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juan ra
Austin, TX
I'm from El Salvador, and I'm working on my masters in Women's and Gender Studies.
Recent Activity
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juan commented on the article |I understand your challenge to me using the word "oppression", I guess that word was a bit harsh.
However, I don't think there should be a hierarchy of what is worse: video games or magazine photoshopped pictures. Both are sites of ideological struggle that are trying to invoke sexual meanings that give shape to sexism and exploitation.
In consuming both the video game and the magazine pictures, we are negotiating those images and trying to make sense of them in a world where gender inequality is pervasive. I'm not saying that anyone who plays the video game or anyone who buys the magazine is sexist, but if we choose to do so (for whatever reason) then we must at least be aware that BOTH of those media texts both shape and are shaped by our understandings of gender and sexuality, which currently place women at the bottom of that hierarchy.
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juan commented on the article |
You know this post is working from the backlash that is coming from both men and women. Many of these comments show how uncomfortable people become when asked to look at a media text (in this case a video game) critically. It is easier not to think about it, than to face the possibility of having male privilege (white male privilege) or face certain forms of oppression in the case of women. It's too bad people take it so personal as opposed to seeing how ideology is what is being questioned. Sigh.
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juan commented on the article |
Comments like that make it sadder that education in here is not taken seriously and is getting cut. It's not just a game, it's a reflection of culture, pervasive attitudes, and a sign that any challenge to it is an uphill battle because of all the colonized minds.
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juan commented on the article |
The discipline comes in the form of slapping the author in the hand and not recognizing that her point of view is also true. There is no 1 truth, but many many truths. What's true for you is not true for many other people, but dialogically we could reach an agreement.
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juan commented on the article |
The media is a site of ideological struggle where the dominant gaze (the white, heterosexist point of view) is pushed on the viewer (or the player). Our conception of reality is challenged by the constant messages that we receive through the media and through videogames, and we must all negotiate the ideology in the media, so even if we think we have a good grip on "reality" we really are affected by everything we consume. Therefore, no one can really say this will not affect them. Moreover, the "over the top" and "ridiculousness" of this game is just a strategy to get people to accept a common stereotype of women and men, and how women should be treated by men. While many men and women can enjoy this game and expand their subjectivities, really we can't do it uncritically. However, this post is not about how audiences are receiving the messages, but what the messages mean in a patriarchal society.
Having said that, the messages in this game are fucked up and help naturalize white misogynistic masculinity as natural and desirable, as cool, as funny. It positions women as objects, it excludes other forms of gender expression for men, and it repositions the players in a position of privilege. I can play God of War 3 and enjoy it, but I need to do so critically. My sister can play GTA 5 and kill hookers and enjoy it, but she should also do so critically. But to claim that you're not affected by the games and that people who talk about this are just crying, well that's bullshit and people need to get over themselves.
I also recognize that talking about these things is uncomfortable because it makes men think about privilege, and it makes women think about oppression. No one likes to be told they're privileged or oppressed because people in this country think they're individuals who are in total control of their lives, so talking about things that are out of their control really messes with their identity formation and subjectivity. But I'm sorry, it must be done, and thank you Shelby for writing posts like these. People need to be pushed to get over themselves, and I think you're doing it respectfully so I hope you never stop.
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juan commented on the article |
As a person claiming to be an expert in academia, your words carry more ideological weight. Be careful.
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juan commented on the article |
Me me me me me I think. Again, this article is intended to go beyond our egos. At no point does Shelby attack men, just patriarchal attitudes that are alive and well. If you feel like you're doing ok, good for you, but your comments are a way of trying to discipline feminists for trying to speak out.
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juan commented on the article |
Mitch this is you: "me me me me me me my life". Get over yourself and try to see how the media is a site of ideological struggle, and eventually it naturalizes attitudes towards violence and women. I've played video games all of my life too, but that doesn't mean I can't be critical of the messages in them. Obviously there is something going on in your head, otherwise you would've have reacted so obnoxiously to this serious post. This article and feminist points of view make you feel uncomfortable for a reason, but don't deny the ideas in this article, instead try to process them someday.
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juan signed the petition | -
juan commented on the article |Everything is ideologically driven, including abortion clinics (and that's ok). Science is seen through everyone's own lens, it's hardly objective. Statistics are also hardly objective, as they don't mean anything until some idiots use it for racist claims.
Still, this billboard is horrible. The one in Austin says "the most dangerous place for some children..." but still has the picture of a black boy. I wish they would take that one down too.
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