Strategically Communicating

Feminism may be one of those  words nice people just don’t say it in  public.   It isn’t a dirty word but it seems as if we should wash our mouths out with soap than to utter the word and acknowledge its power. The power that can make women and men cringe based on how they have personally interpreted it.

Perhaps it is difficult for women today to recognize that they have the privilege to denounce the F-word while also benefiting from the sacrifices of women who blazed trails to deliver incremental changes.  Maybe life is so great there is no need for feminists and there is nothing more to be done.

Perhaps men don’t want to say the F-word because they think it means they’ll get a lecture on equality, become emasculated, or have to examine their own belief system along with the privileges that society has delivered to them through patriarchy.

O’Shaunessy and Stadler remind us, that our current rosy picture of life should not disguise the fact that women are still discriminated against in numerous ways.  These include “unequal pay, violence against women, and general misogynist tendencies.” Why is it so horrible to not want these things? Feminism is merely one framework to address these issues. Both women and men lose when they subscribe to the idea that feminism is a dirty word.

When confronted with the topic of feminism do you ignore the F-word or do  proclaim yourself a feminist? Why or why not?

My favorite team super hero movie this summer was Magic Mike.  It had everything a high budget comic book, super hero, action thriller movie needs.  Our hero’s super power is driving the ladies (and men) wild.  His kryptonite is turning 35.  All the big action scenes take place on a stage or in the bedroom, and when the going gets tough  our hero works hard and does the right thing.  He hangs up his thong, follows his dream and gets the girl!

Youth is fleeting and why not make the most of your physical attributes to cash in?  Whether you are using your body to make touchdowns, sell Victoria’s Secret, or hike the Pacific Crest Trail.  Your body can be your business.  Yes, someone else will also make a profit off you, the NFL, Limited Brands Inc. or Alfred A. Knopf.  But there is no company where revenue equals profits.

Anyone who has ever wanted to start their own business knows it takes a lot of hard work and a majority of business don’t make it.  It does not matter if your business is a food cart or singing or acting.  Starting a business takes luck, knowing the right people, selling yourself,  and lots of hard work.

Do beautiful actors work hard?

Are you envious of entrepreneurs, working for themselves?

Concussions affect the quality of football players lives are they fairly compensated?

The message on Nike’s website was short and pointed: “Due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade, it is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him. Nike does not condone the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs in any manner. Nike plans to continue support of the Livestrong initiatives created to unite, inspire and empower people affected by cancer.”

The sign guy at Nike campus must be very busy these days. After recently taking down the Joe Paterno Childcare Center signs he now has to redirect people from the former Lance Armstrong Center.

If stars embody social and ideological values (O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2012, p. 421), then Armstrong certainly rode away with our hopes and dreams. After his against-all-odds comeback from testicular cancer to win the Tour de France seven times, and his advocacy for cancer survivors through his foundation, Armstrong embodied qualities we find irresistible: courage, perseverance, athletic prowess, helping others. Add his romance with singer Cheryl Crow and his friendship with actor Matthew McConaughey – well, it was enough to get me to fundraise, sweat through 75 miles of Washington County on a bike and wear that yellow wristband for months (oh and buy his book.)

Soon after the Nike announcement, and another that he was stepping down from the foundation, donations went up. Will Lance Armstrong’s social currency remain strong enough to continue to benefit (or at least do no harm) to Livestrong and what does that say about the limits or excesses of stars who embody our social and ideological values?

As I reached the end of the chapter entitled “Feminism, Postfeminism, and ideologies of Femininity,” it saddened me that, according to Cameron, some women feel the need to become more like men in an effort to get ahead in their occupational or political careers. Women should be accepted for who they are regardless of their masculine or feminine traits because both men and women have valuable experiences, ideas, skills and perspectives to bring to any situation. I think the recent emphasis on gender-neutral language, in particular, attempts to elevate equality at the expense of diversity. 

“Actors” and “actresses” are now both “actors.” “Stewards” and “stewardesses” are now “flight attendants.” And “anchormen” and “anchorwomen” are simply “news anchors.” What this communicates to me is that men and women no longer have unique identities and perspectives: they’re interchangeable. I agree with the intended purpose of gender-neutral language: to avoid perpetuating the belief that one gender is more suited to one particular social or occupational role over another. But, in my experience, men and women are wonderfully, uniquely different and that should be celebrated, not mitigated. Perhaps this relates to the different perspectives on gender, biological essentialism (nature), that biology defines the essence of a person, and social constructionism (nurture), that society defines the essence of a person. I’d say nature and nurture both come into play. Overall, there’s one thing I’m certain of: I wouldn’t be the man I am today without the women in my life.

How does the concept of gender-neutral language affect the discourse on gender? Do you see gender from a biological essentialist or social constructionist viewpoint? Why?