Dan Kelly

Krysten Eshelman

Assignment Three

Introduction

The matrix of domination refers to the external and internal characteristics of a society that transcend the overall power structure of individual, intrapersonal, and social institutions. These external and internal factors include, and are not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, nationality, and language. Each of these characteristics share certain marked and unmarked qualities that define an individual’s level of power within society. The goal of this assignment is to dissect the levels of domination on a personal level and define power within our own power structure.

Within the structure of this group project, assignment three has allowed us to observe power within society on two distinct levels, allowing a consciousness of comparative analysis, yielding two different perspectives within the matrix of domination. Without the aid of each other, our assumptions regarding power would be skewed towards our own personal impressions, instead collaboration has allowed a free flow of ideas and emotions, positively contributing to the overall goal of this project. This paper will be divided into three sections, the first section will include the overall analysis of the matrix of domination and the factors that determine power within society. The second section will deal with our individual analysis and how power is determined within our own lives. The third section will compare and contrast the influence of dominate and subordinate social groups within our individual lives.

Section One- Overall Analysis from the Matrix of Domination

Intersectionality refers to the subordinate and dominate social groups that make up an individual’s overall power identity within society. These characteristics include physical and internal characteristics such as race, gender, age, language, nationality, religion, and sexuality. The matrix of domination creates a research space to define an individual’s place within dominant and subordinate groups within society. Throughout history society has defined and restructured the way in which individuals perceive power. Starting with the formation of hunting and gathering societies during the bronze age, society defined gender roles and placed emphasis on male masculine characteristics. Survival was based on the males ability to hunt and provide food for a group of people. The earliest evidence of society deemed the race of males as superior to women, both intellectually and physically. Since 2000BC these assumptions have become engrained into societies throughout time and the world. Antiquity has engrained a system of observation that marks Man as the dominant gender group. History has defined the oppression of woman as a staple within society. It was not until political institutions during the 20^th Century set precedent and demanded equal treatment for woman including every aspect of life. Even with political precedent, societies throughout the world still experience gender inequality.

Gender is only one example from the matrix of domination, we have defined gender in such a away to define the complexity of each level within the matrix. Each dominant and subordinate groups have experienced both a unique and similar social evolution, this paper will not go into such a deep level of interpretation as experienced above with gender. Instead we will discuss the current social standing for each level within the matrix, and contribute how society defines power within it.

Within the matrix of domination race and ethnicity is divided into two groups, marked and unmarked. The unmarked social group includes individuals who are white, racial privilege within society corresponds with individuals who are white. The marked group include any person who is of color. This includes any ethnic group who is not white. Racial prejudice and stereotypes have become distinctive characteristics within society. People of color within society lack the “power” granted to individuals who are white. This power includes opportunity, respect, political participation, and impression. Society has deemed individuals of color as corrupt, lacking certain social characteristics needed to be a powerful and contributing member of society. Oppression on racial lines can currently be viewed on many levels. The marked categories along racial lines are perpetuated by the media, members of the dominant social groups, and political organizations. Individuals of color experience racial discrimination along every level of society. Members of the unmarked social groups have created societal standards and institutions that create a difficult level of entry for individuals of color.

The United States of America “lives” under a standard of separate institutions of religion and state. But under the US dollar we witness the slogan “In God We Trust”, children in public school pledge their allegiance everyday to one God, and political institutions have made rulings in the areas of abortion and gay union based on ethical teaching from the Bible. Everyday we experience societal behavior that enforces the belief of Christian doctrine and dogma, the media also portrays other non-Christian faiths around the world as fanatical and corrupt. War and violence has been portrayed as underlining influences from non-Xtian religions. The Protestant faith has always been the dominate social group in the United States. September 11^th has created a consciousness of religious stereotyping, placing blame on religious doctrine that does not conform to the religious standards of Christianity. Even the Catholic faith which is rooted in Christian ideals, has become blackballed based on instances sexual abuse and religious fanaticism. Those individuals who are non-Xtian experience discrimination and stereotyping, each religion exhibiting its own unique oppression within society, some more than others.

An often unnoticed category associated with the matrix of domination is the power behind US citizenship and efficiency in English. A US citizenship has the ability to grant access across the globe. A US passport gives an American almost unlimited access around the globe. In some countries it is almost impossible for a citizen to travel out of state, based to on the political stability and worldview of a country. As an American, a US citizen yields a certain political and social power that many in this world will never witness. As an immigrant, this unmarked category virtually holds no individual rights or justice. Without the power of citizenship you can not legitimize your own existence. Even as a citizen without the knowledge of the English language you are almost powerless in American society. But there is always an exception if you qualify in a certain economic class. However, immigrant workers who have international education will find difficulty in applying for jobs in their field of study. A foreign education with a small level of English will be subject to xenophobic reaction for potential employers.

Individual Experience Krysten Eshelman: An Experience with Reverse Racism

It is very interesting when you are presented with certain opportunities in your life to voice your feelings on how you feel you are placed in society, and not only how you are placed, but how your status, whether it be social, racial, economical, or ethical effects situations in your life. It is not until these opportunities to voice yourself do you really think back on certain situations that at the time when they occurred seemed in no way related to any status of power and societal status.

When I was 16 years of age, I took a job at the local 7-11 convenience store not even ten minutes from my home. I felt it would be a good experience in learning how to multitask between tending to customers and performing all the daily tasks associated with an associates’ position. What I did not realize when I had accepted the position was that I was a minority among the staff. Where most people constitute a minority as a person of black, African American, or even Latino background, I was a minority in my setting as a white American. I had been marked in my status of my job.

I began experiencing situations which were extremely offensive, but at the time, I only wanted to do a good job, and perform my duties to 100% or more. Every time I felt I was doing something right, even when not specifically asked by the manager, I always seemed to get in trouble or get written up for something I found to be a good deed. As I said earlier, during this age in my life, I was naïve to many concepts of the world, favoritism and racism for example, so I never looked at the issue of why I was being written up, but only tried to make the manager happy and apologize for what she felt I had done wrong.

My manager was a black female, probably in her early 40’s. She always seemed to have a chip on her shoulder when we spoke, but I would think nothing of it, only thinking this is just her personality and would never take anything personal when she would be rude with me. I began noticing more and more that the other people that worked with me were all black women, no men, black or white, no other white women, or people of any other racial background. Among all of these people I was the only one being picked on, being blamed for things that were just absurd now that I look back on things.

Aside from the issues I was having at work, I also attended high school with her two children; they also carried that same chip on their shoulder that their mother toted around with her all the time. They only associated with other children in their racial group, and had the same rude attitude toward me and other white children that their mother had with me at work. I didn’t understand why they acted this way, but once again just felt it was their personality and tried to not think into it too much.

I started to become very frustrated at work and felt I could do nothing right, though I was still doing everything in my power to do the best job I could possibly do. There was one particular instance that really upsets me now that I think back to those days. It was a Saturday morning about 7:00am. A black woman came in with her young son. While she was doing her shopping her son was trying to get himself a Slurpee, but he was too little and could not reach the machine. I graciously offered to help the little boy and got him his Slurpee while I was working on the coffee bar simultaneously. When I turned back around I saw the mother and my manager leaning over the counter whispering and looking back at me while doing so. Once the mother and her son left the store, I was called to the back office where I was severely reprimanded. My manager had told me she was writing me up for pushing the little boy on the floor, can you believe that? It still sounds crazy to me all these years later. Why in the world would I do that to a customer? Who would even think about doing something like that? Definitely not me, and certainly I wouldn’t help him get a drink then shove the child on the floor. It just didn’t make sense. I asked her is she would rewind the security camera so that I could see how I did that, and she refused. She then wrote me up and told me two more instances and I would be terminated of my employment. I was so distraught. At this point I was wondering if I was going crazy, I had never been accused of something so ridiculous in my life, and couldn’t understand why she was doing this to me.

The second instance involved the Frapuccino machine. This was at the time when this machine was new to 7-11 and it still had its quirks. It was Easter Sunday, and that ended up being a normal event for me to have to work all my weekends, late evenings, and even holidays, but I did not complain, at that point mostly out of fear of losing my job. It was me and one other older black woman working along with the manager. I heard a strange noise; it was coming from the Frapaccino machine. The other woman was busy with customers and the manager was stocking the freezers in the back. The machine was grinding the power cord; it had fallen in the machine while it was still churning the product. Without thinking about it, I quickly stuck my hand down in the machine to try and release the cord. I did not know where the kill switch was, so I just went in while it was moving. Inside was a grinder, and while my hand was in there, it cut my knuckles which bled into the product. It took me a few minutes, but I released the cord which was already damaged and shut the machine off. I went into the back to tell the manager what had happened and she reprimanded me for contaminating the product. At this point I was completely devastated; I didn’t understand what I could have possibly done wrong. I felt that I saved the machine from being destroyed, and I hurt my hand in the process. She did not say thank and didn’t care that my hand was bleeding. She told me to clean the machine and make a new batch of mix, then to meet her in her office once that was done. Once again, I was written up for this incident.

There was one last major incident that put me over the edge. It was an evening during the week, it was late, and I was at the register by myself, which was against store policy. The other girl was in the back stocking the freezers. This young man came in that frequented the store. I had always heard he had some mental issues, but he was always cordial to me, so I thought nothing of him having problems. He rode a bike and was not allowed to drive a car. That evening he came in, he was saying hello to a man that was in the aisle next to him. The man did not acknowledge his hello because the young man seemed to be making the other man uncomfortable. The man turned to leave the store and the man on the bike turned and flung the door open, proceeding to break it off the hinges, and began yelling at the other man. He was working to get his door unlocked, while the other man pulled out a knife and began to swipe at the man unlocking his door. The man finally got in the car and sped off, while the man ran after the car with his knife. He disappeared and I pushed our panic button to the police department a countless number of times because I was so scared. The man was gone forever, and in that time, the police showed up and were taking my report. The manager showed up and instead of asking me how I was doing or being concerned for my well-being, she asked me how many times I pushed the panic button to the police department because it charged the store’s phone line $.25 every time it was pushed after the initial time. I told her I didn’t know because I was so nervous I wasn’t really thinking how many times I had pushed it. Even in the midst of the commotion, she had me meet her in the back and told me she was going to deduct the panic button charges from my paycheck, and then said she was going to write me up. That would have been my third and final write-up pending termination. Before she could even get to the point of pulling out the slip, I stepped up and told her I was quitting, I couldn’t take the fact that I felt I was being bullied anymore. I walked out of the store feeling very shaken up from the incident and upset because I was losing my job that I did take so much pride in originally.

A month later I heard that the manager had been terminated for racial discrimination issues with another young white female that became employed once I had left. The whole time I worked there I was so confused as to why she treated me so poorly, and always blamed me for things that were out of my control, and then I found it to be a racial issue and was first surprised, and second disappointed. I never would have thought in a million year that I would be a victim of a racial issue being that I was a white female. When people think about racism in general, they think about it being directed towards minorities. Still to this day there are some people that I tell these stories to that don’t believe me, but I can assure you that these incidents really took place. It brought a new light to my knowledge, and I am much more aware of society and the way people are treated and the way people react toward society when they are directly or even indirectly discriminated against. There are so many people who believe that they are just disliked, but don’t acknowledge the fact that they are being racially discriminated against. Many people choose to see the best in people and look past their bad qualities, but no matter how hard I tried to see the good side of my manager, she continued to disappoint me and tear down my character, not because of my quality of work, but because of my skin color.

If you look at this situation, in the beginning of my paper I identified myself as a marked category. In a non-discriminating situation, being a white middle-class female, I would have been an unmarked category. Unfortunately this situation put me in a marked category, which I don’t feel anyone should have to be a part of, no matter what the color of their skin may be. The matrix of domination left me powerless in this situation as well, where if you could reverse the situation, and I was the one in the manager’s position, I would have had even more power being a white female. Though I would not want any part of being more powerful because of my status, that is the way society would have viewed it, and there would have been more attention directed toward the fact that I had racially discriminated against an employee. If a white person does this, it would have been publicized and possibly even made into a court issue, but her being a black woman, it was kept very quiet, and nothing came of it. She was terminated, but no one really knew the real reason why she had been dismissed. It wasn’t until I spoke to the other white female that was discriminated against and got some inside facts that I knew this was the reason for her dismissal from the store. This is completely wrong. Society has made the people in the marked categories out to be the bad people, when that is not the case. It’s all about who you are and how you conduct yourself. Some people have hatred in their hearts, but it has nothing to do with skin color, it has to do with life and the experiences you endure during your time on this earth. People don’t shape and mold people, experiences they have with people and their surroundings do.

While this paper is about marked and unmarked categories, and the matrix of domination, it bothers me that we even have to speak about different categories. People should not have to be put into categories, that is for inanimate objects, like food or cars. People should be judged by their character and what they contribute to this world, not by the color of their skin, the amount of money in their bank account, or the size home they live in. When will it all change? I guess that is a rhetorical question, because things will never change. There will always be those people out there who choose to remain ignorant and believe that color equals difference. It is the way we choose to educate ourselves on these issues that makes the difference in the way we are all treated by society. If people don’t continue to support how marked and unmarked categories differ, eventually there won’t be two separate categories, and everyone can be categorized together as unmarked. Why do we continue to provoke hatred by creating categories? We need to look at everyone through the same glasses, and not wear our ignorant lenses when we feel that just because society has decided that certain people should be put into a category, then we support the category by treating people a certain way, or acting the way society expects us to when approached by something or someone different from us.

Individual Experience Dan Kelly-A Society of Male Dominance and the behavior associated within an unmarked group

Within the matrix of domination I am defined mostly by my unmarked characteristics. As a white male society has defined my physical characteristics as powerful. I am entitled to more opportunity and power than I probably realize. Society has always been defined by white, Anglo-Saxon, protestant, males. These individuals have created social and political institutions that have allowed the social groups I am apart of to flourish within society. Power has been defined within white males and I am subject to “unwritten” societal norms attributed to these social groups.

Along with my race and ethnicity I am also a member of other unmarked social groups. I am characterized by my Catholic faith, heterosexual choice, middle class upbringing, physical attributes, English efficiency, US citizenship, and my current status as a young adult. According to the matrix of domination I am a part of every unmarked group expect my religion, that can sometimes be defined as a marked category. Under these parameters I am entitled to the most power under the matrix of domination. With my personal experiences within American society, my education regarding global phenomena, and personal relationships with members outside the American society I agree with the perspective created by Hooks. I agree that society has created power within these characteristics, but I do not agree in the way power is perceived. As a member of so many unmarked groups I feel marked by the behavior of those who share the same characteristics as mine.

Unmarked social groups have maintained power through oppression, and within unmarked social groups you are told to embrace this behavior. I am not making an assumption that all members of unmarked groups are oppressors, many individuals maintain an open mind set, but underlying the behavior of all white males includes a group understanding of patriarchy and racism. Propaganda of elitism is a characteristic of male behavior, and on a greater level white male. Within my social groups I am pressured to conform to the ideals that I am superior to those who are different from me. When Oprah appears on TV my social group wants me to demean her because she is both a woman and a black woman who embraces femininity.

As a white male I would not share the same level of power and respect if I was a homosexual, bi-sexual, or transgendered. To fully be a part of the male dominant group I must be sexually involved with a female and in some cases a white female. Within this relationship I am expected to exhibit a behavior of dominance within my heterosexual relationship. Limiting the abilities of my significant other so I can divulge in my own selfish behavior. On a level of sexuality that excludes relationships women and men are judged differently. Male society has deemed it a prerequisite to demean the female race and view sexuality based on lust. Males who embrace sex are viewed as studs, and females who exhibit similar behavior are marked as whores.

Males are taught to embrace competition, aggressiveness, violence, and dominance. I was indoctrinated into the world of sports, most of my childhood memories and relationships were built on the athletic playing field. Males are taught to stand up for themselves and if needed to embrace violence to maintain a level of respect and dominance over others.

While I dissect my own assumptions and experience regarding masculine behavior I am truly disgusted with the socialization of males into society. The unmarked category of white male is defined by aggressiveness, violence, racism, privilege, homophobia, and sexual prowess.

Some of my closest friends are also a part of the unmarked group of white male. Some exhibit the awful behaviors that I describe above, some more than others. But these behaviors are never discussed and debated. They come to life through friendly banter, jokes, mocking, and foolish behavior. Behavior that at the time seems harmless eventually finds its way into the heart of society and creates torment for others. Harmless jokes perpetuate into racial hatred, homophobia is not discusses and often excommunicated, women become objects to have rather than respected.

White males have maintained power through violence and manipulation. History has been rewritten by the victors, masking the cruel behavior of our founding fathers. Political power has always been held by white males, education was a privilege only for white males, continuing an oppressive relationship amongst woman and individuals of color. The dominance of white males can be seen by the current presidential election; Clinton and Obama are both members of marked social groups. Some aspects of the media have attacked both of these candidates based on their marked characteristics. Clinton is being attacked based on her gender, with political correspondents attacking her ability to lead this country and maintain US global dominance, they bring up the military and the idea that a woman could be Commander and Chief. These cruel realities are examples of the male culture, stereotypes and gender inequality will become defining factors of Clinton’s campaign. Obama is also attacked based on this ethnic makeup and religion. His name is not a typical “Christian” name that is given to a majority of US citizens, conservative radio has taken this opportunity to compare the democratic presidential candidate to Osama Bin Laden. These assumptions are not based on any logical evidence except the ability of the media to harness racism and religious fear based on September 11^th against Obama. The current presidential election is a prime example of the thinking and behavior that is sometimes perpetuated by member of the white male social groups.

I have discussed my introductory analysis of how I perceive the dominant social group of a white male. Through my own experience with members of the same group, media visualization, and knowledge of history. I have defined male dominance through aggressive oppression of marked categories, specifically gender and ethnicity. My overall view of male dominance refers to the factors that reinforce certain male behaviors of competition, aggression, and dominance. In my opinion to experience the pinnacle of power that society has granted to white males it is in the best interest of a white male to either embrace the behavior stated during my analysis or ignore and not question the behavior exhibited by others.

My own worldview and behavior in society has become shaped by many factors. The education I have received has turned me into the person I am today. Both of my parents embrace education and teach for a living. They both graduated from college, and my mother dedicated extra years of her life to receive her master’s degree in education. As a child learning was engrained into my head, before I went to bed one or both of my parents would read to me, after school homework was the priority, when I had to memorize spelling words, poems, or Bible verses my parents were there to help my learning process. They sacrificed for my education and were able to support my extracurricular activities and private education to this day. A large part of who I am derives from my positive family experience. Both my parents are in a loving experience and neither of my parents dominated their marriage. I learned about sacrifice from both my mom and dad. My mother was an accountant before she had children; she decided to take a few years off to have my sister and I. At that time during my parent’s relationship she put her career on hold and had children. A few years later she resumed a new career, working most nights of the week, my dad took the responsibility and took care of my sister and I. He helped us with homework, cooked dinner, and took responsibility without complaint. My parents both hold different careers and contribute to the income of my family. Their sacrifice has influenced my view of social structure and the institution of marriage. Typical gender roles between male and female couples were never perpetuated in my family; both of my parents were strong independent people who preached equality and social justice to me. In this day in age a majority of my acquaintances come from outside a nuclear family or from a family where the mother stays at home. Some of these acquaintances have embraced what I would consider as a skewed vision gender role. Friends with mothers who stay at home and take on stereotypical female gender roles typically value male intelligence and dominance over a woman.

I have always enjoyed a level of luxury that places me in the middle class of society. My middle class upbringing along with religious teaching taught me a strong moral code and value of money. Religion never became a fanatical experience for my family; it was always there as a moral compass, but it never held me back as a person. I was brought up catholic, I experienced religious tradition and was confirmed in the church. Religion has taught me moral respect; I can sit here and say that I am a good Catholic even though I believe in contraception, gay marriage, and abortion. But as a Catholic I have experienced oppression based on my religious affiliation. I went to a Baptist school from 5^th grade through middle school. At this school I experienced a strong education, but masked in the math and writing was religious fanaticism. It was during this time my mind was opened up to the many factors that shape your personal view of the world. During school I was always well behaved, I was considered quite and maintained positive friendships with my teachers and fellow students. But during religion class my teacher called my name and asked what religion I was, I told him I was Catholic and he looked at me and told the class that I was going to hell. After that point my parents were never allowed to chaperone any fieldtrips or school events. Other teachers were soon contacted about my religious affiliation and even my basketball coach took me aside and tried to convince me that God would not accept me because of my religious affiliation. This was a changing moment in my life, I did not reject religion or the school I went to, instead I starting to view the rest of the world with a sense of cynicism. I opened my mind to the system around me and that enabled me to later in my life accept things that others wanted to shun me from.

Another factor that many take for granite in American society is their US citizenship and language. For the past three summers I have worked in Ocean City Maryland. Ocean City Maryland has a reputation for hiring many foreign students from many different countries. During these summers I have meet many individuals from different countries including Hungary, Nepal, Russia, Romania, and Ireland. I took great interest in these relationships and made an effort to maintain a true friendship and understanding of their culture. In my opinion, the American public lives in a consciousness of xenophobia. We demean individuals who are not American and value the intellect of Americans over someone from a different country. I meet foreign students who had scholarships from the World Bank who were educated in medicine, business, dentistry, and politics. They took blue collar work in the United States to save up enough money so they could go to school in the States and receive an American education. I was surprised, while I worked in Ocean City I learned to value my US citizenship and ability to speak English. I went into work every day with an open mind and learned a lot from my coworkers about my own assumptions. I also became a witness to the brutal behavior of employers towards non Americans. I saw my boss lower wages, fire workers based on small behavioral differences, and I listened to him demean the same workers that I would spend my evenings with. The first two summers I never had the courage to confront my boss about his oppressive behavior towards my coworkers. That changed during my last summer in Ocean City, my boss was losing money based on the number of hours he scheduled per week. But with most student programs there is a contract that requires the employer to guarantee over a certain amount of hours. The work schedule was changed and my immigrant workers were severely under their allotted hours, causing frustration based on the reality of rent and cost of living. I stood up to my boss and confronted him on the issue, overall the banter between us resulted in a schedule change, but in turn my own hours diminished week by week.

In conclusion the matrix of domination is comprised of different dominant and subordinate groups that come together and determine and individuals power in society. I am apart of mostly unmarked social groups, as a white male society has granted me with the best opportunity to exhibit power. I contribute male dominance to an oppressive history of marked groups. The behavior signified in male dominance is still prevalent in current society. I reject the stereotypical behavior because I view it as morally unacceptable and oppressive. Other levels of intersectionality that I have felt influenced by include, my religious upbringing as a Catholic, the positive personal and financial relationship between my parents, a strong influence of education, my status as a US citizen, and my efficiency in English. All of these factors have given me the opportunity to gain power in society because society has placed worth in all of these areas. These opportunities are granted through flawed institutional discrimination and a history of oppression.

Section Three Group Compare/Contrast

The advantage of working with a partner during assignment three is that it allowed for a congealed final analysis with each of our own experiences outlining the overall structure of domination. The differences of our group almost outweighed the similarities that we shared on most of the levels. A large part of this assignment deal on the issue of gender as both a marked and unmarked category. Since we both have different experiences regarding gender we could view each others experience without a sense of bias, instead we could contrast each others experience and tackle any assumptions we may have encountered. According to the matrix of domination we found a level of fissure based on the categories of gender, age, employment, and religion. It was interesting that Krysten was the same religious affiliation that Dan described during his personal analysis on religion. Dan discussed his experience during middle school when he was publicly criticized by his teachers for being Catholic. The private school that he mentioned was from Baptist affiliation. According to Dan’s experience his incident with religious fanatic Baptist could have shaped his worldview on the whole sect of religion, but during this project Dan was able to get a different perspective that did not publicly debate a faith that closely resembles his own.

On the level of comparison, we found to share many similar unmarked categories. We both were white, middle class, heterosexual, and educated. But even with many of the same characteristics we found that intersectionality inevitably creates different experiences that cannot simply be defined by similar characteristics. Krysten discussed her experience of reverse discrimination where she was tormented based on the color of her skin, gender, and her age. As a member of multiple unmarked and marked categories in an marked work environment Krysten experienced discrimination on a level that she could not comprehend at the time. Dan did not offer an experience that fell on the same lime as the one mentioned by Krysten, but his antidote reaffirms the notion that as a member of multiple dominant and subordinate social groups you are subject to the conceived powerlessness associated with marked categories.

Conclusion

The goal of assignment three was to dissect our individual lives and find where power lies in the dominant and subordinate groups that make up our individual intersectional. After creating an overall framework, we were able to share personal experiences regarding the matrix of domination. With the unique that each one of us brought to this assignment we picked a few unique perspectives that speaks truth to Hooks’ matrix of domination. I believe we achieved the overall purpose and presented a coherent and interesting write-up.

Alicia's Matrix of Domination

The matrix of domination is prevalent in our society today. Power and authority are distributed in various ways because of various reasons, some identified, some unidentified. There are people who benefit and others who suffer because of these often unspoken social norms. People are simultaneously part of marked and unmarked groups. Marked categories consist of the visible and unmarked categories consist of the invisible. One may consider being invisible negative but it is not. Being invisible proves domination in this case.
Although there are numerous examples of how certain people are deemed the powerful and others the powerless, I chose one specific event in my life that exemplified myself simultaneously as an unmarked and marked contributor to our society. One night I was driving to my friend’s college apartment in Chester, Pennsylvania. I ended up getting lost and got pulled over by a police officer. At first I was scared that I had missed a stop sign or was going to get in trouble for some reason. However, the officer came up to me and said something of the sense that it was not safe for me to be in that part of town and if I continued down the road I was headed I would have some problems. I then asked this man for directions and went on my way, quite stunned at what had just occurred and the stereotypes that were involved in such an interaction.
In Chester, PA, a predominantly black city, ‘white’ is a minority. Chester has a lot of government-funded project housing as well as run-down houses and cars and so many people refer to the city as the “ghetto” or “hood.” However, when my friends at Widener University invited me over, I did not feel afraid to drive the five minutes from my house to their apartment complex. I would like to account my lack of fear of the area to being a faithful Christian but it could just as well be because of my ignorance of the dangers that do exist in the city of Chester. Anyhow, my fair skin and clear European-American decent seemed to be part of the reason the African American officer pulled me over. It is difficult to know how the officer interpreted my skin color. He may have considered me marked because I was white and white is definitely a minority in that city. Also, he could have considered me more powerful or unmarked, being that as a white person I should be warned before entering into the particular area where I had been headed. The officer could have felt more dominant over me because he was African American and in Chester mostly everyone besides some college students in the area are also African American. Either way, my race was clearly a question of domination. My whiteness made me visible in Chester and because of that, I felt I was marked in this aspect. Not only was my race a cause for being pulled over, the race of the inhabitants of the area I was heading towards was obviously considered along with the stereotypes that go along with those particular persons.
The officer seemed to think that the place I was heading for was not safe for a white person to be in. But why did he think I would be harmed or mistreated in that area? When looking back on the event, I realized that the officer must have had some personal perceptions about the people of that certain block. I obviously could tell that the area around me was predominantly filled with African Americans and to see a white person was a rarity but I did not think I could be endangered merely because of my skin color. The officer may have had experience in that part of town before and reason to believe I would have been given trouble but in any case, he obviously felt that I would be powerless compared to the people I was heading to encounter.
Race was one of many issues, however, that contributed to this incidence. Another reason the officer must have found for pulling me over was because I was female. I honestly think that if I had been a male, I would not have gotten pulled over. Because of this thinking, I believe being a woman was the basis for the policeman even noticing me in the area in the first place. Although being a woman is considered a marked category because we are supposedly inferior to men, I did not feel the officer was disrespectful to me and he certainly did not use any force. Despite this respect that I was given, I did feel by being a female, I was seen by the officer as physically subordinate and unfit to take care of myself. In some sense, I agree. I do not think being a woman makes me weaker or less of a person. However, I am certain that had I been presented with someone who wanted to physically harm me, I would have put up a fight but it would not have made much of a difference. The officer, knowing this, saw that it would be in my best interest for him to pull me over and help me. He felt protective of me for the sole reason that I was a woman and he was a man. He was superior to me because I was not male and he was, therefore, knowing his realm of power, he chose to help me. When thinking back to if I were to have encountered an aggressor, I realized a lot about the males closest to me.
The men I find in my life are undoubtedly stronger than me. I grew up with two brothers, one older, one younger. My younger brother now towers over me and my older brother has always been much taller and stronger. I remember as kids when we would more or less play-fight, no matter how hard I tried, I could never hurt them. Although I never had an urge to truly injure them nor did they want to really injure me, there was always an unspoken fact. Even to this day, they know they are stronger than me and I know that I am weaker than they are. We have a weight-lifting bench in our basement and I took an interest in lifting just for toning. My dad and brothers thought it was the funniest thing that I, a small-framed girl, wanted to bench press weights. Being that my family is extremely close-knit, I did not mind them laughing because when I told them I was going to lift no matter what, they were more than happy to help me remove weights and make sure I did not get hurt. However, they still think it’s humorous every time I go to lift. I know they do not mean to be derogatory but this is just another example of how sex automatically determines a lot of things about a person.
Another example along the same lines with the power that males hold over females can be seen at our campus recreation center. There are a lot of weight machines that can be used by either sex. I have had many personal instances where I have felt dominated by the guys. A few different times I have been working out on a particular machine and a guy will come up and ask if he can just do one set quickly. Every time I let them because I feel like it would be so awkward to tell them no and that they should just wait their turn. Each time it is a quick set and then they leave, however, I feel like they do it because they know we will always let them. Men feel as though they are superior in the weight room because they can lift more than the girls but this is unfair. They are physically and mentally more powerful in this situation. Often times the weight room is quite uncomfortable. There is always a majority of males and most of the time the workers in the weight rooms are males so they can assist with heavy weights. As a female, I do not enjoy being looked at just because I am the only female in sight. This mental distraction and uncomfortable feelings seems to be a way for the males to show their power over the females.
The reason why I am so noticed in a weight room full of men is because I am visible. I am undoubtedly a part of a marked category in this situation. When other men walk into the room, they receive little attention and are left alone unless they find some friends to chat with. This is because they are invisible, or unmarked. However, every time any girl makes an appearance in the room, unnecessary amounts of attention are directed her way. Because of this visibility, I try to make my time in the weight room at the gym as limited as possible. I feel much more comfortable when I go to the track or to the cardio machines where there are mostly women. An interesting observation to note is that when I go to the track or the cardio machines I do not feel visible. In fact, I feel invisible even though as a woman, I am a member of the marked group. This is because when surrounded by other marked individuals, your visibility is overlooked because they are just as visible as you.
Continuing on with my main experience, I would like to discuss the importance of the geographic location of Chester, Pennsylvania. As I mentioned earlier in the paper, Chester is only a five-minute drive from my house so it is no more than three miles away. My neighborhood is fairly nice. It is a regular, middle-class area but it is predominantly white. Although crime has increased over the years, it is never an overwhelming amount to the point where my area would be considered the ‘hood.’ The occasional graffiti and break-ins are not of significant threat to the inhabitants of our community. With this being said, my neighborhood would definitely fall under the term, invisible. The few mishaps are often overlooked and no one seems to draw much attention or visibility to my neighborhood.
On the other hand, Chester is a completely different story. There is far more crime, including more severe ones such as child battery, rape and occasionally murder. My knowledge of the danger of the area has increased over time with more and more people I know having problems in that particular area. Most drug deals that are likely to happen with people from my area occur in Chester and I know of several people from my high school that became caught up in that scene. With the knowledge of this information, it is no wonder why a police officer who sees a small, white woman driving in a decent-looking car would stop her before entering a part of town where crime seemed to occur more than other places.
In the police officer’s mind, I feel as though the inhabitants of the area in which I was headed were considered marked. They were marked because they were apparently known for crime. The area of Chester is visible because with such high crime rates, it is commonly discussed within the public. Chester is more open to various types of ridicule than an area that has a low rate of crime and receives little negative attention. The news focuses primarily on negative happenings so Chester is known around my area to be dangerous which shows that since residents outside of Chester know about the city, it is definitely marked or visible. The officer acknowledged the fact that Chester was visible and thus unsafe for me by stating, “They’ll eat you up if you keep heading down this road.” I was confused by the comment at first. In the officer’s eyes, they were people who committed crimes and disobeyed the law and because of this, they were visible people and made the place where they live just as visible as well. Since Chester is visible without a doubt, why does crime happen so often in Chester but not five minutes away in my town?
Aside from the discussion of the geographic location of Chester, my own geographic location is of importance when considering the matrix of domination. Where I live is often considered nice for the general location of my home. My neighborhood is one of the nicer ones although my family is not anywhere close to being well off. Just the fact that we live in a safe neighborhood makes me feel as though I am luckier than those living in Chester. Luckier does not mean that I am better or more privileged but it does mean that I am safe within my own home and community and because of this I am grateful. My respectable location includes me in an unmarked category in the sense that I am more powerful or respected because of my location. I do not necessarily agree with this sense of power that I may be perceived to possess but I am aware of it. I understand the shift of power because although my area is considered nice for my town, I have witnessed the aura that can be found in places even nicer. There is another area close-by called Garnet Valley with beautiful, gigantic houses. Everyone has a fairly expensive car and the luxuries in this area far surpass any in my hometown. One would perceive this area as having more power and dominance over an area like my hometown and especially over an area like Chester.
This shows that the geographic location of a person’s inhabitance can make an effect on if they are considered unmarked or marked. A law-breaker or dangerous person is not valued in society. Although this is true, what is not true is that all people living in the one part of Chester were marked. This example relates to one of my teachers. Her family lives in an area predominantly inhabited by Latinos and because of this she had an instance of where a police officer put her under arrest for throwing a house party for completing her master’s degree. This reinforces the fact that the assumptions that police make could often be wrong and prejudice. I do not know if the policeman I came in contact with was being prejudiced or wrong nor am I trying to say that I would have been perfectly fine had the officer not stopped me. However, I do believe that he made a judgment about the inhabitants of that area based on generalizations. They were, in his opinion, a marked group of people of African American background, low economic status and poor geographic location.
Along with the geographic location of Chester, many people who live in Chester are of the lower economic class of society or the working poor. Their class in society portrays them as powerless. This is because a lot of the world is run by and on money. If these people do not have money, they are considered marked and subordinate to the people who are fortunate enough to have money. A lot of assumptions go along with people of low economic status. Unfortunately this is just a process of domination that occurs in society every day. This relates to me being pulled over by the police officer because the police officer saw me as unmarked. I have a 2002 Rodeo Sport, which I bought myself and pay car insurance and gas completely on my own. The policeman probably saw this decently nice car and automatically realized that I did not belong in the neighborhood for which I was headed. I am unmarked in the sense that I do possess a car and that I have a job that supports my car expenses. However, I am also marked because of the car in this situation since it made me visible. Most people in Chester would not have a car as new or as nice as mine. I do not mean to say that I am better because I have a nice car but I obviously stood out in a neighborhood full of struggling people. This shows that class can determine where a person lives and also how a person is perceived in society.
I witnessed a supporting experience with my cousin who is seventeen and has a one-year-old daughter. She does not work because she goes to high school and then takes care of the baby on her free time. Unfortunately, my aunt and uncle are not in a position where they can afford to help my cousin or the baby and so she is on the WICK program, which provides food and milk for her baby. This cousin is on my mother’s side of the family. When my father’s mother found out about this, her reaction was of sorrow and disbelief. She could not imagine needing government aid and felt sorry that the government was supporting a my cousin and her daughter at such a young age. By this attitude, it is clear that my cousin’s dependence on the government puts her in a marked category. Her class in society also goes along with her geographic location, which is a type of suburb of Chester. Class and societal standings are very important in this world. I have noticed through other instances of how class is a major factor in the matrix of domination as well.
Living very close to Philadelphia, I have encountered several homeless people while walking through the city. This is a prime example of how I have power over them merely because of my economic standing and my position of having a job and making money even if it is only enough for food. Homeless people on the streets do not have food, proper clothing or a place to sleep. They are a prime example of the matrix of domination. Although some may be men, white, Christian, or part of any other unmarked category, their major problem is that they are part of such a prominent marked category of being jobless, homeless and foodless. With this going against them, they are unlikely to be seen as possessing any type of power. Homeless people are open to public ridicule and visible to passer-bys thus reinforcing the fact that they marked in society.
Class and money also becomes a subject of domination when dealing with paying for college. As an out-of-state student and paying for my college education solely by myself, I feel powerless compared to the majority of students who have their parents to pay for college for them. A lot of students I have encountered do not have a care in the world about where they are going to live or if tuition increases or not. This is because they do not have the financial or mental burden on them. However, I already indebted for my first year and will continue to become further in debt for the following three years here. This is the school of my choice and I do not want to change, however, it is awful to feel so powerless compared to people that clearly come from backgrounds of higher class that their parents can afford to pay for their education.
Through my particular examples, it is clear to see that a person can be easily considered marked and unmarked at the same time. Throughout one experience with the police officer pulling me over in Chester, I was considered both marked and unmarked in various ways. Being European American, or white, makes me unmarked normally because I supposedly do not stand out in society. Whites possess power that is granted to them without being spoken or confirmed verbally. However in my particular situation in Chester, it is up to interpretation whether I was marked or unmarked in the eyes of the policeman. I am marked in the sense that I am a woman. I am considered inferior to the male sex because of physical and even emotional abilities that I may be perceived to lack. My class and geographic location make me unmarked because I am a member of the middle class and my home is located in a decent area right outside of Philadelphia. The matrix of domination really came alive while doing this essay. Not only did I think about myself in terms of unmarked and marked categories, I thought of others and my surroundings as well.

sorry i couldn't post it earlier the format got screw up

The Media
TV shows
Magazines and periodicals
Marked
- Informative
- Some people believe everything they see to be true in actual life
Unmarked
- Entertaining
- Helps viewers relax
- Cast makes a lot of money; especially on soaps.

News
Marked
- Weather section tends to make lots of missed predictions
Unmarked
- Are true most of the time
- Are reliable

Magazines and periodical
Marked
- Cost a good amount of money in the long haul.
- might be biased
- Might become collector’s items
Unmarked
- Informative
- Keeps readers busy when they are tired of watching TV or doing other work.

Understanding the Matrix of Domination in my Life

Rosemond Boateng
WMST250, Section: 0108
Assignment #3: Matrix of domination
April 20, 2008

Understanding the Matrix of Domination in my Life

The Matrix of Domination is a theory sociologist use to explain oppression issues that deal with race, class, gender, religion, age, and sexual orientation. The theory of the Matrix of Domination deals with the relationship of power in marked and unmarked categories of life. Unmarked categories are the things that come to mind first when a person says any word. An example is the word gender. The first word that would come to an individual’s mind when they hear the word gender is male. Male is the unmarked category of gender. The opposite of unmarked categories is marked categories. Marked categories are the things that need deeper consideration when a person hears a word. If the Word gender is spoken, a person might think male first but after deeper consideration they might think about women. In this case women are a marked category. The relationship of power between marked and unmarked categories is also significant. In the case of gender generally speaking, the unmarked category ‘man’ has more power compared to the marked category ‘woman’. Unmarked categories do not always have more power when compared to marked categories; sometimes they have the same amount of power. Webster dictionary definition of power is, the “ability to act or produce an effect” (Webster). In my opinion power is any thing or place that can affect my life enough to influence it in either a positive or negative way.

Family is the main source of power in my life. Since I grew up in West Africa and my parents and grand parents were Africans, I grew up with a strong sense of family ties. My family is a rather big extended family, even though I only know the matrilineal part of my family. Family members motivate me to do better and to always do the best I can without giving up when things gets difficult. My grand parents always say ‘do not give up when the going gets tough and the tough gets going’. The marked categories of my life include the fact that I am female; I grew up in West Africa and I have different interests compared to the interests of a typical American teenager. Most American teenagers unlike me like watching MTV and they are normally up to date on things going on in Hollywood. I do not watch MTV or other reality TV shows that much, unless there was someone else in the room watching them and there was no other available TV I could use. I prefer shows like Bones, CSI, Charmed, Smallville, Scrubs, Fresh Prince of Bell air and shows that are not reality TV shows. As for stars in Hollywood, I just know the faces of the very famous actors and actresses, while some American teenager would tell you the name and types of movies the actor or actress was in. In the US my religion, sexuality and age group fall under the unmarked category. I am a protestant, heterosexual and a young adult. If I was in Sierra Leone my religion would be in the marked category because seventy percent of the population consider themselves Muslims. The marked and unmarked categories of my life shows that even though other people might consider me strange because I do not conform to the norm of being like a ‘typical teenager’, my family, which is part of the marked category of my life keeps me focus on my goal of becoming the best I can be.

The path of becoming the best in what I choose to pursue in life leads me to the second greatest source of power in my life, education. Education is the second greatest source of power in my life. School is an important factor in my life, the farther I get in education, the better chance I have of becoming the best in my career choice. Because my family values education, success in school is an unmarked category for me. When I am in school, I am expected to be the best or one of the best students in what ever I might be doing. Being average in my family is not an option. If I am not one of the best, my family automatically concludes that it is because I am not trying hard enough. They will provide me with tutors to help me succeed in what I am failing to succeed in. Since so much emphasis is placed on being the best, I have to choose my friends carefully. I remember my first year in middle school. I had no friends that year because I was doing what I consider to be evaluating potential friends. The marked category of my friends includes: they should steer me towards my goals not away form them, and they should also keep me from getting into trouble. Whenever I find friends that fit this marked category I try to behave the same way I would like them to behave.

To fully understand the matrix of domination in my life one has to also understand the matrix of domination in the place I currently reside, which is the US. Factors like the media, gender roles, and life would to be considered in order to understand power around me in the US. Media in the US includes newspapers, news broadcasts, magazines, TV shows, movies, Broadway shows and radio transmissions. The media plays a major role in influencing people because most people if not everyone in the US has access to some type of media at least once every day. Most of those people tend to believe things they hear in more than one news broadcast. The media can be separated into three main categories: TV shows, news, and magazines and periodicals. Unmarked category for TV shows includes: entertaining, and helping to make audience more relaxed. The true value of TV is not known until half of the cable stations are not broadcasting. Most people would become restless because they are used to a larger selection of things to watch. The marked category includes the fact that TV shows can be very informative. In my opinion robbers can get great ideas of how to rob a bank due to an action movie that came out about the perfect bank robbery. Although news stations tend to exaggerate bad news and make the good news seem inferior, most people believe in what they see on the news. Some people believe that Africa is full of villages and poor people because that is the only type of image the media portrays of the continent. A marked category of weather stations is that they get their predictions wrong a third of the time. Although they get their predictions wrong weather men and women just brush of the mistake saying that they avoided a potential bad weather. The general public does not make a big deal out of theses mistakes because the worse that could happen was that you would get wet when the weather people predicted sunshine and it rains. In these examples unmarked categories seem to have more power when compared to marked categories.

Gender relationships in the US are unlike that of any developing country. In the US men and women are almost equal. Women still get paid less than men on average but there are lots of wives that make more money than their husbands. Husbands are slowly getting used to the idea that their wives may get paid more than them because the unmarked category of women being subordinate to men is slowly changing. The marked category of men not being soft is also changing with the amount of gay and lesbian’s increasing. The stigma of being a homosexual is also changing due to the fact that the idea of the unmarked category of homosexuals not being as pure as heterosexuals is changing. A story I used in my team’s power point is of a Christian woman who is worried that her son’s salvation might be at risk because he was gay and he does not want to resort to celibacy. The different religions seem to agree that being homosexual is not acceptable but society on the other hand seems to be saying that it should be acceptable due to the fact that the number of homosexuals is on the rise. The power between marked and unmarked categories in the US gender relationships is relatively equal because gender roles are becoming increasingly equal in the US.

It is also important to understand the matrix of domination in Sierra Leone relative to that in the US. Power in Sierra Leone shifted from family and government before the civil war to more emphasis on family, less emphasis on government and the media after the civil war. Before the civil war started in 1991 people enjoyed the power of politics and what it meant to be a politician. In Sierra Leone the unmarked category of a politician included money, influence and good standard of living. The marked category included very little because the system was extremely corrupt and politicians only dealt with the positive aspects their positions rather than the negative aspects. The family’s unmarked category included class and emotional and financial support whenever needed. While the marked category of family in Sierra Leone included conflict of interests. It was assumed that most families do not fight because of the strong ties between family members. When looked at closely, one finds out that the family structure had one person or several people who constantly provided the financial support needed to other family members. Before the civil war life was good.

After the civil war most people lost so much in terms of material things that they realized that material things did not have as much value as people placed on them. The valuable thing became family, friends and life. Every one in the country for at least five of the ten years the war lasted was affected by the civil war. The rebels killed, mutilated, raped and burned down houses, churches, and offices of millions of people. If one of these horrible tragedies did not happen to a particular person, that person had a close relative or friend that experienced at least one of those tragedies. The unmarked category of TV shows became increasingly important. The unmarked category of TV shows included entertaining and helping its audience to relax. It was necessary for people to relax and see the fact they were alive was the most important thing even though they might have nothing left to live for. The marked category of TV which was information also became necessary. It informed it audience when humanitarian relief was in the country. In these TV examples the power between marked and unmarked categories are equal because they were both important in helping the nation recover form the effects of the civil war.

In Sierra Leone, the war did not change the marked and unmarked categories of gender issues. Sierra Leoneans believe that men and women have different roles that are equally important even though the man is considered to be the head of the household. The unmarked category for men included going to work every day and watching the children when ever necessary. Most men in Sierra Leone knew how to cook and do house work because they were raised by their grand parents while their parents went to work. On the other hand the unmarked category for men included acting tough and not being ‘weak’ when their woman needed them to support her. Unmarked category for women included caring for their husband, the children, the house and working. The marked category included the nurturing nature of women. Fathers and mothers were equally the backbone of the family. If you remove one or the other from the picture life would get harder but the family would not crumble under the stress because the grand parents are always there to help when needed. Life as a whole became more complicated after civil war in Sierra Leone because some people were adjusting to living without a limb while others were adjusting to the idea of building their house again because it got burned down even though they had no way to finance the construction. The power between marked and unmarked categories using gender relationships in Sierra Leone were relative equal.

Matrix of domination in the US is different from that of Sierra Leone because the values of the people are different. The civil war that just ended in Sierra Leone also made the matrix of domination shift because the priorities of people in Sierra Leone shifted from material things to non-material things. It has been a long time since US has not experienced a war in their homeland, so the people of this generation do not understand the value of non-material things yet. Another reason the matrix of domination is different between the two countries might be because the standard of living is very different. Poor people in the US would be considered rich compared to poor people in Sierra Leone.

When comparing power in my life to power in Brenda’s life, I noticed that family is the main source of power in my life followed by school, while in Brenda’s life religion and the media are things with most power in her life. I find the things with the most power in Brenda’s life strange because religion and the media normally do not mix. The media and religion do not mix primarily because the media tends to focus on the negative aspects of life and they exaggerate most things while, religion focuses on the positive aspects of life. The only occasion they tend to mix is on Sunday morning for the different Sunday church services and gospel hours. Things in her unmarked category included being artistic, shy and determined while her marked categories included being female, tall and Cameroonian. Things in my unmarked category included being: heterosexual, protestant and a young adult. My marked category included things like: female, grew up in West Africa, and not being a typical American teenager.

After considering power in my life, power in the US, Power in Sierra Leone, and power in Brenda’s life one can see that the theory of the matrix of domination changes as things like gender equality and culture change. Geographic location and culture plays an important role in the patterns of the matrix of domination. The culture of a lot of African tribes regardless of the country they are situated in puts family first while people in the US believe in the idea of ‘everyone for themselves and God for us all’. If Brenda had grown up in Africa, the sources of power in her life might be very different from what they are now. Media might not be one of the sources of power in her life because most of the African countries have one to five local TV channels unlike the US that has ten to twelve local channels. People who had more TV channels in Africa had to buy a satellite dish that was expensive to receive the signal, which is the main reason why most people did not own satellite dishes. Although people in the US also have to pay for cable, the costs of transimiting increases as continents are crossed. If I had grown up in the US, the places of power in my life might have also been different from what they are now.
Another reason the matrix of domination in America and Africa are different might be because of the cultural value differences due to their locations. People in the US tend to take most things Africans value for granted. Things like family, neighbors and freedom are things some Americans take for granted that most Africans would not take for granted. Most Africans know more about their neighbors other than their names, unlike neighbors in the US who try to avoid other neighbors at all cost. Extended family and neighbors help each other out when ever help is needed. The person being helped does not even have to ask the other person to help them unlike the US where even though lots of people request help it is rare to see a neighbor helping out another neighbor or an extended family member. The only person that comes to the aid of people in need in the US is the government. In Sierra Leone on the other hand, the government does come to the rescue of most people in need. As mentioned before people in the US tend to have the idea of ‘everyone for themselves and God for us all’. They believe that if a person tries enough they will eventually achieve what they want. Most Americans do not keep in contact with their extended family. They are always in a hurry to move out of their parent’s house and never move back in. Power in West Africa is mainly in the family structure. Family values and family members hold up a person in good times and in bad times regardless of the wealth of the family. Power in the US is mainly in the media and education because people rely on the media to get their outside information about their community and the rest of the world. As seen in earlier examples, Power in marked and unmarked categories vary according to the issue being evaluated. Power in marked and unmarked categories in gender relationships in Africa are equal while there is more power in unmarked categories when compared to marked categories in the media in the US. The matrix of domination helps people understand where power is in their daily lives so we can be prepared to deal with the consequences of the marked and unmarked categories. Without understanding the matrix of domination, people would always wonder why ‘men’ is the first word that comes to mind when the word ‘gender’ is heard.


Works Cited

http://www.afrol.com/News/sil007_civil_war.html


http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/power

Group Process

Lauren Kessler

3-2-08

WMST250 Sec. 0108

For assignment two, we were asked to illustrate a collective definition of feminism within our discussion groups. As a whole, our section worked together very efficiently and creatively with equal effort of and representation by each individual in the group. Conversation was easily stimulated within the group and brainstorming for ideas was a natural and effective process with each person doing their best to participate and share their ideas. Some spoke more than others, as some are naturally more quiet or timid to express their opinions, but everyone was involved whether they were talking a lot or just listening and thinking. Some were more aggressive than others in influencing group decision, but everything seemed to be harmonious as a whole. I personally took care of editing and revising the ideas we drafted for the flyer. I re-designed the layout for the flyer and finalized what the group and Delilah particularly brainstormed for it. Delilah also had a part in defining feminism for the group and recording during meetings. Andria thought to create an outside event and a movie, and contributed to the definition. Alicia thought to include food in the event, and ideated including men and their contribution to feminism. Daniel brought up the idea of Title IX and stimulated conversation. Krysten decided our event should include a co-ed baseball game, which was the focus of our flyer. Rosemond contributed to the definition and idea of feminism. Rhea helped develop the definition as well, and decided the game should be played at Shipley Field and provided a map. Anne was in charge of writing the detailed description of the event and its intended audience. Brenda helped with the definition of feminism. Everyone contributed to the overall discussion and helped to stimulate conversation and brainstorming in one way or another. The group functioned very well, allowing us to successfully and thoroughly complete the requirements of the assignment.

Evaluation....

For our group assignment most of the group work was done during the discussion session that was given to us to accommodate time for our group to get together and work on this assignment. Our group was fairly on track and very easy to work with. The discussion began when Delilah Khalaf took charge of the discussion and took out her laptop to begin recording ideas from everyone as they came. As everyone threw in ideas she organized them and then with that came up with the overall definition of what our group thought feminism was. Alicia Misci helped come up with the idea that men should also be included in this event and there should also be a focus on their contribution to feminism and contributed to the overall discussion. She also threw in the idea that this event should have food. Daniel Kelly brought the conversation and spotlight on the issue of the Title IX legislature and contributed to the overall discussion. Krysten Eshelmann contributed to the overall discussion and came up with the idea of the co-end baseball game. Andria Bowman came up with the idea of an outside event and the movie event. She also contributed to the definition of feminism and the overall discussion. Rosemond Boateng contributed to the overall definition and idea of feminism and also contributed to the overall discussion. Rhea Torreon supplied to the definition and idea of feminism and the overall discussion. Lauren Kessler took charge and helped edit and finalize the flyer, making it look very professional and nice however, she never sent the final flyer to the rest of the group. Brenda Njinjoh helped with the definition of Feminism and also contributed her ideas to the overall discussion. I composed the detailed description of the event and also contributed to the overall discussion and the definition of feminism.

Description of the Event

WMST250 Discussion Group 0108
Anne Zhao, Andria Bowman, Alicia Misci, Daniel Kelly, Krysten Eshelman, Delilah Khalaf, Rosemond Boateng, Rhea Torreon, Lauren Kessler, and Benda Njinjoh.



TERPS for WOMEN and SPORTS is an active on-campus organization that focuses on feminism in relation to sports. They are hosting a Co-Ed Baseball Game on Saturday, March 15, 2008 from 5pm to 10pm, hosted at the Shipley Field at the University of Maryland College Park Campus, followed by a free showing of A League of Their Own, a movie featuring Tom Hanks, Gina Davis and Madonna about an All Women Baseball team in World War II. The purpose of both the baseball game and the movie are to spread the awareness of Title IX, a bill passed on 1975, that states “No Person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”. This bill has caused a lot of controversy because a lot of male sportsmen do not believe that sports teams like tennis should be cut so women can also play in sports. As we know feminism is a practice of cultural and social equality between genders in society. By using baseball as the focus, we will work towards breaking the barriers between the images of women in the sports.
This particular event is aimed women and particularly men who do not have awareness for women’s rights and the feminist movement, more specifically the title IX Legislation. Fliers for this event will not only be distributed within the University of Maryland but also at local high schools, churches, libraries and even office buildings, in order to have a more diverse outcome.