Activism Log 6

March 28 – April 3

• Activism

This show has been half-heartedly called “the failed show.” Although it did not completely fail (we had fun and we did a semi-decent broadcast) it showed that we needed to rethink our strategy. We planned to talk about Health Care Reform (which just became law that week) and the abortion related Stupak Amendment for at least two hours. However, we blazed through all of our talking points in about half an hour and received no call-ins. We had depended on our “controversial” topic to cause people to call in (and it was not like we did have any listeners that night), but we did not engage them enough to do so. We filled the remaining airtime with recent news that could be taken as feminist, like the ex-gay decision at Disney.

• Reflection

We expected a raucous debate betwixt the five of us, but even abortion, called by Kirk and Okazawa-Rey an “issue central to women's autonomy and will continue to be highly contentious”, we all ended up agreeing on the topic (214). In the latter half of the show, Debbie began to act as the devil's advocate to make a debate actually happen.

• Reciprocity

This show taught me and the group as a whole that not every week would be easy. The nervous glances around the studio as silence began to fill the room and our airtime are things I do not wish to revisit.

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Women's Bodies, Women's Health" Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 207-24. Print.

Activism Log 5

March 21st-27nd

• Activism:

This was a big week for Feminist Agenda Radio. We had Dr. Jennifer Vest on our show, and Take Back the Night was that Wednesday. Evan suggested that we have Dr. Vest on the show, and Dom and Josh made it happen. They both currently have class with Dr. Vest, and they were able to convince her to appear on the show. She performed several of her spoken word pieces, and it was powerful. We would find out later that we made an error by not providing a warning about the graphic nature of the piece. This occurred because we did not review the material before letting it air on the show.

• Reflection:

This entire week was appropriate for the materials we read in class. Violence against women and men were spoken about at Take Back the Night and on our radio show. Vest commented on the fact that the majority of the Feminist Agenda Radio that night were male, and she commended us for being there. It reminded me of what occurred in the “I Am Not A Rapist” chapter of our text. One point we discussed on the show was the words we use to describe those that are raped. 'Victim' is known to be troubled, and I brought up the issue with the word “survivor” and the culture attached to it. I have seen issues with survivor culture (around October, a lot of blogs comment on breast cancer survivor culture), and Morales's essay in our text reminded me of it. She states that a “place of wounded eroticism is one that is honored in survivor culture, evidence of blows inflicted and then denied by our abusers” (284).

• Reciprocity

Dr. Vest made me think of the role of art in activism. What she does with her poetry and spoken word is a “new”, effective way to reach people. Activism is more than making phone calls and writing letters and handing out flyers, it can be a source, an inspiration of creative force.

Morales, Aurora L. "Radical Pleasure: Sex and the End of Victimhood." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 283-4. Print.

Activism Log 4

March 15-20

• This week was the start of Feminist Agenda Radio. I would consider it a success, especially after communicating with several people that listened to the show. The entire process was nerve wracking though because I was unfamiliar with protocol and the equipment. The idea for the show that I brought to the table (discussing the issues of the word "feminism" and all the connotations that are wrapped up in it) did not become the one we discussed, but the topic we decided on (current popular songs and their implications and messages) was delightful. It was nice to have a serial caller, who happened to be trans, while we were discussing the rumors presently surrounding Lady GaGa.

• One issue that I have been debating inside myself this past week because of the release of Lady GaGa's "Telephone" video is the issue of empowerment versus exploitation. Does the video cause an exploitation of the female form, or does it empower it because of its liberation? This debate came to the forefront of my mind while seeing a comedy act at the Orlando Brewery on the 19th. My Black-American friend, Big Harry, is a stand-up comedian whose purpose on the stage is to offend as many people as possible in the audience. His act is incredibly racists, sexist, and classist. Although it appears he is commenting on the Black Male Experience, he truly just lists off a series of increasingly offensive stereotypes in order to get people to leave. From his perspective, his act is empowering because it shows the ludicrous nature of racism, since he is a part of the group he is commenting on. However, I wonder how empowering it could be since he was nearly in an altercation with a Black-American in the audience.
• One of my favorite parts of working with the Feminist Agenda Radio was the fact we received several phone calls from Queer House. We were able to hear a trans perspective on several topics, fulfilling our duty, according to Seely, to critique the impact of pop culture on "the public perception of women" (103).

Seely, Megan. Fight like a Girl: How to Be a Fearless Feminist. New York: New York UP, 2007. Print.

Bitchin' In The Kitchen (Crying in the Bedroom All Night)

Lois's self-esteem suffers under a barrage of verbal abuse under her husband Peter. He focuses on her appearance, calling her old and fat. This is ironic because of a common sitcom trope. Lois is the hot, intelligent wife to her fat, stupid husband. This point is cemented by Lois having a former career as a fashion model (“Model Misbehavior”). To compensate for her lagging self-esteem, she finds herself attracted to her daughter's new boyfriend, Anthony. She is encouraged by a neighbor, Bonnie, who is also a mother and wife, to explore her sexuality. This contradicts the element of faithfulness in the archetypes of “wife” and “mother”. Not only does Lois challenge her gender role by making and succeeding with her advances on Anthony, she also strengthens her marriage. When Peter finds out what Lois did, he recognizes the issue in how her has been treating her.

A minor maternal figure appears in the episode, on the show within a show The Jolly Farm Revue. Mother Maggie represents an idealized mother, who not only is she fertile, each one of her children receives ample affection, care, and education.

The fact that a violation of a marriage grew the couple closer, called by Ettelbrick the “most venerable, impenetrable, institutions in modern society” illustrates how subversive Family Guy is towards traditional gender roles (317). To consider that an extra-marital act could actually make a marriage stronger violates a severe condition in the tradition of marriage. The woman is supposed to be ever faithful to the husband, who is traditionally (most notably in the Victiorian era) allowed to have mistresses and affairs.

Another cliché addressed in this episode is that of the mother/daughter relationship. Usually regarded as sacred and as how girls become women, this episode turns a relationship of growth into one of competition. In a highly disturbing scene, Lois and Meg discuss the issue of Anthony. Meg tears out one of her teeth, and she recounts the sexual exploits she has had with her boyfriend. The antipathy Meg feels for her mother is practically palpable, and the situation becomes stranger because it is not addressed for the rest of the episode. This inversion of the mother-daughter dynamic makes the show one “that [redefines] family in the twenty first century” (Seely 103).


Works Cited

Family Guy. FOX. Hulu.com. General Electric, News Corp, The Walt Disney Company. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. "Go Stewie Go" Season 8, Episode 13.

Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Since When Is Marriage a Path to Liberation?" Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.

Seely, Megan. Fight like a Girl: How to Be a Fearless Feminist. New York: New York UP, 2007. Print.

The Ballad of a Heartless Womanizer

To understand "The Rake's Song" by the Decemberists, like most art, context is required. This song is part of their rock opera called The Hazards of Love. This song is features one of the villains in the tale, the Rake. This term refers to the kind of man one only wishes to hear of and never to meet. He is a heartless womanizer, a true fiend. The song is not intended to glorify this man's actions nor to show him sympathy. The listener is meant to feel revulsion after hearing his story.

A man marries a woman after living a wild life of womanizing. He realizes as she starts "spilling out babies" that he has been cursed (Meloy). He considers his children a curse and a burden, and after his wife dies giving birth, he sets out to kill all three of them. He succeeds and goes on to have an "easy and free" life, without having any remorse.

The horrific violence in the song demands a cause, which can be identified in the children themselves. The Rake kills the children because they were a burden, however, stating that the cause of the murders are the victims is ridiculous. One has to identify the broader cultural pressures that would cause a man like the Rake to enter marriage. The only reason hinted at in the song is seen in the line "I was wedded and it whetted my thirst" (Meloy). This implies that the Rake married this woman because, apparently, that made him desire her more. Perhaps she had money or prestige, that the marriage was one to benefit him socially. Another thing noticeable in the song is a lack of meso-influences. The community is not mentioned, and he got away with his crime. This perversely comments on the "cultural legitimation of male violence" (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 266). The Rake's society, although it probably does not condone the murder of children, still believed in the "male control of women's behavior and of the family."

The Rake himself represents a cultural idea of masculinity. He does what he wants, regardless of others, and he sees children as fetters on his freedom. He is a caricature and parody of what is socially acceptable to be a man. He is the old way, contrasted by the groundbreaking work of Men Acting for Change, as reported by John Stoltenberg. The Rake is the ultimate misogynist, hating and destroying what women can do that he cannot--birth children.

"The Rake's Song" acts as an introduction to one of the villians in the Decemberists's The Hazards of Love, but through that introduction, Colin Meloy amplifies the cultural tropes of masculinity, taking them to an illogical extremes that forces the listener to analyze the cultural pressures that can result in the murder of three children.

Works Cited

Colin, Meloy. Lyrics. "The Rake's Song." The Hazards of Love. CD. Capitol Records

2009. www.lyrics-celebrities.anekatips.com. Web. 15 March 2010

Kirk, Gwyn and Okazawa-Rey, Margo. "Violence Against Women." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 257-271.

Stoltenberg, John. "I Am Not a Rapist!" Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th Ed.New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 285-290.

Activism Log 3

March 8 – March 13

• Activism

This was the week of Spring Break, and thus there was no Feminist Agenda Radio. I spent the first half of the week home, and I spent the last half in Orlando, Gainesville, and St. Augustine. This was my first time home in a while, and it was interesting having to interact with my parents.

• Reflection

There was a severe lack of activism this week, but it was not a waste. Spending time with my family and strangers in Gainesville helped me clarify my views and opinions on feminism.

• Reciprocity

Speaking with my mother and father about my classes, the topic of women's studies came up rather quickly. To them, this meant focusing solely on women and there were jokes about how “I might come around after all.” I explained to them that feminism is not so narrow anymore. It was a broad, encompassing movement, and it did not just mean wanting equal pay for women. To put it in the words of Kirk and Okawaza-Rey, it provides “a series of lenses to examine many topics and academic disciplines...and [it] raises crucial questions about teaching and learning, research design and methodologies, and theories of knowledge” (6).


Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Women's Rights, Women's Liberation, Women's Studies." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 3-25. Print.