"Women and their concerns belong in the private domestic sphere...not the public"(39). Tell that to a battered woman, or a single parent struggling to provide food and shelter to their children. As a postmodernist, nothing is too private that is public. If it weren't for the public knowledge of domestic violence victims, and rape victims (even if you're married), there wouldn't be laws to protect these victims. Politicians are busy making laws and protecting individual rights because of private issues.
Habermas would argue that government funded programs, like welfare, grants to pay for school, medi-cal, etc, "makes people lazy"(52). I sadly used to think the same thing when I was in high school. Then one day I grew up, and I realized there is so much more to a person than the exterior. I was watching Oprah about a year ago and there was a woman talking about how her husband made her feel like she was ugly without makeup and he would beat her up so much that her 4 kids started to sleep in bed with her because they were scared for her. One day, after coming home from vacation with the kids, they found her husband dead in the garage. He stopped paying the bills prior to his death so her house was headed toward foreclosure
, her cars were about to get repossessed and her credit cards were in collections. He even quit his job 3 months prior, and cancelled his life insurance. She was left with 4 kids and $70 in the bank because he was giving her what she wanted-a life without him. For this woman, government programs are needed so her family can survive, she isn't lazy, just unfortunate. Her story could be the story of so many other women.
, her cars were about to get repossessed and her credit cards were in collections. He even quit his job 3 months prior, and cancelled his life insurance. She was left with 4 kids and $70 in the bank because he was giving her what she wanted-a life without him. For this woman, government programs are needed so her family can survive, she isn't lazy, just unfortunate. Her story could be the story of so many other women. 
As we discussed Heidi Montag in my group, we all came to a consensus that trivial issues are needed. Teen-agers these days think being beautiful is having a size 0 body and DD boobs. Showing them examples of people in the media could help them feel confident in their own skin. Nobody is born looking like a Barbie, money buys that. When I was in high school, I used to read magazines and every magazine had diet tips. I didn't read them to figure out the latest diet trend, but we were 17 and I had friends that did. The following link will show you the latest detox diet http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NAH/is_3_33/ai_104836632/?tag=col1;subcol to shed those L-B's in 7 days!
I agree with your post. I think that people who are in these circumstances like the woman who was on Oprah should be helped and not told its a private manner that she should keep to herself. Also on the weight loss for teens it is true. Teens are always trying to be thinner even if they are a size 2. I had a friend who would always tell me she was too fat and was trying to lose weight when she was probably a size 2. Image is too important for teens. Important things should be stressed on them like education not looks, but that is the society that we live in.
ReplyDeleteI am both a modernist and a postmodernist. I believe that trivial issues should be kept private, but to a certain degree. There is always a degree to everything because there is no completely "absolute truth". Trivial and nontrivial coexist. I believe that there are certain Trivial issues that need to be in the public sphere. Issues like eating disorders, marital rape, spousal abuse, etc. These kinds of issues that are life threatening and affect humans world wide. These are the kind of trivial issues that need to be in the public sphere in order to bring about changes in the society. These issues bring about politics and law making that protect victims. Trivial issues that are just for ratings are the ones that should be kept private. All in all, there has to be a balanced private and public issues.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that things that have traditionally been viewed as trivial need to be in the public sphere and talked about. I think we need more avenues within the public sphere where the issues that occur in our daily lives are discussed with vigor because these issues do address the Enlightenment ideals of freedom, quality, justice and comfort.
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