Mass Media-Team Two

I am on team two Pro-Mass Media. Well, a few of team one’s arguments were , gender roles, as in women are portrayed as house wives, and this degrades women, some people have no TV so they are not prone to mass media, and  gay marriages, that the mass media only shows one side, and that’s the side against gay marriages.

Well my rebuttals for those arguments are:

As for the gender roles,  that is true that many movies portrayed women as the typical house wives, cooking and cleaning for their husband and family. However, it is 2011, and there are MANY movies that the women is the star  of the movie, and she is doing the “man’s job”. For example, Angelina Jolie plays many aggressive movies, she is usually fighting/killing men in her movies. Is that a typical “housewife” for you? Women play the role that they want to play in movies.  Although the movies back then used to be like that, the media is changing. And women are becoming more independent in the movies/TV shows.

As for the argument said about the people that do not own TV’s so therefore they are not prone to mass media. Well, that is correct the mass media does not apply to them, I do not see that as a valid argument, I find it kind of irrelevant considering the fact the mass media has nothing to do with the fact that they do not own television sets, or cell phones, or computers with internet.  Of course, it is unfortunate for these people to not be as privileged and own objects that connect them to mass media, but on the bright side they are probably more active and not glued to technology like most of us. 

Finally, as for the Gay marriages and the argument that mass media is one sided and against it. Well, there are many social movements that have protested so that that their voices can be heard, and Gay marriages can become legal, and it has worked. The mass media does in fact help the spread of Gay marriages, and helped the legalization of it in many states. The mass media, films the protests, and televises it so that we can sit at home and watch that the world around is in fact changing.  I think that the mass media has done an excellent job in filming these protests and “spreading the word” so that we as citizens can be more well informed. If it was not for the mass media , I do not think that Gay marriages would be legal today.

Social Groups:Gypsy VS Romanian

A social group that I want to focus on are Roma/Gypsies. I'm Portuguese and in Portugal we have many Romanias there. However I know that the professor considered the term "Gypsy" derrogatory, but in Portugal nwe use the word Cigano, which is not derogatory. Prior to the Professor saying that I was not aware and used the term freely.

*I am ONLY speaking of MY OWN experiences and my family's. I hope to not offend anyone, but I am just speaking from what I KNOW not what I THINK or have HEARD.

We have MANY MANY Roma/Gypsies there and they are like a HUGE family. They all defend one another and they are like a pack of wolves in a way, in the sense that they socialize within thier community and defend eachother with such passion no matter the case/situation. They all speak Portuguese and are in fact Portuguese. The Portuguese community has a great respect and in some way a fear torwards they basically "go hard" they are intimidating and they know that. Back in the day Gypsies were like a gang, most  had weapons and some robbed people and stole goods so they can sell it in the flea market. In fact, my dad was shot and stabbed by them on two different occasions.
They have a tradition that they marry within their race and they still to this day have arranged marrages.  Once a baby is born the parents choose who she will marry and visa-versa. Of course the parents of both families have to come to an aggreement. If a womans husband has passed away, she would wear all black for the rest of her life, and old time tradition she would not shower for a whole year. Now-a-days the younger generations are still following the all black concept but they are not following the not showering for a year anymore like they used to.
The difference between the Roma/Gypsies and the Romanians, is that the Roma/Gypsies are generally darker skin, dark hair, but most have light colored eyes, I believe that the reason why they are all tan, is due to the fact that they all marry within their race. The Romanians on the other had are just starting to immigrate to Portugal, and they are in fact pale, with lighter hair and from what I have in fact seen, they are stereotyped as "free-loaders", in the way that they just stand on the streets begging for money, and in fact pick-pocket people. One day I was at the outdoor market, and I witnessed two Romanian young women attempt to pick pocket a tourist. They take advantage of tourists because they are new to the country and are not aware of their intentions. However, unlike the Gypsies, the Romanians do not travel in such a large group like th Roma/Gypsies do.

In conclusion, when the professor referred to the term Gypsy as a derogatory term I did not agree with here because of my personal experiences. They call each other "Cigano's" which means gypsies. Everyone referrs to them as that and they are aware and are okay with it. It is WHO THEY ARE. Just like I am Portuguese, I wouldn't get offended if someone reffered to me as Portuguese. And the Romanians are "Romano's".

Group photograph captioned 'Hungarian Gypsies all of whom were deported' in The New York Times, Sunday Feb. 12, 1905

  Roma/Gypsies in Barcelona

http://www.rickandjames.com/Photo%20Gallery%202-3.html

http://5magazine.wordpress.com/2010/01/17/the-gypsies-in-history-and-today/

I hope to no offend anyone nor come across as racist, I in fact am very interested in their customs and culture, I have friends that are Ciganos in Portugal, and I find that their distinctive look is beautiful. =) I feel terrible for those who have been abused and taken advantage of in the past by the NAZI and other European Officials. But I am glad to say that in Braga, Portugal  where my family and I are from, there is none of that. We all get along.

Cultural Relativism: FGM!!!

Hello everyone!

For my cultural relativism topic I chose female genital mutilation (FGM) or otherwise known as female circumcision. The reason why I chose this topic was because when I was in middle school or early high school I read an article about this on a young woman who went through this procedure when she was younger, and it really touched me. FGM “is an invasive and painful surgical procedure that is often performed without anesthetic on girls before puberty. Various sources estimate that from about 60 to 140 million women in the world have been circumcised. An average of about four girls a minute continue to be mutilated. Their prepuce is removed and their clitoris may be partially or completely removed. In some traditions the operation is far more invasive: the labia minora are also surgically removed and the labia majora are sewn together, covering the urethra and vagina. A small opening is retained for the passage of urine and menstrual fluid”(http://www.religioustolerance.org/).

Therefore, I searched some articles on this topic and I found an interview on http://www.modernghana.com/, with the famous model and spokesperson against FGM. Waris Dire, is a victim of FGM and she speaks on her terrorizing memories. According to Dire, who is an UN ambassador she states “Female Genital Mutilation happens primarily in Africa, in particular in North-Eastern, Eastern and Western Africa. However, it also takes place in the Middle East, in South-East Asia - and also among immigrants in Europe”. She also goes on to give the supposed reasons as to why these excruciating procedures are done, for example she says “for instance the chastity of women; also, the mutilation is meant to ensure that the girls will still be virgins when they are married. Hygiene, aesthetics and health may also be found among the reasons provided. A further reason provided frequently is religion. In Muslim communities in Africa, in which FGM is performed, reference is made to the Qu''ran. But the Qur'an does not provide for Female Genital Mutilation - it has nothing to do with religion.” Also, it is done so that the woman does not enjoy sex, meaning if she does not enjoy sex then she won’t cheat on her husband and have sex with other men. However like Dire says, who would want to have sex with a woman if she does not enjoy it, in a way I think of that as a form of rape, if the woman does not enjoy it then why would she want to have sex in the first place? Also, she FGM can be related to the spread of HIV/AIDS. Most of these procedures are not done in a clean and sterilized area; in fact Dires’ procedure was done ON TOP of a ROCK with an OLD razor blade! I find this type of operation torture and it is absurd that it still exists today! Therefore bring my point of the spread of HIV/AIDS; the women perform FGM on these young girls more than likely use the same razor blade to mutilate many young girls without using a brand new one, or even worst using an old, raggedy, dirty blade.

All in all, I think that a stop NEEDS to be put to this mutilation, not only is it torture to these woman, but they do NOT choose too have these procedures done. It is done without their consent and this is a violation of our rights as humans, sure the people who perform these procedures defend it as being done to save the women, or being done so they can remain faithful, or some say that it has to do with the Qur’an, but it does not according to Dires. Cultural Relativism can defend this practice as culturally acceptable because in the definition it states that “there are no objective  standards by which to evaluate a culture and that a culture can only be understood in terms of its own values and customs” basically saying that we can’t judge the culture since we do not practice it. I can see the reasoning behind why it would be defended by cultural relativism but I do not agree with the practice. I try to never judge a book by its cover, and I do not blame the people for doing these cruel practices because they do not know any different. The lack of education leads to problems like these all over the world. If we don’t have people that defend this issue and make it so that they can teach these people who lack the knowledge of the harm that these procedures are doing to these young victims than there would never be a stop to it.


These are the blades that are being used to do FGM's! Would you trust these?



Websites used:
First picture: http://www.globalpulsejournal.com/blog/index.php/2010/09/06/the-practice-of-female-genital-mutilation-across-the-world/
Second Picture :http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/entry/zero_tolerance_fgm

In post:

Voice, T. (2007, N ovember 14). The Horror of Female Genital Mutilation. Retrieved February 11, 2011, from modernghana.com: http://www.modernghana.com/lifestyle/186/16/the-horror-of-female-genital-mutilation.html

About FGM: Female Genital Mutilation . (2010, December 11). Retrieved February 11, 2011, from religioustolerance.org: http://www.religioustolerance.org/fem_circ.htm

First Reflection (=

Well after the first couple of weeks of class, I'd have to say that I am very excited to see whats coming next! I truly enjoyed every class, maybe because I think that the way that people interact with one another is very interesting. Every factor and experience in our lives changes the way that we as humans see the world. Therefore, I am very intrigued to learn more about sociology. I think that our professor does a very good job at keeping us (the class) interested and "alive", she is very energetic, and seems eager to teach us! =) I look forward to what the is in-store for us! And from what I have seen so far, I expect to learn a lot and get a deeper meaning on sociology, and the world around us.