I do not regret things I do. I do my best to learn from my mistakes. I do not make excuses for my actions based on my "disabilities." I'm bipolar and OCD, ADD, etc. I only mention these things when absolutely when necessary, like when I have to explain, in detail, why I HAVE to have 8 hours sleep to a professor. I control my bipolar with a combination of pot, sleep, diet, and breathing exercises. Honestly, the best control for it I have is I've trained myself to analyze my emotions, i.e. why am I feeling this emotion? Is it chemically induced or a reasonable response to an event? I control my OCD barely. I just keep myself from my baser impulses (such as repeatedly washing my hands) and have divulged into probably worse ones (smoking!). I was so obsessed with obsessing as a child, I would never wash my hands, unless in the bath, in fear of washing my hands raw. I also trained myself to focus because I attended an open concept elementary school (no walls) and had to do something to learn, and I wanted to learn.
Now to the real reason for this post. My father is in prison. I say father because I call my step-dad dad also, this will keep things simple. My father is there for child molestation. He got 20 years. I was a victim, but he was never charged for that. We lived in a really small town in Parker County Texas. Mom went to the Parker County Courthouse, but they said a 3 year old was lying. He finally assaulted the wrong child in the wrong town and was arrested. I saw my dad rarely after that. He got probation originally and wasn't supposed to be around anyone under 18. He met a woman with 2 kids and proceeded to go to prison for violating his probation. He's been in prison since around 1996.
But my father wasn't the only one to abuse me in this fashion, and I will not go into all of the details, however I will share that one was an uncle and the other a family friend who later said I shouldn't have been hiding in the shed during hide and seek. Needless to say, I was called a liar a lot. Then when I was 10 (and my family had been in Arlington for a couple years), I was stalked by some pervert who would call and make lewd comments and suggestions. This man continued to call until I was almost 16! I eventually ran into him in person at my first place. I knew it was him simply by his voice! That was one of the scariest days of my life!
You add these experiences to a child who had emotional outbursts (to the point of being tested for epilepsy) and you can imagine the drama when I was 10 and what my mother had to go through (and she's crazy too!). However, I rarely shared these experiences until I was in high school.
I didn't even start telling what I went through until I had to endure the "problems" of the freshmen that were suddenly put in my high school my junior year. Prior to that year freshmen were in the junior highs in Arlington, TX. I started hearing kids whine about how their parents were still together and they were so mean because they grounded them for swearing. They would even say these types of behavior would lead to them cutting themselves. Then there were the kids who whined about their parents spanked them. Damn, my mom sent my sister and me to school with black eyes! I didn't tell anyone, I thought it was obvious where they were coming from, until a counselor told me if I stopped fighting with my sister we would stop coming to school with black eyes. Yeah, you read that right. Finally I got tired of the whines of people that didn't know what pain was and began telling people my story. This was soon followed by a long line of people telling me "You are so strong" and eventually lead to "Stop lying, you're just trying to one-up her."
Gradually, the "You're so strong" comments did grow on me and I began to play up these events of my life. I even used them to get out of the Army (not my best moment in my life, but a good blog entry for another day). Over time, I did get on the "pity me" bandwagon, but quickly got off of it when I realized I had become exactly what I hated.
The irony of this tale is that the abuses of my childhood did move into my adult life. I ended up in a very abusive relationship after Gary was murdered (see my blog on him). I think that relationship is what spurred my eating up the attention from the "You're so strong" crowd. Combine this with getting my first car at 21 and the fact my mom wouldn't let me go anywhere even as an adult (until I got the car), you get a girl who just wanted some "positive" attention.
However, I can not regret anything I have done. All my actions have made me into the individual I am today. It gets me so mad to see people depending on pills (my experience has never been good) and blame the bad experiences in their lives for every mistake they have ever made and why they live lives of lies. If a bipolar, OCD, ADD, epileptic girl can live a practically normal life (normal is so relative) than anyone can, especially without the mental health issues! All you have to do is realize that you control your reactions and you control yourself. You can not control others, you can not control the world, but you can control yourself. If you know something triggers a "disability" than stay away from it (my triggers are whiskey and malt liquor). If you know a particular activity is very calming for you and is not bad for your health, do that. Meds are not the cure all and making excuses for your behavior is worse than thinking that "lucky rabbits foot" is the reason you win or lose. Chance is up to fate and fate is not determined by us, but by God, and His will will be done!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Top Secret: Pornography and Gender
The Question
Pornography seems to be everywhere these days, from daytime television to the internet. However, how is this infiltration into our homes affecting our lives? In addition, how does porn portray men and women? Since pornography has become more prevalent, how it portrays the sexes will have some ramifications on society. What are these ramifications, if we can tell?
To find this out I have passed out surveys, both online and in person, asking various questions about porn and porn consumption. In addition, I interviewed two males about pornography. I also have looked at books and newspaper articles about pornography.
The Statistics
There were 23 female participants and 16 males. Of the males, nine make less than $20,000 a year, five make $20,000 to $50,000 a year, one makes $50,000 to $80,000, and 1 makes $80,000 to $100,000. Of the females, 14 make less than $20,000 a year, nine make $20,000 to $50,000 a year, and one makes $50,000 to $80,000 a year. No one who filled out a survey made more than $100,000 a year. Nearly half of the participants are college students, 8 males and 12 females. The other half consisted of one female who did not respond six males and six females with a high school diploma or GED, and two male college graduates and five female college graduates. The age range was 18 to 47, over half being between the ages of 18 to 26. Religious beliefs varied as well. There were one male and one female who are Agnostic, seven males and ten females who did not respond or wrote none for religion, one male Catholic, two males stated they practiced self worship, two male Baptist, one female Greek Orthodox, four female Pagan/Wiccan, two female Atheists, two males who are Taoist, and one female who labeled herself as practicing a religion as other. How these statistics affect their views on pornography will be looked at as well.
Gender of Participants
Male
16
Female
23
Pornography
What is pornography? Since the public has had trouble defining it, it has been left up to the Supreme Court on numerous occasions, such as Ginzburg v. United States and Mishkin v New York (Gagnon 137). However, all that these cases really proved was what may be considered obscene. In the Ginzburg case, the Library of Congress had already translated one of the books in question, Fanny Hill, into Braille. According to The New American Webster Dictionary, pornography is obscene art, writing, etc. from the Greek word porn?, which literally means “the depiction of prostitutes (Morehead 524).” The use of the word dates back at least to Pompeii. This is extremely vague and can be left to interpretation. Nadine Strossen publishes another definition in Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex, and the Fight for Women’s Rights. In her book she quotes Catharine MacKinnon’s definition ass “Pornography, in the feminist view, is a form of forced sex, … an institution of gender inequality… [P]ornography, with the rape and prostitution in which it participates, institutionalizes the sexuality of male supremacy (Strossen 11).” Since there is such a vague definition, through out this text pornography will refer to text, pictures, video, or other media that depicts sexual intercourse and sexual activity.
In Indonesia, there is a debate between the Muslim clerics in charge and the public as to what should be considered pornographic. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono even recently stopped a singer from appearing at a presidential function because “her belly button was showing (Paddock 31).” This is addition to Playboy starting an edition especially for Indonesia. The editor, Erwin Arnada, stated they changed the content to fit the countries culture. The magazine contains no nudity, to the disappointment of many buyers. However, Islamic militants demonstrated outside the magazine’s main office. In America, however, the lack of nudity would cause this magazine not to be considered pornographic. This shows that even different cultures have different definitions.
In a discussion with a 27-year-old male, Chris, I brought up animated films with nudity and sexual intercourse. He stated that this was not pornography, just adult entertainment. On the other hand, Art, a 37-year-old male, said the opposite. His thoughts on the difference were “It just takes more talent to draw the animated porn.” When Art’s comment was brought up to Chris, he laughed and said “Yeah, but still, it’s not a naked chick doing a guy or two chicks doing each other.” Therefore, I asked Art what makes something pornographic. “Well, there’s going to be nudity, and you’ll at least see the chick’s pussy. Plus good porn will have sex. The soft stuff may just have oral (sex) or masturbation, but there’s some sort of sex.” This seems to be the consensus, pornography is very sexually charged.
When I brought up the subject of pornography to Art, he seemed almost giddy to discuss the topic. Art informed me that he has an intensive collection of porn, the videos varying in type, from a video where all the girls do is shave their labia to rape porn. His collection also includes severely obese women staring in the film and one film starring transvestites. Art stated that there is a pornographic film for all tastes. “It is a visual of what someone is already fantasizing about.” Then I asked him about the obese woman video and transvestites, he said, “I’m not into those two, I have those just because they are funny. You have to keep in mind someone out there will fantasize about those. I collect porn.” He left it at that for the day.
Neither male would comment on how pornography portrayed males and females. Their comments were all focused on why people watch porn and what types of porn exist. Art told me that people should be careful about how much pornography they consume. “Even though pornography goes back to ancient times, pornography can escalate the sexual drives of an individual an amazing rate. I honestly believe this is why we have rapist and pedophiles.” Chris made similar comments stating that pornography can be like a drug quoting Glen Beck “about 10% of adults are addicted to porn where as only 7% are addicted to alcohol. I’d say that is something to look into.”
From the Theater to the Home
Pornography used to be seen in a seedy theater with sticky floors. Someone might see you walking into the theater and your repetition would be ruined. So when did pornography go from the theater to inside our homes? Paul Fishbein went on the Glen Beck show and stated “it’s technology. It’s the invention of the VCR and, in the late 1970’s, people getting VCRs for their home for the first time and then wanting to see an adult movie and not having to go out in public and not having to have their neighbors see them.” With technology evolving as it has, the medium in which porn is viewed has evolved as well, through DVDs and the internet, the next stage being your cell phone.
As pornography has made its way into our homes, it has become more mainstream and seemingly more acceptable. With the stigma fading from pornography, it has started to proliferate daytime television. During a 3 p.m. episode of What I Like About You, a television series on the CW, a channel anyone with a television antennae can watch, started an episode with character Valerie Tyler talking about a pornographic film with her boss at the end of a date. She can be quoted as saying to her date “Who knew people would be so interested in porno?”
Another show that has brought up pornography is The Man Show. Comedy Central, a cable channel, developed the show specifically for males. One of their bits on the show, starring Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Corrola, stars adult film stars showing viewers how to do small things around the house. This skit usually shows the actresses cleavage; she loses her shirt, amongst other things that expose the adult film stars body that on regular television would be very inappropriate.
Cable television has made including pornographic references easier due to the leniency of cable. On Cartoon Networks late night segment “Adult Swim,” several shows recently showed references of varying degrees to pornography. On the new show Metalopalypse, the band the show is about is invited to appear at the pornography industry’s equivalent of the Emmy’s. In this episode, the lead singer almost causes the band this “wonderful” opportunity due to his controlling girlfriend who is against pornography. His girlfriend falls down several flights of stairs and is in a coma so the band is able to attend the event. Another instance on “Adult Swim” of pornography being used in the plotline is on the show 12oz Mouse, a show about a green mouse and a gerbil. In one particular episode, the city is being attacked and the attackers make a point to fire upon the 18-wheeler labeled and carrying pornography. In another show on the late night programming block, “Family Guy,” Adam West chases a pizza delivery guy threw town shooting cats at him. On one shot, Adam shoots out the window of the pornography store. Chris, the 13-year-old son on the show, and some of his friends rush into the store and still some pornography. They take the films back to Chris’s house to watch but get busted by Louis, Chris’s mom. She asks why they are watching the films and are they not learning about sex at school. Chris replies no. In this instance, the pornography was used to open up the topic of safe sex with teenagers, but the other instances seem like plugs for pornography, just like Brad Pitt would plug one of his movies on a television news programs.
The Man Show’s love of the female porn star is only escalated by their use of barely clothed females dancing around their stage. These images combined with other television shows use of scantly clad women as background and set props contributes to the body image problems that plague young America. American porn stars and dancers on male centered shows are top heavy with large breast and tiny waist and extremely skinny. This is in addition to the images that bombard us everyday through the media.
Gender Perception
One of the questions asked in my online survey was “How does porn represent men/women?” The answers were interesting. Most people agreed that women were viewed as sexual objects and men as the dominator in the sexual situation. However, I would like to share their insight into these representations of males and females through the eyes of casual porn viewers.
Daxx, 31, watches porn approximately once a month. Daxx said, “I feel porn represents men as being dominant figures in our society. Well, not just in our society, but other societies (as well) dealing with human sexuality. When you look at most of the porn that’s out there, the men are mostly in control. There is no doubt that this is a market that was designed and created by males.” Daxx then shared his opinion of how women are presented in pornography, “There is a sort of a double standard that is present that exists on all levels when dealing with how porn represents women. The representation in which I speak of has a subliminal stigma attached to it. Society has always viewed women as less, especially when there is a sexual deviant involved. Porn also represents women as being submissive.” His opinion of women being presented as submissive was shared with many who answered the question.
Donna, 23, who says she views pornographic material maybe three times a year, stated that she felt men were represented poorly since most of the films “focus on the women.” She also stated that she felt that porn represented women well, focusing on her pleasure. Brandon, 23, who views pornographic material once or twice a week, agreed partly, but stated this is not a norm in the industry; women are also “portrayed as empty headed sluts who’ll drop their panties at the earliest opportunity.”
Rob, 30, who views pornographic material a few times a week, seemed to have the most comprehensive answer to the question as to how pornography portrays men and women. Rob wrote, “I think in both cases it represents the gender as an unattainable ideal, while still making them unemotional figures. Men are nothing more than grunting machines pounding away on interchangeable women that are for the most part just a piece of meat. The men are all well endowed and able to have sex for hours on end and the women are all able to engage in a variety of sexual acts that the majority of society will take no part in. This leads men to wonder why they can’t find a woman that will do all the things they’ve watched and women wondering why all men aren’t the stallions they see on the videos.” Rob did not include the variety in the pornography industry; however, most people only stick with the form of pornography they are comfortable with.
It should be noted that two respondents are involved in the making of pornography. Cody and Amanda, both 26, have different views on pornography’s representation of males and females. Cody stated that he felt pornography portrayed men as “studs (as in horses)” and women as “real people behind closed doors, although sometimes it does get degrading.” Amanda on the other hand “hardly notices” the men in pornography because she “notices the girls more.” She stated that pornography represents women as “sexually open, free, fun loving.” Having the input of individuals involved in making pornography should be included here. We now have an inside view.
A Comparison between two Pornographic Films
On any given night, you can see the commercial for the Girls Gone Wild videos. These videos are shot during such events as spring break where 18+ females ask how they can get one of the t-shirts with the shows logo on it. The young women are usually drunk, in one scene the girl was so drunk she could barely walk, when they ask this. The guy who runs the show asks the girl to do various acts, such as remove clothing, masturbation, and occasionally kiss another girl. Some of the females do no need his prompts and will do what they believe they should do to get a t-shirt. The girls in these films are not actors. There are no men on screen, but the voice off camera is one that directs the female and dominating by telling the female what to do. The only things disturbing about the films are that they would allow the extremely inebriated female to participate. By law, she should not have been allowed to get that intoxicated. The other thing is these girls are only getting a tank top for their exploits on film that may come back to haunt them later. Since they are drunk, they may forget that they participated except for the shirt.
The reality is that young females are doing these kinds of behaviors with out the prompts of the creator of Girls Gone Wild. If one goes to a college party or a high school party where alcohol is being served, the females will do some of these types of behaviors. It is known that alcohol lowers inhibitions and that this can lead to being more sexual, including bisexual behaviors even when the female is not bisexual.
I viewed another video that contained only females. Titled Pink Velvet 3, it is a foreign film out of a Spanish speaking country. This film contains a plotline that follows a mother and daughter and their lesbian sexual exploits in the hotel they run. The video hardly shows open vaginal shots like most American pornographic films. The majority of shots of the vaginal area are covered, shadowed, or are from afar. There is more concern for the pleasure of the women than in their sexual organs. This concern is reflected in the cinematography of the film. The majority of females in the film were young, between the ages of 18 and 21, with the exception of the mother character.
This film seems to depict women as very sexual and in control of their sex lives. They know what they like. When their partner does something they like sexually, they encourage them with the touch of their hand. In many American pornographic films the male’s performances is the focus. The female is being pleased, but many times, such as in The Young and the Filthy, she is being submissive to the male, allowing him to do what ever he pleases. Since there are no males in the film, the females are pretty much equals during the sexual acts depicted in the film. Even if the film had been recorded in English, it would have been obvious that it was not American do to how the women interacted with one another and the cinematography.
The Young and the Filthy video may be viewed by some as degrading. The basis of the video is that females are very young. The video does state several times that all of the females in the video are 18 or older at the time the video was recorded. The girls have lollipops and wear stereotypical “school girl” clothes. The man in the video is extremely aggressive and some may view his actions as violent since he grabs the girls by the throat, gags them with his penis to the point they are spitting up on themselves afterwards, and then throwing them down on the couch after gagging them. The male talks down to the girls asking them if they love their “da-da” and things of that nature. The females seem to enjoy this behavior and submit to the male and do as they are told or made to do by force. They smile as much as one with a full mouth can. This particular film depicted men and women to the extreme of the two stereotypes previously mentioned.
Pornography’s Affect
Amanda wrote in her survey “I think porn is undying and could never be stopped. The more it is oppressed the more it will get weirder and the more it will be wanted.” She also included that she feels that pornography has a neutral effect on society. “Sex sells, it drives us. I mean I don’t want my five year old looking but I also know that hormones drive us.” Cody said that pornography is having a positive effect on society by helping people shed their shame. He stated that there was no place for shame. In addition, he stated that as someone just getting started in the porn industry, there are many laws and rules to learn. “It is an industry you don’t want to jump right into… It is a business and should be treated like one. Other than that, yeah, it can be fun to watch from time to time.”
The effect porn has on us is seen as both positive and negative depending on who you ask. As seen above, each individual has a separate opinion. In the surveys, many stated there was a neutral effect. Rob stated that he feels pornography has a positive affect on society. “It allows people to see things that they otherwise would not be allowed to see, and gives an outlet for people with unorthodox fantasies.” Brandon said that he does not think that porn itself is the problem but rather society’s reaction to it. He concluded that pornography is simple entertainment, having no intrinsic value beyond that. Many stated that pornography is having a neutral effect. The main argument is that it is up to the individual to make proper decisions in regards to their pornographic intake.
There were those who were very adamant about the negative affects pornography is having on society. Kim, 31, who has viewed pornographic material maybe four to five times in her entire life, stated that women are portrayed as “degrading, sexual objects where men are portrayed as masculine, dominant figures.” She went on to say that, she does not like pornography because it “defies what sex was meant to be according to the Christian religion.” Sara G., 23, who does not view pornographic material, agrees with Kim that pornography portrays sex in a way other than natural.
Sara M., 23, who views pornographic material every few months or so, thinks that pornography, is having a negative effect. “With rising commercialism and our disposable culture, I think that it is generally cutting out the art of erotica and advocating the ‘quick fix’ of porn. With this are several areas where the art of sex is no longer an issue, but involves almost childish approaches to getting off quickly, including the marginalization of others. Since rape is an expression of power, I can only think that this cannot be healthy according to the porn I myself have seen.” Sara’s statement shows that there is such a wide variety of pornographic material that it can be easy to only see one type if one only watches porn once every few months if that often, such as she has.
Amber, 26, who watches pornography about three times a week, stated that she thinks that the affect goes along with the rest of Hollywood and projects a negative female body image. Tara, 25, who watches pornography once to twice a week, added that “I think it is having a negative effect on society for the simple reason that it gives people certain expectations about how sex is like and what people are supposed to look like and how to act.” Jenny, 25, who rarely watches pornographic material, agreed with both. Rachel, 22, who views pornographic material once every couple of weeks, stated it has a neutral affect. “It doesn’t affect me. I think people make way too much emphasis saying that porn is bad and that it is demeaning to women, but it’s the woman’s choice to do what she wants.”
Conclusion
Who is saying this behavior is sexually overt? America went through Puritan cycles where women have been marginalized compared to times past. America is country of immigrants, many from Europe. Much of Western European culture is based on the culture of ancient Greece and Rome. Those cultures were known for their overt sexuality. Even with the onset of Christianity, much of Western Europe still held onto Rome’s sexual liberation. However, sects of Christianity did not carry on these principals and some moved to America. This was the beginning of the Puritan attitude towards sex and sexuality in America. As immigrants from different areas of the world came to America, the attitudes toward sex and sexual display changed as well. The next time that Americans overtly covered up sexuality was the Victorian period. Some argue we are in the process of going through another one of these periods. There are the anti-pornography campaigns that have tried to make all nude pictures, even those that are art, illegal.
Society is changing and evolving everyday. On the morning news on TXCN cable channel 38, there was an article about how people are checking their email among other things with their Blackberry cell phone. Technology is progressing quickly, to the point if you blink your eyes you will miss the next big thing. Technology has been assisted by pornography, a fact that many people are either not aware of or refuse to look at. The proliferation of the VCR and DVD player into our homes directly corresponds with the infiltration of pornography. It has been proven that pornography is the reason that these new technologies became so widely used.
Pornography is not going to disappear. It has existed since at least ancient Greece and Rome and still exists today. It is hard to tell how it has changed over the millennia since many “heathen” text were destroyed during the conversion of Europe. Nonetheless, the amount of pornography and the ease of acquirement has never been at these levels. Pornography is like beauty, and is in the eye of the beholder, the appropriateness and extremities that it goes to vary by taste.
Shows directed specifically at men tend to portray women the most sexually. They show women in the least amount of clothes and mention pornography the most, for example The Man Show previously on Comedy Central. These shows portray women as purely sexual objects, as in the case of the “Juggies” on the show and the bit about adult stars with household tips. These two instances focus more on the women’s bodies than on any other part of the woman.
The effect pornography is having on society is debatable. Depending on the individual views and values of each person determines how they view the affect of the industry on society. Of those surveyed, many thought the pornography industry was either having a positive or neutral affect. Again, this is a matter of perspective. Depending on upbringing and preferences, one will view the affects differently. With pornography infiltrating our homes in unusually large amounts and increasing daily, it is hard to tell how this will affect our society. It will take at least a generation to truly tell, since those partaking in the pornography and those not at this time are blinded by what they are presently experiencing. However, sexually infused advertising has been seen to cause young people to act and dress more sexually overt.
In conclusion, pornography cannot be truly seen as positive or negative on society. Seeing as it has been around for millennia, we know that will not be going anywhere, even with legislation. What needs to be addressed is how men and women are portrayed in the genre. There needs to be more realistic image set in these films and pictures that if people want to measure their lives against them, it would be more accessible and less damaging.
Pornography seems to be everywhere these days, from daytime television to the internet. However, how is this infiltration into our homes affecting our lives? In addition, how does porn portray men and women? Since pornography has become more prevalent, how it portrays the sexes will have some ramifications on society. What are these ramifications, if we can tell?
To find this out I have passed out surveys, both online and in person, asking various questions about porn and porn consumption. In addition, I interviewed two males about pornography. I also have looked at books and newspaper articles about pornography.
The Statistics
There were 23 female participants and 16 males. Of the males, nine make less than $20,000 a year, five make $20,000 to $50,000 a year, one makes $50,000 to $80,000, and 1 makes $80,000 to $100,000. Of the females, 14 make less than $20,000 a year, nine make $20,000 to $50,000 a year, and one makes $50,000 to $80,000 a year. No one who filled out a survey made more than $100,000 a year. Nearly half of the participants are college students, 8 males and 12 females. The other half consisted of one female who did not respond six males and six females with a high school diploma or GED, and two male college graduates and five female college graduates. The age range was 18 to 47, over half being between the ages of 18 to 26. Religious beliefs varied as well. There were one male and one female who are Agnostic, seven males and ten females who did not respond or wrote none for religion, one male Catholic, two males stated they practiced self worship, two male Baptist, one female Greek Orthodox, four female Pagan/Wiccan, two female Atheists, two males who are Taoist, and one female who labeled herself as practicing a religion as other. How these statistics affect their views on pornography will be looked at as well.
Gender of Participants
Male
16
Female
23
Pornography
What is pornography? Since the public has had trouble defining it, it has been left up to the Supreme Court on numerous occasions, such as Ginzburg v. United States and Mishkin v New York (Gagnon 137). However, all that these cases really proved was what may be considered obscene. In the Ginzburg case, the Library of Congress had already translated one of the books in question, Fanny Hill, into Braille. According to The New American Webster Dictionary, pornography is obscene art, writing, etc. from the Greek word porn?, which literally means “the depiction of prostitutes (Morehead 524).” The use of the word dates back at least to Pompeii. This is extremely vague and can be left to interpretation. Nadine Strossen publishes another definition in Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex, and the Fight for Women’s Rights. In her book she quotes Catharine MacKinnon’s definition ass “Pornography, in the feminist view, is a form of forced sex, … an institution of gender inequality… [P]ornography, with the rape and prostitution in which it participates, institutionalizes the sexuality of male supremacy (Strossen 11).” Since there is such a vague definition, through out this text pornography will refer to text, pictures, video, or other media that depicts sexual intercourse and sexual activity.
In Indonesia, there is a debate between the Muslim clerics in charge and the public as to what should be considered pornographic. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono even recently stopped a singer from appearing at a presidential function because “her belly button was showing (Paddock 31).” This is addition to Playboy starting an edition especially for Indonesia. The editor, Erwin Arnada, stated they changed the content to fit the countries culture. The magazine contains no nudity, to the disappointment of many buyers. However, Islamic militants demonstrated outside the magazine’s main office. In America, however, the lack of nudity would cause this magazine not to be considered pornographic. This shows that even different cultures have different definitions.
In a discussion with a 27-year-old male, Chris, I brought up animated films with nudity and sexual intercourse. He stated that this was not pornography, just adult entertainment. On the other hand, Art, a 37-year-old male, said the opposite. His thoughts on the difference were “It just takes more talent to draw the animated porn.” When Art’s comment was brought up to Chris, he laughed and said “Yeah, but still, it’s not a naked chick doing a guy or two chicks doing each other.” Therefore, I asked Art what makes something pornographic. “Well, there’s going to be nudity, and you’ll at least see the chick’s pussy. Plus good porn will have sex. The soft stuff may just have oral (sex) or masturbation, but there’s some sort of sex.” This seems to be the consensus, pornography is very sexually charged.
When I brought up the subject of pornography to Art, he seemed almost giddy to discuss the topic. Art informed me that he has an intensive collection of porn, the videos varying in type, from a video where all the girls do is shave their labia to rape porn. His collection also includes severely obese women staring in the film and one film starring transvestites. Art stated that there is a pornographic film for all tastes. “It is a visual of what someone is already fantasizing about.” Then I asked him about the obese woman video and transvestites, he said, “I’m not into those two, I have those just because they are funny. You have to keep in mind someone out there will fantasize about those. I collect porn.” He left it at that for the day.
Neither male would comment on how pornography portrayed males and females. Their comments were all focused on why people watch porn and what types of porn exist. Art told me that people should be careful about how much pornography they consume. “Even though pornography goes back to ancient times, pornography can escalate the sexual drives of an individual an amazing rate. I honestly believe this is why we have rapist and pedophiles.” Chris made similar comments stating that pornography can be like a drug quoting Glen Beck “about 10% of adults are addicted to porn where as only 7% are addicted to alcohol. I’d say that is something to look into.”
From the Theater to the Home
Pornography used to be seen in a seedy theater with sticky floors. Someone might see you walking into the theater and your repetition would be ruined. So when did pornography go from the theater to inside our homes? Paul Fishbein went on the Glen Beck show and stated “it’s technology. It’s the invention of the VCR and, in the late 1970’s, people getting VCRs for their home for the first time and then wanting to see an adult movie and not having to go out in public and not having to have their neighbors see them.” With technology evolving as it has, the medium in which porn is viewed has evolved as well, through DVDs and the internet, the next stage being your cell phone.
As pornography has made its way into our homes, it has become more mainstream and seemingly more acceptable. With the stigma fading from pornography, it has started to proliferate daytime television. During a 3 p.m. episode of What I Like About You, a television series on the CW, a channel anyone with a television antennae can watch, started an episode with character Valerie Tyler talking about a pornographic film with her boss at the end of a date. She can be quoted as saying to her date “Who knew people would be so interested in porno?”
Another show that has brought up pornography is The Man Show. Comedy Central, a cable channel, developed the show specifically for males. One of their bits on the show, starring Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Corrola, stars adult film stars showing viewers how to do small things around the house. This skit usually shows the actresses cleavage; she loses her shirt, amongst other things that expose the adult film stars body that on regular television would be very inappropriate.
Cable television has made including pornographic references easier due to the leniency of cable. On Cartoon Networks late night segment “Adult Swim,” several shows recently showed references of varying degrees to pornography. On the new show Metalopalypse, the band the show is about is invited to appear at the pornography industry’s equivalent of the Emmy’s. In this episode, the lead singer almost causes the band this “wonderful” opportunity due to his controlling girlfriend who is against pornography. His girlfriend falls down several flights of stairs and is in a coma so the band is able to attend the event. Another instance on “Adult Swim” of pornography being used in the plotline is on the show 12oz Mouse, a show about a green mouse and a gerbil. In one particular episode, the city is being attacked and the attackers make a point to fire upon the 18-wheeler labeled and carrying pornography. In another show on the late night programming block, “Family Guy,” Adam West chases a pizza delivery guy threw town shooting cats at him. On one shot, Adam shoots out the window of the pornography store. Chris, the 13-year-old son on the show, and some of his friends rush into the store and still some pornography. They take the films back to Chris’s house to watch but get busted by Louis, Chris’s mom. She asks why they are watching the films and are they not learning about sex at school. Chris replies no. In this instance, the pornography was used to open up the topic of safe sex with teenagers, but the other instances seem like plugs for pornography, just like Brad Pitt would plug one of his movies on a television news programs.
The Man Show’s love of the female porn star is only escalated by their use of barely clothed females dancing around their stage. These images combined with other television shows use of scantly clad women as background and set props contributes to the body image problems that plague young America. American porn stars and dancers on male centered shows are top heavy with large breast and tiny waist and extremely skinny. This is in addition to the images that bombard us everyday through the media.
Gender Perception
One of the questions asked in my online survey was “How does porn represent men/women?” The answers were interesting. Most people agreed that women were viewed as sexual objects and men as the dominator in the sexual situation. However, I would like to share their insight into these representations of males and females through the eyes of casual porn viewers.
Daxx, 31, watches porn approximately once a month. Daxx said, “I feel porn represents men as being dominant figures in our society. Well, not just in our society, but other societies (as well) dealing with human sexuality. When you look at most of the porn that’s out there, the men are mostly in control. There is no doubt that this is a market that was designed and created by males.” Daxx then shared his opinion of how women are presented in pornography, “There is a sort of a double standard that is present that exists on all levels when dealing with how porn represents women. The representation in which I speak of has a subliminal stigma attached to it. Society has always viewed women as less, especially when there is a sexual deviant involved. Porn also represents women as being submissive.” His opinion of women being presented as submissive was shared with many who answered the question.
Donna, 23, who says she views pornographic material maybe three times a year, stated that she felt men were represented poorly since most of the films “focus on the women.” She also stated that she felt that porn represented women well, focusing on her pleasure. Brandon, 23, who views pornographic material once or twice a week, agreed partly, but stated this is not a norm in the industry; women are also “portrayed as empty headed sluts who’ll drop their panties at the earliest opportunity.”
Rob, 30, who views pornographic material a few times a week, seemed to have the most comprehensive answer to the question as to how pornography portrays men and women. Rob wrote, “I think in both cases it represents the gender as an unattainable ideal, while still making them unemotional figures. Men are nothing more than grunting machines pounding away on interchangeable women that are for the most part just a piece of meat. The men are all well endowed and able to have sex for hours on end and the women are all able to engage in a variety of sexual acts that the majority of society will take no part in. This leads men to wonder why they can’t find a woman that will do all the things they’ve watched and women wondering why all men aren’t the stallions they see on the videos.” Rob did not include the variety in the pornography industry; however, most people only stick with the form of pornography they are comfortable with.
It should be noted that two respondents are involved in the making of pornography. Cody and Amanda, both 26, have different views on pornography’s representation of males and females. Cody stated that he felt pornography portrayed men as “studs (as in horses)” and women as “real people behind closed doors, although sometimes it does get degrading.” Amanda on the other hand “hardly notices” the men in pornography because she “notices the girls more.” She stated that pornography represents women as “sexually open, free, fun loving.” Having the input of individuals involved in making pornography should be included here. We now have an inside view.
A Comparison between two Pornographic Films
On any given night, you can see the commercial for the Girls Gone Wild videos. These videos are shot during such events as spring break where 18+ females ask how they can get one of the t-shirts with the shows logo on it. The young women are usually drunk, in one scene the girl was so drunk she could barely walk, when they ask this. The guy who runs the show asks the girl to do various acts, such as remove clothing, masturbation, and occasionally kiss another girl. Some of the females do no need his prompts and will do what they believe they should do to get a t-shirt. The girls in these films are not actors. There are no men on screen, but the voice off camera is one that directs the female and dominating by telling the female what to do. The only things disturbing about the films are that they would allow the extremely inebriated female to participate. By law, she should not have been allowed to get that intoxicated. The other thing is these girls are only getting a tank top for their exploits on film that may come back to haunt them later. Since they are drunk, they may forget that they participated except for the shirt.
The reality is that young females are doing these kinds of behaviors with out the prompts of the creator of Girls Gone Wild. If one goes to a college party or a high school party where alcohol is being served, the females will do some of these types of behaviors. It is known that alcohol lowers inhibitions and that this can lead to being more sexual, including bisexual behaviors even when the female is not bisexual.
I viewed another video that contained only females. Titled Pink Velvet 3, it is a foreign film out of a Spanish speaking country. This film contains a plotline that follows a mother and daughter and their lesbian sexual exploits in the hotel they run. The video hardly shows open vaginal shots like most American pornographic films. The majority of shots of the vaginal area are covered, shadowed, or are from afar. There is more concern for the pleasure of the women than in their sexual organs. This concern is reflected in the cinematography of the film. The majority of females in the film were young, between the ages of 18 and 21, with the exception of the mother character.
This film seems to depict women as very sexual and in control of their sex lives. They know what they like. When their partner does something they like sexually, they encourage them with the touch of their hand. In many American pornographic films the male’s performances is the focus. The female is being pleased, but many times, such as in The Young and the Filthy, she is being submissive to the male, allowing him to do what ever he pleases. Since there are no males in the film, the females are pretty much equals during the sexual acts depicted in the film. Even if the film had been recorded in English, it would have been obvious that it was not American do to how the women interacted with one another and the cinematography.
The Young and the Filthy video may be viewed by some as degrading. The basis of the video is that females are very young. The video does state several times that all of the females in the video are 18 or older at the time the video was recorded. The girls have lollipops and wear stereotypical “school girl” clothes. The man in the video is extremely aggressive and some may view his actions as violent since he grabs the girls by the throat, gags them with his penis to the point they are spitting up on themselves afterwards, and then throwing them down on the couch after gagging them. The male talks down to the girls asking them if they love their “da-da” and things of that nature. The females seem to enjoy this behavior and submit to the male and do as they are told or made to do by force. They smile as much as one with a full mouth can. This particular film depicted men and women to the extreme of the two stereotypes previously mentioned.
Pornography’s Affect
Amanda wrote in her survey “I think porn is undying and could never be stopped. The more it is oppressed the more it will get weirder and the more it will be wanted.” She also included that she feels that pornography has a neutral effect on society. “Sex sells, it drives us. I mean I don’t want my five year old looking but I also know that hormones drive us.” Cody said that pornography is having a positive effect on society by helping people shed their shame. He stated that there was no place for shame. In addition, he stated that as someone just getting started in the porn industry, there are many laws and rules to learn. “It is an industry you don’t want to jump right into… It is a business and should be treated like one. Other than that, yeah, it can be fun to watch from time to time.”
The effect porn has on us is seen as both positive and negative depending on who you ask. As seen above, each individual has a separate opinion. In the surveys, many stated there was a neutral effect. Rob stated that he feels pornography has a positive affect on society. “It allows people to see things that they otherwise would not be allowed to see, and gives an outlet for people with unorthodox fantasies.” Brandon said that he does not think that porn itself is the problem but rather society’s reaction to it. He concluded that pornography is simple entertainment, having no intrinsic value beyond that. Many stated that pornography is having a neutral effect. The main argument is that it is up to the individual to make proper decisions in regards to their pornographic intake.
There were those who were very adamant about the negative affects pornography is having on society. Kim, 31, who has viewed pornographic material maybe four to five times in her entire life, stated that women are portrayed as “degrading, sexual objects where men are portrayed as masculine, dominant figures.” She went on to say that, she does not like pornography because it “defies what sex was meant to be according to the Christian religion.” Sara G., 23, who does not view pornographic material, agrees with Kim that pornography portrays sex in a way other than natural.
Sara M., 23, who views pornographic material every few months or so, thinks that pornography, is having a negative effect. “With rising commercialism and our disposable culture, I think that it is generally cutting out the art of erotica and advocating the ‘quick fix’ of porn. With this are several areas where the art of sex is no longer an issue, but involves almost childish approaches to getting off quickly, including the marginalization of others. Since rape is an expression of power, I can only think that this cannot be healthy according to the porn I myself have seen.” Sara’s statement shows that there is such a wide variety of pornographic material that it can be easy to only see one type if one only watches porn once every few months if that often, such as she has.
Amber, 26, who watches pornography about three times a week, stated that she thinks that the affect goes along with the rest of Hollywood and projects a negative female body image. Tara, 25, who watches pornography once to twice a week, added that “I think it is having a negative effect on society for the simple reason that it gives people certain expectations about how sex is like and what people are supposed to look like and how to act.” Jenny, 25, who rarely watches pornographic material, agreed with both. Rachel, 22, who views pornographic material once every couple of weeks, stated it has a neutral affect. “It doesn’t affect me. I think people make way too much emphasis saying that porn is bad and that it is demeaning to women, but it’s the woman’s choice to do what she wants.”
Conclusion
Who is saying this behavior is sexually overt? America went through Puritan cycles where women have been marginalized compared to times past. America is country of immigrants, many from Europe. Much of Western European culture is based on the culture of ancient Greece and Rome. Those cultures were known for their overt sexuality. Even with the onset of Christianity, much of Western Europe still held onto Rome’s sexual liberation. However, sects of Christianity did not carry on these principals and some moved to America. This was the beginning of the Puritan attitude towards sex and sexuality in America. As immigrants from different areas of the world came to America, the attitudes toward sex and sexual display changed as well. The next time that Americans overtly covered up sexuality was the Victorian period. Some argue we are in the process of going through another one of these periods. There are the anti-pornography campaigns that have tried to make all nude pictures, even those that are art, illegal.
Society is changing and evolving everyday. On the morning news on TXCN cable channel 38, there was an article about how people are checking their email among other things with their Blackberry cell phone. Technology is progressing quickly, to the point if you blink your eyes you will miss the next big thing. Technology has been assisted by pornography, a fact that many people are either not aware of or refuse to look at. The proliferation of the VCR and DVD player into our homes directly corresponds with the infiltration of pornography. It has been proven that pornography is the reason that these new technologies became so widely used.
Pornography is not going to disappear. It has existed since at least ancient Greece and Rome and still exists today. It is hard to tell how it has changed over the millennia since many “heathen” text were destroyed during the conversion of Europe. Nonetheless, the amount of pornography and the ease of acquirement has never been at these levels. Pornography is like beauty, and is in the eye of the beholder, the appropriateness and extremities that it goes to vary by taste.
Shows directed specifically at men tend to portray women the most sexually. They show women in the least amount of clothes and mention pornography the most, for example The Man Show previously on Comedy Central. These shows portray women as purely sexual objects, as in the case of the “Juggies” on the show and the bit about adult stars with household tips. These two instances focus more on the women’s bodies than on any other part of the woman.
The effect pornography is having on society is debatable. Depending on the individual views and values of each person determines how they view the affect of the industry on society. Of those surveyed, many thought the pornography industry was either having a positive or neutral affect. Again, this is a matter of perspective. Depending on upbringing and preferences, one will view the affects differently. With pornography infiltrating our homes in unusually large amounts and increasing daily, it is hard to tell how this will affect our society. It will take at least a generation to truly tell, since those partaking in the pornography and those not at this time are blinded by what they are presently experiencing. However, sexually infused advertising has been seen to cause young people to act and dress more sexually overt.
In conclusion, pornography cannot be truly seen as positive or negative on society. Seeing as it has been around for millennia, we know that will not be going anywhere, even with legislation. What needs to be addressed is how men and women are portrayed in the genre. There needs to be more realistic image set in these films and pictures that if people want to measure their lives against them, it would be more accessible and less damaging.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Activity Update
First I think it's funny that I've lost a follower since my paranormal post. Oh well, your loss. So really this is an update to the activity in my house.
I've seen the boy in my house on few occasions, but not in the last 10 years. Last night I could not sleep as my tweet stream can testify. I did finally log off of my computer and laid in bed waiting for sleep to come over me. The desire to record any sounds in my room was overwhelming but I didn't of course. I couldn't sleep at all. I lay there waiting for the grip of sleep. Around 3 (the fabled "Witching Hour") I began to see a heavy shadow by my dresser. I at first addressed this as my eyes were not completely adjusted to the lack of light in my room. However, shortly there after, I started to see smoke and smell it, white and seemingly from coming from the floor. My first instinct was to look at the charger of my laptop as I had left it plugged up. No fire, the smoke was quite thick at this point and I searched, without getting out of my small & old bed, to no avail. Suddenly the smokey image of the boy in our house appeared before me, not even 2 feet from where I lay! He seemed quite aggetated and I could still see the dark shadow figure by my dresser at the back of my room. I could not tell what the boy was trying to communicate to me, but I know he does not like this dark soul in my house.
I'm beginning to believe this dark figure may be either a spirit that I've seen before, not in my just in my house (he doesn't like me and if I knew the way I would get rid of his evil ass (pardon my French). The boy is trapped in the house for some reason and I'm pretty sure he died in a fire as the smoke and fire smell that came prior to his appearance would tell me. However, I have not found any evidence of fire in my neighborhood since it was built in 1963.
I have two theories on the spirits in my house. It is either or both these theories taken place together. One is that this boy did die in our house and is stuck there. My second theory is that since I can see these spirits, whether ghost or not, they are attracted to my location (as I've had experience with some spirits in more than one location, including my own home) and want to have their presence known. I honestly think it is a combination of both since I've seen my late fiancee in the house but he had visited the house a few occasions so by theory of spiritual residue, show at that location, but I've also seen/sensed him in two of my old vehicles. I've also had experience with a couple different demons, one which I will only refer to as "The One in a Trench Coat" (I know his name and will not repeat it as saying his name only gives him power) has possessed not only an ex-boyfriend but also my baby sister (who to this day swears she has never been possessed). I did an impromptu exercism in both instances that solved the problem for the moment. I do not believe the dark figure in my room is this same demon, I don't believe, I KNOW it's not the same one!
The dark figure may even be my late grandfather, Charlie. He was not the nicest man and we believe he may not have ever come to know the Lord. Well, I kind of know he didn't. I hate to judge, but the day before he died I was connected. We (my baby sister and I) went to see him in the Hospice next door to where my Grandma Comer (my biological father's mother) had been before she died. I hate hospitals and nursing homes, and I'm scared of mental handicap people (long story for another blog). I sat next to Charlie's bed, where the tall sturdy man lay shrivelled up almost as bad as my great grandmother who died with Rheaumatoid arthritis. I sat looking at him, my sister telling me to say something, my niece Alexia wanting to leave. It was the day before my birthday so I thought in my head as loudly as I could "Don't you die on my birthday Charlie, I love you but don't do it!"
My birthday came, I went out with my friends, got drunk (which is used to be a problem for me) and at 12:15, technically no longer my birthday, Charlie passed away. Needless to say my baby sister told me while I was drunk on whiskey (bad, bad, bad!) and she was drunk too. My Aunt Patty has seen Charlie numerous times now (she lives in Indiana). She has spoken to him and tells my grandmother about these things.
Now we are over a year since his death and he is still around. My mom smells cigarette smoke in the house, fresh smoke. No one has smoked inside the house since my dad had a stroke in 2002. Charlie smoked 3-4 packs a day. The smoke could come from another source too however due to the nature of this situatation.
I'm going to close this as I'm trying to watch Intervention on A&E about a woman who is on a feeding tube blaming the molestation she went through as why she can't swallow. I hate when people live a life as a perpetual victum, especially when they don't have mental handicaps preventing them from moving on (such as Bipolar Disorder and mild eplipse). But that is for another blog. Trust me, I will write a blog on that!
I've seen the boy in my house on few occasions, but not in the last 10 years. Last night I could not sleep as my tweet stream can testify. I did finally log off of my computer and laid in bed waiting for sleep to come over me. The desire to record any sounds in my room was overwhelming but I didn't of course. I couldn't sleep at all. I lay there waiting for the grip of sleep. Around 3 (the fabled "Witching Hour") I began to see a heavy shadow by my dresser. I at first addressed this as my eyes were not completely adjusted to the lack of light in my room. However, shortly there after, I started to see smoke and smell it, white and seemingly from coming from the floor. My first instinct was to look at the charger of my laptop as I had left it plugged up. No fire, the smoke was quite thick at this point and I searched, without getting out of my small & old bed, to no avail. Suddenly the smokey image of the boy in our house appeared before me, not even 2 feet from where I lay! He seemed quite aggetated and I could still see the dark shadow figure by my dresser at the back of my room. I could not tell what the boy was trying to communicate to me, but I know he does not like this dark soul in my house.
I'm beginning to believe this dark figure may be either a spirit that I've seen before, not in my just in my house (he doesn't like me and if I knew the way I would get rid of his evil ass (pardon my French). The boy is trapped in the house for some reason and I'm pretty sure he died in a fire as the smoke and fire smell that came prior to his appearance would tell me. However, I have not found any evidence of fire in my neighborhood since it was built in 1963.
I have two theories on the spirits in my house. It is either or both these theories taken place together. One is that this boy did die in our house and is stuck there. My second theory is that since I can see these spirits, whether ghost or not, they are attracted to my location (as I've had experience with some spirits in more than one location, including my own home) and want to have their presence known. I honestly think it is a combination of both since I've seen my late fiancee in the house but he had visited the house a few occasions so by theory of spiritual residue, show at that location, but I've also seen/sensed him in two of my old vehicles. I've also had experience with a couple different demons, one which I will only refer to as "The One in a Trench Coat" (I know his name and will not repeat it as saying his name only gives him power) has possessed not only an ex-boyfriend but also my baby sister (who to this day swears she has never been possessed). I did an impromptu exercism in both instances that solved the problem for the moment. I do not believe the dark figure in my room is this same demon, I don't believe, I KNOW it's not the same one!
The dark figure may even be my late grandfather, Charlie. He was not the nicest man and we believe he may not have ever come to know the Lord. Well, I kind of know he didn't. I hate to judge, but the day before he died I was connected. We (my baby sister and I) went to see him in the Hospice next door to where my Grandma Comer (my biological father's mother) had been before she died. I hate hospitals and nursing homes, and I'm scared of mental handicap people (long story for another blog). I sat next to Charlie's bed, where the tall sturdy man lay shrivelled up almost as bad as my great grandmother who died with Rheaumatoid arthritis. I sat looking at him, my sister telling me to say something, my niece Alexia wanting to leave. It was the day before my birthday so I thought in my head as loudly as I could "Don't you die on my birthday Charlie, I love you but don't do it!"
My birthday came, I went out with my friends, got drunk (which is used to be a problem for me) and at 12:15, technically no longer my birthday, Charlie passed away. Needless to say my baby sister told me while I was drunk on whiskey (bad, bad, bad!) and she was drunk too. My Aunt Patty has seen Charlie numerous times now (she lives in Indiana). She has spoken to him and tells my grandmother about these things.
Now we are over a year since his death and he is still around. My mom smells cigarette smoke in the house, fresh smoke. No one has smoked inside the house since my dad had a stroke in 2002. Charlie smoked 3-4 packs a day. The smoke could come from another source too however due to the nature of this situatation.
I'm going to close this as I'm trying to watch Intervention on A&E about a woman who is on a feeding tube blaming the molestation she went through as why she can't swallow. I hate when people live a life as a perpetual victum, especially when they don't have mental handicaps preventing them from moving on (such as Bipolar Disorder and mild eplipse). But that is for another blog. Trust me, I will write a blog on that!
What Would Marvin Harris Do? (Originally Posted on MySpace in 2007 on my blog there)
The title is a joke in my anthropological theory class but here's my book review on Cannibals and Kings by marvin harris. Enjoy!
Marvin Harris, love him or hate him, he was (and may still be) one of the greatest minds in Anthropology. His many works on different subjects, from cannibalism to theory, have shaped the thinking of those after him. He argued against insensible rationale and for a new way of looking at culture. One might consider him one of the reasons post-modernist theory really took off. However, he did not just push for this particular line of thinking but was known to take a materialist view point from time to time. In his work Cannibals and Kings he brings in this line of thinking on top of a historical deterministic point of view as he stated in the introduction of the book. In addition to this line of thinking, at the end of the book he also adds that cultural determinist would understand his line of thinking as well, since there is a fine line between the two.
Through out this text Harris consistently refers back to the "reproductive and ecological pressures" on a culture. These pressures are what jump start change within a culture. What is fascinating is the fact that many cultures make the same changes, yet depending on the environmental elements of an area slight variations occur, such as pigs being tabooed in the Middle East and cows in India. These were cultural responses to environmental changes in the area. This equates to a cost/benefit approach to all changes, whether it be from hunter/collector to band society, band to village, village to chiefdom, chiefdom to state, and so on. The use of the terms cost and benefit alone tell us of the materialistic, almost Marxist, approach. He also discusses the correlations between reproductive pressures, intensification, and depletion and how a culture adapts and changes.
Harris presents each of his theoretical assumptions, reproductive and ecological pressures, the cost/benefits of change, and also intensification and depletion with examples from both modern and ancient cultural groups. Food, mainly protein consumption, is one of the main ways he demonstrates the effects of his ideas. My favorite group example was the Aztecs. Their use of cannibalism as a means for obtaining protein in an area almost devoid of animal protein was very insightful and made perfect sense. A group needs protein to survive and in response to their gaining agricultural expertise and growth of the group itself, protein began to lack. The cultural change was to go to war, obtain prisoners and then eat them in what appears as a cultural gloss of religion. But the reality is that it was in response to the reproductive pressures, the intensification on the environment and the depletion of these resource so that there was no animal protein base and limited plant protein base.
Really his central argument is that no matter what differences cultures may have they tend to follow a determined path based on their own interactions with the environment. Take the people of India. Because of monsoon seasons they were able to farm, but needed animal help to cultivate the land. They then used cows and oxen to till the land and grow crops. As the population began to intensify however the land area allotted for each family farm grew smaller and the number of cows that could be used for food became smaller since they were really needed more for the fields. Harris helps explain this by demonstrating how many calories it would take to raise a cow to kill versus how many calories one would get from eating the cow and compares it to the amount of calories it would take to raise a cow to help with the fields and the caloric return of the harvest. It was overwhelming the difference. On a caloric level, it is more cost effective to raise cows and oxen to help in fields than to butcher them. As the intensification led to lower efficiency, the culture responded by making it a religious taboo to consume beef. This makes perfect sense when one looks at the fact that if a family killed its last cow during an extremely bad dry spell, when the rains came, they would not have a cow to help with the fields and would have a much lower caloric return. Therefore making beef taboo was a way to help preserve a the peoples way of life through culture.
This is in comparison with the Aztecs who, in the middle of the Valley of Mexico, ran out of animal protein, reacted in another manner. They did not have domesticated animals to help in their fields as it were and had developed a form of agriculture sans animal help. With intensification came even more of a protein shortage and the culture had to react. It did so in the manner spoken of above. The reaction of the Spaniards when they arrived in the New World should be expected since their agriculture was based on rainfall and started in a feudal system. When the Spanish faced similar protein shortages their culture had reacted differently, but it was inevitable with population intensification and the like. However, the Aztecs methods can not be looked down on for it was how their culture reacted to a determined situation.
Harris's use of other anthropological data used in comparison with his theoretical approaches allows for an almost flawless argument. He uses data collected by himself and others on cultural groups who basically are the epitome of their particular type, i.e. the Indus Valley people for hydraulic groups, the Bushmen for hunter-collector societies. With this data he shows how cultural groups are related and therefore there is an amount of determinism involved. It is not a matter of evolution but of the society about to break on itself and change occurring. A good example of this is that the Chinese basically invented the steam engine, however it was not implemented until all natural means of transporting goods were depleted and it was the only hope for the culture. He also addresses what he feels in inaccurate methods of looking at culture, such as the Freudian approach to male supremacy. Harris feels that male supremacy cultures are in response to the environment and reproductive pressures where as the Freudian approach blames mom and your upbringing. In the context of cultures as a whole, the Freudian approach is not applicable in this situation. He does point out that there are some good things about Freud's work, but it just does not apply to cultural anthropology, it is more individual analysis.
One subject touched on frequently, even with dealing with European cultures, was female infanticide. Each culture practices it, in one shape or another, and whether they want to admit it or not. With European cultures, especially during medieval times, killing your infants was considered murder, unless it was on "accident." As Harris points out through out the text, the reason females were chosen for this treatment was not because the group did not realize that killing females was going to make having more children more difficult, but because the cost and benefits of more males was more beneficial to the whole. Take the Eskimos for example. They live by mostly hunting, since there really is not much plant foods available in the Artic region. Therefore if there are reproductive pressures causing intensification on the environment, then the first to be removed from the equation would be the "weaker" females. Harris never once says that females are indeed weaker. He actually makes it very clear that to kill female babies is not necessarily the best of decisions, but it is what is the most cost efficient means of being able to continue to obtain food. More males means that they will be able to haul in the large prey that are available to them in that region. More females would not mean complete disaster but would require more calories be spent in the attempt to obtain the same prey.
Through the readings outside of this text, you can see the background that Harris came up through in the field of anthropology. From Durkhiem on, the building blocks of materialism and historical determinism can be seen and are reflected in this piece. In addition, many anthropologist have also been influenced by him as well.
No one can make me say there were weaknesses in this book, unless you count making one think. It was slightly dense in places but overall ease to read. I would like to point out that if one did not look at the copyright, you may find it hard to believe it was not written at the start of the Iraq incident with this quote:
"Today, hovering on the brink of a third world war, we are scarcely in position to look down on the Aztecs. In our nuclear age the world survives only because each side is convinced the moral standards of the other are low enough to sanction the annihilation of hundreds of millions of people in retaliation for a first strike. Thanks to radioactivity the survivors will not even be able to bury the dead, let alone eat them (121)."
Even though this text is 30 years old it can be related to today. This work shows that no matter the individual choices, the cultural outcome will be the same. We will either stretch forth with new technology or we will decline back into a "lower" level of society. As we intensify our efforts at food production, we lead, inevitable, to declining efficiency.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Something Resembling a Logical Though
If this is incoherent and rambling, forgive me. It has not been properly edited and I'm writing it on my lunch break. I don't really have much to say other than I'm tired of being woke up in the middle of the night by someone/thing to find nothing there. I need to get decent headphones and an audio program that will allow me to isolate sounds in mostly white noise. I've been randomly recording the sounds in my bedroom as I sleep.
Now for the most part there is not much, except for about an hour before I wake up me farting. But in the two recordings I've listened to all the way through, starting an hour or so after I go silent, i.e. sleep, you start to hear a tapping sound. I can definitely say this is not my laptop hard drive as you can hear the fan every so often come on then go off and it's not a clock, even though it sounds like one, kind of. It is several taps, in second hand beat, but stop. There is silence and it will repeat approximately every thirty minutes to hour and half. I haven't listened closely enough to thoroughly establish a pattern.
My home is very haunted. Since moving into the house, one can hear someone walking around in the attic from time to time. Previously I would conclude this may be rodents, however, we've now established there are no longer any rodents of any kind in our attic as we've sealed all their holes and taken strict measures to make sure they do not get back into our attic. Yet the walking continues. In addition, I've watched as my door has opened on it's own and also closed on it's own. Prior to the foundation repairs made to the house, logic would dictate that it could be the uneven foundation, however, the house is level now and hinges do not have memory of their own. Also there is the sightings of our old cat Stinker followed by the strong smell of cat urine in my bathroom that comes after these sightings. (My mom locked her in the bathroom instead of having her put down when she would no longer use the litter box and wasn't eating.)
It should be noted the house next door to ours, which we lived in prior to moving into the house we currently reside in, has demons. I know this since I have seen them myself and my sisters witnessed them while babysitting the various children who have lived in that house over the last 2 decades since we moved out of that house. The activity in my house may very well be residual activity from that house, but this is not very likely. Also I dated a guy who was into Satanism while I was in high school. He "cast" demons around me to protect me, which I then had to have banished as demons really do not protect anyone. Then there was all the crazy spiritual games we played as teens not really knowing any better.
Thus the activity in our house is most likely a combination of some tragic event that transpired on our street prior to us moving there and the consequences for our stupidity as teens. In addition, my grandfather who just passed away last January has been spotted in the house and I've heard him trying to make his presence known but unable to materialize. My late fiancee only appears in the den of our house, which at one point was a garage, or in the front yard. My biological father's mother has appeared also, shortly after her death. The main ghost though is a young boy, between the ages of 6-8, who will run up and down the stairs. We have at least one picture with his face in the front door glass. It is not my little brother has the picture was taken while he was at his mother. Most pictures of the front door of our house either do not turn out or distorted in some way. Orbs are a common occurrence in pictures taken within our home.
I guess my point is, I slept like crap last night and something was trying to tell me something but I didn't record the sounds in my room (where most activity happens even before it was my room). There is the possibility that some of this is very negative indeed. I do tread carefully in what I do and keep an ear open for the signs of actual demon activity. But prayers are welcome as the children who stay in our house have nightmares regularly and I never want to sleep at home.
Now for the most part there is not much, except for about an hour before I wake up me farting. But in the two recordings I've listened to all the way through, starting an hour or so after I go silent, i.e. sleep, you start to hear a tapping sound. I can definitely say this is not my laptop hard drive as you can hear the fan every so often come on then go off and it's not a clock, even though it sounds like one, kind of. It is several taps, in second hand beat, but stop. There is silence and it will repeat approximately every thirty minutes to hour and half. I haven't listened closely enough to thoroughly establish a pattern.
My home is very haunted. Since moving into the house, one can hear someone walking around in the attic from time to time. Previously I would conclude this may be rodents, however, we've now established there are no longer any rodents of any kind in our attic as we've sealed all their holes and taken strict measures to make sure they do not get back into our attic. Yet the walking continues. In addition, I've watched as my door has opened on it's own and also closed on it's own. Prior to the foundation repairs made to the house, logic would dictate that it could be the uneven foundation, however, the house is level now and hinges do not have memory of their own. Also there is the sightings of our old cat Stinker followed by the strong smell of cat urine in my bathroom that comes after these sightings. (My mom locked her in the bathroom instead of having her put down when she would no longer use the litter box and wasn't eating.)
It should be noted the house next door to ours, which we lived in prior to moving into the house we currently reside in, has demons. I know this since I have seen them myself and my sisters witnessed them while babysitting the various children who have lived in that house over the last 2 decades since we moved out of that house. The activity in my house may very well be residual activity from that house, but this is not very likely. Also I dated a guy who was into Satanism while I was in high school. He "cast" demons around me to protect me, which I then had to have banished as demons really do not protect anyone. Then there was all the crazy spiritual games we played as teens not really knowing any better.
Thus the activity in our house is most likely a combination of some tragic event that transpired on our street prior to us moving there and the consequences for our stupidity as teens. In addition, my grandfather who just passed away last January has been spotted in the house and I've heard him trying to make his presence known but unable to materialize. My late fiancee only appears in the den of our house, which at one point was a garage, or in the front yard. My biological father's mother has appeared also, shortly after her death. The main ghost though is a young boy, between the ages of 6-8, who will run up and down the stairs. We have at least one picture with his face in the front door glass. It is not my little brother has the picture was taken while he was at his mother. Most pictures of the front door of our house either do not turn out or distorted in some way. Orbs are a common occurrence in pictures taken within our home.
I guess my point is, I slept like crap last night and something was trying to tell me something but I didn't record the sounds in my room (where most activity happens even before it was my room). There is the possibility that some of this is very negative indeed. I do tread carefully in what I do and keep an ear open for the signs of actual demon activity. But prayers are welcome as the children who stay in our house have nightmares regularly and I never want to sleep at home.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Just Cuz It Walks & Talks Like a Duck, Doesn't Make It a Duck
After a comment that was made this weekend, and the overriding sentiment that it must be true, I'm addressing my sexuality in today's blog. I am a straight female who is somewhat masculine. I love my JNCO shorts and t-shirts and I wear bandannas on my head. Some small children said I sounded like a boy and dressed like a boy and had no boobies. Well, compared to their mom and my best friend, no I don't. But since when was a 38C small, I don't know...ANYWHO!! Well, I told the boys "Just cuz it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, doesn't make it a duck." They looked at me confused, but I think we are all adult enough on here to understand what I mean. Just because I dress like a "dyke" doesn't make me a dyke. It just makes me a masculine woman. I am not attracted to women. I do have an appreciation of the female form, but it is from an artistic perspective only...well that and boobs are just cool. I could never see myself with a woman, no matter how confused I've been over the years about who and what I am. Besides, chiks are crazy. I can at least relate with a guy.
I really don't even know why I feel I must explain this to you all. Most of you know this already, but maybe there is a someone else out there who is like me. You know, it was comments like "dyke" and lesbian that confused me growing up. If no one would have called me names in regards to my sexual identity I would have never questioned it. I knew I liked boys, I just liked their clothes too. No one seemed to understand that you could be completely straight and dress like the opposite sex. There are guys out there that do that to.
What's sad is the men that are like this get it even worse then us females. I remember being in high school and I would come home telling my mom that someone called me a "fag" and she would tell me "if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck." Well, you know it might not be a duck, it may be a chicken in clown shoes and a funny nose.
Thought Storm
The rain is falling
And my mind is racing
Words sound like the puddles forming
Under my window
I try to concentrate
But the lightening only illuminates
Bits
Pieces
And revelations boom
Then the gentle whisper
Of thousands of thoughts
I can't make out the individuals
Only the steady hum
And the revelations echo
A common sentiment
Love
Loss
Cleansing, renewal
As the power cuts on and off
I wait for the thoughts
To pronounce themselves
As the hail hits the roof
And my mind is racing
Words sound like the puddles forming
Under my window
I try to concentrate
But the lightening only illuminates
Bits
Pieces
And revelations boom
Then the gentle whisper
Of thousands of thoughts
I can't make out the individuals
Only the steady hum
And the revelations echo
A common sentiment
Love
Loss
Cleansing, renewal
As the power cuts on and off
I wait for the thoughts
To pronounce themselves
As the hail hits the roof
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