Monday, October 26, 2009

Wise's "Whites Swim in Racial Preference"

I really enjoyed the simple but powerful metaphor explained at the beginning of this article. The comparison to fish and water with the concept of white people to themselves was something which easily caught my attention. Sad, but true.
1. "Yet few whites have ever thought of our position as resulting from racial preferences. Indeed, we pride ourselves on our hard work and ambition, as if somehow we invented the concepts."
- This point is as clear as day. Rarely, are African American workers of any type described as "hardworking" or "ambitious", but rather lazy. While this stereotype is far from true, it is considerably used in everything from entertainment to actual hiring processes. We as white Americans believe that we are given the advantage of already being seen as hard working in the first place. When a little white boy finishes a puzzle, he is applauded for and considered a "hard worker" from an early age. When a little African American boy finishes a puzzle, he is slightly encouraged to continue and then often thought of by others as "good for something".
Rarely, if ever, are hard work and encouragement common factors in describing racial stereotypes involving non-white groups.

2. "If only I had been black, I would have gotten into my first choice college."
-I will confess to the fact that two years ago, I thought the same thing. While I endlessly ranted that I was unfairly judged for admission to my first choice school, I often quoted my anger at Affirmative Action, complaining that because I "was the 701 st white middle class qualified applicant out of 700", I was denied admission regardless of my qualifications. While this theory may continue to hold down future students, Affirmative action does need to be fixed so that it helps people of ALL backgrounds, without isolating others just because a certain quota has been met.


3. " We strike the pose of self sufficiency while ignorning the advantages we have been afforded in every realm of activity."

--This quote very much goes along with the first quote. Along with the idea of an unseen "white privledge", we ALL involuntarily take on this "pose" of self-sufficiency. We reap out all of the advantages that we can out of the fact that we were born white. Everything from crimes, to jobs, to communitve decision making is determined instantly by our "given" self-sufficiency. Whether we choose to accept it or not, however, is where the real problem and solution lie together.....Which are we, the "cure or the disease"?????

Monday, October 19, 2009

Taking Point #5: Kahne and Westheimer

#1: "As is commonly the case, with new policy inititives, however, more attention has been focused on moving forward than asking where we are headed."

I could not agree more to this statement. Endless campaigns talk of "moving forward". While I will agree that its about time we abandon this recession on the side of the road, I highly think the better question for us to ask ourselves is really, "where the heck are we going?". Are we really going to take on the challenge of moving foward with no direction nor any inititive to where exactly we want to head? Metaphorically speaking, we are in a car saying, lets get out of here for the future. A good question to accompany that, would be "do we have an actual destination, or are we simply going to just drive until we run out of gas and are stranded?"


#2: "In contrast, much of the current discussion regarding service learning emphasizes charity, not change."

I'm not sure as to whether or not I agree with this. While charity is without doubt a driving force here, charity is moreso than not set forth to stop a negative attribute and to "make change" happen to those in need of charity. Can you really have change without charity? Doesn't each one reflect the other? I, for one, am not entirely sure I agree with this. The way I see it, they are reflections of one another.


#3: "One of the students wrote, "I was scared because my mom had told me it was a bad neighborhood and to be careful."

One of the biggest problems in any teenager's view of life right now, are their stereotypical parents. With nearly three generations still around to spread their early learned 1940's-70's prejudices, parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, etc. are all "spreading thier word" as a result of the things they "think they know" because of the stereotypes they are refusing to unlearn. My dad, for one, is a great guy who has been trying to drop stereotypes for a long time. However, upon instinct, will tell me that there's an area that is a "bad neighborhood", even though he has never been there. He is living off of the stereotype that has been in such an area for decades. Parents are larger-than-life role models for their children. Regardless, while they are often their child's hero, they can also be thier own worst enemy. Their involuntary comments, gestures and slang can and will inadvertedly be passed on, if nothing is done to stop this. Children will grow up not in their own personal fears, but rather in the shadows of their parent's stereotypes.

Talking Points #4

We are all taught the typical stereotypes set out to us as children. Whether we viewed them in Disney movies, picture books, and/or in reality, these stereotypes of race, sex, orientation, and background continue to haunt us as we attempt to rid them of our lives. For one, Christensen has a good point at discussing how many stereotypes we are taught without even realizing it. As children we watch endless cartoons, animated films and TV shows depicting stereotypes in a blunt form. Everything from Disney princesses to classic cartoons depicts the stereotypes we try so hard to subdue.
#1: "Look Ursula the sea witch is ugly and smart. Hey, she's kind of dark looking."
While it is a common topic of conspiracy that Walt Disney himself was a stereotypical man, evidence like this proves the point of controversy in total. For one, a trip in late 2008 to Disney gave me an experience like I had never seen before. A family friend of ours brought us behind the scenes of an MGM imagining studio where a small "museum" displays the work of some of Disney's infamous characters. Ursula, being one of them, was FAR OFF from the original character she is described as (and far from what she was originally drawn as in earlier works). Her voice-over, body form, and personality (entirely) shadows that of an "average stereotypical" middle aged African American woman.

#2: "Happiness means getting a man, and transforming from wretched conditions can be achieved by consumption--- in their case, through new clothes and a new hairstyle."
This quote, especially, is extremely important. Young women allover the country search endlessly for their "dream man". Sadly enough, millions of them loose their individuality just to fit in so that they can find their "man". To the average young girl who adores watching her favorite Disney Fairy Tale, fixing your hair and getting some flashy clothes will fix nearly EVERYTHING. NO! This rather creates a big problem. Not only does it seem as though films are trying to work with the clothing industry of America, but it also gives out a false sense of security for girls around the nation. While girls and women alike look to their childhood fairy tales as a sense of comfort in "one day finding Mr. Right", the process gone through to achieve this is extremely ridiculous.

#3: "Because we can never look like Cinderella, we begin to hate ourselves". Whether we are men or women, we all do this. We sit there and pity ourselves for not resembling "over-the-top perfect" cartoon characters. They are Cartoon characters!!!!!!!!!! No real woman's complexion is that perfect. No real woman has a perfectly shaped body with a spotless waistline and perfect balance and posture. It just isn't happening, and overall will never happen. These truly fake and hope-crushing images have fooled millions. As depressing as it sounds, its true: we begin to hate ourselves as if we are solely responsible for not resembling an "imperfectly perfect" cartoon character.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Talking Points #3: Gayness and Community

For one, the general public often forgets the issue of sexual orientation when presented with thoughts of embracing diversity. While those who fill in the categories of SCWAAMP often degrade others of different color and ethnicity, no one takes more of a verbal beating with harassment than the gay community. Sadly enough, a person's public status can entirely be 'destroyed' by others regardless of the fact that they are white, middle class, catholic and able-bodied. The second an onlooker hears that they are of a different sexual orientation, the dirty looks and slurred remarks begin. This is downright sad.



#1: "Thus the words "homosexual", "gay", "lesbien" and "queer" have histories we have to consider when we invoke them." (Carlson, 235) In a culture based off of diversity and independence, we as Americans continue to go about our everyday lives using slang words like such in describing someone who either annoys us, humiliates us, or outsmarts us. Rarely do we realize what kind of negative tribute we are paying to the Gay culture. In elementary schools and middle schools, the words are highly overused to make fun of weak or silent children who "are not of the norm". No wonder our culture continues to reak of unending stereotypes. The words are used incorrectly far too often, and this is primarily one of the many reasons we find these words hard to forget (or use properly).



#2: "Some young people, particularly in big cities, are beginning to bring their "out" identities to high school, affirming who they are and asserting their rights." (246)

-This, in my opinion, is an extremely turbulent topic to discuss. Should groups be formed in stages as early as high school? While the general answer is 'yes', that the groups allow students to embrace rather than fight themselves, the issue rather involves a greater concern on outside parties (the rest of the student body for example). While mockery and name-calling can only go so far, will organizations like such lead to heavier bullying and/or harassement for closet homosexuals who wish to hide their identity. Say for example, a 'popular jerk' sees who attends these meetings. Will this give him/her a map to who the school's actual homosexuals are? While school can help a student embrace themselves from 8am-3pm, the actual events of what happens outside of school hours are what truly determine a student's future. Is this willing to be risked?



#3: "Some gay males in urban areas feel as though getting AIDS is just inevitable, and is just a part of being gay" (253)
-This is extremely sad. The stereotype displayed in popular culture that all gays will receive AIDs because of their sexual orientation is horrendous. It is inhumane and so wrong for someone who is gay to sit there and think, "because of my orientation I'm going to automatically extract a deadly disease and die young; oh well :( "Therein lies the problem with pop culture in solving our country's issues with being different. With being an African American you are prone to being forced into hard labor and little pay? With being gay you will indefinately receive AIDS? This is not only terrible, but also a true knock in the face to the word stereotype. Films such as "Philadephia" may hold great story lines and phoenominal actors, however conveys the wrong message entirely. I would love to hear other's thoughts on prime examples of what has made this a recurring stereotype with homosexuality.