blog 4

Thoughts on "Bi, Butch and Bar Dyke." Unfortunately, internet connectivity issues prevented me from finishing this article (WiFi at school is absolutely horrible today!), and this was all I was able to write. I'm sorry for this! I hope it will suffice for this week. 

                                                            _________________


Already, I'm excited to read this, because we talk a lot about what goes on within the English community, but gender influences and stereotypes  aren't normally a hot-button issue. I'm anxious to see what this article says.

"a stereotyped dream of success" i'm wondering, does this apply only to sexuality? or will it refer to the teaching profession as a whole? As teaching is often a profession that is looked down on (I feel, at least).

Bi:
"power in the academy...is associated with...unchanging set of personal characteristics" makes me think of the inflexibility in curriculum we've discussed in the past. Perhaps it is not the curriculum that is the issue. The curriculum can't change until the people in charge change. Does that mean it is the traditional (for lack of a better word) American ideals that prevent us from progressing?

"no limits placed on the child" kind of a strange thing to say right away in a story. Also not something I feel I would ask a child if we were grocery shopping. Waiting to see where this goes.

"there is no fixed identity" I tend to disagree with this; I think personalities are fairly permanent (not in a bad way).

I feel I'm not really getting the connection she's trying to make with the "hard pea/ cold porridge" thing.

Her stance on lesbian narrators (if I'm reading the passage correctly) is interesting in that she feels it is a limited channel of expression and representation. Maybe my perspective is skewed because I'm straight, but I think I disagree with the idea that a lesbian character (hero?) is limiting to the narrative. I will agree, however, that how something like that is received definitely depends on a bit of political-ness. (Not a word, I know.) "A self-empowerment that depends on binary oppositions" is a very powerful statement, and I am not going to comment on it. I would just like to point out that it is giving me a lot to think about (mostly it makes me evaluate my own perspective on the topic of queerness).

I think I am misunderstanding a bit. When she says "autobiographies," she means real lives? The narratives we live and tell ourselves as they happen?

"categorize individual subjects as different" yes, I can see that. Very true, unfortunately. Sad tot think that someone's orientation is perceived to (negatively) influence their professionalism.

"erase differences...between public and personal narratives" interesting thing to say about a movement in general-- that perhaps, a movement meant to do good is actually not representative of what the majority feels? (Thus the "real me" commentary that follows.)

Interesting that she refers to her bi-sexuality in terms of "straight" and "lesbian(ism)" since this is kind of an issue within the bi-community. The idea that a bi-person is "half-straight" or "half-gay" is often considered offensive, as straight, gay and bi are all seen as completely separate terms with absolutely no overlap whatsoever. Perhaps she uses these terms for ease of communication, but part of me believes if she herself found the accusation offensive, she would be inclined to not use the therm lesbian, or would have disclaim earlier in the piece. This seems to exemplify of the "whole" not representing the majority. The movement says "NOT half-gay. We are BI!" but the author says "straight" and "lesbian."

“made the mistake of becoming too comfortable with this class” sad to hear a teacher say something like this; especially when teacher-student relations are already as strained as they are. Also surprising to hear the class met the piece with such strong resistance. A good opportunity to discuss aggressive perceptions, the class’ responses were surprising to see and very disappointing. But the willingness to discuss “Theft” is indeed a small victory, and maybe something sensitive like that should be taught early on, kind of like shock therapy.

Butch:
“unearned privilege” interesting how this wording makes it sound like something the author is guilty of.

“center and margins of American society” very powerful and self-aware sentence. Also portrays a really interesting contrast—how one person could occupy both the highs and lows of societal standing at once, depending on what others know about you. As if one were enough to cancel out another. 

"butch or fem... not gay or straight" interesting how physicality contributes to what people think about us. Gender roles and norms and things of the like. Also interesting how she alludes to "butch" being the way a woman carried herself/acted (the soul of a man inside a woman's body).

"lesbian sex wars" is just the most ridiculous phrase I've ever seen in my life.

"butch gender performance" again with the way a woman carries herself.

"project a lesbian persona without formally coming out" she said it neither negatively or positively (very matter-of-factly) but I wonder if this trend makes her sad in some way. Does she get tired of the assumption that she is a lesbian simply because of the way she looks? Despite it being true, I'm sure it gets very tiresome.

"appropriating the power and influence" good in a way, as women often don't enjoy the level of power men do but also very sad that a woman needs t make herself  or be perceived as "manly" before being respected enough to even have power in the first place.