Trendsetting Essay

            During the summer of 2015, many articles appeared in the news describing how companies were firing their American employees and replacing them with foreigners using the H-1B visa program. This program allows a company to import a foreigner to work a highly specialized position which cannot be filled by any American. However, as there is no effective way to monitor companies and verify that no Americans can work a certain job, companies such as Disney, Qualcomm, Microsoft, and Intel started to abuse the program and replace American workers with foreigners, who will often work for a lower salary. Just a few days ago, Intel even announced plans to lay off a large portion of its workforce, yet is still increasing requests for H-1B visa workers. While the H-1B visa policy is necessary, especially for the computer technology industries, the program needs some kind of reformation before it can operate efficiently in the U.S.

            I sought to raise awareness about the flawed H-1B visa program by creating a YouTube video about the issue and advertising on Facebook. My video summarized the H-1B program and highlighted the concerns it presents. I also shared the video on Facebook and on a few Reddit threads, including some additional information about the issue each time. A few people shared the post on Facebook, but Reddit posts essentially failed to generate a response. My original goal was for one hundred people to view my video but, at the current time, there are only forty-four views.

            I feel that the H-1B visa program could be a popular topic, but it is difficult for it to propagate through standard social websites. As the program is somewhat complex and its flaws usually only affect workers in the computer science fields, I think the majority of people tend to neglect the H-1B program. It seems that people do not follow controversial, in-depth issues as readily as they might follow something simple or funny. While the issue certainly could gain momentum through social media, it would likely take me a long time and a lot of work to create a substantial movement. However if someone that already had a large group of followers, like a celebrity, were to start spreading concerns about the H-1B visa policy, then a trend could very easily begin.

            I think this was a good experience. It shows how difficult it normally is to simply start an arbitrary trend through the use of social media. Although I was not particularly successful in spreading the word about H-1B visas, I am glad that at least a few people know more about the program and how it is abused at present. It may not be too well know, but I think the H-1B visa program will remain a relevant topic until the government can improve the current laws.

Works Cited

Burgess, Jean, Joshua Green, Henry Jenkins, and John Hartley. YouTube: Online Video and Participatory Culture. Cambridge, England: Polity, 2009. Google Books. Google. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2015, S. S.2266., 114th Cong., Https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/2266/all-info (2015). Print.

Harkison, Josh. "How H-1B Visas Are Screwing Tech Workers." Mother Jones. N.p., 22 Feb. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

Molyneaux, Heather, Susan O'Donnell, Kerri Gibson, and Janice Singer. "Exploring the Gender Divide on YouTube: An Analysis of the Creation and Reception of Vlogs." American Communication Journal 10.2 (2008): 1-14. NRC Publications Archive. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.

Neff, Blake. "Intel Lays Off 12,000 People After Lobbying For More Foreign Workers." The Daily Caller. The Daily Caller News Foundation, 19 Apr. 2016. Web. 23 Apr. 2016.

Preston, Julia. "Lawsuits Claim Disney Colluded to Replace U.S. Workers With Immigrants." NY Times. The New York Times, 25 Jan. 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

Snelson, Chareen. "YouTube across the Disciplines: A Review of the Literature." Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 7.1 (2011): 159-69. MERLOT. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

"WATCH: Fired Disney Worker Breaks Down Describing Humiliation of Training Foreign Guest Worker Replacement." Conservative Review. CR Wire, 25 Feb. 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

Week 13 – “Stressed, Tired, Rushed – Portrait of the Modern Family” Summary

             Over the years, it has become much more common for both parents of a family to work full time. This leaves any children at home alone, or with a babysitter or at a daycare service. Managing and taking care of children has not gotten any easier, but parents are having to work more and more to get by financially. In this article, a survey of parents showed some of the characteristics of parents with children, and the stress they feel.

            Interestingly, it seems that parents who have gone to college and white parents are often more stressed than other categories. Balancing the work life with the parent life is no easy feat, but it affects some parents more drastically. Most of the time, it is still on the mother to manage children’s schedules and shopping, even if both parents work. This only multiplies the stress that mothers feel. As one survey participant, Ms. Barnes puts, “You basically just always feel like you’re doing a horrible job at everything.” Many parents express concerns that they are not spending enough time with their children, and are missing out on their childhoods since they have to work. More than fifty percent of working parents report that they don’t feel they are spending enough time with their children. Additionally, when people are more stressed by the balancing act, they are less likely to feel that parenting is actually rewarding or enjoyable.

            It is still the case that the husband usually makes more money than the wife does, but women almost always do more in terms of housework and taking care of children. In 75% of families, the father still earns the same or more than the mother does. In terms of how parents spend their time at home, there has been a growing shift towards spending more time with children. Men are spending less time on their work and more time at home doing house chores and spending time with their kids. And yet, the mothers still do much more with the children. From managing schedules, to shopping for house supplies, to taking children to activities, the mother is still in charge here. Men are doing more than they used to and feel that the responsibilities are split evenly, but women continue to report that they do more. Nonetheless, parents are trying harder to work together better. The mother and father coordinate better so that responsibilities are more balanced and they can spend more time with their children. 

Week 12 - Gender Neutral Children

            Both Sasha and Storm were raised, by different families, as gender neutral children. Each of the families refused to reveal their child’s sex, and would not push their child towards either gender. For instance, Sasha’s room was colored yellow to avoid the traditional blue or pink for babies, and was offered toys that are traditionally for girls and ones for boys equally. Sasha is aware that he is a boy, but enjoys dressing up in girls’ clothes at home. On the other hand, Storm does not identify as either gender, sometimes saying “I am a boy” and sometimes saying “I am a girl.” Sasha is an only child while Storm has two older siblings who were not raised in this gender neutral environment. Storm’s parents moved toward this type of parenting after Jazz, the eldest son, seemed to enjoy more “girly” things and eventually requested to go by the female pronouns. Both sets of parents also strive to avoid normal gendered words and pronouns.

            I feel like the steps these parents take represent one extreme, where the opposite extreme would be making all toys, clothes, speech, and actions gendered towards a child’s sex. If we lived in a gender neutral society, then I would happily agree that the gender neutral approach to raising a child would be reasonable and logical. However, in the present day, it seems to me like these parents are working a bit too hard to ensure gender neutrality. For the first few years of an infant’s life, the parents are the main source of ideas about the different genders. An infant does not know anything about genders, since they are a concept constructed by society, so it is up to the parents to enable the child to decide for itself. Once the child has reached an age at which it is evident which the child prefers, the child and parents should probably stick to that gender afterwards. Ideally, the child would be able to continue with the gender neutral mentality, but our current society would probably find this strange. I would like to say that it is alright for any person of any age to do as they please, neglecting and standards we have for the genders. Unfortunately, this still does not seem plausible in our culture though.

            I would say that trying to find a balance between the two extremes would be best for parents today. If a child is physically a boy, then it is alright to start raising him as a boy. However, the child should have some exposure to girls’ toys and activities as well. I’d say the child should be allowed to play with whatever he wants, but, regrettably, should also decide on a specific gender for our society. Perhaps in the future, it won’t be necessary to identify oneself as a particular gender, but it still stands fairly strong today. 

Week 12 – “GimpGirl Grows Up” Summary

             This article discusses an organization, GimpGirl, and the surrounding culture, called the GimpGirl Community (GGC). The community was founded by Jennifer Cole in 1998 with the help of her mentor Len Burns. It was built as a place where disabled women could share their difficulties, experiences, and thoughts with other people in similar situations. Jennifer specifically wanted to create this community due to a desire to counteract the abusive situation she herself had encountered. She also wanted to have this community so that other people in similar situations could use it, and didn’t have to create it themselves. Most of the founding members of the website were teens that knew each other from DO-IT, or other similar programs, but the community quickly grew to accommodate more people. The website was particularly popular since it allowed any woman with a disability, medically diagnosed or self-proclaimed, to participate in the GGC. The name of the website itself, GimpGirl, spawns from the fact that many people with disabilities on the West Coast call themselves gimps, somewhat humorously. Jennifer wanted to reclaim the word “gimp” and repurpose it as a statement against ubiquitous demands for “political correctness.”

            In terms of technology, the GGC has been expanding over the years. What started out as just a website has evolved into a network of blogs, discussion boards, and websites, essentially becoming its own social network. The GGC has connected with Facebook, Twitter, LiveJournal, and other popular social websites to progress the community. It even joined with Second Life, a virtual world platform, to generate a place for GGC members to interact in new ways.

            The GGC still faces many difficulties, despite its success. For instance, the members are considered doubly marginalized since they are both women and people with disabilities. To help counteract this, the GGC helps empower its members by broadening their experiences through interactions with other members in similar situations. The GGC shows members that they are not alone and that they are not the only ones suffering. GimpGirl has also been criticized for its lack of face-to-face communication, and some suggest that limitations of digital communication makes the platform invalid. However, the GGC is working to overcome this limitation by encouraging a good balance between real-life and online interactions. Second Life helps to some extent, especially if avatars resemble the member’s real-life image, but members still need to understand how to manage real-life as well. The GGC helps these women with disabilities find others in similar situations and provide advice to each other, but the task of coping with and handling offline experiences still lies with each member.

Media Screening

            Traditional gender roles have long been a part of standard American and European cultures. These gender roles often favor men over women. What is more surprising, though, is that similar concepts of men over women exist across the globe, in various cultures. From the military of the United States to general society in China and India, women continue to be treated as the lesser gender, dismissing their worth and objectifying them.

            The movie The Invisible War describes the belittlement, sexual harassment, and objectification of women in United State military. The movie focuses on the numerous instances of rape, sexual harassment, and abuse of power that occurs in the military. Often, when these cases are reported, the victims are told to “suck it up” or are simply laughed at. Investigations into the reports are often shallow, and fail to produce any meaningful results. Women are often preyed upon since the traditional gender roles indicate that women are weaker, and thus more vulnerable. The vast amount of sexual harassment of women shows that the, generally male, culprits view women as people to be dominated and view them as people that are lesser than themselves. Even in the military, where the soldiers need to work well together to defend the country, women are still looked down on by their male counterparts.

            The movie It’s a Girl details an outright favoritism of sons over daughters, implying that a female child is not worth as much as a male child. In India, where a large dowry from the wife’s family is considered a necessity for a marriage, a daughter is often viewed as a liability. If a daughter gets married, the family will lose money due to the dowry, whereas if a son gets married, the family will gain wealth. In India, as well as in China, the son carries on the family name and works to provide for the family, while a daughter will just be given to another family through marriage. This system leads families to favor sons over daughters, and is especially strong in China where only one child is permitted. The tradition of giving a dowry in India and the one child policy of China have spawned this powerful preference of having a son over having a daughter. The cultures in these two countries essentially view children as commodities, and have placed a lesser value on girls. Not only does this objectify children in general, but it diminishes a woman’s worth.

            Although the environments in China, India, and the United States military are all very different, the devaluing and objectification of women is present in all of them. This goes to show the similarities that have developed in different countries due to the traditional gender roles. Many cultures around the world view women as lesser, which leads to the objectification of women and reduces women's own senses of self-worth.  

Contemporary Issues Essay

            The media tends to paint a rather negative image of women. Advertisements over-sexualize women in attempts to attract male attention and get more people to buy the products. Techniques like segmentation and subjugation only serve to further diminish a woman’s image, since they advocate that a woman’s worth is determined solely by her body. The subjugation of women, consequently, gives control over to men. Women taking back control of their own lives and bodies was a concept present in the Gloria Steinem’s discussion as well as in the Vagina Monologues.

            Gloria Steinem focused specifically on how society attempts to control reproduction, and thus control women’s bodies. Products like the pill and other methods of birth control usually put pressure on a woman to control their reproductive systems, while men are generally free to do as they please. Old cultures, like that of the Native Americans, did not discriminate between men and women. In fact, the Native Americans did not even have separate pronouns for the different genders. When the Europeans conquered the Americas, they brought over a culture in which women were considered lesser humans. The woman’s purpose in a family was to produce children, to take care of the children, and to maintain the house. The man was in complete charge of the family and was responsible for providing for the family, as well as ensuring the family name survives. Steinem advocated that women defy these gender roles that have plagued our country for centuries. We should strive for a gender neutral society, where every person has complete control over his or her life. The advertisements that subjugate women should be removed, although doing so will require significant changes in the advertising industries. The films, TV shows, magazine articles, new reports, and other forms of media that portray women as lesser than men should be phased out in favor of media that makes no assumptions and displays gender equality. Essentially, Ms. Steinem wants a culture in which women have control over themselves and their bodies.

            Of the many messages and issues presented in the Vagina Monologues, one topic was how women reclaimed control over their own bodies and lives. In general, the Vagina Monologues consisted of a series of monologues by different students, each telling a real life experience of another woman’s story and self-discovery. These monologues breached a wide range of issues, including rape, sexual harassment, female empowerment, and the media’s oppression of women. Society largely demands that women repress their sexuality, and, as a result, many women disregard their own desires completely. The monologue “The Flood” told of an older woman who, after one experience, never thought about her vagina again. Another, “Because He Liked To Look At It,” described one woman’s experience with a man who showed just how beautiful she truly was. These monologues, and others, describe society’s oppression of women and some stories of overcoming that oppression. It was an empowering experience for women, and was an event that showed how women can take back control of their own lives and bodies. 

Week 11 - Social Networks

            I think many people use Facebook to obtain a sense of self-satisfaction. They want to post about things there are passionate about or accomplishments they are proud of, hoping that others will show that they are happy for them by simply clicking a “Like” button. People post pictures from their vacation or wedding or first day at college for the world to see, because it feels good when others like your posts. For instance, one of my friends, let’s call this person Bob, makes frequent posts about various events in his life. Bob posts that he just declared his major and is so happy about it. He made another post to show off his friends in the recent event they’re involved in. I feel like such things would be better shared with close friends in person, rather than looking for approval from a crowd of people he barely knows.

            People also like to post opinions that they might not discuss too much in real life.

For example, I have one another friend who solely posts long-winded speeches about why the current government administration is ruining the country, among other political topics. I will say I do not know this person too well in real life, but I have to imagine this is a kind of virtual personality. The person probably does not want to be known for their strong political bias in real life, but posts such things on Facebook in hopes that someone will agree.

            I can’t help but feel that a Facebook page fails to represent the creator in real life. The information on a Facebook profile is limited to certain categories. Moreover, a person’s posts do not provide an adequate representation of what a person is actually like. My one friend is deeper than just the political discussions they always post. I think people like to use Facebook because they have the option to create a different personality online. They can post about more controversial topics or life events because they won’t have to physically see people’s reactions. Additionally, Facebook has “Dislike” button, only a “Like” option, so people don’t worry about negative feedback on their opinions, feelings, or accomplishments.

            Genders are still prominent in the Facebook profiles people create. A female will likely still try to act like a traditional female on Facebook, and only like pages that a female would like. A male will likely do the same, and avoid liking things like Barbie dolls and instead like pages about sports. Although it is a constructed online profile, people will usually still act according to what society expects in terms of traditional gender roles. 

Week 11 – “Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted” Summary

            Decades ago, activism was accomplished in person. When Americans fought for racial equality, their protests had to be physical, and thus included a large element of risk. A group of four African-American college students started a sit-in protest at a local bar that refused to serve them, simply due to their skin color. Such a protest could be met with violence, and the four students put their lives on the line with this rebellion. They were lucky that no harm befell them, and that their methodology quickly spread across the immediate area, and then the state.

            Today, with modern social media like Facebook and Twitter, activism has taken a different turn. For many political events occurring worldwide, there is frequently a corresponding explosion on Twitter. For instance, when students protested in Iran, the government wanted to keep Twitter running smoothly so that the students could “feel empowered and confident to stand up for freedom and democracy.” Yet many people fail to realize that the Twitter revolution is not worldwide, and certainly has not struck Iran. The vast majority of people tweeting about the events in Iran were American, which does nothing to help the protests in Iran. Americans seem to think that participating in an event by tweeting will have a profound impact, but it actually has little effect, especially for events occurring elsewhere in the world.

            With online social media, people tend to prefer passive participation when it comes to activism. It’d be easy for me like a Facebook page or write a tweet about how I’m thinking about those in trouble because there is no risk to me. I am not putting my life on the line to help in a movement for change. The four students who sat at the bar could easily have been physically beaten, arrested, or killed. Challenging the status quo is not a task for those who are not willing to take major risks. Motivating people to get involved in such dangerous work is achieved through personal interactions. People join a movement because their friends are in the movement. The four students were all close friends, and could only protest at the bar with the support of each other. Social websites usually connect people weakly, and fail to create the close bond that motivates people to join their friends in activism.

            Social websites do have their uses, particularly for popularizing an issue. For instance, when Clay Shirky lost his cell phone and the person who picked it up refused to give it back, Shirky posted the issue online. Random people who saw the post managed to track down the stealer and generated enough publicity to force the police to get involved. Nonetheless, while social websites can be successful in situations like these, they are not very effective at countering deep-set issues. In-person activism still remains the most effective method in this case. 

Week 10 – Reality Television

            Normally I do not watch reality television shows. However, my mother loves to watch The Bachelor, and is always very excited for the show at night. The show follows a man as he tries to find his perfect match among a multitude of women. Each week, a few of the women are eliminated until the man can finally choose his future wife. The activities that occur in each episode are, to some extent, unscripted and thus “realistic.” However, it’s also obvious that some events are scripted. Additionally, there is usually one woman to play the classic “bitch” role. Even though the audience generally hates this woman, as they are meant to, she manages to avoid elimination for an unusually long amount of time, simply so that she can create additional drama.

            The premise of the show, to begin with, is already sexist. One man, Ben, is surrounded by a crowd of women who are all in love with him from the very beginning. This portrays the man as a “player” and makes the women seem interchangeable, objectifying them to an extent. Throughout the seasons, the bachelor is tall, white, fit, and is considered handsome by society’s standards. The women are shorter than the bachelor, thin, attractive, and almost always white. The women are usually not particularly intelligent or athletic.

            The show places the women at odds with each other inherently, but it exemplifies their aggression towards each other. In the second episode of season 20, one woman already said, “I will not murder Lace, but she may just tactfully disappear,” after losing one of the little activities. Later, another woman stated, “Knowing that Jennifer got to kiss him makes me aggravated,” showing the jealousy that women as supposed to feel. One of the images I linked below shows this exaggerated jealousy that the women feel about not getting to spend time with the bachelor.

            It’s easy for a viewer to root for a particular woman, as the show works to set up the ideal situations for a perfect romance. It’s also easy for the viewer to hate the “bitch” character(s). I’m fairly certain from watching this one episode that Lace and Olivia are supposed to be the villains in this season. Whenever another woman gets to talk, Lace or Olivia likes to comment about how it should have been her instead. Their expressions often show hatred or jealousy blatantly. Society’s traditional views on women dictate that women are catty and are often jealous of each other, and Lace and Olivia serve to play on that fantasy. As a whole, The Bachelor fulfills most of the traditional gender roles and works to use them to its advantage.

Jealousy: http://imgur.com/u8R4HhF

The cast for season 20: http://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/2016/01/05/972/n/1922398/cfb6847688056a60_group-bachelor-ben-main.xxxlarge_2x.jpg

Week 10 - "Drama is the Cure for Gossip" Summary

            This article, by Abigail De Kosnik, discusses some of the issues with reality television. The author focuses specifically on the classic situation where the characters discover their “true” selves through some kind of theatrical performance. First, the author talks about a popular show Gossip Girl, which takes place in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The show follows a group of rich youths who engage in frequent gossip. An anonymous Gossip Girl manages a blog on which people’s secrets and lies are revealed. Gossip essentially becomes the most valuable currency in this world, and each person attempts to use what they know to further their own goals.

            Despite all the gossip that circulates about each person, the gossip alone fails to tell the entire story about a person. The same is true in real life, where news, gossip, and rating sites tell partial information about people. These posts online about a person start to define a profile for that person. In the end, the online personae may be radically different from what the person is actually like. In reality TV shows, these fake online profiles start to affect the characters in real life, and it is only through a sudden breakthrough that a character can show his or her true self. For example, in Gossip Girl, a character Blair Waldorf is the leader of social networks in her school, and works to plan out every detail of her life. However, it is only through her unexpected performance at a burlesque club to show that she is more daring and risk-taking inside. Similar events occur in other shows. For instance, in Glee, the theatrical performance is a place where people of different races, genders, social statuses, and states of wellbeing can come together and break free of what normally holds them back.

            The author theorizes that TV shows frequently use theatrical performances as a freeing activity to counter the Internet, which also vies for consumers’ attention. The Internet has become a massive gossip culture, where people share their own thoughts on other people in attempts to be noticed. The anonymity of the Internet also makes it easier for people to speak abrasively, since they feel they cannot be tracked down and punished for their words. Due to the anonymity, though, users also have to construct their own personae so that they do not fall victim to the gossip culture. Television shows attempt to counter the appeal of the Internet by providing a fantasy world in which the characters already have constructed their fake personalities. The theatrical performances of the characters feel natural to viewers, and appeal to viewers for their dramatic effect. By doing so, the TV shows create a different world for viewers to become immersed in, thus competing with the Internet’s gossip culture.