Glorified Evil

As usual yesterday I was having lunch with my colleagues and good friends Paul & Murali. We usually end up having  absolutely weird conversations during our lunches from science, to sociology to literature, to philosophy and often on topics we know little about but have an opinion on. So we found out that we are not sure the exact mechanism by which microwave ovens work and why metal sparks inside a microwave oven in use.

I decided to ‘google’ - the source of all information. (or Google is like the guru who leads you to the source of knowledge …hehe) and came to know of very interesting things like its only a metal with edges that will spark in a microwave, not if we place a nice smooth round ball of metal :).

Most interesting however, were these little experiments that people have been conducting, like generating plasma discharges in a microwave and capturing it on film. Ever microwaved a grape?
Don’t try. But for pleasure look at the images on this page:
http://home.earthlink.net/~marutgers/fun/microwave/microwave.html

A friend recently asked me a question: Why is it that effeminate gay men are looked down upon? not only by many straight folks but also within the gay community many perceive the ‘butch’ to be superior to he ‘femme’.

I would say that the root of this lies in examining the power
dynamics in a hetero-sexism dominated, patriarchal society … and
then in this society breaking the barrier of sexuality becomes a
lesser sin to breaking the power privilege of being a man …

So when I came out to my parents as gay (as opposed to coming out

as straight), one concern they had was regarding my masculinity.
They
wanted me to be "masculine", even if they accepted my homosexual

orientation. Somehow to me it seems that they saw me in a particular

gender role and one with privilege … a privilege that better not be

given up … often I have also heard parents speak proudly of their

girls as "beta", "son-substitute", or being as good as a son.. never

have I heard them speak of a son as good as a daughter … food for
thought??

In one discussion session I was in, we were listing terms that
reek of gender bias –  and we came up with bitch, whore, queen,
butch-femme, top-bottom, slut. Interestingly, many of these terms
which are apparently "gender-based" are actually used pejoratively
against gay men, especially gay men who are in touch with their
so-called feminine side.

another interesting point that came up was that "a guy who has slept
with many girls is a stud, while a girl with multiple sex partners
would be regarded as slut". Is this also not a confirmation and
perpetration of gender inequality, and in its inequality
gender violence?

homophobia and sexism are too intricately related in my opinion, and a
greater understanding of the gender equations and re-normalizing those
is key to bringing greater social awareness and healthy attitude
towards alternate sexual orientation, gender expression and identity.

An interesting article is "Homophobia: A Weapon of Sexism" by Suzanne
Pharr, SIECUS Report, 21, (3), 1-4 :
http://www.soaw.org/new/article.php?id=476

ayush

I guess I have been silent for too long. but not because I had nothing to say, but perhaps because too many things were happenning at the same time.

Lately, I have been outraged and I an trying to make the anger flow in constructive ways. Outrage at communal violence, outrage at the media control by the rich and the powerful that help in perpetrating violence and hatred among common people. I am also angry that we, the people, often just wash our hands of responsibilities and blame the Govt. for everything. How can social justice be "social" if only the Govt. is responsible for it? On that note, click here for an article on the definition and meaning of social justice.

But above all, the article in Salon on Matthew Limon titled Raped by Statute enraged me. Even in 2005, the so-called progressive America can so unjustly ruin the life of an 18 year old kid, already handicapped by nature, to set an example of its hollow ‘morality’ … what a shame!

I was at a panel discucssion today. It was on "Social Justice from Classroom to Community". The keynote speaker said something that touched a chord. He said that patriotism is a convenient tool for those in power. Insteresting, isnt it?

Today on one of the listservs I am on, someone was trying to tear down the concept of self-identifying as part of a certain cultural group when one does not belong to it by blood. The argument was as folows: If self-identification is validated, then a person not skilled to fly a plane, could still self-identify as a pilot. But all the self-identification in the world, this hypothetical person would not be allowed to fly a plane ! This argument was used to justify that an organisation with a focus ethnic group should not be administered/led by anyone who does not belong to the group by association of ancestry…. a person who might have contributed significantly to the group, and self-identified with that ethnic identity should be kicked out, according to my esteemed friend on that group.

Its strange that there is such hostility to self-identification from the queer community. The entire movement of queer rights and gender equity is in some sense is intricately linked to the idea of self-identification. How else would one justify a person identifying with a gender different from that based on the genetalia ?

SImilar to gender being a social construct, I feel cultural identity if defined by one’s birth, is a social construct.  A person with not the right skin color can often feel a part of a community of a different color. A glaring example is Eminem who identifies with the black culture.