Michel Foucault And Judith Butler Influencing Queerness Film Studies Essay

Michel Foucault And Judith Butler Influencing Queerness Film Studies Essay In this essay I will be looking at the work of Michel Foucault and Judith Butler seeing how their work has influence queerness. I will start the essay by looking at the man, Michel Foucault, followed by studying his work on sexuality and homosexuality. I will then look at Judith Butler and her work on gender performances. I will also be giving contemporary examples of homosexuals in the modern day by looking at three different homosexual television presenters to show how the construction of homosexual figures has taken place in recent years. I will also be looking at how gender performances take place in these examples of homosexuals. Michel Foucault The Background Michel Foucault was born in France in 1926. He was known as a philosopher, sociologist and a historian. In all three of these areas he was very influential, pioneering many different concepts that helped revolutionise their certain fields. Foucault continues to be one of the most important figures in critical theory. Foucault is best known for his critical studies on social institutions such as the prison system, medicine, the human sciences and for his work on the history of human sexuality which I will be discussing later. His theories have been largely concerned with the concepts of power and the relationship among power, knowledge and discourse, and his influence is clear in a great deal of post-structuralism, post-modernist, feminist, post-Marxist and post-colonial theorising (Mills 2003). Foucault suffered from depression and attempted suicide on many different occasions. This could be as Mills says due to the great difficulty at the time about being openly homosexual, but it does suggest that his pronounced interest in psychology stemmed from elements in his own life (Eribon 1991: 27). All though Foucault died of AIDS in 1984, his ideas have and still cause much debate. His ideas have never been simply accommodated by theorists around the world. This is due to the iconoclastic and challenging nature of Foucaults theoretical work (Mills 2003). Michel Foucault The History of Sexuality During Foucaults life, he wrote three volumes of The History of Sexuality. In this essay I will be focusing on his ideas on sexuality and society. The first Volume of Michel Foucaults book History of Sexuality was published in 1978, which was written near the end of a period of time called the sexual revolution in the western culture (Spargo 1999). The sexual revolution was a time where peoples thoughts and opinions shifted in regards to how they viewed sexuality throughout the western world. The book presents a powerful counter narrative to the established story about Victorian sexual repression giving way to progressive liberation and enlightenment in the 20th century (Spargo 1999). For example, Foucault describes how in the 17th century onwards sexuality was hidden from view. People were subjected to a power of repression. But as Spargo describes, this all changed in the 20th century. Sexuality was still there, simmering under the prim surface of 19th century bourgeois respectability, but it was stifled by prohibitions and repressions. Until, that is, it, and we, were liberated in the age of the mini-skirt and the analyst, revealing our legs and our innermost desires, bringing it all out into the open (Spargo 1999). This was easier for some but not quite as easy for others. Some struggled with the free expression they were able to give to their sexual desires. People turned to therapists and counsellors to help gain freedom for the years of prohibitions. Did this mean that sexuality was always waiting for us to free it? In Foucaults opinion no. His view was that sexuality wasnt waiting to be freed or repressed but rather sexuality was and is produced in culture and society. Foucault rejected this repression hypothesis and claimed evidence pointed not to a prohibition on speaking about sexuality but to a remarkable proliferation of discourses about sexuality (Spargo 1999). He didnt want people to assume that the repression from the 17th-19th century was effective. He believed that the repression increased the desire of people to express and discuss their sexuality in ways which were seen as violating the taboos of society. If sex is repressed, that is condemned to prohibition, non-existence and silence, then the mere fact that one is speaking about it has the appearance of a deliberate transgression. A person who holds forth in such language upsets established law and he/she somehow anticipates the coming freedom (Foucault 1986). He didnt believe that sexuality was natural or a normal aspect of life but rather a construction of experiences which has historical, social and cultural beginnings. As I have already discussed Foucault described how the process of restriction had created an increased excitement about sexuality, but he believed that the effect of the repressive discourse seemingly encouraged perverse forms of sexuality and made them more attractive types of behaviour. The construction of homosexuality was one of Foucaults most thought provoking assertions. He believed that the category of homosexuality was created out of a particular context in the 1870s and that it should be viewed as a form of knowledge rather than a discovered identity. Foucault wasnt saying that same sex practises werent accruing before the 19th century but, during this time it was seen as shameful rather than in the 19th century where people embraced same sex relationships and the term homosexual. Foucault said, Homosexuality appeared as one of the forms of sexuality when it was transposed from the practice of sodomy onto a kind of interior androgyny, a hermaphrodism of the soul. The sodomite had been a temporary aberration; the homosexual was seen as being totally suffused with sexuality (Foucault 1978). Since the construction of homosexuality in the 19th century, there has been an explosion of homosexual figures in the 20th century. The media have seemed to of caught the homosexual vibe with television in particular employing homosexuals to present different programmes. These programmes which are hosted by homosexuals are often quite particular programme genres. For example, you would often see a homosexual presenter on entertainment, pop culture and lifestyle programmes rather than documentaries, political shows, or on the news. This shows us that homosexuals are possibly seen as a joke, people who make us laugh by there actions, stories or vulgarity and possibly lack the intelligence or the seriousness to host programmes that require composure and a serious minded attitude towards the subject at hand. Here are three contemporary examples of homosexual TV presenters. The first is guy a called Alan Carr. He has worked on some of the biggest television programmes in the 20th century such as, Friday Night Project, Alan Carrs Celebrity Ding Dong and Alan Carr Chatty Man. Carr is famous for being camp, over the top and having a very unusual laugh that cant help but make you laugh. Despite being openly gay he doesnt consider his sexuality to be a focal part of his act. What am I meant to do? Do I go down the Julian Clary route and talk about fisting and poppers? I dont talk about being gay and I think what better equality for gays than that? (Observer online 2008). Unlike many performers, Carr shies away from unnecessary cruelty, instead relying on his own authenticity to win over his audience. His on-stage persona is simply an extension of his own and therein lies the source of both his charm and his talent. Philosopher, Judith Butler who I will be speaking about later believes that we all put on gender performances and that gender, like sexuality, isnt a vital truth that has come from the bodys materiality but rather a regulatory fiction. The second man is called Dale Winton. Winton has been on television since 1987 and has feature in many different types of television programmes. He is most famous for a programme called Supermarket Sweep which ran from 1993-2001. He was seen as the typical homosexual television presenter, very camp and over the top which is very much a trend in homosexual television hosts. During his time he was iconic for being overtly camp, tanned and often touchy feely with his guests, but he was never as he says a banner waving gay. Im not a banner-waving gay guy, because I actually dont believe its important. People never say vehement heterosexual Michael Parkinson, but it will say camp gay entertainer Graham Norton, or Dale Winton since Ive officially come out. (Times online 2008) The third and final television presenter I will be looking at is Graham Norton. He is arguably one of the most well known television presenters in recent years. Again he has many of the homosexual traits and he describes himself on the channel 4 website as a shiny Irish proof. It does not take long to work out that his sexuality has played a large part in his appeal and success. His exceedingly camp style gives him the licence to be exceedingly rude without being offensive, and his quick wit, put-downs and one-liners have made him a homosexual icon. He has been criticised for being too camp and taking the gay stereotype to an extreme. Some gay men have said he is reinforcing the idea that a gay TV star has to be over-the-top and in the mould of like Kenneth Williams or Frankie Howerd. (BBC website, 2001) All three of these television presenters are examples of the 20th century homosexual. They all share similar traits such as the in your face campness, being over the top and also being drama queens. The homosexual has grown and changed over time since its creation in the 19th century and will continue to change as time goes on. Foucault work on the analysis of sexuality has helped in challenging the preconceived ideas of sexual characteristics. He argues that his study wasnt designed to be a history of sexual behaviours nor a history of representation, but a history of sexuality. Judith Butler The theorist most prominently associated with queerness and queer theory is American post-structuralist philosopher Judith Butler. Butler followed the work of Michel Foucault and used his work so she could investigate models of gender and heterosexuality. Butler argues that gender, like sexuality, isnt a vital truth that has come from the bodys materiality but rather a regulatory fiction. Gender is the repeated stylization of the body, a set of repeated acts within a highly rigid regulatory frame that congeal over time to produce the appearance of substance, of a natural sort of being (Butler 1990, p. 33) Butler argues that the sex you are i.e. Male or female is seen to cause a gender type i.e. masculine or feminine which is then seen to create a desire towards the other gender. This is seen as a continuous series that is constantly reproducing itself. Inspired by Foucault, Butlers approach is to destroy the links between that series so desire and gender are allowed to be flexible and not made to be steady factors. Butler argues that we all put on gender performances, and she says its not a question of whether this will take place, but in what form will this performance take. She believes that by choosing to be different, we might be able to change gender norms and the understanding of masculinity and femininity. Butler says: There is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender; identity is performatively constituted by the very expressions that are said to be its results. (Butler 1990, p.25). In other words, gender is a performance; its what you  do  at particular times, rather than a universal  who you are. This approach of gender is very similar to that of sexuality. Butler, Foucault and Queer theory all believe that your identity is not fixed but constructed at certain times or in certain situations. Foucault argued that sexuality was produced which overlaps on what Butler says about gender being performed/produced. This idea of identity as free floating and not connected to a real meaning but rather a performance, is one of the key ideas in the creation of queer theory Modern day examples of Butlers theory regarding gender performances are clear to see. The three examples of homosexual figures in television are examples of what Butler calls gender performances. All three of the television presenters that I have mention Alan Carr, Dale Winton and Graham Norton have created a performance of their gender at particular times. All three man perform their gender in different ways with Alan Carr using his over the top campness as a way of engaging with the audience, Dale Winton using his touchy feely sensual approach to his audience and Graham Norton using his homosexuality as a way of making jokes and putting others down without any consequences. The way in which all three act is a performance of some kind to either feel accepted or to gain a reaction from their audiences. Conclusion In this essay I have looked at the work of Michel Foucault and Judith Butler, both of who have influenced the work of queerness in different ways. I have looked at Foucaults work on the repression in the Victorian age and his work on homosexuality. I also looked at the modern day explosion of homosexuals on TV using the examples of three different TV presenters. I then went on to study Judith Butlers work which was influenced by Foucault on gender performances. I discussed how Butler believed that we all go through gender performances but that it isnt who we are, rather a time to time experience. On the back of this I took the example of the three homosexual television presenters and linked their characters to gender performances. Both these theorists have looked at themes in sexuality, gender and society, with some of there ideas overlapping, with both Foucault and Butler looking at sexuality and gender as constructed and performed by individuals. Foucault also looked at the construction of the homosexual figure and I have taken his work on further by looking at the characteristics of the homosexual figure as exemplified by modern day TV presenters.

Restraint, Weight Suppression, and Self-Report Reliability: How Much D :: essays research papers

In the analytical report entitled Restraint, Weight Suppression, and Self-Report Reliability: How Much Do You Really Weigh? By P.J. Morgan and D.B. Jeffrey, they look at the eating habits of people and categorize them as three types of people. Those categories are Dieting and Overeating group, Current Dieting, and Weight Suppression. The Dieting/Overeating group consists of "individuals who undergo repetitive cycles of dieting and overeating,"(Morgan, 1999). They have the appearance of a diet, but overeat every once in a while to make up for it and to fulfill food desires. The Current Dieting group "encompasses those who consider themselves to be currently on a diet and who consume less food than what is required than what is required for maintenance of their current weight," (Morgan, 1999). They are ones that eat small portions of food and starve themselves to keep their weight down or to lose weight. This can also be categorized as anorexia nervosa, a clin ical eating disorder that afflicts primarily women. The last category is the Weight Suppressors, who "successfully lost weight and have kept it off for some time," (Morgan, 1999). These people have lost the weight by some means and have kept the weight off by adopting better eating and exercise habits. The groups were split into two groups, the control group and the variable group. The experiment was to see what the effects would be on each type of person in the variable group when enticed with a milkshake "Preload" which tastes better than a regular milkshake and is higher in fat and calories. The control group would not receive the "Preload" shake so the experimenters could monitor normal reactions of persons from each group. The result was the "Preload" group ate more than the control group regardless of their category. The authors concluded that the dieting and appetite suppression is a mental game of the person and is only as strong as their own conscience and taste. However, that is only one way to look at the information. The structural functionalist perspective focuses on the manifest and latent reasons for dieting. The manifest reason a person to diet is to look better physically. Physical acceptability is very important to people, both male and female alike. It is a part of out status as a human and gives value to our appearance as well. The latent function is to make ourselves healthier inside and out, by improving our immune system and eliminating cholesterol from our blood vessel, which could cause blockage.

Communication in the Virtual Workplace

Wal-Mart is number one in the Retail Giant Corporation across United States of America, and is the leading retail store in fifteen other countries. Wal-Mart continues to seek new and innovated ways to reach its customers on a daily basis. The store believes its success has been base upon its customers and being able to reach them with the new technologies of this Modern Age. The wave of the internet shopping has open just another door for customer that are unable to get out and shop are that are just too busy. Wal-Mart’s website is the Wal-Mart store but virtual and the website as well has lower prices that fits everyone’s budget. Wal-Mart has the slogan of rolling back prices with Smiley the Happy Face. The Wal-Mart motto is to save money and live better. The website carries an advantage over the store because a person of any age can navigate the website. Every customer can do his or her one-stop shopping from home, work or wherever there is a computer, and receive free delivery to the nearest store, let’s compare that to Target. Reflection of Wal-Mart Image and Values: Wal-Mart’s website is a great reflection on the company’s brand image. The store is a one-stop shop store and the company has designed the website as a direct duplicate of the store. In the store the customer can actually see an item unlike the website where the customer has to rely on a picture of the item. The website also carries an advantage over the store because a customer can do his or her one-stop shopping from home, work or wherever there is a computer, which is easy shopping during the holiday season. The website is worthy on the company because the website allows the customer to see what is in stock either online or at a store near the customer. Wal-Mart’s website offers their customers free shipping from website to a store near the customer unlike Target’s where the customer have to spend $50 to get free shipping. Navigation, Visitor Friendly: The website is as easy to navigate as a child learning to speak. The customer can find every department online as in the store. Wal-Mart’s focus came from its founder Sam Walton who was cheap and focused on lower prices everywhere and everyday. Mr. Walton made lower prices everyday his motto and that have been Wal-Mart’s message since 1962 and it is that very message that gives even low income families an opportunity to shop in the store and now online. Up To Date Information: The Wal-Mart web page is current and kept up-to-date with what is going on in stores around the country. The Wal-Mart motto is â€Å"Save Money, Live Better†, (Wal-Mart, 2007). A customer can utilize Wal-Mart’s website to his or her advantage by receiving better deals than the store. While analyzing the website there was one thing that stood out this was toys and video games. Wal-Mart knows the interest of its customers and understands some parent visits the stores and the website simply because of he need of new video games and toys. So Wal-Mart emphasizes video games and other toys on its website to attract children whom will alert the parents about new things. Wal-Mart then works the other angle and caters to the parents with things of interest. One of the best features about Wal-Mart’s website is the help link it offers. The help link will remain on the web page regardless of what page the customer is and it assist the customer at anytime. Evaluation of the graphic elements: The evaluation of the graphic elements of the Wal-Mart website is great. It is very eye catching for the customers like me who do not like to read. The picture’s Wal-Mart has takes you to whatever you want to look into buying. The website is designed very effectively because it assists the consumer with even purchasing the items. When a 72† plasma screen is all colorful and looking at you for a good price all you need to do is input your credit card number, address, and receive your confirmation number and within four to six weeks you will have a special delivery. Then you do not have to worry about leaving the comfort of your home and finding someone to assist you with the weight of a 72† plasma television. There are plenty of different links to help you make your final purchase and also they are in the right places at the right time. There is also a 1-800 telephone number at the bottom of some of the links to also help you with your purchase if you get a little confused or if you purchase too much when the total comes up and you may need to remove several items. Although the use of color and the multimedia is throughout the website, I do not believe it is too much. The color helps attract the customers who claim they are just looking and pulls them in to be regular customers online. Things about the website: Wal-Mart’s slogan is, â€Å"In everything we do, we’re driven by a common mission; and that is to save people money, so they can live better† (Wal-Mart, NA). That slogan is one of the many reasons why customers want to stay, rather than move on to another site. There are several reasons why customers are loyal and stay with Wal-Mart such as the straight forward facts that the customer could get news updates about Wal-Mart, the customer could download music, gift cards, and a whole lot more. The customer is able to access corporate information on Wal-Mart, employment opportunities, stock information, and the history of Wal-Mart on the website. To shop for a quality products for a low price, shop on Wal-Mart’s website! What draws the attention of the customer to the website the first time will allow the customer to return to the website many more times. â€Å"SAVE MONEY, LIVE BETTER† (Wal-Mart, NA).

`` Happy Endings `` By Margaret Atwood - 1537 Words

There’s Something About Mary While researching texts written about happiness in romantic relationships, I found a few authors who wrote about happiness in relationships, particularly in online articles. These authors often paired happiness with communication, support, and life skills, and discussed how people in relationships settle for happiness in this day and age. However, while these authors discuss research, social views; i could not find much discussion about happiness in romantic relationships, but many of the articles were knowledgeable, and presented key points as to whether people in romantic relationships were actually happy. Although many relationships stand the test of time, the people in the relationships aren’t always happy, and often feel stagnant or complacent. Social relationships, communication, domesticity, success, and society and culture are often the cause of relationships ending. Personally, I feel happiness in relationships doesn’t exist due to communication, or a lack ther eof. Margaret Atwood used plot-line in order to develop the theme of her short story, Happy Endings. The short story is comprised of six sections, the name of the characters doesn’t change, but their scenario does; each section bearing some similarity to the other while offering a different scenario. Section one, is a vague description of the life of John and Mary. Atwood considers this to be a â€Å"happy ending†. Mary loved John, but John didn’t love Mary, he just used her for sexShow MoreRelatedHappy Endings By Margaret Atwood951 Words   |  4 Pages Margaret Atwood writes a short story titled â€Å"Happy Endings†. The authors choice of words for the title can be misleading because of the contrary of the actually text. The title of the text could seem sort of juvenile if one was judging the complexity of her text from her title. Which goes back to the saying â€Å"Don’t judge a book by it’s cover†, and in this case it would be taken m ore literal. The first 3 lines of her text are: John andRead MoreHappy Endings By Margaret Atwood1024 Words   |  5 Pagesshould not worry about what happens when one’s life come to an end but worry more about making the most with the time that they are given. Margaret Atwood’s metafiction â€Å"Happy Endings† explores Emerson’s ideas that the ending to something should not matter. It should matter how that ending came to be. In â€Å"Happy Endings† Atwood writes tales that all have the same ending. All the stories have a common theme of a boy, a girl, and love. In the tale â€Å"B† the girl falls in love with the boy, but he is a terribleRead MoreHappy Endings By Margaret Atwood889 Words   |  4 Pageswaiting for them alongside their children. So no matter how you view it, most endings are the same, especially in the short story â€Å"Happy Endings† by Margaret Atwood. 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Within the six different scenarios, Atwood describes how life is not what we expect to be,Read MoreHappy Endings By Margaret Atwood896 Words   |  4 Pagesthe right decision, following the right path or what my mission on earth is. â€Å"Happy endings† by Margaret Atwood provides the reader with six diverse descriptions of four characters resulting in â€Å"the only authentic ending †¦ John and Mary die† (Atwood 515). In â€Å"Happy Endings† the reader is encountered with contrasting stories of John and Mary. On section A John and Mary live a happy â€Å"stimulating and challenging† life (Atwood 514) they don’t encounter major worries until they eventually die. On sectionRead More`` Happy Endings `` By Margaret Atwood934 Words   |  4 Pageslife and happy endings. Margaret Atwood, the author of the short story â€Å"Happy Endings†, has her own opinion about what she thinks about fairy tales and happily ever after. This idea contributes to a real life scenario about important life events. Atwood emphasizes the idea that happy endings doesn’t exist in today’s society even though fairy tales differ from this. â€Å"Happy Endings† is not like any other short story. It begins with a story labeled A, which is supposed to be the ultimate happy endingRead MoreHappy Endings By Margaret Atwood1785 Words   |  8 PagesA Real Ending Happy endings are made for children that can t handle the harsh reality that is life. For the majority of the readers that can understand this situation, endings are rarely happy and are usually sad, depressing, or just lackluster. Margaret Atwood and her short story Happy Endings point out the truth of stories and show an effective way to write a story at the same time. With the use of imagery, symbolism, and wordplay, Atwood changes the meaning and feeling of her story. As well,Read MoreMargaret Atwood s Happy Endings1447 Words   |  6 Pagesdevelopment that comes within, which notably can be portrayed in Margaret Atwood’s â€Å"Happy Endings†. In her metafictional short story, Atwood includes six different scenarios that are labeled A to F, which briefly describes the characters’ lives, ultimately ending with death. Moreover, the names of characters recur in each scenario, referencing one another throughout the entire short story. Particularly when Atwoodâ⠂¬â„¢s short story â€Å"Happy Endings† was published, people noticed that she was questioning genderRead MoreMargaret Atwood s Happy Endings875 Words   |  4 PagesConventional myth suggests the idea of life, love and a happy ending, usually includes getting an education, finding a mate, getting married and, preferably, a good job, having interesting hobbies, buying a house, having kids, retiring and heading off into the sunset. But what if convention isn’t the only way to a happy ending? Or what if the stereotypical idea of love isn’t so happy after all? In â€Å"Happy Endings†, Margaret Atwood describes the lives of Mary and John in six ways. The story of MaryRead MoreAnalysis Of Happy Endings By Margaret Atwood1891 Words   |  8 PagesCourse: Instructor: Date: Moral in Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood Atwood uses â€Å"Happy Endings† in identifying and explaining the type of ending fictional stories should have and why. Works of fiction should have a happy ending which Atwood terms appealing to our ethical nature and therefore moral. Atwood provides a number of stories that implies different endings. However, the ending in the first story is referred in all other stories as the befitting ending. Atwood acknowledges the desires of works