Responding Post: Enloe

Like many who have already posted, I also think that this is a great way to end our WMST class. Enloe reminds us to do what we do best - to think. When we talked about patriarchy, we also talked about the path to least resistance. Enloe's two chapters are reminders to not cross that path or even consider it. It's easy to take things for granted. It's easy to not question or challenge. It's easy to feel comfortable underneath the "natural" or the "traditional." But what do we gain from doing the easy things?

Instead of the path outlined above, Enloe encourages critical thinking and to spark discussions. If we're not doing this, we are adding to the problem. This relates to many of the topics we've discussed, if not all. If we didn't challenge ourselves to see beyond the familiar, we would not have seen the effects of patriarchy, or the effects of globalization, or the effects of racial stratification on feminist groups. These are all ideas that come about because there was someone who dared to seek the strange in the familiar. Being curious is what Enloe advocates, hence the title.

What I thought was extremely interesting and true was the section about disrupting society. To incite change, one will eventually anger some people and step on some toes. But, Enloe says that that is better than to hide behind the protection of the "normal" or the "traditional." This is extremely relevant to the organization of activist and volunteer groups and something that I constantly struggle with. Sometimes, I did let the negativity from certain outsider groups get to me and I let go of some of my passion and drive. But like the Colgate alumni Vonzelle Johnson said, we need to remember to have a backbone to keep standing up straight.

Whether or not readers self proclaim as feminists or plan on majoring in Women's Studies, Enloe's message is relevant to all. Enloe advocates for curiosity, awareness, and the ability to challenge what we see to not be what they seem - to be a critical consumer of knowledge.

Response Post 4.27

The introduction chapter of Enloe’s book was a great way to end this semester of women’s studies. She does a great job of touching on many different topics that we have discussed throughout the semester, all in the introduction to her book! As a psychology major, I was especially interested in the first paragraph of the introduction, where Enloe discusses how humans like to “save mental energy”. She mentions that it takes energy to be curious and to question things, but it’s natural and easier for us to take things as they are, and not question them. I am currently taking a psychology class called Human Cognition, and we have learned about heuristics. Heuristics are “short cuts” that we, as humans, use in our daily lives. Heuristics provide a quick and easy way to solve problems, although the answers that we derive from heuristics are not always correct. While heuristics are useful, they are also partially to blame for stereotypes, racism, and sexism. As people, we have a natural tendency to categorize. Therefore, we make assumptions about people who we know nothing about.

This discussion of heuristics is directly relatable to Enloe’s introduction chapter, because she recognizes that it takes a lot of human effort to question what exists in our cultures. However, this is not an excuse, and we must continue to push ourselves out of our comfort zone. Enloe urges us to think about where “cheap labor” really comes from, and how our expensive Nike sneakers are made. We cannot settle for what is wrong with our society, and we must strive to change it.

In “The Surprised Feminist” chapter, Enloe discusses that it also takes a great deal of courage to admit to being surprised by something. Many people don’t like surprises because we don’t like things that we cannot control. She admits that, as a professor, it takes a lot of stamina to admit to being surprised about something her students have said. My favorite quote from this chapter is this one: “Being open to surprise, being ready to publicly acknowledge surprise, may be among the most useful attitudes to adopt to prepare one’s feminist self for what now lies ahead.”

April 25 Response Post

Allison Attenello’s article was interesting at many different levels. One specific quote really stood out for me: “identity and power intersect to privilege some and marginalize others”. I think this is something that is so easy to forget in our day-to-day lives, especially in the “Colgate Bubble”. I know we have talked about this before, but the vast majority of us are where we are (Colgate), not because of our own merrits, but because of the situations we have been born into. I think it is important to remind ourselves of this fact, especially at a place like Colgate.

Additionally, I loved what Attenello had to say about the way we identify ourselves. After working with the Unidad de New Brunswick group, Attenello questioned whether it was helping or hurting the cause, having herself as a leader of the organization. She began to believe that she was hurting the cause, as a white, Italian, middle class college student. However, after time, Attenello came to realize that may be she was defining her identity in a very limited way. Instead of thinking of herself simply as the previously listed characteristics, she began to think of herself in relation to the Unidad de New Brunswick. She realized that her identity did not bother them, and she realized that her identity could be used as a “tool” to help Unidad de New Brunswick achieve its objectives. Although she did eventually end up leaving the group, it’s great that Attenello came to see her identity “privilege” (as a white Italian middle class woman) as a possible tool to help others who are facing discrimination because of their racial/ethnic/socioeconomic identities.

In “Blurring the Lines that Divide”, Pruce discusses her experience as a Jewish female and her activism on campus in the midst of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. As opposed to Attenello, Pruce used her own identity and experiences to support her own cause. She wanted to fight anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism on her campus, and she channeled her past experiences (in Israel before college), and became an activist on her campus. Finally, Pruce moved to Israel and pursued an internship. I respect how Pruce took her cause abroad, to the country that she so loved. This strikes home for me because one of my best friends from home decided to move to Israel last summer, out of his passion for his religion. I struggled with his decision, mostly from a safety standpoint, because he told me that he intended on joining the army. I know he has moved there because of his faith, but I hope that he remains safe.