Maker culture, with its goal to get everyone access to the traditionally male domain of making, has focused on the first. But its success means that it further devalues the traditionally female domain of caregiving, by continuing to enforce the idea that only making things is valuable.
Debbie Chachra, “Why I Am Not a Maker,” The Atlantic, January 23, 2015.
Why did this particular passage grab your attention and what elements of your past experiences, current interests, or future plans did it kindle?
This passage caught my attention because it highlights the difference in values in society. The idea of pushing male-dominated ideas or structures forward has not been lost on me. It has always been something at the forefront of my mind and will continue to be in the future. The way I interpret it is approaching being a maker is not that making or new innovations are not important or even inherently bad. As a Computer Science major, I can see the importance of those things but I think the author is more so touching on the latter part of the quote. That is, by spotlighting traditionally male-led fields, society lessens the importance of other aspects of life like caregiving. As I look toward the future, that is something I want to focus more on and learn to find a balance in doing both instead of trying to mold to fit into doing the first because it is more rewarded. I believe there is a space to do both and value both.
Under the large umbrella of Digital (Arts &) Humanities, which areas of inquiry, methods or techniques are you most eager to pursue this term and why?
I am interested in exploring more 3D modeling. More specifically, I want to see how we can use 3D modeling and printing to preserve the past and present. That is understanding more the implications of having physical objects lasting past lifetimes and what that means of how future generations would interpret that. A concept that has always fascinated me is how much gets passed down simply through oral communication. By having physical models as well, I feel as if that adds a new layer to what we can communicate and I look forward to learning more about that in this class.
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I’m intrigued by this point that Chachra makes because it helps pay gratitude to some people who contribute immensely to society but are never recognized for their deeds. A marvelous achievement of a student is a result of the student’s knowledge, as well as help from his teacher, other students, books, parents, etc. Sometimes it’s hard to recognize these little things but people always depend on one another for growth. Therefore domains of making and caregiving are intertwined and both valuable to everyone in society, although people tend to things that come as a result of making for entertainment. I feel like it’s not a problem of whether caregivers are devalued because of makers; rather, it’s a problem of whether caregivers are being recognized and given the gratitude they need for doing what they do (and they should be recognized for such endeavors).