Cult of Disgusting

At the end of our Gender Studies unit,

cult of domesticity
barbie
i am never comfy with myself

Drowning in the Truth

I was going to begin this blog by discussing the universal standards that have taken over the world. However, based on previous units I have learned that universal standards, goals, mottoes, or what have you, do not actually exist. Yet, we cannot deny the fact that stereotypes have become a huge part of our culture, as well as others. For example, it is widely known that men are physically stronger than women. Yes, there are always exceptions but in general this statement holds true. Also, on average, women are viewed as nurturing and subservient; they aren't expected to want as much or be physically or mentally capable of certain tasks. Men are supposed to want power, deal with violence, and receive glory. Women are meant to be pure, give birth, and have dinner on the table when he walks in the door. These stereotypes of weak and strong have made such impressions on societies that they are accepted, throughout history and even today. Thankfully, some have questioned their "roles" and taken steps to change the course of their lives. Edna, from The Awakening, was not content with her life as a wife and a mother. She felt that she had the potential to be more of a person, an individual, not just the object of a man's affection. As she set out to live her life and gain her perspective she realized how trapped she had been. No matter what she did to make herself happy, not even equal to a man, just content with herself in her life, she was found that she was still trapped, in a life that was not her's; what she wanted to be her's. Now, I don't know if I agree that Edna purposely committed suicide, or if her death was a complete accident, but I do know that she was exhausted and had to let go. She was tired of pretending for her husband and her children and her friends, and she was tired of, no matter who she was with, being expected to act in a certain way. Edna was completely aware of herself and her desires by the end of the book, and I think she just didn't have it in her to keep fighting against an unbending society. Women today have more freedom than Edna did, but the fight isn't over. It may never be. How many men do you see on Swiffer commercials? On Clorox ones? I hate cleaning, and I'm a girl... so why can't a guy be on one of those advertisements? If we have progressed as a society why are these stereotypes still being upheld, even in the simplest of ways? And for that matter, why am I so offended by them when I think of myself as a strong female. Maybe if I were truly strong I wouldn't feel the need to point out these flaws and condemn the world for it's lack of effort on the behalf of women everywhere. Then, maybe I am weak. But not because I am a female, because I am not comfortable with myself? Because I have been taught that I am not good enough? Because I cannot achieve the things a man can. It's a vicious cycle. Maybe the world is improving, slowly but surely. Will the glass ceiling ever be completely gone, no, probably not. Will more women give up and drown in the ocean because of this, hopefully not. I hope we keep fighting for a balance, because I don't think equality can ever be reached between men and women. The sad truth is that history repeats itself, and while we do not live in caves and gather our food, our own lives may not be as far off as we'd like to think. I am depressing myself with this cynical outlook on the future of the world, and it will not stop me from demanding every ounce of respect and credit that I believe to be mine. I truly hope that I am wrong about this.

The Challenge of Cultural Relativism

The beginning of this article, though somewhat disturbing to read, made a lot of sense to me. The concept that "right and wrong differ from culture to culture" makes perfect sense, and the idea that cultures can not be compared based on these ideals seems pretty straightforward to me. When the author spoke of the Eskimos who let their infants and elderly die and share wives, it was difficult to comprehend; I have always though that there is a universal respect for life, worldwide. But I immediately looked at myself and realized that I am pro-Choice, which some would consider to be a blatant disregard for human life. I became thoroughly confused; the article is right, the idea of universal truth in ethics is nothing be a myth. There can be no independent standard because "every standard is culture-bound." And again, I was back to agreeing with the article; "right" = tradition. Cultural Relativism began to seem like common sense; "There is no such thing as universal truth in ethics; there are only the various cultural codes, and nothing more. Moreover, our own code has no special status; it is merely one among many." I can see how this conclusion came to be; no matter where one lives, everyone seems to think that they are better than everyone else, even in the smallest of ways. It is this attitude, in my opinion, that makes Cultural Relativism plausible, even the claims made by cultural relativists make sense. However, when I read the argument against Cultural Relativism, I saw the 'truth' in it as well. It a nothing more than a subjective theory, because "the fundamental mistake in the Cultural Differences Argument is that it attempts to derive a substantive conclusion about a subject (morality) from the mere fact that people disagree about it." Basically, we can not make a subjective idea objective, and this point is probable; one can not make someone else believe anything, especially when it comes to emotions and other debatable opinions. However, if something is a proven fact, there usually is no point in arguing it, and in this case, different cultures have different beliefs and opinions, but the fact is that one is not better or "right" and another worse or "wrong." But once the author, after having convinced me of Cultural Relativism, began to battle back against these ideas, I was lost. The Consequences of Taking Cultural Relativism Seriously undoubtedly has a point; "it makes sense to think that our own society has made some moral progress, while admitting that it is still imperfect and in need of reform. Because Cultural Relativism says that these judgements make no sense, the argument goes, it cannot be right." In each society, many factors work together in order to produce customs and values within that community. And while it is true that all cultures are different (the source from with Cultural Relativism streams) they may not be as different as they appear. It is in the belief systems that cultures differ, not their values. At the beginning of the section titled All Cultures have some Values in Common, I was on board, but as it progressed,  I became very confused once again. If everyone has values that are "more or less universal," how can the customs be so drastically different? Yes, location may make a difference, but how did the belief systems become so removed from one another? Needless to say, this article made me think and consider the world we live in today. How can anyone be "right" with this thought process? Is there anything that is "right," is there any "truth" in the world? It is clear why there are so many disagreements around the world, from politics to religion, but if we all have the same value roots, why do we fight? I truly and completely confused thanks to this article and will forever be questioning myself and others when it is time to make a decision. I think I might just buy my own island and live out my days away from everyone and all of the fighting and disagreements in the world; but that wouldn't help this new internal conflict, now would it?