Memes of Resistance - Deanna Currington

 

I chose a painting The Swing, by Jean-Honore Fragonard. This piece is already about power and the male gaze. My caption says "Freedom. But make it supervised". She looks free and happy, but is being fully managed by two men. One man is controlling the swing she is on, and the other man is in the bushes watching her closely. Women's bodies are always under surveillance or under control. Women are told we are "empowered," but as long as we follow the rules set in place for us. Our reproductive rights and public self-expression are being put into question, and we still have to operate within boundaries enforced by a patriarchal society.

What is Patriarchy? 

Patriarchy is the ideology that says men are dominant over all those deemed weaker. 

Bell Hooks speaks of an interconnected system, "white supremacist capitalist patriarchy." All of these systems do not work separately. They are interconnected. They influence how people think, behave, and act toward each other. An example of this is how patriarchy supports capitalism by relying on immigrant workers, which is often done by women. (Think of all the nannies and cleaners on the Upper East Side; my great-grandmother was one of them.) These systems are embedded in our everyday lives unconsciously.

How can memes act as a form of resistance and advocacy? 

Memes can be a form of resistance because of their speed and familiarity. With social media today, memes spread faster because with a press of a button, you can like and share with your friends in seconds. Even if one is censored, others can quickly recreate it. Memes are about to reframe narratives with one image and a caption. That's how powerful they are.

"We make sense of our world through symbols and stories at least as much as we do through facts and figures."

This quote makes me think of culture and family. Symbols can be anything, like patterns, flags, archetypes, and images. Stories are passed down through our families all the time. I make sense of my world through the stories my grandparents and my parents told me. Stories, in a sense, tell us what matters even if it may not be the whole truth. For example, the stories our grandparents may have told us about how they met may not be 100% true or slightly exaggerated, but the only thing that matters is the family and the generations created because of that connection. As humans, we aren't driven by just data and facts.

"Guerrilla Warfare: Know your terrain and use it to your advantage."

I resonate with this quote because it is a military principle. In my personal experience as a young girl, I didn't know how power moved. When I joined the military, I was able to see what others don't see. I didn't see war heroes and strong men and women. I saw suffering, disrespect, privilege, and a long list of other things. I was able to use my disadvantages to learn more. Which, in turn, helped me to survive. My disadvantages were being a black woman in the US military; I was often targeted. Now that I am a veteran, I use my experience and my knowledge to educate those who are curious about the military. If they want to know I tell them what to expect because that is what I wish I would've had before I joined. The raw and the real. My experience can possibly save others from abuse, assault, hazing, suicide, racial injustice and a long list of mental health issues. I bit the bullet so that I can help others have better risk management. 💗