This is the place to investigate what you and others take for granted.
Nothing like laughing -- or not! to put things in perspective!
See what happens!
If you have any trouble finding the book, explore as many Alison Bechdel related websites as you can find and do the assumptions exercise with that material! Always come up with a good alternative if you have trouble with the letter of some assignment. Get into the spirit of it all!
Here is the Official Dykes to Watch Out For website:
http://www.dykestowatchoutfor.com/
See what else you can come up with!
15 comments:
violated assumptions:
#1. Writing always has a distinct message.
#2. Ideal literature is linear and straightforward.
#3. All ideas require analysis to be understood.
#4 Political statements require justification
1. On page 4, Jonas exclaims "Lois look! Mom let me wear the tube top you got me!." It wasn't until page 7 that I processed that Jonas was a boy, when Ginger mentioned that Jonas might get teased for wearing a tube top.
2. I was surprised when Cynthia came out (page 105). While I recognize that lesbians align themselves differently politically, I still do not expect to come across lesbians who identify as Republican.
3. I was really surprised by Stuart's character...he seemed to be really comfortable with lesbians, but much less comfortable with being gender nonconformative (e.g. Jonas wearing the tube top, Stu commenting that Jonas was confused about his gender).
4. I was also surprised by Stu's willingness to be a stay at home Dad. The first conversation (pg. 63) where Stu and Sparrow discuss daycare, both characters assume that Stu would be the one to stay at home.
5. Raffi's assumption that Clarice and Toni were "too old" to get married. When Raffi first stated that they couldn't get married, I assumed that the child's assumption would be that only a man and a woman could get married. It's interesting to note how different the child's perception of marriage is.
6. I thought it was interesting how comfortable Jonas was trying to convince his mother to be called by female pronouns/ a more feminine name. Janis did not seem to have any trouble adjusting to thinking of hirself as a girl.
Violated assumptions:
#1. Bechdel makes clear political statements towards lesbians rights.
#2. Stay at home dad's are more common now, then before. Back in the day, it was strictly just women.
#3. Everyone has a voice to be heard.
#4. Any artistic form of usage, singing, writing, drawing, shows your inner passions
1. I found it odd that Jasmine Jona's mother didn't make him take off the tube top that Lois gave him.
Usually if parents see their children doing the opposite or something outside their gender they quickly correct it.
2. I found it interesting that in the heat of Jona's Britney Spears performance, Stuart only told Jona to stop disturbing Sparrow.I was under the impression that by him being a man and seeing Jona acting outside of his gender would stop Jona from behaving that way. Even more interesting was his resolution to Jona's behavior which was them watching Senator Lott's apology on BET.
3. I also found it a bit unusual that one woman at the labor day cookout regreted having a c-section because she wanted to experience giving birth.
Many women find ways to avoid going through the pains of labor by taking large amounts of drugs or having c-sections.
After exhausted efforts I was unable to get a copy of Invasions… but I did buy a copy of Fun Home by Bechdel. The following violated assumptions were compiled based on this piece. BTW- Read this book!
1.Previously I thought most comics had a confusing progression and distracting layout, however this piece was rather clear, concise and decisively conveyed.
2.I was surprised Bechdel used the words sissy, pansy and fag to refer to her father. I had thought someone of an "alternative" lifestyle might always avoid using those terms in a derogatory way towards others in similar circumstances.
3.I was doubtful of how a comic could be serious and thought provoking.
4.I had always imagined gay men to be great parents, however this is an assumption made in a different time with the supposition of being “out” in a conducive environment.
5.I was surprised that a gay man would force gender norms upon any of his children in the way Alison’s father did.
1. Mo’s opinions on marriage absolutely shocked me. I definitely assumed that all members of the queer community would conceptualize martial equality the same way I do. Thank you heteronormative culture.
2. I had difficulty conceptualizing Janis for several reasons. Firstly, I was struck by how young she was. From my experience, my friends and I weren’t aware enough of our bodies and weren’t encouraged to explore them until a much older age. Furthermore, Jasmine’s response to her daughter surprised me. From being part of the queer community I thought that she would understand the importance of name identification and would place that on top of her priority list instead of preemptively making excuses.
3. Cynthia chooses to confide in Dr. Jordan (Ginger) concerning her sexuality. Ginger tells Cynthia that she should find someone to talk to and Cynthia responds that she thought she had. The assumption here concerns power. Frequently being in a position of less power (particularly in academic settings), I feel that my assumption is that those with more power/experience/etc. should and are willing to help out at my convenience. It’s easy to forget that they have their own lives and issues as well.
4. I expected to see more stereotype breaking. Many of the featured women fall along the typical “butch” and “dyke” stereotypes. There was lots of short hair and very little tight fitting clothing. It was a big deal to Ginger to put on the cleavage revealing top for her date with Samia. I expected that a progressive author like Bechdel would be actively working to reconceptualize those basic ideas.
1. Daycare for Transgender Toddlers (7) and LGBT Youth Camp (102) was a bit of a surprise. I assumed there were camps for elder people defining their identity. So, camps for adolescents, I understand; however, does a daycare for transgender toddlers exist?
2. Syndey eats beef jerkey (123)? I found stereotypes that I did not know I had of LGBT while reading this comic. I admit, I assumed all LGBT were vegetarians, vegans, pro-organic products.
3. Lois' gifts to Raffi were awkward: "famous vibrating broom" (17) and "hello kitty thong" (103). How old is he/she?
4. It was a surprise when Ginger was conscience about her student learning of her girlfriend (95). I assumed she would be more open and frank to all about her identity.
violated assumptions:
1. Fathers don't want to be stay at home dads.
2. LGBT are open and comfortable with all realms of sexuality.
3. Women are not violent people, feminists don't use war and violence as a metaphor for getting a message across.
4. Activism doesn't always promote a better generation.
Violated Assumptions:
1-Women are peaceful
2-LGBT are comfortable about sexuality
3-Not every LGBT is for gay marriage
4-Activism does not ensure better generations
“Incorrigible! Indefatigable! Inevitable!” These three words serve as descriptions, even definitions, for the characters and situations of the comic strip Invasion of the Dykes To Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel. In this comic strip, Bechdel introduces a slew of characters: Mo, Sydney, Toni, Clarice, Lois, Ginger, Sparrow, and Stuart. These characters are all different in terms of sex, sexual orientation, and the occurrences in their lives, but are all linked to each other in one way or another. Bechdel delves into the day-to-day lives of these characters, exploring their multi-faceted personalities, political opinions, and struggles. The characters work their way through “normal, everyday” problems, such as intimacy issues, news of illness, unemployment, birthing and raising children with progressive values, and so forth, all the while dealing with issues that specifically relate to the lesbian, gay, and transgender (LGBT) communities as well, such as same-sex marriages, cross-dressing, and other such related issues.
Bechdel uses her characters’ opinions and actions as a voice for her own beliefs and opinions. For example, Bechdel uses characters such as Sparrow to portray her frustration with the Bush regime. In one of the comic strips, Sparrow suddenly sits up in bed, looks at her partner, Stuart, and exclaims “Oh my God. I’m a trained professional. I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner! The mind games/The accusations about being unfaithful/The obsessive keeping track…preventing the other person from getting a job…/Stuart, we’re in an abusive relationship with the Bush administration!” In this outburst, the reader starts out thinking that Sparrow is talking about her relationship with Stuart; however, the irony, humor, and importance of her outburst lies in the fact that in actuality, Sparrow is venting about the Bush administration. Bechdel uses such smart-witted, clever commentary and dialogue to convey her many opinions to the reader. By expressing her viewpoints through the characters of the comic strip, Bechdel is able to reach her audience in a subtle manner in a broad sweep.
Using the “How to Read” reading, I was able to further delve into Invasion of the Dykes To Watch Out For and look for reasons as to why the author may have chosen to publish this work. Invasion of the Dykes to Watch Out For was first published and released in 2005, at a time in which there was a lot of focus on the war with Iraq, lesbian, gay, and transgender rights, and other issues that put the Bush administration under much scrutiny from much of the United States as well as by the rest of the world. These issues were obvious and examined in Bechdel’s comic strip. Additionally, much of the reason that the LBGT communities played such a dominant role in this graphic novel could be related to the fact that Bechdel is a lesbian herself. In fact, she was married to her long-time partner in 2004; however, later, all lesbian, gay, and transgender marriages were declared invalid and Bechdel found herself amongst the hundreds of other gay couples whose marriage was disbanded. Her anger and feelings of injustice reflect in her writing of Invasion of the Dykes To Watch Out For, as two of her characters, Toni and Clarice, go through a similar situation in which they long to be married, just as any other committed couple in their position would want to do.
Invasion of the Dykes To Watch Out For was an interesting read in the sense that it provided an intimate view into the lives of what life might be like for some lesbian, gay, and transgender people. Bechdel addresses some rather controversial issues in this graphic novel, but by addressing these issues through a comic strip, Bechdel lightens the atmosphere, serving as a means to way to reach more readers. In general, I found Bechdel’s sarcastic humor and wit to be a refreshing, though sometimes exasperating, way to look at the issues concerning the modern world today.
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Violated Assumptions
1) I was surprised by the amount of sexual content because I assumed/had not seen another comic strip that had quite so much graphic sexual scenes in it.
2) I was surprised by the lack of diversity (in terms of heterosexual and homosexual orientations) in this novel because although I correctly assumed that this book was about issues that especially affect the LBGT communities, I also (incorrectly) assumed that there were would be more unbiased viewpoints and opinions shown by an author who so clearly feels that the Bush administration is biased and unfair.
3)I was surprised by the bold way in which the author chose to capture her audience’s attention because I assumed that she would, like many other authors before her have, choose a more tactile and understated way to get her viewpoints across (though I must say that although it was shocking, it was also refreshing to get such a clear viewpoint).
4)I was surprised and impressed with some of the issues that the author addressed, because I, like many others, sometimes forget that lesbian, gay, and transgender couples not only have to deal with issues that any heterosexual couples deal with, but they also have to grapple with problems that strictly affect the LGBT communities.
5)I was surprised by the author’s outright attacks on the Bush administration because although one can tell right away that she is against the administration, I assumed that she would go about attacking the regime in a less subversive manner.
Violated Assumptions in “Invasion of the Dykes to Watch Out For”
1. Assumption: Mostly homosexuals would read this comic strip as they could relate to most of the humor and relational conflicts.
How Assumption Was Violated: As I was not able to actually purchase the comic strip because of it being unavailable at Vertigo Books, I looked at many of the reviews of the comic strip online and also looked at some of the comic strips in the archives of a magazine called “The Advocate.” I found that in many of the reviews, heterosexual people were reading this comic strip regularly. I thought it was interesting that in one review, a homosexual male commented that there wasn’t enough male presence in the comic strip and he therefore, did not want to read it. A heterosexual male responded, asking “Do you have to be a tiger to read Calvin and Hobbes?” One person mentioned that the comic strip discusses the human condition in general so that anyone can relate to his comic strip.
2. Assumption: Usually transgender, lesbian, bisexual, or gay people are not very open to heterosexual people about their sexuality.
How Assumption Was Violated: I found that in this comic strip, homosexual people were very open about their sexuality to homosexual and heterosexual people alike. In one strip, Lois nonchalantly tells a heterosexual man that he has to leave in order to go to the first international drag king extravaganza in Columbus.
3. Assumption: Most homosexual people have many relationships and therefore, engage in casual sex much more often than heterosexuals do because they don’t have the same risk of pregnancy.
How Assumption Was Violated: This comic strip shows a very clear example of a committed homosexual relationship in which Toni and Clarice have a “commitment ceremony” in their backyard to symbolize their love for one another. They even have a son Raffi and are not only committed to each other, but also to their child.
4. Assumption: I assumed that with homophobia and anti-gay sentiment being much more prevalent in previous decades that this comic strip was fairly new with recent popularity.
How Assumption Was Violated: After reading some of the background about the comic strip, I realized that Bechdel first began publishing the comic strip in 1986. I was actually surprised to see how popular it is as it is published in many gay and lesbian magazines and newspapers. I had personally never heard of it before, but it is surprising that a comic strip as controversial as this one would last through a tumultuous, hostile time for homosexuals in the 1980s.
5. Assumption: I assumed that homosexual couples fight and have conflicts over very different issues than heterosexual couples would fight about.
How Assumption Was Violated: I realized by reading several of the comic strips that homosexual couples argue over many of the same issues that heterosexual couples fight about. For example, in one comic strip, they fought over one partner wanting more sexual activity than the other partner. In another, they had a disagreement about one partner taking off work to be with the other partner when they had scheduled an appointment the same day. In a final comic, they fight over one partner’s smoking habit. These are common issues that both homosexual and heterosexual couples alike seem to have conflicts over.
I did hand in a hard copy of this, but never posted online b/c I hadn't received the invitation yet. Here it is.
Hafeezah Abdullah
September 5, 2007
Wmst300/King
Violated Assumptions- Dykes to Watch Out For
1. After reviewing her website I realized that if she had looked more feminine hairstyle and clothing while that my perception would have changed. I realized that although I feel like I am not making any assumptions about the author’s appearance based on the subject of the book that I actually am.
2. I assumed that only certain books made into the Library of Congress and that Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For because of the fact that it’s a cartoon strip and controversial nature would not have been collected by the government.
I also assumed that educational books do not necessarily need graphic nudity scenes and sexual encounters in order to prove a point. However, because of the rawness of the material it actually made me think on a deeper level about the effect that images have on society.
Hafeezah Abdullah
November 28, 2007
Wmst300/King
Learning Analysis
Describe the argument of the course and analyze how this class fits into the women studies curriculum.
This course demonstrates how women’s studies is a multi-dimensional interdisciplinary field, with heterogeneous philosophies, and emphasizes the importance of constantly creating new ideas to build a more equitable society. The in class discussion was an open forum discussion, based upon assigned readings and contemporary issues. It also utilized a blog in which the class was required to post all assignments or any opinions in order to prepare for class discussions. Its setup was to facilitate discussions of the materials read and to introduce the class to the concept of blogging as a resource and method for communicating information. This work connects to work in other women’s studies courses because it demands that we question societal norms and how socialization has influenced cultural and legal politics. The major difference between this class and other classes is that because it was exclusively women’s studies major, a more in-depth discussion took place because it was not necessary to constantly define common feminist principles. A major difference in this course is that it focused almost exclusively on American issues and did not branch out globally. If I had not taken this class in my last semester of college I think it would have had a greater impact in helping to form the feminist concepts that I agree with or would have been more enlightening. However, while the texts were interesting and provide a new different perspectives that have not been covered in previous courses, this course supplies more information on topics that are repeatedly covered in women’s studies courses. Overall the most beneficial part of the course were the opinions of my peers because it allowed to see different perspectives from people that are equally knowledgeable in women’s studies. This course, along with all women’s studies courses demands that I continually analyze my beliefs, values, and the influence that public polices has on shaping cultural norms.
Report your experience of the course week by week with in the argument. Put yourself into the story.
The course begins with Dykes to Watch Out For by Allison Bechdel, which explored the lgbt community’s opinions on marriage, family, and politics, through a comic book. Although, I have previously read this book in Wmst494: Lesbian Communities, my peers’ violated assumptions are what challenged my perception of the text the most. Assumptions such as lesbians not being Republicans and the concept that equality for the lgbt community would be furthered through marital equality, allowed me to identify more assumptions within myself. The next week the course focused on George Chauncey’s Why Marriage?, which was actually one of my favorite texts for the course. It explored the history that led to marriage being an issue in the lgbt community, which I haven’t explored in other women’s studies courses. I was able to relate to this because it referenced different techniques utilized by the lgbt community that were based on the Civil Rights Movement methods, which placed the lgbt movement in context with other movements for equality. Also, it demonstrated the power of the individual, because a mass movement was formed out of person-to-person interaction, not community organizations like other social justice movements. While I knew that lgbt community was discriminated upon, I did not realize the number of de facto laws, such as drinking still be illegal for the lgbt community after the end of prohibition.
The next portion of the course moved away from the exploration of lgbt issues exclusively towards discussing the issues that plague women’s studies contemporarily. Gender In Real Time by Kath Weston finally verbalized the fact that women’s studies is possibly stuck in a rut, which validated my opinion that this field no longer seems fluid. Then we discussed a Bridge Called Home an anthology edited by AnaLouise Keating and Gloria E. Anzaldùa, which was the most valuable part of the class. The presentations on the different aspects of this book focused on women of color and allowed me to see issues that directly effect me because it included individual narratives on race and gender. It also was not all theoretical, but applicable ideas. As a result of only being assigned to one chapter, I was able to actually take my time to analyze the text more thoroughly, which allowed me to gain more from the text. The course then focused on the effect of interdisciplinary studies in feminist writing through How Like a Leaf by Donna Haraway. The discussion of the benefits of interdisciplinary studies, the knowledge that the majority of the class and myself are double majors, reinforced the notion that women’s studies is applicable in the majority of careers. Women’s studies majors are more marketable, because we can apply what we know about one field and relate it to the greater context of society. The last topic of discussion was Lisa Duggan’s, The Twilight of Equality? Neoliberalism, Cultural Politics, and the Attack on Democracy, which was reminiscent of Judith Butler’s Precarious Life because of its focus on politics and theories on how and why the American society has, is transgressing politically through the continual restriction of civil liberties.
Analyze the materials of the course that mattered to you the most.
Why Marriage?
George Chauncey’s Why Marriage? chronicles the history that led to the contemporary legal battle for legalizing same sex marriage, including why and how it became a forefront issue. This book was beneficial not only because of the history shared but because it helped realize several common assumptions about lgbt community. For example, the fact homosexual discrimination has largely existed on cultural and social levels, even though it has existed in the laws. Also, the principle of "gay pride" conveys that there is not much emphasis on assimilation among gay communities. As well as, the mainstream propaganda that having a will and making people beneficiaries on insurance policies safeguards partners from having to deal with contestation of authority issues regarding their partner. Also, the word “gay” was originally used to protect lesbians and gay men from the hostility from people in their community. In chapter 4 it stated, “Old social patterns, in which former sexual partners became friends and many men sustaining emotional ties were with a small group of friends of instead of single partners were celebrated.” (Chauncey, 92) This is a concept that should be further explored because friendships are often trivialized relationship, even though they are equally as important as romantic relationships and familial ties. If friendships had a higher value in society, it would decrease the emphasis on marriage.
How Like a Leaf
Donna Haraway demonstrates how socialization directly influenced her logical development, and combines her knowledge of philosophy and biology, to create theories that are based on technological, biological, and cultural practices. It’s clear from the interview that she is very unconventional in her thinking, which is probably what makes her theories regarding the relationship between culture and language so insightful. While the text was a little difficult to read at times, it emphasized the benefits of feminist being knowledgeable in different fields such as science or technology, because it allows for correlations between fields that are not generally viewed as connected. What I appreciated most about the book was that she demonstrated that not all people find it overly difficult to apply what they teach to their personal lives including romantic relationships. Considering how she applies the concepts that she studies and teaches to her life increased her credibility, because she demonstrates that theoretical concepts can be applied to everyday life through her own lifestyle choices. Lastly, she demonstrates the benefits of combining feminist studies with science a field stereotypically dominated by men, which hopefully will encourage other women study students to become knowledgeable in technical fields, not just liberal arts.
The Bridge We Call Home
In chapter seven Helena Shulman Lorenz’s “Thawing Hearts, Opening a Path in the Woods, Founding a New Lineage” discusses how and why we are taught to conform to the majority culture subconsciously and consciously. She asserts that women’s studies academia is frozen in its current methodologies and suggests a new social theory for change,
“…I began to dream of a new social change movement in which instead of a fixed platform or party line, we could accept the necessity for the community rituals of dialogue, evolution, and restoration. The starting point would not be obedience to a master narrative describing a single hierarchal and linear process, which always leads to scapegoating those with different and creative impulses. Rather, we might start with the recognition that every formulation was provisional and open to reframing; we would always need the ritual of community dialogue and storytelling to periodically restore the energy of our projects.” (p. 499)
This concept of a new social change movement intrigued me because it offered new and applicable ideas on how we can currently affect change, as oppose to theories which are frequently taught in upper level women’s studies courses. In WMST488A: Global Women, my class had a discussion on how the laws in Israel, Trindad, and America are not able to actually be enforced because of the culture of reconciliation and difficult of actually going through the legal procedures. This concept of a new social change seems to be a method that could assist the issue of not being able to enforce laws because it demands that individuals start with themselves in order to elicit change. The power of the individual is another concept that has been explored throughout this course from narratives in The Bridge Called Home to the history of the lgbt movement in Why Marriage?. Further exploring the power of individuals who work collectively informally in contrast to the preferred method of joining formal organizations, in other women’s studies classes could be beneficial to majors because it’s less restrictive.
Dykes to Watch Out For
I have read this book before for in Wmst494, however, my interpretation of the material greatly changed based upon the violated assumptions of my classmates and the ensued discussion. For instance, the violated assumption that writing always has a clear message; it made me question how I synthesize and assess the value of texts. because I also assumed that thought provoking writing always has a clear message. However, while originally I believed that my assumption had violated, after further analysis its clear that the message is not in always in the ideas expressed in the text itself, but in the reaction to the text and its relation to our individual lives. Another violated assumption is Raffi's assumption that Clarice and Toni were "too old" to get married, not because they were of the same gender. As stated in class, it’s enlightening to see how different a child’s perspective on the institution of marriage from the hetero-cultural norms that are constantly perpetuated. This assumption made me want to further explore text that discuss at what point do cultural norms become the base value for our perception in life. As well as, more methods of counteracting the influence of society, such as some options outlined in AnaLouise Keating’s “Forging El Mundo Zurdo: Changing Ourselves, Changing the World.” Lastly, this reading connected to the argument of the class because it further explored the influence that language, images, and conceptualization of knowledge effects people on an individual basis and society as a whole.
Google Scholars
It’s one of the search tools on google.com and is very useful when using the technique of “reading a book” that is a part of the course assignments. It also sometimes has portions of books available for viewing without charge.
WomenforWomen.org
It’s an organization that’s mission is to, “provide women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency, thereby promoting viable civil societies.” (WomenforWomen, 1). It’s a good organization to learn what is happening to women throughout the world, to hear personal testimonies, and learn what we can do to help.
How did this course work for you and how did it not?
Violated Assumptions are a great concept, however, the language choice immediately allows for a negative connotation to be associated with the assignment. The word violated is associated with the violent act of rape because that’s the context in which is frequently used when discussing issues relating to women; while the word assumptions implies that our perspectives are baseless and a result of allowing ourselves to be ignorant. Considering that no one wants to view him or herself badly or expose their negative qualities, the language hinders the effectiveness of the assignment. If this were phrased differently it would be more helpful to class discussions, because individuals would better understand the point, and be more forth coming with realizing our preconceived notions that we are often oblivious to. Also, the majority of the books focused on lgbt community issues and while lgbt community is definitely necessary topic of discussion, it becomes repetitive and alienating. Exploring the reconceptualization of feminist topics through using the gaze of religion, ethnicity, or disability as the foundation, would have allowed for this course to be more challenging and inclusive of global women’s issues. Lastly, the most valuable part of the class was the open forum of setup. This allowed for class discussion that went beyond merely summarizing and helped us build on issues discussed within the text as well as consider topics from a different perspective.
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