# I hate you women's studies paper **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 14, 2010, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399 "2010-05-14T05:08:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399/81 "2010-05-14T22:00:53Z")
Moved from The BBQ Pit to Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share. **Gfactor** Pit Moderator ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399/82 "2010-05-14T22:12:01Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Maybe it’s an awesome assignment. If it opens a few students’ eyes to the cons of globalization, and they then go on to become CEOs of their own firms, maybe they’ll take steps to avoid those harms. > > FTR: I am decidedly _not_ anti-globalization. As noted above, it’s not all black and white, and not allllll good or alllll bad. In many programmes and projects, unintended gender-based harm does occur. The first step to avoiding this harm (or improving globalization such that it improves overall utility more than it would have othersise)? Increasing awareness and examining the issue. Say it with me: _knowing is half the battle._ Developing gender metrics and other evaluative tools to discover externalities and other unrecognized gendered impacts is another facet of the practical and pragmatic application of theory. > > Full Disclosure: I’ve developed a niche end of our business working with gender-oriented advocacy organizations active in the developing world. This in no way confers any authority to my statements or makes them any more than anecdotal; I’m mentioning it here merely to reveal bias. I think it _could_ be an awesome assignment. If the instructor had spent any lecture time allowing for discussion on how globalization can be beneficial to everyone (including women) or asked us to write about globalization in a more balanced way, I would have loved it. Instead she gave only readings and lectures specific to the evils of globalization, and the essay prompt requires researching a “feminist organization that is **fighting** globalization”. Even more disturbing is that the instructor seems to really mean that word “fighting” because the prompt asks for specific examples of resistance strategies. I have an A in the class going into this final paper, I guess that should cushion me a bit if I decide to throw caution to the wind and write outside the prompt. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399/83 "2010-05-14T22:13:03Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > If there is more to it I haven’t seen it. It’s not rocket science. If you want to succeed you need to: > > 1. Not get pregnant when you are young and single, > 2. Not use drugs, > 3. Stay in school, and > 4. Not get arrested and end up in jail. > > The rest is gravy. What are you, a high school guidance counselor? (Which would probably be ideal if you get off on telling people what career paths they should be pursuing.) The OP should just write his/her paper on the whole American Apparel scandal. Lots of globalization/immigration/teen girl sexification there. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399/84 "2010-05-14T22:14:03Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > If there is more to it I haven’t seen it. It’s not rocket science. If you want to succeed you need to: > > 1. Not get pregnant when you are young and single, > 2. Not use drugs, > 3. Stay in school, and > 4. Not get arrested and end up in jail. > > The rest is gravy. Not major in women’s studies and get a graduate degree from a top school. But that last one in particular is gravy. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399/85 "2010-05-14T22:15:03Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Maybe it’s an awesome assignment. If it opens a few students’ eyes to the cons of globalization, and they then go on to become CEOs of their own firms, maybe they’ll take steps to avoid those harms. > > FTR: I am decidedly _not_ anti-globalization. As noted above, it’s not all black and white, and not allllll good or alllll bad. In many programmes and projects, unintended gender-based harm does occur. The first step to avoiding this harm (or improving globalization such that it improves overall utility more than it would have othersise)? Increasing awareness and examining the issue. Say it with me: _knowing is half the battle._ Developing gender metrics and other evaluative tools to discover externalities and other unrecognized gendered impacts is another facet of the practical and pragmatic application of theory. I agree with you completely. I don’t know much, formally, about gender discrimination, to be honest with you. But I absolutely feel it is a worthwhile pursuit specifically for the reasons you mentioned. I wasn’t suggesting I was perplexed because it was a stupid premise, I was perplexed because I’d literally never heard the argument and was hoping someone might outline it for me. I am quite aware of the nuance thing. I feel that we need more nuance in our discourse, no matter the subject, and the best way of getting that nuance is to ask critical questions of our own positions and not just the positions of those who disagree. I have mixed feelings about globalization. When I was a senior I had a Spanish class entitled ‘‘Culture and State in Contemporary Mexico’’ and I chose to write my final research paper on NAFTA’s impact on the Mexican economy and the immigration phenomenon. I had my feelings, but I tried to ask myself the hard questions. Then I actually went to Mexico to try to understand what the articles were talking about. The reality is I have far more allegiance to making the world a better place to live than I do to any particular political ideology. I’m not interested in being right, I’m interested in fixing the problem. > [@](#): > > If there is more to it I haven’t seen it. It’s not rocket science. If you want to succeed you need to: > > 1. Not get pregnant when you are young and single, > 2. Not use drugs, > 3. Stay in school, and > 4. Not get arrested and end up in jail. > > The rest is gravy. Recent research on teen pregnancy (comparing teens who got pregnant and miscarried to those who gave birth and raised children) indicates that there is no difference in life outcomes for those who have children as teenagers vs. those who don’t. Though the infant mortality rate for blacks is twice the rate for whites, black babies who are born to teen mothers have better health outcomes than those born to older mothers. Drug use occurs in equal proportions across race, class and ethnicity, and yet there are disproportionately more blacks in jail for drug-related non-violent offenses than for any other race. Research on urban minorities indicates that there is no significant difference in employment outcomes among those who graduate high school and those who don’t. White convicts are more likely to be hired than black convicts with the exact same record. Your own enlightened opinion has shaped public discourse on this problem over the last 30 years. And by your own admission things are getting worse. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399/86 "2010-05-14T22:48:53Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Recent research on teen pregnancy (comparing teens who got pregnant and miscarried to those who gave birth and raised children) indicates that there is no difference in life outcomes for those who have children as teenagers vs. those who don’t. Though the infant mortality rate for blacks is twice the rate for whites, black babies who are born to teen mothers have better health outcomes than those born to older mothers. > > Drug use occurs in equal proportions across race, class and ethnicity, and yet there are disproportionately more blacks in jail for drug-related non-violent offenses than for any other race. > > Research on urban minorities indicates that there is no significant difference in employment outcomes among those who graduate high school and those who don’t. > > White convicts are more likely to be hired than black convicts with the exact same record. Wow, ignorance fought. ETA: I wish we had a “no irony” flag that I could have used. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399/87 "2010-05-14T22:51:05Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > It was kinda like you cite me, I cite you, we both pad our CV! With a knick-knack, paddywhack, Never near a bone! ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399/88 "2010-05-14T23:04:01Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Research on urban minorities indicates that there is no significant difference in employment outcomes among those who graduate high school and those who don’t. > > White convicts are more likely to be hired than black convicts with the exact same record. Human rights groups have actually petitioned the UN to scrutinize [racial unemployment disparities](http://www.citylimits.org/news/articles/3956/group-wants-un-scrutiny-of-u-s-black-unemployment) in the US for violations of various UN human rights treaties. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399/89 "2010-05-15T00:01:20Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > I feel that we need more nuance in our discourse, no matter the subject, and the best way of getting that nuance is to ask critical questions of our own positions and not just the positions of those who disagree. This should be in a sticky. ---
**Author:** ![Vaevictis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f04885/32.png) [@Vaevictis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vaevictis)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399/90 "2010-05-15T02:37:18Z")
[quote=“DanBlather, post:55, topic:539399”] The chattel slavery in the US was horrific, and it has created scars, but it’s more important to have in demand skills than knowing the details of the slave trade. We have people arrive in this country from villages without running water, who don’t speak English, and have no cultural ties to the west. They seem to do fine with the SATs and don’t have any problem with questions being culturally biased. They don’t need pictures of famous Chinese people in the wall, or Korean history month, or other bullshit.] Right, so is that is why there is no sense of Italian or Korean or Irish pride??? Come on man, all sorts of ethnic groups draw benefits from knowing their history and culture. Can’t be proud of who you are unless you know who you are, and your people’s history is an unavoidable constituent of your identity. Bonus point: “In demand skills” are useful, but they do not make you a self-aware human being capable of being a good citizen in a democracy. That takes some extra training. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399/91 "2010-06-07T20:40:40Z")
Bumpity bump. How’d the paper go? ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399/92 "2010-06-08T18:43:06Z")
> [@moejoe](#): > > . Believe it or not this is a required core studies class. I just have to ask–is this really required for all students? No other options? Has anyone tried to challenge the requirement? What kind of “university” is this? It sounds like a place where any independent thinking is prohibited, and everything has to be approved by the Thought Police to make sure it’s politically correct. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399/93 "2010-06-08T19:04:06Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > It sounds like a place where any independent thinking is prohibited, and everything has to be approved by the Thought Police to make sure it’s politically correct. This more or less describes universities in general or so I’ve been told. ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399/94 "2010-06-10T01:17:08Z")
> [@Punoqllads](#): > > Bumpity bump. How’d the paper go? I decided to write about an organization that focuses on food scarcity in American children, and the paper got an A 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399/95 "2010-06-10T01:20:52Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > I just have to ask–is this really required for all students? No other options? Has anyone tried to challenge the requirement? > What kind of “university” is this? > It sounds like a place where any independent thinking is prohibited, and everything has to be approved by the Thought Police to make sure it’s politically correct. It’s a Cal State University, and there are four general ed requirements that must be taken at the university (can’t be transferred). And sure, there is a list of classes for each of the requirements, this one just fit best with my schedule and major. I guess I’m more well rounded now 🆒 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-womens-studies-paper/539399.md?page=4)