Murderball Film Review

Murder ball

                Mark Zupan is a legend at the very intense game of Murder ball. He has become the face of the game murder ball. So what is Murder ball is essentially rugby on wheels. What is most unique about murder ball is it is a sport specifically designed for disabled bodies. The objective of murder ball is to move the ball from one end of the court all the way to the other side. The real issue is being able to get across without getting pelted by wheelchairs. The chairs aren’t your average wheel chairs; they look like something that would be seen in gladiator. Big heaps of metal meant for one thing destroying the opponent from reaching the other side.

                Mark Zupan is known for being on e of the toughest wheelchair Rugby player in the world. Before getting in a car crash Mark Zupan used to be able to use both his legs and arms. After the accident he lost the use of his legs. Traumatic events which leave people with partially working bodies have a profound effect on people mentally. The toughest part about becoming disabled is the fact that the brain is still there. Mark Zupan describes that one of the most frustrating thing about becoming disabled is remembering things he used to be able to do on his own.

                One of the biggest problems that Mark describes is the way society views people in wheel chairs or someone who is handicapped. American culture has this false perspective that a handicapped person should be pitied for not having an able body. This ideal is wrong and should not be tolerated. Mark Zupan is a perfect example of someone who would rather not have help from anyone. Before the crash that left him disabled Mark Zupan was a strong athlete. After the crash Mark Zupan remains a strong athlete competing with the best in the world. I have a lot of respect for everyone in the film because they rose above the situation that was given them. All of the Wheelchair Rugby players love what they do and accept their hardships. They rise to defeat the Canadians really kept me hooked. Anyone who enjoys and American sports story will enjoy this documentary.

Work Cited

In class Discussion February

Henry Alext Rubin. Murderball. 2005

Blog Post 3

Blog Post #3

                Hurtful words/phrases have been used since the beginning of language. Many of these hurtful words stick around for a long period of time; these words are often referred to as curse words. For this blog Post I decided to uncover and understand one of the most offensive words in the English language, the word “cunt”. I chose this word because I have seen how hurtful it can be firsthand.

The connotations for the word “cunt” have not changed at all over time. It is a highly offensive word giving negative connotation to a person who is female. This word is not used loosely; in fact I have rarely heard it in my lifetime. One thing can be certain it is a gender biased word. From firsthand experience I have only heard males use the word explaining frustrations with his female counterparts. Have you ever heard the term “those are fighting words”? Well this word is most definitely a fighting word. I have seen fistfights break out with the use of this word. This is not a throw around curse word like damn, and shit. This is a negative word targeting women as the “deviant group”. Other words in the English Language are also used in a negative way. For example many able bodied people pity or poke fun at “handicapped persons”. The video below is a clip from the film Jack ass number 2, where the jack ass crew launches Mark Zupan into the water while attached to his wheelchair. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RHJfW4UXuxw

The Jack ass crew is infamous for making funny skits and pranks. But when do their jokes cross the line with offending groups of people. It is clear the butt of this joke was launching a disabled person into the water. This is evidence that our culture feeds this behavior through the media. It will be a struggle to undo the many hurtful jokes and words that are consuming certain groups in society.

                The community that is most affected by this hurtful word is the female community. Inequalities for women have been and continue to be an issue today. This word associates any negative behavior as a female behavior. When a person calls someone a “cunt” that person is suggesting that 51% percent of the population has that same quality. It is an absurd word that has no benefit to the English language. As discussed in class deviant bodies continue to play a large role in American culture. (Feb 21). We specifically talked about the “fat acceptance movement”. I believe that the negative connotation towards women is almost identical to the negative connotation giving towards fat people. There is a sense of entitlement for those that are not in the “deviant” category. This is what keeps the viscous cycle alive. Those who aren’t fat feel entitled to be able to call someone fat. Just as some men feel entitled to make women feel less human. To me it is all the same, I think America needs to find a new goal. Equality among all persons should become the first most important goal.

Currently there are feminists groups out there that wish to reappropriate the word “cunt”. According to Jennifer Yachnin in her article “Making a 4-Letter Word Respectable (To some),” some feminist groups are actively holding rallies in college campuses to help reappropriate the word “cunt”. In her article one of the respondents from a college even stated “Part of the event was to create awareness--to say, 'There's nothing bad about this word, don't let people use it to hurt you,'" says Erica Smith, a senior who organized the event.” (Yachnin). Although some feminists groups believe the word is good, I believe the overwhelming majority of women oppose the use of the word. I personally do not agree with Erica Smith, I think the word should be banned. Accepting the word is just as bad as accepting the label. 

Work Cited

In class discussion Feb 21, 2012

Lake Jack Ass 2 Clip. Video. YouTube

Yachnin, Jennifer. "Making A 4-Letter Word Respectable (To Some)."

Chronicle Of Higher Education 47.17 (2001): A8. Academic Search Complete. 

Web. 26 Feb. 2012.

Word Count: 654

  

Middle Sexes Film Review

      Middle Sexes is a wonderful documentary, depicting the many differences between sex, and sexual orientation. The documentary describes in detail the many biological differences there are between men and women. For many the idea that there are only two sexes seems logical. The problem with that thinking is that it is simply wrong. In today’s society people have the option to go through gender changing operations. Children are born with ambiguous genitals, increasing the number newborns that go through “gender assignment operations,” with the permission of their parents. The film depicts the many struggles the “middle sexes” go through daily for being different than the so called societal “norm”.  

            The LGBT community goes through a ton of scrutiny and ridicule. This directly relates to the Shaming Theory of Deviance. Even though it is clear by now homosexuality is not going anywhere, on average society views it as wrong or “deviant”. According to Margaret Cooper “rural lesbians who maintained the butch appearance were “outed” or identified as lesbians by others consequently lost the respect of their community” (Cooper 169).   On top of verbal abuse the Transgender/ Transsexual community deal with a tremendous amount physical violence. It is unbelievable to think that society could be capable of such horrible things. I thought the personal accounts in the film from people of the Trans community to be most convincing that there is major flaw in our society.

            Throughout history there has always been a group of people that were considered deviant or unwanted in society. In past years, African Americans were forced into slavery. In today’s society it is the “battle of the sexes”. We are taught growing up, that boys and girls are to act a certain way. We are taught not only from our parents but by everyone and everything in society. Boys are supposed to be tough, and play with “GI Joes”. Girls are supposed to “sweet” and play with the “easy bake oven”. Where did these stereotypes come from? As Lise Eliot describes in her book Pink brain Blue brain, “hidden among the obvious differences are some surprising exceptions and a lot of underlying similarities” (Eliot 16). The truth is there is very little difference between Male and female. Just like there is little difference between Heterosexual and Homosexual people. We just need the ability as Leslie Feinberg describes to “keep the door unlocked” (Feinberg 198). We have to stop caring about definitions and realize that definitions always exclude someone, or some group.

            The most obvious solution to the problem would be to eliminate stigmas. With that almost being an impossible solution I thought it would be interesting if there could be a study done on the personality differences between People from every sexual orientation. The study would give personality tests to assess every person. The results would clump people together in personality types. Instead of including the person’s name they would only put their sexual orientation. What I would expect to see is a mix of every sexual orientation in every personality. I think the results of this study could help many people understand that a person is a person regardless of their sexual orientation. 

Work Cited

Cooper, Margaret. Readings In Deviant Behavior. 6th. Boston: Pearson Education Inc.

Eliot, Lise. Pink Brain Blue Brain. Boston: Mariner Books, 2009.

Feinberg, Leslie. Transgender Warriors.                                                           

Word Count: 529