From Serendip
| The Nature of Inquiry:
Story Telling and Retelling in the Sciences and Humanities |
Forum Archive 5
From female/male differences to Bryn Mawr, education, and the ideal culture?
Yes, cleaned up again. But never fear, nothing lost. See
Name: Paul Grobstein
Username: pgrobste@brynmawr.edu
Subject: more on ... female/male
Date: Tue Oct 31 10:11:10 EST 2000
Comments:
Hmmmm .... interesting topic, huh? Struck me as noteworthy that the first week we talked about this what we talked about was largely about females being made uncomfortable by other females, who are "in competition" and that last week it was more about females being made uncomfortable by males, who tend to respond "like animals" instead of .... . And we got back to the ickiness matter, and to the question of whether some fears are innate. So, what ARE the differences we express by distinguishing between (identifying self and others) as female and male? Is there a positive aspect to those differences, whatever they are, as well as a discomforting side?
Name: crystal
Username:
Subject:
Date: Tue Oct 31 11:40:55 EST 2000
Comments:
Plead the 5th, don's understand the question
Name: Katie Kaczmarek
Username: kkaczmar@brynmawr.edu
Subject: gender differences
Date: Tue Oct 31 11:43:39 EST 2000
Comments:
The basic distinction we made in class was that females tend to think
things through and consider all the consequences/view all options before
acting, whereas males tend to act on their initial thought/reaction. This
is why men are usually more direct and agressive than women. I don't know
if there is really a positive or negative aspect to these differences;
mostly, the differences just keep the sexes from understanding each o
Name: Ariana
Username: ahlamb@brynmawr.edu
Subject:
Date: Tue Oct 31 11:46:01 EST 2000
Comments:
I think that in the more recent age, we make the automatic distinctions
between male and female less and less. We are learning more and more that
many of these differences are based on the individual. The line between
"masculine" and "feminine" is growing more and more fuz
Name: Cassandra P-S
Username: cphillip@brynmawr.edu
Subject: Female & Male Differences
Date: Tue Oct 31 11:46:49 EST 2000
Comments:
Some fears are innate. For instance, the fear of dark drop-offs. Even
little babies will stay away from edges of high places, or things that look
like edges of high places (for example, a black square painted on a piece
of plexiglass placed on the floor).
There are anatomical differences, obviously, even down to bone structure.
I know one thing that usually automatically shouts, "male," is short
hair...I had short hair for a while and there was an incident, embarassing
at the time, in which someone who only saw me from the back decided that I
was a guy and said, "hey, that's the women's bathroom"...then I turned
around. "I know."
But there are less subtle differences than bones and
hair length and muscle structure...I think women are emotionally stronger
when it comes to large isses like death and life and change...but men
handle the everyday ups and downs of life better. They do not get upset
when the cat knocks over their coffee mug. (In general, of course. There
are exceptions to every idea/rule). I think there is a positive
aspect...the two sexes in my opinion complement each other emotionally as
well as physically, like a ying-yang
Name: anonymous
Username:
Subject: male and females
Date: Tue Oct 31 11:47:53 EST 2000
Comments:
The differences are a combination of sight and insight. We observe visually the charateristics of the physical, body parts, clothing, size, grooming, etc, to develop a basic idea of what we perseve as male and female. The major way I feel that we truely tell males from females is by insight. We observe body posture, mannerisms, language, etc. to infer what we know as characteristically male or female, this is not always easy, for there are some males and females who strive, though sometimes not intentionally, to make themselves appear to be the opp. gender. I feel that these distinctions can be positive at times, because they make it easier to find a friend or a mate, however, I believe that the dangerous side far out ways the discomfort to ask, "Are you a girl?"
Name: Cindy
Username: qzhan@brynmawr.edu
Subject:
Date: Tue Oct 31 11:48:17 EST 2000
Comments:
so far, the classes agreed on some general ways to distinguish females and males. Females tend to think more about what they do and males tend to act on impulse. Males are more physically aggressive while females are more emotionally aggresive. The positive aspect to those differences is that males and female can sometimes offer differnet aspect on the same things base on their own "common sense" The disadvantage of these difference is that people tend to make incorrect stereotypes based on these differences.
Name: Paige
Username: pcunning
Subject: Males vs. Females
Date: Tue Oct 31 11:50:05 EST 2000
Comments:
Yeah, there are differences between males and females, and yes, that can be a good thing, since it positively distinguishes between the two halves of our species...guys in general tend to be bigger and more violent, and therefore intimidating, so yes, logically the frequently smaller women will be afraid of them, especially as children. Something about the men of our species can be somewhat frightening. Guys are often irritating. Ok, so I'll answer what I *think* is the question now. In everyday life, we distinguish between men and women who we do not know, on the basis of how they look. We can't tell biologically because we cannot see a person's genes. So we tend to judge on the basis of how they look, and then, if we see them for long enough, how they act. Maybe this isn't a very good judgement basis, but it is a true one.
Name: Rachel Derber
Username: rderber@brynmawr.edu
Subject:
Date: Tue Oct 31 11:51:12 EST 2000
Comments:
We reconize that a person is male or female based primarily on looks and the way that a person carries themselves. A male seems more confident and swaggering when he walks around campus and feels that he is superior to those around him. While many females seem confident but at the same time are always concerned about what other females think of them and what males might percieve from them. If one can not tell whether a person is male or female solely on looks, then if you talk to that person you would be able to tell whether they are male or female. Most males seem more aggresive and dominating, while females will talk alot and seem concern about what is going on with the other person or in the conversion. I don't really know if that's what i am supposed to write, but there are some thoughts, so enjoy.
Name: anonymous
Username: crystal again
Subject:
Date: Tue Oct 31 11:51:17 EST 2000
Comments:
Way too any differences betwen males and females. Biologiclly obvious ones
and we've been trying to decide upon other non-bio ones. I think that we
could probably justify every diff as biological of having to do with
evolution. Pretty much every difference between males and females has both
a + and - aspect. sorry, i can't think of anything else to s
Name: anonymous
Username:
Subject:
Date: Tue Oct 31 11:51:37 EST 2000
Comments:
We first identify males from females by physical apperance and then by mannerisms. Males are built structurally different by the broad shoulders to the height to defined jaw line and promient Adam's apple. Females are softer in apperance and tend to have a more maternal instict... now that is not true to all but to a majority. Parents instill these looks and mannerisms as much as they can. Today the difference is also to clothes and how we groom ourselves. The majority of females care about their apperance and try to appease themselves as well as others. Males just dress to look clothed... it isn't until they want a female attention that they try grooming. Girls are more determined to prove themselves to other and do it more quietly and more in acedemics. Males on the other hand prove themselves through sports or dates. They also don't have to assert themselves as much as women do in the work place.
Name: Kate DiFelice
Username: kdifelic@bm.edu
Subject: differences
Date: Tue Oct 31 11:53:09 EST 2000
Comments:
By my estimation, in everyday life, we infer the sex of an individual based
basically on appearances. From that we judge certain things about the
character of the person. Women nurturing and rational, men aggressive and
intuitive, all that. I still don't really understand the questi
Name: Faye McGrath
Username: fmcrath@bmc
Subject: male/female
Date: Tue Oct 31 11:54:17 EST 2000
Comments:
To be quite honest, I do not know how to determine male/female differences, even though we have been discussing the topic at length. I truly think, however, that beyond broad distinctions (such s sex), there are not that many intrinsic differences.
Name: Paul Grobstein
Username: pgrobste@brynmawr.edu
Subject: more thanks
Date: Thu Nov 2 13:16:09 EST 2000
Comments:
A fascinating conversation today, as always but maybe even more so. So ... some SERIOUS skepticism about scientific research. Interesting, to someone who makes their living doing it. And believes everyone has been doing it since they were a baby. Check out some thoughts about it at http://serendipstudio.org/bb/reaction/reactionresearch.html, and at http://serendipstudio.org/sci_cult/truth.html.
Even more interesting, the feeling that if things are different, one must necessarily be "better" than another. That's REALLY worth talking/thinking more about. Some grist for that is at http://serendipstudio.org/gen_beh/diversity.html.
Name: Paul Grobstein
Username: pgrobste@brynmawr.edu
Subject: to date, and on ...
Date: Tue Nov 14 10:27:56 EST 2000
Comments:
Thanks all for contributions to Sunday symposium. I've posted our collective research paper, and will get some pictures up in the near future.
Still have on my mind our conversation from last Thursday, about whether the stories one tells are based more on stories one hears from others or the experiences one has oneself (come out as an issue when we were talking about whether men cheat more than women). Think that helps to focus a larger issue that is at the center of the next part of our course: what are the "sources" of individual (and collective) understanding? And what are the relative significances of each in one's own life? in collective understanding? Seems to me that, so far, we have identified three significant sources: innate or genetic (as came up in thinking about why might very young girls fear males), personal experiences, and stories one hears from others (culture?).
Given that you've all just written your current stories about male/female differences, how about some quick thoughts about how significant each of these three sources has been for you in creating your current story? You're welcome to add additional influences if you think the list so far is incomplete.
Name: Cassandra P-S
Username: cphillip@brynmawr.edu
Subject: Sources of Understanding
Date: Tue Nov 14 11:34:15 EST 2000
Comments:
I think that large cultural influences shape 'us' as groups (as 'families',
as 'siblings', as 'nations') but that our own expierences and not stories
told by others influence us as a person and help determine our personality
and worldview. I have no idea where these collective and personal
understandings began, I just know they're there.
I think personal
experiences and stories I have heard from others about 'the way the world
works' have shaped my life the most, though I cannot say that biology had
nothing to do wi
Name: Kate DiFelice
Username: kdifelic@brynmawr.edu
Subject: sources of understanding
Date: Tue Nov 14 11:39:22 EST 2000
Comments:
I think that there is one more significant source for understanding: reason. And that's something that may be important to me (like the societal influence) because of who I am: a female. By what I can tell, I look to outside sources for information, then check to see if there is a reasonable and convincing explanation or one that I can give it, and also check it against my own personal experience for validity. Although, i think that I might be willing to override my own observations if i had reason to think that they were too limited.
Name: Katie Kaczmarek
Username: kkaczmar@brynmawr.edu
Subject: understanding
Date: Tue Nov 14 11:41:05 EST 2000
Comments:
I know that a great deal of my understanding of gender differences in
individuals came from my personal experiences growing up in a house equally
divided between males and females. But my understanding of the interaction
between males and females was mostly based on my observations of others and
their stories as well as popular culture. I'm not sure what role
innate/genetic differences played. Because they are innate, I don't know
if I could ever recognize them- they're just
Name: jessica
Username: jamiller@brynmawr.edu
Subject: gender
Date: Tue Nov 14 11:45:58 EST 2000
Comments:
I think that our differences as far as genetics and innate characteristics we are different if only for hormonal reasons, but I believe that our enviornment has a bigger part to play. The experiances that we have from our infancy to adulthood make a big part of who we become. Gender relations are a faction of that idea. Males and females are different, but many of the ideas that we grow up with are those that we carry for the rest of our lives.
Name: sonam
Username:
Subject:
Date: Tue Nov 14 11:46:54 EST 2000
Comments:
I think that by sharing our stories and by learning/reading more about male/female differences, we have reached a point where we're not just observing the male/female differences but rather we're going beyond that and examinig where these differences stem from.
For example, the idea that men may use their own personl experiences to form opinions seems interesting and that it can be related to an issue such as cheating opens many doors. I do agree with this idea that since women communicate more, we seem to feel that we know men too well (their actions, behavior) and maybe men find women hard to figure out (our thoughts, feelings) because they don't exchange their personal experiences as much (?????).
Name: Rachel
Username: rderber
Subject:
Date: Tue Nov 14 11:47:10 EST 2000
Comments:
I think that in my current story the three sources of innate,personal, and stories heard from others greatly effect my version. I think that there is only so much that can be attributed to genetic sources and that the stories heard from others or society make up alot of what i believe to be true. My own personal experience seem to coincide with the beliefs of society. I think that I believe more in the general feeling of society rather than going on what my own experiences have been in certain situations or on certain topics. This is because society has more gathered situations and so it seems more believeable then what has happened in my life, which seems very limited.
Name: crystal
Username:
Subject:
Date: Tue Nov 14 11:47:28 EST 2000
Comments:
I was raised with a strong female influence, yet there has always been a man around. I think genetic and evolutionary differences are really interesting, even if i don't understand biology well. Its weird to think that we our just animals and nothings really changed. We're born, we procreate, and we die. What happens in between is a product of our environment (parents, friends, personal experiences...) we'll finish this later.
Name: Paul Grobstein
Username: pgrobste@brynmawr.edu
Subject: more wow
Date: Thu Nov 16 11:38:46 EST 2000
Comments:
What's to say? Every time we have a session like last Tuesday I get amazed again .... I'm learning a lot. Thanks. Hope you too.
So, what are the issues? "differences without better and worse?", liked the color blindness/basketball team conversation. Are there cultures without "competitition", and so less inclined to see differences as better/worse? Does one have to behave certain ways because of "culture", and is this more true of women than men? Is it possible to reduce cultural influences, and would this be a good thing (parallel to "genetic/innate" influences)? Can one have both logic and emotion (parallel to both faith and doubt)? What exactly IS logic/rationality? Are they aspects of particular cultures or do they transcend culture? Can they be/should they be used to judge cultures, or aspects of cultures such as female circumcision? What IS "culture"? Can IT be studied?, like biology, and if so, how?, and what does THAT imply?
Name: Paul Grobstein
Username: pgrobste@brynmawr.edu
Subject: Bryn Mawr culture
Date: Thu Nov 30 10:25:17 EST 2000
Comments:
Glad to see a Thanksgiving break didn't diminish anyone's taste for intellectual exploration with a practical tinge. Very interesting session Tuesday on "Culture as Disability". Certainly felt like a lot of resonance to the idea that "disability" is, to at least a significant extent, a cultural label which serves, at least in part, to make some people feel better about themselves by making other people feel worse. So .... Bryn Mawr as a cultural institution? Are there things about it that make some people in the community feel good by making others feel worse? Are there things about it that make people in the community feel better by making people outside it feel worse?
Name: Cassandra P-S
Username: cphillip@brynmawr.edu
Subject: Bryn Mawr culture
Date: Thu Nov 30 11:41:30 EST 2000
Comments:
Bryn Mawr is a very liberal campus. However, while I do not agree with the
conservative political opinion myself, I can see that that is one thing
that makes most people here feel good, while a few others feel bad, because
they do not hold the liberal values of Bryn Mawr which have been
institutionalized into the college.
I know that traditions and intellectualisim are a big part of things that
tend to make people outside the community feel left out. When I talk to my
best friend, she says that she sometimes wishes she had gone to a more
intellectual school, like here. And I say things like: "Hey, you may have
boys, but we have lanterns, so THERE!
Name: Ari
Username: ahlamb@brynmawr.edu
Subject: bryn mawr as a culture
Date: Thu Nov 30 11:41:34 EST 2000
Comments:
the bryn mawr campus is a very liberal campus. because of that, and
because of all the pro-minority and pro-equal rights stuff on campus, if
someone is conservative it makes that person feel very intimidated.
as for people outside the campus, it seems to me that mawrters spend a lot
of time making fun of the haverford guys (my personal favorite on this
subject is "they're all short, hairy, and named dan"). could this be a way
of consoling ourselves for the fact that there are no men on campus, and
that the men available to us (haverford guys) don't provide much of a
select
Name: Katie Kaczmarek
Username: kkaczmar@brynmawr.edu
Subject: BMC as a cultural institution
Date: Thu Nov 30 11:42:50 EST 2000
Comments:
I think that Bryn Mawr does function as a cultural institution in that it does "disable" some people. Within the community, conservatives are disabled in many ways because this is such a liberal campus. People take a great deal of pride in this and sometimes become a little overbearing to those who hold different beliefs. Some clubs and groups can also seem elitist. Bryn Mawr does also put down outsiders sometimes to make BMC seem better. I've heard many people say that Haverford is "bad" - in their food, their dorms, etc. etc. So I think that Bryn Mawr does practice cultural disabling.
Name: crystal
Username:
Subject:
Date: Thu Nov 30 11:42:55 EST 2000
Comments:
It all has to do with the individual's attitude. If one feels that they
are better because they go to BMc, they're going to show it, they would
probably try to show up other people, try to 'be' more inteligent than
another person. Inside our cmmunity, there are times when a lot of people
feel inferior to others, be it because of intellect, looks, status... I
think its a person's choice whether or not to make someone feel bad. I
agree with the notion of natural evolution of this 'making people feel bad'
thing. Also, being at BMC is like being in a huge sorority. Those outside
cannot know or feel what its like to be a Mawrter. If that makes them feel
bad, it could be because we have something they wish they had, or maybe us
trying to make ourselves feel better about being in such an en
Name: Kate DiFelice
Username: kdifelic@brynmawr
Subject: cultural disability at BMC
Date: Thu Nov 30 11:44:56 EST 2000
Comments:
I think that because of the unusally liberal nature of BMC, cultural discrimination and labeling tends to happen in the opposite way that it usually does. The people who might otherwise be "disabled", ie the liberal fringe of society find themselves the majority. here it is the more mainstream conservatives who must prove themselves and are subject to ridicule. Here the liberals find the chance to do some dominating of their own, which they might not have been able to do before.
I also think that we have a somewhat snobbish view of those outside the bryn mawr community. not so much of haverford or swathmore, but certainly of schools like villanova. I have always lived very close to here and knew people who went to villanova, and I never considered it a natural home for the academic dregs of society. but since I've been here, it's been on the recieving end of quite a few jokes and stereotypes. I think bryn mawr likes to think it's better than quite a few other schools. Of course, I think it likely that people at Villanova have a distain for sober Bryn Mawr too. So, we're both able to make ourselves feel better by looking down on the other.
Name: rachel
Username: rderber@brynmawr.edu
Subject: disability
Date: Thu Nov 30 11:48:11 EST 2000
Comments:
In the community it makes the women of bryn mawr feel better than the
surrounding colleges because we think or at least i think that bryn mawr is
better than haverford or villnova. we are told that we are smarter than
those other colleges and that our education means more than their's. But
from the community we are isolated as being all women and we get called
rude names and slurs, by those males attending the other colleges, it makes
them feel good about themselves to make fun of us. While the area of bryn
mawr is one of conservtism, bryn mawr college is generally liberal and the
community might dislike us because of this fact and try in ways to make us
feel bad about being so liberal. There are probably many more ways that the
community makes some feel good and other feel bad, but i just can't think
of any
Name: Paige:-)
Username: pcunning@brynmawr.edu
Subject: Better and Worse
Date: Thu Nov 30 11:48:43 EST 2000
Comments:
I think that there are things about the Bryn Mawr community that makes people within it feel worse by making others within it feel better. While Bryn Mawr tries to reduce competition, for example, by means of the honor code stricture which says everyone must agree to share grades, even saying what a grade curve is can make people feel bad. Another way in which people can feel worse is through material possessions, such as those in dorm rooms. People with computers, vs. those without. But I think an even more significant issue is between Bryn Mawr and the outside community. They look at Bryn Mawr and see a high-priced selective institution, where "rich" girls go to get a snobby education. It is not the fault of the members of the institution that they are looked upon in this way, since within the community there is a wide range of members. Many people who are not here are jealous of those who are, and in that way, they feel worse, while making the students feel better about knowing that they are here and deserve to be here.
Name: Faye
Username: fmcgrath@brynmawr.edu
Subject: Bryn Mawr culture
Date: Thu Nov 30 11:50:40 EST 2000
Comments:
Conservatives and men. As a culture, Bryn Mawr make intimidate, put down,
and vilify conservatives. I know that I sometimes (unintentionally) make
bad comments about conservatives. We tend to elivate the status of
liberals on this campus. Also, men have a tough time here. I have noticed
that they are viewed almost as novelty items. Pick one up, play with it
for a while, and then discard it a short time later. In addition,
Haverford students are often put down, especially the men. Martyers try to
make themselves feel better about not hav
Name: Jessica
Username:
Subject:
Date: Thu Nov 30 11:50:53 EST 2000
Comments:
I think that for the people who attend Bryn Mawr, it is a safe a
comfortable place where they can explore themselves with out fear of
humiliation. The campus as a whole is very accepting. The fact that it is
all female contributes to feelings that this is a seperate universe. I
don't think we are hurting any
Name: Paul Grobstein
Username: pgrobste@brynmawr.edu
Subject: matters arising
Date: Tue Dec 5 11:37:47 EST 2000
Comments:
VERY interesting conversation last week (as always). Carrying us into an unanticipated (but worthwhile) realm. CAN there be a culture which isn't organized to make some people feel good by making other people feel bad? What would it be like? How can one get there? If "culture" is actually the collective of what individuals do, then individuals should be able to imagine/create something different, yes? (like the square, Galileo, Sexton?). Try it, and let's see what we come up with.
Name: Jessica
Username: jamiller@brynmawr.edu
Subject: equal?
Date: Tue Dec 5 11:50:22 EST 2000
Comments:
If this were to occur, men and women would never worry about the balance of power, but there would have to be some way of makeing some people who have useful gifts as unimportant as the people without any gifts, ie Harrison Bergeron, or, we would have to find some way in which to elevate the ungifted level to a gifted place, like make them have some government given power/right that will make them equally as important as the gifted people. This I feel would breed contempt from the gifted people but hey it might work. Otherwise, we could go to a sort of class system, where everyone does their job, and then the results of the labors are handed out freely and evenly, but the person handing things out would then have power, and there would always be problems with the differences in the amounts of labor each job entails.
Name: anonymous
Username:
Subject:
Date: Tue Dec 5 11:51:26 EST 2000
Comments:
A new culture huh? Let's see, first off, we'd have to take away brains, which would of course cancel all individuality, personal expression and belief, opinion...After all, to have a society where everyone feels the same, they all have to have the same computer chip. People would have to be programmed to the point where 'real' humans would cease to exist. I don't see, as of now, how a society could exist with out bullies and dominating characters. If no one had feelings, maybe. I wouldn' suggest a way to 'accomplish' this. It just doesn't seem too much better than our society now.
Name: Faye
Username: fmcgrath@bmc
Subject: good society
Date: Tue Dec 5 11:53:10 EST 2000
Comments:
To be qite honest, I do not think that humanity will ever naturaly form a culture in which we don't make others feel bad delibrately. However, I do think that it is possible if a new society was formed which indoctrinates the youth with the necessary mentality. It would have to be a world-wide effort, genetically engneering and developing a new generation. Individual freedoms would be non existent. I knw that it does not sound very positive, being controlled from birth by Big Brother, but I can't see it happening because humanity was suddenly consumed with loving their neighbors. Humans just don't function that way.
Name: Cassandra P-S
Username: cphillip@brynmawr.edu
Subject: New Culture
Date: Tue Dec 5 11:54:44 EST 2000
Comments:
I must say that I do think it's rediculous to have us come up with a
culture in fifteen minutes or less. But it's a good idea, so...First,
let me say that right now, individuals DO have the power to envision
changes for society, and, if they are driven enough, the ability to go to
whatever means necessary to enact those changes.
I think to have a
culture in which people all feel equal, you would need: a small group of
people who already all pretty much respect each other's thoughts, ideas,
and opinions, but are willing to change and share those ideas as may be
necessary. I think another way to make that culture would be to have
everyone in that culture working togther towards a specific goal. I think
also that if the people in the culture had to help each other through
life's challenges daily, it would go a long way towards helping everyone be
emphatic towards everyone else. Differences would have to be realized,
accecpted, and then augmented by other's skills and thoughts without worry
as to who was better or worse, just different. That's all.
Another way to make people feel good without making others feel bad would
be to eliminate all the people who felt bad, like Hitler tried to do, but I
harldy think that is a s
Name: Cassandra P-S
Username: cphillip@brynmawr.edu
Subject: What got cut off
Date: Tue Dec 5 11:55:20 EST 2000
Comments:
sucessful way. :P
Name: rachel
Username: rderber@brynmawr.edu
Subject: culture
Date: Tue Dec 5 11:55:32 EST 2000
Comments:
I don't think there can be a culture in which some people feel good by making others feel bad. This is because humans are naturally competitive and strive to do better than those around them. With this competitiveness comes, the fact that those who succeed feel that they are better than those below them and so in turn make those below them feel bad,because they are not as successful and make themselves feel good because they are successful. Even if one were to create a whole new culture the basic insicit of bettering ones' self or improving upon ones' situation will always occur and so humans will always make themselves feel good by making others feel bad. If one imagines a world in which everyone is equal and happy with what ever life has given them and the people feel no need to improve the place in life, then that is a very naive idea. For man is always trying to outdo and gain more than others.
Name: kate DiFelice
Username: kdifelic@brynmawr.edu
Subject: "created equal"
Date: Tue Dec 5 11:57:00 EST 2000
Comments:
The cultures that have actually existed that I can think of that resemble this ideal indescriminate culture are ones that place no emphasis on the state of the individual. Communism. And, for all we've been attacking this society, the Catholic-run europe of the middle ages. No individual was considered better than another, so neither could be worse. This equality existed among the masses. However, with both of these societies, there was a hierarchy separate from the masses that DID consider themselves better. So the comparison doesn't entirely work.
I think that a society that actually does not descriminate would have equal opportunity for all. People would at least start off equal because they are not already designated as "better" or "worse". This "created equal" thing is actually one of the ideas of our country, but it's not entirely true. The whole thing with parents wanting to make their children have a better or easier life than they did does not go with everyone being born absolutely equal
Name: Katie Kaczmarek
Username: kkaczmar@brynmawr.edu
Subject: non-discriminatory culture
Date: Tue Dec 5 11:58:00 EST 2000
Comments:
Hmmm....how to create a culture that doesn't make some people feel good by making others feel bad.... What if people were immortal? Then it wouldn't really matter what they did or how they looked, 'cause if you live forever, you'd learn not to waste time and energy worrying about trivial things like what other people think of you. But maybe they would still judge on stuff like how much money you had, or what you'd done in your life...oh well, it wasn't exactly a plausible idea anyway. Let's think about this logically. People usually discriminate based on their perceptions of others, so in order to make a nondiscriminatory society, you'd have to take away those perceptions, or make everyone's perceptions equal. I guess there is really no good way to do that, so perhaps there isn't a way to make a culture that doesn't discriminate.
Name: Paige:-)
Username: pcunning@brynmawr.edu
Subject: Equality?
Date: Tue Dec 5 11:59:59 EST 2000
Comments:
I suppose that a culture in which everyone was recognized for his or her strengths could be considered a utopia. In this society everyone would be evaluated to see what he or she did best and enjoyed, and then would enter the workforce to do just that. If there was a surplus of one thing, then societ woul have to find them something else to do with the same talents. People could cooperate to do the things that no one else wants to do, so that people who are gifted in other ways are not stuck doing such menial uninteresting work. The problem is getting there. How could one create such a community without influence and prejudice from our world? If such a world were created in a vacuum, where all the different ethnicities and diverse groups started out as an acknowledged and entrenched part of society, then there should be no problems. It is only going _to_ such a society, and adding new groups to an already existing culture that creates problems.
Name: sonam
Username:
Subject: ideal world
Date: Tue Dec 5 12:01:49 EST 2000
Comments:
It is very difficult to imagine this world with such a culture. People are insecure and because of this insecurity, we use things such as religion and culture as crutches in order to feel better/superior. It is true that to really feel good about oneself, he/she does not need to make another feel bad but I think for people to actually realize this or feel this way all the time is impossible. A world in which people can break these barriers and can feel free to make their own individual decisions is ideal but at the time being, I don't see our world heading towards that. =(
Name: Paul Grobstein
Username: pgrobste@brynmawr.edu
Subject: the semester
Date: Mon Dec 18 10:00:13 EST 2000
Comments:
Don't know for sure how you all feel about it, but THAT was, for me, a rich/exciting/enjoyable semester. Many thanks. LOTS to think more about. Story telling/retelling and why, of course. But also the pros and cons of being a story reteller, male/female differences, the role of genes and culture in self, the nature of culture, of education, of rebellion. And, despite the range, with a sense (at least for me) of common thread through it all. My own last intriguing thought: that the deepest reason to retell stories is to rebel ... against the universe (of which a culture that "disables" individuals is a part).
So ... same shared experience but different individuals/perspectives, as it should be. What did you come away from the semester with? In what ways was it similar to, different from, other educational experiences you've had? A few lines, last thoughts? Actually, "last thoughts" only for our semester together. I'll certainly go on trying to get "less wrong" about things we've talked about. Hope you will too, and that we'll have more chances to share ideas in the years to come.
Name: Cindy Zhan
Username: qzhan@brynmawr.edu
Subject:
Date: Mon Dec 18 13:12:36 EST 2000
Comments:
This was a very interesting course for me. I never thought about culture and society as much as i did during the course. Talking about these things made me realize taht i need to pay more attention to the things around me and the society that i am in because i was unaware of how it can have such deep impact on individuals. I guess it does make sense that people tell stories to rebel against the injustices of society and ultimately the universe.
Name: Rachel
Username: rderber@brynmawr.edu
Subject: The Course
Date: Wed Dec 20 00:14:01 EST 2000
Comments:
I really enjoyed this course and thought it was very educating and exciting at the same time. I loved all the discussions that we had and how new ideas were constantly forming and then being discarded, because we would come up with new answers and ideas. In being able to discuss so openly and the fact that everyone respected each other's thoughts, helped me to be more open with my own ideas and more accepting of new ideas. I never really looked at the idea of storytelling and how much it is a part of our lives and how much it shapes culture. I also have thought more of gender differences and how we are obsessed with deciding which sex is better, but that neither sex is better than the other and that having differences is a good thing and keeps the culture going. While some of the readings were dull and seemingly uneventful, good discussions and ideas came from these not so good readings and I was really surprised how much could be learned and gather from these readings once we really looked at them. I really enjoyed this class and I'm going to miss hearing everyone's thoughts and feelings every tuesday and thursday. I can only pray that my next csem will be as fun and enriching!!!