Pornography was a very common topic of discussion this week. Most people seemed to see pornography as a symptom not a cause, a reflection not a root of the problem. Though it may cater to a market of violent men, that doesn't mean that it creates this market. There was the mention that it validates this market, however, and that is a very good point to keep in mind. There was also the mention that pornography can be a very positive reaffirmation for people who have chosen a "deviant" sexual lifestyle, and who rarely see themselves reflected in a visual manner. Overall, we seem to agree that, though porn often objectifies women, it is not inspiring society as much as it is inspired by society.
There was a mention of the sex positive attitude. There seems to be a general consensus that we need to talk about it more, as well as the need to tell our daughters and younger sisters about sexuality. We regarded embracing our sexuality as a positive move if handled correctly. By "correctly", I mean avoiding sex identity politics and labeling each other and ourselves. There were a few mentions of the restrictive political requirements to be fulfilled in order to live up to an identity. And that, overall, an identity is a rigid and fixed label that tends to harm and hinder more than it does help. Gender is a simulacrum, and the concept of this copy of a copy with no real original, was mentioned more than once in this week's journals.
In order to move away from identity politics, many people mentioned deconstructionism as the method. Sarah noted it's relevance to a point and then made the insightful observation that, beyond a certain point, deconstructionism becomes detrimental again. If we deconstruct everything, we pull the rug out from under ourselves. Queer theory was a sort of compromise between identity and complete deconstructionism. "Queer" exists as an epistemological sight for freedom and within its rallying label, the defining characteristic is its freedom of identity.
Hydi discussed the overwhelmingly complicated ramifications of the politics behind sex. She also made the observation that labels, though they are restrictive, are restrictive on an individual basis. In other words, a label carries different connotations for different categories of people. She cited the example of the word "virgin" usually seen as a desireable "quality" in a woman, and one that is often looked down upon in men.
Jayna professed some discomfort at the life her cousin had chosen for herself and, though she was careful not to make a judgment, she did state that she was unable to identify with her cousin's decision. This tied in with the idea of labels and all that they connote, require and demand of those that bear them. It seems that when we embrace titles (wife, mother...) we embrace an entire life plan for ourselves whether we mean to or not. For some, that may feel safe. Personally, I would have to agree with Jayna, it's difficult to imagine signing myself up for any kind of label that will hold me in one place for the rest of my life.
-Sam Franco
I was really impressed with the journals this week. Obviously sexuality is an issue that we all take very seriously and personally. I want to thank everyone for being so open in discussing their experiences because I think that it made for interesting as well as insightful journals. Many of the journals talked about the dilemma of trying to take a stance on the pornography issue. Many of you talked about generally disliking it, but didn't think that just banning it would be the solution. There was a lot of discussion about how pornography (and the sex industry in general) could also be empowering. Lisa talked about how pornography facilitated her openness about sexuality, and Veronica talked about how strippers enjoy their work. In addition, many people noted the positive aspects of non-traditional pornography like gay/lesbian genres. As Sam said, many people acknowledged that rape, harassment, and other male domination tactics have been present without porn and are likely not to disappear if pornography is eradicated.
These journals were really hopeful for me in the sense that our class seems likely to help sisters, friends, daughters, even mothers if it's not too late, to claim their sexuality. We all thought that it was a crucial part of sexual enjoyment and empowerment. I also liked the fact that many journals addressed the issue of identity and identity politics. Many of you talked about how labels are restricting -- Renee talked about how complicated it can be, Hydi talked about how misleading it can be, and Deanna talked about how exclusionary it can be. Karen talked about a need to look at sexuality in a way similar to the lesbian continuum, with both people and sexuality as fluid.
Something that Sam brought up both in her journal and in her summary is that our definition of gender and sexuality are very relative. With no one representation, everything is just a copy of what we believe to be true. Through this, we set up gender and sexuality in opposition to each other: you are woman because you are not man, you are homosexual because you are not heterosexual. Several journals deconstructed this issue by looking at people who do not fit in these categories, i.e. drag queens, bisexuals, etc. I think that overall the class recognized that sexuality is a very important issue for women because it has been something that has been denied for a very long time. In addition, the pornography issue is very complicated, but banning is not the answer. Finally, our definitions and assumptions about sexuality need to be expanded so that we can avoid the labeling and presumptions that go along with it.
-Sarah Crissey