de-jargon-ator

AGENCY - the ability of individuals to shape their own lives.

usually contrasted with

SOCIAL STRUCTURE - the "given" social conditions and power relations

usually, conscious agency is about breaking out of

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS - a perception of an individual, group, or idea that is 'constructed' through cultural or social practice (dictionary.com); for example, class, race and gender are social constructs.

but in my class, I see this:

MODELING AGENCY - the asserted ability of an individual (shall I say a model minority?) to choose to portray herself/himself in stereotypically disempowered ways (sex slave, dragon lady, nerd, martial arts master, bakla (nelly queen)), (but not with the purpose of making fun of the stereotypes), with no thought to consequences for others. I recognize that you gotta get paid and I might even enjoy the show (ok, I will). But that doesn't negate the consequences (Prof Gem, PhLOL, 2008).