Selfe – Lest We Think the Revolution is a Revolution
Mikhaila Baker, Section L
There is no doubt in my mind that the great majority of Americans view technology as an asset that improves their daily lives. However, whether this improvement in our daily lives can really be debated as gender biased remains debatable. Some could say technology is technology and who it helps is whoever it helps. Although others would argue that technology may be technology, but who it helps is a specific group that it is aimed at, more specifically a gender that it is aimed at. Cynthia L. Selfe (a Humanities Distinguished Professor in the English Department at Ohio State University) broached this sensitive subject in her 1999 book, “Lest We Think the Revolution is a Revolution”. Through her clever use of comparing commercials from the 1990’s to the 1950’s, she shows a clear connection between the two very different time periods. In the 1950’s it was common knowledge that women we’re meant to stay at home and be the “homemakers” while caring for the family’s overall wellness. So it is no wonder why in commercials from that era we see the technology that is meant to help with around the house chores and certain aspects of health (like well balanced meals, and medical shots, ect.) are shown with a woman figure taking advantage of these opportunities. But then we look at commercials from the 1990’s and we see the exact same pattern, despite that we “know” our culture to be lacking in gender roles. Selfe perfectly points out that, “despite the fact that families must maintain a duel presence in the work force, despite the fact that the rising incidence of divorce at the end of this century makes single-parent families the norm rather than the exception, despite the fact that the optimism of the fifties and sixties was articulated by John Kennedy has given way to the paranoia of the nineties as expressed by Pat Buchanan – the images of gender…remain relatively stable…” (par 10 Nar 3). In other words, us Americans know that “the norm” is definitely not this picture perfect family we enjoy seeing on TV. And although we know it to be a blatant fact, we choose to look past that and go on our cultural instincts to picture this perfect family, with the perfect housewife/mom, and the working husband, alongside the children.
It’s true that we are odd animals for loving one picture so much, and then fighting so hard against its restrictions. But, honestly, what are you supposed to think when the picture of happiness is shoved in your face every day by the ads we can’t ignore. Americans want to believe in being able to move around, be who you are, go for the dream you’ve always had. But when our culture only allows us one real picture of common happiness (so, not the rock-star-dream come true happiness), we are forced to think we can only have happiness in one way. Personally, I know that happiness comes in all shapes and sizes and colors; but I also know how hard it is to picture myself being happy in any other way than that picture image. In the future I picture myself being a mom with several kids and a nice, hard working husband. And if I don’t get that picture who is to say I can’t be happy. I can’t know myself at all, but I hope. Just like the great great majority of Americans.
Welcome!
Welcome to our Eng 100 Blog “Conversations Beyond the Classroom”! The title of this blog refers to the community of active readers & collaborative learners we are creating by sharing our academic writing for Eng 100 with each other + a larger group of students, instructors, academics, and just about anybody who chooses to follow our blog! When you write and post your reader responses here (and, later, as you write your essays for the course), I encourage you to use this audience to conceptualize who you are writing for and, most important, how to communicate your ideas so that this group of academic readers and writers can easily follow your line of thinking. Think about it this way: What do you need to explain and articulate in order for the other bloggers to understand your response to the essays we’ve read in class? What does your audience need to know about those essays and the authors who wrote them? And how can you show your readers, in writing, which ideas you add to these “conversations” that take place in the texts we study?
As students of Eng 100, you will use this blog to begin conversations with other academic writers on campus (students and instructors alike). We become active readers of each other’s writing when we comment on posts here. And, best of all, we are using this space to share ideas! We encourage you to use this blog to further think through the topics and writing strategies you will be introduced to this quarter. As always, be sure to give credit to those people whose ideas you borrow for your own thinking and writing (you should do this in the blog by commenting on their post, but you will also be required to cite what you borrow from your peers/instructors if and when it winds up in your essays. More details on that later…).
Finally, keep in mind that writing to and for this audience is a good way to prepare for the panel of readers (faculty at WCC) who will be reading and assessing your writing portfolio at the end of the quarter. We hope that as a large group of active readers, we can better prepare each other for this experience. But, in the meantime, let’s have fun with it! I am really excited see how far we can take this together!
--Mary Hammerbeck, Instructor of Eng 100
As students of Eng 100, you will use this blog to begin conversations with other academic writers on campus (students and instructors alike). We become active readers of each other’s writing when we comment on posts here. And, best of all, we are using this space to share ideas! We encourage you to use this blog to further think through the topics and writing strategies you will be introduced to this quarter. As always, be sure to give credit to those people whose ideas you borrow for your own thinking and writing (you should do this in the blog by commenting on their post, but you will also be required to cite what you borrow from your peers/instructors if and when it winds up in your essays. More details on that later…).
Finally, keep in mind that writing to and for this audience is a good way to prepare for the panel of readers (faculty at WCC) who will be reading and assessing your writing portfolio at the end of the quarter. We hope that as a large group of active readers, we can better prepare each other for this experience. But, in the meantime, let’s have fun with it! I am really excited see how far we can take this together!
--Mary Hammerbeck, Instructor of Eng 100
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