Assignment
This week, we explored the tension between self determination and compliance with societal expectations.
1) We encountered the perception of Black girls as dangerous and in the US and how some girls resist (“Pushing & Yelling on the Bus by Sears and Craig”) and the negative and painful consequences of a common perception of Black girls in schools (the documentary “Pushout”)
2) We encountered fat phobia and weight/size discrimination (the documentary
“Fattitude”), the distressing racist history of fat phobia (the podcast “Fat Phobia and its Racist Past and Present”) and one activist’s effort to challenge assumptions and destigmatize fat in her radio program (“Everybody: Making Fat Radio for all of Us” by Pause)
3) And we encountered how Islamophobia and religious bigotry shape many Muslim women’s decision to wear and/or NOT to wear hijab in both the reading (“Showing our Muslim”) and the documentary (“Between Allah and Me”)
Throughout this material, people express their frustration with being seen as “TOO”:
TOO loud, TOO ‘ghetto’, TOO big, TOO secular, TOO religious….They are often judged before they even open their mouths, because we place so much value on what we see ‘written’ on a person’s body.
In various ways, the folks we encountered this week are each saying. ‘I will NOT do what you expect of me! I will play by my own rules.’
But resistance comes often with a price.
For this week’s post, choose one of the topics above (1, 2 or 3) and
Explain how socially constructed ideas about being ‘acceptable’ or ‘good enough’ shape reality for this population . In other words, where do the assumptions about right and wrong/ good and bad come from and WHY DO THEY PERSIST?
Then, complicate your analysis by adding a layer (this is where you get intersectional). For instance, if you are writing about how fat people—in general— are often seen as lazy or unhealthy, consider how POOR fat people or Black fat people in particular are regarded. Or, if you are writing about how anti-Muslim bias might compel a woman to stop wearing hijab, consider how this bias might be intensified if she is an immigrant to the US.
Now, just like last week, choose a specific challenge to the discrimination engaged by someone from this population, such as the Muslim immigrant or the poor fat person (remember to remain intersectional). Be specific.
Finally, consider the possible POSITIVE and NEGATIVE consequences of this small or big act of defiance. How might it be perceived by others? And WHY?
As you do, remember that cultural responses are best understood through an intersectional lens, too (that is, how people react is ALSO shaped by multiple layers of identity and experience).
Make sure you connect the sentences into 1 coherent post. That is, you must use words to transition from one section to the next.
HEADS UP! Just like the last two posts, one of your sentences must include a brief verbatim quotation from one of this week’s READINGS (NOT films). Make sure you cite that quotation IN TEXT. ALSO: Be certain to INTRODUCE the quotation somehow. Don’t just DROP IT IN THERE without a set up.
AGAIN: Cite ONLY the readings. NOT FILMS. Lots of you cited the films in previous posts even though the instructions said NOT to. Please follow instructions this time!
Here is an example of how this looks .
Resistance to body norms is act of defiance, and it challenges us to value what we typically demean. Sears and Craig (2019) said it best: “Resistance is a demand for an alternative reading of one’s body; one that confers value upon it” (120).
• Sears and Craig are the authors of the reading.
• 2019 is the year the book was published (where the chapter is from)
• 120 is the page number where you find the quotation
RULES:
• Written in full sentences with proper grammar, spelling and punctuation.
• Totals no more than 500 words TOTAL. Much shorter is okay as long as all points are covered. Again. I am not fixed on length; I am fixed on completeness and quality.
• Includes a brief verbatim quotation from one of this week’s READINGS (NOT films), properly cited [see example above]
• Sentences flow from one to another. That is, you must write logical transitions between ideas. Do NOT number your sentences