Gender Inequality Shown Through Language

After reading the article “Why Sexist Language Matters” by Sheryyl Kleinman, it brought my attention to how often I use “male generics.”  It’s no secret that our language is primarily male-dominant, but after reading the article I realized that I use the phrase “you guys” multiple times on a daily basis without even realizing how one could argue it reflects gender inequality in our society.  Kleinman points out that subconsciously using phrases such as these reinforces the message that men are superior to women.  Because this message is subconsciously in the male brain, it ultimately reflects why males treat females as their “lesser” in society.

Although most of Kleinman’s points of view were easy to agree with, some of her points were arguable.  Her article goes on to state that women enjoy being placed in the same category as men, such as in phrases of “you guys” and “freshmen,” because women want to be included in a more superior group with men.  I completely disagree with this opinion.  I, for one, use the phrase “you guys” without even thinking about.  I will walk into my suite after classes and address my three female roommates as “guys” and I am in no way trying to increase their superiority to be on the same level as a men.  I think that over time, this language has become a more casual way of addressing a group of people and feeling comfortable conversing with them; and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. 

The Importance of a Good Lead

While looking through a newspaper, it is easy to overlook the importance of a strong lead.  As a reader, the first sentence of every news article is crucial in deciphering whether or not we continue with the article, although we tend not to realize it.  Only when we are writing a lead do we notice the importance of strategically placing the information to attract the reader and keep the readers attention.  In ideally 18 to 20 words, the writer must try to tell the reader the "five Ws and one H" of the article: who, what, when, where, why and how.  This layout of each article is commonly seen in the structure of an inverted triangle, revealing an overview of the article in the beginning and increasing in detail as the story continues.  The most important thing to remember about a lead is that it needs to be written in full sentences.  Leads are not headlines and need to contain all parts of a proper sentence.

"Me" vs. "I"

In our most recent COMM 160 session, a fellow student taught us when it is correct to use "I" and when it is correct to use "me."  This problem is most commonly seen in sentences because both "I" and "me" are first-person singular pronouns people use to refer to themselves.  My classmate taught us that "I" is correct to use when it is the subject pronoun used for the person doing the verb. "Me", on the other hand, is the object pronoun used as the object, or receiver, of the action of the verb.  While this definition is very helpful, it is not realistic that a person will be able to think about this mid-sentence and know which word is correct.  Therefore, she taught us a little trick to help us choose the correct word.  When confronted with the problem of "I" vs. "me", simply take out the other person in the sentence and see which word would be correct.  For example, if the sentence were "He sang to Jill and (me/I)", it would be correct to say "He sang to Jill and me." If you took out Jill, the sentence would then read, "He sang to me" which would be correct, not "He sang to I."  

The Blind Leading the Blind

While discussing current events, we as a class recognized the importance of finding flaws in news reports. Although it is important to watch the news, not all information presented is accurate.  As a viewer, it is very important to use your best judgment on what stories are accurate and what stories are being presented only to gain viewership.  Many forms of media take certain information and exaggerate it to in order for people to tune into their station over other stations.

The recent police report about the Pennsylvania woman that apparently killed 22 people sparked the conversation in our COMM 160 class.  The news reports touch upon many details of the situation, except one of the key parts: the police reports.  The journalists failed the present any police reports of the actually crimes that the woman committed.  This is a major flaw that diminishes the story's credibility.  It could very well be that the woman is mentally ill, and admitting to crimes that she has not committed. It leads the viewers to question: Why would we blindly accept this information if there is no evidence to confirm it?  By thoughtlessly accepting everything we hear, we are in fact, allowing the blind to lead the blind.

Who vs. Whom?

Although this may be shameful to admit as a sophomore in college, coming into COMM 160 I had no idea what the difference was between "who" and "whom".  I had never even used the word "whom" in my life and, for fear of using it incorrectly, I stuck with "who".  Thankfully, I was awarded the opportunity to learn the difference during class this past week.  As you read through a published work and stumble upon the word "who", it is easy to question whether that is correct or if it should be replaced with "whom".  The first thing to do is to replace the word "who" with both "he" and "him".  If "he" fits then the word should be left as "who", but if replacing "who" with "him" still makes sense then the "who" should be replaced with "whom".

The Importance of Press

During our class discussion on Tuesday, the topic of Super Bowl commercials was brought to our attention.  Apparently, there was a new Coke commercial that was stirring up controversy on social media.  The commercial was sung in many different languages and featured people of many different ethnicities to portray the diversity of the American population.

According to my classmates, their friends on Facebook and Twitter expressed their opinions of the commercial and received both positive and negative feedback.  Many applauded the commercial and how it accurately portrayed American as "the melting pot" nation.  Others believed that the diversity in the commercial was inappropriate, especially because the commercial was not entirely spoken in English. I, however, enjoyed the commercial very much.  I think that as we, as a society, are becoming more accepting of people who come from different cultures with different ideas.  I think this commercial does a great job to represent the American dream of equality and show how far we have come as a nation.

Regardless of the different opinions on the commercial, one thing was for sure: the commercial was seen and talked about by many people.  I had not seen the commercial before entering class but I made sure to watch it shortly after class ended to find out what the buzz was about.  I am sure that many other students had not seen the commercial were sure to do the same.  Whether the audience enjoyed the commercial or not, it got people talking which led to even more advertising for the commercial and Coke itself.  In the end, bad press is better than no press.