Class Wrap Up

So, now that we are entering our last week of class, I thought I would do a review of my impressions of feminist philosophy before and after this class. I view the best way of doing this is through a quick Dialogue between my past self (PS) and my current self (CS).

PS: A woman and philosophy class? Is there even enough material on the subject for there to be a class?

CS: Oh of course past self! Feminist philosophy and thought ranges from ethics to metaphysics, to epistemology even! Feminists have written on old philosophers, new philosophers and have developed their own theories!

PS: Really now? I just find it hard to imagine that the simple idea that 'women are equal with men' to be that influential in a lot of philosophy. For example, how can this idea influence logic?

CS: Although I find problems with calling feminism a 'simple idea,' I can talk about that with you later. TO answer your example about feminism and logic, the first feminist philosopher that comes to my mind is Luce Irigaray. She argued that our entire thought process and interaction in the world was influenced by our concept of patriarchy. That implies that logic itself, as well as everything else we can conceive of has been influenced by patriarchy. Although I have issues with her, this does go to show that feminism can discuss issues like that.

PS: That does sound like an interesting theory. However, don't you think that hearing a bunch of feminist philosophers discuss nothing but patriarchy and the role of women in philosophy a bit repetitive and boring?

CS: Not really. Although feminists do discuss this in depth, claiming that the discussion of  patriarchy and the role of women  is repetitive is a vast mistake. Patriarchy and the role of women is not repetitive at all! It is a very big topic that not only affects the modern world, but has influenced the world up to this point. It is like saying that solely discussing history can be repetitive. It is such a broad topic that one could rarely feel it is repeating itself. One can talk about how Hobbes' patriarchal influences affected his  political philosophy and his contract theory, or one can discuss about the feminist ethics of care."

PS: Alright, I am still a bit hesitant on that, but if you are me from the future, then I better listen to you.

CS: Thank you. I also think you will benefit from the professor. He is a bit corny at times, and he will make you work your ass off, but it will be worth it.

PS: Hrmmm. Alright then, I guess I will give it a shot. Now, as someone who doesn't know much of feminist philosophy, what would you say has been your favorite discussion in the class so far?

CS: That is a very difficult question, because feminist thought we discussed has been very broad and we have discussed so much of it. My favorite part of the class would probably be the analysis of Simone de Beauvoir's section on the role of women in myth and ancient history. I enjoyed reading about the role women have played in religion and read up on the 'mystical feminine.' Perhaps I should pose this to the readers of this blog post as well.

PS: Huh? What are you talking about?

CS: Don't worry about it. I just broke the fourth wall. That's all.

PS: I see. Anyways, thanks for the information. I will see you in a bit!

CS: See you!

Failed attempts for Jokes on Sexism

So, I was wracking my brain all week for jokes that are about sexism and sexists, but somehow I seemed to fail. So here are some of my failed attempts

1. Q:What did the Racist ask the Sexist? A: How's the weather?
2. Q: What do you get when you cross an anti-semite with a sexist. A: Someone who is misinformed.
3. Q: What do you call it when an oyster becomes a sexist? A: a CLAMity.
4. Q: What is the funniest part about sexism? A: There is nothing funny about sexism, you sick bastard

This was harder than I thought it would be, however, I did ponder about how one would go about creating such a joke. I view that it would only be possible through use of anti-humor or absurdity, where one is expecting some kind of sexist joke or retort to the question, but instead, get the opposite or a completely random answer. I found it very difficult to make the sexist the butt of the joke, and instead had to revert to such jokes.

Ryan Gosling and Feminism

I am sure many of my readers are familiar with the actor Ryan Gosling. However what some of my readers might not be aware of (although I bet many are) is the fact that Gosling, or at least his image, is currently part of an internet phenomenon "Feminist Ryan Gosling."
Feminist Ryan Gosling is just what it sounds like. Pictures of Gosling from various films and in various positions (often he is some kind of sexy pose) and there is a caption espousing some kind of feminist idea. I find it quite humorous. Gosling is spreading as well to other kinds of topics, my favorite of which is Neuroscientist Ryan Gosling, where his picture is captioned by neurological and psychiatric references .
Feminist Gosling I think is a fun and light-hearted way to raise awareness of the issue of feminism, and with the internet the way it is, it is quite easy to spread such images around. However, my only problem I might potentially see with such a route is that since this is only a very non-serious idea people might not actually take the message of feminism that it IS trying to send seriously. What does the peanut gallery think?

Am I sexist?

This is just a random query that I thought I would address right now. Whenever I find an article I disagree with in my readings for women and philosophy, I always have a fear that if I disagree with them, I would be sexist. I fear that if I do not accept everything feminism says, then I would be accused of not supporting the theory because she is a woman. Do any other people in this class have this issue?

Self-Othering

The concept of the "other" popped into my mind the other day when I was discussing with him how someone can sometimes feel pushed to the fringes of society even though society is not doing that. I find that in a lot of places, when one is in thee vast minority, they instantly begin to feel alienated from the rest, even when the rest doesn't care. An atheist in a christian society, a man at an all woman's college, a homosexual in a school full of heterosexual people. This difference doesn't even need to be public knowledge. They all feel out of place even if the society is accepting of the difference. We keep on talking in class on how Beauvoir says that society and culture is the being that pushes people to the 'other' category, but I think she should have highlighted even more that society can do this just by being there. It can just passively exist and a person could still feel 'othered' even if he shouldn't.

Go rest, young woman.

So, I stumbled upon an old article I read on a physician who used to send young men suffering from some anxiety or depression out west to work as a cowboy pretty much in order to strengthen their nervous system, give their mind time to relax, and have good ol' male bonding. However while doing that, he sent 'hysteric' (AKA hysteric or anxious) women to their beds for his infamous 'rest therapy.' An excerpt about the rest therapy is below:

"While men and women could experience the same neurasthenic symptoms, the different treatments they received reflected cultural stereotypes of the day. The Rest Cure ensured that women remained in their “proper” sphere: the home. Mitchell and his medical peers discouraged female patients from writing, excessive studying or any attempt to enter the professions. Mitchell told Gilman, who underwent the Rest Cure in 1887 during a bout of postpartum depression, to “live as domestic a life as possible” and “never to touch pen, brush or pencil again.” "

However, something that is making me wonder is if these women, who lived in such an environment would have benefited from 'West therapy' like men in those days. I am not sure of this nowadays as well. I am not saying that this reflects on women as a sex, but simply the fact that  gender roles are still relatively strong to this day and women who have been raised into them would dislike the kind of stuff a cowboy would have to do. Although this is only a rough guess and feel free to prove me wrong Overall, the article is very interesting and is worth taking a look at. 

You can find the article here.

A moment of silence for the 'death' of chivalry

As someone who was raised in an old fashioned fashioned family, I was raised with the rules of chivalry ingrained in my head. "The woman should always order first at a restaurant," "Hold a door open for a woman," and"One should always pay for the lady when out with one" are all examples of some of the rules I have picked up throughout my life. I have always viewed this as showing respect and kindness to a woman and I was shocked when I heard that some people regard chivalry as discriminatory. I understand why some rules are sexist and have adjusted accordingly, but does this mean the entire system of chivalry is flawed? I would love to get some female views on this and their takes on chivalry.