Evelyn Chow, Period 6, 11/22/22

 Evelyn Chow, Period 6, 11/22/22

Modern Mythology 2023

• Socio-political Consciousness

• What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

• How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

In a world such as ours, it’s not uncommon to hear about injustice in forms of power in the media; rich kids bribing their way into prestigious colleges, sex scandals involving a person in a higher position of power over the other, or the peculiar circumstances revolving around a promotion of an individual. However, one long lasting issue of our society unfortunately remains to be the treatment of women. Despite making approximately 50% of the population globally, it doesn’t protect them from the impacts of misogyny.

In fact, this is reflected in a lot of Ancient Greek texts that are almost all written by men. For instance, in almost all of the Greek myths we have read so far, they involve a form of sexual harassment or a women engaging in unconsented sexual activities. Somehow, a majority of those myths are always set into motion through Zeus’s inability to restrain himself from forcing himself upon a beautiful, unsuspecting girl. For example, this includes myths of female figures we have covered in class such as: Medusa, Persephone, and Danaë. With the extreme frequency of this trope occurring, I can’t help but speculate that this is most likely a reflection of the Ancient Greek men’s morals, that the men creating these myths are indulging in a sick fantasy of theirs.

Although to many these myths are just fun material to read and pass time with, they fail to recognize the negative consequences of the themes the myths bring forth. These myths perpetuate the image of women as weak and “damsels in distress”, unable to save themselves so they require assistance from a hero to reach their happily ever after. Even powerful women such as Circe finds herself abandoned by two men she gave her heart to. Hera and Athena are also prime examples of this injustice as they were almost always depicted as jealous and vain women who project their insecurities onto mortals. Under modern standards, Hera’s patience to stay with her cheating husband also places a bad image of women as well, which conveys the toxic idea that women should remain loyal to their husbands despite the wrongs he has committed against her. 

Considering how our society has progressed over 2,000 years since the reign of the Ancient Greeks, I want to be able to say that society has placed women in higher standards of respect. Although this is true to an extent, some issues still remain despite the time elapsed. For instance, women can now hold the same positions that men in the past used to and are no longer limited to just the roles of secretaries, telephone operators, or waitresses. Unfortunately, though, the same jobs do not necessarily mean the same wage for many women across the nation. For people who are working the same hours and upholding the same responsibilities, it doesn’t make sense to me how differences in wages can be determined purely based on your sex. 

Of course, there is also the lack of representation of women in certain jobs as well. One notorious example of this is the scandals revolving around the dismissal of Pixar director, Brenda Chapman, in favor of a male director. Although the reason for her leaving was stated to be due to “creative differences”, it is hard to believe considering how vague and absurd the reasoning was. 

I know that wanting women to gain higher statuses to match with their male counterparts in society is a very idealistic idea, but it doesn't excuse the current treatment of women. As a woman myself, I don’t believe that my views are biased, rather I just place a heavier emphasis on these issues. Due to this, I’ve noticed that as I grow older my tolerance has waned—I’ve been irked more often by people who I find displaying misogynistic opinions. In this way, I’ve been able to avoid the people who give me bad vibes. However, I know the root of the problem cannot be merely just avoided by ignoring it, but only through actively fighting the issue at hand. I hope that through the evolution of our country and morals that someday gender inequality can be quelled.

ReplyForward