social – Christopher Wink

It’s not that gender doesn’t matter. It does. The point is that people experience gender differently than others, and that recognition is next in a long journey of social progress.

Intellectuals, academics and activists in gender theory are not of uniform opinion but many discuss “co-construction” today, in which gender is a product of both culture and biological sex. The language is nuanced, and the politics are heated. That’s no reason to not push forward.

That’s from the new book “Who’s Afraid of Gender?” from Judith Butler, the feminist philosopher and gender studies scholar. As an undergrad, I read “Gender Trouble,” the 1990 book Butler wrote when they were just 34 years old, and which popularized many concepts developing within gender studies. This book is about gender generally, though trans identity is a focus.

Though the web is growing as an extension of our own memories, digital technology is making media creation so easy that we’re burdening ourselves with internet clutter.

As using social networks and making photos and video become a new form of applause to interact with what’s around you, it becomes more challenging and so more important to think about experiencing the moment.

When I am seeing a new place or having a fun experience I’ll want to revisit, I try to limit how often I use my mobile device to supplement my real life. I was so impressed Jeffrey Stockbridge, and other photographers, describe their work as “making a photo,” rather than “taking” one. That difference may extend the point.