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Portraying difference: symbols, language and media
Constructing meaning
- Symbols
- Sounds, gestures, and objects used to represent or stand for something else
Language shapes reality
- Language
- A system of symbols and associational values that allows people to communicate
with one another
- Language is the key to cultural transmission
The world is male unless proven otherwise
- Womankind, woman-made refers to specifically women
- Man kind/ man made refers to everyone even if you think of men first
- Penmanship, good will towards men, father of our country, frontiersman, chairman
- Master bedroom, the john, manhole
- Your last name
- There's a very strong biased towards men
Women are invisible
- Women in terms of a man
- Womens title is determined based on if they are available (mrs, miss, ms),
whereas men have Mr
- Poetess, actress, songstress, stewardess, majorette
- Things are lessen when they become feminine
- Generic man?
- “The man on the street” “goodwill towards men”
- Is “man” really generic? Try, “my brother married the chairman”
- Generic He… but is it really?
- “No person should have to undergo an abortion against his will”
The trivialization of women
- Women and children first
- “We need to protect them… they're weak”
- More childlike = more feminine (no hair on body… smooth like a baby)
- Wine, women and song
- “Nice to have after a long days work”
- Associated with parties
- We shall be left with the blind, the lame and the women
- There's something wrong with (impairment) all of these people
- Message: women are immature, frivolous and impaired
- Are you going out with the guys or the girls?
