For my blog I couldn’t help but combine our discussions from
the last two weeks. Last week we were shown three very different examples of
“tech savvy” groups trying to introduce and incorporate technology to people
who have less access to it. I believe we agreed that these groups had the best
intentions but unfortunately each attempt was unsuccessful. These attempts did
not fail because the technology itself was faulty, but because they were not
able to foresee the social complications that would arise. I would presume that
had these groups been trained by social scientists or more specifically
Feminists about the complex settings of these people’s lives, they may have
been able to develop more efficient projects.
Thus, the answer I propose to each of these groups would be
more education! To be specific, more education regarding diversity, differences
and the effects that social structures have on marginalized people.
The fact is that these “tech savvy” individuals spend more
time with computers then they do interacting with people who will one day be
using these machines. So if we want them to start designing programs that are
available to everyone then we have to start teaching them a thing or two about
diversity.
You might ask, “But when and where do we introduce this type
of education?”
This brings me to this week’s discussion. One of my
classmates made a comment stating that until she came to University, she had no
idea what gender studies was. I have to agree, as a girl from a small town I
had no idea what gender studies or even what a feminist was. We do however,
have some sense that there is inequality in our world and we want to address
it. This brings us together in classrooms such as this to discuss the ways we
can acknowledge and change patriarchy. But let us be honest, most of the time
we are preaching to the choir. We all recognize the inequalities in society and
we all pretty much agree with ways to deconstruct it. Which is great! Yet,
sometimes I feel that the people who would benefit the most out of these
discussions, are the last ones to ever choose “Introduction to Women’s Studies”
as an elective. Therefore, we must provide this education through one of the
most influential and patriarchal social institutions of all…High School!
Much like technology, the school system has historically
been used as a patriarchal tool of power. Thus, we must start using the school
system in the same way that cyberfeminists are using technology to gain some of
this power back. Haraway states that cyborgs are offspring of militarism and
patriarchal capitalism, but that offspring are often unfaithful. This is what
needs to happen in the school systems, we need to be unfaithful offspring and
start using this tool against them. If we can introduce gender studies at a
young age we can affect the people who will be designing and controlling the
social structures that we are forced to live within.
Furthermore, if we believe what Nancy Baym says about society
and people shaping technology then we must agree that in order to increase accessibilities
it is necessary to educate those who are doing the shaping.
One group who is working towards this goal and finding
tremendous success is the Miss G Project. The Miss G Project is an organization
fighting to introduce education concerned with combating all forms of
oppression to secondary school kids. The organization has only been around for
five years and all ready will be introducing gender studies courses to many
high schools in Toronto this fall!
To read more about this success you can check out an article written about it in the Toronto Star (I suggest reading the comments at the bottom to
really get your blood boiling)
This makes me feel optimistic about the change coming for
the generation of tomorrow. However, we cannot stop here. We have to keep
supporting and pushing for more schools across Canada to introduce gender
studies to their students. With any hope gender studies can be introduced to
children even younger than high school students. Talking about diversity needs
to be a discussion that kids start having at a very young age.
Who knows, maybe one day when I’m watching Sesame Street with
my kids the episode might read “today is the letter F, F is for Feminism.”
socialmediawithjill 
Hi Jill,
I found your point about being from a small town and being unaware of gender studies to be something I can really relate to. Coming from a small town where everyone has the same views on everything, I wasn’t exposed to gender issues in high school. Strange enough, I took Intro to Women’s Studies without fully knowing what a feminist was and I came out of it with a lot of confusion surrounding the issues around gender. It’s funny the way you say that the one’s who need to be educated are the ones who choose that as an elective and never look back – that was totally me after that class. I found it to be so confusing and I think the passion and drive that people held about their opinions was too overwhelming for me. This class is the first gender studies class I’ve taken since, and let me say that the environment and discussion has changed so much since that first year class. It feels liberating to be educated about these issues!
I couldn’t agree more that gender studies should be taught from a young age so that the social structure can be built with the important information people need to know about the issues. I have many friends who have no interest in gender studies and use terrible jokes and inappropriate comments and I wish that they could have their eyes opened to what goes on in the world. Being educated about every issue in the world is impossible – but I feel like it would be incredibly influential for the future generations who are going to be making decisions and building the rest of the world after we’re gone (and even for some people in our generation who have no filter with what they say!)
Sharing the Miss G Project is great! How wonderful that an organization has fought to introduce gender studies and has been successful. I couldn’t agree more that the younger generation is the future and if these things aren’t taught from the very beginning, it may not be easy to teach them later on. After all, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
The information you shared has even made me optimistic for change. I hope more than anything that organizations and passionate people who are eager for change push for education. I feel that sometimes I can’t accurately express myself about the issues and need for change because I’ve only taken two gender studies classes, but with that being said, I’ve learned a lot more than I would of had these not been an option for me in my university career. I understand that it is an elective and people either like it or they don’t, but the same goes for math and science. I hated both but was forced to take them through my entire public school career, which I feel should be the same requirement for gender studies.
Long division and multiplication tables are important to know about, as is equality so it shouldn’t be pushed to the wayside so easily.
Thanks for a great post, Jill!
Emily
I really love your ideas here and totally agree! I believe that it’s often ignorance and neglect which lead to failures when the West tries to ‘help’ the Others. Ignorance and neglect stem from lack of education. I applaud your optimism. I can’t help but to be a bit more cynical about the matter though. I love and support the Miss G project. I do think though that because it is so new, we won’t see a lot of change for a while. Those students going through the program now won’t really be entering ‘the real world’ for at least another 2 or 3 years. They won’t be in positions of power for at least another 10-15. The decision makers today and for the next 5-10 years are those ‘uneducated’ about diversity. We’ve also seen quite a lot of backlash from the feminist movement today such as with the end of Womyn’s studies programs (see: http://ryersonfreepress.ca/site/archives/995) I’m worried if with more of the Miss G project work, we’ll start seeing more liberal arts programs cut and then finally an end for Miss G. This is very depressing …
I also doubt that these groups mentioned from our readings consulted with any social scientists. Perhaps if they did, they wouldn’t have failed. People so often get ahead of themselves and think “computers are the future. let’s provide them to everyone” with no regard for the cultural context. Sounds familiar? ‘White man cometh with his technology’ …
I’d like to see people bringing technology oversees to less developed areas but as a way to improve their living. For example, with the creation of easier to use solar-powered irrigration systems. Or something. But I guess, how will they keep up with their facebook friends and tweeps with better irrigation?