From the guy who wrote stuff white people like

this editorial about the census

How important is it to be bilingual?

I don't know why I didn't talk about this earlier on, especially when we were discussing the importance of language and the idea of bilingualism in class. This is something my dad brought to my attention when the Presidential Elections were taking place in 2008 and also the campaigning process prior to that. He raised really interesting point--why do none of the presidential candidates speak another language?

In our world today, we have interactions with people from all over the world. This is especially true in terms of politics--diplomats, presidents, and ambassadors are communicating and meeting on a daily basis. But how come we expect others who come here to know English and to be able to communicate with us? We often judge others whenever they speak with an accent or grammatical errors, but realistically speaking, these diplomats and politicians are better able to communicate with American politicians on an intellectual level that is not even their native language.

What my dad said to me really got me thinking, why aren't our presidents able to speak another language? What kind of message does it send to politicians around the world and what impact does the fact that these politicians often need translators have on the relationships between our politicians and the politicians of other countries?

It is no doubt that English is one of the most spoken languages around the world even though it comes third after Chinese (spoken by 874 million people) and Hindi (spoken by 336 million people). People around the world are learning English from an early age. Why is that in American society the importance of learning a foreign language is only stressed after middle school, if stressed at all?

I really do think being able to speak more than one language is important; particularly for someone who is in a position to interact with world leaders.

Do you guys think our future presidents should be able to speak more than one language?

True Blood

Has anyone seen True Blood? Sure, its a show about vampires, but it is extremely interesting and says a lot about society. In the show, the vampires are the new "minority" and struggle to find a place in society. Its really interesting to watch how they mirror the minority groups of today- fighting for marriage rights and the right to be treated fairly. The humans have applied untrue and dangerous stereotypes to them and refuse to let them be truly apart of society simply because they are different. The humans that are openminded are treated as outcasts. It seems silly and ridiculous, but it really points out how ignorant and absurd our society can be by the underlying comparisons.

The vampires in the show are shown as different based on their past culture, food (synthetic blood of course,) and general characteristics. Everyone is afraid of them and wants to kick them out of town before even getting to know them. Once the vampires attempt to assimilate and one wrong thing happens in an isolated incident, all of them are treated as guilty. If you have not seen the show, I think you should try watching it (its a little vulgar and graphic beware) because it really points out some interesting things that apply to what we have talked about all semester!

Theatre and Race

On the same line as Avenue Q there is a theatre company in St. Louis that specializes on productions that are race and ethnic related. This organization takes world events that affect that St. Louis area and makes productions that brings light to the issues. They are more a teaching organization. The do not have an actual theatre location the organization rents out places but they have done a number of productions here in Xavier hall. They did a production about Pakistani women who live in St. Louis. The production was put together by storied women here is St. Louis had to share about their life in Pakistan and here in America. They are working on a new production, this too is based of storied from people right here in the city, that is called something to the likes of "The Black Crows". The premiss is based on the people in St. Louis who are often overlooked but make the world to others. The woman who is in charge of this organization came and talked to our class and one of the examples she shared with us was about a homeless man who without knowing saved a mans life. The homeless man person always said have a good rest of the day to everyone that walks by. One day a man who is planning on committing suicide walks by the man and he says to him have a great day. The man then realizes, if this homeless man can stay positive why shouldn't I; there is always something or someone more worse off. Obviously this homeless man doesn't realize he save this man's life but he had touched someone. Those people who are so overlooked are also so valuable to life. I think the idea of making educational production to bring large social topic down to size for an audience is a very good way to spread a message and possibly change.

Im sure you all are wondering why I didn't include the company name. Well, I didn't actually take notes on the presentation and I can not, for the life of me, find anything about the company, the woman's name, or the productions I mentioned above online. I have no idea why, sorry. If I ever do fine it i will let you know.

Everyone's A Little Bit Racist

Just about the story line...

The musical is bases off a book written by Jeff Whitty. His inspiration was Sesame Street. He takes the basic ideas of Sesame Street by basing the character after those on the show (although more controversial), setting it on a street (although this one is rundown), and brings, for the first time, puppets and onstage actors together for the audience. Both the live characters and puppet characters sing, and short animated video clips are played as part of the story. The production is so controversial because it deals with real life lesson about homosexuality, race, and sex. These topics combined make it an adult rated puppet show, so mush so they are required to make a claim about how it is not affiliated with PBS by any means.

This is very interesting to me; the use of a childish characters or props (puppets) but applied to adults. We post a lot about comedians and the use of race as jokes. How it is okay to laugh sometimes and how it is not other times. I think by taking topics that are difficult to talk about and using something such as comedy or theatre we can look at them and really see how they affect our society. I think that theatre is an especially interesting way of adapting what is happening at large in society and bring it down to size for an audience. It shows the audience they too can actually relate; although, they might think that problems with racism, homosexuality, and the like exist outside their realm. By bringing it closer to the everyday level people experience the moral of the story and maybe even reflect on their own ideas about the topic discusses.

We talked about the song everyone is a little racist so I just wanted to post a clip on the blog so everyone could hear a little of it.

It's at the Fox this weekend if anyone is interested in seeing it.

Minority Workers

Today in class I was thinking about one time when a Mexican family came to do some landscaping for my dad. The only person that spoke English was a little boy who came with them and he was about 6. He was the only one who could communicate with me, and I could tell they were all family members and it was a type of business we had talked about in class. If anything, I did not look down on them at all...I admired their work ethic and how close they were. The 6 year old did not ever complain even though it was about 100 degrees outside. I brought him a Powerade and he was amazed because he had never tried one. At the time, I thought it was weird that he had never even heard of Powerade, but why would he? Its something truly culturally American.

The thing that struck me about this little boy was how well he translated and communicated between the other workers and I. He was so well spoken. He was in second grade and talked to me about his classes, and although he seemed a little nervous and apprehensive to talk to me, he was unbelievably polite. How could people be mad about this? My dog, a boxer, is hyper but sweet, and she was so trusting of these people that she did not bark when they arrived (and she usually does with strangers) and I had no idea they were there. She stayed by the little boy and gently walked next to him the entire time. He told me that she was the only dog that had ever been nice to him, which surprised me. Moose, my dog, taught me a very valuable lesson about trust that day- it has nothing to do with skin color, stereotypes, or assumptions... its all about qualities that everyone is often way too quick to judge.

"This is Alabama, we speak English."

WOW!

So, after reading the post about the immigration laws in Arizona, I came across an article talking about an Alabama candidate for governor Tim James’ new ad. In the ad, James talks about how the state of Alabama gives the driver’s license exam in 12 languages. James promises that as governor he will ensure that the exam will only be given in English. In the ad he is quoted as saying, “This is Alabama, we speak English. If you want to live here, learn it.” I was completely shocked by the ad and the extremely controversial statements that James makes in his ad.

To me, the ad has serious undertones of being anti-immigration. I view the ad as Alabama (particularly Tim James) discouraging the influx of immigrants in to its state. In such a progressive nation, it is extremely sad and discouraging to see such a radical push for a seemingly-backwards change.

What do you all think about this ad?

Visit Youtube to view the ad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9ohsvJHkbY&feature=player_embedded

Race v Ethnicity

Our class discussions about the differences between race and ethnicity are interesting. To me, race is depicted as almost a negative quality, even cold while, ethnicity is illustrated as more positive, warm, and pleasant. During class, I asked if there are ways in which we can view race in a more positive light. I keep trying to think about an answer to my question. I am still not sure that I know an answer to my question. But I tried to think about the conception of race as a biological entity. I was wondering if we can view race positively as a means to biological diversity. Beyond the cultural aspects, there is an element of actual biological differences—most particularly the physical features of an individual. Can we view attractiveness in a way that is reflected as purely biological (racial), rather than as ethnic beauty? I think that this is somewhat feasible. In our society, there is such an awareness of beauty (as can be illustrated by the many posts that discussed beauty). And beauty is merely a interpretation of biological features. It may be a stretch, but I think it kind of works…

Do you all have any other ways to try to depict race as more positive? Or any feedback?

Class Today

Today in class, I realized how truly differently I do think about race and ethnicity in an every day setting. Listening to my friends talk, I pick up on a lot of societal cues that I would not have a few months ago. I question racial jokes and wonder why they were provoked or necessary, beyond just simply thinking they were wrong-- I wonder what has happened in society to make them exist.

I have learned that whether we like it or not, racial issues are everywhere. My friend said earlier this week, "I cant believe you have talked about race and ethnicity for an entire four months...well I guess until everyone is the same orangey gray color it will always be an issue." At first, I laughed and then I thought about it...and there was a lot of truth and sadness in that statement. Yes, everyone will remain different colors (orangey gray would be pretty weird after all) but will it always remain an issue? Or is it possible that society will evolve to be open-minded enough so that skin color is simply like hair color or eye color.

I think we have at least all progressed to a good point where we recognize deeper racial issues and see the societal reasons behind them- hopefully, and ideally, this will lead us to be less judgemental and allow us to use our knowledge progressively. Perhaps I am being too optimistic, but I honestly believe and hope it does not take an orangey gray color to make us all see each other the same.

Language

This comedian shit was used in my social psychology class. We were talking about how language is a key symbol in our society but lately with slang and the different uses for word it has become harder for even Americans who speak "american english" to communicate. This is because in order to communicate we need to have a shared set of meanings or symbols, language is that for us. When we cant understand what people are saying or what they mean by what they are saying problems understanding and communicating occur. We talked about the importance of a shared understanding because without it we have nothing to ground us together as a society, as a people. This skit is not racist. It just takes words that have more than one meaning and applies them to what could be confusing for people who do not understand the slang of the language. It does have some bad language so be aware before you view.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFW6NHbWX0E&feature=PlayList&p=644BE081C8793BC7&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=2

My Baptist Church Experience

Freshman year, I got my first taste of what it felt like to not be liked because of your race (well, the first one I was aware of at least) when I attended a Baptist church service not too far from campus with an African American lady I had become close to through Campus Kitchen. Before my roommate and I left for church, she said "Dont let them bother you. Dont let anyone get you down, you two are beautiful the way you are and dont let that race stuff get to you." I had never considered that it would be an issue.

We were the only two white people in the entire building that Sunday- the first time I had ever stood out that much. Everyone was very friendly, except for a few older men who shot us glares. At the time, I had wondered why it mattered so much- after all, it was a church. Today, I realize we had imposed on their comfort zone. By entering that church, we made race matter even if it should not have. I was never mad about the experience- I have always been so grateful for it. It is so important to realize that people treat you a certain way because of how they have been treated in the past. The glares were probably a direct result of how other white people have made him feel in the past, and whether we liked it or not, we had invaded a comfort zone. I think it would be great if more white people, especially those that do not believe race matters anymore, would be put into more situations when they are not the norm or unmarked...it really opens your eyes to what is still happening in society.

Arizona Immigration Law

So most of you would probably have heard about the new immigration law signed by the governor of Arizona last Friday. There is a lot of anguish and protest against the law, which requires that police officers check the immigration status of anyone if there is "reasonably suspicion" that that person is illegally residing in the U.S.

Besides the argument that the law is unconstitutional since states cannot pass laws that deal with foreign affairs, many people also believe that this law would become an excuse for racial profiling. The "reasonably suspicion" under which the police officer is allowed to ask civilians for their identification documents is not very clearly defined at this point. Many people are afraid that this would allow the police to abuse their power.

I think this immigration law is dangerous. If left unchallenged, it would create a precedent that would give ways to laws condoning racial profiling and other racialized act. What stuns me more is the prejudice and misconception about Latinos that become some of the main reasons people use to defend this law. One civilian caller on CNN has the idea that these illegal immigrants constitute all the criminals and druggies in his state and that getting rid of them would solve all the problems.

I think this shows just how deep racism is embedded in our society. Unfortunately, there is very little that can be done to change the biased opinions of these people.

Ethnicity, Beauty, and Jessica Simpson??

Once again I am writing a blog about a show that I have been watching. It is Jessica Simpson's The Price of Beauty (I'm a loser, I'm aware), I was very intrigued by the concept of this show though, even if it did have to include Jessica Simpson. The premise of the show is that Jessica travels to a number of different countries to learn about what it means to be beautiful in different cultures. I am surprisingly pleased with this show everytime I do watch it, not only does it have a very good tone but it also promotes cultural relativism and embracing the things that make us all different.

I began thinking that this show could really help give people in the US have a better grasp and understanding of other peoples and ethnicities. And the really nice thing about the show is that it is packaged is an easily accessable form for American audiences. In each episode Jessica and her two friends really learn about the people and the view of beauty in each country they go to. There are fact bubbles that pop up throughout the show; and there is always a focus on an action that may seem extremely strange to Americans but is still graspable. I think it is really good that this show exists, even if it is not the most scientific of ethnographic studies, I believe it is a good step into improving understanding and even more importantly, embracing diversity; both in our own culture and across others.

Language and Health Care

While we are on the topic of language, I thought it would be good to bring up how it is affecting health care, especially Spanish. In medical ethics, we have been talking a lot about this recently. The main issue is the problem of translators- how do we communicate the right medical information while maintaining confidentiality and make sure everyone is completely informed?

Recently, there has been issues especially in smaller towns with medical care and the Spanish speaking population. I cannot remember where or when this happened, but in some small town there was a lot of racial tension because of the influx of illegal immigrants.... it got so bad that several people actually died because the health care workers either turned them away from the emergency room or did not understand the severity of their problems.

Another issue that is huge is translating signs and medical waivers and information-- some hospitals argue that due to funding, they are unable to translate information because it is "expensive." This country is facing a lot of health care reform, and I think it is necessary for the general public to understand how unethical it is for health care workers to not be able to communicate with their patients! Translators and translated information needs to be the norm, not an exception. It is absolutely tragic that people have to die because of a language barrier in one of the most developed countries in the world.

Racism Funny?

So, I am a very big fan of the late night comedy/talk show on the E! network; Chelsea Lately. The host of the show is comedian Chelsea Handler whose extreme honesty and bluntness are the reason for her outrageous success and popularity. This shocking form of comedy does commonly include jokes that could be considered borderline if not fully racist. These types of jokes are commonplace and generally well received by both her audience and fellow comedians that accompany her on the show. And the majority of these other comedians are all types of different people, her 'round table' as it is called is a picture of diversity.

In all my time watching this show, which I have to admit is quite frequently (every night), I have never really thought too much about these jokes. In all honesty I was never really offended, but I did notice the frequent presence of jokes based on or rooted in a racial topic. Maybe it is the fact that so many of the comedians are of many races, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations, and even body size (her personal assistant is a mexican little person) that has prevented me from taking any serious notice of the use of race for humor on her show.

Yet, tonight while I was watching, I was really listening more to what was being said on the show and found myself thinking where this fits into the discourse of race. We have discussed in class how when people are comfortable with the friends around them, jokes with a racism tone can occur and aren't necessarily taken negatively, but can that be held true for when these jokes among friends are then put on national television? Is it funny or is it wrong? If I laugh at the jokes is that wrong? What is the right way to view this type of situation? Chelsea Handler herself even stated "I think being racist is really funny. When I say a Chinese person is good at math, that's a compliment. It's not like I'm saying they smell like egg rolls." So, is this actually racism? Or is it just comedy? What do you guys think?

Are they talking about me?

Let me just say that chapter 3 described my life--in more than one context.
I was reading the part in which Urciuoli describes Lena and her perception of the women who appear to "forget" English and switch to speaking Spanish. Lena disagrees with their excuse that they are "Spanish people" and asserts that they are just pretending to be forgetting English. The women, on the other hand, claim that they easily forget that Lena cannot speak Spanish so it is sometimes easier for them to switch to their native tongue. But they also point out that they are not talking about Lena in any way.

Here's where I can relate. I was actually having coffee with my neighbor the other day and he is from Puerto Rico. His friend (also from Puerto Rico) saw us sitting outside and decided to join us. We talked about a number of things but all of a sudden they started speaking in Spanish completely. I don't really know that much Spanish so I was really just sitting there waiting for them to finish. From time to time my neighbor would stop and tell me what they were talking about--they were discussing an ongoing strike in Puerto Rico. I knew for a fact that that's what they were talking about because I heard the word "huelga" throughout their conversation many times and I know that it means "strike".

But if I didn't know any Spanish at all, would I have felt uncomfortable like Lena? Would I think that they were talking about me and would I feel uneasy and uncomfortable? I felt uncomfortable because I felt casted out, I couldn't jump in the conversation and they know I'm not fluent to hold a coherent conversation for more than 30 seconds, but I didn't feel threatened in any way, is my point.

Lena believes that the excuse "we're Spanish people" doesn't warrant their "forgetting". But is it because they truly forget? Or is it simply because it is easier to communicate and explain things better in Spanish?

I know that Danny and Carlos didn't forget, because they clearly know I cannot speak Spanish and my understanding of their conversation when they are speaking at 50miles an hour is minimal to say the least. But they do it anyway because they have a better control over their ability to communicate to one another and explain things in more precise terms.

Urciuoli - Good English

Urciuoli’s chapter “Good English as Symbolic Capital” was very interesting and informative. I never really thought of the English language and the way in which you speak the English language as capital, but it truly is. As I was reading the chapter, I realized how much this is present, particularly in my own life. My mom is a US citizen and has been for a little over 20 years. She is fluent in both Korean and English. However, she is constantly worried about her use of the English language—the actual words she uses, the structuring of words, her accent, etc.—and what it says about her. She continually checks herself when speaking and seeks the assistance and help of others when preparing for an important discussion or interview.

Additionally, I have a 6-year old sister Haley. As she was and still is learning to speak and form grammatically correct sentences, my mom is still hesitant to model the English language for her. She will always ask me, my sister, or my stepdad to repeat it for Haley. She wants to make sure that Haley will not pick up the accent, incorrect tenses, etc, from her pronunciations.

It is neat to see how the things that Urciuoli studied and described in her book can be seen in everyday life if we stop to think and understand the reasoning behind interactions. It is clear that my mom wants to ensure that she is not viewed as uneducated, lowly, and incapable. She understands, whether consciously or unconsciously, that her use of the English language is important capital.

Use of Black English to Teach Standard American English

Today's video, especially the part where we were introduced to the three African Americans who were students at the MLK School, made me think about how we can use Black English to teach African American children to use Standard American English.

As a psychology student, I have read many studies on the African American community regarding Black English (BE) and Standard American English (SAE). Through the years, researchers have found that African American students comparatively underperform white students in school. Studies have shown that one reason for the underperformance by African American students is due to a language barrier. The students maintain the use of their culturally acquired language BE while the teachers and school systems use SAE. The discrepancy of language hinders the potential progress and opportunities available to African Americans. Teachers must be made aware of this fact and be encouraged and instructed to use BE in their classrooms to assist the achievement of SAE.

It is vital that teachers of African American students realize that the process by which information is acquired is culturally determined. Different ethnicities acquire their knowledge through various means all the while trying to maintain their cultural identity. In order to facilitate the acquisition of SAE by African American students, teachers should be accepting of the BE vernacular. Teachers should incorporate BE in their daily lessons and general communication. When there is acceptance and respect of one’s native language, there is less reluctance to accept SE. The teachers who utilize BE in a respectful and accepting approach will have more success in teaching their students SAE and proper code-switching.

One way in which to teach African American students SAE is to teach in the relational learning style of self-centeredness. Teachers convey the teaching of SAE to their students in a manner that facilitates the desires of a self-centered learner to achieve an education will be beneficial and applicable to solving social problems. It has been found that “the demands of early adult socialization (job seeking, higher education, etc.) may encourage the acquisition of SE competency for the sake of survival or socioeconomic advancement” (Burnett). If teachers show their students the relevance that SAE has on their future, it may help the students to embrace the learning of SAE and learning to properly cod-switch depending upon the context.

Additionally, I have read research that found that children may regard BE as a test of in-group commitment, which would view BE as an acceptable form of speech and SE as selling out. Therefore, African American children may benefit when they learn communally. Teachers can form groups of students that can work together to understand and learn both BE and SAE. The students can work together to use their BE vernacular to translate and form sentences in SAE. By working in groups using both BE and SAE children will not feel that they are neglecting their culture or deviating from the group.

Additionally, teachers can utilize BE in an interaction, motion-filled manner to teach African American students SAE. By moving away from standard teaching methods and using games, songs, and dances that incorporate the use of both BE and SAE could be beneficial in teaching African American students SAE.

Teachers need to concern themselves with teaching African American students SAE and proper code-switching methods. To achieve these objectives, teachers need to step outside the box and use unconventional methods, particularly the incorporation of BE into the school setting. Embracing the students’ culture will only make the learning of SAE more acceptable and important to the students involved.

Do you all have additional suggestions?

Self Segregation

We have talked recently about the concept of self segregation and it has left me wondering- is this concept something that is acknowledged by minority groups? Or is it seen as more of an excuse white people use to justify segregation? This concept goes hand in hand with the idea of comfort zones talked about in the UVA article. Since reading the article and talking about it in class, I have been observing a lot of areas on campus to figure out if they are comfort zones or areas people self segregate themselves to in order to not feel out of place or like minorities. However, I am constantly left wondering who's fault it is for such places... Is it racism and lack of diversity pushing minority students away or are they consciously choosing to congregate in specific areas?

The answer I have found to make the most sense is, well, both. Recently, SLU has been the location for multiple racial incidents, and I know several of my minority friends have mentioned feeling unsafe after them. While a select few performed these acts that no doubt the majority disagree with, how should minority students know that? Perhaps it has prevented minority students from branching out into areas they do not feel comfortable in because they feel out of place or different. Maybe it is both sides fault, with the majority being to blame for ignoring there is an issue. And despite some deep American desire to be an individual, very few people actually enjoy being an outsider.

As a response to this racial hate, quite a few groups have been getting together to be proactive and show support for the SLU community and reject the racial claims. A lot of these members are white and have been demanding SLU acknowledge the issues and do something about them. I admire these groups and completely support them... and as a white student think it is a great way to try to get rid of the hate and bring everyone together. But the question that lingers in my mind continues to be is it enough? Will minority students appreciate the gesture but continue to self segregate? Do minority students consciously self segregate themselves or is this concept offensive? Im having a hard time putting all the pieces together.

Real Women Have Curves

Oh, thought of something else in response to Thoa's latest blog: anyone see the movie "Real Women Have Curves"? It's a good one with America Ferrara about a Mexican-American girl struggling with her body image, her family's traditional values, and fitting into American society.

As we've talked about in other classes, the standard of beauty in a particular culture seems to arise as the most difficult type to attain. When it comes to the United States, though, with such diversity, different standards seem to apply in a variety of ways to people of specific races and ethnic groups. Could this variety eventually throw to the wayside a single view of what's beautiful? Or does it simply provide contrast to the group of people in power as ways not to be?

ASIAN AMERICAN BEAUTY: A DISCOURSE ON FEMALE BODY IMAGE

Video Part I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv-WI6Vlrpk&playnext_from=TL&videos=yEMhOqWBYWI
Video Part II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8XWQ62HdCs&playnext_from=TL&videos=cLWQf9E9k8c

How are Asian American women supposed to look? Thin? Petite? Exotic? Cute?
This post is partially a complement to Chris’s A Girl Like me. The link above is directed to a short film that addresses the issues of Asian American standards of beauty. Winner of the audience favorite at the 30th Annual Asian American International Film Festival in SF, the film is basically a compilation of interviews with Asian American college students at Columbia University, directed by Calvin Sun.

One interviewee speaks, in reference to Asian American standards of beauty, of “two expectations that can’t possibly co-exist.” These Asian students speaks up about the pressure they face in this society to look both “western” (exotic, alluring, and sexy) and “Asian” (innocent, petite, and submissive). As hard as it is to feel comfortable in your own skin nowadays with images of supermodels and Hollywood stars plastered everywhere, Asian Americans, especially the females, have to face this contradiction that makes it even harder for them to establish their own self-identity since their body image is especially tied to their Asian identity.

Another discourse discussed in this film is that of eating disorder, which is more common than most people think in the Asian American population, but is an extremely taboo subject among Asian Americans because of their conservative cultural backgrounds. Sometimes, Asian females feel even more pressure than their white counterparts to be thin because thinnest stereotypically comes with the norm of being Asian; it’s not limitedly viewed an aspired standard trait of beauty, but a norm is what I’m trying to say.

When I was younger, the greatest problem I had with my image was being too tall. Standing at 5’6 right now, I’m pretty comfortable with my height. But imagine being around this height at the age of 13 and standing next to girls who are at least half a foot shorter than you. Every time I went to some Asian events, I always felt like I was the giant in the crowd.

In any case, I think this film begins a good dialogue about the issues that Asian Americans are encountering in regard to our idea of beauty and what the media tries to brainwash us into, and how, if possible, can we change the way the media and other people view us.

Finally, have you guys ever had any problem with your body image and has it ever been tied to your race or ethnicity?

Confederate History Month?

Have you guys heard about this?

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell issued a proclamation to reinstate Confederate History Month without mentioning slavery at all! It was only after President Obama declared this "unacceptable" that the Governor apologized and added a statement portraying slavery as a cause of the Civil War and a "hateful" institution.

I have followed a couple of news reports on CNN interviewing Confederate reenactors and their opinions that the Confederate History Month should be seen as an educational component that recounts the history of the South. But are people forgetting the root cause of the Civil War? Slavery was not ONE of the factors for the Civil War, it was THE factor for conflict.

President Obama said it perfectly in that you cannot understand the Confederacy or the Civil War unless you understand slavery. We live in the 21st century, and we have government officials such as this Governor who do not wish to acknowledge slavery in reinstating a Confederate History Month proclamation? I really don't know what to think right now. It makes me question a lot of things.

Any thoughts?

the noose pictures

Chris asked whether his friend should be labeled a racist because he took the pictures and posted them on Facebook. Chris maintains that his friend is NOT a racist, and that it seems unfair to label him a racist because of his actions in this particular case.

Here's a thought: can we productively distinguish between individual racists and a racist climate in general? That is, can we hold people accountable even when they are not (or claim not to be) racists when they say or do something that can be construed as racially antagonistic by others?

What those 2 SGA officers seem to be claiming is that they are not racists, and that those pictures were misunderstood. What this claim fails to acknowledge is that we still live in a climate that is racist, and we can't ignore that fact when we rationalize our behavior or the behavior of people we know.

What do you think?

Invisible Americans

http://www.aalead.org/content/Report%20-%20Invisible%20Americans.pdf

If you have a little time, I invite you to take a look at this report.

This article discusses the problems and discrimination that millions of Asian Americans have to face that are masked by labels such as the "model minority" and skewed statistics. These misconceptions do no service to those Asians living in poverty and facing racial discrimination because they make their problems invisible. For those who are educated and well off economically, these misconceptions draw attention away from that fact that Asian Americans still face discrimination in the work field today in the form of glass ceilings, are paid less than their Caucasian counterpart who may be less educated than themselves, and may be held to a higher standard in the college admission process of selective schools.

Viewing the conditions of Asian Americans in a pan-racialized way will bury the fact that while Japanese Americans have an 88% graduation rate, other sub groups such as the Hmongs only have a 31% graduation rate. Per capita income for Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian Americans is about half that of whites and Asians are increasingly becoming targets for hate crimes.

Another problem that arise from these Asian stereotypes and labels is the pressure that are put on Asian American students to do well in school. These stereotypes that Asians are naturally intelligent and hard-working make it so that teachers tend to overlook the struggles that Asian American students have in school. Asian parents often latch on these stereotypes and feel that if their child doesn't do well in school, it is considered an embarrassment and a failure on their part as parents. I know of Asian American students who commit suicide because they couldn't fulfill the expectation put on them. There's even a bizarre story about a girl who sneaked into Stanford and posed as a student for a semester because she couldn't tell her parents that she was rejected by the school.

At the end of the day, Asian Americans' problems concerning poverty, discrimination, and unrealistic expectation are very complex because, while relatively few people pretend that African or Latino Americans are well off in America, many people tend to overlook the problems found in the Asian American community because of the labels, myths, and stereotypes.

Racial Slurs and Gran Torino

Today’s class discussion about the use of racial slurs made me think about the movie Gran Torino. Clint Eastwood’s character (Walt) lives his life faithfully believing in stereotypes and demonstrating his racist tendencies. The movie introduced me to a string of racial slurs that I didn’t even know existed. Through the course of the movie, we see Walt befriend the very people that he has spent his entire life marking. The movie illustrates what we have talked about throughout the semester—race and stereotypes can simply be “forgotten” with the formation of friendships, relationships, etc.

First, the movie demonstrates the power of relationships. By forming a relationship, Walt is able to overlook the racial stereotypes. He ultimately sacrifices his life for his new friends. It is incredible to me how powerful the notion of familiarity and friendship can be.

Secondly, in relation to the incident concerning the picture of the noose and note, I think Anelga mentioned that in their resignations they tried to assert the innocence (for lack of a better word) of their actions by claiming their friendship with many minority students. Dr. Fathman’s comment about reevaluating the definition of friendship strikes me as somewhat valid. If these students valued their friendships and respected their friends as people, would they have been okay with their actions? Furthermore, would they be alright with posting the photo for the entire world to see? To me, they did not at all demonstrate that they valued and respected their minority friends. Walt, on the other hand, valued and respected his friends so much that he was willing to lose his life in order to ensure their safety.

Can you think of any other examples of how racism is overcome in cultural mediums?

Do you have any remaining thoughts from today’s discussion?

Obama and the census

Here is a lonk to an article about race and Obama and the census. We all already know this stuff, though!

Contextualizing Racism & The Power of Web 3.0

Maybe you all have heard this story, but I just heard of it today, so I figured I'd push it on forward... even though that's how issues like these start in the first place.

Back in July 2009, a picture was taken of 2 guys who went to SLU and posted on facebook by a friend of mine. 1 of the guys was holding a noose and the other guy was holding a white piece of paper that read something similar to "This noose for white people only" - in an attempt to "not be racist," I think. Turns out the two guys in the photo are in SGA at SLU right now, and the person who took & posted the photo holds a good position at the university also - or did. All 3 of them resigned today.

Now - the photo certainly wasn't funny. Honestly, I didn't even understand it at first, or the sign he was holding - just the noose and the actions that were implied. I don't feel badly for the 2 guys in the photo - maybe I would if I knew them personally, who knows. But I DO know the guy who took the photo - he is a very good friend of mine, and one of the most studious, shy, quiet, friendly people you will ever meet. Even talking to him about it (he knew it was stupid of him to post it now), he feels horrible and never meant anything like this to happen. He truly is like everyone in this class - open towards other people and friendly to all - I can't overemphasize this. He said "It wasn't meant to be racist," and I responded,

"Well - if you didn't mean for it to be racist, isn't that in itself racializing something?"

What do you think? Is it racializing something if you are trying to avoid racializing it?

But to main topic and question - how is race contextualized? This image was post NINE MONTHS before anyone went through facebook and thought to pass it on to someone else. In fact, I'm sure people laughed at it and realized it as a racist joke and passed it on a few times before it came to hold the meaning it now does! All last semester, when race "didn't seem to be an issue for SLU" (from my view, this only recently became important), this image never came up. And I don't think it was a simple fact of someone stumbling over it now - though it could have been. Someone probably realized the person held a position of power at SLU and realized the damage it could cause with the recent controversy of race at SLU.

So how is race and racism contextualized? Why was the image not so important BEFORE, but now that race has become a popular, trending topic at SLU the image dealt SUCH a blow to people?

Would it have had the same affect last year? Why didn't it even have the same effect last semester?

Do you think they should have had to resign from their jobs? If it wasn't so important to make them resign in the past, why is it so important they must resign now? How far can a joke go... to completely eliminate racism, do we need to erase even the simplest of racist jokes?

I think this goes to show what kind of power social networking and the web 3.0 (no longer 2.0!) has on people, the images of people, and the perspective images can make people have over others. Beware! Protect your images and REALIZE - even protected, it will always be cached in the internet! I wonder how long long it will take for everyone to have that "one regretted photo" that they didn't even realize would become a big deal.

Food, race, and ethnicity

I had a dream last night that involved food: Belgian waffles, a Mexican restaurant, and a Chinese restaurant. No need to bore you with the details of the dream, but it made me think about the discussion we had about food in class. When can food be considered racialized and when is it ethnic?

If we apply the threatening-exotic distinction to food, we may be able to assume that any food that is too "out there" for our tastes is threatening and therefore falls into the racial category. Chicken feet? Goat eyes? Intestines? Most of those fall outside the range of acceptable foods in our minds and to our palates. Are they seen as more racialized than ethnic?

But wait -- what about travel shows and cooking shows that feature people eating unfamiliar (to us) foods? Is it the setting that makes those foods seem more exotic and less threatening? Is it the fact that they are being eaten IN THEIR NATIVE LAND that makes them less dangerous because the chance that WE will have to encounter them is more remote?

Do "too native" foods only seem dangerous (we need a better term for this, I think) when they are encountered HERE?

Or, is food a marker that we can manipulate more such that what was once viewed as threatening (still need a better term) is now exotic? Sushi? Guinea pig?

And if we can move the needle on food from dangerous to exotic (and sometimes to mainstream: some accounts put salsa sales ahead of ketchup, but there goes the Wall Street Journal to tramp down that statistic -- is salsa that threatening to the Wall Street types??), can we move it in other areas (language, religion, phenotype -- GASP!)?

This is what happens when I dream about food....

A Girl Like Me & The Doll Test

So I was going to start this post with a question on how gender plays a role in racial studies, but after watching the video, "A Girl Like Me," I'm much more interested in the doll test that was conducted.

If you haven't yet, please take the 7 [short] minutes or so to watch this video: A Girl Like Me

Was anyone else struck in the chest like I was when the children were told to choose which dolls were pretty and good and which dolls were ugly bad? Not that the question itself is bad, but when the little girl chose the white one that was "good," but "knew" the black one was "bad" and further CHOSE it when she was asked, "Which one looks like you?" - I just pretty much wanted to cry. It's a huge eye opener, and I just wanted to give her a hug. How does this happen? How do we not KNOW it's happening?! I would never want someone to feel inferior just because of the color of their skin.

When this same study was conducted by the Dr. Clark and Clark in the 1930's and 40's to study the effects of segregation, they came up with conclusion,

"They viewed the results as evidence that the children had internalized racism caused by being discriminated against and stigmatized by segregation." - Wiki Article Here

This idea of internalizing racism is and isn't a new concept to me. We've been talking about it throughout class that racism seems inherent, biological, but I think "internalized racism" is one we should add to the list. It's descriptive about racism in that we take these categories we base on biology, and rationalize them, and then internalize and apply it to our world in a way we don't realize how much we are doing it anymore. It really is quite an awakening to think about it in this way - but I find it hard to keep it in the forefront of my mind. It's what we need to start doing to start changing things. I never want that study to be reproduced and come to the same conclusions - that video itself should be enough to get us to change things.

So - what do you guys think of internalizing racism & how it's done? Also, how do you think America, society, and the media, works to perpetuate the stereotypes we see in the video? What do you all think needs to change and how should we start changing it?

Equal Employment Opportunity

Our discussion of affirmative action in class last week came up again over the weekend while I was at work. At work, I am sometimes responsible for calling potential employees for job interviews. As I looked through the job applications, I noticed that the actual application incorporated a statement describing the organization as being an equal opportunity employer. It made me think back to Dr. Fathman's description of exactly what affirmative action is and how it actually works. I was interested in how affirmative action and equal opportunity employment would actually play out at my place of employment.

As I continued to look through the applications, I realized that MOST of the names on the applications were ones that I could not pronounce. The head of the department for whom I was scheduling the interviews walked by and I jokingly commented that she was making my life difficult by choosing applicants with names I could not pronounce. She then came over and had a long conversation with me. She told me that she took an individual's ethnicity into account when deciding which applicants to give an interview. She proceeded to describe which ethnicity could be counted on to work hard, which were lazy, which were most agreeable, etc. In all honesty, I was completely shocked. I could not believe that she was openly discussing such blatant stereotyping and racism. I called her out on her racism and she commented that it was simply the truth.

I guess I was just shocked that people could be categorized and stereotyped in such a blatant manner. I thought her comments were stereotypical and unfair. Additionally, I found the stereotypes to discourage the use of evaluating the applicants according to ability and potential. Was I being too sensitive to what she was saying? I wonder, how does this stereotyping fall into the statement of being an equal opportunity employer? Are the stereotypes okay if the employer is hiring minority individuals?

The Power of Labels

I was flipping through a newspaper the other day and read an article about a man in Arizona who had "Honor Killed" his "Americanized" daughter because he believed she disgraced him.

Faleh Almaleki ran over his daughter with his Jeep Cherokee, killing her because he believed she had dishonored her father. The article provided background on the family and the situation, explaining that the Almalekis had come to the United States from Iraq about sixteen years ago. The father was enraged when his daughter, Noor, had broken off a marriage he had arranged for her and when she moved in with her current boyfriend and mother. Her father did not approve of the way "she was living her life--tight jeans, makeup, boyfriends, modeling photos and an attitude that screamed independence and self-determination"(Riverfront Times).

This news story made me think of two things. One was the idea of "Americanization" and the power of cultural practices on a person's perceptions. The father was enraged that his daughter was becoming "Americanized"; that she was wearing tight jeans and makeup. In one of Hartigan's chapters, he discusses how there is sometimes a notion that Americanness=whiteness; and whiteness, many times, is considered to be one thing. But throughout our class discussions, we have come to the agreement that whiteness encompasses many different concepts. Yet, this father views being American as someone who wears tight jeans, makeup, and has boyfriends. The family has, in a way, used these markers to define what it means to be American. It draws the division line between what is acceptable and what is not. In terms of Iraqi culture, wearing makeup and tight jeans is not acceptable and is seen as something only Americans do.
This idea of contrasting one culture with another points to something else--an identity struggle many first-generation immigrant children face. How are they to assimilate and retain their cultural identity at the same time? How much assimilation is enough assimilation?

The second thing that this article made me think about was the power of labels. Although the article goes on to discuss the religious beliefs of the family and the reasons for Faleh killing his daughter, I do not agree with the description on the front cover of the newspaper describing the article. It read "A Muslim man in Phoenix "Honor Killed" his Americanized daughter". For one, labeling the man with his religious identity brings in a sort of bias from the beginning. A more objective way of describing the news story would have been to simply say that a man killed his daughter because he believe she dishonored him. If the man were Christian, would the news story say "A Christian man killed his daughter" instead? Why or why not? What do you all think?

Between the Colorful and the Colorless

In the documentary we saw in class on Tuesday, the guy narrating it (I looked up William Henry Gates... but that's Bill Gates?) said something that got me really thinking and really confused at the same time. And - as usual per my luck, the my question wasn't answered.

He said (paraphrasing), "I want to live in a humanity where people are not color-blind, yet are not reducible to color."

What a profound statement! Yet, is this possible? Is there a gray area between these two ideas? To me, it's kind of like saying, "Well... I want to be male, but I also want to be female." (And please, let's not get into transgenders... completely different story and I'd argue many of them still choose one to identify with, but I digress). You can't HAVE both, but at the same time BOTH are causing the issue!

If we reduce ourselves to being color-blind, then a lot of people are overlooked and the issue of discrimination and bias is ignored. This isn't healthy and just further perpetuates inequality. Yet at the same time we can't reduce people to the color of their skin - this reinforces racist sentiments and race as biology - that people are inherently different at a genetic level, reflected in a phenotypic way. Additionally, it ignores the many other aspects of people as both individuals and populations. They aren't their skin color, but an internal being reflecting the biology, culture, and environment they were raised in. Black isn't Seth - Seth is black. It's just one quality of a much larger picture. At the same time - Blackness IS an identity builder - one can't have an identity without reference to their culture and environment, and in our world for many people blackness IS the culture (at least an incredibly large part of it - something inseparable, the pinnacle of what helps them identify themselves).

So, what is between the colorful and the colorless? How do we find this, and what is the answer? Is the answer recognizing the current racism and discrimination that DOES exist at both an explicit and implicit level and attempting to deal with it? I would beg yes - but then does that reduce that part of our society to an aspect of color? How do we begin to realize that issues we see as racial issues are really just manifestations of the inequality that is currently perpetuated in our society - CAN we separate racial and inequality issues, or are they intrinsically intertwined?!

I demand thoughts on this issue. :]

If race is a natural constant; is racial bias a natural constant by default?

This was one of my own questions at the end of the second set of discussion questions. As I was writing about the fluidity as well as the fixedness of nature; I got into thinking that this ties into race. My perception was that race fits perfectly into this concept. In our world race is every changing and evolving; as people adapt to new surroundings, mate with others of different races, we see true physical changes to what is considered race. There are no longer enough categories for all the races that exist, which is certainly a good thing. Yet I cant help but to believe that even though this is occurring, the different racial categorizations will never go away for good. There will never be one single physical form that humans will take on. There will always be distinctions, especially with race.

As I was thinking this through, it got me thinking about racial bias and racism and how it may be tied to this. If race is a natural constant, could it be that racial bias is as well. Unfortunately as humans, we tend to alienate and shy away from what we do not understand or from what is not similar to ourselves. I believe that racial bias can also be fluid and changing in the way that it is acted upon both on an individual and a large scale, but will it ever truly disappear. Unfortunately, I seem to feel that as long as race distinctions still exist, there will always be some kind of bias that it is accompanied with it. What are your thoughts?