Psych 277 - Exam 1 (with Questions)

September 13, 2018
Test 1

 1. Image is very important - even nude images of men or women who believe that certain aspects of their sexual bodies are too small or too big (e.g. small or large breasts, or small penis). Keeping it simple, imagine that you have a close friend that confides in you that she is worried and embarrassed because she thinks her breasts are too small, or another friend, that confides in you that he is worried or embarrassed because he thinks his penis is too small. Discuss at least three responses to one (e.g. either the male or female), friend that might help him/her feel better about him/herself. (10 points) 

One of the most beautiful things about humanity are our vast differences in appearance and identity. No two people (with the possible exception of identical twins) are endowed with the same physical features. In our text, the very first thing stated is that “(The student) will see that their genitals can resemble those in the illustrations yet still be unique.” (Rathus, et al., 2018, Section 2.0) I would tell my friend that her body is perfect the way it is and that anyone who she chooses to share her bed with will be less concerned with how her body looks naked than they will be excited just to be with her. 

Our text further stated, “A woman’s attitude toward her genitals is likely to reflect her general self-concept and early childhood messages rather than the appearance of her vulva per se.” (Rathus, section 2.1) I have often found that women are especially critical of their bodies, an attitude that I agree with the text is largely based on childhood perceptions and general self-esteem, rather than actual appearance of her body. Her breasts aren’t made to be sex toys, and the text reaffirms this by stating, “In American culture, however, breasts have such erotic significance that a woman’s self-esteem may become linked to her bust line.” (Rathus, section 2.3)
   
Finally, I would remind my friend that even Freud stated that “sex was a matter of the mind and the body, and the mind if shaped by sexual dynamics.” (Seidman, 2015, p. 11) It is less important what others think of your body, so long as you are comfortable in your own skin. The main way to become comfortable in your own skin is to recognize that you’re worth more than your breasts.

2. Why do people tend to use "nicknames" or make up "special" names for various parts of the female and male sexual anatomy? As you see on page 23 of your text, these early dream symbols describing male and female genital organs, along with symbols for intercourse, now seem quite crude to those of today. I'm sure you have your "pet names" as they did in the early 19th Century. Comment also, on why names for women's anatomy are usually degrading while men are more positive in context. Do you believe men and women will ever use correct terminology for female or male anatomy, and continue with using "pseudo-names?" (10 points) 

It is my own personal experience that people make up names for their genitals and sexual body parts because of the massive amount of shame associated with the sexual aspects of their body. As Foucault (1978, p.1) stated, “Repression operated as a sentence to disappear, but also as an injunction to silence, an affirmation of nonexistence.” This idea is furthered in Seidman (p. 32) stating, “A society that can control sex can manage the behavior of individuals and whole populations.” Pet names are a signal of the Victorian ideals of keeping sex in the closet.

Female pet names are usually more degrading than male pet names likely because women are raised to believe their genitals are shameful and only for reproduction; while male sexual behavior is less controlled by society and more encouraged towards promiscuity. Seidman states, “Sex is said to be the very basis of male domination.” (p. 22) He further stated, “We are born with bodies, but it is society that determines which parts of the body and which pleasures and acts are sexual.” (p. 38)

It is my hope that society would use proper medical terminology going forward for many reasons. However, with the current Victorian ideals captured in Focault, “Everywhere else, modern Puritanism imposed its triple edict of taboo, nonexistence, and silence,” (p. 1) it doesn’t seem likely. Even among my friends, there is a culture of using pet names with their own children, stated most clearly in the quote, “Everyone knew, for example, that children had no sex, which is why they were forbidden to talk about it, why one closed one’s eyes and stopped one’s ears whenever they came to show evidence to the contrary, and why a general and studied silence was imposed.” (p. 1) Medically accurate sex education, including correct names for body parts, is essential to a thriving and healthy society. However, many do not feel the need to address this in children, who are often though of as pure and shielded from the bitter realities of a society in which sexual abuse is so prevalent and common. As our text states, “When sexual behavior (like masturbation) feels good, but parents connect it with feelings of guilt and shame, the child is placed in conflict and may vacillate between masturbating and swearing off of it.” (section 1.4.6)

 3. In Chapter 1, you have the earlier perspectives on human sexuality (a historical view). Take one earlier view and compare it to our current historical period. Do they have anything in common (e.g. politics, law, ect.), or what is different about them (e.g. to harsh, early male-male sexual behavior in Ancient Greece)? Anything you would take from the past and place in our time? I know from the past-history in previous classes that more than one woman liked the "Ancient Hebrews, and the legislation that set the minimum frequency of marital relations, and the amount of time spent at home" (p. 12). (10 points) 

If I could change one thing about our modern societal interpretation of sex, I would bring back Goddess Worship and healthy attitudes towards masturbation. It is truly a miracle to provide life, but instead new mothers are expected to be right back to action following birth, which is unfair and ignorant of the healing process that happens following birth. Many cultures around the world provide extensive care for the new mother, but American culture does not, which is a shame. Likewise, American society still views masturbation as a sin.

It’s also crucial to human sexual development to have a healthy sexual identity. As Seidman discussed, “A culture that celebrates a superficial drive for pleasure leads not to fulfillment but to an aimless, unhappy search for gratification.” (p.17) It is the values of the Conservative society as outlined in Focault, “… verbal decency sanitized one’s speech,” (p.1) that have led Americans away from the excesses of European culture and towards a more conservative way of addressing sexual behaviors. Sex has become a commodity for sale, rather than something that is celebrated and revered. Seidman argued, “A capitalist sexual culture promotes tolerance, but it wants to make sex more open and acceptable solely so that sex can be used to sell goods…” (p.18) Though the adage “sex sells” is frequently seen in modernity, it’s also met with a heavy taboo. Parents aren’t talking to their kids, so kids are left to learn about sex through the media, which often provides a very distorted view of sexuality.

 4. When you reached a certain point in adolescent (age) you had a lot of resources (e.g. TV, parents, friends, peers, MTV, rap videos, or other media) where you received information about sex when you were growing up. Make a list of some of the information you received at a younger age (regardless if it was true or false), and then make another list of information, in which, you wish you had growing up and even now. (10 points). 

List at least five points on each column. (See table below)

Information about sex when growing up	Information about sex you wish you had growing up
Sex sells	HPV is very common
How sex works from a biological perspective	How a tampon works (this is a funny story)
Why people have sex	That a vagina isn’t an open cave, but is more like a deflated bicycle tire
How contraception works	The penile head creates a vacuum in the vagina
Masturbation is healthy and good	Your first menstruation will not be blood red, but can appear as a dark brown.
Porn and the media are not accurate representations of sex

5. The article Virginity Lost... speaks of one's first sexual experience. Reflect on your own loss of virginity, and using the article for reference, comment on how this experience relates to the article. (most students in the past set up the first part like their CJ, which the second paragraph connecting to the article. (5 points) 

Growing up in a sex positive family, I knew that I wasn’t waiting for marriage or Mr. Right, but that I was waiting to feel ready by myself. My first sexual experience was with a childhood love. I tried to make it special, or memorable even, but it turned out to be just awkward. My mother prepared me that it would hurt, even just a little. And she was right. She didn’t prepare me for the closeness I still enjoy with him, even today (though we are both married to different people). After that lone experience, we broke up and I started dating someone else, with whom I would have my next sexual relationship. My mother spoke frequently of orgasm, but it took until my third time before I experienced any pleasure. Since that time, there have only been a small handful of experiences where I didn’t climax. I consider this to be a personal achievement in my sexual history.

In the article, the authors stated, “Women may be disappointed by the actual experience after so much buildup is given to its importance and significance.” (Davidson, et al., 2010, p. 2) That definitely described my first experience. It had been built up to me as this hugely romantic and special event, when in reality, it was more awkward and painful than anything else. It didn’t help that my boyfriend at the time dumped me shortly after. The article further stated, “Relationship status remained a strongly significant predictor of psychological satisfaction for all four racial-gender groups, especially for women.” I do not regret my first consensual sexual experience, but I found the opposite to be true. Though I felt somewhat closer to Mikal, I didn’t feel satisfaction with my first experience. I was just glad that it was over and my virginity could no longer be held as a commodity.

 6. Seidman, in Chapter 3, Social Constructionism: Sociology, History, and Philosophy, choose a topic in the text that interested you and comment on its sociological, historical, philosophical content, from the early constructionists from Marx to Foucault, to marriage and social regulation, to questions of identity, to sexuality as a social control, to gender as a performance/process, and the feminist movement. The early history of sexuality, to place sexuality as a social construction, to the philosophy of those trying to come to terms with the idea of sexuality - are all part of our sexuality. (5 points) Good luck with this one. Note: Pick one topic... 

As someone who is openly bisexual, the chapters on bisexuality and homosexuality (both in our text and in Seidman) were of particular interest to me. The text states, “The Greeks viewed people as bisexual.” (Rathus, section 1.4). Male-male sex was met with a certain contempt and a large amount of misunderstanding. Female-female sex has also been met with contempt and misunderstanding in our modern world, even though there have always been women who have shirked the roles of homemaker and mother in favor of working and living as a “spinster.” (Seidman, p.21)

Seidman stated, “… we are not born sexual; rather we learn to be sexual beings.” (Seidman p. 30) Freud (as discussed in Seidman) posited, “There is a normal course of sexual development that corresponds to specific stages of psychological development.” (p.6) In his view, gay men were born with a female mind and a male body. Now, of course, we know that this isn’t true. We also know thanks to many writers, including Alfred Kinsey (et al.), and Masters and Johnson, that people are born heterosexual or homosexual, and that women tend to be more fluid in their sexual expression than men. However, Marxists tend to be of the opinion that “Sexuality is valued only if it is confined to marriage and its aim is to create a family.” (Seidman p. 15) The main argument of the Marxist was that more bodies were needed for the industrial society, so sex was only encouraged in so much that it would create a new generation of workers. (Seidman p. 15) Alfred Kinsey and his co-researchers revealed that homosexual behavior in men was vastly more common than ever before previously thought. (Rathus, section 1.5.3) Yet we are still in a puritanical society that has labeled gay sex as a primary taboo.

References

Rathus, S. A., Nevid, J. S., Fichner-Rathus, L. (2018). Human Sexuality in a Changing World. (Tenth
     Edition). New York, NY: Pearson North America.

Seidman, S. (2015). The Social Construction of Sexuality. (Third Edition). New York, NY: W. W.
     Norton & Company.

Foucault, M. (1978). The History of Sexuality: An Introduction. (Volume 1). France: Éditions
     Gallimard

Davidson, J. K., Higgins, J. A., Moore, N. B., and Trussell, J. (2010) Virginity lost, satisfaction
     gained? Physiological and psychological sexual satisfaction at heterosexual debut. The Journal of
     Sex Research. pp 384-413. United States: Routledge, on behalf of the Society for the Scientific
     Study of Sexuality

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Grade: 50/50
Comments: None

English 101 - "This I Believe" essay

I believe that I am never “too depressed” to give up

            Growing up as the only child of a twenty-year-old single-mother-by-choice I was lavished with attention and affection from a young age because I was the first grandchild.  From a young age, I knew that my mother had challenges.  She was severely depressed, and often suffered migraine attacks. At the tender age of two, I knew that my mother struggled just to get out of bed in the morning, and that there was little to nothing that I could do about it because of my age. 

When I became a teenager, one of my uncle’s girlfriends (Anna) had gotten on disability for depression.  This irritated my mother.  She had spent most of my life just struggling to provide for me.  The idea that one could just stop working to provide for their family and languish on disability for the rest of their lives upset her strong work ethic.  One day, while talking about Anna to me, she brazenly stated, “You’re never too depressed to go to work.”  As a teenager, this meant nothing to me.  However, when I entered the work force, haunted by my own worsening (and then untreated) Bipolar Disorder, the statement suddenly became a motto.  I would wake up on difficult mornings, hearing her voice in my head, reminding me that I was never too depressed to go to work.  Slowly, I would put one foot on the floor, and force myself to go to work.  That off-hand comment suddenly changed my entire work ethic.  More than that, it changed how I viewed myself in relation to the world around me.

My mother struggled her entire life, just to function and be a productive member of society while raising her children.  In my 20’s, I started experiencing a little bit of her life, though with different problems.  I was struggling at school.  I was struggling at work.  I was struggling at life.  My illnesses were ravaging my life. 

Yet, her voice in my head, demanding that I was never too depressed (or too manic, or too whatever) to work, made me rise to the occasion.  I learned that what she had said in an off-hand comment had begun to affect me on a different level.  What she had meant to say was that one should never give up and lay down in bed with their illnesses.  There’s no reason for it. You have to keep fighting.  Dylan Thomas has a famous poem that says “Rage, Rage against the dying of the light.”  My mother stating that one is “never too depressed to go to work” was less about Anna and more about her own struggles, her own fight to rage against the dying of the light.  It later became mine.

I never gave up.  I am still fighting through my illnesses.  I eventually got professional help, which was a lift raft in the storm.  I began to fight the darkness.  I found that I could get out of any hole I found myself in, even if I had to break my nails crawling out.  I was never going to be too depressed to call it quits.  I won’t say that it’s been an easy battle; It hasn’t been.  But my mother’s voice in my head reminds me that I can do literally anything that I put my mind to, be that overcoming illnesses and challenges, to excelling at work (or school, in this case).  I believe that I’m never too depressed to quit on life.  I believe that I am strong and that I am capable.  With the help of a great medical team, I was able to be successfully treated and stabilized.  Now I am able to do anything.  I have a great life and I am a successful person.  All that I have done in my life is because of my mother’s offhand comment.  Never being “too depressed to go to work” has pulled me through some very dark times.  However, I am a success because of this offhand comment.  It motivates me to keep going.

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Grade: 98/100
Professor comments: MLA date. Font should be the same throughout - no bold or underline

Philosophy 101 - Essay Block, Ch. 18

1. Give examples of Martin Luther King, Jr., the Philosophic Activist.  

                Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who definitely practiced what he preached, which is a common unit of measure for philosophers.  He declared a movement of non-violent resistance that provoked others into defying the cultural norm at the time by deliberately obstructing current social mores, as with the sit-ins, bus boycotts, and marches.  He philosophized that “… in the long run of history, immoral destructive means cannot bring about moral and constructive means.” (page 528) He challenged followers to evaluate their current standing in our society, and to challenge the injustice of certain regulations such as “separate but equal.” By stating that “we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive,” he likened his position as a leader and a thinker, similar to that of Socrates.

2. When public philosophers also "practice what they preach," they function much like sages or prophets in their capacity to provoke individual self-assessment and collective consciousness raising.  Do you agree with: the need for persons, with such a role in our society?  Explain.

                I definitely agree that, even in our modern society, people still need spiritual, intellectual, and moral guidance from others.  We look to religious and political leaders for our own personal moral decisions, on a wide array of topics, ranging from how to live a moral life, how to love our neighbors, and how to function in a free society.  If a leader transcends the limits of their position, such as what Martin Luther King, Jr. did, we find ourselves with leadership that helps us transform not just our own lives but those of our neighbors.  I personally have followed religious leaders and speakers outside of my own faith, outside of my own political party, and outside of my world, that have helped me to be a better citizen in this world.

3. Discuss Peter Singer's claim that we are somehow obligated to give all "surplus" or "unnecessary" income to charity. Note how Singer's utilitarian reasoning confirms Judeo-Christian teachings regarding feeding the hungry and otherwise actively aiding the disadvantaged (“Golden Rule”). Comment on the apparent inconsistencies between: what many of us profess to believe and our actual behavior when it comes to helping others.

                I am a hypocrite.  I believe firmly in helping others but have struggled with giving to charity myself.  I have done many great “good Samaritan” deeds but am constantly wracked with guilt at not doing more.  Even though I know logically that I am doing what I can, sometimes it’s a challenge to look at someone in the eyes when that person is standing at a busy intersection with a cardboard sign, asking for a little compassion and help.  When I have spare change, I try to give it, but I know it’s not coming easily from my hands to theirs, and I know there are a number of other ways in which I can help out my fellow man.  But I’m full of excuses.  In that way, I am a hypocrite.  I think most of America is composed of hypocrites: people who profess the need to help yet do nothing to help anyone but themselves.  I think it’s a sign of complacency in our culture, the vicious lie that people who seek spare change are somehow unworthy of humanity or basic compassion.  I know many people who preach that we should care for others and then do nothing to help.  We see videos all the time of well-to-do people walking by homeless children on the street, treating them as a blight on an otherwise perfect world.  We hear politicians preach about caring for military members and then voting to reduce their pay, cut their benefits, and gouge the Veterans Administration of much needed federal dollars to keep their doors open.  I still have hope for the world though.  I still have hope for myself.  I don’t quite know what it will take to become a person who practices what I preach, but I know that I am an imperfect person.  I know that others are imperfect people.  And my hope is that one day, we will all be able to unite for the betterment of society.

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Grade: 5/5
Professor Comments: Thank you for taking time to reflect on these questions from the end of the textbook.  Keep the questions in mind as you continue to "examine your life"  -- one of the primary goals of the study of philosophy.

Philosophy 101 - Essay Block Ch. 3+4

Chapter 3 – The Sophist: Protagoras

Xenophanes: “The Ethiopians say that their gods are snub-nosed and black, the Thracians that theirs have light blue eyes and red hair.” (page 77)

Protagoras: “Morals are nothing more than social traditions, or mores, of a society or group…. Our values are determined by our culture, our conditioning, our experience, and our particular biopsychology.” (page 84)

                These are interesting (and complimentary) quotes for me.  When one looks at paintings of Jesus, one can see that there are almost as many different images of him as there are cultures in the land.  Jesus was black to some tribes in Africa, brown to tribes in the Middle East, and blonde with blue eyes to Europeans.  I feel that these quotes are important because they push the idea that no one tribe of people is correct, stating that all of them are correct in some fashion or another, and that it entirely depends on where you were raised as to which one you hold as true.

Plato: “Even those who practise (sic) justice do so against their will because they lack the power to do wrong.” (page 81)

Antiphon: “The majority of just acts according to the law are prescribed contrary to nature. For there is legislation about the eyes, what they must see and what not; and about the ears, what they must hear and what not; and about the tongue, what is must speak and what not; and about the hands, what they must do and what not; and about the feet, where they must go and where not; And about the soul, what it must desire and what not.” (page 88)

                These quotes, to me, describe how the default of human behavior is contrary to one of moral correctness and justice.  Though the previous quotes describe how human behavior and morals are unique to each society, these quotes describe that the human behavior is contrary to lawfulness because the human default is one of selfishness and putting ones own self ahead of the common good.  In order to have a just and lawful society, people need to overcome their own selfish desires to further their own agenda by adapting to the cultural norm to further the society as a whole.  It is not that people are inherently bad, but more that they aren’t inherently open to the prevailing laws of their society, and that they need to exercise self-restraint and self-control in order to have a functioning government.

Callicles: “For to suffer wrong is not the part of a man at all. But that of a slave for whom it is better to be dead than alive, as it is for anyone who is unable to come either to his own assistance when he is wronged or mistreated or to that of anyone he cares about.” (page 89)

                Callicles seems to be stating in this quote that it is not the norm for man to suffer, but rather that the man who is unable to care for himself or look within himself is the one who truly suffers.  When one is able to care for himself and has insight into the nature of personal suffering, he is not likely to suffer as a slave does.  This quote goes to the heart of the question, “Why is there suffering in the world?”  It is only the unenlightened man who suffers, not the man who is able to examine his life and adapt to the laws of the society in which he currently resides. 

Chapter 4 – The Wise Man: Socrates

Socrates: “You seem, Antiphon, to imagine that happiness consists in luxury and extravagance.  But my belief is that to have no wants is divine; to have as few as possible comes next to the divine; and as that which is divine is supreme, so that which approaches nearest to its nature is nearest to supreme.” (page 98)

Lie Zi: “In the world, one cannot have it both ways. If he wants to maintain his good reputation, he must not think of pursuing status and wealth.  But if he wants status and riches, he must bear in mind that it will be at the expense of integrity.” (page 100)

                These two quotes go to the heart of the idea that money can’t buy happiness.  It was the philosophers who first posited the idea that to be happy, one only needs insight, and that wealth detracts from the ability to critically examine ones own selfish behaviors.  We see this all the time in our modern society: money hungry politicians and celebrities who commit crimes to protect their wealth and status.  But it is not wealth that creates happiness.  Happiness can be experienced by all people, regardless of wealth or status.  Poor people are sometimes happier with life than wealthy people.  It’s all about what you value in life that makes you happy, not celebrity or wealth. 

Thrasymachus: “Certain values dominate not because they are in some absolute sense right but because they are the views preferred by the most powerful individual or group.” (page 106)

Plato: “People censure injustice because they are afraid that they may be the victims of it – not because they would not like to get away with it.” (page 109)

                These are crucial points that even apply to our modern society, because it points out the disparity of the rule structure for the underlings of a given culture.  It is not the majority who make rules; it is the most powerful individuals who make the laws.  Today, in our society, we see the ruling class making laws for the rest of us.  It’s not that we don’t want to follow the rules (as was posited in previous quotes) but that we are hesitant to call out bad (or illegal) behavior as we are afraid of retribution.  Even though we see white people calling the police to report innocent people of color as being lawless, the end result is social shaming of the person making that phone call, which is the kind of fear that Plato describes in his quote.

Fyodor Dostoevsky: “… man only does nasty things because he does not know his own interests; and that if he were enlightened, if his eyes were opened to his real normal interests, man would at once cease to do nasty things… become good and noble because, being enlightened and understanding his real advantage, he would see his own advantage in the good and nothing else…” (page 115)

                Dostoevsky seems to be stating here a similar idea to that of previous philosophers in the chapter prior to this one.  He states very clearly that if a man is enlightened, he cannot commit evil on the same par as someone who isn’t enlightened.  He implies that we all have an evil inclination, but the enlightened man knows about this and chooses the path of righteousness, rather than one of self-interests.  Dostoevsky seems to be a believer that the human default, upon seeing and acknowledging the evil impulses, is to stop creating suffering and to live in harmony with his fellow men. 

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Grade: 5/5

Professor Comments: In Chapter 4, Socrates notes "the unexamined life is not worth living." The statement strikes at the core to the study of philosophy. With each quote you choose over the semester, reflecting on that chosen quote with the purpose of "examining your life." This critical thinking is at the core of your philosophy class.

Psych 277 - Conceptual Journal 1

Observation and Description

“I don't do romance. My tastes are very singular,” said Christian Grey in the bestselling novel, “Fifty Shades of Grey,” by E. L. James. Almost as soon as the book began taking the world by storm, BDSM practitioners and their advocates the world over emerged from their dungeons to openly criticize the character as being a terrible representation of what a “Dominant” was supposed to be.  (BDSM is an acronym representing “Bondage, Discipline, Sadism, and Masochism,” which is being used to replace the term “S/M” used in the text.) They have openly stated that BDSM is more than just slapping, spanking, dominance, and following orders; “It is about using power to create pleasure in what is often an intensely trusting relationship.” (Seidman, 2015, page 247) Yet, we are stuck in a world that constantly delegitimizes BDSM and reduces what is a very powerful and intimate “scene” as being abnormal, “illegitimate,” and absent of true love.  (Use of the word “scene” refers to the entire BDSM act.)  Critics of the lifestyle often ask, “Why would someone experience pleasure from dominating or being dominated?” (p. 248) There is much I could write in response, but in the interests of saving time, I will only focus on the neuropsychology behind the act.

Conceptual Linkage

As someone in an active, full time, BDSM relationship, I am almost universally told by people outside of “the lifestyle” (a common term used by BDSM practitioners) that my caring, very loving, and incredibly trusting relationship is seen as “just another sex act” by the vast majority of Americans.  What they do not see, or perhaps purposely ignore, is that, to the BDSM practitioner, physical and verbal dominance or submission can be the ultimate act of love, by combining the two opposing dichotomies into one cohesive unit through their “scenes.”

Seidman makes the point that “what one person may experience as physical pain, another might view as pleasure.” (pp. 247-8) Though I do not generally enjoy most pains (as I am a person with chronic pain issue), there is a special psychological event that happens during intense scenes called “subspace” for the submissive, and “TopSpace” for the Dominant.  This means that there is a point in a scene where the parties involved reach such a climax (for lack of a better word) that the brain floods with endorphins like dopamine, oxytocin (the love hormone), and serotonin.  It is this “space” that both parties seek through the application of pain and dominance, and it is this flood of “love hormones” that creates the intensely trusting and loving relationship between a submissive and their Dominant.  Seidman argues, “(BDSM) can be understood as part of a culture that tolerates separating sexual pleasure from love, marriage, and procreation.”  (p. 244) But in fact, it is the exact opposite. When my husband inflicts pain on my body, the pain is used as a vehicle to take me into “subspace” where I feel freed of responsibility, worry, and doubt, where I am cherished, and loved.  It is in TopSpace where my husband feels so connected to me that there is nobody else in the world.  Through BDSM, we “make love” to one another.  The “scene” itself is a bonding process that serves to further unite us as a couple, rather than an act of pure hedonism, as is speculated in the book.

Conceptual Insight for the Future

Seidman argues, “…we should be mindful of the gendered associations of (BDSM) in a society in which gender organizes personal and social life, and in which gender inequality if pervasive.” (p. 250) It is my hope for the future that the people who practice BDSM will be able to “come out of the dungeon” (to quote a kink-positive friend of mine) and address these concerns.  The community just disregards this element to the practice, citing “why must these be viewed as gendered – as masculine and feminine?” (p.248) As our society progress with LGBTQ* rights, as women stand up and demand equal respect, and as society as a whole begins to open to the idea that what happens in the bedroom, between consenting adults, is not the business of government or religion, kinky people, as a community, will be better able to address these feminist concerns about aggressive gendering.  At the moment, though, it is irrelevant to the matter.  We are still fighting the notion that we are “psychologically imbalanced or troubled individuals.” Until we are allowed to discuss our lifestyle without fear of social and legal reprisal, we cannot begin the heavy undertaking of addressing this heteronormative assumption that is so forced upon us. 

  

References

Seidman, S. (2015). The Social Construction of Sexuality. (Third Edition). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

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Grade: 20/20
Professor comments: Nicely done....Reference is centered on your paper, not left aligned. 

Philosophy 101 - Essay Block Ch. 1+2

Lao-tzu: “No one really has control.  There is always Something Beyond, Some Process, Something that seems to have its own purposes (if we can use such a word).  And that Something… is Tao (the Way).” (page 32)

                This quote stood out to me as I am always trying to control my world. Though the world of Lao-tzu was one of constant strife and turmoil, and mine is not nearly as tragic, it’s important for me to remember that the way of the world is constant change and lack of control.  The only thing we can control is ourselves, but there will always be “Something” in the world that I cannot control and that is the “Something Beyond” referenced in this idea.  To relinquish control and follow Tao - The Way - is important in today’s culture because remembering to “go with the flow” allows us the ability to adjust to changes and adapt to the ways of the world in constant turmoil.

Siddhartha: “The Way cannot be found by either indulgence or denial.  We must walk a Middle Path… We must stop worrying about what others think of us and quit trying to impress people if we are ever to find wisdom.” (page 43)

                This quote is especially important to me because in this day and age, with social media, especially, we are prone to concerning ourselves with what others think of us rather than what we think of ourselves.  When we focus on our own lives, instead of everyone else’s, we are better able to seek wisdom within ourselves and the world.   When we compare our lives to others, we can easily be left feeling want.  But when we walk “a Middle Path,” we can find our own joy and wisdom, separate from keeping up with the Jones’. We find a happiness that is solely our own.

Buddah: “No one can escape the wheel of suffering who does not understand the causes of suffering.” (page 48)

                In today’s society, we see suffering and human indifference almost every day and we pass judgement on other people’s suffering without discovering the root cause of their suffering.  We make assumptions about people without learning why they are suffering.  We see a homeless person and assume they are an addict of some form or that they do not try hard enough to not be homeless.  Until we discover the root cause of their suffering, we will never be able to solve the individual problems.  This is especially important when dealing with issues of famine, poverty, and addiction.  First, we need to gain a human perspective of the suffering before we can exit the wheel of suffering.

Heraclitus: “Ignorance occurs when people do not comprehend the basic structure of the human psyche (soul) and its relationship to the universal principle through which all things come to exist (logos).” (page 63)

                This quote is important because it acknowledges that there needs to be a connection between the mind (or soul) and the logical processes of a human being.  When one ignores the psyche versus logos connection, they are not truly investigating the questions of philosophy with any depth and are thus, ignorant.  We can gain a deeper understanding of philosophical questions by attaching what is known (logos) with what is unknown (psyche).  When we address the connections of soul and logic together, we are better able to understand the more abstract questions of humanity, rather than sit in our own ignorance.

Parmenides: “Being must be eternal because to come from something other than being would be to come from not-being – which would be to come from nothing and nothing can come from nothing.  Being cannot change into something else because to do so would require being to be not-being – a clear impossibility.” (page 68)

                I am especially enamored with this quote because it speaks to the question of does God exist or not and allows for some thought on the matter, a question I have struggled with a lot in my life.  Since energy cannot be created or destroyed, it is, in essence, a form of being.  And that form of being, that energy that people associate with a higher power, can easily be applied to the question of does a higher power exist or not.  I believe that this quote states the simple aspect of energy and matter.  Things cannot come from nothing; only nothing comes from nothing. 

Democritus: “Not-being cannot even exist since it ‘is not.’  Further… the absence of not-being is not the same thing as the absence of empty space.  Space is empty when it does not contain ‘things’ or ‘bodies.’ Space can be empty of bodies without being empty of being.” (page 71)

                Though it seems to be circular reasoning, I find this quote to be especially poignant to the scientific study of energy, and potentially to the existence of a Higher Power.  When we see nothing in space, it doesn’t always mean there is literally nothing there.  There is always the potential to have energy present in the void.  Microorganisms and viruses can be present in the air, but do not need to be there for energy to be present.  We can’t see energy but that does not mean that energy isn’t present.  Energy exists, whether we believe in it or not.

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Grade: 10/10
Professor Comments: Your essays are on track with the goals set in place for learning. Please note that in our online class, the quantity and the quality of the information you learn is linked to the effort you place into the course of study. I urge you to go beyond the essays and the quiz answers. Read, then re-read, then review your understanding of the content of each chapter. Do you grasp all the textbook author is offering you as a student?