trapped in discourses

To escape the isolation, monotony and unceasing desire to procrastinate, I decided to attend a three day course at the university this week. It is a 'Philosophy of Social Science' course, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Not only the course content, but the contact time with fellow students (albiet only 6 of us on the course!) has reminded me why I am the luckiest girl alive to be paid to study something I love.

I will explain some interesting things that I have learnt/experienced so far.

Yesterday we were discussing rational choice theory, utilitarianism, game theory and 'tipping points'. Rational choice theorists argue that human beings make rational choices based on preferences to maxise their utility (whatever that may be to them). One of the questions of government is how to encourage the population to make rational choices about certain issues where we frequently act irrationally- against our best interests.

The thing is, whilst people (rationally) should choose to not smoke, booze, shag around, get fat, pollute the environment... They instead make a rational choice based on instant gratification... or other value systems.

Apparently, the conservative government are very interested in 'tipping points' whereby social norms change, and behaviour changes. For a recent example, see smoking. One minute, it was socially acceptable, the next minute, wholly unacceptable. One idea to encourage tipping pointss is to incentivise desirable choices to increase the instant gratification outcome and therefore encourage a rational choice to lose weight, stop smoking etc...

We were discussing all this, and then this morning I checked the BBC news and lo and behold! The NHS are reviewing using incentives to encourage people to quit health damaging behaviours, and pay cash rewards to people who acheive health goals: see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8692241.stm . So, philosophy into action or what? I got excited anyway.

I absolutely detest that idea by the way. I lost 3 stone and stopped smoking and know how hard it was- but cash rewards? Totally ridiculous. Massively open to abuse, and surely we cant incentivise life changing behaviour. I need to think more about this one. Anyone got any thoughts on the NHS paying people to behave in a certain way?


Moving on- we then had a lecture on Marxism. It is a philosophy I sympathise with and support many of the ideas. After the lecture, whilst walking to the train station with an enormous anti-capitalst tirade swirling round my head, also blended in with rage over the objectification and normalisation of women, I went past a clothes shop and thought 'oooh that dress is so pretty, I really want it'.

...I horrified myself. Whilst conscious of the discourses (capitalist etc)I am part of in society, I cannot free myself from them. I am trapped by these discourses! I had a bit of a giggle at that, but seriously...

I am sure all the women (and men to a lesser extent?) can identify with the feelings of horror when confronted with the magazine racks in supermarkets. Four shelves of magazines that feature highly gleaned, sterilised and photoshopped women portraying society's perception of feminine beauty and success. All the mags are guilty- they are all about looking at and critiqueing (in an academic sense) the female body. Men's mags pour over big tits, women's mags highlight and zoom in on spots, cellulite, wrinkles, bulging tummies... even professional photography magazines about PHOTOGRAPHY heroically manage to feature a woman, usually sprawled half-naked artistically across a shadowed rock or suchlike. I buy runner's world as a runner- and though I always thought the journalism was to a mixed demographic- I realise looking back over the issues- the last 4 issues have featured a woman on the cover.

So, when I go to buy my bread or milk, or cheeky bag of haribos, I have to look at this. And god help it when you actually read one of the offending magazines.

When I go to the hairdressers I get the chance to peruse these magazines and indulge in personal outrage and curiousity. Last time I was there, I scanned them and practised a bit of critical discourse analysis... so, this is what women are interested in:

Dieting
Other women's bodies
Celebrities
Fashion
Make up
Other people's lives.


I frequently fantasise about deconstructing these magazines, and asking where are all the fat women? Where are all the curvy women? They are missing from our magazines, missing from our shop window displays, missing from our cat walks. They are hidden and scrutinised and criticsed (and now incentivised!).

It makes me feel powerless. I cannot do anything about it! I am trapped!