Wednesday, September 23, 2009

good reads, good tunes, good questions

So this is an addendum to our intro video. We wanted to share w/ everyone what we're reading and/or listening to a lot right now, and to also pose a discussion question.




Just in case you missed the question;

What experience have you had in the last week that has made you think about gender?

Post your story in the comments section. Feel free to upload a video response if you'd like.

and if you want to share w/ us what you're reading/listening to at the moment, that would be cool too!

xo,

De las Ondas

9 comments:

Unknown said...

I work as a barista during my day, interacting with every type of person everyday, seeing as no specific type of person likes coffee, everyone does.
Just yesterday a man walked into the coffee shop, I greeted him, he heard me but had nothing to say in response to my "hellos" and "hows it going". He made his way over to the bar and, while I was focused and preparing the 20+ drinks in front of me he decided to say "This day can't be so bad that you're not smiling" as if his 2 second analysis of my mood could be remotely accurate, much less valid.
Happy as I am, while having a conversation with this male customer, I asked the most simple of yes or no questions: do you want whip on your drink? His response, was "I'm going to be totally gay today and get the whip". Stunned, I followed, "Last time I checked whip cream does not determine ones sexuality". He apologized, seeing as he had no idea that one slip of the word gay in the wrong context would be the catalyst for a much more interesting point.

Whip on a frap is delicious, not gay.

Just because you are male and getting a frappuccino with whip cream does not make you gay.Furthermore, nothing you can ingest can make you gay.

More importantly, let's not sell others short by putting them in a box of specifics and misnomers based on flighty comments of nothingness that cultivate distance between humans based on sexualities. There is no room in my house (being Lexington) for insulting comments about gay men in relation to the beverages everyone is drinking.


So, let's stop with the indescriptive and negative slang by using the word gay out of context.

whip=delicious

my lady and me making out=GAY

(& wonderful)

XO

Unknown said...

i heart y'all so much! seriously now i get my ondine and jack fix whenever i want :)

i have no time to answer yer question right now but i'm totally going to soon...especially since at least a couple times a week i get read as male.

also i've been reading 100 years of solitude and listening to mixes people make me (and cds people send me hint hint ;)

Jackson said...

hannah,

where do you work? as a a former barista, I had plenty of encounters such as this, and one of my favorites...

"...thank you sir, I mean, ma'am..."

in my not yet developed male voice,"no, you got it right the first time."

"ma'am..." an aversion of eye contact and reluctant shrug...

Little T said...

Let me guess, Mervin: You're taking Rynetta Davis's class on African American Literature? It's a small world, after all ;)

JLowe said...

A recent conversation has spurred me to continue to think about what we identify as gendered to ourselves, and how others identify those same actions. I don't think I have any answers - just questions. Some action that I consider masculine or feminine, you may consider gender-neutral, and vice versa. I feel naturally resistant to allowing culture (or other external forces) define gendered behavior. But can that lead to me unwittingly invalidating someone else's definition of gender? Maybe sometimes.

Mervin Sue said...

Little T. I am in that class. Are you?

genderdance said...

The first thing that comes to mind when the question was asked is: clothing & dressing in business attire.

I just recently began a new job and with this new job I have to dress professional/business casual. I personally identify as genderqueer. My personal style is usually unique and I try to blur the lines of gender using my clothes, although I still struggle with it.

So, every morning for the past 2 weeks I find myself asking "Is this too feminine?" or "do I just look like your stereotypical dyke?" in my button down shirt and khaki's. (Which btw, I have to mention... I have never owned a pair of Khaki's until now).

I think that clothing is the one thing that separates the genders and for me is the one thing that I struggle to overcome.. struggle to keep my unique style and still present this inbetween gender.

Does anyone else struggle with this? Any suggestions? I find that shoes are actually the most difficult part of the outfit to keep "genderless".

*Also, how do you all feel about responses being made by video? AND is that possible?

<3 Casie

Little T said...

Mervin Sue, I'm not in Rynetta Davis's class, but some of my office mates are (Abby and Scotty). Plus, Rynetta and I used to take classes together. She started her master's at UK at the same time I did, but I'm taking a little longer to finish my Ph.D.

De Las Ondas said...

I think video responses are totally fine Casie, so by all means, upload!

De Las.