Women Oppression

by guest blogger LadyDiva21

Female oppression still exists in many of our societies today. This
ranges from tacit male dominance in religion and philosophies to the
brutal male oppression, for instance Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
that is still carried out in some communities. This article belief
gives an over view of the bible in the different forms and types of
women oppression... What do you think are women still oppressed now as
they were before, or have they moved up through the years?...

http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/01443/fo_home.html

Happy Black History Month?

By guest blogger Jess

It’s that time again. The time where people say things like “Why do we have a black history month?” or “We don’t even need it anymore” I see Black History (as well as all minority history/heritage months) as a way of making up for what's still lacking at all other times. Minority culture is more often than not has a very desolate representation in our society and clearly isn’t fully integrated into mainstream culture or education. While I do sort of see those months as a “pacifier” to larger issues, it’s a good way to start but follow up is necessary. . When I was growing up I hardly ever learned about black people in history. When we did talk about slavery or black people in general it was definitely watered down and made to seem as if it wasn't that bad or not as important as the rest. I was fortunate enough to have parents that really taught me things about my history that were not taught in class. We may be making progress in those terms (and even that's debatable), but we're just not there yet. I came across a video last week and I think this is one of the reasons that I was thinking about this particular subject.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XGeMy-6hnr0

I’m curious what do you think about this video? Our curriculum needs to change when our college population is this ignorant. Like I said we made a dent but we aren't there yet.

School DIstrict Bans Cross-Gender Dressing

by guest blogger Simone

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-virginia-clothing-gendertre81a0p7-20120211,0,5715335.story

Under the guise of trying to protect students and to prevent violent attacks against them because of the clothes they wear, the Virginia school district plans to put forth a vote in a few weeks to ban cross-gender dressing. In light of complaints from a school in the district about some boys dressing like girls, what is being overlooked are the student's rights to wear clothes they feel are appropriate and correspond with their gender-identity. The ACLU is watching this case as they state that the ban is vague and discriminatory.

"SUFFOLK, Va (Reuters) - A Virginia school district is considering banning cross-gender dressing in a move proponents said aims to protect students from harassment, but which civil liberties and gay rights groups said would amount to an assault on free speech.

Board members said they wanted to protect the children in the school district in Suffolk, about 20 miles from Norfolk, from the types of tragedies such as killings and suicides tied to bullying in other parts of the country.

The proposed dress code would prohibit students from wearing clothing "not in keeping with a student's gender" and that "causes a disruption and/or distracts others from the education process or poses a health or safety concern." The board opted to pursue the ban after teachers at one of the district's three high schools said some male students were dressing like girls, prompting complaints from other students, district spokeswoman Bethanne Bradshaw said.

Board Vice Chairwoman Thelma Hinton, in supporting the ban, cited the killing of a 15-year-old California cross-dressing student by another student in 2008 and the suicide of a 14-year-old gay student last year in New York after online bullying. "When a situation is brought up to me, I'm going to speak out if I have to speak out, and take a stand," Hinton said Thursday at a board meeting, adding that she was more concerned about the safety of the district's 14,000 students than civil rights."It has nothing to do with a person's gender -- who they are," Hinton said. "Of course I don't want anyone's rights being violated, but I have done some research."

A vote on the issue is expected in March, and a ban would take effect on July 1 if approved, Bradshaw said."

ACLU SAYS BAN IS VAGUE AND DISCRIMINATORY

The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia had already called the proposed ban unconstitutionally vague and sexually discriminatory even before Thursday's meeting. After hearing board members offer general support for the ban on Thursday, the state ACLU plans to outline possible legal actions that could follow if it is adopted, Virginia ACLU Executive Director Kent Willis told Reuters.

James Parrish, executive director of Equality Virginia, suggested that district administrators needed education on issues related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.

"If a girl comes to school wearing jeans and a flannel shirt, is that considered cross-gender dressing?" he told Reuters, adding that a misunderstanding of the issues could actually make the students more susceptible to bullying.

"They're calling it cross-dressing, but if that individual was wearing clothes that reflect their gender identity, that's not cross-dressing, that's appropriate gender dressing," he said. Several incidents where relentless verbal assaults and online harassment led to the suicides or murders of gay or lesbian teens over the past few years have led to tougher anti-bullying laws in some states.

New Jersey passed tougher anti-bullying laws after a gay college student killed himself after reportedly being bullied, and New York lawmakers were looking at how to stem the kind of harassment that led to the Buffalo teen's suicide.

In Suffolk, school board attorney Wendell Waller said opponents who read the proposed ban as a straight prohibition missed its intent. He also said the district would press ahead with what he described as a "very delicate" balancing act. "It is not a straight prohibition of anything, unless it ... forms a disruption of the education process," Waller said.

(Editing By Colleen Jenkins, David Bailey and Cynthia Johnston)"

Childhood Obesity Ad: Uplifting or Oppressive?

by guest blogger M. P.

An ad focusing on childhood obesity (which can be found on cnn.com or by clicking the link below) has stirred up a large debate on whether or not the verbiage as well as visuals of the ad are offensive to the children and their parents. The ad was supposed to target the minds of parents in an effort to show them that their children should be healthy, how to clearly see the signs of denial, and that obesity is a true health issue in today's society. The ad was meant to foster change in behaviors and possibly incorporate the culture of eating healthier especially at a young age. However, some feel like the article did far more harm than it did good because it depicted the children in such a negative light that was demeaning and embarrassing as well. Seeing as how the ad is straight forward and illustrates the problem but doesn't quite show any solutions what is your viewpoint does the ad advocate for change in a positive forceful manner and correctly address the problem in a way that parents can understand or does it oppress the children who are classified as being obese and leave room for them to be scrutinized by self and peers for their weight issue?

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/07/health/atlanta-child-obesity-ads/index.html

Think Before You Tweet? CNN Suspends Roland Martin For Tweets

by guest blogger Purple

CNN suspended CNN political contributor, Roland Martin on February 8^th for tweets deemed homophobic by the Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and other groups. Martin made comments about an H&M underwear commercial during the Super Bowl on February 5^th. The commercial is a black and white ad featuring soccer star, David Beckham. One of his tweets about the ad read:

"If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham's H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl."

Apparently, Martin also made a tweet earlier about a football player, tweeting:

“Who the hell was that New England Patriot they just showed in a head to toe pink suit? Oh, he needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass”

CNN issued the following statement on their decision to suspend Martin:

“Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive. Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being.”

Apparently Martin is set to meet with GLAAD. I’m not certain of other tweets from him that might have been involved in the outrage and his suspension, but more on the story can be found at the following links:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/cnn-suspends-roland-martin-over-offensive-super-bowl-195422269.html

http://articles.cnn.com/2012-02-08/politics/politics_cnn-roland-martin_1_cnn-remarks-soccer-fans?_s=PM:POLITICS

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/roland-martin-to-meet-with-glaad-after-cnn-suspension-for-homophobic-tweets/2012/02/09/gIQAJIiT2Q_story.html?tid=pm_lifestyle_pop

What do you think about the situation? Do you agree with CNN’s decision to suspend him?

Funny or Offensive?

by Guest Blogger Canonfoder:

Warning 1: This contains strong language

Warning 2: You could be offended.

If you start watching this video you MUST watch it through even if you get offended.

http://naurunappula.com/849737/tim-minchin-cont

Is it funny or offensive?

Oppressing the Voice of Sexual Victims

by guest blogger Genevieve

http://southtownstar.suntimes.com/news/10493611-418/rape-victim-sues-harvey-over-untested-rape-kit.html

The above link directs to an article published on February 7,
2012. The article details an on-going lawsuit between a correctional
officer and a (now adult) ward of the court. The suit alleges that
Robert Buchanan raped 11-year-old “Jane Doe” – further the victim is
charging the Harvey Police Department for gross negligence after
failing to process her rape-kit for 10 years. Jane Doe’s rape kit was
one of over 200 unprocessed rape kits found in a recent police raid.

The lack of a voice for sexual victims is an insidious oppression. The
thousands of unprocessed rape kits (in America) imply to those victims
that their body and security are not of concern.