Prof. M's Eureka Moment Week #2

Everyone did nicely for an opening post and comment on the class blog. Our individual blogs are now up and running. My Eureka moments come from beginning to be conscious of the little things that I take for granted everyday. My daughter is three years old and attends daycare. The toys in the classroom are played by both the boys and girls regardless if our society has placed the title of a "girl toy" or "boy toy" on them. My daugher loves playing with the dinosaurs and the computer games like Diego. She will pick up a puzzle that is about trucks and cars. She plays with the dolls and the supermarket too, but, doesn't limit herself to "girl toys". She sees the fun in all toys. I have noticed some little boys playing with the girls in the supermarket or puppet theater. There are no gender expectations put on these children. The children have free time in the morning and afternoon and are free to play with whatever toys they choose. What is these expectations weren't defined for children later on by their parents, teachers, televisions shows? Would more females explore current male dominatd professions and vice versa? And, how would relaxing these expectations change so much of our current gender communication? Would men express emotions differently than they do now? Would more women seek out leadership opportunities? Or, be more assertive in situations? Hmmmmm...........

Eureka Moment

Gender Communication - Summer 2009 GND311 OL

Welcome to Gender and Communication. I am looking forward to reading your posts each week. We will be using this blog each week in our course to make the connection from our course studies to the "real world:". We will be posting each week our "Eureka Moments". Those moments that we realize a new perspective, recognize a gender issue is occurring in our life. This could be as simple as recognizing your language in a conversation at work to noticing something in a movie or reading something in the newspaper. It could be something that you recognize based on our class reading. Any time that you can create a link to your Eureka Moment to another web site or news site or dress up the blog with an embedded image would be great. If you aren't a technology wizard, that's okay too. Find the right words to create an image or feeling that other student readers can relate to when they read your post. So, I have created a sample of a post. We will use the class blog to post this week. Go to the bottom of this blog and you will find the word comments. Click on it and it will bring up a comment box. Share your Eureka moment. Then, click post. I want this blog to start you to be a more in each moment or more aware to pay attention to all the gender issues that are in our life each and every day that before now have gone unnoticed. Take the opportunity in this blog to start paying more attention to gender communication in all it's forms in our world today.

Week#6 Gender ,Cartoons,Television

So, these days whenever I have the TV on it is usually on the Nick Jr channel. My daughter has joined the ranks of preschoolers that loves Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go, and The Backyardigans, and recently added to the list is Kai-lan. Many of have you have commented on gender messages that you have seen in sitcoms or drama series like Sex in the City or Grey's Anatomy. How about cartoons? What are your thoughts about the gender messages that are coming through these shows? And, how have these messages changed from when you were a child and watched cartoons? Recently, even Sesame Street introduced a new female character named AbbyCadabby after years of male characters moving to Sesame Street. Dora is an explorer, and with her side kick Boots the monkey they take on adventures! My daughter is learning a lot of words and images, music from this show but what messages about gender? Dora isn't the sidekick but leads the adventures. She figures things out and solves problems as her famous line at the end of the show says "we did it". Kai-lan is another female lead. I watch her as she watches these shows and I am wondering what is she really learning here. What messages about how to think, act, behavior is she absorbing? I like the idea of female leads in these shows as I never had cartoons or really any children's programming when I was a child. (Actuallly, Sesame Street didn't come into existence until I was about 12 y ears old. So, do you think cartoons are adhering to gender stereotypes or are we breaking new ground? What are the words, dress and other nonverbals seen in these characters? How about the storylines? Many women have remarked in journal entries and posts that you weren't allowed to play rough in "boy" play when you were younger. Dora climbs mountains, swings from ropes, and jumps over alligators, and even rides on the backs of dolphins! she dresses in shorts but has a little bracelet on. Wears sneakers but wears clothes that are purple (girl) and orange(boy).
Do you think cartoons are early messages to our preschoolers about gender? If so, what are these messages.

Week #4 Should gender be a consideration for adoption?

Hi Everyone,

So, I don't advertise this information but, my daughter was adopted. I adopted her after years of unsuccessfully having a biological child. I bring this topic up in our blog discussion to look at a gender issue that exists currently in adoption. One of the things that I came across was the selectiveness of adoption agencies and adoption websites. There are certain agencies and websites that will not take on gay couples as clients. They limit their services strictly to heterosexual couples only. I used a wonderful agency and they acted as agents for all couples, even singles. The website that I used to advertise was strictly for heterosexual couples. It was through their website that I built webpages and found my daughter. (It was the world wide web but, our birthmother lived in the same county!)

There were websites that were not selective and all people regardless of race, sex, age, maritial status were allowed to advertise their web pages. And, there were websites that strictly were used by gay couples. It was interesting as I read the profiles of the gay couples how long they had been committed to each other. Many were career oriented, and had interesting hobbies and travel experiences, etc. So, their biggest flaw was their marital status? Was it because they were unmarried or was it because they were gay? Or, both? (They also did not take on single parents either.)

Another interesting note: I would check back on the websites of gay couples and often, times, I would see that they found a child faster than my husband and I or, were back looking for a second couple. The stereotypes on gay couples adopting is still a strongly a negative one from my experience, and yet, I have witnessed many gay couples finding parenthood.

One of the things that upset me most through the process were people's expectations and stereotypes. My husband and I are more about what we feel and think and love than our outer exterior. A child knows no color, or sex, or race only love. They have no predetermined stereotypes and respond to being loved. Shouldn't the guideline be how much love you have to give and one's capability to nuture a baby into a kind, loving, responsible adult be the priority when adopting?

Week #3 Post

Hi Everyone,

Please continue to post your own ideas and applications of gender studies to your blog. There were some very creative application made last week. You incorporated such areas of your work and family life in addition to recoginizing it in television and the news. It is nice to see many of you connecting gender communication to your personal lives. I would be curious to read your thoughts when it comes to the music that you listen to, or even to a movie. Anybody going to see Sex in the City the movie? What gender expecatations does it create or violate when it comes to the norm? Or, could the music that you listen to be applied to an concept in our text? Or, how about in your own decisionmaking and/or discussions? Are you recognizing your learned gender patterns as the basis of your own communication? Keep up the discourse with one another and try to stretch yourself to find new areas of your life to apply gender as a means of self-discovery to your gender communication patterns.

Week #2 Posting

Hi, Everyone,

You must now come up with your own post this week. You must post to your own blog. Be creative with your ideas as gender issues are in our daily life. Start applying our course to your daily existence.

Create your own post. Then, during the week comment to at least one other post from a student in our section. Click on the box below the reply box to send a copy to yourself. If you are still having trouble with finding this box, then, copy your reply and go back to your blog and post it there yourself.

All postings and replies are due this Friday. I will go to each student's blog and should find all your posts and replies on your blog.

It was a frustrating week for some of you, but good job in hanging in there! I think the business class blogs where we share our daily gender issues will add a nice slant to our studies in gender.