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Transcript: Changing the Way We Speak, Starting with Those in Power Ashley Halleck Preface I am not assuming that President Trump is sexist himself, because I do not know what lives in his heart. I do however know that the man holding one of the most powerful positions in the world making sexist remarks is extremely problematic. It not only reienforces stereotypes, it reaffirms that women are second class citizens next to men. Preface Changing the way that we talk about women, is a simple step th... Changing the way that we talk about women, is a simple step that we all can take to work toward gender equality. In, Night to His Day, Lorber asserted, "Social statuses are carefully constructed through prescribed through teaching, learning, emulation, and enforcement" (Lorber, 2014). When people hear the President of the United States belittling women and making them seem inferior next to men, it reinforces the notion that we are a lesser beings. People in positions of power have a substabtial influence on the way that we think. We need to be present, possibly more today than ever. Feminism is the fight for equality of genders on a social, political, and economic level. Using a feminist frame to analyze comments made by President Trump, it is clear that there is still unjust attitudues toward women. Although it is hard to keep up with current events, specifically within our administration, it is important to pay attention. Comment 1 (Bahdaur, 2017) Comment 1 Why is this problematic? Trump is attacking Brzezinksi on her apperance. Though Trump has been cited attacking men based on their apperance, it is much less common than him attacking a women based on their apperance. Trump was cited in his book How to Get Rich, "It's certainly not groundbreaking news that the early victories by the women on The Apprentince were, to a very larg extent dependent on their sex appeal" (Bahdaur, 2017). A women's worth is not dependent on what she looks like. Trump is using these words as a weapon of humiliation, he sought to discredit an established journalist because he did not agree with her political views. Why is this problematic? Comment 2 When discussing a line of questioning by Meygn Kelly, Trump said that Kelly had a crazy line of questioning. Trump was quoted saying that she had, "blood coming out of her eyes" and "blood coming out of her whatever" (Ghits 2017). Comment 2 Why is this problematic? Women are frequently framed as inferior physcially, and mentally unstable because of menstruation. Labeling women as 'crazy' has been a trend for hundreds of years. Highlighting these differences publicly creates a further social divide between men and women. Why is this problematic? Comment 3 Trump and Melania went on a visit of French museums. Trump was also caught telling Briggette Trogneux, the French First Lady,"You know, you're in such good shape" (Ghits. 2017). Comment 3 Why is this a problem? Deborah Tannen in, There is No Unmarked Women, said "Tannen's analysis shows how what men do is implicitly considered the norm in society, and so is relatively neutral, while women's difference inevitably marks them" (Tannen, 499). Apparently, Macron's figure marked her. The way that we sexualize and value women's body's needs to be stopped. There was no reason that this comment needed to be made. As Jessica Abrahams explained in her article, The Everyday Feminism Project, it is comments like these that prompted the beginning of what some are calling the fourth wave feminism movement (Abrahams, 2017). Why is this a problem? Why is Feminism Important? Feminist theory is important and not only about women, it is about the world. Feminism is rooted in political movements for equality, freedom, and justice (Ferguson, 2017). There are specific questions of activism that come from this need for social justice. This starts with the way that we speak about people, and the way that we allow others to speak about people. Activism starts at home, with how you speak to your freinds and family. Make a point to call out sexist and marked language when you hear it. Speak out against inequality. Why is Feminism Important? 1) Ask yourself if you are using marked language 2) Ask yourself if your joke is still 'funny' when you use a different gender in it 3) Ask yourself if what you are saying is overtly offensive to anyone in the room because of their gender 4) Be polite, and considerate to everyone How to Avoid Sexist Language