This week we talked about Carol Cohn's article "Sex and Death in the Rational World of Defense Intellectuals". It was a very interesting read. Not only was it easy to read but it was also incredibly thought-provoking. For me, it brought up a question along the lines of which came first, the chicken or the egg? Is defense language sexualized by itself or did we make it sexualized? Words like "penetration" or "virgin" are just words. Words have the power that we give them. Granted, the image of putting a phallic shaped nuclear war head inside a silo evokes a sexual image, but how is that any different than lead into a mechanical pencil, or a debit card into a bank machine? Both the lead and the debit card penetrate the pencil and the machine but no one would giggle in class if those were discussed. Admittedly, as a woman it is irritating to know that this language is widely used when discussing such a serious subject as national defense and security, but that's a tough job and maybe this is one of the ways that makes it bearable, Honestly, even as a woman, I'd rather those defense intellectuals talk like that while doing their job than suffer the consequences of them being unable to do their job properly.
Another reading that I found quite interesting this week was the assigned pages in the Seager textbook. Reading about maternal mortality made me realize that motherhood is still a dangerous role; I always thought of it as a thing of the past considering the medical advances that have been made. However, in regions like South Africa, it is still alarmingly common. A friend of mine reposted a blog to her Facebook page which tied in with the Seager readings. In that blog, a woman had gone to Africa and was shocked to find how many women suffer from Obstetric Fistulae. These women are ostracized and many die, all because their pelvis has not had enough time to develop. This blog really made me think about how dangerous pregnancy and labour can be, and not just because of death but because of other debilitating medical conditions. The blog, if you're interested in reading it, can be found here: http://hkboyle.wordpress.com/2010/09/25/let%E2%80%99s-talk-about-sex%E2%80%A6/
Well that's all for this week, but next week's readings look just as promising as this week!
