Representing the Silenced Other
I’ve heard it referred to the “f-bomb” before. No, I’m not talking about that word, but many, if not all of us are quite familiar with the term “feminist”. And naturally, we have all derived certain stigmas from a word. For some time, I had consciously withdrawn myself from identifying as a feminist. After all, society’s perception of feminism often conjures up images of brute women, hostile towards men and imposing militant beliefs upon others. Yet, I frequently caught myself adhering to the rehearsed response, “No, I’m not a feminist but I do advocate equal representation of gender roles.” What was I afraid of? As Dass explains, Nevertheless, the thought of identifying with an arguably “radical” social position was surely intimidating. But as Dogen Zenji, Zen Buddhist expresses, we must uncover what we find inherent compassion towards.
On a personal level, my discovery of the “other” was most signified during my senior year of high school. Participating on the school’s policy debate team undeniably opened the floodgates to discovering new literature and schools of thought. Doing so, I had harbored an explicit concern for gender representations and women’s discourse. In all spheres of the political, social, cultural, and civil realm, academics have advocated the end of structural violence and patriarchy within society.
As part of an earlier debate assignment, I read through several narratives of Native American women who had been affected by the laws prohibiting prosecution of alleged rapists on tribal grounds. For hours after school, I sat in the debate office engrossed in the literature. Beyond the fact that the stories were for the sake of a debate argument, the words of every woman came alive and truly spoke to me. More than just a new argument strategy against opposing teams, this became a pressing ethical concern of mine. Consequently, this issue has undeniably instigated a passion for ending the patriarchal atrocities committed on a daily basis.
While women have become rising players in politics, their voices are often silenced or offered little ethos in the policy arena. Despite drawbacks, political feminists have continued shed light on the injustices of hierarchical social discourse. One of the crucial issues policymakers have addressed is the prevalence of American military prostitution overseas. Despite the federal government’s promise to secure human rights on foreign lands, the nation has silently condoned military prostitution and inhumane sexual violence in the military bases of Asia. As an ardent advocate against the exploitation of women, I have grown most passionate about issues pertaining to the social normality of oppression.
A common Western assumption is that where there are soldiers, there are women who exist for them. Since 1945, an estimated 28,500 U.S troops have been stationed near the Korean peninsula acting as a deterrent against North Korean attacks towards allies.[2] Due to the increase in military presence, locals and observers have noticed a regional influx of prostitution rings surrounding camp bases.[3] In some ways, military prostitution, prostitution catering to, and sometimes organized by the armed forces, has been incorporated into the common military life and warfare.[4] Even further, the Vietnam War is notorious for some of the most coercive acts of massive raping of local women. During wartime, this form of sexual torture developed into a war strategy to humiliate the enemy. For decades, policymakers have condemned the acceptance of prostitution in the U.S military. . In fact, many insist that the nation’s Department of Defense enact policies to dismantle sexual oppression, inequality, and corruption in both the American forces and the respective locales they occupy. In the recent years, feminists have blamed the government and military for condoning the exploitation both domestic and foreign. There has been some reduction in prostitution near Korean base camps, however most of this has been mediated by non-governmental organizations. As a result of negative publicity, military authorities have spoken against the atrocities but neither laws nor regulations have been pushed. Despite the zero-tolerance policy the United States assures to In fact, it is quite clear soldiers of the Korean bases continue to abuse local sex-workers.[5]
In addition to condoning such structural violence, the U.S military continues to perpetuate the cycle of patriarchy in small Eastern communities. Although efforts are made against labor repression, thousands of Korean prostitutes are placed below political priority because the women themselves are viewed as “dirty” and “tainted” for their associations with foreign soldiers. Many of these women have been exiled from both their families and the larger Korean society for their “shameful” lives. However society never blames the rapists and perpetrators for their actions. Eighty-percent of these women remain in poverty for the rest of their lives, often suffering from contracted diseases and poor health.[7]
Agreeably, it’s impossible to dismantle every instance of patriarchy, but it’s important to acknowledge our gender discourse. To further pursue my passion towards women’s rights, I have recently decided to minor in Women and Gender Studies to further my awareness on these issues. Hopefully, following this passion will translate into making physical changes in both the norms and practices that violate gender rights. Even the language we embrace has the ability to establish oppressive gender roles. Certain discourse tends to objectify women or establish a hierarchy of gender. Even seemingly trivial language not only reflects sexist realities, but also helps reproduce them. Thusly, we need to change society in radical ways by reforming language and addressing the fundamentals patriarchy. Not only is this an infringement on women’s liberation, but also an issue of human rights. Brooke Ackerly a professor of political science explains, Just as women’s rights has become a passion of mine, Ackerly critiques the status quo’s lack of urgency towards the ongoing suffering women face in the world. . Currently, laws and action have been insufficient in terms of securing women’s human rights. Given the current social norms and gender hierarchy that violate women’s rights, I hope to legally speak out for the current and past injustices.
Apart from simply reading about gender issues, I have sought to take action by supporting worldwide women’s liberation. One organization I have joined is the World Affairs Council. A non-partisan organization, WAC provides cross-cultural humanitarian assistance throughout the world, specifically to third world countries. One of the yearly projects implemented is to raise money for schools in rural and volatile regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan.[9] These schools primarily target young girls who would not otherwise receive a proper education. Inspired by Greg Mortenson’s novel Three Cups of Tea, the project serves to educate young women who would otherwise not be given academic opportunities.[10] As of 2009, Mortenson, with the help of international support, has established 131 schools providing an education to over 4,400 young girls in K-12 classes.[11] As Mahatma Gandhi wisely said, “we must be the change we wish to see in the world.” Similarly, I have felt most fulfilled taking part in the revolution I have been most passionate about.
As the mantra of Texas goes, “what starts here changes the world.” The journey we take as budding students will inevitably transform our tomorrow and “have an impact In Covey’s book, he emphasizes the value of a personal mission in order to effectively achieve our goals and ambitions. He says we must “invent” our missions as[13] Similarly enough, I now know that my contribution to this world is to dismantle systematic patriarchy and gender barriers within society. But as Covey further clarifies, simply affirming our passion does not fundamentally address its ethical value. Instead, we must achieve personal leadership by [14] Hopefully, pursing my passion of gender equality through studying law can assure a future where I become a leader in humanitarian justice. As Plan II students, we are all encouraged to broaden our academic horizons while applying our education to a greater realm. We have become students who seek enlightenment and leadership. With that said, it is our moral duty to achieve what we are most passionate about.
Despite my premature hesitations for identifying as a “feminist”, I have come to terms of who I am and where my passion lies. Feminism is a movement that seeks to defeat the forces that contribute to the discrimination and violence towards women. Feminism is a movement that speaks for justice. Whether it be the revolution in social righteousness, or simply engage in discussion about the ethics of gender discrimination, I can confidently assure myself that I possess the compelling force to pursue my passion.
Word Count: 1587
W/o Quotes: 1418
[1] Native American ceremony, Dave Bender, “Native American Ritual, Oregon,” http://betbender.blogspot.com/2008_03_03_archive.html (date accessed: October).
[2] Zoltan Dujisin, “Prostitution Thrives with U.S. Military Presence,” IPS, http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47556, 7 July 2007.
[4] Gwyn Kirk, “Making Connections: Building an East Asia: U.S Women’s Network Against Militarism,” The Women and War Reader: New York University, 1990, http://www.gwynkirk.net/pdf/making_connections_paper.pdf.
[5] Kirk.
[6] Example of military media, Vietnam Media, “Media Coverage of the Vietnam War,” http://vietnammedia.wikispaces.com/ (accessed: October 19, 2010).
[7] Kirk.
[8] The logo for WAC, World Affairs Council, “Dallas Chapter,” http://www.dfwworld.org/Page.aspx?pid=276 (date accessed: October 19, 2010).
[10] World Affairs Council.
[11] World Affairs Council.
[12] Mortenson with a school of children, Jordan Rudess, “Three Cups of Tea,” http://www.jordanrudess.com/forthemoment/ (date accessed: October 19, 2010).
[13] Stephen R. Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic (New York: Free Press, 2004), 138.
[14] Covey, 138.
Video:
Rape Crisis on Indian Reservations: Vanguard, [Video]. (2010). Retrieved October 26, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqVkL_oogx8.
Video:
Rape Crisis on Indian Reservations: Vanguard, [Video]. (2010). Retrieved October 26, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqVkL_oogx8.
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