Views of sexuality in "But I'm a Cheerleader"

The movie "But I'm A Cheerleader", being as comedic as it turned out, also had a very powerful point of view on sexual orientaion. Actor Natasha Lyonne does an incredible job playing the role of Megan Bloomfield, a cheerleader who claims to be heterosexual because of her "normal" lifestyle; has a boyfriend, is involved in a school activity, etc. Her family and friends eventually schedule an intervention, telling her that they think she's a homosexual from what they've noticed going on in her life that seemed out of the ordinary--having pictures of girls in her locker, not enjoying kissing her boyfriend, being vegetarian, and much more.

Some aspects that stood out to me in the film, connecting really well with one of the readings we had in class was "Naming All The Parts" by Kate Bornstein. All of the main points she gets to, that triggers how we tend to judge people in society today, are Gender Identity, Gender Attribution, Gender Roles, Gender Assignment, Kinds of Sex, Basic Mix-Up, Sex Without Gender, and Desire. With these put into mind, here are those connections of the movie (mainly discussing the main character, Megan) and these topics:

Gender Identity: She definitely feels feminine and comfortable being a girl.

Gender Attribution: Looks like a girl at first glance.

Gender Roles: She believes that it's very feminine and normal to have the typical "preppy girl" lifestyle as a cheerleader with a botfriend.

Gender Assignment: Has been treated like a girl growing up.

Kinds of Sex: Feels feminine.

Basic Mix-Up: Parents want her to be heterosexual; thinks being a lesbian is not "normal".

Sex Without Gender: This one is a major point to consider because she slowly realizes her homosexuality and accepts it.

Desire: When Megan falls in love with another girl in the film named Graham Eaton.



~ picture link: http://www.google.com/imglanding?q=but%20im%20a%20cheerleader&imgurl=http://ilarry.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/but-im-a-cheerleader.jpg&imgrefurl=http://ilarry.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/the-best-movie-in-the-history-of-movies/&usg=__5iM3COKVheeN_FE7pGPq7i9H9jo=&h=500&w=333&sz=44&hl=en&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=zCSbw6wMzlg0sM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=87&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbut%2Bim%2Ba%2Bcheerleader%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&sa=N&tbs=isch:1&start=0#tbnid=zCSbw6wMzlg0sM&start=0

~ also used the source "wikipedia.com"

The power of disability

One of the most common stereotypes for people with disabilities is that they are not able to take care of themselves; thus, thought of as "childlike", "helpless", etc. Not only is this by far a false assumption, but it is very offensive to the disability community. Film has made many movies that greatly bring out the power that many people with disabilities can have. Whether it's a story that is fiction and more towards the entertainment aspect, movies have brought out good messages towards disabilities and has made people without them have a better idea of what they go through on a day to day basis.



One great movie that discusses the hardships of disabilities is "Forrest Gump". As the title states itself, Forrest is the main character of this story. Throughout his childhood, he's had to deal with many bullies that made fun of him because of his leg deformity, having to wear leg braces. Ironically enough, though he has trouble getting around with his leg braces, while he's running from a group of bullies one day, he brakes loose from the braces and amazes those around him that notice just how fast he can run. Later on, his great ability to run really fast, even though it still takes time to get used to controlling his speed and knowing when to stop, has him get accepted to college on a football scholarship. Throughout the movie, it shows these outstanding experiences that Forrest has had, that one without a disability would most likely not even begin to think a person with one could do. A couple more examples are him joining the army and rescuing many of the soldiers, his long run across the country for about 4 years which made him famous, and much more.

Many other movies have brought attention to the life of people with disabilities, which has been very beneficial since we get more of a sympathetic view for them, such as "Daredevil", "Xmen",and many more. Even though movies such as "Children Of A Lesser God" haven't greatly brought out the "silent world" of deaf people, (since the sign language throughout the movie was not translated in subtitles and only through one of the main characters without the disability) it still possitively brings out the message of the difficulties that deaf people have through communication. It is important that we understand the hardships that people with disabilities have to go through, so that as a nation, we can all communicate and better understand eachothers views and lifestyles, and accept them for who they are.

site for picture: http://students.cup.edu/Gil8867/aboutme.htm
site used for more backup info on "Forrest Gump": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_gump
site used for the opinions of the movie "Children Of A Lesser God": http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19861003/REVIEWS/610030301/1023

Is there a class?

It's interesting to consider the thought that there really isn't an upper or lower class in our society. In the article "Class in America-2009" by Gregory Mantsios, he brings up 4 Myths based on the idea of the United States being thought of as a "middle class" nation overall. These were listed as--Myth 1: We are a classless society, Myth 2: We are a middle-class nation, Myth 3: We are getting richer, and Myth 4: Everyone has an equal chance to succeed.



Although I can see the point of view on this topic, these myths really do just stay as myths. It's pretty obvious when America has been having severe economic struggles and also considering the fact that were in a time period where our stock market is the worst since the Great Depression. There are also many facts stated of just how low our economy has gotten--"The wealthiest 1 percent of the American population holds 34 percent of the total national wealth." With that said, also--"The richest 20 percent of Americans hold nearly 85 percent of the total household wealth in the country." This is a huge gap between the rich/poor people around the country, given the fact that as a whole, America is not that wealthy. But we should not be considered a middle-class nation because there are many people that still carry a big wallet.

Another section that I found interesting and pretty true about America's lifestyles, was a statement that said, "Clothing disguises much of the poverty in the United States, and this may explain, in part, its middle-class image." Even through all the money issues we have and still deal with, we continue to spend money on unimportant items just because it makes us look good--cars, clothes, houses, etc. There are so many advertisements shown in the media that have people buying their products, showing just what kind of lifestyle we want/try and have. It's also sad, but true that to conclude this subject, lifestyles really do depend on the people we know (close friends/family) and how we were brought up. Many people are already born into wealthy families that are able to get high paid jobs that are family owned, or just grew into a poor family, struggling a lot more to take care of themselves.