Lose the Fear.

Ruth/Rachel: This is not for grading about a SIFF film

"A life lived in fear is a life half lived"- Anonymous

and that doesn't just go for the guys.

This side entry does not deal much with the media, but I wanted to post about it as an ally to African-Americans and lower class people, as well as some big connections I see between myths about these oppressed groups and violence against women. This is me speaking out on something that I do not feel is right.

Today on a social networking website I received a mass warning from a friend to watch out for a man who had been attacking women in the Seattle area. The only information included in the warning about the man was that he was Black and that women should 'be careful'. Some responses to this warning included one woman saying that she had a 'creepy' black homeless man near her work and that she would be cautious around them today. Though I appreciate a warning of an attacker on the loose, I find some serious problems with the way this information was communicated. Seeing this simple warning unfold today really made me see a lot of connections between the myths surrounding gender violence and stereotypes about race, class, and gender.

Though Seattle has a small African-American population 8.4%, it is the highest of west coast cities other than Los Angeles. Among this population exists friends, family, colleagues, respected professors, leaders, community members, and advocates working against gender violence. So why is being Black used as the sole descriptor of this attacker? As a woman, should I go to class tomorrow and be suspicious of my Black male professor who is an ally for gender equality? Should I assume I need to protect myself from my classmates who are African-American men? No. The reality is that there are unfortunately many, many, many white men who attack women. Life is not a D.W. Griffith movie! Black men are not ravaging animalistic rapists on the search for their next (white) female victim! Realistically solely telling the information that the attacker is a black male with no age or other identifying characteristics leaves us a huge amount of people that one is supposed to suspect as a possible attacker and is not helpful much at all except for re-instilling myths about attacks on (white) women being carried out by black men.

Another piece that is brought up is myths about class. Often people in the lowest class or those who are sometimes seen as out of the class system, the homeless are regarded as dirty, mentally unstable and criminal. The myth that homeless strangers and vagrants are most likely on the search to commit alley way rapes and assaults on women is not very representative of most assaults. In reality, 7/10 female sexual assault victims know their attackers (Dobrovolny). The reality that most attackers are not homeless strangers brings up the rape myths that are put in place to scare women.

Rape is one of the worst crimes but is often taught to us in myths that are not true. Women are taught to be afraid of going away from the home in order to avoid rape and sexual assault. Truthfully 3/4 of all violent attacks occur within 5 miles of the home (Dobrovolny). So staying in the home and being Suzie Homemaker is not the ticket to safety from violence. Women are also told that if they do leave home they definitely need to 'be careful'. What does that even mean? Make eye contact/don't make eye contact? Be obvious/don't be obvious? Carry a weapon/don't carry a weapon? Most attackers are not strangers and these puzzling solutions may even make the situation worse.

Some strategies for preventing sexual assault that are more effective then these common ones are to:

• Clearly express boundaries
• Watch out for controlling behaviors, signs of violence and disrespect
• Educate yourself on rape myths
• Trust your inner voice
• Know who you are hanging out with
• Don't pass out in private

It is important that women do not restrict themselves from public mobility because they fear assault. They are limiting themselves and placing their fear in the wrong place. It is important to dispel the myths about race, class, and gender especially when it comes to situations of violence. If we break down the myths, we can redirect our energy into educating people on truly effective strategies to preventing violence and can bridge gaps to communities that are too often given the role of scapegoat in violent crimes (among other things.)

Assault Statistics from:

"Road Worrier" by Michell Dobrovlny

Sexual Assault Prevention Strategies from:

Rachel David's "Gender, Violence, and Social Change" course

Class and Gender in the Ring

Ruth & Rachel: This is the entry I would like graded for week 6.
In America you can do anything you set your mind to, right? As long as you work hard enough, right? Maybe not. The tangibility of the American Dream in our society may well do with the strong presence of the Horatio Alger myth portrayed in the media. According to America On Film the Horatio Alger myth is "the idea that anyone in America can rise to economic success through hard work and the aid of friendly benefactors."(Benshoff and Griffin, p419) How does the Horatio Alger myth play out in terms of the working class man and how do the stereotypes of lower class men effect how these men work within the Horatio Alger myth?

Working class men are often involved in physical labor. In the media they are often portrayed as unintelligent, uncomplicated but physically strong and active. They are often displayed with bulky muscular bodies and often fit into a brute stereotype. Working class male stereotypes do not allow them the power of wealth and intelligence that upper class men have, but they are given power in their physical strength. Many times they are the center of an American Dream story, showing that if you just keep working hard enough you can have class mobility. This is often seen very well in narratives about boxers.

Rocky (and its sequels) tells the tale of an Italian-American man who is not very bright but twice as brute. He gets a chance to compete in a boxing Championship when another contender drops out. Rocky Balboa manages to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World (in Rocky II) and reaches a higher class status with his boxing income. Showing that he is able to move up the class ladder, but only by the work of his physical strength that is the power a lower class man holds.

In Cinderella Man there is the story of a once prominent Irish-American boxer James Braddock who was forced to give up boxing because of injury but continues to work hard labor to try and support his family in the backdrop of the Great Depression. Like in Rocky, Braddock is given a chance opportunity in the ring as a fill in at the last second, which leads him on to achieving the title of Heavyweight Champion of the World. Once again rising to a status of power with the hard work as described by the Horatio Alger myth, but in the mode of physical strength as prescribed to the stereotype of working class men.

Both of these men embody a great vision of the working-class hero. They both start as lower class but work their way up the class ladder with a lot of blood, sweat and tears and manage to achieve the American Dream but their method of achieving it stays consistent with the stereotypes of lower class men's greatest power being their physical strength. The narrative of the working class athlete following the Horatio Alger myth can also be seen in several other sports movies including The Blind Side which adds race into the mix with gender and class.

The mode for achieving the American Dream for lower class men seems to continue to instill the stereotype. In the challenge of being a provider for their families men may be defending their masculinity in the pursuit and display of physical strength and power. This is a contrast to upper class men are often portrayed as intelligent, attractive, well-dressed and active, but not necessarily physically. Their clothing is often more gaudy and more effeminate than that of a working class man, but because of their economic power their masculinity need not be proved by their muscles, but their wallet. It seems that class creates two standards of masculinity and that in achieving the American dream men must always be proving their masculinity.

The Horatio Alger myth when packaged with athleticism can send a message that may not be the best for the working class. It is saying that physical achievement is the only way to make class mobility and oversimplifies the chance of being selected as a well paid athlete. Though these stories are enjoyable they need to be taken with a grain of salt. Not to stop dreaming, but not to expect equity and not to pretend it is there when it is not.

Images from:

View and Review

21st Century Boy Blog

Quote from:

Benshoff, Harry M., and Sean Griffin. America on Film Representing Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality at the Movies. Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. 419. Print.