http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H676Q16WK4
I thought this video really related well to McElhinny's article and what we talked about in class today. In the video, Milwaukee police officers Amy Bartol and Stephanie Seitz describe what it's like working as female cops together in male dominated society. What's interesting is the fact that these two are not only partners together, but are partners assigned to the most dangerous part of their section. They are truly defying female stereotypes by taking on this tough job. They say they have to earn trust and respect.
I thought the part of the video where a nurse at a hospital makes the comment, "Oh they let two of you work together?", was very interesting. It is typically unusual to find two female police officers working together on the job without any male counterparts. These two ladies really have to hold their own, which appears that they do well after seeing them in action during the traffic stop. They both have confidence in themselves and in each other, which they say is very important for not only just a cop, but especially a female cop. Our society doesn't typically think of females as being aggressive or threatening, so female cops don't tend to receive much respect unless they prove they can defy the stereotype. The female officer was very aggressive and assertive when she was arresting the boy who tried to swallow the bag of weed . While she had male officer backup, she clearly was the one in control the whole time and shouting orders. Even when she was telling the crowd of people to move along, she had an authoritative tone of voice which suggests not to mess with her. At the end they said sometimes being a female officer is beneficial to them, because a lot of people don't see them as threatening and that makes it easier for them to handle a situation. This relates back to the article where McElhinny talks about how female cops are usually the easier ones to talk to. Women are better at sorting out problems and handling the more emotional part of the job. These two cops seem like they do a pretty good job of handling the physical part as well.
Brady Wolfe
This video that was chosen is a great portrayal of women cops in their everyday line of work. After watching I have much more respect for female police officers, who have to "earn the trust and respect," in their field. The women in this video, much like McElhinny expressed in her article have had to adopt some male norms which were showed in the aggressive force they used to make the man spit out the weed. What the video didn't show, as well as the one in class, was how female cops resort more to the art of language than to aggression to gain their respect. The idea of female cops making headway in the police force, makes the opportunities for females in other masculine jobs more foreseeable in the future.
ReplyDeleteI too thought this video was excellent for this reading. I think it would be interesting to see how these females "earn their respect" while "breaking down the barriers" that they are confronted with. While watching this video, I find it interesting because I find that race has no impact on my respect for police officers. Their title is enough to gain my respect. However, I think it should have been documented how they gain that respect against other male officers in the district. Nevertheless, this was a great blogpost for the reading!
ReplyDeleteThis video did a great job of showing what the article was arguing. It very clearly demonstrates the way female police officers are assertive and powerful without the actual physical use of force. This blog ties directly into what we spoke about in class, the female police officers are characterizing themselves in the same way. They both are in full control of the situation, giving orders to others - as well as dealing with the emotionally charged individuals. I find this to be very interesting, it is a stereotype that seems to be extremely true, women can deal with fragile individuals better than there male counterparts. I agree with the first comment in saying that female police officer gains may be foreshadowing gains by women in other male dominated jobs.
ReplyDeleteThe article hit on many point how female officers were able or aimed to handle situations with language before the physical. This video didn't show that as much. The two females were working in a tough part of town and they had to hold their own because they were automatically seen as weak. It was stated at the end of the clip it was that they appear less threatening and that helps them defuse some situations easier. Which relates to the article how women handle situations differently because of the way they appear to the outside world, but in their case isn't always the case.
ReplyDeleteI also thought this video did a good job at underlining what McElhinny was arguing in her article in that female police officers have many stereotypes that they have to overcome. However, in the video the police women is more physical and aggressive (even more so than her male counterparts) and McElhinny stressed that women cops are more likely to use language than physical force. The video did do an excellent job at highlighting the fact that women police often have to prove themselves and a lot of people, such as the nurse, often are more judgmental of them over males. This was a very insightful and good blogpost.
ReplyDeleteI think this video did a great job of showing a powerful female police officer after reading the McElhinny article. It was interesting because the article talks about how female officers use their speech to gain control over the situations and in this particular example, the woman was using force as well as speech. She was forcing the man down that she was going to arrest and yelling orders. This was a great example of a female officer in complete control of the situation and it showed her taking her job as a female officer one step further than was described in the article.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! McElhinny's article focused on the different gendered social norms between male and female police officers. After watching the video, it seems like McElhinny left out a major issue in the argument--how two female officers can work together independently of male counterparts. It would be interesting to see if a one of the policewomen would take the traditional male role in the partnership.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the article because it showed how women have to go against the many challenges they face being police officers. I think it is interesting that the video shows two female police officers because that is something that is hardly ever seen today. Women police officers usually have a male counterpart to help them with the physical aspect of the job. Overall it is interesting to see the female police officers do the job that is typically done by a man.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the numerous other comments stating that this video clip is an excellent depiction of McElhinny’s argument. It exemplifies women’s ability to adopt and adapt the qualities seen as valuable to the position of a law-enforcement officer. However, my one critique of McElhinny is that she does little to actually challenge gender roles. While a woman’s ability to write a detailed report and handle verbal conflict well is acknowledged, she is still aligning women with the stereotypes associated with the female gender. This could be considered problematic because women are simply being stereotyped in yet another setting rather than seen as challenging those roles.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great clip to use because it discusses the barriers that women face when entering traditionally male dominated occupation, like a police officer. They discuss how these female officers have to earn respect because of working in a rough neighborhood and being women. These women do however show how they use physicality in their job. One police officer explains how she has had to tackle suspects. These female officers using physicality differs from McElhinny’s point that there is a redefinition of strength as institutional rather than physical. I think this video does show how women create a space for themselves in a traditional masculine occupation. This video shows McElhinny’s concept “economy of affect.” These two officers restricted and constrained their emotions when dealing with a suspect.
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