WS798: Individuality or Conformity?

So, check out the picture on page 145 of Lisa Nakamura's Digitizing Race: Visual Culture of the Internet. The picture has the caption: "Beaner Dreamers avatar group portrait". Just looking at this picture stirred up so much conflict and contradiction for me.

This picture is supposed to portray all the ways that people can manipulate their avatars to express their different social identities on the internet, because users are able to change the avatar's clothing, hair color, skin color, add limited piercings and tattoos and add that little baby bump to signify pregnancy--and this is supposed to be a better expression of their individuality than plain text on the internet. Well, news flash for the people creating these avatars: changing your avatar's skin color does not signify race or ethnicity. The choices that avatar programs have are extremely limited--there are about 3 choices of skin tone: very dark brown, medium brown, and pale peach. Maybe a small percentage of people can pick a color that matches their skin tone, but even then what does that tell you about your race or ethnicity? Does that medium brown tone translate to light-skinned African American? Hispanic or Latino? Indian? Egyptian? What color does a person who is of mixed races with Irish and recessive African American genes (they have light skin and red hair) choose? And what the hell is pale peach? There are many different shades that would be needed to actually portray how a person looks, and even then it doesn't actually show specific races or ethnicities.

Next, I noticed they all have the same facial features, body types, hair types, and height. How expressive is that! There are no overweight avatar options, no options for people that don't have big doe eyes or petite noses, no options for girls without curves, or who don't have a D cup bra size. As far as I can see, the only thing that someone can actually learn about another person from looking at their avatar is the person's name that is stamped next to it. By offering such a narrow scope of "customization options," people are actually being told to conform to societal expectations of what women should look like, which is very limited. It is socially acceptable for women to have small waists, curvy hips, perfectly done up hair, blemish-free skin, fashionable clothing, a prominent jaw line, big breasts and an innocent stance--all for an overall feminine appearance. This picture is a giant contradiction in and of itself. People make avatars so they can express their individuality, but they're actually being molded to fit into a narrow socially acceptable box.

WS798: I hate the patriarchy.

Over the summer, a man from Exeter was caught watching child pornography in the Dimond library. Our class has been debating the idea of a policy limiting or restricting the consumption of pornography in public libraries. As a class activity, on Tuesday September 14th, David, Ben and I interviewed six people about this summer's incident and the idea of a policy in public libraries. We asked their opinion on a policy, what they would do if they found someone viewing pornography in the library, and if they had been previously informed of this summer's incident. This is what we found from the six people:

1. Female, second year Grad student in Education:  She had not previously heard about the occurrence from this summer. She believes that there should be restrictions- just as in public schools people should have to log on to the computer to be held accountable for their actions because viewing pornography is not appropriate to do in public. She said if she witnessed someone viewing pornography in the library that she would approach them and let it known that it is not appropriate and then inform a librarian.
2. Male, Senior in Forestry: He had not previously heard of the occurrence from this summer. He does not believe there should be any limits in censoring the consumption of pornography, except in the case of child pornography. He said if he witnessed someone viewing pornography in the library he would find it amusing and just laugh it off.
3. Male, Professor of Philosophy: He had not heard of the occurrence from this summer. He believes in free speech and would frown upon policies that would restrict the consumption of pornography, stating that restrictions don't work well and it would be overprotection. He said if he witnessed someone viewing pornography in the library he wasn't sure what he would do. He may report it to a librarian if it is child pornography but says it is hard to tell what is pornography unless it is very offensive.
4. Female, State Senator (re-running): She had previous knowledge of the event from this summer. She stated that the creation of a policy restricting or limiting the consumption of pornography in public libraries is a slippery slope and doesn't believe in it, but maybe a policy for child pornography.
5. Female, Sophomore in Women's Studies & Social Work: She did not know about the occurrence from this summer. She believes there should be a policy restricting all forms of pornography in any public space. She said if she witnessed someone viewing pornography in the library she would inform a librarian and secretly unplug their computer if she could.
6. Male, 5th year Senior in Mathematics & Philosophy: He did not know of the occurrence from this summer. He does not believe there should be any restrictions or limitations on the consumption of pornography in public libraries, even adult magazines, except in the case of child pornography. He said he would not do anything if he witnessed someone viewing pornography in the library, unless it was child pornography, then he would report it to a librarian.

To sum up this mini-research project, only one person had heard of the event that happened this summer, two people believe there should be restrictions on viewing all pornography in public libraries, five people mentioned some kind of policy restricting consumption of child pornography, one person said they would approach a person seen viewing pornography in the library, two people said they would inform a librarian if they witnessed someone viewing any kind of pornography, four people said they would inform a librarian if they witnessed someone viewing child pornography, one person said they would do nothing at all if they witnessed someone viewing any kind of pornography in the library.

Conclusion & reaction: Just the fact that only one person out of six people (including a grad student and a professor!) had heard about what happened this summer is disheartening, although not hard to believe. I know the student personally who witnessed the man viewing the child pornography and she informed me that everyone involved in the situation--including any students, faculty, and staff--were asked not to talk about the incident to reporters of any kind--including TNH, our university's own newspaper! Now all I can ask is why this should be kept a secret? I think our campus has the right to know that viewing child pornography in the library (or anywhere really) is not okay and you will be arrested. University administration is way too concerned about their appearance and public opinion of the university. Shouldn't the well-being of the students be one of the administration's top priorities? Well, you would think so.

Four of those people do not believe there should be a policy restricting the consumption of pornography in our public library and four people said they would not inform a librarian if they witnessed someone viewing pornography in the library, except in cases of child pornography. Okay, so what if a person walked into the children's section on the fourth floor, opened a laptop and started watching adult pornography with children present in the room? Would someone care then? What if it was your children who were there trying to read? Or your younger brother or sister? People need to start asking questions and reflect on why certain acts or behaviors are considered okay in our society. So many people just give into the patriarchal way of living without ever thinking twice about it because nobody asks questions. The patriarchy tells us that it is okay for women to feel they have no choice but to participate in the production of pornography in order to guarantee they will get a pay check at the end of the day. Then the patriarchy tells us that it is okay for pornography to normalize violence against women and make women of color look like animals and inform us that all women are objects--sex objects--conveniently here for the sole purpose of pleasuring men. Lastly, the patriarchy tells us that is okay for people (as long as you're over 18...) to consume these messages--even in the comfort of your university's public library!

And I just wanted to add that another man was in the library and had seen the man viewing the child pornography. He seemed to have felt uncomfortable so he got up and moved to the other side of the table so he could no longer see the man's computer screen. Then, when questioned by the police whether or not he had seen a man viewing child pornography he denied it! I was taken aback when I heard this because it didn't make any sense to me. The man clearly did not support the consumption of child pornography as it made him uncomfortable enough to move, yet he was reluctant to tell police that he had witnessed the man watching it. I mean, really? Maybe he thought he was going to get in trouble for witnessing it and not doing anything about it, but what about that man he is now trying to let go free? He was doing more harm than good in lying to the police. It turned out that the man from Exeter had a previous charge on him and is a registered sex offender. Maybe if he wasn't caught he'd spend tomorrow on a bench at the public playground watching your children play together in the sand.

WS798: Technology vs. Sustainability

How often are people really sick? I guess it depends on our definition of “sick”. In the introduction of Gender Circuits (pp.29-31), Eve Shapiro makes the point that we, as humans, only acknowledge that we are sick because technology says so, not simply because our bodies say so. Think about it. We have a multitude of new tests and body scans to tell us what is wrong with our bodies and we have plenty of pills, liquid medicine, lotions, and gels to aid us when we are sick. None of which are natural to the human body. Shapiro describes an article written by Donna Haraway, who argues that humans have become cyborgs because of all of the technology we put into our bodies. She talks about many intentional modifications that we make to our bodies, including tattoos, tanning salons, and hair dyes, but what about the unintentional modifications?

Since we first learned that chemicals had the power to kill insects and weeds, we have been spraying them as insecticides and herbicides over farms and gardens to kill the insects and weeds to maximize fresh fruits and vegetables for crop. To make a point, Ester Hernandez's Sun Mad Raisins illustrates a box of Sun Maid Raisins modified to read “Sun Mad Raisins unnaturally grown with insecticides, miticides, herbicides, and fungicides” with the maid portrayed as a skeleton holding the basket. This image symbolizes the harm that we are doing to our bodies by consuming the crop or meat from animals that have been exposed to harmful chemicals. This is a vicious cycle brought on by technology. We have so many ideas for new technology that is supposed to save us time and make our lives easier and more efficient, but it is not at all healthy. What good is having an easy, stress-free life if we're all sick and dying?

Chemicals from the insecticides and herbicides that remain on the food we eat are digested in our bodies. Human bodies today are filled with too many unnatural substances that were never meant to be there, hence Haraway's term “cyborgs”. We are a technology centered society that favors convenience and efficiency over health and sustainability. We cannot sustain ourselves or our earth if we keep producing new technologies that not only create unnatural changes, but that cause harm to us and the environment as well.

 

Eve Shapiro's Gender Circuits
Preview: Gendered Bodies and Identities in a Technological Age
Biomedical Technology as Mediator between Physical and Mental Life (pp.29-31)

WS798: Human evolution has gone digital. What's next?

In his latest book and YouTube video, Mark Bauerlein claims that the current generation of young Americans is the "dumbest generation". Are we the dumbest generation? Or are we just doing what people have been doing for years? I will have to disagree with Bauerlein and say that we are trying to survive in this new world of technology, and we need to learn and keep up with the hype in order to survive. It's the latest form of human evolution and, evidently, survival of the fittest.

There is no doubt that people who are equipped with computer skills entering the competitive job market are going to get hired over people who have yet to face a computer screen. Questions related to computer knowledge are showing up on an increasing number of job applications and sought out on resumes. Some jobs even require specific computer skills that a person must have to be hired or that they be extensively trained on as soon as they are hired. This may mean that the concept of “intelligence” is also changing. While reading classical novels may have been an indication of intelligence in the past, people are now more impressed with skills such as creating websites, maintaining online databases, using basic word processing or record keeping software, and handling new forms of communication. All of this is a result of a new culture forming—cyberculture—and fusing with existing American culture to become the norm for younger generations.

Then people may ask: Will digital communication be the only communication? New generations are becoming addicted to the ever-growing technological hype. Texting, social networking websites, instant messaging, Skype, and yes, blogging have become the norm for communication among youth. Verbal and written communications have been sideswiped by this new wave of technology. While Bauerlein may see these advances as distractions for youth, they are becoming necessary to learn. From a young age if people are effectively taught time management skills, they can learn to get their work done and still be able to learn and play with the new technology. Honestly, can you imagine not using or learning these new forms of technology and still being able to keep up with your friends, family, school and work? I think not. At my age, my friends expect me to write on their Facebook wall when it’s their birthday, they expect me to reply to their text messages within the hour, and they were even surprised that I didn’t have a webcam on my computer up until last year. Most professors require that papers be typed and printed, jobs require that a resume be typed and printed, and when I become a professional photographer I will need Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom skills to enhance my photos!

In the end, I can’t agree with Bauerlein and say that I am growing up as a member of the dumbest generation. I don’t think that being easily distracted detracts from a person’s intelligence—it is how the distraction is handled. With new technology comes new responsibilities and the younger generations need to learn to adapt given the new and advancing resources.

This post was supposed to be a quickie.

So I just wanted to make a quick update and let everyone know who I am and the purpose of this blog.

My name is Dani and I am a 5th year senior at the University of New Hampshire, dual majoring in Sociology and Women's Studies with minors in Justice Studies, Computer and Information Technology, Business Administration and possibly Queer Studies. Now that's a mouthful! During the semester I spend most of my time in class or working. My current courses are Sustainability and Spirituality, Cyberbodies, Family, Sociological Analysis, and Sociological Theory. I work in the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs as well as the Women's Studies Office, both on campus. I also can't live without social contact so I'm currently living in an apartment with four other amazing people, all of which I consider to be my closest friends.

I wanted to create this blog for several reasons.
  (1) It is a required part of one of my courses this semester.
  (2) I believe I am going to learn a lot of valuable information throughout this semester that I will probably analyze and want to record my thoughts about.

It is required for my Cyberbodies course to submit one blog post a week reflecting and analyzing the topics covered for that week, so I will be doing that here! Most posts (if not all) will be for class assignments but just to differentiate, class assignment posts will be denoted as such in the title and a label will be attached (which means from my home page if you scroll to the bottom and click "Cyberbodies" all of my posts for the class will show up).

I am also working on learning and seeing the world through a feminist lens, so I am looking to reflect that in this blog. Some of it may not be perfect, but I am still learning so be easy on me. Any comments are always welcome so feel free to leave them.

Peace & love. Namaste.