Vixen in the Kitche, Angel in the Attic

Adam-Scott Green
WST 3015
Nina Perez
March 17, 2010

A Mosaic of Women, A New Fabric for Female Representation in Media

The standard stereotype for women is to not take up space, have children, marry, and become domesticated. The women in Brothers and Sisters sustain and challenge oppresive stereotypes of women and motherhood. In fact, the women in this show present a diversity of gender roles and expectations. It shows the world that some women may fit gender stereotypes and still be powerful. Others may choose their place in the world by a defying gendered expectations.

I consider myself a member of the Walker family from Brothers and Sisters. I fell in love with this show because it is a realistic portrayal of American family life.

Episode 1 illsutrates the characterization of my cousins Tommy, Kitty, Sarah, Kevin and Justin, and their parents William and Norah Walker. This episode also illustrates women who exude power, femininity, agency, independence, and intelligence. For example, Norah Walker, the matriarch of the family is a traditional domesticated mother and wife. "Marriage is a great institution, if you like living in institutions" (Ettelbrick 317). She fits traditional gender roles, situated in the stereotypes of institutionalized marriage and family. She spends her time at home worrying and caring about her children and grandchildren. Blinded in love to William Walker, she is also the emotional core of that institution. A traditonal woman- she is illustrated cooking, cleaning, keeping up the house, and staying out of the family business her husband created. Her life is consumed by the institution of family and marriage. She is a stereotypical woman.

On the other hand, her daughter Sarah challenges traditional gender roles. Fusing the identities of mother, wife, and career woman, she is the breadwinner for her family. In the same way, she is imposed with the burden of the "mommy tax." Because she is a mother, "She is not the ideal worker that is free of all ties other than those to her job" (Crittenden 337). Making a decision to spend more time at home with her kids and husband, she quits a prestigous job that her MBA and business savy qualified her for; and pays her "mommy tax" by accepting a more comfortable, probably less lucrative position at the small family business. This shows the challenge corporate mothers face, the mommy tax is the financial and occupational costs she had to pay in the name of her duties as a mother. And yet, she is a woman that responds to ridcule with power, sits in her office with a keen eye for business and loves her children and family.

Her sister, Kitty, further breaks stereotypical gendering. She is a political analysist, working in a male dominated profession; and she is successful at it. Though she is not a mother, she is an alternative caregiver, a sister, a daughter, and an auntie. In this episode, she is unmarried and childless. She even choses a career move over an engagement to her lover. She definitely defies the expectations of women. I love her character the most because she is powerful, independent, and fearless. I keep up with the show and recently Kitty has married a senator, adopted a baby, battled cancer, and chosen to run for political office.

Brothers and Sisters shows women in powerful places within themselves, their homes, and their jobs. As it relates to a feminst discussion of women, this show illustrates the realities of women who fit the stereotypes and women that challenge them. I think feminism is about expanding the stereotypes and representations of women to a more realistic, non-oppressive idea of what a woman can do or be. This show does that, and I tune in to ABC every Sunday night to be entertained.

Crittenden, Ann. "The Mommy Tax. "Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th Ed.New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 337-345.
Ettelbrick, Paula. "Since When Is Marriage a Path to Liberation." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th Ed.New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 317-320.

Music Blog

Adam-Scott Green
Jeanine Perez
March 15, 2009
WST 3015

Violence goes 'round and 'round

There has got to be a nonviolent way for women to regain confidence, agency, and pride after suffering the pain of a man cheating on her. However, Carrie Underwood’s song, "Before He Cheats" paints a violent solution to dealing with “man problems.” She perpetuates the system of violence and abuse. Specifically, she is both a victim of his emotional abuse, cheating, (which I consider violence) and an attacker. The song glorifies violence. Under a guise of spiteful revenge, she injures his car, carves her name in the upholstery, damages the headlights, and deflates the tires. This is a form of economic and physical violence. I even think it’s illegal. According to the United Nations definition, “Violence inhibits human growth, negates inherent potential, limits productive living and causes death” (Kirk 258). The evidence is the demonstrable damage which could limit his productive living. Now he has to pay for car repairs. The thing about it is that emotions can never be priced. Her actions were not called for; they were irresponsible, childish, and illegal.
Also, I think it is important to note the overall tone of the song. Carrie brilliantly sings this song with emotions that echo rage, spite, anger, and force. At the moment of damaging his property, she reduces her emotional abuse to a psycho-enraged criminal persona. It’s amazing to note how much power this ex-lover has over her civility. Indeed, she is disempowered of any will of her own; every criminal decision in this song is a response to how he treated her. She allows her boyfriend’s cheating, this lousy man, and the system of patriarchy, where women are dominated by men, to send her on a violent spree. In the same way I feel that this song is damaging to the feminist movement. It perpetuates a masculine notion that women’s actions are secondary or controlled by a man. Definitely, this man has the ultimate power over her emotions and sense of self. It just rings with the oppressive motif: men control women’s behavior.
As the song implies, she wants him to think before the next time he cheats. I wonder if she will think after the next time a man mistreats her. Violence and implicating misery is not an avenue to rebuilding self-worth, dignity and respect. A more viable solution would be to reclaim a sense of self. Like Morales and any other victim of abuse, Carrie represents a woman who falls into the trap of victimhood. Morales explains the implications of victimhood: “The people who abused me consciously and deliberately manipulated me in an attempt to break down my sense of integrity so they could make me an accomplice to my own torture and that of others” (Morales 283). Obviously Carrie was hurt by what this man did to her; she became a victim in every sense of the word. Morales further states that “victimhood allows us to stay small and wounded instead of spacious, powerful and whole.” I think a better solution for Carrie would be to leave victimhood behind and re-create her dignity, agency, and power as a positive, law abiding citizen. However, she continues the cycle of violence, moving from victim to attacker, instead of breaking that dichotomy altogether.

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Violence Against Women." Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 258-58. Print.
Morales, Aurora. “Radical Pleasure(1998) Sex and the End of Victimhood.” Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 283-84. Print.

Service Learning Log 4

Adam Scott Green
March 3, 2009
Service Learning Log

Activism
I found a very cool website that has all the Women's Studies departments from colleges and universities in America. This takes the guest work out of most of the researching we were tasked to do. Now that we have a conclusive mailing list. We can re- examine our letter and begin to send out materials advertising our campaign for a federal holiday recognizing women's history. Now we can start working on organizations. I think that we should begin making a mailing list of feminist organizations in Florida or start finding mailing addresses of famous feminists. It is actually time to begin dialogue with other activsts and start making things happen for this project. I think I may even make a pink art submission of a bra about this campaign. Seely defines activism as deciding what action to take where to hold the action, and making the action visual" (Seely 20). I think its time to take this activism project to the next level.
Reflection
Recently in class, we have discussed the end of victimhood. In the words of Aurora Levins Morales, "Among the topics we've ranged over in our hours of conversation that one that grabs my attention is the need and obligation to leave victimhood behind" (Morales 284), In a way, this project is a way of living a perception of suffragists as victims behind. The Mary Poppins, cover- up the gruesome reality culture we live in, has ignored the agency of suffragists. We like to think that women marched a couple times, and the government decided to give women the right to vote. In particular, ALice Paul was a political prisoner, who marched and fought for suffrage while repressed in a de jure sexist country. Suffragist were not victims or powerless. They were powerful, influential, and courageous people that we must never forget.
Reciprocity
The more we work on this project, I am better understanding the scope of the suffrage movement. I am becoming more sensitive to perspectives of women.

Works Cited
Morales, Aurora Levins. "Radical Pleasure: Sex and the End of Victimhood." Women's Lives Multicultural Perspectives. 5th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 283-28
Seely, Megan. Fight Like a Girl. New York: New York University Press, 2007. Print.

Service Learning Log 3

Adam Green
for February 24, 2009
Service Learning Log

Activism
This week we have not really been on the ball. It has been hard synchronizing all of our group member's schedules.
Reflection
I want to focus this blog on the importance of our work. We want to remind America about herstory by establishing this holiday. We are in a way reclaiming women's agency in history and patriotic discussions. In particular, Alice Paul is a shero that our country has forgotten in education. We are in the process of reclaiming "herstory." I didn't even know she existed before we embarked on this project. Obviously, I am not alone in my oblivion of women's history. As proof, Our facebook has gathered some pretty explicti and sexist remarks. Our group is currently discussing ways to revamp the page. We want to take down the contorversial quotes, and rebuild the website with women's history facts and our mission statement. In fact we have to return to step one in Seely's instruction for activism in Fight Like a Girl. We need to clearly "define the issue that you want to raise awareness on" (Seely 20).
Reciprocity
I am getting a unique experience doing this project. I am becoming political. So far in this class, we have discussed that the personal is political. I am in the context of my community. With that knowledge, I am excited that I am embarking on a journey to establish a much needed political, educational, and societal change- to honor women's history.

Seely, Megan. Fight Like a Girl. New York: New York University Press, 2007. Print.

Service Learning Log 2

Adam Scott Green
for February 17, 2009
Service Learning

Activism
Last week, the group met with Nina. This week we are beginning to work on the suggestions she offered. We discussed the need to revamp our facebook, research potential supporters or women's studies departments. This has been a hard task. We developed some ideas to separate this research regionally. I decided to take the Northeast Region. Nina wants us to gather this list of supporters because support is necessary for this campaign. We know that women's studies programs are directly connected to feminist activism. That's why we think this will be a good place to start rallying supporters.
Reflection
Seely talks about this in her text, Fight Like a Girl. After you define the issue you want to raise awareness on, step two is "to work with other activists and dialogue the issue to clarify the feminist analysis of the problem and the solution" (Seely 20). This is not an easy task, we have to really go online and research every university that has a women's studies department and obtain their contact information. Unless we find a better way to do that. We are also looking ahead to our next steps, how we are going to develop a petition and some kind of way get this campaign to the public.
Reciprocity
This campaign is not as fun as I thought it would be. Oft times we think of activism as protests and picket lines demonstrations. We are not doing glamorous activism. We are participating in grassroots, behind the scenes, covert action. The world may never know what I have been doing this week for the Alice Paul National Holiday. That does not matter. My work is still critical to the movement. After all, activism takes many facets. There is work to be done.

Works Cited
Seely, Megan. Fight Like a Girl. New York: New York University Press, 2007. Print.