In the TED talk “Confessions of a Bad Feminist” Roxane Gay discussed how she agrees with many of the values associated with feminism, which would technically make her a feminist. One of the core principles defines feminism as having equality and justice for women. Roxane talks that over time she realized that her views include that woman are equal to men and therefore deserve the same rights which include being paid at the same rate as men, and be able to control of their own bodies. At 1:37-2:12 Roxane quotes the following “I hold certain truths to be self-evident,” she says passionately.
“Women are equal to men; we have the right to move through the world as we choose, to be free from harassment or violence; we have the right to easy, affordable access to birth control; we have the right to make choices about our bodies, free from legislative oversight; we have the right to respect.” I believe this fulfills the core principles of feminism. Roxane also talks about Beyoncé at 5:31-6:14 where she projected the word Feminism behind her performance at the 2014 MTV Awards. Surprising the discussion was not about how awesome the musician was, but about how good she was at being a feminist. Instead of taking a grown, accomplished woman at her word, Beyoncé got judged. We do the same of anyone who dares to stand up for women’s rights, says Gay. We demand perfection; we go far beyond constructive criticism to create a culture and atmosphere of fear that promptly attracts no one.
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Our reading “Beyoncé: Feminist Icon? By Sophie Weiner addresses Beyoncé and feminism. It discusses that she is a feminist due to her performances, interviews and songs that have a message that goes against the common stereotypes about women. It highlights how Beyoncé is a feminist because, she supports equal pay and empowerment of women and her feminism came from the connection she feels with her friends, supporting other women and enjoying being a woman. However, since she dresses sexy on magazine covers, this could be argued as being “anti-feminist or potentially labeled “bad feminist” but I think that its acceptable if she is making the choice to dress and portray herself that way and she is not being coerced into it by the industry.
Feminism might have a dictionary definition, but that doesn’t mean everyone agrees on what it means to be a feminist. Different people have different takes on the word and what it represents, depending on their own place in society. It’s pretty simple; feminism is about the social, political and economic equality of the sexes. Feminist seek to embrace a women’s sexuality and celebrate it, as opposed to so many societies that condemn it, often creating a double standard between genders.
The article “The Cult of Virginity” By Jessica Valenti highlighted virginity and differences between genders. Boys aren’t put under the same microscope, as girls are when it comes to having sex. Rather, it’s quite the opposite. While girls are put down and thought of as “bad girls” or “sluts,” boys are patted on the back and congratulated when they have sex. As a woman this double standard is so frustrating. Another key area that makes a feminist is how they feel women should be viewed. Women should be viewed on talents and not how they look. One article that touched on this was “What we do for Love” by Rose Weitz. Women are changing their hair in order to please men. While hair is a good bonding connection in relationships, it can also become an object for men to control/critique. Women should not have to change themselves just to please a man.
Finally, Feminists believe that men and women should have equal rights in politics as well as other social concerns. There have been numerous women’s social movements throughout the past decade’s most recently the 2018 Women’s March, each of them moving closer to gender equality. Feminists have a strong desire to make it possible for women to vote, take office, and complete other political duties the same as men would. They want to make sure that they don’t stay silent and allow men to control everything and do all the work. Freedom does not only pertain to those political and social issues, but also their physical and emotional needs. Female’s role as mother has more responsibilities expected of her than any other women’s job. Most people have grown up in a society by either seeing in their own house or portrayed on TV where a mother has certain duties she must perform, If she doesn’t perform these, then she is automatically labeled poorly.
On the other hand, the father of a family can work all day long, and maybe do a few household chores every so often, and automatically be labeled a wonderful parent. In conclusion feminism is when women are valued for themselves as men are, and when they can walk down a street without being harassed. Being able to interview for jobs and being considered equally as men interviewing. It’s when couples split up housework fairly and stay at home dads have the same support stay at home moms do. It’s when transgender women and men to get the healthcare they need that is appropriate for their bodies, and what it says on their driver’s license isn’t considered relevant. Feminism is not world peace or love and harmony, but the removal of inequality of women.
Why School Education Is Important?
Waking up at 7:00 a.m. every morning throughout Kindergarten to 12th grade, I was always excited to enter education environment. Day to day, I would learn new knowledge as well as have an abundance of educational experiences I remember to this day. School was and continues to be a large part of my life where I gather new information on a day to day basis. For some of my classmates and friends, school was always associated with hate. They would hate going to school every day and hate doing homework and extracurricular activities. Although school is a challenge for many students, I enjoyed challenging myself as well as accomplishing many of my personal goals throughout my K-12 experience. Education is the future due to the fact that every time a teacher answers the unknown for a child, that opens up the possibility for more questions. More questions mean a thirst for more quench of knowledge. This thirst can be their motivation to succeed. (Davis)
Schooling is a large part of life in the United States. Education plays an extremely important role in giving students as well as citizens of the U.S. knowledge of the world around us. Although there are core subjects such as math, science, social studies, English, etc., information cannot be converted into knowledge without having proper education. In the United States, we have free elementary, middle and high school education. This takes burden off students backs of attempting to support students with proper education before they are ready. Having these “opportunities gives us the chance to discover ourselves through college and trade schools, as opposed to having to work to make ends meet or kill to survive” (Davis). Moreover, if people in war-torn countries had time set aside to “free read,” imagine the kind of ingenuity that could be produced from them as it is produced in the U.S. Our ability to educated ourselves in elementary school, gym class, music lessons starting at age five sets us aside from countries who may struggle (Davis).
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The Compulsory Education Laws require children to attend a public or state-accredited private school. There are certain exceptions, such as homeschooling, but virtually all states have mandates for when children must start their schooling and how old they must be before deciding to drop out. Typically, “children must start school by the age of six and remain enrolled until they are at least 16. These laws were put in place not only to improve literacy rates but also to discourage the widespread child labor practices of the 19th and early 20th centuries” (FindLaw).
But why does the Unites States mandate that all children must be enrolled and attend formal school? Prior to mandatory education, historically speaking, parents would put their own children to labor. Presently, we have child labor laws that would prevent that action. The children who would be most affected by no laws are the students who already choose to skip school on a daily basis. There are students who skip school because they lack guidance, specifically parental guidance. If it wasn’t for these mandated laws, society would have no proper way to aid and guide children as well as teenagers to proper knowledge and education.
Education is extremely important in the U.S. and should be important elsewhere as well. Education is not only math, English, history, science, etc. but it a realm of realization and opportunity. According to Mohamed Reda, a fundraising Consultant, education strongly deals with equality. If we want to see the world as a just and fair place where everyone is given equal opportunities, education is what we require. Education is a must if we want to do away with the existing differences between different social classes as well as genders. It opens a portal of opportunities for the lower class so that they may have an equal chance to receive paid jobs. Education also plays an enormous role in women empowerment as well. If we start to gain knowledge from K-12 mandated education, we as a society will be able to learn more about the equality and justice of our society as well as what we as people can do to make the world a better place. Furthermore, education majorly affects our understanding of the difference between right and wrong actions as well as language. An educated person is well aware of the consequences of wrongdoing actions and he is less likely to get influenced and do something which is not morally correct (Reda). Also, a number of uneducated people who live a poverty-stricken life owning to lack of opportunities often turn to illegal ways such as theft and robbery to solve their problems. It is not necessary their fault that they commit these illegal actions, rather, it sadly due to their socio-economic status. Thankfully, in the United States, people belonging in the lower class are still able to receive an education due to the amazing opportunities America provides. If you are educated, you are well aware of your rights, the law and your responsibilities towards the society. Hence, education is an important factor which contributes in social harmony and peace (Reda).
Education is also important due to its production of socialization. In order for us as humans to survive, we need to surround ourselves with other humans. School, especially throughout K-12, is an excellent source to build friendships and networks. K-12 is just the beginning of the socialization where it prepares you for college as well as future jobs and internships. These connections and relationships with other students as well as teachers can offer you guidance through one’s career landscape and offer proper aid when one needs a shoulder to lean on. In K-12 we learn how to socialize, collaborate ideas, work as a team, gain new knowledge, and become inspired.
Without school, knowledge would not spread as quickly. Our access to new ideas and people could easily be cut completely. A world without school or a proper education would create language barriers and would stall the “dispersion of economic growth, tolerance, and the appreciation of our fellow human beings” (Saharn). If it wasn’t for my K-12 program, I would not have met my best friends, gained a new understanding about society, nor would I have gotten into the University of Miami.
Works Cited
- “Compulsory Education Laws: Background.” Findlaw, education.findlaw.com/education-options/compulsory-education-laws-background.html.
- “The Importance of School: 7 Advantages of Education.” Udemy Blog, blog.udemy.com/importance-of-school/.
- “Top 10 Reasons Why Education Is Extremely Important.” LinkedIn, www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-10-reasons-why-education-extremely-important-mohamed-reda.
- “Understanding Importance of American Education, As Told By An Education Major.” The Odyssey Online, Odyssey, 30 Jan. 2018, www.theodysseyonline.com/education-really-future.
