Date: March 23, 2009
Essay #3 Final Draft English: 1
Digging Our Own Pits
Could we really be our own worst enemies? Baranowski’s essay “Girls,
We Really Are Our Own Worst Enemies” suggests women’s criticism of other women,
their tendency to judge a woman on her looks or clothing rather than her intellect,
prevents women from truly being liberated. Alternately, Lindsay John’s essay “In Search
of Notorious PhD’s” addresses his own concerns of the self-perpetuating stereotypes of
the hyper-masculine black male depicted in the media today. He argues that everyday
more and more of the black youth emulate this image strengthening the very stereotype
many of members of this community find distasteful and inaccurate. Although it may
seem that Baranowski”s essay about women and John’s essay about black men and
culture are two completely different issues, I believe they share a common theme about
self perpetuating stereotypes and promoting continued inequality within their own group.
Baranowski and Johns criticize their select group, give specific examples, and
suggestions for changing the way we think and act.
Baranowski argues a different and ironic view on the subject of feminism.
She emphasizes “The everyday experiences of girls, commenting and gossiping on
everything from clothes to the amount of time a girl raises her hand in class, show that
women are still losing. The problem is not others, the problem is us”(354). In short, she
makes the suggestion that women were more to blame than men, at present, of the
continuing gender inequality still faced by women in American society. She continues
stressing her point by stating “that men are no longer the biggest threat –it is
ourselves”(354). She takes ownership, as a member of this group, of the still...