Check out this National Geographic Video on women in Samoa. How can all these varieties of what defines women co-exist in the world? Should they? Why or why not?
For more on the Etoro read here.
Here's another video of eunuchs in India also from NG.
Monday, March 23, 2009
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17 comments:
These varieties on what exactly gender roles are exist because more so than not, the physical difference within a given population between sexes is negligible.
For instance, hunting BIG game is almost always done by men because they are generally faster and stronger. But smaller game, such as birds, wolves and deer are hunted by women throughout many societies.
So there are several factors: economic, biological (regarding what is actually physically efficient and possible) and in effect cultural (superstitions, religion, political, etc.)
This shows that gender roles vary and that normally accepted definitions of women outside of their primary and secondary features are very loosely based.
I found this video to be informative. The eunuchs are both isolated and respected. That duality is what makes their position in society peculiar.
I don't understand. Are the eunuchs discriminated against, feared, respected or a combination of the above? The video seems to show that they are respected but the woman in the video seems to be saying different. Her role seems to be one of a woman.
I agree with Palmerg. The eunuchs seem to be well respected by both men and women. The play a major role in marriage and religion. So why do they feel neglected? Maybe its because they cant live regular lives and get regular jobs like the other men and women. Im not really sure.
This video is one example of what could be "gender stratification" and "gender variation". Because the
Eunuchs are neither women,nor men, they feel set aside from the society.Although the population shows to them great respect and considers them as sexual God, the Eunuchs don't know where their position fits into the society pattern.
The video shows well, how gender plays a considerable role in different culture.
What I don't understand is why the woman wish they weren't eunuchs when they have to power to bless and curse. I understand they are more isolated than others because they are neither woman or men, but they are also respected. This video shows how gender is an defining aspect of which rold you will play in their society and in their culture.
I thought both videos were really interesting especially the eunuchs one. It is interesting how so many eunuchs live in India. Although they seem respected, it seems to me that they feel alienated in society. They can't fully call themselves male or female, and the only thing they long for is for others to not think of them as taboo'ed nor think of them as a third gender.
I found this video fascinating... How the eunichs are isolated from "normal" society but how they are needed to bless (or curse) important life events.
I think that the video could have been alittle more sensetive when describing how they were looking for work... it made them seem like they were prostituting themselves...
i thought the eunuchs video was kind of depressing. it must be really difficult not having any say in how you will live your life, and how you will make a living due to bodily circumstances that are completely out of your hands. besides maybe financial reasons and obligations to her disciples, is there any reason the woman in the video couldn't have moved far away and live her life anew as a woman?
I agree with Lena and Palmer, This third sex is both shunned, because they are not like everyone else, and they are respected because they can bless people. The eunuchs already get much more respect than in other societies, because at least people give them the opportunity to work and bless others, in some societies, eunuchs would not even be able to do that.
Avi Azizian
As a religious Jew I am proud to say that I was properly circumcised after a week of being born. It's considered as a religious covenant that Abraham instituted into Judaism. However I found it a bit unusual for a female to have a circumcision. After watching the video that the group presented, it solidified my notion that girls can be more prone to acquire some sort of a disease. Also, as I mentioned, Jewish men must be circumcised no later than a week after being born (unless medical reasons prohibit doing so). But it seems like certain cultures such as the tribes in Africa don't have their girls circumcised until they're deep into their childhood. Nonetheless, I realize that I am simply an observer watching from the outside. I should conduct the proper research and try to acquire an emic view and perhaps gain a better understanding.
Like palmer and nicole said, eunuchs in India are considered neither and man or woman but they arent completely discriminated agaisnt as in other cultures. They are said to have the ability to give blessings which can seem to many as positive. If you think back to the time of the holocaust the jews were discriminated agaisnt to the extreme as they were killed off one by one.
If you consider gender identifications of eunuchs in India inside the wealth, power and prestige model you might see something a bit different about their role as people who bless children. They may give them power not unlike preists or other clergy in the US but wealth and power not at all. They are no different they want wealth and power too. With that they might not be classified and relegated to their status by others.
respect is a subjective term, and I believe it's important to keep in mind under what context the respect is generated for the eunuchs of India. They're respected for their sex, and eventually the gender role they're assigned by society. The respect for the eunuchs seem to stem from a ambiguous fear of "freaks" of nature in India. Although the fear and respect for the eunuchs may have a positive vibe to it, I believe that given the option, that is not the lifestyle they would choose for themselves, and that's what the woman in the documentary seemed to be saying. I doubt if people would pick fear and respect generated because of their physical features rather than their worth to society as individuals regardless of sex, sexual orientations, and other arbitrary constraints.
After watching this video, I wondered why they changed their sexuality. What causes affect them to change their sexuality? Why did she(he) want to be a woman? How did she decide to be a woman?
The taboo of transgenders is that it is something out of the ordinary. Everyone knows gender as only a male and female. When that image becomes distorted, people begin to fear the unknown, such as transgenders. Such as the first video "Taboo," was tried to show how much a person is trying to live their life as normal as possible even with a body different than one they were born with.
I think they should exist. One video showed how an original woman tried to become the opposite sex and the other video showed how an original man tried to become a woman. Yes, they're not of the typical male/female category but that does not mean they deserve a place in society as regular men and women.
I also agree with Palmer and Nicole because the woman seems to think of herself differently than what others in her society look at her as. To everyone else, eunuchs are seen as being different from others, but not completely in a bad way. For instance, they have the power to bless and to curse. They are not shunned by others for being different, whereas here in the US people may be prejudice against transgenders just because they don't fit into the category of male or female. However, I do see where the woman may be coming from when she wishes to be either all male or all female, rather than an "in-between", because that is what people perceive normal to be-either one of the two and not both.
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