Myth of Demeter & Persephone, Artemis, and how religion is killing homosexuals

Weaving the Visions; pages 72-76

This story is a myth about how the seasons change. For me, there is no connection to religion. Persephone, daughter of Demeter, decides to live in the underworld in order to recieve the dead--so their spirits would not roam confused. Demeter is depressed while her daughter is away, and since she is a spirit with the ability to grow wheat-- the fields become barren when she is sad. When Persephone returns-- Demeter is pulled out of her depression and Spring fills the land. Just like any other myth or fable or story used to explain something about the world, it isn't supposed to be taken literally ( in my opinion at least.)

This myth shows women figures as the powerful creatures, and that is the only difference I see between this and other stories. In the beginning of Christine Downing's passage, Artemis; The Goddess Who Comes from Afar, Downing writes "We need images and myths through which we can see who we are and what we might become." (page 119) This line really struck a chord with me, because it makes me understand why stories about women are important. I have learned a lot about self-esteem and the importance about good role models, and this is just another example of where females can look to get that confidence. By reading myths and stories about powerful women, it gives one faith in oneself that they too can achieve big things. Without a role model to look up to, it is harder to imagine accomplishing big things. This reminds me a lot of Dolores Williams' chapter on "womanist" theory. Womanists are all about connecting strong women in history to contemporary women, to show them that there have been brave, courageous successful women before us-- and we can be like them. These concepts make sense to me, but I have a hard time connecting them to religion because religion is not part of my life at all. But I see how religious myths that show powerful women would be important to a religious woman that is used to only hearing stories in her place of worship about brave males.

A very recent blog post on HuffingtonPost.com in the religion section reminds me of this whole concept. Although I may not be religious, I live in a community and a country where people around me are sometimes very affected by religion. How Religion Is Killing Our Most Vulnerable Youth was published October 15, 2010, and was written by The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson. He is the Ninth Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire and a visiting Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, Washington, D.C. In this course, we learn how religious traditions and readings can influence women to think they are not as good as men, just by seeing a lack of a powerful female role model. But for gays- in some religions, they are outright told they are less than heterosexuals, and some even go as far to say they are abominations before God. Our course explores how the lack of role-models affects women, but what about the opinion on homosexuals and how it affects them? Robinson goes on to write

"You don't have to grow up in a religious household, though, to absorb these religious messages. Not long ago I had a conversation with six gay teens, not one of whom had ever had any formal religious training or influence. Every one of them knew the word "abomination," and every one of them thought that was what God thought of them. They couldn't have located the Book of Leviticus in the Bible if their lives depended on it yet they had absorbed this message from the antigay air they breathe every day."

This paragraph brings everything together for me. I cannot connect to much of the religious aspects of this course because that is not part of my life, but I can understand things better when I realize that they can still affect me. The stories and the opinions that religions in my country have, can affect everyone around them. The article about homosexuals cites a lot of the recent suicides linked back to anti-gay bullying. This is an easy-to-understand example of how religion can affect people, and it makes it easier to see why it's so important to have religious myths about powerful women.

Starting from the beginning...

So I haven't been keeping up with the blogging, so I thought I'd go back and touch on some of the reading from the beginning of the semester. Sorry to go out of order!

September 1 reading: Franzmann chapters 1 & 2

On page 5, Franzmann quotes Ursula King, "Female bodily existence is a primary source of women's self-image and destiny, but not an exclusive one." This line resonates with me and I carry it throughout whatever else we read in this class. To me, it means that yes, females are different than males in many ways-- and this affects their experience in life. The differences in biological makeup between men and women causes the two genders to function and feel differently. But, to say that everything a woman experiences is affected by her bodily existence just isn't true. To paraphrase the author, I think it means that women and men have differences and similarities, and we can't pin down exactly what they are or what they mean. And to study women and how they interact in the world, one must remember that women's self-image comes from many different things than just their "female bodily existence."

Franzmann also quotes Judith Grant on page 6 in her ideas about rationality and objectivity. In class we often talk about how many systems in place in our society are "patriarchal," and I think Grant highlights how this is somewhat problematic. Just because a way of doing something has been in place for years, and maybe been used to oppress or control, does not mean it is inherently wrong, or inherently "male." Franzmann writes, "To suggest that rational ways of knowing are male and not female makes "the implicit assertion that the sex of one's body is at least as significant as the condition of one's mind in assessing one's reason." This line means that yes, men and women are different, but to say that rationality is a "male trait." Isn't the whole point of feminism to appreciate the differences but also highlight that women are just as capable as men?

In closing, I like how Franzmann basically wants to find patterns in womens' different experiences in order to understand individual experiences. These speaks to me, because even if we read about experiences that black women had, we can use them to understand ALL womens' experiences. It's a way of studying all kinds of experiences and using them to explore individuals.

Post on "Womanist Theology: Black Women's Voices"

Having just finished reading this assignment, I find myself pleasantly surprised. Although I am not religious myself, I found this chapter very interesting and relevant to my life. Much of the reason that I do not like organized religion is because of how it can be used to oppress people. Women, minorities and homosexuals are often regarded as unimportant characters in religious stories, or not present at all. This article explains that by being a "womanist," one can find ways to connect women and religion in positive ways, and show women in present day that they have roots to powerful women in the past.

The author's explanation of the expression "You acting womanish," made me laugh. She wrote that according to Alice Walker, that means "wanting to know more and in greater depth than is good for one...outrageous, audacious, courageous and willful behavior." She goes on to say that "A womanist is also "responsible, in charge, serious." This description made me think of how girls are sometimes known for being a little bit nosy and into others' business, hunting for gossip. But it also makes me think about journalists, and about how this is an important quality for a reporter to have. The description is kind of good and kind of bad, but when you see the word courageous in there, it takes on more of a good meaning.

One part of the reading reminded me of a reading we did that highlighted the importance of 'old wives tales,' stating that these tales originated as good advice from older women to be passed down to younger generations. The author, Dolores S. Williams writes "Walker's codes are female-centered and they point beyond themselves to conditions, events, meanings and values that have crystallized in the Afro-American community around women's activity and formed traditions." This struck a chord with me. Although 'old wives' tales' are usually scoffed at as nonsense, both these authors are trying to say that the stories came from somewhere. The tales may not be exactly how they started out, but there is wise advice buried deep within them. I think this is how I read all religious texts and stories; as myths that have some good ideas in them, but not always to be taken literally.

Williams has a lot of good points, and one more is how she highlights the importance of strong female figures. Men have unlimited figures to look up to and to use as role models, and this helps them shape themselves and have confidence in themselves. Women have less role models to look up to, and this can cause women to lose faith in themselves and their own goals or dreams. The author references ladies such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Rosa Parks throughout the chapter to draw upon their strengths and accomplishments. By seeing that women have existed in our history with powerful personalities makes it possible for contemporary women to relate. On page 181, Williams writes "Retrieving this often hidden or diminished female tradition of catalytic action is an important task for womanist theologians and ethicists," and goes on to say that women have helped in various situations during history. Bringing these women to light will encourage women of today to look up to these figures. It reminded me of the article we read on "re-membering," because what womanists are really doing is taking a look at history and highlighting the roles that women played.

Finally, I thoroughly enjoyed the end of this chapter. The author wraps everything up by saying that womanists need to bring their thoughts and theories into church and into day-to-day practices. What good is all this knowledge if it is not implemented? Williams writes that the church needs to be challenged and questioned on their portrayals of women-- and this is an essential job of womanists.

Newsworthy #1

Sister Wives

The TLC network has a new show that debuted Sunday, September 26, called Sister Wives. It follows a polygamist family of one husband, three wives and 12 children, that all live together. The first episode was an introduction to their lives, and at the end there was a highlight reel of the season to come. During this season the family will take on another wife and her three children from a previous marriage. The show has sparked a lot of debate and news articles, and also a Utah police investigation to see if the family’s actions are to be deemed illegal. Although Kody Brown, the husband, is only legally married to one wife, the authorities are looking into things because bigamy is a third-degree felony in the state, and cohabitation is one of the determining factors. One article on Slate.com details how the show has made polygamy seem quite attractive.

The article, How The TLC Show "Sister Wives" Makes Polygamy Seem Appealing, was posted on Slate September 30. Slate is a daily online magazine, and the article came out on one of the site’s many blogs, DoubleX. On Slate’s About Us page, they write about themselves that they offer “…analysis and commentary about politics, news, business, technology, and culture.” It goes on to say that Slate has a “strong editorial voice and witty take on current events.” The blog’s tagline reads “XX factor, What women really think.” The blog is updated daily by different writers, and the pieces focus on issues going on in the media that affect women. The fact that this item of news is from a blog makes one question it a little more than if it was a straight news article from a newspaper. When reading a blog, the reader knows that more opinion is thrown into the mix than in a newspaper article, but the honesty can be refreshing. I checked other news sources to make sure this author had basic facts about the television show correct.

This particular article was written by the managing editor of the blog, Jessica Grose, who has also co-authored a book titled Love, Mom: Poignant, Goofy, Brilliant Messages from Home. Her bio on the site says that she has written for Jezebel, New York Times, the Village Voice, Salon, and Radar. One of her posts on Jezebel about Sarah Palin actually caused a Fox News anchor to denounce her on air. The bio also says she and another writer run a website called www.PostcardsFromYoMomma.com, a humorous site about correspondences between mother and child. Upon further research, Grose’s personal site popped up, www.JessicaGrose.com. Many of her articles are about what it’s like being a woman in the 2000’s and about relationships that mothers have with their children. On her Slate blog, she writes candidly about issues that affect women. One of her recent posts on the blog, Why Compelling Democratic Women Candidates Matter, explains that the left side of politics needs a female candidate with the charisma of Sarah Palin, but with better ideas and a platform they can agree with. Grose lets it be known that she detests Palin, but respects how Palin has marketed herself to women. On other websites, Grose writes about the trials and tribulations of her college days including losing her virginity, dating losers and lying to friends. Grose is a very open and honest writer, and her biases definitely come through.

The fact that there is a reality show about a polygamist family in the first place says something about our culture. This isn’t the first time a TV show has delved into this kind of family, but it may be the most “real,” in-depth coverage. Before this series, HBO had a scripted television show called Big Love that focused a lot on the sexual relationships of a polygamist family, and many talk-shows and news hours have covered polygamist communities. Warren Jeffs, church leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has been in the news for arranging marriages with girls under 18, and encouraging their new husbands to have sex with them, which is statutory rape. A lot of the coverage of polygamist families is focused on child abuse, but the show doesn’t touch on that at all. This series is newsworthy because it shows the women and this religion in a way they are not usually portrayed; normal.

This is what Grose is trying to get at in her article. She highlights how the entire show is filmed and edited in a way to make this family look normal, and almost better then the average family. While Grose briefly gives in to this idea, she quickly comes back to say that there is a question as to whether the women really had a choice in the matter. It is great to see this religion portrayed in a good way for once, if it is real, and it definitely adds to the study of women and religion. This religion is often cited as one that uses and abuses women from an early age, and puts them in an extremely secondary position to the man. This show does work to dispel those old feelings about polygamists. Though the show demonstrates that the women came freely into the marriage and are happy to have the other wives and children in the family, the man is still definitely in control. Polygamy is such an interesting topic to talk about in terms of women and religion because on one hand, women are treasured and coveted— but on the other hand, the man is still the decision-maker and the one that gets to enjoy multiple partners. Grose brings up an interesting point, “However, one has to wonder how much of a "choice" it was for the women raised in polyg families, who have never known any other sort of relationship.”

This article suggests that the media thrives on reporting about polygamist families. This show is worth talking about because it gets people hot and bothered; it stirs up emotions and differing viewpoints, and it gets people to discuss. Now that the era of legalized gay marriage is here, the next question just may be about legalized polygamist marriages. The fact that women willingly enter into a union where they have to share a man is just something that people will enjoy debating about for years to come. The way that this family does things could be empowering to women; it allows time and energy to focus on things other than the kids and household. But this system also does damage against a female’s confidence; it may instill jealousy and feelings of inadequacy. The two sides of polygamy regarding women will always be talked about and analyzed because two-person relationships are the “norm” in this country.

Celebritiesssss

Wow I haven't updated in a while!

Well the time has flown by lately. I am still liking my internship at University Link Magazine. My first stories will be coming out in the March issue, which will be out soon! I have done a lot of cool stuff for the mag.

Celebrity update:

We went to an LA Kings hockey game, and afterward we got to meet one of the players! The game was really fun. The captain Dustin Brown, went to Ithaca High School so our program set it up that we got to talk to him briefly. After talking to us he was off to Vancouver to play on the US hockey team in the olympics! I got to talk to him for a second, and it turns out that we have a mutual friend.

Recently, Jay Leno and his crew were walking around our apartment complex knocking on people's doors! He was filming a few skits about the Oscar nominated movies. He happened to knock on someone's door from the IC program, so we got to be in a skit! Three boys got dressed up in full makeup and body suits to look like characters from Avatar. They filmed in the boys'

apartment, and it was supposed to be a party scene. So you can see me in the background for a second. Jay Leno was hanging out with us in the apartment for a few minutes before filming!! Watch the clip here: Me on Jay Leno!

Today my roommate and I went to The Grove for the first time, an outdoor mall with a farmer's market nearby. It was really pretty, and had a range of stores. When we walked in, I glanced to the right and saw a celebrity! Jane Lynch was leaving a restaurant! It was very weird to see her just hanging out in public.

Tomorrow, my roommate and I are going to a taping of Oprah. She is having a special "after

Oscars" show and will be interviewing celebrities. We have to be there around 6 a.m. though, so it's going to be a long day!!

That's all for now. I will be ome in two months, and I have to admit I'm pretty excited to see everyone. The weather is pretty nice here though :)

Love to the east coast,

Laura

country girl goes to the city...

...and gets her stuff stolen.

So it only took 3 weeks of being here to get robbed! :(

On Sunday we hiked to the Hollywood sign. We drove through a bunch of residential streets to get there, and then pulled off onto a little dirt road/side path to park, where the trail started. The neighborhood seemed like a pretty nice area, nothing sketchy about it. Soooo, for some reason I brought my purse, and realized that I didn't want to carry it during our 2-hour hike. So I set it on the floor of the front seat of my friend's rental car, and covered it with my sweatshirt. I took my phone with me, but left my wallet, iPod Touch, and camera in my purse. Uh oh.

When we got back to the car, we immediately saw that the window had been smashed, there was glass everywhere. We were stunned! Then my stomach dropped as I remembered that my purse was in there. I glanced in and saw it was gone :( As I stood there shocked, I saw a granola bar laying on the ground next to the car. I thought, hey, I had that in my purse. Then I saw my water bottle laying next to it, and my prescription glasses!! I was hoping they'd thrown out my ID or something else, but that was all they left. Hey, at least I don't have to get new glasses! I'm pretty much blind without them.

So that really sucked. I had to cancel my credit cards, we went to the police dept. to fill out a report, I have to get a new license and my parents had to wire me money. Thankfully I didn't have a lot of cash in my wallet. My friend had to get a new rental car, and he is still waiting to hear from them as to whether he has to pay for the window or not. I was really upset about the whole ordeal, and felt really stupid. But, I survived and at least everything is replaceable. Lesson learned- put everything in the trunk from now on!!! How was I supposed to know? Most of the time in T-burg I don't even think to lock my car doors. I'm likely to see more deer on my drive to town than cars...I've never had to worry about this stuff before. I will be much more careful.

In other news, I started my second internship. It is at dots! tv, a website dedicated to celebritiy: fashion, beauty, lifestyle, fitness and gossip. The site has photos, videos and a shopping section. It was created by the founder of E! Entertainment Television. The plan is for it to eventually become a television network. I got to write a little blurb about fashion during the awards season, which popped up on the main page for a few days. It says my name and everything! I pretty much got to pick any photo I wanted and write about the fashion trends that the star was wearing. Oh hey, another dream internship! The staff was really nice and fun :) They even took me out to lunch! I am enjoying both my internships. I have gotten to do lots of interviews with cool people at the magazine, but am not allowed to talk about it before the issue comes out. So you will all just have to subscribe :)

Also, we went to Universal Studios recently. We got to go on a tour of some tv/movie sets, and there were rides in the park.

I started work-study today. I'm doing 2 hours a week in the IC office, answering the phone and little stuff like that. I'm gettin paid $8/an hour, and hopefully upping my hours if possible. I need some ca$$$$$$$h.

That's all my news for now!

Love to the east coast,

Laura

The fun starts in LA!

Soo, I've been here for over a week already! I arrived Friday, Jan. 8. My flight to Newark from Ithaca was canceled, so my day was turned upside down. I ended up flying from Ithaca to Laguardia, Laguardia to Dallas, and Dallas to LA. It was a very long day! It didn't help that I hadn't slept that night because I was too excited, and was packing until 4am when we had to drive to the airport anyway. We had scheduled a van to take a bunch of Ithaca kids from LAX to our apartments, but I missed it by a few hours. I had to take a taxi. The ride was so long that I fell asleep! It was a long way, in rush hour traffic. The total was around $90!!!! It wasn't the best start to my time in LA.

Thus far, I've been shopping for groceries and home items, rode the bus to get my nails done, attended orientation, and lounged around with my roommates A LOT. It has been very relaxing, but I am ready to be busy again! The weather was great, sunny and 70's, but now it's raining, and it's supposed to keep raining for a week straight! I've heard flood and mudslide warnings on the news.

Tomorrow the chaos begins. From 10am-3pm I will have my first day working/training at University Link Magazine. My editor wrote me an e-mail explaining that I will be writing a piece on fashion. Can you say DREAM JOB? I am excited and nervous! I will be doing my intern duties, as well as writing freelance pieces that I will get paid for! Fans of my work will only be able to read it if they subscribe to the magazine, because they don't put that much content on their web site. Right after I get out of work, I have to jet over to an interview at another company, dots! tv. They called me after I had already accepted the position at ULM, so I told them I'd only be able to come in one day a week. They said it was fine, so we scheduled an interview. I don't know much about the company, but I requested to work in the beauty/fashion section. If I end up taking both internships and the workload is too much, I will just have to quit one. But I think both jobs sound pretty interesting!! P.S.- I have to do all this traveling by bus! It's going to be pretty hectic.

At the end of my busy day tomorrow, I will be going to my first class! I have Government and Media from 7pm-10pm. I should probably just inject coffee into my veins tomorrow. Good thing I've gotten a lot of rest this past week! I live at the Oakwood Apartments, and class is about a 15 minute walk down the street. It's in a big building, but only one floor is for Ithaca College. It has a few classrooms, a computer lab, a lounge, a big library of movies on DVD, and our professors' offices. Our floor is called The Pendleton Center. Here's a photo of the building.

In other news, I was grocery shopping today and saw a celebrity! My first sighting in LA! "Will" from the tv show Will and Grace walked by me with his son. The actor's real name is Eric McCormack, and he was with his young son, Finnegan. I couldn't even believe it was him! I heard him call his son's name, so I'm positive it was him. From doing a little internet research, I found out he lives in Toluca Hills, which is right where I am. Very cool!

That's all for now, I will definitely have more to write about after tomorrow. I have taken a few pictures, but haven't been able to upload them yet. They are coming soon, though!

Love to the east coast,

Laura