Apparently in India, text books in mathematcis depict boys only in their pages.  According to the article only 6% of books had girl in them. Some argue that this is meant to send the underlying message that girls do not belong in schools or that girls are less than boys. Other state that this treatement is nothing new and nothing should be done about it.

This article debates whether a nuclear family is really best for children. According to new research children raised in single parent house holds fare just as well.  What is intersting to note is that for children left with mothers little or not change occureed but children left with their fathers fared worse. I’m not sure what that is suppose to say about men’s ability to raise children but I think it’s something that should be looked into.

I decided I would write about something that happened to me a few weeks ago. I was over at a friends house and we were sitting around hanging out. By the house I guess I should explain that the residence are four college males. On this particular evening, two of the guys had their girlfriends over and there were a few female friends over there as well. Slowly but surely all the other females are called into one of the bedrooms, to discuss Christmas decorations I later found out. The most amusing thing was that no one, male or female, thought to ask me to particpate in this specifically female ritual.

What I found particularly hilarious was when I brought it up as a joke, after taking the controller from the loser of the fighting match on the console, the girls said that they felt terrible about it, and the boys joked at it. Yet my good friend spoke up and practically yelled, “But you’re not a girl why would they invite you? If zombies were attacking the house, we’d hide the girls upstairs in a closet where they would be safe. You? We’d give you a shot gun.”

I once heard from a professor that gender is a performance. Apparently, my performance, no matter how silly and flirty, does not register as female. Or perhaps I perform a lot of male assigned gender traits.  I know it’s pretty common place for a group of guys to have one girl that is one of the guys, but what are the things that make us one of the guys.

I also thought that the movie raised a lot of great issues about what makes a family. I think that was more the issue of the movie than Bree’s sexual identity. It’s what responsibilities does a parent have to a child and vice versa and how you treat your children. I was disappointed that we didn’t discuss this in class.

So this is that movie I was talking about in class. The first link you can get a look at a summary and a few film details.

http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=16541

This one is an interview with the director I believe of the film.

 I can’t help but wonder what it is that people expect from relationships. I look at mine and I see it as far from fairy tale but I also see how it could be a lot worse. I have friends though that refurse to date men who aren’t employed, with a degree, a home, paying their own bills, don’t rely on their parents in any kind of way—oh and by the way they have to be under 23.  I mean, that’s unreasonable to me. If you yourself are not in such standing what makes you think that a man your age will be any better?

 So I’m curious. If girls have been taught to wanted everything–money, job, handsome, smart, funny, ect. What do guys want from relationships? I ask this question seriously, because the few guys I have asked have said either A. You know I never thought about it or B. She just has to be pretty or good in bed.

Ok, so this is another blog about an observation from a commercial, but I think this only proves how the media plays such an integral role in our perceptions of sex and gender, and the relationships or differences between men and women.The latest Trojan condom commercial shows a bar scene where a guy is trying (unsuccessfully) to pick up a woman. She turns him down and seems completely uninterested, and so he has the bright idea to visit the VENDING machine that sells Trojan condoms. He comes back with the condom in his pocket, and the woman seems like all of a sudden she is just so interested in him and can’t wait to go home with him. Now, I’m offended. Why would a woman all of a sudden want to go home with a guy because he was “nice enough” to be considerate and go buy a 75 cent condom?! I mean, yeah, thanks, but no thanks.  This commercial completely ignores the fact that the woman was simply not interested in the guy, and makes her seem like she is just easy. Granted, this situation may happen every now and then–but I don’t think that a Trojan condom in the possession of a man makes him any more appealing and would make any woman all of a sudden want to have sex with him. 

I agree with her. Why does him doing what he is suppose to do all of a sudden make him more attractive? It’s really just irritating.

Anyway, as I mentioned before someone had to explain this commercial to me (2 guys btw). Their explanation consisted of, because the man was resceptive enough to go and get a condom, thus putting their saftey above his own pleasure, he is showing that he is sensitive and a man vs all his piggy compatriots.

 This explaination wasn’t great, but it does show how men see this commerical. Comdom=sensitivity. As opposed to how most women view it, condom=obvious course of action to insure safe sex which you are not getting if I’m not attracted enough to be with you in that situation in the first place.

The featured couple discussed tried to stress how men see issues in black and white and don’t think about the grey. Then, again, if this is true does this really make men best for leading countries if they can’t see possiblities. I don’t think these things I just think that they are questions that needed to be asked the way that this article asks. Also the only issue discussed was the illegal immigrant issue. Interestingly enough the husband was himself a Polish immigrant.