SumBlog 11

I thoroughly enjoyed watching 'Solar Mamas'. I thought the idea of empowering women in these countries was the greatest thing ever. I also was super impressed that they were able to learn solar engineering in just 6 months. They were learning everything in a foreign language to begin with but they were also reading and writing, which for some they were unable to do before then. These women were learning things that are so beyond what I could comprehend, mostly due to the fact that I'm terrible with things like wiring and computers. I honestly struggle plugging my blu ray player into the tv. I saw earlier today that a mechanic in Brazil has now figured out how to make a lightbulb with a simple Coke bottle, water and some bleach. It's amazing to me how something so simple can create something so necessary all over the world.http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/brazilian-mechanic-creates-light-bulb-water-bleach-bottle-article-1.1427011
 I was floored at how the main woman stood up to her husband and went back to finish the program, despite the fact that everything in Jordan is based on the man's decision and choices. When I say that I was floored, it was in a good way. It was amazing to see how the small amount of time she had spent at the Barefoot College had empowered her to have self confidence and know that she was capable of so much more than spending her day doing nothing in a tent.

I saw this picture of Malala the other day and it fit together well to me. There are so many countries were females are not allowed to do so many things and this young girl almost died standing up for herself, wanting to be an educated female. More power to her. It reminded me of how the main woman stood up for herself, wanting something better for her and her children.

SumBlog 8

Immigration has always been a curious topic to me. I chose to write the word 'unhappy' on the board. I have always thought there must be something that was making them unhappy in the country they came from to make them leave. Whether they come to America or to another country for a better life, there is always a driving factor.
Someone wrote Ellis Island. That made my head spin. There were so many things to think about Ellis Island. It's where our ancestors came through when they immigrated, seeking a better life. So many people, families and ethnicities came through the doors at Ellis Island. The people were put through examinations to ensure they didn't have any lice of disease to bring into the country. Many were held in quarantine until cleared by a doctor. Even more people were denied entry to the country, giving Ellis Island the second nick name of 'Island of tears'. According to the Ellis Island website, there are 25 buildings on the south side of the island that remain unrestored. These buildings were used for housing those in quarantine and those receiving psychiatric treatment. Here is the link to the website. It has many interesting facts I was unaware of and I'm sure many others are as well. http://www.nps.gov/elis/index.htm
Ellis Island became the beginning of as many as 12 million amazing stories of people searching for something better, hoping to achieve their dreams. 12 million people passed through Ellis Island, wanting a new life. http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gregkrenzelok/ellisislandaaa.jpg

SumBlog 7

I never thought about how hurtful it can be to someone who is outside the gender binary when people stare or make a face or snide remarks towards them. I've never given it any thought how they must feel, unsure of their place in this world, or totally sure but completely unaccepted. Looking back, I find myself often asking my husband or friends, 'is that a male or a female'? What does it matter? It's a person, with feelings, so keep your thoughts to yourself. After watching the short clip in class about transgender people who are parenting, I say good for them. There are a lot of family situations in this world, especially in the US, where children come from a heterosexual, two parent household and not loved or cared for near as much as some of the children who come from a transgender home. Isn't the child's wellbeing and happiness the main point of being a parent? If that's not the case, I'm failing. Obviously you have to teach them things about surviving in society through tact and what's appropriate and what isn't. But the point is to have happy children who feel loved. And that is exactly what I saw in that clip. Especially the couple who was still expecting. The love that they will be able to give to their child far exceeds what a lot of children feel in a nuclear family.
I randomly came across this buzzfeed article about a woman in San Francisco who began photographing her friends. The women in the pictures are women who are outside the gender binary. I was so excited to share it when it popped up on my Facebook, since it fit perfectly into the discussion in class the other day. These pictures bring light to the thought of 'who cares?' These people are who they are, and that's all that matters. The whole point of this discussion was to make you realize to be true to yourself. Be who you feel you are. Who cares what anyone else thinks? http://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/photographing-the-butch-women-of-san-francisco

Sumblog 5

So here's how I see the whole sexuality and gender thing. It's a whole double standard all the way around. It's okay for girls to act this way but not okay for boys to act that way. Why was I a weird girl for playing sports when I was a kid but my brother was encouraged to do it? Why are boys encouraged to pursue science and math in school but girls are discouraged? Why are women encouraged to do things to enhance their physical beauty but men are told to 'be manly'? I watched an episode of What Would You Do? last year that popped into my head the other day. A mother went for a manicure and brought her son with. He wanted a manicure as well and the other actor challenged the mother's decision to allow it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEJwlSP2lac
It bothers me that there were people willing to interfere with the mother's decision to let her son get a manicure. My son tells me quite often that he wants to do things just like me. I don't even think twice about letting him do things, even if it is something that would be considered feminine. If it's what he's wants to do and it's not something that's not going to put him in harm's way, I'm going to let him do it. 
 I also wonder why sexuality is given such a double standard. Why is it okay for girls to kiss eachother and be straight but guys would never dream of it? When we were discussing this in class, I thought of a scene from American Pie 2 when they guys were painting a house that they thought lesbians lived in. So they climbed in the window and the girls came back. Honestly, why is it okay one way and not the other?

I felt very strongly about the video clip we watched about the 'sissy boy experiment'. How could a parent not allow their child to be themselves? That child was so scarred from what his parents put him through that he felt the need to end his own life. I feel awful for his brother and sister who watched the torture happen and were helpless to stop it. The job of being a parent is to love your child no matter what. Clearly there are circumstances where I am not going to approve of what my children do, but I'm going to love them through their mistakes. That's my job. I'm going to do my best to raise them without sinking to society's double standards, despite my husband falling right in line with them.

SumBlog 3

So I watched the second part of the documentary. I'm sorry but in my mind the people of the Westboro Baptist Church are bat-s**t crazy. I understand that they think this is what the Bible says and that everything they are doing is completely correct. But it's not. Nothing about what they are doing is Christian in sense of the word. I think the part that is bothering me the most is their language. There are plenty of other words that they could use to describe the group of people they are referring to. It is obscenely derogatory and offensive to use the term 'fag'. I am offended and I am a heterosexual.

I know that homosexual lifestyle and especially same sex marriage is a controversial topic to some. To me, love is love. Why should it be called same sex marriage? Why can it not be called marriage? That's what it is. The hatred portrayed by the people of this 'church' makes me want to vomit. While I belong to a church, I don't practice the religion. I do, however, have more than average knowledge of the Bible and I know that this is not what God was talking about. What ever happened to love thy neighbor? Isn't that considered the most important rule? I guess I'm just unsure how to handle these people and what they're doing. Something I was told when I became a parent comes completely in to play in this deal. You are not born with hate. When you're a small child, another child is just another child to play with. Unless you have been raised to hate. It's not something that's ingrained in us. The children in the family were the same age as my son using phrases like 'this nation of fags' and I wanted to cry to hear such things come from the mouths of little kids. How could a parent teach their child to say such awful things about people? How could a good parent teach such hatred to their kids? The image I have posted is exactly what I feel when I see people protesting a lifestyle other than their own. I wonder if the people who protested integration feel stupid now. Just like I feel that people who are protesting marriage are going to feel stupid. I want my kids to grow up in a world where everyone can feel safe to be themselves. I would never want them to be ashamed. How dare these parents of this 'church' teach their children the things they have. I'm not going to be one of those people with as much hatred and say something like 'I hope they die' but I will admit that I am sure glad none of the young adult girls want to get married. It might just mean that I could see the end of this awfulness in my lifetime. To the families of the funerals that have been protested, I'm sorry that you had to suffer through them being there while you were already grieving.

Sumblog 2

When it comes to disabilities, there's so many ways to look at it. It can be seen as something that will hinder the person it affects. It can also be seen as something that the person just adjusts to and learns to live with.
About 12 years ago, my dad, who has since passed, had a stroke. He never fully recovered from it. With about 60% function in his arm and about 80% (at best) function in his leg, my dad was never the same physically again. He worked hard in therapy to overcome the hand he had been dealt and learned to walk again with the help of a cane. My dad was able to go back to his job and continue working full time. Years later, after a series of mini strokes, my dad became too disabled to complete his job function. He went through 2 tests, with 2 different doctors and eventually he received disability payments. He never considered himself a burden on society as the definition given in class implied.
There was a young man in my high school who suffered from a severe case of fetal alcohol syndrome. He was unable to make complete sentences and sometimes even struggled with words. He had difficulty walking and wore a helmet to protect himself in case of a fall. He had a heart of gold. He didn't let his disabilities stop him from going on with life. Everyone understood his situation, and while most high school age kids would make fun of someone in such a situation, the students in my school accepted him for who he was and treated him the same as anyone else.
 A perfect example of overcoming a disability is Frederic Bilodeau. His brother, Alex, has recently won a gold medal for skiing, representing Canada in the Olympics. Frederic has cerebral palsy. I would not say that Frederic is someone who suffers from it. When Alex won his gold medal, he congratulated the other competitors and went running to his brother who was in the stands waiting for him. When interviewed, Alex gave his brother Frederic as his reason for getting up every day to practice. It was a very heart warming moment. Here is the story and the full interview done with Alex Bilodeau. http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/disabled-brother-inspires-alex-bilodeaus-gold-medal-run
So we ask what is a disability? To me a disability is just something stopping you from your fullest potential. If a person is missing a limb, or is cognitively behind, if they don't let it get in the way, why should it be considered a disability? A disability is what the person affected by it makes it. My dad went back to work full time, the student in my high school did the best that he could. Alex used his Frederic's situation to inspire his gold medal winning performance.