The documentary "Killing us Softly" takes us outside of the box when we look at ads around us- we simply see women advertising wine, foods, clothes. But if we look closely and examine these ads we could notice a stereotypical message that these ads are trying to portray into the American society. The ads show women with large breast, amazing barbie- like bodies, and having a vulnerable sexual appeal to them. The creator of this document, Jean Kilbourne, demonstrates pictures of magazine, news paper, and billboards ads that tell us everyday that women are here to do nothing but to be objects for men, not subjects. Most of the bodies, faces and skin of women that are shown in these ads are photoshopped by computers, which it would be impossible to get in real life. Kilbourne informs us that ads have become a main priority in America, yet they do much do then just sell. In the year 1979, advertisers would use about $20 billion on ads per year, today advertisers use over $180 billion in ads. An average American watches 3 years of commercials during their life time and believe it or not we see around 3,000 ads per day!
this is terrible considering the fact that what these ads are portraying is a negative image towards women and these ads even cause violence! Some ads show images that resemble violence and hostility as erotic and they imply that women want sex at all times- forced. Kilbourne show ads that quote "he said he liked you for your personality- he lied." and "if you you got it, flaunt it. And if you don't, create it." these messages give a green light to men so they could treat and see women as nothing important. Ads tease us that in order to be accepted we have to be "painfully and naturally thin" and that sex is used to sell everything and get anything. And because of this, America has the highest teen pregnancy in the world. though some messages out there express equality and beauty of any size, age or color there still isn't 100 percent equality with men in women in America because today the ads still show what they believe women should be- objects.
The "Call to Men" was a short video of a man telling the audience the difficulty of growing up and becoming a man the way everyone expects you to be a man. He tells us that he has two children, a girl and a boy that are 15 months apart. when the girl comes crying to him, he hugs her make her feel comfortable yet when the boy comes crying to him he says things like "hold your chin up!" and "stop crying." then he remembers when he was growing up, when his brother died and his father never cried until all the ladies stepped out of the limousine- he didn't want the women to see him in a moment of weakness. And his father would apologize for crying and was congratulating the son for being so strong and not crying in his brothers funeral.
He explains to us what a man box is, a man box is a imaginary box that holds what a man should be: aggressive/ dominant, heterosexual, don't be like "like a woman". And in some societies, if you walk out of this man box you are not a man. He remembers a time when he was 12 and he lived in the Bronx and he looked up to a 16 year old trouble maker, and one day the 16 year old takes him to a room where a girl was in and the 16 year old tells him to have sex with the girl. He is petrified because he didn't want to have sex, so he made believe he had sex with the girl, unbuttoned his jeans and walked out, and when his friends asked him how was it having sex with the girl, he said " it was good". He felt relieved he didn't get caught an everyone saw him as a man but he felt terrible and that poor girl was being used and looked at as an object. And as he grew up he came to the conclusion that society has to teach men that it's okay to cry, to hug and to feel weak at times, because if a man is out of his "man box" he will be free.
These two videos are related to socialization because socialization means to become aware of ourselves as part of a group and 'learn behaviors expected of us' what's expected of women is to be weak, innocent, and to depend on men. A mans expectation is to be dominant and strong, and get what he wants. In every religion this concept exist- Women are less dominant then men, a always in any group theirs a dominant leader.
In my opinion, todays society is the complete opposite of what it was back in the old days, 50, 60, 70 years ago. Back then the people who had the Superodinate power (parents & bosses), got more respect and more honor than what they are given today. Its like if the people who are suppose to be Subordinate (children and employee's) are claiming that they have the higher power, which they dont. But the society today has made them all believe that they do, and frankly its ruining our society. There are more criminals in todays society than 70 years ago, and its because of the diffrent statues that are around us that people behave the way they do. If the government knows that there are "cliqs" out there that have do illegal drugs, get together to plot deaths, and to hurt others and society then why don't they stop them. More order needs to be put on to society before it completly takes control of the government.
Society has made other people believe that their are less, thats why theres more teen suicides and that is why I completly agree with Emile Durkheim's theory that "suicide is not an individual act." And also this is why there are more girls with low self esteem, more children bullied and beat up because they are diffrent, and more depression into younger adults. Everyone should be equal.
Another reason why I believe society is only getting worst as the years so by is because of Role Performance. People are acting a certain way in certain environments, meaning they arn't taught manners and are just being fake throughout job interviews, meeting your wife-to-be's family and what not. And all the groups that society has created are just seperating us which makes racial inequality happen in many cases. Which is why I am very glad that the Koni 2012 act is taking place, because its the first time in years that people throughout the world, no matter what the statues, group, role, or culture tehy come from are getting together as one to fight for others liberty. And hopfully some day this act will make a big diffrence in the world and in our society and eventually gropus will be extint and and we will all become one.
Yesterday, the class discussed an interesting subject that opened my eyes and brought new knowledge to my beliefes. We were discussing hemosexuality and why some states and cultures find it obsurd to legalize gay marriage, I use to believe that people who were agenst it were either very religious or just plain ignorant, but the discussion yesterday made me realize theres much more to it. Professor Applewhite said that heterosexual culture has the power in the world, especially heterosexual people who are married.
Being Married in the United Stated you gain miraculous benefits that no body could get if they are single or homosexual. Married people benefits could be:
- lower taxes
- health benefits
- better life insurance
- Educational Benefits and much more.
If gay people are to be married, these benefits would have to be shared with the new married culture and there would be less money and benefits distributed amoung the heterosexual people. Therefore, the hetersexual people who are agenst same sex marriage, arn't focus in the religious point of view of things. At the end of the day we can't mix religion and politics, yet the heterosexual people are holding on to their benefits and the ideas of the "norms" of the United States. And a norm in the United States is being married, man and woman. And because they are dominant they dont want to share the little that they get. The economy is only gettin worst and if benefits are now slowly getting taken away without gay marriage being fully legalized throughout the entireUnited States, its just a matter of time that all the benefits will be taken away, straight or not.
The heterosexual people being agenst this are conservatives and reactionary, and because they are dominant it would be that much easier to rule agenst sharing their goods.
