Selfe Reading Response

In an excerpt of 'Lest We Think the Revolution is a Revolution. Images of Technology and the Nature of Change,' Author Cynthia Selfe depicts three narratives that she insists technology illustrates for Americans through advertisements. One of her narratives 'The Un-Gendered Utopia,' Selfe suggests that, "Creating an electronic ungendered utopia means that we might have to learn how to understand people outside of the limited gender roles that we have constructed for them..." and that, "we find ourselves, ill equipped to cope with the changes that this Un-gendered narrative necessitates.'"In stating this, Selfe implies that we, as a culture, are incapable of imagining women as an equal to men and seeing women work and live outside of their predisposed constructed roles, as supporters, wives, seductresses, and loyal employees is uncomfortable to imagine.

Selfe's claim that, our culture is inadequate to imagine women capable of living above her 'constrained set of appropriate settings,' rests upon the questionable assumption that our culture is incompetent to 'think outside of the box' and accept change. As our culture changes with time, many of us have to come to the realization that women are capable of working outside of their 'roles.' Men are now competing with women for Managerial and Executive positions in the work force, in many households the roles have been switched and women are know the "bread-winners" for the family and in the greatest jump from 'roles', a woman now plays are large role in our government. As many of us see these changes and acknowledge them, Selfe's 'The Same Old Gendered Stuff' narrative begins to take a back seat, as we have now begin to understand and accept the roles of women are expanding and the boundaries are becoming more skewed.

The Countering strategy I used was 'Uncovering Values.' My paragraphs demonstrate this strategy by first assessing what Selfe's claim is and then questioning her central claim with examples that refute the claim.