Steven's Universe & The Gems

The other week in class we had an entire day dedicated to a new show on Cartoon Network called Steven’s Universe. The show follows a boy named Steven and his odd gem family. The episodes that we watched had a family unit of 5, two of them were humans and the other three were a gem based alien race. This really looked at the idea of what is a family and who is allowed to have one. Similarly to Lilo and Stitch where Nani is not seen as a fit provider and she is told she cannot have a family. The gems face a similar struggle when trying to raise Steven and prove to the community they are a family even though they are a bit different. In the show the gems take on human women forms but they do not consider themselves human and they make that point clear throughout the show. The episodes that we watched seemed to focus on larger social issues in a playful and childlike way. The show looked at certain identities that are not seen in mainstream media very much at all as well as the idea of what is a family?

Steven’s Universe alluded to transgender and asexual people in society. Since the gems are not human but take on the physical appearance of women, most of them do not fit the 

‘ideal woman mold” in one way or another. Some had more masculine features and tendencies, talked a certain way, or even didn't fully identify with being a woman. These illustrate what it can be like living in this modern age and identifying as transgender. in the episode the gems were seen as outcasts, made fun, and were not even trusted to have a family because they were different. It wasn't until the very end of the episode when the two family units realized how much they had in common with each other that the ostracism stopped. 

The second episode that we look at was an episode where a male and female character fused together and made one person. They became a beautiful creation that was the perfect mix of male and female. This new being was romanticized by everyone that saw them man or woman. This was the shows way of depicting someone who identifies as Asexual. Again the character was ostracized by general society and did not fit in anywhere. It was not until the end of the episode and the two characters unfused that the real message was shown. You have to love yourself and surround yourself with people who love you, the rest of the world does not matter. 

I was not aware of Steven’s Universe until this class and I am honestly so happy to have seen it. I am so glad that kids are being shown other identities and different kinds of people in a fun and childlike way. It is a powerful tool to spread this message to children and teach them about all the different types of people they could encounter in their lives. The show also spreads a powerful message about unconditional love and being being proud of who you are. The Steven’s Universe presentation was interesting and very well done I loved it!

Gender Stigmas in Sports

Pursuing my degree in Sociology has made me much more about the social world around me. It also allows me to reflect on the social world that I was in while growing up. This weeks reading was about gender representation and identification. One point that the article made was that throughout society and in sports especially there is a certain division of labor between the sexes. The author of article Michael Messner followed around a group of preschool soccer players, one boys teams and one girls team. He took note of the entire team, managers, family members and their roles, attitudes, ad behavior throughout the kids first games. He identified that the majority of the head coach positions were held by men while the majority of the team manager positions were held by women. Women are so common in this role that women team mangers are often called the “team mom”. This division of labor is something that promotes the stereotype and gender stigmas that are so common in our society. 

The promotion of certain gender stigmas is a common pattern that can be identified in our society. Even in a very open minded and progressive world there are still certain jobs that are held only for men and certain jobs for women. One place where this division is very apparent is in professional sports. There is a lot of stigma between the players but the gender division can be clearly seen from the coaches and mangers of the team. The majority of the time the head coach position is held by male coaches.There are a few head coaches that are women but not very many when compared to all the men. It can be harder for women head coaches who identify as a member of the LGBTQ community. There are lots go stigmas centered around lesbian coaches being predatory to their team and sexually assaulting them. This happens with both men and women female coaches but is seen as more of a crime when perpetrated by a lesbian woman. These stigmas follow around any LGBTQ woman trying to gain entry into this profession. There is always this idea and delusion that members of the LGBTQ cannot control their urges and are sexual predators. That is simply not the case and needs to seriously evaluated. Professional sports players, universities, and organizations loose out on great coaches simply because they identify as LGBTQ. 

Wicked Problems: The Transgender Bathroom Debate

2016 has been a year filled with polarizing political views and debates about many hot button issues/topics. One particular issue that has received a lot of attention this year is the idea of very strict gender bathrooms and a discrimination of the transgender community. The transgender community has always experienced discrimination and prejudice because people often fear what they do not understand. This year the transgender community has received some positive and nationally televised attention. Bruce Jenner transitioning to Kaitlyn brought lots of attention to the community and gave the community a larger pubic voice. Recently Rupaul Charles winning an Emmy, and the fame and voice of Lady Gaga. These two are huge supporters for transgender rights and the LGBTQ community as a whole. Unfortunately, positive cannot come without negative and one major problem this community faced this year was the transgender bathroom debates and the legislative bills being passed banning transgender people from using their preferred bathroom. 

The transgender bathroom debate caught traction when people, (especially white heterosexual people) made claims that transgender individuals were predators and were going to hurt them or their children if allowed to use their preferred bathrooms. A few states took quick action and passed state bills declaring that transgender people could not use their preferred bathroom to keep everyone safe, complicit, and “happy”. This is definitely an example of a wicked problem because the issue is some much more than black and white, it has many underlying variables and viewpoints.Using deliberative engagement which is the process of identifying the underlying values of the particular wicked problem in this case transgender bathroom laws. The only way to accomplish this is with very detailed and intense conversations about difficult issues, which is not something that happens very often in western society especially about a taboo topic like this. While reading the wicked problem article I noticed that all the points about the decision making process were correct. There are not enough viewpoints brought into the “groan zone” which means that by the time they get to decision making the select view with power have crated a narrow scape that is very limiting to everyone but themselves. This is a cycle that needs to be broken and recently has been attempted with the use of deliberative democracy. The idea behind this term is; educated and passionate people are helping there communities find and use the proper tools to tackle and actually solve wicked problems. This is a very positive movement and I believe it is a step in the right direction for the political climate and society as a whole. 

Changing Movie Archetypes

I have grown up watching Disney movies and visiting the theme parks since I was a little kid. That is why this weeks reading the; “Post Princess Model of Gender” that talks about gender roles and constructions in pixar movies was very interesting to me. The article brought up some very interesting points that I had never considered before. It compared the static female princess character and how it has not really changed or evolved over the years. While the male leads in pixar movies have had a little more variation. The article goes onto discuss the changing model of masculinity in pixar movies and how it has slowly been evolving into a more emotional and supportive creature. The leading male characters today have been become more accepting and supportive of their female counterparts. This is allowing for brand new characters and concepts to be formed. It is also allowing a new model of leading man/superhero that children can look up to that is more open minded and evolved than previous archetypes. 

The changing dynamics for leading male characters in pixar movies is definitely amazing and is allowing for new life in Pixar. One area that I cannot wait to see tackled is the idea of a open and unapologetic LGBTQ Pixar character. There have definitely been characters in Pixar’s/Disney’s past that could be interpreted as gay or having gay tendencies. The article points this out by touching on the Incredibles and Syndrome’s “homosocial” relationship with Mr. incredible. An older example of a gay couple in a Disney film is Timon and Pumba in “The Lion King”. They have a similar homosocial relationship like the Incredibles. However,  they take it to the next level when Timon and Pumba take on the task of raising a child together. Since they are not openly an LGBTQ couple you could speculate that they are just two friends helping to raise a kid but I believe it goes a bit deeper than that. Overall I think that changing archetypes of the leading male character is very interesting and much needed. I hope one day to see a open LGBTQ character somewhere in a Disney or Pixar movie because that would have been a huge force growing up for me and I want that for my children

The Gay's are on Television

This weeks reading talked about the idea of scripts. The readings focused more on the ideas around criminal scripts and their portrayal on news programming. The basic idea behind scripts in this context is, their is a certain “cast of characters” and a certain storyline that can be seen in the portrayal of these programs. The pattern can be seen across most stories and news stations, the cast and the storyline do not change very much or at all. This same theory can be taken and applied to the representation of the LGBTQ community on television programs today. Historically the “cast of characters” for the LGBTQ community consisted of people that did not fit gender norms in society and stood out a lot. These people being stereotypically referred to as; the “flaming” gay male, the very “butch” lesbian, and drag queens. These character identities were often discriminatory and created a very narrow mindset towards the LGBTQ community as a whole. 

All these characters were highly stereotyped and for a long time were the only representation that the LGBTQ community had on mass media. These character representation not only neglected to show the vast diversity of this community but also perpetuated certain stereotypes. One of the first characters to break this mold was the character of Will played by Erik McCormack on the sitcom Will & Grace. He was cast next to a very flamboyant character named Jack which made his cool laid back demeanor more apparent and noticeable. This was one of the first times that a gay male was portrayed as something other than overly flamboyant, loud, and in your face, and a main character on television. This completely flipped the traditional script for gay males on television and began to breathe new life into the LGBTQ character roster for television personalities. Since the debut of Will & Grace in 1998 there have defiantly been progressive moods towards a wider representation of LGBTQ community on television. Most recently and notably Rupaul Charles who is a very famous drag queen, won the Emmy for television host of the year. This singles a change in the times and definite reversal of the traditional LGBTQ scripts. These scripts that we create for people that are designed to represent entire communities and cultures need to be evaluated constantly to try an stay current and inclusive. The times have changed and all people deserve to be recognized and celebrated for who they are. 

Progressive views on a Progressive Issue

This weeks readings for my Multiculturalism in the Media course touched on a very large yet not spoken about issue that has been gaining a lot of support since the Orlando LGBT nightclub shooting this summer. A major theme that was discussed in one of the readings this week was ambivalence and a slowly growing accepting for members of the Muslim community in American society. The article described the way people from Arab countries and people of the Muslim faith are portrayed in modern media and news. In these shows people that fall into these categories are portrayed as terrorists, criminals, and enemies of the state whenever possible. These characters that reflect these groups of people inspire hate and violence towards an entire group of people based on fear and character portrays in the media. The fear and the ridicule is influenced heavily by 9/11 and Islamaphobia. Creating this tension allows for hate and violence to be the natural reaction towards people from Arab countries or of the muslim faith. However, there has been a some progress in terms of acceptance and attitude towards members of these groups as the years progress. People are becoming a lot more open minded and creating organizations to help people of this diverse community. 

Islamaphobia is a very real thing, I have seen this fear and prejudice happen in my daily life and I cannot imagine what it must be like to experience that kind of discrimination. People hating you because you look like someone they should be afraid of. They make these judgements at first glance and don't even bother to get to know someone. Imagine this kind of pressure every single day and then double it if you are a member of an Arab country or of the Muslim faith and identify as LGBT. According to an article titled: “Muslim attitudes about LGBT are complex, far from universally anti-gay” by Lauren Markoe which analyzes and interviews Arab men and women who identify as LGBT. Markhoe writes; “No good Muslim can be gay, they say (Markhoe, 2016).” Members of the LGBT community fight many battles on a daily basis. Then to come from a culture that has a history of humiliating, outlawing, and even killing members of the LGBT community, adds significant stress to peoples lives. Markhoes article goes on to take a lighter tone saying that even though it is difficult, things are improving for LGBT members belonging to these other communities as well. Certain religions spaces have allowed openly LGBT members to pray, and organizations designed for Arab LGBT members are gaining ground to help people. These programs are a step in the right direction and offer a real chance at change for a group of people that deserve to live their lives embracing their culture and their sexuality at the same time. 

Consumerism and One Dimensional Thought

“One Dimensional Man” by Herbert Marcuse is a fascinating book about the consumption of people into consumerism, media, and the culture industry. Marcuse was a brilliant sociologist who coined many new terms and theories that modern sociologists still use today. His book touches many aspects and broad schemes that can be seen in society. He tends to focus on this main idea that people are becoming consumed by television, media, the need to so shopping, and the ultimate pursuit of the American Dream. 

Instinctually humans are driven by similar things; food, water, and shelter. In todays modern driven era these basic human needs are slowly being replaced with items we do not really need. Instead they are being replaced with things we strongly believe that we need, or we would not be able to last without them. For example many people including myself are glued to our smart phones all day long. Whether we are checking social media, listening to music, or texting our friends. Our phones are always in our hands or not too far out of sight. Another example would be peoples spending habits and shopping.Shopping has become this cultural things that people do for any number of reasons. Some shop because of want and need, while others shop for addiction and status verification. 

Marcuse looked at the social world and saw people becoming consumed by products and material items. He witnessed people becoming entranced by products and their ability to completely grab someones attention and change their way of thinking. These products have the ability to alter peoples motives, and desires and targets that infatuation and drive directly at their product. I came across an article about extreme shopping habits on NBC.com titled; “Taking Shopping Habits to the Extreme” by Allison Linn. In her piece she has some views that align with Marcuse. She says that we as Americans have outsourced a lot of goods and services to other countries to up production and keep costs down. This was working for many years until recently we started seeing many toy recalls back to China, and all the environmental problems associated with mass production. 

These problems were enough for some people to stop in their tracks and pull themselves out of one dimensional thought, as mentioned by Marcuse. This incidents opened peoples eyes to the fact that mass consumption and industrialization is taking on a massive form in American society and its a problem that can get very out of hand if not dealt with. Some people are now making small changes in their lives to try and cut down on their role in adding to mass consumption. Now people will shop at local farmers markets instead of huge stores, and make people consider their spending choices more carefully.