Understanding the Backlash Against Feminism

Backlash  is a negative and/or hostile reaction to an idea, especially a political idea. The term is usually used to refer to a reaction that happens after some time, as opposed to an instant negative reaction when an idea is presented. The  backlash  often occurs after the idea or event has had some popularity. The term has been applied to feminism and womens rights since about 1990. There is often perceived to be a backlash against  feminism  in U.S. politics and public media. Politics After the great successes of the  women’s liberation movement, a backlash against the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"second wave† of feminism  began during the 1970s. Social historians and  feminist theorists  see the beginning of the political  backlash  against feminism in several different events: The volatile political climate surrounding the effort to ratify the  Equal Rights Amendment (ERA): The proposition of ERA brought to the surface another split between the feminist and other ranks. The proponents advocated for common humanity between men and women, while the opponents thought the ERA would erase the natural differences between the sexes and thus strip women from certain necessary protections.A strong antifeminist presence of the New Right: The attack on the  Equal Rights Amendment  by the New Right, especially by Phyllis Schlafly  and her  STOP-ERA campaign was disappointing.The anti-feminist groups attacking the Supreme Court’s  Roe v. Wade  decision: Roe v. Wade was a decision that allowed pregnant women to decide for themselves whether to go with an abortion or not. The decision resulted in an enormity of negative responses throughout the country and for many years to come.The election of  Ronald Reagan: President Reagan was one of the strong and vocal opposers of Roe and of feminist movements in general.The rise of Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority organization: The organization promoted traditional family values and was in strong opposition to many feminist issues such as ERA, Roe v. Wade, or homosexuality. Media There was also a backlash against feminism found in the media: In declarations that feminism is deadIn the description of the 1980s and beyond as â€Å"post-feminist†In the narrative that treated feminism as a movement of the past rather than a  still evolving forceIn the accepted use of stereotypes of feminist women and of women in general Feminists point out that the 1980s backlash was nothing new. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, powerful voices also tried to sweep  the â€Å"first wave† feminism out of the public’s awareness. However, the publication of  Susan Faludis  Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women  in 1991 began a significant  public conversation on the fate of feminism in the 1980s. To those who read her best-seller, other antifeminist trends became more apparent. Feminism and Backlash in 21st Century Women remain underrepresented among media decision-makers, and many have looked at later trends as being part of a continuing backlash against feminism, scapegoating womens rights advocacy for not only making women unhappy but destroying masculinity. In the 1990s, legislation about welfare seemed to make poor single mothers responsible for the problems of the American family. Continuing opposition to womens reproductive rights and decision-making authority regarding birth control and abortion has been described as a war on women, echoing Faludis book title. In 2014, a media campaign, Women Against Feminism, took to social media as yet another kind of backlash against feminism. Susan Faludis  Backlash In 1991, Susan Faludi published  Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women.  This book examined the trend at that time, and similar backlashes in the past, to reverse womens gains in moving towards equality. The book became a best-seller and was awarded the National Books Critics Circle Award. From her first chapter: Behind this celebration of the American womans victory, behind the news, cheerfully and endlessly repeated, that the struggle for womens rights is won, another message flashes. You may be free and equal now, it says to women, but you have never been more miserable. Faludi looked deeply at the inequalities that American women faced during the 1980s. Her inspiration was a Newsweek cover story in 1986 about a scholarly study, coming out of Harvard and Yale, supposedly showing that single career women had little chance of marrying. She realized that the statistics didnt really demonstrate that conclusion and began noticing other media stories that seemed to show that feminist gains had actually hurt women. Faludi says, the womens movement, as we are told time and again, has proved womens own worst enemy. In the 550 pages of the book, she also documented the factory closings in the 1980s and the effect on blue-collar women workers. She also noted that the United States was alone among industrialized nations in not providing a system of childcare, making it more difficult for women, still expected to be primary caregivers of the familys children, to enter the workforce on equal terms to men. Criticism Despite her analysis including racial and class issues, critics have pointed out that Backlash largely addresses issues of middle class and successful white women. With her focus on the marriage study, critics also noted the focus on heterosexual women. Faludi on Media Faludi documented many ways in which the media, including advertisers, newspapers, movies, and television blamed feminism for problems of American women and families. She showed that the common media myths of unhappy women were not accurate: The movie  Fatal Attraction  seemed to sum up the negative image of a woman.Mary Tyler Moores independent character of the 1970s show had been remade into a divorcee in a new 1980s series.Cagney and Lacy was canceled because the characters didnt fit feminine stereotypes.  Fashions featured more frills and restrictive clothing. Different Origins of the Backlash Backlash also documented the role of the New Right—an anti-feminist conservative movement describing itself as pro-family—in the anti-feminist movement. Overall, the Reagan years, for Faludi, were not good ones for women.   She also identified that some of the negativity about feminism came from feminists themselves. Faludi notes, [e]ven founding feminist Betty Friedan has been spreading the word: she warns that women now suffer from a new identity crisis and new problems that have no name. Faludi saw the backlash as a recurring trend. She showed how each time that women seemed to make progress towards equal rights, the media of the day highlighted supposed harm to women, and how in this way, at least some of the gains were reversed. This article has been edited and content added by Jone Johnson Lewis.

Mary Stuart Victim of Evil Political Conspiracies

I/ Born to be a puppet of her mothers and Scottish courts ambitions King James V of Scotland suffered so complete defeat in the Battle of Solway Moss on 24 November 1542 by his uncle King Henry VIII of England that even the birth of his only surviving legitimate child, Mary, could not raise him up. He died at the age of 30 and Mary Stuart was unconsciously put to the Scottish throne. On 9 September 1543, at Stirling Castle, 9-month-old Mary officially became Queen of Scots or Mary I of Scotland. King Henry VIII of England conspired to unit Scotland with England under the reign of Tudors through the marriage between Queen Mary and his son - Prince Edward. However, Marys mother, Marie de Guise - a native of France, and Scottish court preferred allying Scotland to the powerful French Catholic nation. On 7 August 1548, 6-year-old Queen Mary had to leave her Scotland to France as a deposit for Scotlands safety. However, Catherine de Medici, Marys future mother-in-law, did try her utmost to prevent Mary from marrying her son, Francis, due to a deathly prophecy. The wedding was therefore intentionally dawdled while English forces were approaching Scottish frontier. Mary, at any price, must become French Dauphine in order to send French army to protect Scotland. To convince the current King of France, Henry II, Mary had to obey her mothers artifice of distorting Mary I of Englands condition as well as exaggerating the Church of Englands support to her heir to EnglishShow MoreRelatedWitchcraft And Women : Evaluation Of Gender Theories3055 Words   |  13 Pagesorgies or group sex, which were all labeled as deviant sexuality. Women, who were considered the lesser, more fragile sex, were suspected of copulating with the devil. Because, being as fragile and naive as they are, fall directly into the arms of evil and sin. But even worse than copulating with the devil was being a midwife. 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A lot of experience in Germany and Eastern Europe. Has been writing a mystery novel. Has always been a good â€Å"team player, but † several members of his technical staff are not well respected

Perceptions and Stereotypes of Aerobics - 1713 Words

With 600,000 people across Australia who have participated in aerobics at one point in time, it can be manifested that aerobics is one of the most marginalized sports within the country (Ausport, 2000). With such a marginalized sport, there are many stereotypes that are associated with just the word aerobics. This is explored through the survey that was conducted and was answered by the students at StAC. Many of the stereotypes that are believed in society are that aerobics is a sport dominated by females and that it more of a dance class. This report will evaluate the possible influences that have shaped students’ perceptions using Figueroa’s Framework and Maslow’s hierarchy. Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic†¦show more content†¦The lack of sponsorship could be a reason why there is a insufficiency of participants in aerobics. This leads us on to the next point, the institutional level. Institutional level 2.2 The institutional level of Figueroa’s framework level examines the institutions within society that affect sport and physical activity (Kirk, 2004). Institutions such as schools, community groups, sporting clubs, and religious groups are able to help shape positive attitudes to sport and physical activity. The accessibility of aerobics classes and equipment are very limited compared to many other sports. In the Brisbane area there are only 3 aerobics classes compared to the 1219 rugby league classes (Google maps, 2013). This is a staggering 400 times more and is very influential to the fact that participation levels are lower and can be the reason why many people view it as a dance class due to the lack of availability of facilities. There are also no aerobics competitions within Australia and this is another factor in influencing people’s perceptions. Schools feature prominently when discussing how people’s early attitudes towards sport are shaped. 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Bowfishing Essay Example For Students

Bowfishing Essay Not many people know about a sport called bowfishing. When people think ofbowfishing, they think that you must lose a lot of arrows because the archer hasno way of retrieving his or her arrow after launching it off its rest. This is avery big misconception in a very misunderstood and mysterious sport. As mostpeople dont understand about bowfishing, then dont know that mostbowfisherman rely on the darkness of night to cover them as the approach theirprey. A specially rigged bowfishing boat with archer aboard the pvc platform, asthe floodlights gaze onto the waters edge, the archer draws back his arrowand settles its sights on the unsuspecting Asian carp, the archer releases thearrow to hear a sound only too familiar as the arrow breaches the soft skin ofthe spawning carp. After the adrenaline ceases, the archer reels in his prizefor the evening. Only a true bowfisherman can feel the power it has to know thathe controls the lives of the prey he takes. This feeling cant be described inw ords, but can be felt with the utmost power and audacity of a life being savedor taken. Bowfishing is a sport that requires both hunting and fishing skills aswell as knowledge of each sport. Bowfishing is similar to hunting because ofits use of the archers favorite weapon, the bow. The bow is considered tobe one of the most difficult weapons in any hunters arsenal. Along withits light weight and easy maneuverability, it also boasts an extremechallenge to whomever uses it to its full potential. Whether you decide towalk along the primal side and use a traditional bow or a recurve bow, youachieve the most out of your sport without using sights, a rest or release. Orif you choose a more modern and faster method of archery, you will achieve asense of accomplishment with either of these great weapons. A traditional bow ismostly what the Indians used when they made their first movement to this greatland. It is a straight stick that is slightly bent back towards thestring. A recurve bow is a more modern version of the traditional bow. It ismassively bent at the end toward the riser or rest, and when at full draw, thetips of this bow are in line with the string. Upon the other hand, you couldmove up with technology and acknowledge the existence of a compound bow. Thecompound bow in many peoples minds have upgraded the sport of bowfishing to amore technological standpoint. Although compound bows have been around for quitea while, over the last three years, they have boosted themselves to anunbelievable height. From back in 1975, the average speed of a bow was about 175feet per second. About a year ago, I bought a magazine the showed the emphasisand excitement of the new bows of which claimed a whooping 300 feet persecond. These days, in the recent magazines, have showed new and recent studieson a 400 feet per second bow. These technologies can be measured in many ways totheir successes and failures. The positive side to a bow this fast is that yourarrow can get to your target quicker without spooking it. The negative side isthe infamous question: Why would anyone require that much speed? There is reallyno other answer but the fact of bragging rights and that you dont spookyour target. In this sport of bowfishing, you use an average of 75 to about 150feet per second, depending on where you are fishing. If you decide to let yourprey reside in a more of a pond setting or a small lake, then you need lessspeed. If you require quick shooting in a big lake or the ocean, then you shoulddecide on more speed, because if you decide on slower arrow release then youhave a chance of missing your target. My current bowfishing bow is set at about100 feet per second, because I maintain target by shooting at small rough fishsuch as: carp, catfish, gar, and small turtles. Bowfishing is similar to fishingin the respect of your target. Along with it being similar because of fish, italso maintains a similarity to the reel that it uses. The tools of this tradelie in th e number of items you can fit on your bow. It also depends on whichtype of bow you are using. If you shoot a recurve or traditional bow, then yourequire less items. With a traditional or recurve bow the archer has lost theuse of sights, a rest, and other implements. A compound uses the implements suchas: sights, a bowfishing rest, and optional release, and a nock saver. Therequired items on a bowfishermans list should be as follows: a custombowfishing arrow, a special cabling system, special bowfishing string, and areel. Without any one of these items, a bowfisherman would be not be able tocomplete his art. The arrow is one of the most important items on the archerslist, it is the single most important thing in the sport of bowfishing. It islike a normal arrow in looks, but when broken down it is made of fiberglassinstead of graphite or aluminum. One end of the arrow is similar to regularbowhunting, that is of course, the nock. A nock is a plastic piece that is gluedto the end of th e arrow and has a notched end, of which holds the arrow on thebow cable or bow string. At the other end of the arrow is tip that contains twostraight barbs, which keeps the fish from coming off the arrow while the fish isbeing played. After the fish is played, the archer can, on some types of tips,turn the end of the tip which releases the barbs straightness. As thishappens it lets the barbs point upward, and the archer can then push the fishoff the arrow without much resistance. As its not required by some archers,but is next to the most important for others, is the cabling system for anarrow. This contains the life support of the arrow. I firmly believe thatwithout this system, you would lose a lot of arrows, unfortunately I know thisfrom several personal experiences. The cabling system consists of a stainless800 pound test steel wire, 2 beads, a swivel, and two crimps. The wire slidesthrough two pre-drilled holes in the arrow, then wrapped around the arrowsshaft, the into the cri mp, and then crimped. After sliding the bead, the swivel,and the other bead onto the arrow, the wire slides through the other pre-drilledhole and then again crimped. The archers string is then tied onto the otherend of the swivel, completing the cabling rig. This allows the tension not torely on the string, but the cable, and also it allows the string to move alongthe arrow without friction. The next very important part of the archers listis the string. The string comes in a variety of strengths, mostly for bowfishing,an average of 300-400 pound test braided line. This is used for mostapplications, although when fishing for 150 pound alligator gar in southernTexas, you would need around a 600 to 900 pound test line. An option on stringis color, a lot of bowfisherman prefer a neon colored string. For ease of sightand for finding an arrow that has snapped its cable, it is a wise choice forneon colored line. A new string has just been developed for night bowfisherman,it has a fluoresce nt glow when a black light is applied to the tip of thestring. The last, but certainly not least important, is the reel, there areseveral types of reels, the drum reel, which is a cylinder that the string wrapsaround it and feeds off in the same manner. The second type is the AMS retrieverreel, it is one of the most sophisticated reels, it uses a finger brake andfishing type crank. It is made especially for bowfisherman. The third kindis the Zebco 808 or the 818 models, these are regular fishing reels, but alsodouble as bowfishing reels. They are mounted on a 12 or 18 inch rod the isscrewed into the stabilizer hole of the bow. This rod and reel combination isthe closest related to the sport of fishing. The last method of using a reel isthat it doesnt use a reel at all, but is just to lay the string on the groundand hopeing that it doesnt tangle when the arrow is released or get caught onan exterior appendage of your body. Water diffraction is one of the worstproblems a bowfisherman can encounter. Water diffraction is what occurs wheneversomething is in the water. If you stick a rod into the water, as soon as the rodenters the water it gives off the appearance that its bent. This is the waterdiffraction at work. Especially when night bowfishing, water diffraction takesplace, because most of night bowfishing is when the target is several inches orfeet underwater. Since the target is underwater, then the archer must decide howdeep is the target. Although it may look on the surface it can be several inchesunderwater. The formula for bowfishing is for every inch underwater the targetactually is, the archer should aim at least 3 inches below the target to defeatwater diffraction. If an archer can accomplish this skill within seconds ofsight of the target, the bowfisherman can start to consider himself well on theway to mastering the sport. Most bowfisherman seek targets as small as carp andgar, but a lot of archers seek bigger challenges. Alligator gars, rays, skate s,sharks, alligators, and several big predators maintain a large portion ofbowfishermans time. In some remote areas of Texas, videos have arisen ofbowfisherman landing 150 pound alligator gars. These massive creatures are takenby the initial arrow of the archer. This arrow is very different from mostarrows, as it has a break-away float or jug that detaches from its positionon the bow. This floats along the top of the water as the large creature glideson the bottom of the river or lake. As the archer nocks a second arrow, when thecrew members pull up the creature to the top of the water, the archer lands asecond and possibly a third arrow into the creature before its decent intothe water. This process maintains for sometimes hours, waiting for the creatureto tire and raise to the surface close enough to the boat so that a crew membercan put a gaff into its lower jaw and pull its massive body onto the boat. Greenwood County Keeps Growing Every Year New Things Are Build , Like Essay Sometimes this has come with a very heavy price. In one instance, an archer hadseven arrows into about a 175 pound alligator gar, and as they tried to pull thefish onto the boat, the sheer weight of the fish overturned the boat andeverything was lost except for the lives of the crew and the fish. This can be avery dangerous sport in its own right, so not all bowfishing hunts are asnice as others, there are several dangers in this sport. There are recordedinstances where bowfisherman have traveled the earth in seek of the greatalligators and crocodiles. In one of these instances, a bowfisherman had shotseveral times at 10 foot alligators with the aid of his guide. Unfortunatly helanded as many gators as he had come with. As the guide pointed his light to a14 foot gator, the archer landed a perfect shot, but as the archer went for asecond arrow, the gator started his death roll underwater and cranked inthe string. This motion would have been alright, but as the float was notattached to the archers bow, but just sitting on the floor of the airboat,the archer had no control over his float or other equipment. As the spinningaction seemed to reel in the string on the archers line, he nocked a secondarrow, unaware of the danger he was in. As he was about to release his secondarrow into the beast, the line which was wrapped around the archers leg,tightened and jerked him into the water, but not before the shot was anchoredinto the gators massive head. As some quick thinking by the hunter, hegrabbed his boot knife and cut the line loose. He grabbed the boat as a loudbang went off and the gator started his final decent to the bottom of the river,dead. As the archer looked up and saw the his guide, with smoking rifle in hand,and climbed aboard the 14 foot airboat. They pulled the massive creature aboardthe boat and went home, but never forgetting the memories of the almost fatefulnight that could have costed the bowfisherman his life. Bowfishing, as the nameimplies, is th e sport of hunting and shooting at fish with a bow and arrow. Thearrow has a barbed point and is tethered to the bow with a braided line. Whenthe arrow is fired from the bow, the line feeds out of a bowfishing reel, whichis attached to the front of the bow. When the arrow strikes a fish, the barbshold in the fish, and the fish is played by hand. Another option thebowfisherman may choose for playing fish, is an 18 inch rigid fishing pole whichholds the reel and attaches to the bow. From the small three pound carp or gar,to the 150 pound alligator gar in Texas and the sharks in south Florida,bowfishing is a sport that has no equal to the adrenaline and fun that itprovides.