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.