Thursday, September 27, 2012
Blanca's Blog #3
Question 1: In the play Oleanna, for those who have taken the time to read between the lines, we find an even deeper meaning to the words and actions expressed here. We can say that in Oleanna, carol's cry of rape is somewhat of an American position we've created. When it comes to sexual harassment, we tend to base it on mainly age and sex. In example, this week on The View there was talk of how Carrie Underwood gave a kiss to her 12 yr-old fan Chase, whom said "let's do this lip to lip". The View made a good point of how this was innocent and cute, yet if it were Blake Shelton and a 12 yr-old girl fan America would consider it sexual harassment and wrong. So really, what is the difference between a man and a woman, is it simply because it is a woman its okay? In Oleanna, because men are often looked upon as the vast majority of people who are the cause of sexual harassment, Carol uses this to her advantage and creates a scene upon which if it were the other around wouldn't seem like such a problem. Through John, we get a look at another American issue, tenure. Although John clearly loves his job, he does let Carol know that he believes there is something wrong with the way that education is based on, on the subject of how much it cost, etc. By receiving tenure he is to keep his job until he retires, which in many case in America isn't the smartest choice by institutes. In many cases teachers who do receive tenure are educators whom don't really have a passion for teaching and are rather bad educators. There was actually a good documentary about this which I watched in High School, I forget the name. Oleanna definitely does show something that might happen more than we'd like between students and professors.
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Sexual harassment is a topic that can be easily skewed and if filed most often will fall in the women’s favor. This is a result of our past histories. In many cultures, including America, women could be sold, killed, or raped and receive no justice. Often rapped women would be condoned to the name of a “whore” and would not be married as a result. Now you may think this issue is dead and gone and although such issues may not exist within our American boarders such problems still occur. A few years ago I read an article, although I can’t seem to find it now, which talked about a Middle Eastern woman who was rapped. She fought to protect herself but in the process killed her attacker. As some of you may know a man’s life is worth twice as much as a woman’s in the Middle East so she was sentenced to death as a result. Now this is a rare and extreme case to us here in America however, this is a dominate issue in many women’s lives. It is true that women can also rape or sexually harass men but it is our history that has lead us to these extreme reactions and protocols regarding sexual harassment.
ReplyDeleteI liked your point that it's "cute" for an older female and a younger male, but "wrong" for an older male and a younger female. But that's never the case with sexual harassment in education in today's society, which is the primary focus in Oleanna. If the case is in education, then it's taken much more seriously because there are already established roles (a teacher that only teachers, a student that only learns, the relationship between them isn't at all sexual) that need to be followed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you guys have said in your discussions about sexual harrasment has to do with a persons age and sex. This reminds me of what we are discussing in my English class because we are talking about gender roles. It's basically the same things you guys were talking about above in saying that it is socially alright for woman to do one thing but if a man does it too then it is frowned upon and vice versa. We have strict gender norms in our society that when someone tries to break it, it is not acceptable and people automatically think that it is not okay to do.
ReplyDeleteAnother important fact that comes into play with issue of rape is the purely physical aspect. Quoting strict biological facts, it's assumed that men are: A) Usually physically stronger than women and B) More prone to aggressive behavior, a side effect of that petulant pituitary gland. Because of this, the very idea of a man being raped by a woman is hard to take seriously in our culture, where the idea of a woman physically overtaking a man is a rarity. As for the second aspect, women have the tendency to think things out more often than men. Not to disparage either gender, we're both screwy in our own ways. A third point takes us back to the man's psyche. Men get horny. Often. It hearkens back to old adage: you can't rape the willing. That's just my two cents.
ReplyDeleteThe point you make here is very good, I feel like it is our society that determines the way we view things. It seems like when it comes to sexual harassment men are more to blame. Maybe because men are usually convicted more often of sexual crimes than women are. It is interesting to look at how gender roles have changed over time, where in ancient times there was less concern over sexual harassment. Now, though, not just concerning sexual harassment, but the judicial system in general a lot of people use technical rules to their advantage to win a case. Oleana is an example of someone trying to use the system to achieve their goals.
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