Bordo Blog

In her analysis, English discusses how due to images portrayed in the media, young boys and adolescents are starting to feel more insecure about their appearances. A study was done by Moss Norman of Concordia University in Canada. “Norman concluded that boys possess a ‘double-bind masculinity,’ in which they care about their appearance but not in ways that make them look vain or uncool” (English). This is interesting cause it ties into Bordo’s essay, “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body,” by stating how recently, men have felt the desire to keep up with their physical appearances. English adds on to Bordo’s argument by stating that it is true that men are more self-conscious about their looks, but they feel that they should do so in a way that allows them to “transcend concerns over their physical appearance in favor of a more rational, functional outlook in life” (English). In order to fit to the contemporary social standard, they find themselves stuck in a dilemma between keeping physically fit and morally modest.

English, Marianne. "Boys Want To Look Good, but Not Too Good: Discovery News."Discovery News: Earth, Space, Tech, Animals, History, Adventure, Human, Autos. Discovery News, 30 Sept. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://news.discovery.com/human/boys-media-110930l.html>.

"The 'Banking' Concept of Education"

     In Freire's essay, he discusses a great deal how modern education is a one way street. It is an "act of depositing." Teachers give their students some dosage of facts and the students are only required to regurgitate this information on some sort of examination. Friere sees this as a negative; however, I see it as a necessary evil. Yes school does only provide fact and does not stimulate thinking to some extent. However, in order to discuss or think about concepts, a student needs a certain foundation on which to begin discussing. A discussion between a proponent of socialized healthcare and someone who is indifferent and is not even aware that health care can be socialized is not a very interesting discussion. Free thinking and discussion is promoted within the classroom in several courses--such as this one--; however, in most courses, discussion occurs outside the classroom. Even after an individual is knowledgeable in a certain topic through lecture, the learning process has not stopped there. Now that person can share his perspective on socialized healthcare, for instance, with someone who disagrees with him or her. Through such a debate, it is almost certain that he or she will learn a new aspect of the topic from that other person. Therefore, one way learning in the classroom, although very static, is required.