Month: March 2020

Intersectionality is this idea that race, gender, and class can be combined to other social aspects. It is this idea that parts of the social world like politics for example can create assumptions about specific groups. Intersectionality typically has three levels that explain and describe what it really is. It can be described on a level of one person experiencing their own life as an individual. Every person has their own characteristics and all those characteristics within one person is what makes up this level of intersectionality. The next level is solely focused on women as a whole. All women no matter their race, class, or any other identity face oppression. This second level takes into consideration that despite anything else a woman will experience some sort of unfairness. The third branch is focuses on social injustice and there will always be social injustice if there is racism and other discriminatory factors. Intersectionality connects all different factors that can affect a person from being themselves and having total freedom and interpreting it as a social issue.

When you take intersectionality and ecofeminist perspectives and combine them they make a really interesting connection. Going back to the beginning of this semester we learned about the basic ideas of ecofeminism and to sum it up it a connection that women have with nature. To go into more detail, we can draw upon some readings from earlier in the semester. Women over the years have consistently been seen as the ones who have more of a connection with nature. This goes back to the life of women and men during hunting and gathering. Men would go out hunting for animals or go to work while women would stay home and take care of the house or go out to find plant-based ingredients. This is where ecofeminist believe that the connection women have with nature all started. I think going back to Warren’s reading in the first week she explained this connection really well. She talks about the basic ideas of ecofeminism but then goes on to explain the woman and nature connection and how this can be traced back for many years. This connects really well with the ideas of intersectionality.

Carson explained intersectionality in a really interesting way. She talks about sea life and how all the creatures in the ocean are seen to also be this web of intersectionality.  All life human a non- human has a form of hierarchy and in this reading, Carson explains that by talking about sea life. An article by Arica Coleman explains when intersectionality was first termed and the movement that evolved. She explains how women have always been at a disadvantage, but there has also been a lot done throughout history to help women. However, not all experience the same disadvantages. Women of color and middle class white women do not face the same challenges (Coleman).

Coleman, Arica L. “What Is Intersectionality? A Brief History of the Theory.” Time, Time, 6 Nov. 2019, time.com/5560575/intersectionality-theory/.

Norgaard and York explain the relationship between gender and environmentalism. Like we have heard in previous readings women are more likely to be connected to nature then men. Women are more likely care about the environment and be aware of environmental issues. This leads us to consider the impact women can make when they are government officials. Norguaard and York explain gender inequality and how this effect the relationship women have with the environment. Woemn and men also have different beliefs and views on the world that make their relationships with nature and the environment different. Norgaard and York state that “women have been estimated to make up 60 to 80 percent of membership in mainstream environmental organizations and even higher percentages in grassroot movements” (Norgaard and York). Why is this the case? This all has to do with that relationship going way back to the beginning or time. Throughout history women have been seen to have a relationship with nature and it has led to those statistics. Women in the government are more concerned about the environment and making changes related to environmental issues. However, sometimes gender inequality can negatively affect what women in government positions can do. The more we fight for gender equality the closer we will get to make greater environmental decisions that can change for the better.

When you search the web, it becomes clear that there are so many women out there fighting to make changes in the world to help the environment. The first female activist I want to mention is very well known and she has already been mentioned a lot in this class. Greta Thunberg is a seventeen-year-old climate and environmental activist. She has traveled all over the world to spread the word and share her activism. At such a young age she has become a very important part of the global environmental activism. Christiana Figueres is another example. She was the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2010 to 2016. She saw how bad this climate change crisis was becoming and wanted to jump in and help. She has also been known for many other achievements as a government official aiming to make the environment safer and healthier.

I found an interesting statistic that could support the ideas that Norgaard and York were explaining. This website states that “Statistics indicate that 80% of household shopping is performed by women “(Berk 1988). This supports the ideas of Norgaard and York because they explained how women throughout history and over time have been shaped and as a result it makes them more connected to the environment. If women are the ones who are buying items for their families, they can decide it they want to make good environmental decisions. This can have an impact on the environment and they are more likely to buy ecofriendly items then a male would because of their connection to nature and their awareness of the environment. https://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/7417/volumes/v20/NA-20

An article by Amy Caiazza and Allison Barrett explain the importance of women in environmental activism. There is a lot of importance to this and from an ecofeminist stand point giving women the opportunity to be heard and stand up for what they believe in. Caiazza and Barrett make a lot of similar points that Norgaard and York made as to why women feel so obligated to help the environment and are more likely to then men. This has given women leadership and voices to share their beliefs.

 

Caiazza, Amy, and Alison Barrett. “Engaging Women in Environmental Activism: Recommendations for Rachel’s Network.” CSU, Sept. 2003.

 

Susan. “Women and the Environment: Applying Ecofeminism to Environmentally-Related Consumption.” ACR North American Advances, 1 Jan. 1993

 

Abortion is a very controversial issue that many people have very strong opinions about. Their views can be shaped based on religious beliefs, feminist beliefs, or just by how they truly feel and what they know about the topic. There are three common views on abortions and them either that the human life is formed at conception and an abortion is consider homicide, the human life is defined at or after birth so there is no killing of human life. The view that is in the middle of these two extremes that does not believe a fetus is a human but is part of a human but has different moral rights. Abortion is one of those topics that can be difficult to talk about because of the different views people have on it. A lot of people argue that it is the woman’s body and she has the right to decide if she wants to have an abortion or not. However, if people believe that it is a human and they are killing a human then they do not think that is the mothers right. They believe that in no circumstances should the mother or anyone else be given the option to kill a human life.

I know a lot about abortion and have my own views and opinions about it. I have also always been aware of how other people view it and I have always been open to seeing these different sides and understanding why they believe what they believe. However, Hawkins view was something I have never heard of or thought of before. Environmental issues are something I have always been passionate about. I have a minor in sustainability and with the classes I have taken to fulfill this minor I have learnt a lot about environmental degradation and the things that effect the environment the most. Population growth is a big factor into this. The more the human population grows the more problems that continue to develop. The first website we looked at called the “worldometer” shows the population and the impacts it is having on the environment

Hawkins argument on abortion is that sometimes people need to look at the bigger picture instead of their own personal experience that they are dealing with. Every human that enters the world makes an impact on environmental degradation. Ecofeminists believe that this should factor into their decision when having an abortion. Women should have the right to decide if they do or do not want to have an abortion, but they need to think about whether this baby will have a good life. Hawkins explains how some people have kids so that they can work and make money. Working on farms and in factories negatively impacts the environment. I do not agree nor disagree with Hawkins. I understand where she is coming from and the point that she makes definitely make sense. I think it is hard for people to decide based on this because I believe women feel very vulnerable when they in a position where they need to decide if they will have an abortion or not. However, population growth is a major factor in environmental degradation so as an ecofeminist I see why she looks at it this way.

I found an article that talks about how different laws can shape people’s views and opinions. I do not completely disagree with this because in some state’s abortion is illegal and in other states abortion is legal. There are many states where it has not been determined yet if it is legal or illegal. However, I don’t completely disagree with this argument because surrounding beliefs, views and opinions can definitely come into play when someone else is trying to see where they stand. If abortion is illegal in one state, then the people in that state will start to look at it and assume that if it is illegal is it bad (Diamant and Sandstrom).

Diamant, Jeff, and Aleksandra Sandstrom. “Do State Laws on Abortion Reflect Public Opinion?” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 21 Jan. 2020,

 

 

The advertisement that is a newspaper article with a “feminine” looking cow holding a picture of a cow is advertisement for ground meat. The purpose of this is to make the product appealing to consumers and its target is toward white males. The cow that is standing up and looking more like a human is skinny and supposed to be appealing in two different ways. First the woman type figure is meant to catch men’s attention and it is skinny to emphasize that this meat is healthy meat. It says, “low fat, low cholesterol ground meat.” The picture that the skinny cow is holding is of a cow that most people would think of when they think of a cow. It is standing like a cow would stand and it is not as skinny. They want the consumers to believe that their meat is better, and they do that by making it look more appealing by sexualizing the cow.

The picture that says “campus talk survey says” has a turkey with a bikini tan line. This ad is sexual, and I think it may also be racist as well. It says “60% breast, 14% thigh, 26% leg. Those are all parts of a turkey that are most commonly consumed by humans, but they are sexualizing it. The bikini line made the turkey into something that would grab a male’s attention. At the bottom in quotes it says, “The darker the meat the sweeter the taste.” This is what made me think this ad was racist. Some people like dark meat more but I feel it was also meant to be insulting towards black people.

The third picture that I chose to discuss was the sign that says, “Betty Beavers Truck Stop and Diner.” The beaver on the sign looks feminine by the pose it is positioned in and it has breasts. It is wearing a tight shirt and skirt that is American Flag themed. Truck drivers are most often men, so they made the beaver on the sign feminine to grab their attention while they are on the road. They want truck drivers to see that sign and stop to eat at their diner.

Those three images were all sexualizing animals by making them look feminine. The purpose of them was to grab attention of men, but it was mostly aiming toward white men. Some of the ads also had some racial remarks in them. These ads are objectifying women and animals. By sexualizing and animal to resemble a female body that becomes offensive to women, but also causes people to overlook the cruelty animals face. There is no thought about how they are forced to reproduce and then they are killed to be a meal for someone.  This also shows a connection between women and animals because in ads like these the women and animals are being consumed in a sense while men are the consumers.

I chose this picture because it has a lot of aspects that are similar to the points that Adams has made. The way the chicken is posing can be seen as sexual even by the way it is looking. It is definitely meant to have a feminine figure and even the way the eyes look is feminine. The purpose of this is to draw in men’s attention. Like I mentioned about the pictures I chose from Adams. By making this chicken look sexual and also feminine it grabs the attention of men for other reasons then what an aid should aim for. They want to sell the chicken, but their approach is wrong.

There is an article by Dan Neil that I found, and it backs up a lot of the arguments that Adams has made. He explains that the purpose of these ads is to draw in the attention of men. One argument he makes is how the United States views sex. He explains that this culture compared to most takes these situations more lightly and can easily make an ad sexual to grab the attention of consumers where in other cultures people would likely be more disturbed and offended by these ads (Neil).

Barwick, Emily Moran. “Do Animals Want to Be Eaten?” Bite Size Vegan, 10 July 2019, www.bitesizevegan.org/bite-size-vegan-nuggets/main-nuggets/do-animals-want-to-be-eaten/.

Neil, Dan. “Sexualization of Fast Food in Advertising on the Rise.” Chicagotribune.com, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2019,