I want to have a conversation about two rather important topics; the notions of objectification and privilege . After some thinking I am starting to realize that objectification is the ugly little beast that allows privilege within a given subject matter to flourish. I can't write from the perspective of society but rather I will write about the perspective I have as a "straight" (har har to those who know me) man within a subculture where I have found myself in a minority.
For a little bit of a perspective, an ex of mine who met me for the first time thought I was a "shy" ( she used a different word ;) )and possibly gay male. This tends to be how I present myself when I am not working as an entertainer; introverted and socially anxious effeminate male. I have no issue with this outside of the weird positions that it has sometimes put me into.
For those of us who are just joining the conversation, objectification (at least for the purposes of what i am writing) is the assumption of certain traits and characteristics of other people without any sort of consideration for their internal state and thoughts. For example a woman who dresses in an attractive manner is thought to have automatically dressed in that manner for the benefit of the men in her life. Objectification in other words is when we forget that others around us have minds of their own and with that everything that follows from having a mind.
Privilege , is for me, slightly harder to define. Privilege is an expression of a culture that supports and benefits one side of a particular culture over another. Thus, privilege can be found in subcultures (where the example of privilege and how it flows might be different than the primary culture). A wonderful example of the discussion of privilege in a manner that a lot of people can relate to can be found here (http://alittlemoresauce.wordpress.com/2014/08/20/what-my-bike-has-taught-me-about-white-privilege/). It is rather hard to talk about privilege from the topic of "white" privilege due to the fact that so many articles, theories, and emotions are currently on the line for that one. So instead, I will talk about my own experiences.
I believe that objectification and privilege go hand in hand and that one supports the other. In many ways one of the aspects of privilege is the ability to effectively get away with something because it is not considered a "crime" or "wrong". In the article I linked above the notion of privilege is not having to worry about things such as the law. To quote that article
"And it’s not just the fact that the whole transportation infrastructure is built around the car. It’s the law, which is poorly enforced when cyclists are hit by cars, the fact that gas is subsidized by the government and bike tires aren't,"
Objectification is the justification for an action that will not be challenged because the culture of privilege that a person inhabits.
A few years ago, I found myself at a pagan festival for a number of days and saw a man running around in nothing but a loincloth and a pair of horns. Not being able to suppress my sense of humor I look at him and said "well aren't you a horny devil" and had to spend the next three hours explaining myself to him. At no point did me saying that I was not interested and please stop ever actually get this discussion to stop.
Because of the fact that I normally present as rather effeminate (or at least at the time I did) I found that my sexuality was assumed to be a specific way and that I didn't know better (Which I can say after a number of years that I fairly sure what I am and what I will and will not do) I found myself in the position in which the person continued to operate and no one around him did anything about it, because it was "ok".
Most of the other examples that I know (or have been told ) of are not what i would call pleasant or good conversations and include examples as extreme as sexual assault in which the person was not challenged because of the privilege of their particular position.
Objectification is the notion that because I am young (or appear to be young) I cannot possibly have knowledge or experiences that make it noteworthy to listen to me. My level of knowledge is objectified due to my age. The "privilege" of the culture justifies this position and serves to reinforce the notions again. Thankfully I am lucky to have found a ohana that supports me and that I can speak to honestly and without holding back.
Objectification is the notion that because i am male I cannot possibly be taken sexually assaulted by a female. The "privilege" of the culture justifies and supports this position leaving the male to feel "disempowered" and incapable of action. (http://www.vocativ.com/underworld/crime/hard-truth-girl-guy-rape/#!bNV6NY).
~Food For Thought~
Lots of food for thought in what you've written. I think I would welcome an expansion of this post. You've just hit the high spots of an important discussion from an often-silenced viewpoint; I suspect that you have a lot more to say about this. Thanks for sharing what's here.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post in some ways, but you are attempting to reinvent the wheel. A lot has already been written on objectification and it is a word with a fixed meaning. My favorite paper on the subject is Martha Nussbaum's from the journal Philosophy and Public Affairs, which is available here as a pdf: http://www.mit.edu/~shaslang/mprg/nussbaumO.pdf. Objectification is dehumanizing a person and seeing or treating them as an object. Not that one is assuming one knows what another is thinking, but that they are not thinking beings with their own desires and motivations in the first place.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't because you appear young, it's because objects aren't entitled to an opinion. Your self identification isn't being objectified, you are being objectified because objects don't form their own identity. The experience of having your opinions or knowledge belittled due to your age is rightly called ageism. People who appear very young, or very old, often have their opinions and lived experiences invalidated because we privilege the opinions of people ~25-55 in American culture. This is most evident among men, because the opinions and lived experiences of women are invalidated due to sexism at any age.
The notion that you could not, as a male, be sexually assaulted is actually an effect of sexism, not objectification. Sexual assault is an act of sexual objectification (one person treating another as though they are an object for the purpose of their own sexual gratification, without needs or desires of their own), but the idea that men are inviolable is a result of patriarchy. The masculine gender role does not create space for passivity/being penetrated, experiencing a violation, "weakness," or victimhood. These characteristics are reserved for the feminine gender role. Therefore, being sexually assaulted is something that is outside the norm for masculinity and cannot be discussed among men. I would analogize the societal inability to discuss sexual assault among men with the inability to address PTSD after combat trauma. Sexism/patriarchy is a sword that cuts both ways, injuring male and female people. Gender roles and gender norms are toxic and stifle the full expression of human emotion and experience. You still have privilege as a man. The fact that there is a public discussion about the rape of female bodies is the result of decades of grassroots organizing and political action. If you would like to get your hands dirty expanding the conversation surrounding rape of males, I can refer you to an agency that would be happy to have your assistance. I know you're stretched pretty thin right now, so just file the offer away for later.
PS. I wrote my thesis on sexual objectification and sideshow. You should have a copy if you would like more reference material about the subject. Privilege is something I can recommend some scholarly texts on as well. As a Women's Studies major and a working feminist, these concepts are something I work with all the time.