Unnecessary Arguments

P.C. language is a very controversial topic; however it is one that in my opinion should not be. There is a need for more than only two sides to fully encompass the varying perspectives on P.C. language. But in an attempt to do so I will say that one side is for the complete use of P.C. language, while the other is strongly against it. Both sides have compelling arguments that all people should hear before they decide on a position to take; therefore, when someone blindly follows an argument without any reason or support, they end up looking weak and unarguable. This can be seen when talking to a person who is in support of one side and giving them a counter argument. They would not know what to say and how retaliate with their own thoughts, because they were not willing to make their own opinion in the first place. If a person were to truly advocate for a side then they would have their own reasons to do so, and would be able to come up with a counter argument against any other counter argument. So what I am trying to say is that, when someone like "The Word Police" try to earn "points for political correctness by saying 'ovarimony' instead of 'testimony',"(Michiko Kakutani) they can easily be subjected to "mockery." It is clear that the people who are actually trying to use P.C. language to change how the world looks at females, would not focus on using words like "ovarimony" but rather microaggressions that are actually hurting people. This is why people should not just come into an argument and blindly follow an opinion without actually seeing both sides and thinking of a logical one on their own.

The Clan of One-Breasted Women

The Clan of One-Breasted Women by Terry Tempest Williams illustrates a new perspective of a family who was hurt and is still hurt by the government. With a dream to a reality, Williams shares her story of her hardships and the fight she had to endure to protect her homeland and defend her rights. It was assumed that due to the government testing atomic bombs near the area that she lived, William's family had a history of breast cancer and the women having to get "mastectomies," hence the clan of one-breasted women. One interesting point that Williams brought up, was how the government thought that "public health was secondary to national security." This was ironic as the safety of the people came at a price of their well-being. If the government was trying so hard to protect their people, then how could they do that if the people themselves are either dying or fighting against each other? The only reason the government acts this way is because they only care that they are immune-"the king can do no wrong."  As long as they- the important people-are safe and protected, then all others are irrelevant or "virtual uninhabitants." Even those who try to oppose the government and try to get some justice in a justice-based world are thrown aside and "stranded." Although Williams' point of view is one that most might not be able to reconcile and relate with, it is one that is worth exploring and acting upon for the betterment of our society.

Marked or Unmarked?

This week in English, our class had a heated debate about what marking is and how the author's view point is different from a guy's view point. While some arguments were not so legitimate and convincing, others were quite compelling and even brought up more debate and discussion. One specific argument was how the author views men as having the option to dress unmarked, while women don't. I said that this was all based on perspective. Most guys wouldn't notice if a girl wore a dress two times in a row, while another girl might. On the other hand, as Stephen said, if a guy wore a really fancy suit all the other guys would notice it while some girls might think it is a regular suit and therefore unmarked. Even though to girls, guys might have the option to be unmarked, some guys might think the same way about girls. If a girl wore sweats in school, no one would care except other girls while if a guy wore only sweats to school then I myself would even notice him and what he is wearing. This also goes along with the other spectrum of clothes-the fancy types. Yes some girls might think a guy is dressed up nice, but they wouldn't be able to discern the small things that other guys might be able to and vice versa. This is only like this because girls don't typically know much about guys dressing and same goes with guys not knowing much about girls dressing. But the worst part about all this is that even though women will judge and oppress other women, they will end up blaming men. I know this might sound outrageous at first, but take a step back and actually think about it. The author of "There is No Unmarked Woman" blames men for what women have to wear and also the fact that men get a choice of being unmarked, but when actually, the author themselves, a woman, is judging and marking the other women at that conference. It is the false accusations and wrongful blame that honestly makes no sense to me. How could one think like this, but then again I am not a woman so how would I know their side of the story/augment. (Not meant to be a dis against women).