Verbal Communication: Feminine Speech

Throughout my life, my friends & family members have always made remarks of the way I verbally communicate. Each remark would always allude to a form of feminism. Statements such as: "...You talk like a girl" ..."Do you always have to be the center of every conversation" ....."You're too sensitive" etc.. would be similar to what I hear.


Being the male that I identify myself to be, I would always (and still do) defend their remarks. I take it as offensive when my actions are directly compared to being feminine because it instills a form of identity crisis within. As a communication major, I believe that there is NO masculine or feminine way of communicating. On the contrary, I believe there is only effective and defective methods of communicating. Naturally, because I am proactive in nearly all aspects of communication, I would define my methods as being effective. Being effective/ defective should not be compared/ contrasted to a specific SEX.


As I begun reading  words from "Gendered Lives", I was instantly turned-off when I realized nearly all my methods of communication favored the "Feminine" side. Not only did it confuse my methods of communication with my sex, but my overall individualism as well. After reading the chapter, I found myself to be at a disagreement with the author's overall perspective of how language reflects gender.  It seems that her personal views on verbal communication is demeaning to and misrepresenting to males (and females) who do not fit the profile for their given sex. This entire chapter drew a fine line between male and female and was very much stereotypical. According to J.T Wood, author of "Gendered Lives", there are 6 ways language reflects gender.....


1. Male Generic Language Excludes Women
2.Language defines men and women differently 
3.Language shapes awareness of gendered issues
4. Language organizes perceptions of gender 
5.Language Evaluates Gender
6. Language allows self- reflection 
(Wood, 2011)


While making the connection to personal experiences, I have gathered  that language is influenced by males and simultaneously dominated by society.  Furthermore, I found myself at disagreement when AUTHOR stated ..."Masculine Speech Communities view communication as a means to doing things and solving problems... feminine speech communities regard the process of communicationg as a primary way to create and sustain relationships" (Wood, 2011). As stated before, I do not agree with the classification of gendered languages. Giving such names to the method of communication is doing nothing more than setting and reinforcing the stereotype of what is masculine and what is feminism


REFERENCES


Wood, J. T. (2011). Gendered lives, communication, gender, and culture. (Ninth ed. ed., pp. 118-130). Boston: Wadsworth Pub Co..

Male-Feminism

Is it possible for men to be feminists? Absolutely. But why do some men refer to themselves as a “male feminists” rather than just saying “Feminist”? This is a controversy that I have came across a couple of times when speaking of women’s movement. When hearing the term “male feminist” I feel a form of ambiguity and irrelevancy.As a male who proudly advocates gender equality, I identify myself as a “feminist”. That’s it!! Adding the word “male” is unnecessary and irrelevant. “Male Feminism” is outdated, politically incorrect and carries a form of gender oppression… Which defats the purpose of being a member of such a powerful movement.  


While the term “Male  Feminist” may have been more appropriate during the first and second wave of Women’s Movement back in 1965 (due to the primary focus on Women Oppression), the definition has been redefined with a more powerful meaning since then. In actuality, Feminism has transitioned from focusing on “Women’s political rights” to a much larger idea that eradicates gender inequality for both men and woman”… Key word: BOTH. (North). 

In order to be a member of this movement, one should not have to sub-categorize oneself. In essence, utilizing the term “Male” stimulates oppression for indivudals who are TRANS gender. The idea itself is simply oxymoronic. When it boils down to identifying one’s self with the Women’s Rights movement, you are either in favor or not. Anyone who falls in-between should immediately pick a side.

To despite popular belief, men can be feminists because the movement of eradicating gender inequality is powerful and requires all types of genders.


Saying a man can't be a feminist is bullshit... Could only slaves and former slaves be abolitionists? Obviously not. Can only minorities be anti-racist? Hell no. So why should feminism be any different? 


References:
North , Anna. "Can A Man Be A Feminist?." 17 Sep 2009. N.p., Online Posting to Jezbel. Web. 17 Feb. 2012. <http://jezebel.com/5361789/can-a-man-be-a-feminist>.