Week 15: Post-Feminism Movement, Consent and Exploitation

Any student at Rollins College is familiar with the post feminist radical movement and its supporters, especially with the "end the cat call" campaign launched this (Spring 2015) semester. Over the past 3 years as both a student at this institution and a resident of the relatively liberal downtown Winter Park area, I have noticed two distinct reactions to the prominence of this movement on campus- a strong desire to join and demand equality for women on all levels, or what seemingly is an even more powerful (see: Rollins Confessions) opposition, most likely based out of irritation due to the assertiveness of the prominent student leaders that care deeply about this issue.

Whether or not we realize it, most people in our generation are a part of this feminist movement. How so? Gournelos puts it best in our text for this blogpost- Jenna Marbles and other viral Youtube figures that "engage in gender politics" and, on some level, force us to think of our society's constructions of women.

Day's 2010 article, The re-emergence of 'trafficking': Sex work between slavery and freedom, claims that sex work is considered a "less legitimate occupation today" than it was in the 80's or 90's (816). As our text states, this type of post feminist movement basically backpedals on the framework that was laid in just the decades before.

As the post feminist movement progresses, we, as a society, will continue to explore the differing viewpoints pertaining to if a woman can "choose their path though sexuality" (245). Relating this post back to my project, it is important to note that most human trafficking scholars would argue there is a difference between consensual prostitution and human trafficking- the word consensual makes all of the difference. However, there is the somewhat prominent belief that prostitution is never consensual, most likely inspired by religious beliefs and congruent political agendas. This threatens the feminist belief that woman can do what they wish with their bodies and serves as a dig to a sex worker's dignity and autonomy.

In the law enforcement world, as prostitution is on the books as a crime, leads to the arrest of victims as perpetrators (prostitutes), furthering feelings of isolation. This leads to a sense of shame and the creation of a "wrong" of a woman (or man) chooses to engage in sexual activity.

Week 13 Post 2: South Park's Jesus and Pals nexus of Religious and Social Issues

Southpark has been known for dealing with issues of censorship pertaining to cultural topics- a sentiment recognized by Horance Newcomb upon the show's presentation of the  2006 Peabody Award for "distinguished achievement" in media (145).  In this post, part II of my response to Dr. Ted Gournelos' 4th chapter of his book The Tao of South Park: Dissonant Visual Culture and the Future of Politics, I will discuss  Jesus and Pals, a public access show featured in South Park, which is laced with themes inherent to censorship, religion and politics.

In Southpark, "religious figures do not respond to serious ethical or social crises or even provide interpretations of religious beliefs" but at the same time are also portrayed as human or in a "blasphomous way" (128). The example Gournelos gives pertaining to Jesus and Pals is the episode in which Jesus states he will, once and for all, give his stance on homosexuality and then, before the first word leaves his mouth, is cut off. 

Jesus and Pals, while on a surface level is poking fun, the depth beneath the surface is a window allowing for discourse centered around issues pertaining to religion's intersection with social issues. This can be seen in the S6E8 Red Hot Catholic Love, an episode surrounding the abuse of young boys by Catholic priests and the church's subsequent cover ups (130).the exposure of the Church’s role in sanctioning and covering up the crime

Week 13 Post 1: Censorship and Religion in South Park: "Cissy"

Chapter 4, Muhammad's Ghost: Religion, Censorship and the Politics of Intimidation of Dr. Ted Gournelos'  The Tao of South Park: Dissonant Visual Culture and the Future of Politics book performs textual analyses of episodes of South Park that critique the relationship between religion of the state and the liberalism in censorship.

Known for it's explicit content and plots that seemingly poke fun at current controversial issues, South Park has largely dealt with issues of censorship and American Cultural topics. As stated by Gournelos' article, "the show breaks down polarizing or reductive rhetorical binaries by attacking not the individuals that propose such binaries but rather the discourses and institutions that frame and allow them" (144).

An episode not mentioned in Gourneos' article but I find to be an example of this breakdown is S18 E3, "The Cissy". The Slate Writer Christin Scarlett Milloy states that his trans friends were worried about being "the joke of the week", but were relieved to find the jokes were "based on disrepectful stereotypes" and it seemed as if "the tables turned" in regards to the way our media portrays trans issues.  The episode was centered around acceptance, as seen in the clip "Sharons Speech" posted on Milloy's article.

While there has been speculation regarding how the church should respond to transgender issues (such as sticking to the belief that God put us in our bodies and we should not try to challenge Him), This episode calls into question a genetic or inherent predisposition to gender- for the characters are 10 year old boys. Issues that trans people face are brought to light, most notably by "Cissy" entering a gender-based restroom. Principal Victoria had a solution; bathrooms marked "men", "women" and "others"- "other's" for people who have a problem with those that are trans.