Reflection

"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest" -Confucius.

On the first day of class I was nervous when we discussed the form of the class. Just hearing the word technology is intimidating for me, let alone having to do all of my assignments through the web. When I came home that day I contemplated switching to a different UWP section, one that was "standard" in the way the class was constructed. Standard equals safe to me. I know what to expect in a typical English class: we read books and write essays on them, turning the final product in by hand. Deadlines are strict, and the syllabus is rigid. I decided that I was going to challenge myself by staying in this UWP class. It turns out that one can learn a lot about him/herself when placed in an uncomfortable situation. In the past 6 weeks of class I have gained a new way of thinking and have a new found respect for the technology that provides the different forms of mediums that so heavily influence our society.

Despite my initial hesitation, this system of blogging all of the assignments has proved to be a beneficial one. I feel more relaxed in this medium than I do in Word Document, allowing my words to flow more effortlessly. The smaller text box is not as daunting as the large, white, blank document in Word. The intended audience of blogs is much larger than writing solely for a teacher(as in tradition English classes, only the teacher reads your paper) which is a menacing concept. I realized this is just another style of writing and after I published my very first blog, the anticipation and my timidness seemed to disappear; despite the large audience, this form of media is anonymous which comforts me. 

I enjoyed the "close readings" that we performed in this class. While it causes me to constantly question every add I see and analyze seemingly easy, everyday things (thanks a lot Kara), I now understand the importance of having an acute observation concerning  the media  and what they are trying to sell us. For example, before this class I would have thought that the Blackberry add that we analyzed was just another convincing commercial, not even recognizing the deception and false advertising. 

I found most interesting our discussions about the real v. virtual. It is such a fascinating topic and maneuvering through Second Life helped explore this binary. Second Life also brought our textbook's definitions of ideology and identity to life. 

I now realize that the experimental form of this class, one in which I feared, actually allowed me to learn more than I ever would by simply handing in essays. It created an environment that was inviting and encouraged creativity in the way we thought about certain topics. I am glad that I did not take the easy way out and switch classes, it allowed me to grow as a person by experiencing something new that was not "safe". I'd say that this experiment was a success. 

Hierarchy

Hierarchy \ˈhī-(ə-)ˌrär-kē also ˈhi(-ə)r-ˌär-\ comes form the Middle English ierarchie meaning rank or order of holy beings(1). Traditionally, the word has been associated with the church, taking its roots in religious practices. Throughout the centuries, the definition has morphed in to a more general meaning: the idea that every person or thing can be placed in a ranked or graded series. While the definition of hierarchy has moved away from the church to encompass everyday civilians and objects, its meaning is equally (perhaps even more) dominant in the different societies of today’s world. A ranking system dictates many of the decisions that one makes, from choosing what college to attend to calling someone instead of sending a text.

In 14th century BC(2) , the concept of hierarchies existed heavily in the church, however, there was not a term designated for these echelons. At the apex of the hierarchy stood God, followed by his 9 angles in descending order. It was not until 1880 that the term ‘hierarchy’ was first cited by the OED in reference to celestial hierarchy, which is a division of angles ranked from lowest to highest: angels, archangels, principalities, powers, virtues, dominions, thrones, cherubim, and seraphim(3) . Ever since its coinage, hierarchy has been a keyword in every culture across the world.

A couple centuries later, the meaning of the term shifted from deities to the church’s elite. Within the group of officials, clergymen were ranked creating a subordinate and an authority at each level of the hierarchy; however, even he lowest ranked clergymen had a significant power over the common people. As quoted by the Spanish writer and journalist Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), “We should always be disposed to believe that that which appears white is really black, if the hierarchy of the church so decides(4)”, this is a reflection of a time when the church acted as the government and dictated the affairs of the territory. Covert corruption and violence often occurred amongst the church’s top ranks but could not be confronted given the high status that the clergymen had due to the authority that they possessed. This is a prime example of a hierarchy in affect; a person in the lower ranks (common people) is subordinate to the person/people above him, and thus, powerless. He is left at the discretion of the people in the authoritarian rank (church officials).

As the church started to lose its political power, the affiliation of religion with hierarchy was also getting lost. The definition broadened into the modern (modern in the sense that it is apart of today’s ideological systems, but it was developed centuries ago) understanding and usage of the concept; instead of being applied to clergymen, the term hierarchy is used to refer to the classification of a group of people according to ability or to economic, social, or professional standing(5) . This sense of the term plays a massive role in recent decades. Racial, gender, and sexual discrimination are due to the hierarchical ideologies that society has about these different categories. Caucasians have been placed higher than African Americans throughout history; males have been seen as dominant over females; and heterosexuals are placed higher in rank than homo/bisexuals. Feminists, Marxist, anarchists, communist, and critical theorists have been very critical of the impacts of these social hierarchies. People of these movements “view hierarchy in terms of values and power that it arbitrarily assigns to one group over the other and that it promotes and stabilizes oppression(6)” . Furthermore, hierarchies are present in the business world, in the Army, in mathematics, in biology, and linguistics. For example, the Chomsky Hierarchy of formal language consists of different sets of rules that dictate sentence structure and phrases.

The analysis that we have done in this course has made the existence of hierarchies very evident. As discussed in class, school systems are molded by hierarchies. The principal is higher ranked than the teacher, and the teacher is a higher status than the students. Everyone is aware of the power in affect and his or her position in the hierarchy and is unlikely to challenge it. Essentially there is nothing stopping the students from overthrowing the teacher and taking over the classroom, but because of the pecking order and the consequences of assuming a higher position, no body attempts to step outside of his or her “designated role”. Furthermore, we have heavily discussed the fascinating issue of the virtual vs. the real. In the first week of class we talked about the hierarchy between mediums: turning in an essay on actual paper seemed to be taken more seriously than writing in a blog. To further this investigation of mediums, the exploration of Second Life revealed that hierarchies also exist in virtual games. Avatars with unique clothing that the user either paid for or created them self was “cooler” and more interesting than an avatar hat wore the default clothing. Also, many users ranked his or her Second Life better than his or her real life. Additionally, the AmericanSingles dating service that was investigated by classmates exposed hierarchies based on ideologies. All of the people in the advertisements were white, heterosexual couples. The site is only promoting love matches for Caucasians, making it appear that the site puts this ethnicity at the top of the hierarchy. When asked, “whom you are seeking” one can only check male or female, and does not have the option to select both. This uncovers that AmericanSingles is placing heterosexuality above homosexuality, and homosexuality over bisexuality.


While the subjects of the system have morphed overtime (religious references --> every day people and objects), hierarchies have been in existence for many centuries. Virtually every decision that one makes is based on a hierarchal latter that is constructed from his or her ideologies. Some believe that hierarchies are necessary in order for society to function as a free society, “the fact, in short, is that freedom, to be meaningful in an organized society must consist of an amalgam of hierarchy of freedoms and restraints”(7)  (Samuel Hendel). While others feel that social hierarchies do not allow a society to be free because it oppresses the subordinate groups but this situation is unable to change because “The bureaucracy is a circle from which one cannot escape. Its hierarchy is a hierarchy of knowledge. The top entrusts the understanding of detail to the lower levels, whilst the lower levels credit the top with understanding of the general, and so all are mutually deceived.”(8) (Karl Marx). Whatever side one identifies with, there is no denying that hierarchy proves to be a keyword in society.

(1) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hierarchy
(2) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hierarchy
(3) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/celestial hierarch
(4) http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/hierarchy/ 

(5) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hierarchy 

(6) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierarchy
(7)http://thinkexist.com/quotation/the_fact-in_short-is_that_freedom-to_be/219185.html
(8) http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/hierarchy

Ideology and the Toilet

You are at a bar pounding back brewskeys, engaged in the usual mindless banter and sending the occasional embarrassing "drunk text" that is so often associated with your intoxicated state. You decide that you can no longer avoid the inevitable, you must "break the seal". After excusing yourself, you make your way towards the restrooms. You find yourself faced with only two options:

Without any hesitation, despite your drunken stupor, you make your way into the room that you are "designated" to go into. Not giving a second thought to if you chose the "right" bathroom, you quickly relieve yourself and get back in the game. Restroom signs play a dictating role in our everyday lives. Due to their frequency, the act of choosing which bathroom to occupy is that of an almost unconscious one; I do not stand in front of the door and justify my choice, I simply see a picture of a woman and walk through that door without much thought or hesitation. But the signs stand for so much more than my lack of attention gives them credit for. In the past decades, discrimination against race and the disabled concerning restroom use has been a main debate for equal rights. Bathrooms are now available for use by all races and have been made handicap accessible, yet in recent years there has been a new debate regarding restrooms, the institution of gender-neutral bathrooms. This new movement, and the theme of this paper, is in response to the pictograms on the restroom signs which reinforce the ideologies(collective and accepted beliefs) of only recognizing two genders,  male/female and the gender roles that each assume.  

While the form of these signs may seem simplistic and obvious, it is important not to overlook their construction as they are representing a greater meaning. But before one can analyze what these symbols stand for, it is necessary to observe the components that create the restroom sign. The pictogram that represents the men's restroom is denoted by a male wearing pants and a shirt above the word "men". The women's restroom is signified by a woman wearing a dress with the word "women" below. The male image is slightly taller than the female's image. Also, the male representation has broader shoulders than the female. It is common for the male to be framed by a blue triangle and for the female to be framed by a blue circle. Also, there appears to be a lack of facial features, hair, and detailed clothing. Finally, the pictograms are infantile; stick figures are used to represent intricate and diverse humans. 

The features of these restroom signs are not trivial. By "de-coding" the form of the restroom signs, it is apparent that the placards uphold the ideologies of only two genders and their respective social roles: the male/female binary. The clothes that the characters are wearing reflect the stereotypical ideology concerning the appropriate style of dress for each gender. Pants have been considered a very masculine article of clothing. In earlier decades, women were not allowed to wear pants because it insinuated that they were on the same level as men. While women are clearly allowed to wear pants today, the bathroom signs do not reflect this and still place women in a subordinate role, as the image is wearing a dress.  I find the shapes that encompasses the male and female pictograms quite interesting. At first, I thought these shapes were just arbitrary, but then I thought back to my Linguistics class that I took last year. In some contexts, a circle symbol represents the womb and female organs so it seems logical for the women's bathroom sign to be a circle. But this again reinforces the ideologies about the social roles that women are stereotyped to perform. Women are now driving forces in the business world and are not constrained to her kitchen and the  baby's nursery, yet the symbol that is suppose to represent them does so in an archaic way. A triangle has traditionally signified a rising force (men being superior to women) or male force. Others might argue that it is a phallic symbol but any of these interpretations can supply an explanation for the triangle bordering the male image. The reason for the lack of facial features, hair, and elaborate clothing are not relevant for the focus of this gender-concerned paper but I feel compelled to briefly  touch upon this. The pictures are devoid of these characteristics to abstain from discriminating against ethnicities. I find it interesting that the images are ambiguous to avoid stereotyping ethnicities but the signs do not take the same precautions to avoid the stereotypes of men and women that our ideologies drive. 

To further illustrate how lavatory signs reinforce social ideologies concerning gender, I would like to introduce the family restroom. The idea of the nuclear family has been popular since the 50's. The idealized family consists of a husband, wife, and child as depicted in the family restroom sign. These days, this structure of a family is not nearly as popular. There are many single mothers, and single fathers, and two women raising a child, and two men raising a child, but according to the family restroom signs, these people are not considered a family. 

As briefly mentioned in the beginning of this paper, a movement for uni-sex restroom signs is heating up across college campuses and office buildings. Many transgendered people feel that his or her safety is endangered every time he or she uses the restroom. According to Patricia Brown, transgender is an umbrella term that can include transsexuals, cross-dressers, and those with fluid androgynous identity who do not consider themselves completely male or female. If a transgender person is in the process of changing genders and uses the facility of his or her preferred gender, problems arise when other occupants in the restroom see his or her contradictory biological sex features. Having gender-neutral bathrooms (which are usually single occupancy) will reduce unnecessary harassment and abuse. I think everyone should be able to pee in peace!

Although bathroom signs seem mundane and basic in their form, they actually reinforce many stereotypes about gender and socially constructed gender roles that are upheld by a quite complex ideological system.  It is very fascinating how a small placard that is bare except for a ambiguous stick figure can have so much meaning behind it. As noted by Professor Case of the University of Chicago, "Very few spaces in our society remain divided by sex. There's marriage and there's toilets and very little else". As same-sex marriages are starting to become recognized, will the conversion to gender-neutral bathrooms also become recognized?

I shall leave you with this video that I thought was funny and represent our reliance on the restroom sign.