does regret is treating life like a checklist. Completing one thing and moving on to the next never truly satisfied. This sent Setiya into a midlife crisis. Now to get out of this stage, he had to learn to live in the present and living in the present came with two activities. Telic and Atelic

Telic activities are projects we complete. That ends in success or failure. Then there are atelic, which are activities we choose to do. That doesn’t have an end to them, that we can enjoy like hanging out with friends. While there should be a balance between both of these activities, Setiya says that when completing telic activities, we miss the most important part. The process. We rush to finish them without a second look back and not caring how we get to the end sometimes. This is another set up for failure

Now, as complex as we are, humans will always be social animals. We tend to care how the world sees us whether that’s winners or losers. Now the best solution would be to ditch society but Setiya says we can’t all do that, but maybe we could change it.

Groundhog Day, the movie where the main character is in a continuous loop of the same day. The movie ends with Phil, the main character breaking this loop by showing selflessness, respect, and love for people around him. Society would be so much better if we were able to show respect and love to one another. This would also allow us to not focus on our images, on our failures like Branca’s situation and continue to live our lives day to day.

So, while failure will always be in our lives, and until the day comes where we our society changes, we can live a life where failure is not so centered, it doesn’t define us, and its not a characteristic.

Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life, by Agnes Callard

We're hoping to bring Agnes to MTSU next semester for the Lyceum. Her new book will be out in January:

An iconoclastic philosopher revives Socrates for our time, showing how we can answer―and, in the first place, ask―life’s most important questions.

Socrates has been hiding in plain sight. We call him the father of Western philosophy, but what exactly are his philosophical views? He is famous for his humility, but readers often find him arrogant and condescending. We parrot his claim that “the unexamined life is not worth living,” yet take no steps to live examined ones. We know that he was tried, convicted, and executed for “corrupting the youth,” but freely assign Socratic dialogues to today’s youths, to introduce them to philosophy. We’ve lost sight of what made him so dangerous. In Open Socrates, acclaimed philosopher Agnes Callard recovers the radical move at the center of Socrates’ thought, and shows why it is still the way to a good life.

 Callard draws our attention to Socrates’ startling discovery that we don’t know how to ask ourselves the most important questions―about how we should live, and how we might change. Before a person even has a chance to reflect, their bodily desires or the forces of social conformity have already answered on their behalf. To ask the most important questions, we need help. Callard argues that the true ambition of the famous “Socratic method” is to reveal what one human being can be to another. You can use another person in many ways―for survival, for pleasure, for comfort―but you are engaging them to the fullest when you call on them to help answer your questions and challenge your answers.

Callard shows that Socrates’ method allows us to make progress in thinking about how to manage romantic love, how to confront one’s own death, and how to approach politics. In the process, she gives us nothing less than a new ethics to live by. amazon

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One reason why Agnes is "iconoclastic"...

Agnes Callard’s Marriage of the Minds

The philosopher, who lives with her husband and her ex-husband, searches for what one human can be to another human...

 

What Is It Like to Be a Woman?

Mai Gibbons' Final Blog Post - H01

 Or rather... what does it mean to be a woman?

People have been discussing gender and how we express it for quite some time, but the conversation seems more complicated these days. Most of the world believes that sex and gender are the same- for example, that being a woman automatically means being biologically female. However, younger generations are aware that not everyone is comfortable identifying with their assigned sex at birth and choose to present themselves differently. Some choose to express themselves in ways that do not match traditional expectations. Some think that we have created too many labels and rely too much on identity politics, and gender has no meaning to them. As for me, I just put clothes on and go outside- gender is no big deal.

Of course, this has sparked debates. One big shift in how young Americans approach this topic is the growing separation between sex and gender. They tend to view gender as more of a construct, rather than a biological term. Our generation has become much more accepting of those that present differently than their sex. Because of this, the traditional definitions of "man" and "woman" do not always fit. If you look up the world "woman" in the dictionary, it states, "an adult female human being," but not everyone agrees with this. The dictionary does not consider transgender, nonbinary, or intersex people in this definition- they do not always fit into "man" or "woman". I am not encouraging us to change the definition, but it is worth noting that it may feel outdated to some.

In her essay "Who Counts as a Woman?", Carol Hay discusses how feminists that exclude transgender women from the feminist movement (often referred to as TERFs: trans-exclusionary radical feminists) reinforce the idea that there is a "correct" way to be female, when there is not. Hay states that excluding women that were not born female strengthens certain gender stereotypes that feminists claim to be critical. Hay points out that TERFs often assume transgender women had easy lives as men before transitioning. That assumption, she says, ignores the reality that many trans women have struggled with their gender identity for years and never felt truly comfortable living as men. Hay summarizes it like this:

    "When a cis woman complains that trans women haven't had the same experiences as 'real' female-born women, then, what she's really saying is, 'trans women haven't had the same experiences as        women like me'. If 30-plus years of intersectional feminism has taught us anything, it's that this is precisely the move that feminists need to stop making".

Hay's view on this subject reminds me of how important it is to see people as individuals. I sometimes fear that we have come to simplify gender to the point where we put people in boxes. We still have countless gender stereotypes despite our pursuit for gender equality. In our class discussion, some said that as children, they viewed femininity and "girly" things- like pink, dresses, glitter ink pens- as weaknesses. They thought that if they were to express femininity, they would associate themselves with derogatory statements such as, "you throw like a girl". Men deal with this, too: some added that they feel nervous doing something as simple as holding a door open for a woman because they might be called sexist. Why do we continue to label people as "man" and "woman" and act according to outdated stereotypes?

This ambiguity about gender identity makes me wonder why some are still treated differently because of their gender. This commercial by Always I watched a few years ago displays how gender stereotypes can disturb a girl's confidence before or during puberty. It challenges the idea that doing something "like a girl" is an insult. It shows that being a girl (or having feminine traits) has no hindrance on one's ability to do something well.

"What Does It Mean to Speak 'As a Woman'?" by Agnes Callard explores how gender could influence the way people converse with each other. She wonder what would happen if she were to begin a thought with, "as a woman...". She argues that this statement could change the whole dynamic of the conversation. The person she is conversing with already knows she is a woman, but her reiterating that fact might convince the other person to validate her information because she is a woman, rather than the legitimacy of what she is telling them.

Callard states that society empowers men to speak with authority while limiting that same authority to women, for no reason other than their gender. To her, men never have to preface a comment with, "as a man..." because they are already given conversational authority by being a man. She adds that such a comment in a conversation could turn it into an argument, because by reiterating that she is a woman, she is trying to make herself credible even though she was not asked to.

Her take is this: no matter your gender, your statements either make sense or they do not. You either adhere to the highest standards of logic or you do not. Your credibility in a conversation or argument should not come from your race, gender, age class, etc.

In all, we all have our own view of what a woman is. There is no right answer. Gender does not define a person. We are all human, and that is really it. What we need to do is see people for who they are beyond their gender (as well as race, ethnicity, appearance, etc.). The more we challenge labels and stereotypes, the closer we are to a society where everyone feels understood.

Note: If you'd like to learn more about beauty standards and its impact on girls and women, I highly recommend Beauty Sick by Renee Engeln. Heartbreaking and relatable.

Questions to consider:

In your own words, what is a woman?

    To me, a woman is anyone that simply identifies as a woman and is comfortable expressing gender stereotypes associated with women.

Do you think gender norms interfere with how gender issues are perceived and addressed? Why or why not?

Annlee Head (H02) - Why does art matter? (final draft)

The essay I chose to report on is “A Cog in the Machine of Creation” by Wes Studi (The many roles involved in producing a film rule out the notion of a single, indispensable artist) in the “Why does art matter?” section of Question Everything.

Wes Studi begins his essay by describing how art is a product of three components…

The mind - where the initial ideas are conceived through inspiration, whether that’s inner or outer. This is the beginning of any creative thought.

The heart - reveals to us how we feel about the idea. This is how the idea develops into a more complex concept, and how we can begin to create it.

Our past experiences - help us weigh the personal significance of the creation. This is important when debating whether to put the idea into fruition– whether it is worthy to be created.

The major question that needs to be answered before fully committing to an idea, Studi says, is “will it serve a purpose beyond our own need to create?” Will this creation be something that is just an excuse to keep creating, or will it serve a purpose and cause other people to also be inspired? Will it spark an idea into the viewer? The essay then transitions to Studi wondering if acting is a true art form. He states, “Is an actor merely an interpreter of an idea created in a screenplay, script, or play?” Studi then answers the question in this context; The writer is the artist, or creator, while the actor interprets the plan, but there still is more than just writer and actor. After adding the rest of the cast and crew in, the actor is not the main performer and instead becomes a cog in the larger machine of creation. 

When questioning whether the actor is a creator or an interpreter, you have to realize the writer first has to create the story in order to find an actor worthy of performing it. The actor’s job is to fit the situation and portray the story that had been written before. Studi explains that filmmaking is extremely collaborative and the actors need to be very trained and engaged in their roles. With personal experience and knowledge, the actors can have empathy towards the characters they are portraying. He discusses how his experience as a Native American actor and his knowledge of the wars against native populations have assisted him in the Native American roles he has been placed into. Incl. the Apache character Geronimo and helping craft the language of the Na’vi in Avatar (which you can learn at https://learnnavi.org/ if you'd like.)

Studi then goes on to compare being an actor to a sculptor, as actors need to add and build onto other people’s ideas to create the perfect character. As a sculptor, one needs to remove substance instead of adding it on, transforming a blank stone into something abnormal of the original shape that can be identified by any person.  Creating something unique, whether it is from many outside forces adding onto one creative thought, or deconstructing a creative thought to reveal the true motive behind it, are the ways to create something unique. Both of these methods allow the creator to control the process while continuing to give them freedom of choice. 

All creative pieces need to have some sort of meaning behind them, as Studi references his book The Adventures of Billy Bean, a children’s book he wrote in both English and Cherokee. The book was meant to preach an uplifting message about life for young people transitioning to adulthood. Studi concludes the essay stating “With minds, hearts, and pasts, we all commit acts of creation.” Anyone can be a creator, whether you are a sculptor, writer, actor, all three, or none of the above. Knowing that “art is truly an act of creation, and creation is an act of art,” it is shown that nearly anyone can create something and give it meaning.

As both a budding filmmaker and a long-time artist, I can view both sides of the creation process that Studi discussed in his essay.  As I begin to delve into my major and work on more projects, I realize how minimal my role can be as the camera operator. With the projects I have worked on, there is always some sort of script present that we follow, but it is always open to change and revision. Studi describes this as “adding and building on another’s idea,” and I believe it fits perfectly. When shooting music videos, there is always room to alter shots to make them more effective, and anyone on set is open to making critiques on how something’s shot.

(unreleased stills from Caroline Bowling's visualizer for "Garden Variety," where specific scenes had many different options for how to portray them. inspired by the editing style of Auburn's "Need 2" visualizer, further showing the importance of collaboration.)

On the other hand, my paintings and art exhibits have all come from a combination of my own experience and outside influence, and I use that as Studi used the carvings - “transforming it from its original form into something familiar and pleasing to the eye.” The carvings can be directly correlated to the first painting I did in a live setting, where I went from a blank canvas to a portrait within three hours.

(photos taken near the beginning and end of the live painting process.)

This “sculpting” of a painting with no outside input let me dive into the creation of the face, “shaping and carving” the appearance of an enraged face in order to portray the emotion from one of Frank Iero’s songs. As Studi also relates to sculpting, the painting process under pressure allowed me to control and time the process while still being able to form the specific expression I was aiming for. As he also describes in his book writing, the portrait can also carry a message for those who understand the song, and the emotions that artist is trying to portray through it can shine through the painting. 

I hope Studi’s perception of creation is eye-opening to anyone who claims they are not creative, because I believe that anyone can be the maker of something. Even if these small acts seem like they are not enough to name one as creative, it still proves that acts of creation can still happen in everyone, something that is naturally human.