Ideology- No room for error

In Louis Althusser’s paper on Ideology, he points out the main tenets of his argument. The two to be focused on in this blog are; 1) ideology represents the imaginary/idealized form of real relations/conditions of their world and 2) The material existence of ideology is  in the forms of rituals, apparatuses, or practice, and 3) a person is always-already a subject. Ideology creates mis-recongnition because it attributes certain practices to certain ideologies, leaving little room for error or customization. A person can be categorized according to a certain ideology because they mostly fit in. Yet, no ideology is truthful to its subjects as each subject is never the same. The protagonist of the show, Piper Chapman, visually exhibits the mis-recognition associated with ideology because it is an idealized form of relation and not real.

Piper Chapman is a woman who considers herself “a nice, blonde lady”.  Piper’s familial background initially initiated her into the world as someone who would grow up into being a “nice, blonde lady”, we assume her mother is at the mention of shock at her daughter’s criminal actions. She always already perceived as a good girl. She attempts to fit into that ideology by getting a boyfriend, having  nice house, etc..’She is attempting to live up to what the ideology presents itself as in the collective conscious.  Unfortunately, her past has caught up with her and she is now guilty of a felony preformed in her youth. When she tells her family, they are shocked. Piper’s involvement with the ‘practice’  is equated to the ideology of a drug dealer/lesbian  are not associated a ‘nice blonde lady.” Women of Piper’s type (blond, white, college-educated, engaged)  arent considered the norm of drug dealers/ lesbians. Piper’s physical “practice” of carrying drug money transform her as a subject from “nice, blonde lady” to ” felon”. Piper’s physical appearance is also an intended exercise in the ideological practice of being a ‘nice, blond lady’ which people, including the prison guards, perceive her as until otherwise notified. However, when Piper attempts to tell the federal guard her purpose was to surrender herself, he was mildly surprised, initially thinking that she had been a visitor. The “practice” (nice car, nice clothes, nice boyfriend) referenced the ideologue of “nice, blond lady” to the guard.  Following the ideological rules, Piper is mi-srecognized in two ways: 1) she is not as wholesome and clean as her peers expect being a ‘nice,blonde lady” 2) she is outside the norm of consideration for drug-dealers. If her ‘practice” was to show up in dingy clothes, resisitant to atuhority, and/or showing up in a cop car, he would have instantly pegged her as potential inmate and not a visitor. Certain practices are associated with certain ideologies thus constricting how we thinking of them individually, leaving us to change the ideas we have of people when there particular actions don’t fit within certain ideologies. Piper quickly shifted from ‘nice, blond lady’ to ‘inmate” in her practice of donning prison uniform and listening to the guards. Piper’s involvement in the practice make her a subject of the system and no longer “a nice, blonde lady.” The ideologies constructed around ‘ nice blonde, lady’ and prisoners are shattered in this opening pilot of the series. Ideology does not represent how things are but how we see them.

Domestic Abuse, What Do You Know About It??

Recently, Morgan* and I were at a Healthy Relationships seminar that I was hosting at Essex County College. Morgan* is one of my best friends from high school. As we were listening to a story from a survivor of domestic abuse, Tanya Antonio, we individually and collectively came to understand that without the physical abuse, Morgan’s relationship was very much, if not identical, to the one Tanya was describing. Was it possible that Morgan was a victim of domestic abuse?

I decided on my own to look up information about domestic abuse. I would like to share with you what I learned.

First, let’s get clear on the terms domestic abuse and domestic violence. Domestic abuse describes any intimate relationship between two people where one tries to control/dominate the other. When physical abuse is added to the mix, it is then called domestic violence. It is very possible to be emotionally and psychologically abused and no physical abuse is present. Although one may believe that physical abuse is worse than emotional abuse, in reality it’s just as severely damaging. What makes emotional abuse a great threat is that it tends to get overlooked especially by the abused.  Also, it can happen to anyone, heterosexuals/homosexuals, men and women. Domestic abuse tactics includes name calling, intimidation, domination, threats, humiliation, denial/blame, and isolation.

Domestic abuse chips away at one’s sense of self-esteem and independence and usually precedes physical violence. It can leave one feeling depressed, helpless,  and alone. It may feel as if the person has no way out or nothing without their controlling partner.  I don’t believe our society is well-versed in emotional/psychological abuse as they are physical. In an effort to change that, I will provide clues that given by Melinda Smith, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D on  www.helpguide.org that can help you identify signs of emotional and psychological abuse.

FEAR OF YOUR PARTNER IS THE BIGGEST TELLING SIGN THAT YOU ARE IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP. One should never be afraid of someone they are intimate with. If you feel like you are constantly walking on eggshells, you may want to reconsider your relationship.

WARNING SIGNS OF ABUSE

Someone who is being abused:

• Seem afraid or anxious to please their partner
• Go along with everything their partner says and does
• Check in often with their partner to report where they are and what they’re doing
• Receive frequent, harassing phone calls from their partner
• Talk about their partner’s temper, jealousy, or possessiveness

Someone who is physically abuse may:

• Have frequent injuries, with the excuse of “accidents”
• Frequently miss work, school, or social occasions, without explanation
• Dress in clothing designed to hide bruises or scars (e.g. wearing long sleeves in the summer or sunglasses indoors)

Someone who is being isolated by their abuser:

• Be restricted from seeing family and friends
• Rarely go out in public without their partner
• Have limited access to money, credit cards, or the ca

Psychological signs of someone who is abused are:

• Having very low self-esteem, even if they used to be confident
• Showing major personality changes (e.g. an outgoing person becomes withdrawn)
• Being depressed, anxious, or suicidal

Now, according to the website.  It is still abuse if:

1. The abuse has happened only once or twice

2. The abuse doesn’t seem as bad as what others are going through

3. the abuse only stops when you become passive

4.there is no physical abuse involved.

Light must be shed on emotional/psychological and our society well-versed in it so that we do not wait until physical abuse happens Please spread the information to everyone and anyone that you know.

No one deserves to be abused where psychologically, emotionally or physically. I advised you to go to the website, www.helpguide.org, to obtain further information.

If you are being abused you can call:

Women: National Domestic Violence Hotline 1(800) 799.7233 (SAFE)

Men: The Domestic Abuse Helpline  1(888) 743-5754

11 things you should know about Sexual Health

             

Good afternoon readers,

I am a big believer in sexual health. Since there is no longer sexual or even abstinence education in schools, there is no agreed upon foundation of what people should know. Everyone knows something different but no one sharing information.  Pre-teens, teenagers and even adults have to research information themselves.  However, the information can be wrong or outdated. I would like to share with you 11 things about your sexual health that everyone should know. Now, this isn’t everything that you should know and I encourage you to do further research on your own. I think it’s unfortunate that information is being shared publicly but selectively. I would like to break the chain and start sharing what I know. The purpose of knowledge is to share it. Transmit information, not infection. All of this information and more can be found on WWW.CDC.GOV, the website for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

11 Things You Should Know About Sexual Health.

1. Half of all new STIs ( Sexually Transmitted Infections) each year occur in people between the ages of 15-24.

2.You can pass STIs through oral sex. It’s important to use a condom or a dental dam to reduce the chances of infection/transmission. They site claims there is one scientific article that claims use can use plastic food wrap in lieu of condoms or a dental dam. However, there is no other data to support it and the FDA does not manufacture this for this purpose.

3. Only 4 specific fluids (blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk) from an HIV-infected person can transmit HIV. You can cannot contract HIV through kissing. It’s impossible.

4.Chlamydia is the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Chlamydia can infect both men and women and can cause serious, permanent damage to a woman’s reproductive organs.Chlamydia is known as a ‘silent’ infection because most infected people have no symptoms.

5. Gonorrhea is caused by a bacterium. It can affect the anus, eyes, mouth, genitals, or throat.  The disease can impact a woman’s ability to have children if left untreated. Common symptoms in men include a burning sensation when urinating, or a white, yellow, or green discharge from the penis that usually appears 1 to 14 days after infection. Most women with gonorrhea do not have any symptoms. Even when a woman has symptoms, they are often mild and can be mistaken for a bladder or vaginal infection.

6. There are two types of Herpes. HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-1 transmitted through mouth to mouth (cold sores or fever blisters) or mouth to genital contact. The most apparent symptom is the cold sore/fever blister. HSV-2 transmitted through sexual contact. You can not appear to have any symptoms of HSV-2.

7. Genital human papillomavirus (also called HPV) is the most common STI. There are more than 40 types of HPV that can infect the genital areas of males and females. These HPV types can also infect the mouth and throat. In most cases HPV goes away by itself before it causes any health problems, and most people who become infected with HPV do not even know they have it.

8. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by a bacterium. Syphilis can cause long-term complications and/or death if not adequately treated. It is curable by a penicillin shot in the early stages. The first symptom is usually a sore where the bacteria has entered the body but you may not have too many other symptoms. However, in the late stages of syphilis, the disease damages the internal organs, including the brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones, and joints. This damage can result in death.

9, 10 and 11. Everyone should know how to use not only a male condom but also a female condom and a dental dam. I have provided instructional videos below to demonstrate how to use all three.

Male condom: http://youtu.be/6eZ9GG1prDU

Female Condom: http://youtu.be/fjlTWJzeqR4

Dental Dam:http://youtu.be/hZv5kLuZrBY

Now, notice most of the STIs I described have little to no symptoms in the early stages of infection. This is why it is very important that when you get tested that you are not only tested for HIV but everything. Please make sure that you get full blood work done. Encourage your friends to get tested. Most importantly, learn and then teach what you know The only way we are going to educate the world is but first educating ourselves and then our neighbors. Remember TRANSMIT INFORMATION, NOT INFECTION.