John Gallagher Final Response

First off, the final research presentations that were done most recently were all interesting and informative.  I was able to learn a lot in just the 2-3 minutes that people presented.  I was really impressed with Brooke’s presentation on media coverage of female politicians.  It is so true that the big females in politics (like Palin) are always connected and tied to their families.  She is just as much a mom as she was a potential Vice President candidate.  You just never see this with the male politicians.  It would be really interesting if one day a woman was elected president just so we could see how the media followed her and "the first man." I also thought Mike had a really interesting topic.  It’s a phenomenon that really goes unnoticed and I have never pondered it.  It’s totally unexpected and different to think about how masculinity applies to gay men.  The spectrum is huge though.  Most people in our society assume gay men to be feminine and by no means masculine.  I did too.  But I thought it was interesting when you mentioned the Bear community and how there are big, burly, and hairy gay men out there with their own identity.  Keith also surprised me when he mentioned in his presentation that there are no openly gay athletes in mainstream sports right now.  I can only imagine it’s a short matter of time before athletes come out before they retire.  That should be interesting, and hopefully not a negative outcome for the individual. 

This semester has really put a lot into perspective for me.  I honestly can say that I look at things in a totally different light after reading the articles, and our in class discussions. I am 100% on board with what Emily Hunter said in her last paragraph of her post.  I see the world though a gendered lens as well now, which I think is for the better.  We never question gender norms until we actually see and/or experience it.  Examples such as mothers doing the laundry and staying at home, and dads doing the grilling at the family cookout.  All little types of things have been brought to my attention in this class, and I look forward to exploring these issues more so as I get older and eventually enter the real world. I think that our class as a whole had a very good dynamic, and everyone brought a different and unique outlook.  The parenting and children’s television presentations and readings were really cool and interesting I thought.  Obviously you don’t pick up on the types of themes we did in this class when you’re a little kid watching TV, but I can truly say that I see all those shows differently now.  And in reference to the parenting presentations, they were all so well done.  Everyone presented distinctive images and video clips.  

Lastly I want to touch on my research paper and what I have learned as I have gone through the process.  Like some of you mentioned, the decrease in women’s sports coverage over the past 10 years is so alarming.  I have learned along the way that the amount of young girls playing sports in 2011 is much higher than what it was 15 years ago.  With all the increased emphasis on equality and women’s rights in our society, one would think that ESPN would do a little more in its power to show women’s sports.  I have learned a lot through my project, and listening to everyone else talk about theirs.