Meme as Resistance _ Madison Padilla

The Message:

The meme I created alludes to how men are pressured to follow strict rules to be considered "masculine" and "dominant" in the eyes of society. Patriarchy often purports that men are stronger than those deemed weaker, like women and children. I wanted to convey the heavy expectations placed on men specifically. Men are expected to never show fear or weakness, to use violence, or to follow the path of manhood. This meme is meant to portray how a man may desire to show "softness" but is blocked by the expectations of the patriarchy. Men who are filled with compassion become victims of other men. Patriarchy promotes insanity. It hurts everyone, but especially the men who become trapped in this cycle of performance and eventual anger. 

Part 1 - How can memes act as a form of resistance and advocacy?

Memes can act as a form of resistance and advocacy through how fast they are able to spread, using humor to challenge issues in society, and finding others who share the same views. Memes allow anyone to create art and share thoughts and voices with ease. Memes are powerful because they provide an easier method for sharing problems and spreading awareness and inspiration to others they reach.

Part 2 - What is patriarchy?

Definition (Bell Hooks): Patriarchy is a political-social system that insists that males are inherently dominating, superior to everything and everyone deemed weak, especially females, and endowed with the right to dominate and rule over the weak and to maintain that dominance through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence. 

Interlinked systems of power like white supremacy, capitalism, and patriarchy can influence/dictate our lives, and our culture centers around the idea of domination. This would come from the belief that there is a "superior" group that has the right to control "inferior" groups. I believe Bell Hooks called it the "White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy" and the expectations to perform your set part in the hierarchy. If you don't fit a specific mold, you are outcasted by the majority. This system stifles our ability to love across boundaries—to punch down others as a method of division. To understand and view people as equals rather than resources, love is required to build something better.

2 quotes and a short response:

1. "Politics is about people’s perceptions of the truth, their feelings about facts, and their visceral experiences of the world" (pg. 24).

I felt that the authors were trying to hone in on how humans are emotional in nature. Everyone goes through life having individual experiences and identities. To reach someone and get them to care about something, you have to play into their thoughts and feelings—to connect with people and understand their values and beliefs so they can understand yours.

2. "In order for the emotional affect of art to have political effect, art needs to be combined with activism" (pg. 28).

This quote discusses how art and activism must work alongside one another to achieve change. The "affect" of art is required for people to care in the first place, and the "effect" of activism needs to be combined to ensure that these emotions get used for systematic change.