Week 9

Sexism –  I thought with the end of the Presidential elections we would also see the end of the “Lock Her Up” campaign, but sadly I found this surprise on my timeline the other day. Although I do not believe that Hillary Rodham Clinton is innocent of crimes that she deserves to be imprisoned for, the premise behind the #LockHerUp campaign is she should be imprisoned simply because she presents views that her critics find distasteful, unfavorable, or otherwise uncomfortable. Such an idea is contrary to a foundational principle of any democracy that is the freedom of speech necessary for any sort of deliberation. Additionally, the idea that she should be presented for her points of view is an act of silencing women because when other folks who fall under the  “male” category, such as Bernie Sanders, express opinions the far right find incendiary, they are not often threatened with imprisonment or other forms of violence.

Racism – Dove surprised many of us by its problematic advertisement where a black girl turns into a white girl. It was surprising for Dove to make this statement because they are usually the ones who are challenging norms such as these. The advertisement was problematic because it followed Eurocentric beauty norms, and in a country where slavery was a fundamental aspect of this nation’s history, the idea that white women are the norm that black women should aspire to be is a particularly violent message that is evidently still present. The residue of slavery persists and so should our efforts of abolishment.

Heterosexism – I was having my hair cut previously this week and the stylist asked me if I had a romantic partner. It began as a gender neutral inquiry at first, but as the conversation progressed she asked why I didn’t have a “boyfriend.” I consider this to be heterosexism because it is a heteronormative assumption. I am not gay, but to go through a conversation with the assumption that I was not is an exclusionary way of engaging with strangers that inadvertently posits homosexuality as the deviation from the norm.

Sadly, I was not able to come across a substantial example of ableism, but that might be a good thing.