The Tiger Woods scandal in my mind is obsurd. I say this because it has been said that he got rehab for his "sex addiction". Uh HELLO....he doesn't have an addiction, it's his choice to do what he does. I found it interesting that the media tries to allude to the fact that he has a problem where as if it were a woman in his same shoes she would just be "consciously being a hoe." This instance is one of the many that proves the different stigmas that surround men and women and the fact that we live in a patriarchal society.

Fallen Angel

The story of little Shaniya Davis is very saddening to say the least and as a Women and Gender Studies student I find myself examining the case from a different perspective than I believe most others do. From a perspective on gender the facts behind this present themselves as being a typical. A mother is known as the nurturer and care taker whereas the father is known as the worker. Shaniya's father actually had her in his possession before allowing the mother access to her. This is not ordinary in our society. Also, the fact that her mother did this to her is just unbelievable. I find myself very upset with the situation but was also to make educational connections to Womens and Gender studies as I explore the case. R.I.P. Shaniya, May your soul rest peacefully

2010 Census Ads

There has been conversation by the President and the nation about how many minorities are often left out of the census of the country because they do not complete and return the form. This leads to inadequate funding for these members of society and their children. Those in charge of the Census advertising were asked by other members in office to make extra efforts to reach out to these minority people, which includes African Americans, Asians, Hispanic and poor and low income families. Maybe its just me but I find the "efforts" to be a bit offensive.

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Is this all they feel that blacks understand is a cool beat and rap lyrics? As an educated African American I feel as though this is the best way they felt they could get through to blacks because this was the result of being asked to reach out even more to the minority. These ideas of blacks, women and any other minority being inferior or inadequate needs to be pushed aside as of yesterday.

Double Standard

A "friend" was telling me a story that I found to be quite interesting about their personal life. I will refer to them as "friend" so as to not blow their cover (that would make me a bad friend, lol). My friend is an adult, single female, with a career, own house, own car, etc. Independent would be an understatement to describe her if you ask me. One day she revealed to me that she has been involved with several of her single male counterparts on the job. The thing that made this interesting to me is the fact that I realized the age old double standard still remains.

She mentioned that she is always fighting to be extremely discreet and private with her endeavors so much so that they don't speak at work unless they have to. I understand wanting privacy in general but not simply because you are afraid of what someone will think. Furthermore, if the men of the office can be open about their lifestyle, why cant she without feeling uncomfortable? They're all adults and I see no issue with a single woman dating multiple guys if thats what she choses. Due to the patriarchal society that we live in, women live heavily under a microscope but the microscope was set by society and it's well past time that the lens be adjusted.

What is wrong with this picture??? NOTHING!!!

First Lady, Michelle Obama, was spotted wearing shorts as she exited Air Force One on a bright, sunny day after returning home from vacationing with the first family. There was much controversy over this outfit...but WHY??? Isn't she human, just like the rest of us. Doesn't she have the right to dress down when vacationing with family like any of us would? Contrary to popular belief, people in office and positions of power are not robots and they should not be treated as such. Society is so socially constructed and set in the ways that it set itself that anything other than what we are used to is shot down. GIVE THE WOMAN A BREAK! She is not nude, nor are her clothes too revealing. Here we see a hidden power displayed...that hidden power being society...when the wife of the person in charge can't dress how she choses without being picked apart by the media. I guess it was enough that we have the first African American in office and the first lady wearing shorts was just too much, huh? Well, I say get over it...change is among us whether we like it or not! That is all! :)