Gone Home

The Gone Home game was interesting to me, it’s not a game that I would typically play. It is a lot more relaxed than anything else I have ever played. I was expecting it to be a horror game because of the overall look and vibe of the game. It was surprising to find no horror elements when finally playing the game. I like the purpose of the game and the overall goal, but the actual gameplay isn’t something I am used to. The entire game is typically a small part of other games. In other games, searching around and reading through material takes up only a small portion of the game. However, Gone Home takes that same concept and makes it into an entire game.

This game reminds me a lot of Life is Strange, especially with Sam’s notes to Lonnie with the doodling included. It reminds me a lot of Max’s journals and the different doodles by a character named Kate that are seen throughout the game. Lonnie and Sam’s relationship also reminded my of the friendship/relationship of the main characters of Life is Strange.

Making Connections

In terms of connections to other material we’ve seen in this class. Sam and Lonnie’s situation reminds me of the coming out game. Sam mentioned wanting to go out with Lonnie to go to a concert. There is also a magazine or comic book titled, “Women outlaws.” One man is seen saying “no female is gonna tell me..” before being cut off by the main woman pictured kicking him. The comic is clearly all about empowering women and showing that they are just as capable as men despite the criticism from the other side. “To end patriarchy (another way of naming the institutionalized sexism) we need to be clear that we are all participants in perpetuating sexism until we change our minds and hearts, until we let go of sexist thought and action and replace it with feminist thought and action” (Hooks ix). This quote connects to the cover of the comic well. 

RIOT GRRRL

Riot Grrrl deals with several topics like seeking inclusion, patriarchy, empowerment, and a number of other things. The very beginning part says, “BECAUSE us girls crave records and books and fanzines that speak to US that WE feel included in and can understand in our own ways.” This is related to concepts of women of color in feminist spaces even though it was originally targeted towards women in general. A lot of women of color tend to seek others like them because there are experiences regarding feminism that are unique to them. “It is the centrality of race, of institutionalized racism, and of struggles against racial oppression that link the various feminist perspectives within this framework. Together, they demonstrate that racial meanings offer new theoretical directions for feminist thought” (Zinn and Dill 321).

Research Essay Exploration

I potentially want to explore queer representation in video games or inclusion in the beauty/makeup communities. The topic of queerness in video games interests me because there are a lot of video games that I like that explore the topic of sexuality and I think it could be fun to possibly explore the topic. Games like Life is Strange and The last of us are games that I would be interested in focusing on. I would specifically want to look at how the games go about providing representation. The cultural artifact I could use is either a painting or a movie. For inclusion in the makeup community, I really enjoy makeup even though I struggle with perfecting it myself. I think it would be interesting to see what makeup has done for people with varying gender identities. For this topic, the cultural artifact I would want to include photographs of different makeup styles throughout history.

(1977) “The Combahee River Collective Statement”

This specific text touches on the struggles of black women in feminist spaces. Oftentimes the space that white women made in the movement remained strong since there weren’t factors of racism getting in the way. Black feminists were faced with multiple instances of oppression and this made it very difficult to progress forward. Not only were there problems with racism outside of the black community, but on the inside there were black men who also were not fond of what black feminist represented. “As Black feminists we are made constantly and painfully aware of how little effort white women have made to understand and combat their racism, which requires among other things that they have a more than superficial comprehension of race, color, and Black history and culture” (Combahee River Collective).  I think this particular quote is important because it adds perspective to the experiences of black feminists. On the outside the frustration surrounding seeing white women making progress while they aren’t proved itself to be daunting. 

Audre Lorde (1980), “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference”

Lorde touches on the topic of oppression in relation to not only the topic of race but also in relation to things like age, class, and identity. Oppressed groups are often left to educate their oppressors, which only acts as a way to drain their energy.  This statement is definitely something I agree with. While there is a need  for oppressors to be educated on just how much harm they can cause, it is not the job of those who are oppressed. Dealing with oppression is hard enough, and attempting to get someone who’s experiences differ to change their mind is even more draining. “We find ourselves having to repeat and relearn the same old lessons over and over that our mothers did because we do not pass on what we have learned, or because we are unable to listen” (Lorde 117). This quote relates to the idea of educating oppressors although she is not directly referencing oppressors when mentioning it. There is a level of knowledge that they already possess but that knowledge isn’t truly drilled into their minds. Listening and taking in information is a big part of truly trying to understand.

Ijeoma Oluo (2018), “So You Want to Talk About Race”

Ijeoma Oluo talks about the realities of being a woman of color. No matter how much she wanted to steer away from the topic of race, it became such a prominent art of her life. There are factors in the world that bring the topic of race to the surface. Additionally, she urges people who are not people of color to realize that despite their attempts to prove that they want to do no harm, it doesn’t change how others feel. She touches on the difficulties of talking about race and includes that concept as a factor. An important point she made was, “very often, white people come to talk about race to try to make sure the person they’re talking to knows that they are not the person that’s harming them.” I think this ties into the main reason for speaking on the topic in general. She tries to lead white people into a direction of handling topics of race in the proper way.

Making Connections

I think that the thing tying each of these texts together is the topic of oppression and the difficulties of trying to find a place in a space that isn’t particularly inclusive. Oluo’s purpose of talking about race in the first place is to acknowledge that clear disconnect. Oluo’s message also mentions the need for people of color’s feelings to be included.  The Combahee River Collective strives to acknowledge that black feminists were not being included and accepted in crucial space. The text by Lorde ties into the same idea as Oluo’s text. When the oppressors are trying to push education from those they oppress, there is not an inclusion of the oppressed individual’s feelings.

Nina Simone (1966), “Four Women”

This song ties into the ideas of Oluo’s text the most. Oluo mentions trying to remain quiet and dress in a certain way to be deemed as acceptable. Nina Simone’s song is all about stereotypes amongst black women. Essentially it separates the views of black women into four categories. Aunt Sarah takes on the stereotypical role of an Aunt Jemima. Saffronia deals with the complexities of a child that was conceived through a white man forcing himself onto an enslaved woman, which happened fairly often. Sweet Thing represents the overly sexualized views placed upon Black women and Peaches takes on the more aggressive stereotypical views. Each of these factors really put Oluo’s reasons for wanting to seem a certain way into perspective. There are very harsh and confining stereotypes placed onto black women, as seen in the song. Oluo’s text is a great example of the extent of harm that can be done because of those limiting ideas. I really enjoy this song, I heard it for the first time a relatively long time ago. I find myself relating to the song and when connecting it to Oluo’s text, I find myself resonating with it even more.

Question:

If you have experiences that align with any of the readings, in what ways do you relate to them? If not, how has your knowledge expanded after reading and watching the texts?

Keywords: Feminism, Oppression, race

The Prism of Gender

Keywords: Gender, Sexuality, Society, Femininity, Masculinity

“Do all the men you know fit the ideal of masculinity all the time, in all relationships, and in all situations? Do all the women in your life consistently behave in stereotypical feminine fashion? Do you always fit into one as opposed to the other culturally approved gender category?” (Valentine, 4)

In Catherine G. Valentine’s excerpt titled, The Prism of Gender, the western views on gender are challenged. There are a number of cultural instances where the overall view on gender greatly differs from what is known throughout the west.

Valentine emphasizes the fluctuating nature of gender and the things that are usually associated with it. It is mentioned that a woman isn’t always sweet and submissive and a man isn’t always strong and silent.

There will always be characteristics that fuse and merge, ultimately nullifying the idea that only one gender possesses a set of characteristics.

Gender is a complex thing that goes beyond everything that America has presented to be. There are intersex individuals that destroy the notion that gender is a ‘one or the other’ thing. Science provides a much more complex understanding of gender as it is traditionally known. It is important to assess these differences and think critically about what exactly makes gender so complex. As previously mentioned, a woman isn’t always submissive and a man isn’t always strong. Additionally, someone’s genitalia isn’t a proper representation of who a person truly is.

Theorizing difference from multiracial feminism

Keywords: Inequality, Race, Feminism

In Maxine Zinn and Bonnie Dill’s excerpt titled, Theorizing Difference from Multiracial Feminism, feminism is discussed in relation to race.

Some ideas surrounding feminism weren’t inclusive of women of color. Feminism has been associated with more Eurocentric ideals. This only minimized the ability for women of color to properly indulge themselves in the matter. There are several different cultural views and differences in perspective that will ultimately shape the view of feminism. The differences in class and background need to be acknowledged within feminism and in general.

“Our critiques grew out of the widespread concern about the exclusion of women of
color from feminist scholarship and the misinterpretation of our experiences, 1 and ultimately ‘out of the very discourses, denying, permitting, and producing difference'” (Zinn & Dill, 321). There are misinterpretations of the experience of women of color. Instead of acknowledging the specifics of their experiences, only gender related subjects are mentioned. It is clear that in addition to the inequality that women of color experience as women, their race plays a role in the inequality they experience.

The replacements- Androgynous

“Here come Dick, he’s wearing a skirt Here comes Jane, y’know she’s sporting a chain”

This song seeks to get rid of the idea that certain things belong to only one gender. In reference to the lyrics about skirts and chains, those things don’t belong to one gender. Later on in the song, It is mentioned that tomorrow Dick will wear pants and Jane will wear a dress. This demonstrates how fluid people can be when it comes to how they may choose to present themselves. There is no right or wrong way and the song emphasizes that fact.

Making Connections

Both of the readings heavily discuss cultural differences in relation to feminism. The excerpt Valentine makes a point to mention what some of the customs outside of American customs are like. This proves great insight on the different views on gender and how much it varies from place to place. The excerpt by Zinn and Dill’s main point is all about cultural differences. It touches on just how much the lack of true interpretations and representation can lead to exclusion even throughout feminism. The song by The Replacements connects back to the ideas emphasized in Valentine’s excerpt. It further solidifies the idea that the traditional ideas of gender and the roles within it can be stretched and altered.

Question

Has your view on gender changed significantly over the past year? Why or why not?