Zuzu Ramirez on Faye Harrison

        In this reading, the author is talking about gendered politics and violence of structural adjustments. One of her points is that the struggle over war and peace is also a struggle over the reconstruction of gender, particularly in Oceanview.
        I thought it was a really unique take on the desire for peace; I would have never considered a gender movement being on par with a more mental against war. In regards to what she said about manhood, I can really see what her argument means. Even in the United States, being a man is typically associated with physical strength and aggression. Oftentimes when a man is violent they’re said to be “just being a guy.” Aggression exhibited by men is normalized and almost expected. So by having men reject such a big societal norm and vocalize a desire for peace is certainly a way to reconstruct not only a political desire for war, but a gender norm.
        What she had to say about womanhood was eye opening for me. Without limiting themselves to the title of ‘mother’ or ‘wife,’ they managed to use maternal characteristics and instincts to empower themselves. I often feel the role of a mother is often looked down upon. Women’s nurturing and motherly traits are seen as a weakness. People say women are too sensitive and that it may impair them in life and make them incapable of holding positions of power. That being said, using mothering as a key point to a thriving community shows that what some people think hold women back is actually something that help even the people around them thrive.
        The point about using mothering as a strength, for some reason, made me think of Trump’s comment on Megyn Kelly (http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/08/politics/donald-trump-cnn-megyn-kelly-comment/index.html). He essentially said that she was being ridiculous because she was menstruating. People pick apart natural aspects of womanhood and use them in order to villainize or degrade women. The way people believe maternal instincts make a woman weak, people believe menstruation makes a woman ‘bitchy’ or irrational. Women’s emotions are constantly seen as a problem and so it was nice to see it in a different light in the reading.
        A question I have is whether we can review the political side of this reading a bit more? Politics, although interesting to me, are always hard for me to grasp. I don’t know what the IMF and world bank are.