What is power? (Group Discussion Response)
There are so many different types kinds of power, and there are so many different ideas of what is power within a group of people. It is difficult to pin point a single statement that everyone agrees on and the fact that there is imbalanced vocalization in the group makes things even more difficult. I know I myself have not spoken out as much as i should but at times I feel like I am lost in these discussions. When people speak it takes awhile for me to fully comprehend what is going on, where the discussion is going, or where it even came from. It is hard for me to think on the spot because so much goes on at a time, but when I write, things just spill onto the paper; my thoughts fill the page. To put it simply...
POWER is...
- Being able to embrace yourself and others.
- Knowing when to step up and when to step down.
- The ability to admit you're wrong.
- The ability to stand up for what is right even though all odds are against you.
- Seeing past what a person is and instead seeing them for who they are.
- Having compassion towards both friends and foes.
In our discussion there was a debate between whether or not physical strength is a power. Although to some degree physical strength does hold a sense of power through intimidation and fear, I believe it is only an illusion. People may have the muscles but if you do not have a strong sense of self, knowledge, and will, they can be easliy manipulated and used as tools. Sad, but true.
Power is also sometimes gendered male; "man-power." Why are women not seen as powerful? Why are women not paid as much as men are paid? This social construct of inferior women is still present today and it is upsetting because we are constantly defending ourselves against these underestimations.
Hi Crystal,
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting analysis of some aspects of power. You talk about power as something gendered "male." This seems to me like it is one of the crucial points from this course. It ties into Jackson Katz' analysis of power as something gendered male. He asks us to consider that male power is not necessairly something that men want to be faced with, or put in the position of having to perform. According to Katz, we perform power: it is not something that is inherent, or something that people want to be a part of. You also bring up the issue of male-female differences in how much people are paid. I have heard that pay is something like 75% for a woman to every man's 100% salary. This ties into the maquiladora film that we watched, in the sense that the women in that film talked about how they were highly skilled in certain technical areas, and the companies profited from their skill, but the women were never recognized or paid fairly for their technical skill. This is another way that you could possibly consider the difference between male and female pay and how it ties into power.
Thanks
Candice E.