Sex and Gender News 11.6

• Adelaide United’s Josh Cavallo becomes the world’s only openly gay top-tier men’s soccer player (Guardian)
• "Movember" is Men's Health Awareness Month (TheGoodMenProject)
• US Navy launches ship to commemorate pioneer gay rights activist Harvey Milk (TheHill)
• Former Rivian VP accuses company of "toxic bro culture: (TheVerge)
• How France's porn industry is having its #MeToo moment (France 24)
  

Reflection 5B: Modern Love—On Dating and Technology

NOTE: For Reflection 5, do either 5A or 5B—do not do both.

Bumble, Snapchat, eHarmony, Tinder, Grindr, POF, and other social media sites, have revolutionized the ways in which people, particularly those under 40, approach dating, love, and sex. In this world of high-tech dating, emojis, relationships statuses, sexts, user profiles, selfies, catfishing, and photo tags have dramatically altered the rules of engagement. Today, people have far more information available to them about potential mates than at any time in the past—just consider how common the practice of Googling someone is these days. But new technology also means new standards. Just what are the spoken and unspoken rules of dating (or hookups) in the age of social media? What are some of the potential pitfalls of dating via technology? For example, what must you contend with that older generations did not? Finally, where is all of this headed? How will all of this affect the way Americans  look at sex, marriage, and relationships in the future? 

 Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "The Virtues and Downsides of Online Dating" (Pew Research Center)
• "Gay and Bisexual Male Teens Use Adult Dating Apps to Find Sense of Community, Study Shows" (Chicago Tribune)
• "How to Sext Safely, According to Cyberbullying Experts" (Vice)
  
• "How to Use Dating Apps Without Hurting Your Mental Health, According to Experts" (Time)
  
• "Forget Dating Apps: Here’s How the Net’s Newest Matchmakers Help You Find Love" (MITTechnologyReview)
  

Required:

• Approximately 2 pages
• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation and works cited
  

 

Due: Thu 11.11-Tue 11.16 (via Canvas)

Reflection 5A: I Feel Pretty—On Atractiveness in American Society

NOTE: For Reflection 5, do either 5A or 5B—do not do both.

As Americans, we are all told that "beauty is only skin deep," and that "real beauty lies is on the inside." We are told that, but the realities of our culture tell quite a different story. Beauty, as it turns out, is not only celebrated in our society, but rewarded. Good looks can land a person preferential treatment everywhere from restaurants to court. (It's almost as if beautiful people are allowed to live in a bubble.) What do you feel are the benefits of being attractive in American society? Do you believe good looking people are treated more favorably than the general population? And what roles do race and social class play? Finally, what, if any, downsides are there to being beautiful in America?  

Include two of the following texts in your discussion:

• "Science Says that Being Too Good-Looking Can Screw Up Your Career, Especially if You're a Woman" (Business Insider)
• "Are Billionaires Hotter? Economists Study Whether the Ultra-Rich are More Attractive" (Forbes)
• "How Much is Being Attractive Worth?" (Smithsonian)
• "Bald White Men Seen as Less Attractive, but No Difference for Black Men" (Newsweek)
• "Pretty Privilege: Why Bias is Real and What We Can Do About It" (LifeIntelligence)
  

Required:

• Approximately 2 pages
• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation and works cited
  

 

Due: Thu 11.11-Tue 11.16 (via Canvas)

Week 12: Tue 11.2/Thu 11.4

It hurts to let go. Sometimes it seems the harder you try to hold on to

something, or someone, the more it wants to get away. You feel like some
kind of criminal for having felt, for having wanted. For having wanted
to be wanted. It confuses you, because you think that your feelings were
wrong and it makes you feel so small because it's so hard to keep it inside
when you let it out and it doesn't coma back. You're left so alone that you
can't explain. Damn, there's nothing like that, is there? I've been there and
you have, too. You're nodding your head.”

—Henry Rollins, The Portable Henry Rollins

Week 12: Tue 11.2/Thu 11.4
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: REFLECTION 4

Upcoming:

Week 13: Tue 11.9/Thu 11.11 (No class—Veterans Day)
Read: BOYS—Chapter 1: Welcome to Dick School – Chapter 3: Are You Experienced? Life and Love in Hookup Culture
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations; Lecture—“Close Reads: An Introduction”
Due: REFLECTION 5A OR 5B