Sunday, September 18, 2011

Tannen & August readings - Cassie Wolff

When I read the essay by Eugene R. August I saw how it was anti-male biased. One line that stuck out to me was “... who insist that rape is a crime committed only by males in which only females are victims” (August 131). Not my own personal experiences can relate with this but one example I do know is that, we do only hear about men raping women in this society today… such as the crime alert we all got just a few days. So in these cases it does make it seem that way to everyone in the world. But a way to contradict this is “Being all boy carries penalties, however: for one thing, it means being less lovable” (August 133). I disagree with this statement because men were made to be all boy but that doesn’t make them any less loveable. My brother is a straight up all boy but he still loves more than any other person I know. My brother would do anything for anyone. In August’s reading I believe and agree with some of the issues, but with others I have a difficult time understanding why.

When I read the essay by Deborah Tannen I understood why there is no unmarked woman. The one line that really went to a personal level was “Instead of concentrating on the discussion I found myself looking at the three other women at the table, thinking how each had a different style and how each style was coherent” (Tannen 140). I relate to this probably the most because I am guilty of this. It happens even if I am walking down the street, when you pass other women or see other women you look them up and down, scanning their outfit, shoes, hair and makeup. I have not met one woman who has not done that, it is just a reflex, something all women do. An example where this contradicts my personal experiences is when Tannen explains “If a women’s clothing is tight or revealing (in other words, sexy), it sends a message…” (Tannen 143). I disagree with this at certain times. My reasoning for disagreeing is that just because I wear a tight shirt or a tight pant (like leggings) doesn’t mean I am sending a message. If I were to be wearing leggings or yoga pants, it would be because I want to be comfortable. Yes, leggings and/or yoga pants are form fitting but that doesn’t give men the right to think it “sends a message”. I enjoyed reading and understanding Tannen’s writing a bit more than August’s only because it related to me more on a personal experience level and showed a great deal of rightness.

1 comment:

  1. haha, I think women definitely scan each other's outfits, shoes, and such--it can't be helped because of all the different styles, but I also think that guys have their marked styles, though maybe not with quite as much variety.

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