Activism Blog 6

Kelly Hales WST 3015

April 23, 2010
Nina Perez
Word Count: 460
Activism Blog 6

Activism:

This week I helped Marianna and took the Girl Scouts to an event at the UCF Kappa Delta Sorority house. The Kappa Delta Sorority is actually directly related to the Girl Scouts (which I didn't even know). We met at the Bithlo location and took separate cars to shuttle the girls to the Kappa Delta house. The girls made collages to reflect their personality, which was very interesting. It was very evident that the girls are very interested in Twilight and Justin Beiber. I find it interesting that they enjoy Twilight so much because there are mothers and grandmothers who are enjoying the series as well. Perhaps it's just a "girl thing". They all stood up and shared what they put on their posters; I found that the majority of them were interested in the same things. The Kappa Delta girls then provided everyone rootbeer floats and the event came to an end.

Reflection:

This event was interesting for many reasons. First of all, I have always been curious about the sorority/fraternity houses on campus. I have always wondered what they looked like inside and what went on inside them. This trip allowed me (and especially the Girl Scouts) to explore that lifestyle.

The collage project was so interesting because I was able to analyze the different images they used portray who they are and what they like. I found so frequently that the girls were pasting pictures of purses, make up, perfume and clothes to their collages. They were stating that they liked to shop and look pretty. It is very obvious that these girls have been affected by the media, which is a topic we have studied in class. Jean Kilbourne offers the fact that "most teenagers are sensitive to peer pressure and find it difficult to resist or even to question the dominant cultural messages perpetuated and reinforced by the media" (Kilbourne 231). It is important that these girls are able to understand that they can be themselves and that they don't have to follow what the media tells them.

Reciprocity:

I was glad to be able to enter the Kappa Delta house. It was just as much of a learning experience for me as it was for the Girl Scouts. It allowed me to understand what the girls are focusing on and defining themselves with (make up, perfume, etc.). I was so proud because the girls kept telling me that they wanted to go to UCF and become part of Kappa Delta. I was glad to be a part of the trip because maybe this experience is the one experience that they needed to convince them that going to college is what they need. I feel proud when I feel that perhaps I've influenced someone in a beneficial manner.

Resources:

Kilbourne, Jean. "The More You Subtract, the More You Add". Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009.

Activism Blog 5

Kelly Hales WST 3015

April 23, 2010

Nina Perez

Word Count: 422

Activism Blog 5

Activism:

This week Shanay and the girls took the Brownie troop to a magic game. Unfortunately, due to my work schedule, I was unable to attend this event. I am a serious basketball fan, so passing up a trip with the Girl Scouts to a magic game was especially hard to do. Shanay told me that it ended up being a really great time and that the girls enjoyed it. I personally was unable to do anything with the Girl Scouts this week.

Reflection:

Marianna (the Brownie troop leader) provides a very well rounded event schedule for the girls. These events allow the girls to absorb different aspects of life and show them where they could end up with enough work. I remember hearing that the girls were impressed with the cheerleaders and dancers at the Magic game. These young girls may not be priveleged enough to receive these types of experiences with their parents. Their families may be struggling financially or just may simply not have the time to explore different aspects of the world. Dorothy Allison suggests that perhaps "class, race, sexuality, gender, all the categories by which we categorize and dismiss each other need to be examined from the inside" (Allison 119). The Girl Scouts do not judge or mistreat young girls who cannot provide for themselves what the Girl Scouts are providing for them. It is important that these girls are able to go on these trips to allow them to explore the world and their options ahead of them. With the Girl Scouts, so many young girls are able to open their minds and broaden their horizons.

Reciprocity:

When I was younger my grandfather took me a Bulls game in Chicago. We lived in the area and he worked for a company that would provide tickets to employees monthly. He usually took coworkers, family members, or often times gave them away. When he decided I was old enough he took me on a special trip to see the game. I was so excited to see Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippin and Dennis Rodman. I remember watching the jumbo-tron and never imagining that a television so large could even exist. I watched the junior cheerleaders and wished that I could be one of them. I realized that there was a world unknown to me; and know that to this day there still is. I am hoping that the Girl Scout's trip to the Magic game was equally as inspiring and special as my trip to watch the Chicago Bulls play.

Resources:

Allison, Dorothy. "A Question of Class". Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009.

Activism Blog 4

Kelly Hales WST 3015

April 23, 2010
Nina Perez
Word Count: 358
Activism Blog 4

Activism:

This week I did some overall research about the Girl Scouts as an organization. We didn't have any actual appointments with the girls so I really wanted to explore the history of the Girl Scouts. I found out that the Girl Scouts was actually created in 1912 by a woman named Juliette Gordon Low, often referred to as "Daisy". "She believed that all girls should be given the opportunity to develop physically, mentally, and spiritually" (Girl Scouts of the United States of America). Daisy's dream came true when she gathered a group of 18 girls in Georgia, which eventually became the Girl Scouts of the United Stated of America.

Reflection:

This program continues to unite girls to empower them and instill a positive morale into every individual girl. It is beneficial to not only individuals girls but also the community. I too was a member of the Girl Scouts when I was younger and I feel that it shaped who I am as well. It is important for young girl to be influenced by positive mentors and to learn that they should give back to community. Kirk and Okazawa-Rey stated that "identity formation is the result of a complex interplay among a range of factors: individual decisions and choices, particular life events, community recognition and expectations, social categorization, and key national or international events". The Girl Scouts strives to touch the lives of the girls participating in order to shape them into an exemplary being.

Reciprocity:

Working with the girl scouts thus far has been a great amount of fun. I ofter hear the phrase "give more than you get" but I find that when I'm working on my service learning project (with the Girl Scouts) I actually find it to be the other way around. The girls remind me what it was like to be their age and it's so much fun. I feel "full" when I'm driving home from working with them. I just enjoy the feeling of helping out and sharing my experiences with them. I hope that I have touched their lives in a way that is equivalent to the way that they've touched mine.

Resources:

Kirk, Gywn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Identities and Social Locations: Who am I? Who are my people?". Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009.

"Who We Are: Girl Scout History". The Girl Scouts of the United States of America. March 10 2010 .

Ecofeminism in Film

Kelly Hales WST 3015
April 5, 2010
Nina Perez

Eco-feminism and Film

The Incredible Mr. Limpet is a truly imaginative film about a man who is so obsessed with fish that he deeply desires to become one himself. Unsatisfied with his job as a bookkeeper, he enlists to be in the U.S. navy with his best friend George. I believe that he does so in order to come close to fulfilling his dreams of being a fish. The only feasible way to become fish-like as a human would be to work with submarines, boats, etc. Unfortunately his wife is extremely displeased with his adoration for fish. She is depicted as a nagging and rather unsupportive influence in Mr. Limpet’s life. Unfortunately, Mr. Limpet is denied by the Navy while his friend is gladly accepted. I feel that his denial into the Navy symbolizes his lack of a “manly” role in society; he is a bookkeeper, and therefore not strong/masculine enough to handle the duties required of him by the Navy.

Mr. Limpet does not have to leave his fate in the hands of the government for long because he eventually (and miraculously) turns into a fish after falling off of a pier. He gains strengths and finds that perhaps he may be able to help the U.S. Navy better as a fish rather than a human. They gladly accept him and allow him to rescue everyone from war enemies.

It is interesting to me that Mr. Limpet is accepted in the form of a fish. I believe that after his transformation he represents nature. He essentially ends up caring for everyone and ensuring that they are all safe. I like to parallel this with the idea of the Gaia Theory (Perez April 14). This theory states (in a nutshell) that nature will always end up taking care of itself to the best of its ability. Mr. Limpet makes sure that he safely accomplishes the duties of the U.S. Navy and even ensures that his former wife is financially stable.

Mr. Limpet also meets another fish with which he connects, Ladyfish. I think that she essentially is nature and is allowing Mr. Limpet to channel the goodness of nature through his new body/actions. It is stated that in Western thought, nature is often feminized (Okazawa-Rey and Kirk 539). Therefore, it is not surprising that Ladyfish depicts nature. It is however interesting to me how other women are depicted in the film. Mrs. Limpet is less than supportive of her husband and is practically the opposite of Ladyfish. I view Ladyfish as a caring and loving female. To me, her and Mr. Limpet are nature and can be considered the typical “mother nature”. In the end, Mr. Limpet takes sides with nature and chooses to remain a fish, abandon his old life, and reside with the peaceful Mother Nature.

Resources

Kirk, Gywn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Women and the Environment". Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009.

April 14 2010 Class Lecture - Nina Perez

Personal Narrative Blog

Kelly Hales WST 3015
April 5, 2010
Nina Perez

Article: Saturday, July 31, 2004 “And We're Back…”

I have always been intrigued by the blog kept by a woman who calls herself Riverbend. She is a woman who, through her writings, has provided an insight to the rest of world about what life is like in Baghdad, Iraq during times of war. She has been personally affected by the war and shares with the world different aspects of her everyday life. I think that the War against Terrorism is something that Americans are totally out of touch with. Whether or not one supports the war, it is obvious that none of us actually understand the trials and tribulations that the Iraqi people go through. The Riverbend blog is a small window into this terrible and cruel world which no American has probably ever imagined before.

One of the blog posts that I was quite fascinated with was titled “And We’re Back…” I particularly enjoyed this entry because she explained several different aspects of her life. I would describe her blog as extremely versatile; it is political, personal, and educational. She shared certain current events, happenings in her city, and even what was going on inside her own home. She also shared some of her personal feelings and emotions, which to me was especially amazing because I felt that I almost knew her or was able to relate to her. I particularly enjoyed that she shared with the reader the fact that due to the war the power was out for nearly 23 hours out of the day. She explained that she loves to open the refrigerator door “and let the cool- albeit slightly odorous- refrigerated air surround” her. It seems that by providing such a private detail of her life allows the reader to relate to her more. She is a real person who has desires for everyday luxuries which we take for granted – such as air conditioning. She also explains that her uncle had to begin searching for a burial plot for her late aunt; another detail about her private life.

Her writing is also political because she describes that abductions in her region are at an all time high. She explains that in lieu of the war everyone knows at least one abducted person. It has commonly been declared that “perhaps one of the most far-reaching effects of war is the normalization of violence in everyday life” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 507). By reading the blogs created by Riverbend it is obvious that violence is an everyday occurrence in the life of an Iraqi. She uses terms such as “car bomb, gunshot, beheading and torture” with an air of normality; something completely foreign to Americans.

The Riverbend blog also gives the reader a sense of Iraqi customs. She explains the different traditions which a family goes through when a family member passes away. The tradition is extremely too different to that of a death in U.S. culture.

I think that Riverbend’s blog allows the world to see her and her culture as real people and less in terms of “them”. I also think that her blog provides some actual emotion to the effects of war as opposed to the dull matter-of-fact news reports we are accustomed to. This war was created for the comfort of American’s and is at the expense of the Iraqi civilians. It is justly stated that “some people’s freedom and comfort should not be brought at the expense of others” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 376). We should try to analyze the war only after reading something as touching and heartfelt as Riverbend’s blog.

Resources:

Kirk, Gywn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Living in a Globalized World". Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009.

Kirk, Gywn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Women are the Military, War, and Peace". Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009.

Riverbend, "Baghdad Burning". April 5 2010. riverbendblog.blogspot.com