women and minorities on the federal judiciary

Source: https://my.oregonstate.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D327685%26url%3D

              President Obama is trying to name more women and minorities to the federal judiciary bench in order to diversify the judiciary. He has nominated many candidates including gay black male person, lesbian person and South Asian; they are the first judges who have minor characteristics. President is expected to nominate many more judges including women and minorities. But, unfortunately, Republicans discourages him against nominating those people as judges. According to the Federal Judicial Center, the President currently has 35 nominees awaiting a Senate vote, and 50 vacancies awaiting nominees. Among the 35 pending nominees, 17 are women, 15 are ethnic minorities and five are openly gay, according to White House statistics.

              The rate of women and minorities who are working as national institution is lower than one of men. I’m not going to say that the government should adopt rules of affirmative action, but President Obama’s attempt would be one of the opportunities to change the status quo. In the text book, the author talks about women right in history and politics. If the government does nothing for supporting women, they cannot get opportunity to participate actively in various fields as well as men do. In this case, President Obama is trying to go beyond tokenism. It is not just for this case, but also other workplace. Standards of achievement, job requirements, and job expectations should be applied equally to all individuals. Also, hiring women and minorities for positions that are terminal in terms of advancement does not satisfy the equality in workplace. The same opportunities for employment and career advancement must exist for all individuals. Moreover, it leads to better outcome because people can think of solutions from both men and women points of view. His attempt will contribute to fill the gaps in the judiciary system and will lead to a fairer representation of diverse experience and viewpoints on the federal bench. 

Stop Being Silent

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/07/opinion/mcpherson-men-domestic-violence/index.html?iref=allsearch
To stem violence against women, men must step up.

An estimate says more than 30% of women and girls in the world are sexually abused in their lifetimes, usually by men. Don McPherson, a feminist and social justice educator, argues that it is equally important for both women and men to end the culture of domestic violence because our lives are inevitably interdependent over sexual orientations. Women’s safety issues are directly related to men’s lives as well. In this sense, it would be significant to involve men in the activities and men take the initiative while it usually hard for men to stand up and speak out about these issues. McPherson states that “men do need to stop being silent” rather than just to stop being violent. Active engagement to the problem of violence against women is required but it does not necessary mean one has to do something big. Small challenge to social norm or injustice culture can make a big change if gathered. Regarding a media, it has strong influence on forming our sexuality imposing us overly sexualized script, and keeping silent means accepting the script. Passive attitude to take in the message from the media is dangerous while the passive behavior itself is not violent at all.

I would like to pick up this article because it enhances my insight into the myth of violence against women which we dealt with in Weekly Learning Project for this week. As it showed in the slides of chapter 10, it is a myth that sexual assault is a topic of only women and men can ignore it. But it fact, a lot of sexual assaults toward men and boys are reported in the U.S. and men’s lives are closely connected with women including their sisters, mothers, wives, and friends. The most important statement I found in this article is that men should stop silent and passively follow the injustice culture but should speak out and take an action to change the situation. I think this message can be applied to women as well.

In our society, there is a cultural legitimation of violence which people learn through their family or social institutions including law, education, media, and religion. In my experience, it is difficult to identify what culture represents the male superiority or male control because I am too used to it. So it is impossible to take proper actions to end the culture of violence if we know we should stand up to deal with it but have no idea what exactly is the problem which should be address. At this point, education would be a significant tool to make people to respect and value each other regardless of their sexual orientations. We need to recognize our culture which place men at a center and marginalize women, and what will happen if we keep silent and ignore it as normal. And then, with this knowledge and critical view on the issue, we would be able to address the macro-level change in legal, political, economical systems.

Women in the Military: Ready For Action

               Not enough women are enrolled into military services because of the idea that they "aren't fit" for the military lifestyle. Though branches of the military are historically favored to men, women are slowly being introduced and welcomed into their work forces. This video is a fabulous promotional tool to encourage girls to join in male-dominated work fields (specific to the military). Though there used to be much discrimination against women joining such "masculine" jobs, our generation, especially, has seen a much needed shift.

           The women interviewed in this video describe being in the military as "empowering" and "incredible". This past week in class we have been discussing how there is much oppression and violence against women in the military, simply because they are women. However, I want to reiterate the importance of women pushing these gender barriers within the workforce. If we let men control us within the work place, how can we expect to advance in our institutions and lives? More women need to consider military positions and younger girls need to be exposed to the military as an occupation. I am so sick of women being over-looked for military positions. The United State's next best leader, commander, or military genius might just be trapped inside a women who is scared to speak out.

          Graduating high school, everyone was curious as to what colleges we were going to end up attending. Talk made its way around and soon enough everyone seemed to know exactly where we all were headed. However, in our class size of about 400, most of the attention was directed at the two girls who were joining the military; one in the air force and the other in the navy. There was much skepticism regarding not just their decisions to join, but how they were unfit for these roles they seemed. I, on the opposing end, was very proud of these two young girls for making such a difficult choice. I then realized that boys and girls responded to the girls' decisions to join branches of the military very differently. Girls often said things like, "wow, she is so brave!", while boys would laugh and would add "she won't survive out there". While other girls were supportive and showed compassion, boys (almost naturally) envisioned military roles carried out by the stereotypical grizzly man.

             Clearly, there is still a need for women to integrate themselves into the military. Partially, I believe that women are worried about how others will perceive them. I strongly encourage any female that is the least bit interested in learning about the military to look into it more. I am tired of women being "oppressed in this and that form". I am ready for women to take charge and gain power! I want more women to work the front-line of war! I want women to fight alongside the tallest and strongest of men! Like these women in the video stated, working within the military can be "one of the most rewarding jobs out there". Nothing should ever hold women back from success and happiness. 

Blackboard STEM discussion board

 http://mw8xt6bj7r.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=POISONED+BY+EVERY+DAY+LIFE&rft.jtitle=Daily+Mail&rft.au=Fiona+MacRae&rft.date=2013-02-20&rft.pub=Solo+Syndication%2C+a+division+of+Associated+Newspapers+Ltd&rft.issn=0307-7578&rft.spage=1&rft.externalDocID=2895846641

POISONED BY EVERY DAY LIFE: Landmark study warns gender bending chemicals in your home; food and car ARE linked to a huge range of diseases.

Summary: The World Health Organization believes the chemicals women are exposed to in their own homes can have substantial health issues. Just a few of the believed health issues include female fertility, links to breast cancer, and memory disabilities. People are being exposed to hundreds of chemical compounds that have not been studied are properly identified yet. As well as women being adversely affected, their children and unborn babies are also at risk thanks to the roles of chemicals in hormones.
The chemicals that are affecting lives can be found in everything including, but by no means limited too, toys, make up, flooring, credit cards, and worst of all the foods we eat.

Personal opinion: This article is very scary as reader because it makes me wonder what kinds of chemicals are being put into my body daily. As well as someday wanting to become a mother the high chemicals I'm eating can affect my fertility and future child's development. I do believe it is a positive thing that the World Health Organization is pushing so hard to protect people by regulating the chemicals that may be applied to products and foods especially.

Question for Class: After hearing about this article how do you feel about the foods you consume on a daily basis, as well as the products that are in your own home?

Also why are chemicals that are affecting such important parts of a many women life's being pushed off to the side?

Sexual Violence Within the Military

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/us/former-air-force-recruit-speaks-out-about-rape-by-her-sergeant-at-lackland.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

This article is about a young woman who was raped during her boot camp experience, but because the person who raped her was in an authority position there was nothing she could do about it. The person she would have to report something like this to, would be the man who raped her, Sergeant Walker. So she waited the long months in agony until she was out of boot camp and even longer before reporting it. Because of being raped, she had PTSD and life long emotional damage. She wasn't the only one put in danger by Sergeant Walker, "In July 2012, he was convicted on 28 counts, including rape, sexual assault, and aggravated sexual contact involving 10 trainees (Risen).

This article brings up not only the horrifying experience of one woman, but also highlights the big issue of sexual danger for women in the military in general  The sad fact is, 1 in 3 military women have been sexually assaulted ( a rate twice as high as civilians). This article has a direct correlation with some of the readings we've done in class, which bring up the real reason men are attacking women with sexual violence. It isn't human nature. Men are taught to be strong and dominant and when these traits are threatened, some men choose to act in these terrible ways. It all boils down to power. In this particular instance, where the military is concerned, we can see this play out. Women are starting to make up more and more of the military and are gaining more rights within it. Some of these men, in order to feel they are taking back some of this power and progress, sexually assault women to "put them in their place" and show their "authority."

Sadly, even with the very high rights of sexual violence towards women in the military, not much is being done to change it. "The reforms undertaken by the Air Force do not alter a fundamental fact of military life: commanders have final say over whether criminal charges are brought in military courts, and victims are expected to report crimes to those who oversee their careers" (Risen). Though changes have been made in an attempt to lessen this issue, the fact remains that men are in most positions of power in the military and having this unequal power imbalance gives them an unsafe advantage over women if they choose to pursue sexual violence against them.

The Right to Have Children: A Double Standard?

Comparing the process of having children to the process of adoption, one might detect a hint of a double standard with regards to the "right" to have children.  The eugenics movement in the U.S. was terminated due in part to criticism that it infringes upon one's personal rights to reproduce, even is said person may be classified as "unfit" to care for children.  Thus, the current protection of children's well being is largely reactionary, wherein a child may be taken by the Child Protective Services after the parent concretely demonstrates their degree of unfitness.  The model for adoption, however, differs greatly, and is much more proactive.  I will discuss this apparent double standard, including possible resolutions and their limits.

Part of feminist theory is the establishment and upholding of women's reproductive rights.  What is it that makes reproducing a "right" in the first place?  Part of reproduction is the child that is produced as a result, but based on what I've seen so far, little feminist attention is paid to that issue, with the feminist approach focusing more on issues surrounding the mother and her empowerment.  A possible explanation for this is the polarization of the abortion debate, where one side is concerned with "women's rights" and another is concerned with "saving children from being murdered."  Thus, the discussion of issues surrounding children carries with it the baggage of the abortion debate, making it an unfavorable issue, being associated so much with a highly polar opposition.  The subject of children is often a matter left to the abortion opposition, when it should be at the forefront of issues surrounding reproduction in feminist discussions and models.  Children are simply too much of an integral part of the process of reproduction to be left out as subjects of discussion on either side.

Comparatively, in the context of adoption, children are seemingly given a much higher priority.  One might hear phrases like "not everyone can be a foster parent, but anyone can help a foster child."  In addition, there are certain legal requirements that anyone seeking to adopt a child must meet, based on things like income, "ability", and criminal background.  Thus, one might conclude the existence of a double standard for the importance of a child's well-being based on whether the child is adopted or born to someone.

Unfortunately, there are no clear solutions to this dichotomy.  Decreasing or removing the legal requirements for adoption will not benefit the children in question at all, and attempting to impose restrictions on who can give birth to children is costly, impractical, and ethically dubious.  Yet, the dichotomy exists.  What can be done?

In order to better address this dichotomy, I propose that the issue of children should become a larger part of the feminist debate over reproductive justice, and not be left as just part of the platform for opponents of abortion.  Making the issue of children a larger part of the discussion of reproductive justice may help address the birth/adoption double standard as well as depolarize the abortion debate, hopefully leading to social reform that is better informed and the result of greater cooperation.

What do you think about this apparent dichotomy?  Please let me know in the comments if you have any unique insight, information, or perspectives!

Support for ALL WOMEN

https://www.change.org/petitions/violence-doesn-t-discriminate-tell-the-house-to-pass-violence-against-women-act-vawa-for-all-women?utm_campaign=friend_inviter_chat&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition&utm_term=permissions_dialog_false

I saw this video when looking over my friend's shoulder while she perused her Facebook  This video is in response to the house voting on the Violence Against Women Act. It also goes to speak out against how even though the senate passed this law with a majority of 78 to 22, 22 people still thought this act was a bad idea. Who oppose a law that is striving to keep all people safer. This law has been expanded to protect those of the LGBT community as well as Native American women. This is an awesome thing to have happened. We hear too many stories about hate crimes towards LBGT members but little protection is given to the victims. This new protection in the act will hopefully light a spark for a better community and for a better tomorrow. So really i see nothing wrong with this law, I just want to get into the heads of those 22 senators that voted against this law. What did they disapprove of in a law that only wants to give equal protect for all types for women, for women who may have experienced violence but had little support in their corner. What kind of flaws did these 22 people think will happen if they expanded the umbrella of protection. I mean i guess i am just hung up on this confusion that people wouldn't want to help all sorts of people. I think my discomfort with this comes from my strong urge to reach out to as many people as possible. I feel compelled to reach out my hand and touch those in need help, in need of someone to care. Walking through downtown Portland it is evident of the drug and homeless problem. people on every corner almost and all in need for your pocket change. And most of the time you may not know how they were put into that situation  Personally i like talking to people even when i have nothing to hang them, but for some a emphatic conversation with a fellow human being is just a s good as money. I have met those who are on the street because of abuse and violence, and it breaks my heart. I have high hoeps that VAWA will continue to o good things, I have high hopes that more people can reach out and be able to help women and those facing violence.

Violence Against Women Stats and Thoughts

This week for my blog post I took a look at the National Organization for Women's website on their statistics on "Violence Against Women"and it is crazy to think all of what goes on just in the United States. There are plenty of groups that have been working to help end violence against women for quite some time now but even with all of these efforts it is shocking to see the statistics.

Out of all of the women murdered 1/3 of them are killed by an immediate partner. 4.8 million women experienced domestic violence or rape. In 2006 around 600 women a day were raped.

With statistics like these in the United States where there is said to have more equality for women than other countries it is shocking to hear numbers like those. The worst part of it all is that it is happening everywhere and women are being told that they are to blame for the violence brought upon them. Well, what is wrong with people? Women do NOT ask to be abused!

The most pathetic thing of it is that a good percent of the time the women will know their attacker. Women are told it is their fault, so they fall in to believing in it. Women need to know that they do not have to be victims, and if they go through something awful like this, it is NOT their fault and they should be held so high for surviving through something that harsh! Any type of violence is not acceptable.

The other issue is that we help the attackers by not emphasizing how good some of the guys are. NOT ALL MEN ARE AWFUL!! We need to have good role models for both men and women to show as children grow up, because this violence is not natural it is a learned behavior adopted in the mind when that is all someone is exposed to. No more excuses men and women need to work together to get this issue taken care of! This will be a long road to recovery, but well worth it.

http://now.org/issues/violence/stats.html

Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2020458945_vawapassesxml.html http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/28/politics/violence-against-women The unbelievably long 16 month stand off in the U.S. House is finally over, and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act has been passed. The only thing word that comes to mind is "finally." So why did it take over a year to re-enact this law that has been in place since 1994? Well let's look at some of the changes (or rather improvements) that have been made that made it such a big issue. Firstly, the same protections guaranteed in the original act have now been extended to gays and lesbians. This is wonderful. No person should be denied protection from violence because of their sexual orientation. According to statistics from the CNN article, approximately 45% of LGBT victims are turned away from domestic violence shelters, 55% were denied protection orders, and thats only from the people who reported violence. These stats need to change, and this law should help to catalyze that. Secondly, the act has given tribes the right to try non-indians in court for assaults committed on their land. In the past, this has lead to many people who assaulted a native american woman being given a free pass. The commonality of native american woman being assaulted is ridiculously high, as in 1 in every 3 will be assaulted in their life time. This needs to change, and again, this law will facilitate that. Thirdly, the act increases funding for existing programs that help with transitional housing, law enforcement training, and much more. These services are very important for women who have been assaulted and are trying to get back onto their feet. These women have gone through unimaginable pain and suffering, and any program that helps them recover is a good one and is necessary for reducing violence against women because if you know you have help and resources, you are more likely to remove yourself from an abusive situation. The list of improvements goes on. I feel like the reauthorization of this act is good, but marred by its slow approval and the opposition it faced. To me, its a no-brainer that violence against woman is still a huge issue and needs to be combatted legally. I am happy that women now are legally protected again from violence in a way that has positively improved many aspects of this issue, including decreasing the number of lives lost in past years to assault and domestic violence. I am relieved, but the delay concerns me. It indicates that this issue might not mean as much to everyone in the political circuit as it should. Do they not have mothers, wives, daughters, and friends that they want to protect? This issue isn't just an issue for women. This is an issue for everyone in our society to stand up and say that we will no longer condone violence against anyone because of their gender, size, color, age, or any other reason. Its time to realize that if you hurt one of us, you hurt all of us in many ways. The Violence agains Women Reauthorization Act is like a beacon of hope in a stormy see, telling us that we will get through all this struggle and pain and we will make things better. We just need all hands on deck for this one.

Dangers of Abstinence Only Educations

My high school education came from a Classical Christian school, and our sexual education was not very informational. I'm trying to remember what exactly what was taught and the honest truth is I can't. I know we covered the anatomy and biology of sex but I can't remember much about any other topics covered. 

I know we've all heard the debates ranging from sex-ed promotes sex among minors to kids are doing it anyways, let's give them the resources to do it safely. As for my own thoughts on the subject, I've seen first-hand what an abstinence only education can do. The effects are not just a generation who don't know how to have safe sex but also a generation who doesn't know what to expect in a sexual relationship, be that dating or marriage. As I think about the people I went to school with I know of too many with unplanned pregnancies and even one who was in an abusive relationship with the father of her child. 

By not teaching our kids proper sexual education we are setting them up for failure. This is made worse in a lot of religious circles (speaking from my own experience) by creating this bifurcation of the idea of sex. Sex is shameful, something we don't talk about, other than to say sex is wonderful and the best thing ever when between a husband and wife, but don't talk about it. Even now, I'm married and have been for almost two years, but do my friends and I talk openly and honestly about sex, no. I'm thinking about friends I've known for almost ten years and the truth is I don't think I've ever had a single conversation talking about sex. 

My point is this, by making sex into a shameful, yet deified, thing, kids have no idea how to be in a sexual relationship, nor do they know what a healthy sexual relationship looks like. How many abuses and assaults could be avoided if we taught our kids about the proper way to act in a sexual relationship, and taught them that it's okay to ask questions, especially if they are uncomfortable with something in their sex-life. 

I shared in class the other day about one of my best friends, who is getting married soon. She and her fiance have had so many problems because neither of them has any idea what a healthy physical relationship looks like, let alone a sexual one. I think back on the biggest fights I heard about. The first I remember was from their senior year of high school; They didn't talk for a week because he touched the small of her back while hugging. A couple years later, they almost broke up because they had fallen asleep while studying and he had woken up with a "problem," and now weeks before their wedding they just got over another week of not talking because things got too physical. 

I'm proud of them for dating for 6 years and keeping to their own principles of staying virgins, but I can't help but be concerned. How can you change so drastically overnight? A person can't go for 20 something years being terrified of having sex, to suddenly being expected to have sex, a lot, without shame. I know that many couples go into marriage this way but I also wonder if many marriages end because either one party can never get over the shame of sex. 

Blurring the Gender Lines

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/world/europe/swedish-school-de-emphasizes-gender-lines.html?pagewanted=2

In an article from the New York Times titled, "Swedish Schools Big Lesson Begins With Dropping Personal Pronouns," John Tagliabue writes about the country's effort to blur gender lines. Teacher's have discontinued the use of personal pronouns like "him" and "her" and instead have replaced them with the inclusive term "friends" or by calling kids by name. This school in Stockholm is also progressive in a way that boys and girls are both encouraged to play with dolls and blocks. Teachers further this blurring of the gender lines that exist by treating boys with as much attention when they get hurt as girls tend to. It's about finding equality in the circumstance. The school has received some criticism and even some have mentioned that the school is working toward turning little boys into little girls. The deputy mayor responsible for schools, Lotta Edholm, refutes this by saying, "The important thing is that children, regardless of their sex, have the same opportunities. It’s a question of freedom.” While the author of the article does also mention that Sweden is known for its egalitarian mind-set, I feel this is something America can learn from. The problem, however, is that as a an institution, education in regulated by the government. When you look at our government, the ratio of men to women is overwhelming. When you get to the root of the problem with social oppressions, you begin to realize that one thing reiterates another, and it becomes like the Cycle of Oppression we discussed in our class this week. Sweden is taking a progressive step in an effort to blur gender lines while people are young and educable.

Truly Strong Men Don't Show Power

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/29/opinion/neogy-rape-india/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

India can learn respect for women

 

Sexual violence is a great problem in India. A gang-rape of a young woman in New Deli shocked a number of people all around the world. Suniti Neogy, a maternal health coordinator in India, is one of them. She laments the fact that girls and women are being imposed the fear of violence in daily lives, but at the same time, she puts emphasis on  the protesting activities from men who, given an opportunity, are willing to solve the gender discrimination issue. She argues that it is necessary to take boys and men into the part of the movements to address the violence.

She says “aggressive behavior toward women isn’t innate. It’s learned and can be unlearned.” I agree with her view that men’s violence toward women is learned in society. However, I think it is doubtful if it is possible to be unlearned. As long as I learned through the class so far, everyone inevitably get involved in the socialization process through which they learn the certain roles of men and women and maintain the system of oppression. So if a man is born in the community of patriarchy, it will be quite difficult not to learn the gender-biased social norm at all.

But it does not mean it is impossible to change the world. We can change our perception and reform the society. In this article, Neogy points out that boys and men use violence as a respond to the pressure to be strong because of their gender. The idea of men as necessarily strong suffers not only women as victims of violence but also men who do not have any other way to express their strength beside violence. At this point, it is significant change the view that men have to be strong and violence is the way of expressing power. In this sense, I thing it is very important to keep in mind the words of Ron who worked with Neogy. “Truly strong men don’t show power, they show care.” A wise man should not resort to violence but respect the women and lead the movement to achieve the gender equity.

In addition, Neogy mentions it is not until we all, men and women, work together that we can end the gender-based violence. In order to protect the women from danger of sexual violence or abuse, proper education to both men and women is necessary to discard the fixed view on gender as well as improving the infrastructure such as security cameras. I found it important to reflect on the internal system of oppression. While it is not easy to change the familiar perspective which is shared in the community and we have learned through our lives, a person’s valiant challenge to the injustice can be piled up to achieve the social change. 

Changing the Notion of Masculinity

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/26/world/asia/changing-the-notion-of-masculinity.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1362322970-MfGHNLkuE+eACMvRXiyLTQ

“Changing the Notion of Masculinity”

This article relates to gender inequality and the topic of gender-based violence because of the power and emphasis put on gender roles. Men have a sense of power and authority over women in Asia based on the socialization of gender so in attempts to solve the problem, they are “changing the notion of masculinity.” They want to change how people socialize genders and what it means to “be a man” to break the connection between masculinity and gender violence. They realized that the solution isn’t just helping woman and children after the violence occurs it starts by preventing the abuse all together. The author says, “Across Asia, as elsewhere in the world, notions of masculinity are infused with power, control and entitlement, the source of much brutality against women and children, including gang rape by teenagers in Cambodia and daily violence in families in China, to name two examples, activists and researchers said.” This closely relates to our topic in class this week which was gender-based violence and how it often occurs in men. I strongly agree with their decision to try to stop the violence at the root and take steps towards prevention instead of just offering help once the violence happens. By doing that, everyone who has ever experienced violence or may in the future can increase their chances of feeling safe and not having to go through that. I think to make a real change, they need to increase awareness and education as well as changing the idea of masculinity and the power associated with that. The younger they teach kids that that is not okay and that’s not how relationships should be, the higher the chances of it actually sticking with them and making a change. A lot of people contribute to gender-based violence without directly being apart of the abuse. By giving men this idea that they need to be tough and authoritative, they give them a feeling of power and ownership over women. This often leads to this violence and causes more problems. I am guilty of not preventing it or taking action to make a change because I have never directly been affected or experienced it and that is no excuse because you don’t have to be apart of the problem to be apart of the change.