Blogging Around With Mary and Merrick

Mary's post, 360 degrees: The Proposal, addressed the gender limitations we're presented with everyday. She talks about how certain traits are respected in a man but dismissed as rude or ridiculous in a woman. My response was:

I noticed that too while watching the film- Sandra Bullock's work ethic and drive would be admired if she was a man. Instead, people only viewed her as an insensitive, selfish manipulator. I agree with you that it's unfair, but at the same time we have to ask ourselves how much we really respect the man in that same condition. Do we appreciate the characteristics when a guy presents them, or do we just condone it and blow it off as 'a guy thing'? Either way, it's wrong. I think that men and women should get the same consequences for acting the way they do, and a flaw in personality (or a great trait) should never be attributed as a 'guy' or 'girl' thing. When we do that, we limit ourselves by our gender and we can't get to our full potential.

Merrick's post, Dialectics: Religion and Hatred, was a really interesting exploration of religion, which most people identify as loving and a connector of humankind, and the surprising path of hatred and violence that follows. A quote that really struck me as a main point (and is relevant to lots of our discussions in class) was "It’s amazing to think that religion, such a wonderful and important thing in most peoples lives, started this world of hate that exists today in the Middle East." My comment:

Your post really made me think about how people are so passionate about something they love that they are willing to do something violent or hateful to prove that their choice is the right choice. The fact that religion has brewed an intense rivalry and dislike that people today can't look past is terrible. That we as humans could discriminate against an ideal that helps someone else lead their life just doesn't make sense to me, and I often think that the phrase 'to each his own' would solve a lot of problems we have with our society. It shouldn't affect your daily happiness if someone else chooses to call your God (because their generally pretty similar variations of the same entity) by a different name. When religions promote themselves as the one true religion, they leave no room for tolerance and respect. Nice post.