#hlh48

This morning was the last plenary the Knowledge and Power course had this semester. The plenary was different because it was organized and ran by all the Douglass mentors. It was very refreshing compared to the other 4 plenaries we had throughout this semester because the set up was extremely unique. They had a few different acts/situations that illustrated each issues that they were going to address (sexism, racism, homophobia, depression, etc.) and each of the mentors shared their personal stories regarding that particular topic. A lot of the students volunteered to share their own personal stories as well. It was extremely touching and emotional for both the mentors and the students to share those stories and I believed a lot of people around me, including myself, found ourselves in tears while listening to others’ struggles. Thanks to this plenary, we all-as Knowledge and Power course of Fall 2015- developed this warming distinctly connection that I have never seen before. We all realized that no one was really in this alone, in fact, we were all in this together. I am highly appreciative of the Knowledge and Power instructors and mentors (and Donalene). Thank you for teaching me and fellow students the power of being a woman, feminism, and that we are all loved.  

Yesterday class’s discussion on sexual culture and reproductive health was extremely intriguing in which the roles and stereotypes of women were acknowledged and talked about. This video of Amber Heard portraying the “4 types of women” came to my mind. The 4 types of women were indicated as “slut, mother, virgin, and bitch”. She claimed that men often categorize women as following and encouraged women to take in positive characteristic of  each category so that they are undefinable, making men confused. Personally, I feel that this video, along with the class readings, are very empowering because not only did they both recognize and challenge the society’s view on women as inferior, they also motivate women to be fearless and to realize what they truly want out of a relationship. 

Last week’s lecture on feminist technology design and this week’s redesign project really shed a lot of lights on my knowledge of equipments designed for women to defend themselves. I used to think that the only technology design for women was the pepper spray and recently was the anti date-rape nail polish. It is good to know that there are more ways for women to defend themselves. However, with the creation of these feminist technology designs, I wonder why the manufactures are only targeting women? So far I have not been informed of equipments designed for men and other gender identities. Shouldn’t these safety devices also be promoted to everyone so we all can feel safe? I personally think that there should be more gender-neutral technology designs so that everyone can secure more control over their well-being and safety. 

The plenary we had on November 11th was very interesting to me eventhough it was hard to relate. She told us a lot of inspiring stories, but since I personally am not a spiritual person, I unfortunately could not understand the meaning/the depths behind her stories. I am, however, very curious about meditation and have been wanting to try it. A lot of my friends have been telling me how great meditation helps them to feel more relaxed and be happier. So I am definitely going to give it a try after listening to Karla Jackson-Brewer talk about spirituality and how it helps her to become a better person. Overall, her plenary was very fascinating and comforting. 

This week’s plenary encourages me to look at poverty and inequality in a set of new eyes. Coming from a developing country, I have never been aware of this issue as I should have been. So now that I am thinking about it, I realize that most of the people from my hometown_Ho Chi Minh City_ were poor. They have to struggle everyday to make ends meet, the circumstances are worse when they have a big family to provide for. The kids would have to get off school early to walk around the city selling lottery tickets or help out at their mothers’ vendors. Most of these families do not own a house, so they live on a boat (a very compact Vietnamese fishing boat, to be exact, since most of them came from the countryside looking for a ‘better life’ in the city), which floats around in the deserted area of the Saigon river. This image of poverty of my own country appeared in my mind when Pam Fessler played the recording of her interview with a man whom daughter was murdered by the local gang. It was an eye-opening experience to listen to her and acknowledging that no one should ever suffer from poverty, especially when it is preventable. I greatly respect Pam Fessler’s profession and I think that journalism should be encouraged for younger generation to make a difference in this world where honest human interaction is hindered by technology.