7 Worst International Aid Ideas
This link isn't humorous... they are real ideas that, with all good intentions, hurt more than they helped.
I think this is very relevant to the discussion we had today.
One other scenario that comes to mind- I believe Nick Kristof told us this story- is that George Clooney bought an expensive well for a community in Africa, obviously with good intentions. However, surrounding communities wanted access to this resource, and it eventually caused greater conflict than helped. (I'm having trouble finding an article immediately on this... anyone know more about it?)
Last thing- the most important aspect of Social Work I have learned thus far is that we aren't here to do things for people. We are here to help organize communities into their OWN action based on what THEY want to do. We are not here to be an outsider looking in, telling people what we think they need. Because, based on the few examples above, we don't know what they need and what will be helpful. We (I'm generalizing here) don't know their history or their culture. Unfortunately, a lot of good will can have many negative unintended consequences. When I started the Org and Comm class with Dr. Padilla, I believed that I had to come up with all of the plans and ideas and organize, but if something needs to be changed the community knows, and they know best what to do to fix it. I think it is a very Eurocentric thought process to believe that we know what is best for a cultural that is completely different from our own.
One last link....
More about Travyon Martin
Monday, March 19, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Religion
Religion is an interesting topic to me, and I have a lot of anecdotal stories that shape my view of organized religion. Over Spring Break I have had time to jot down my collective experiences. In addition, I feel these experiences tie into the readings which discuss acceptance/intolerance and also how the church can be a good way to rally against injustices.
Volunteering with the church
One time, when I was still part of the church, my mom and I volunteered to pack and pass out lunches at a nearby apartment complex. I vividly remember the children at the apartment complex "sneaking away" extra bags of food, even though they were completely free. In retrospect, this was the first time I interacted with a low-income community, that was literally about a mile away from my home. At the time, I didn't understand, but looking back maybe that was a situation that influenced me to help people.
Mega-Church Experience
When I was 14 or 15, I had a best friend named Sheena. Sheena is Korean and Christian. She went to church often, and one night her mom invited me to come to a church with them. Because I wanted to continue hanging out with Sheena, I obliged. We arrived at a mega-church. During the service, we were asked to pray for one another. Several older women touched me and prayed to God for me to be saved (and it's not like I said I was an atheist. These women just felt I needed to be saved). It felt really phony to me, and also really weird. People were crying and speaking in tongues. I don't remember what the preacher said at all, but I remember how the service made me feel. It wasn't good.
When I lived in Carrollton, I bought a flat screen TV off of Craigslist. Note to the class: flat SCREEN does not mean flat PANEL. When I got to the house in Flower Mound, there was a gigantic, probably at least 85 pound TV in the garage. It would not fit in my car, even with the back seats down. For some reason I didn't have the nerve to say, "Hey, this isn't what I thought it was and I'm no longer interested." Instead, they offered to load it up in their SUV and bring it to my house- a very nice gesture. When the man arrived, my boyfriend and the man walked the TV up the stairs. We told him how thankful we were for him bringing it over and helping us get it upstairs. The man said something along the lines of, "No problem. Would you mind if I prayed for you?" I assume we politely declined, but that felt derogatory. This man was in OUR home, and was obviously making judgements about us.
The Talk: Part One
Two or three years ago, my dad took my sister and me on a cruise. One night when we were getting ready for dinner, he asked us about religion. My response was I respect religion, but it's not for me. He told me that he didn't know what I would do when he passed away, and that he wished I would find God before that happened. This thought process that I won't be able to cope without having a church to go to seems absurd to me. Whether I am religious or not, the passing of my father is going to be devastating. I'm sure that when that happens, my loved ones will be there for me. I feel confident that I will be able to cope without a god.
The Talk: Part Two
My dad lives in California, so we try to connect with each other one the weekends when we both have free time. When we talk on Sundays after he has been to church, he always tells me how good he feels and that "one day" he will "convert me." It kind of just dampens my mood. It feels like he believes our bond would be stronger if we practiced the same faith. I respect his beliefs, but it feels that he doesn't respect mine. And to be clear, I don't feel my dad is the only person of faith that feels that way. Often, I feel people of faith don't respect my choices.
Intro to Social Work
In my Intro to Social Work class (I am aware that non-SW majors take this course) our professor asked what we would do if we were religious and our client was not. A student in the class said that she would quote scripture to the person and tell them it changed her life. I felt so offended. Luckily our professor told her that would not be appropriate, but her suggestion felt really arrogant to me. If I was the client, I would be turned off to receiving help from Social Workers.
Joseph, a Presbyterian priest comes to our Human Behavior Class
Dr. Gerlach invited her friend Joseph to speak to our class. Joseph helped lighten my heart to my former religion as he recited Rumi, a poet I learned of from my favorite professor in community college. I felt that Joseph was a great example of the honorable tenets of the Christian faith. He helps the homeless, he was honest about his feelings, to me he seemed nonjudgemental, and he was open to an honest discussion about religion. To be honest I was uncomfortable when Dr. Gerlach told us who she was inviting, but afterwords I was very happy to have this experience.
Converting Over Lunch
When I went to Dallas over Spring Break, my best friend, Monika and her boyfriend, Max told me about their lunch date. They were dining out when someone came and sat at their table with them. The new addition to their table told them he felt compelled to come talk to them about Jesus Christ. They politely told him they weren't interested, and as the man walked away he said, "God Bless You." Max told me that it felt derogatory and he didn't appreciate the "God Bless You," and he especially didn't appreciate a stranger interrupting their meal.
Some Additional Thoughts
- I feel like I have to justify my atheism by explaining that I was raised in the church.
- In my experience, Christians have been some of the most judgmental people I've ever met.
- While I enjoy learning about religions and their tenets, I feel that the people I encounter of those faiths don't necessarily practice those principals. (Treat others as you wish to be treated, love and don't judge...)
- Like atheism for people of religion, I think it's easy to focus on the negative aspects we experience. (This was voiced loud and clear in our class from both sides.)
- I don't try to convert anyone to atheism, so I wish people wouldn't try to convert me to their religion.
- I don't think that every person blindly follows their faith. I believe that most people of religious faith have good hearts and intentions.
- I have seen people of faith (rabbis predominantly) stand up for rights that I feel often aren't supported by people of faith.
- In the book Half the Sky, the authors explain how generous churches are, and that they make up a large portion of U.S. donations. In this aspect, I respect people of faith. However, churches can also be a place to rally around discrimination (protesting gay marriage and reproductive rights).
I am aware that my experiences may not seem comprehensive to some, but they are enough for me to feel comfortable in my own beliefs.
I leave you with this video.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
A Post that Mostly Feels Like a Rant
Out of the readings this week, I found myself compelled by Diana Eck's articles: Afraid of Ourselves, Working it Out, and See You in Court.
In Afraid of Ourselves, Eck begins by addressing different religious dress. "Muslim men may wear a beard, and Sikh men may wear not only a beard but also a turban wrapped around their uncut hair," (240).
As soon as I read this, I remembered a boy I went to middle and high school with. He wore a turban, and often was made fun of for having long hair. I don't remember even once speaking with him, and in retrospect I'm sure it was because he was ridiculed. I heard from peers that it was his religion, but I feel it was talked about in a joking manner, and I definitely never heard that he was Sikh.
Now I wish I would have taken the time to get to know my peers from other cultures, but I think as an adolescent you're so concerned with other people think you are reluctant. (Often I wish that I was more open and friendly through school, but only since this class do I fully regret the broad range of students I missed out on connecting with. I'm trying to remedy this mistake in college.)
I guess this is just another case that I realize I never thought about because I look like and am assumed to be in the majority. As an atheist (not always- I grew up Presbyterian), there aren't any religious rituals that put you in the spotlight in your neighborhood or workplace. (Not to say that there aren't other injustices; I doubt I'll ever have the ability to be a politician without a Christian faith [because how else could I possibly have any morals?]).
I loved this quote, also in Afraid of Ourselves: "Couple a deep negativity toward religious difference with a deep ignorance of other religious traditions, and we have a recipe for prejudice," (Eck, 241). I remember learning about Christianity and Catholicism throughout my public education, because those are important parts of a Eurocentric history. Unfortunately, I don't know much about Eastern religious faiths. Is that just? Well, like Eck says, it seems to set the stage for religious persecution and hate crimes, so I'm going to answer myself with a resounding NO.
Another injustice was brought up in Working it Out. "A bus driver for a New York transit company can now wear a beard, but an employee of one of the major airlines cannot," (Eck, 244). Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I imagine that a bus driver and an airline employee earn very different wages. Isn't this another institutionalized form of racism? How does facial hair make you less capable than anyone else? It's purely a pretentious American presentation standard. (I just watched Bill Maher's most recent stand up, and one of his closing lines was asking Obama to grow his hair out to send Republicans into a frenzy. (Um, isn't it 2012? Oh yeah, it is! [And the worst part is that I think that may actually be a controversy with American people. What do you think? -sigh-])
Lastly, I'd like to talk about See You in Court. I think this struck a chord with me because of the Zinn reading we have been doing. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Forest Service when Native Americans tried to preserve their land. The ruling stated, "Whatever rights the Indians may have to use the area, however, those rights do not divest the government of its right to use what is, after all, its land," (Eck, 275). Well, we've all been doing the same reading, so does "jfakjgkajeigagnd" sum up how we feel about this ruling? YOUR LAND?! Are you joking me?! So Christians can have all of their holidays and Sundays off of work, but you can't help but to build highways through small amounts of land you promised to Native Americans? Oh yeah, and skiing sites. Skiing sites are also more important that sacred sites of Native Americans. You know a mountain is sacred and business is still going to trump that? I am frustrated.
I really try to make my blogs professional and scholarly, but I think over the last two months this anger and sarcasm has been building up. This one was impossible for me to write using that framework. In a nutshell, I feel like if you aren't white, Christian, male, and a Capitalist, your ideals are devalued in America.
P.S. Apologies for the lateness of my blog this week. I look forward to reading your blogs!
P.P.S. I found two articles and a video this week that are very relevant to our class.
Homeless Woman Sent to Jail for Sending Her Child to the Wrong School
A 13-Year-Old's Slavery Analogy
In Afraid of Ourselves, Eck begins by addressing different religious dress. "Muslim men may wear a beard, and Sikh men may wear not only a beard but also a turban wrapped around their uncut hair," (240).
As soon as I read this, I remembered a boy I went to middle and high school with. He wore a turban, and often was made fun of for having long hair. I don't remember even once speaking with him, and in retrospect I'm sure it was because he was ridiculed. I heard from peers that it was his religion, but I feel it was talked about in a joking manner, and I definitely never heard that he was Sikh.
Now I wish I would have taken the time to get to know my peers from other cultures, but I think as an adolescent you're so concerned with other people think you are reluctant. (Often I wish that I was more open and friendly through school, but only since this class do I fully regret the broad range of students I missed out on connecting with. I'm trying to remedy this mistake in college.)
I guess this is just another case that I realize I never thought about because I look like and am assumed to be in the majority. As an atheist (not always- I grew up Presbyterian), there aren't any religious rituals that put you in the spotlight in your neighborhood or workplace. (Not to say that there aren't other injustices; I doubt I'll ever have the ability to be a politician without a Christian faith [because how else could I possibly have any morals?]).
I loved this quote, also in Afraid of Ourselves: "Couple a deep negativity toward religious difference with a deep ignorance of other religious traditions, and we have a recipe for prejudice," (Eck, 241). I remember learning about Christianity and Catholicism throughout my public education, because those are important parts of a Eurocentric history. Unfortunately, I don't know much about Eastern religious faiths. Is that just? Well, like Eck says, it seems to set the stage for religious persecution and hate crimes, so I'm going to answer myself with a resounding NO.
Another injustice was brought up in Working it Out. "A bus driver for a New York transit company can now wear a beard, but an employee of one of the major airlines cannot," (Eck, 244). Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I imagine that a bus driver and an airline employee earn very different wages. Isn't this another institutionalized form of racism? How does facial hair make you less capable than anyone else? It's purely a pretentious American presentation standard. (I just watched Bill Maher's most recent stand up, and one of his closing lines was asking Obama to grow his hair out to send Republicans into a frenzy. (Um, isn't it 2012? Oh yeah, it is! [And the worst part is that I think that may actually be a controversy with American people. What do you think? -sigh-])
Lastly, I'd like to talk about See You in Court. I think this struck a chord with me because of the Zinn reading we have been doing. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Forest Service when Native Americans tried to preserve their land. The ruling stated, "Whatever rights the Indians may have to use the area, however, those rights do not divest the government of its right to use what is, after all, its land," (Eck, 275). Well, we've all been doing the same reading, so does "jfakjgkajeigagnd" sum up how we feel about this ruling? YOUR LAND?! Are you joking me?! So Christians can have all of their holidays and Sundays off of work, but you can't help but to build highways through small amounts of land you promised to Native Americans? Oh yeah, and skiing sites. Skiing sites are also more important that sacred sites of Native Americans. You know a mountain is sacred and business is still going to trump that? I am frustrated.
I really try to make my blogs professional and scholarly, but I think over the last two months this anger and sarcasm has been building up. This one was impossible for me to write using that framework. In a nutshell, I feel like if you aren't white, Christian, male, and a Capitalist, your ideals are devalued in America.
P.S. Apologies for the lateness of my blog this week. I look forward to reading your blogs!
P.P.S. I found two articles and a video this week that are very relevant to our class.
Homeless Woman Sent to Jail for Sending Her Child to the Wrong School
A 13-Year-Old's Slavery Analogy
The Texas Legislature is routinely passing bills fraudulently.
P.P.P.S. Follow my personal blog.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Class Discussions and Social Justice Readings 36-40
LaDon Matthys
When LaDon came to speak, it was a very emotional class. She spoke about the town's segregation that was never actually spoken about.
As I was listening to her story, I remembered probably the only discriminatory situation I've ever experienced.
I grew up in Flower Mound, which as I've said before, is the epitome of white suburbia. I didn't have the best time growing up there, because I never quite fit in. My mom still lives there, so I still visited Flower Mound even when I moved to Lewisville and subsequently Carrollton as soon as I turned 18. After becoming tattooed (and heavily tattooed in an area like Flower Mound), I hated visiting even more. If my mom would ask me to pick something up at the grocery store, I always got stared at. I remember a little girl asking her mom why I looked different and the mother just turning her daughter away from me without saying anything. I was standing in line behind them.... super awkward.
One day when I was visiting my mom with my boyfriend, John, we decided to grab a bite to each before we headed back to our neck of the woods. We decided to stop at "Wings Pizza & Things." We walked in and seated ourselves. No one brought us water. No one brought us a menu. I think we waited about 10 minutes when another group of people came in. They were promptly served water and were given menus. It was apparent that we were not going to be served. As we got up to leave, the host held the door open for us. Wow, I get emotional just thinking about it now. How did our physical appearance make our money not as good as another customers? Luckily we obviously had the ability to spend our money elsewhere, but I know that in the past not every person has had that privilege. (And by the way, what a shitty business model to turn away anyone who is willing to spend money on your services. THEIR LOSS.)
Anyway, I feel like this story may be silly in comparison to other discrimination that has been physical and violent, but it's the only way I can personally relate. And I don't remember thinking about that situation until I started to listen to LaDon.
Culture Boxes
Y'all, I loved your culture boxes. I got really nervous and couldn't tell you what part of Mexico we were in, but it was Playa.
Before you go:
When LaDon came to speak, it was a very emotional class. She spoke about the town's segregation that was never actually spoken about.
As I was listening to her story, I remembered probably the only discriminatory situation I've ever experienced.
I grew up in Flower Mound, which as I've said before, is the epitome of white suburbia. I didn't have the best time growing up there, because I never quite fit in. My mom still lives there, so I still visited Flower Mound even when I moved to Lewisville and subsequently Carrollton as soon as I turned 18. After becoming tattooed (and heavily tattooed in an area like Flower Mound), I hated visiting even more. If my mom would ask me to pick something up at the grocery store, I always got stared at. I remember a little girl asking her mom why I looked different and the mother just turning her daughter away from me without saying anything. I was standing in line behind them.... super awkward.
One day when I was visiting my mom with my boyfriend, John, we decided to grab a bite to each before we headed back to our neck of the woods. We decided to stop at "Wings Pizza & Things." We walked in and seated ourselves. No one brought us water. No one brought us a menu. I think we waited about 10 minutes when another group of people came in. They were promptly served water and were given menus. It was apparent that we were not going to be served. As we got up to leave, the host held the door open for us. Wow, I get emotional just thinking about it now. How did our physical appearance make our money not as good as another customers? Luckily we obviously had the ability to spend our money elsewhere, but I know that in the past not every person has had that privilege. (And by the way, what a shitty business model to turn away anyone who is willing to spend money on your services. THEIR LOSS.)
Anyway, I feel like this story may be silly in comparison to other discrimination that has been physical and violent, but it's the only way I can personally relate. And I don't remember thinking about that situation until I started to listen to LaDon.
Culture Boxes
Y'all, I loved your culture boxes. I got really nervous and couldn't tell you what part of Mexico we were in, but it was Playa.
Here are a few songs from the CDs I brought to class that I feel shaped my worldview and also encouraged me to pursue social justice.
Bikini Kill
"Rebel girl you are the queen of my world"
Operation Ivy
"Saw a civilization where grabbing onto wealth
Was the only guarantee of freedom, peace and health
Dollar sign value system upheld as a truth
If you can't find a place, it's gonna find you"
And especially relevant with all of this non-sensical birth control debate
No Doubt
No Doubt
"Cause I'm just a girl, oh little ol' me
Don't let me out of your sight
I'm just a girl, all pretty and petite
So don't let me have any rights"
The culture boxes were an emotional class. A lot of us were talking about things that made us uncomfortable or teary-eyed. I appreciate your honesty, and I loved learning more about a few of you. I am really looking forward to the rest of the boxes.
Social Justice Readings
I thought the Bonds of Sisterhood-Bonds of Oppression article was interesting, but also demeaning and maybe not fully representative. Was this article talking solely about in-home non-white domestic workers? If so, then I retract my previous statement, because I don't know much about that population. However, what about people that like to clean and take care of children? And what about domestic workers that work through companies like Molly-Maid? When my family had a housekeeper for a very brief period of time, my mom made us clean up before she came. My dad would joke, "Yeah kids, clean up since the maid is coming." (Which in hindsight might have been derogatory.) But the point was, the worker was only coming to sweep, mop, and wipe off counter tops. Plus, I'm sure it's much more expensive (and unnecessary) to have someone clean up your entire house (like picking up dirty laundry and other tasks mentioned in the article). I just felt like this article was disempowering and it was hard for me to read without a critical lens. I appreciate the point that was made about women going to work, but then hiring other women to continue to do housework. That's an issue that may be worth addressing in our generation.
The Classified article was also thought provoking for me. "My dad's analysis about investing is, 'that's the way the free market works.' But there's also the idea that you're loaning money to companies that are raping the earth, destroying people's homelands and paying money to special interest lobby groups that destroy democracy even in our own county," (Adams, p. 208).
The Debt Trap is incredibly relevant to our generation. I receive seemingly a million credit card applications a week, and the last thing I need is more credit. When my mom helped me open up a bank account, the banker told me to just put a tank of gas on it and pay it off to build my credit. Well, with good intentions that's not what happened when I actually got a credit card. I had a good job, would put everything on the credit card, and then pay it down when I got paid. Then I left that job to pursue school full time, but I was still used to having the credit card. I ran it up to it's limit, and I still work monthly to pay off purchases I made months or maybe even years ago. (Luckily the limit isn't outrageous, so it's manageable. However, this article says that the average households debt is $8,565 and up, which does not seem manageable to me.)
My boyfriend has never had a credit card, and that's also worrisome to me. Are we going to be able to buy a house if all he has is rental history? I'm not positive, but I don't think that goes very far. You need good credit to buy assets, but they sell you credit without teaching you proper ways to handle it, inevitably damaging your credit. It seems like a vicious cycle that in no way works in the consumers' favor. Why can't we get credit for properly managing a debit card, properly managing money we actually have?
Before you go:
I thought this song related to the Zinn readings well and also The Debt Trap. When reading, I couldn't help but to think of this song by NoFX "The Irrationality of Rationality." It discusses shareholders, mortgages, and how you're screwed once you lose your job. One lyric is, "the guilty don't feel guilty, they learn not to."
Don't listen to this if don't prefer crass language.
Well, I look forward to reading your blog posts, and I hope you're having a great weekend!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Marable and Blackmon Articles
Globalization and Racialisation Article/ Zinn
This article was a great supplement to the continual Zinn reading and our class discussions.
I want to start out with a quote from the article.
"From the vantagepoint of the most oppressed U.S. populations, the New Racial Domain rests on an unholy trinity, or deadly triad, of structural barriers to a decent life. These oppressive structures are mass unemployment, mass incarceration, and mass disfranchisement. Each factor directly feeds and accelerates the others, creating an ever-widening circle of social disadvantage, poverty, and civil death, touching the lives of tens of millions of U.S. people," (Marable, p. 4).
I did an interview with someone from the Housing Authority yesterday, and part of our conversation was around how felons can't live in government subsidized housing. She told me that when people are released from jail and they put one of their (government) housing units as their address (because their family lives there), the whole family will be displaced. How do we expect people to excel in life if we don't allow them any public assistance? (Especially if we aren't rehabilitating them when they are in prison.) We send them out with no place to live and no job.
I also had another conversation yesterday that relates to this. My boyfriend was taking me out to dinner, and when we pulled up we saw lines around both sides of a Foot Locker. We wondered what kind of shoe they were releasing. When we had been sitting down in the restaurant for a few minutes he said, "Those must be a rerelease that people want, because most of the people outside had on old Adidas." (This is his subculture interest.) He then explained to me two things: one was why they only let one person in the store at a time, and the other is why the hell people would wait outside in the rain for a pair of sneakers. Apparently in the past when a shoe has been released, people rush a store, grab what they can, and run out. Additionally, people want to buy as many pairs of that shoe as they can, because they can sell them for way more money on the internet. He told me about a shoe release in New York where the police had to intervene. When they cleared the area they found brass knuckles and baseball bats.
I obviously inquired what the big deal was. He said something along the lines of, "if you didn't have anything, wouldn't you want to take someone's sneakers that you could sell for a thousand dollars?"
If I had been living with nothing for an extended period of time, I assume I would. And back to the cycle of being unemployed and being re-incarcerated. (Please don't mistake me for saying that all ex-felons are violent thieves. I'm just saying that this is something that actually happens in our society. Is it just that someone will pay a thousand dollars for some shoes when we have a chronic problem of homelessness and hunger?)
"Mass unemployment inevitably feeds mass incarceration. About one-third of all prisoners were unemployed at the time of their arrests, and others averaged less than $20,000 annual incomes in the year prior to their incarceration," (Marable, p. 6).
Assistance to ex-felons has been taken away, and without help many are doomed to reoffend to make ends meet.
With all of our reading, I am understanding violent rebellions. (Because in school these were taught in a negative light, and without proper explanation of the plight, for example, of blacks, unemployed people, or underpaid people).
Voter restrictions were also discussed in this article. I don't understand the rationale of taking away someone's right to vote, or voter ID laws (also taking away rights to vote). I've attached a funny Colbert clip on voter ID laws, and also an NPR report on private prisons in Texas to wrap up this section of my blog.
Colbert Report Clip on Voter ID Laws
NPR: Private Prison Promises Leave Texas Towns in Trouble
Blackmon Reading
This makes me crazy! A U.S. Steel executive said, "Is it fair in fact to punish people are living today, who have certain assets they might have inherited from others, or corporate assets that have been passed on? You can get to a situation where there is such a passage of time that it simply doesn't make sense and is not fair," (p. 390).
Of course trust fund babies and corporate moguls don't want their fortunes taken away. Of course there is not someone to "properly punish," because they are all dead. But on the flip side, I think decedents of slaves could say the same thing, "You can get to a situation where is such a passage of time that it simply doesn't make sense and is not fair." 150 years later and there is still a huge wealth gap between blacks and (majority white male) CEOs. Is it fair that this population has yet to receive justice after the fruits of their labor produced the wealth these white men still hold?
It seems Wachovia made some strides after simply acknowledging grave injustices, but I still don't know if that is what Americans should settle with.
Well, these were the two articles I wanted to touch on this week. I look forward to your posts! Have a great weekend. Visit my personal blog!
Friday, February 10, 2012
Week of February 12, 2012- Focus on Race and Ethnicity
The two research articles assigned for Monday encouraged me to look up a few things, and also inspired me to reread some previous articles from past semesters.
Follow my personal blog.
I'll start with an embarrassing and shameful story for me. Last semester in our research class, we were asked to create a questionnaire. The first questions I wanted to ask were about age, gender, race, and ethnicity. Age, simple. Gender, a little more complicated, but still easy. And then race and ethnicity. I had no idea, so I just went to the U.S. Census website and copied what they had. I finished the next 16 questions, printed out 5 copies, and brought them to class.
We exchanged surveys with 3 or 4 other people, and then our professor asked us to comment on what we liked about each others surveys, and what could be changed.
A peer of ours pointed out something that was wrong with my race and ethnicities questions. Instead of really listening (I wasn't, because I can't remember what the problem was... :-/) I got defensive and said something along the lines of, "Well, it's from the US Census, so it must be right." Right after class, I thought about what a jerk I was for not listening, and how I really could of learned something from her if I would have heard her out (and not gotten defensive... how immature).
Then I started reading these articles, and I still didn't know the difference between race and ethnicity. (Was I never taught this? Am I the only 22 year old that doesn't know this?) So I did a quick Google search of "What's the difference between race and ethnicity?" Scrolling down past the Yahoo Answers and WikiAnswers, I found this PBS link. So race is biology, and ethnicity is culture. You are born with your race, but your ethnicity is based upon how you grew up.
I think maybe I didn't know because my family doesn't have a rich culture (that I'm aware of). Anytime I answer those generic questions it's "white." Both of my mom's parents died before she was 12, and my dad's mom died when he was young as well. I don't have a close relationship with any of my extended family, partly because location barriers, and partly because of my parents' choice.
Not that I want that to be an excuse for my ignorance, but... yeah, I guess it is an excuse.
Then I found this video on the American Anthropological Association's website, mentioned in Coleman's article, (p. 101). (This video ties into many aspects of our readings: Zinn, Social Justice readings 8-13, and even the marriage article.) [I would address the marriage article further, but it didn't really surprise me that interracial couples are more common today than they were 50 years ago. In fact, one of the statistics Taylor et el presents is, "among adults ages 18-32, 93% approve (of interracial marriage)," (p. 5)].
Because race and ethnicity have not dissolved in society, I know I need to be more mindful of how people identify, and LISTEN to them. I'd be curious if any of you would like to share how you identify, so I can get a realistic grasp on these concepts.
The Coleman article also mentions very briefly the adaptive benefits skin color has had during human evolution, (102). I took an Evolutionary Biology course that was very informative, so I wanted to share one research article with you, and also a 3-part documentary that addresses these topics.
Skin Deep discusses skin pigmentation changes and their benefits. I also wanted to link this great NOVA documentary called Becoming Human. It is lengthy, but maybe if you have some down time over the weekend you could see if it interests you at all. This three hour series summarizes a lot of what I learned in my Biology class about human evolution.
Another week of intense reading... can't wait to read what all of you have to say! Hope you have a great weekend.
Follow my personal blog.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Week of February 6, 2012- Multiple Readings
Dr. Aguilar
When Dr. Aguilar came to speak with us briefly on January 30, he helped put into perspective a lot of Social Justice issues we have been discussing.
For instance, he brought up the point that it is nonsensical to believe that equality is possible, because we are not biologically the same. (Examples such as: men can't bare children, so we allow them to adopt, or for those who cannot walk, we provide alternate access such as ramps.) He made a strong point of finding ways to help others adapt to our environment so that they have the ability to participate equally.
Another point I enjoyed was his view on empowerment. He stressed that people are taught that they don't have the ability to do certain things in life. (Where he grew up, they were taught that they didn't have the ability to pursue college, and that instead of trying, they should just go to trade school.) As Social Workers, we have the ability to tell someone, "This may seem hard, but I'm going to help you through it." I think having that support is necessary. If I didn't personally have my family backing me up to pursue my dreams (or in Dr. Aguilar's case, his entire community), I would hope that I could find that support through a Social Worker.
The last point he touched on was Lynde's question of, "Why can some people make it out of poverty and others can't? If some people can, why can't everyone?" He answered by telling us of the sort of purgatory he lives in: not fitting in with his family because he pursued higher education, but not fitting in with higher education because his family doesn't have a history of it.
This really hit home with me. My mother and father grew up in Dalton, Georgia, where basically you went to work in the carpet factory with the rest of your family. My dad worked his way up from the mill, and now he is a Regional Vice President (of the northwest) in Mohawk Industries, an extremely large carpet company. He made his way up through promotions, not through higher education. But in the position he holds now, his colleagues all have prestigious college backgrounds. When he goes to meetings or dinners, and the small talk revolves around college, he doesn't have anything to say.
This encouraged him to push my sister and me towards college. I resisted because high school was the worst time of my life. The last thing I wanted to do was attend college. So I tried hair school (beauty school drop out), I tried bar tending (terrible hours), and then I tried a full time job. That was nice for awhile, but then you realize without an education it is hard to get promoted. (Times are not the same as when my dad was growing up.) Now, college is the best thing I've ever experienced, and I'll stay as long as my family is willing to help.
Even more exciting, my dad is now pursuing a degree. He met with a few universities, and St. Mary's is allowing him to pursue an honorary MBA (because he has so much experience in business, he does not have to complete an undergrad program first).
The point is, a lot of us struggle in this purgatory of not fitting in when your family doesn't have a rich background of higher education. As Dr. Aguilar put it, we shouldn't have to struggle through this purgatory. Education and success should be accessible to everyone. We shouldn't have to defy this system to have a good life.
Howard Zinn
This book is hard for me to put down.
The stories of class struggle... we are going through the exact same problems now. Mary Ellen Lease from the Populist party spoke to a crowd in 1890, "Wall Street owns the country. This is no longer a government of the people, and for the people, but a government of Wall Street, by Wall Street, and for Wall Street," (p. 288).
America has a rich history of protesting greed and capitalism, but people with money and power have the ability to easily overthrow these attempts with police and military power.
The New York Independent Labor Party in 1880s made a list of demands for fair treatment, one of which included "that the police not interfere with peaceful meetings," (p. 272).
Arab and African Protest Rappers
This short article on the political influence of Arab and African protest rappers made me think of a now famous political, eccentric rapper named M.I.A. M.I.A. is the daughter of a political Tamil activist. Her father worked against systematic discrimination against Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Critical Race Theory/ Lum Chapter 1
I read the Critical Race Theory article first, so I felt critical of the Lum chapter. Even in Lum's book, criticisms are pointed out. Notably to me, Contradiction 1 on page 14, "knowing about cultures reminds us that we should practice an inductive learning approach (learning from the client) rather than a deductive assumption stance (knowing about the client)," (Lum). I understand these criticisms are broken down, but this particular point has similarities with Critical Race Theory. I found myself drawn towards the criticisms in Chapter 1 instead of towards the responses.
First of all, cultural competence tends to deem all oppression as equal, but racism is more pervasive, (Abrams, Moio, p. 249). Also relevant to our class discussions is this quote found on page 248 "it is that the cultural competence model may not move students from these more primary defensive responses to a more refined critique of privilege and then to collective social action,” (Abrams, Moio). Many of the white students in our class, including myself, immediately got defensive when we started talking about white privilege. Admittedly, it was probably the first time the majority of us had been confronted with white privilege (it was for me).
Dean is quoted in Lum's chapter, "I would propose a model in which maintaining an awareness of one's lack of competence is the goal rather than competence. ...The client is the 'expert' and the clinician is in the position of seeking knowledge and trying to understand what life is like for the client," (p. 17). In fact, I think that's a good model for life in general. The more I learn, the more I learn I know very little.
Last semester, my professor Dr. Cubbin, gave us an article on Cultural Competence. It discussed how different cultures experience different symptoms for different ailments due to their culture. For example, Asian cultures tend to experience depression through physical symptoms of pain instead of emotional symptoms like in America. It is important for us to be aware of these differences so that we seek out a relevant intervention.
(I didn't have time to read Chapter 2 before noon today, but will update this as soon as I finish it today).
Before You Go
Please consider volunteering with Social Work Council at Inside Books Project next Sunday, February 12.
When Dr. Aguilar came to speak with us briefly on January 30, he helped put into perspective a lot of Social Justice issues we have been discussing.
For instance, he brought up the point that it is nonsensical to believe that equality is possible, because we are not biologically the same. (Examples such as: men can't bare children, so we allow them to adopt, or for those who cannot walk, we provide alternate access such as ramps.) He made a strong point of finding ways to help others adapt to our environment so that they have the ability to participate equally.
Another point I enjoyed was his view on empowerment. He stressed that people are taught that they don't have the ability to do certain things in life. (Where he grew up, they were taught that they didn't have the ability to pursue college, and that instead of trying, they should just go to trade school.) As Social Workers, we have the ability to tell someone, "This may seem hard, but I'm going to help you through it." I think having that support is necessary. If I didn't personally have my family backing me up to pursue my dreams (or in Dr. Aguilar's case, his entire community), I would hope that I could find that support through a Social Worker.
The last point he touched on was Lynde's question of, "Why can some people make it out of poverty and others can't? If some people can, why can't everyone?" He answered by telling us of the sort of purgatory he lives in: not fitting in with his family because he pursued higher education, but not fitting in with higher education because his family doesn't have a history of it.
This really hit home with me. My mother and father grew up in Dalton, Georgia, where basically you went to work in the carpet factory with the rest of your family. My dad worked his way up from the mill, and now he is a Regional Vice President (of the northwest) in Mohawk Industries, an extremely large carpet company. He made his way up through promotions, not through higher education. But in the position he holds now, his colleagues all have prestigious college backgrounds. When he goes to meetings or dinners, and the small talk revolves around college, he doesn't have anything to say.
This encouraged him to push my sister and me towards college. I resisted because high school was the worst time of my life. The last thing I wanted to do was attend college. So I tried hair school (beauty school drop out), I tried bar tending (terrible hours), and then I tried a full time job. That was nice for awhile, but then you realize without an education it is hard to get promoted. (Times are not the same as when my dad was growing up.) Now, college is the best thing I've ever experienced, and I'll stay as long as my family is willing to help.
Even more exciting, my dad is now pursuing a degree. He met with a few universities, and St. Mary's is allowing him to pursue an honorary MBA (because he has so much experience in business, he does not have to complete an undergrad program first).
The point is, a lot of us struggle in this purgatory of not fitting in when your family doesn't have a rich background of higher education. As Dr. Aguilar put it, we shouldn't have to struggle through this purgatory. Education and success should be accessible to everyone. We shouldn't have to defy this system to have a good life.
Howard Zinn
This book is hard for me to put down.
The stories of class struggle... we are going through the exact same problems now. Mary Ellen Lease from the Populist party spoke to a crowd in 1890, "Wall Street owns the country. This is no longer a government of the people, and for the people, but a government of Wall Street, by Wall Street, and for Wall Street," (p. 288).
America has a rich history of protesting greed and capitalism, but people with money and power have the ability to easily overthrow these attempts with police and military power.
The New York Independent Labor Party in 1880s made a list of demands for fair treatment, one of which included "that the police not interfere with peaceful meetings," (p. 272).
Police Pepper Spray Peaceful Protesters at UC Davis
Police Use Flash Bangs and Tear Gas on Protesters
Police pepper spray an 84 year old woman
Another part of the reading I found interesting was who created and controls schools. "Conwell was a founder of Temple University. Rockefeller was a donor to colleges all over the country and helped found the University of Chicago. Huntington, of the Central Pacific gave money to two Negro colleges, Hampton Institute and Tuskegee Institute. Carnegie gave money to colleges and to libraries. John Hopkins was founded by a millionaire merchant, and millionaires Cornelius Vanderbilt, Ezra Cornell, James Duke, and Leland Stanford created universities in their own names... and were known as philanthropists. ...It was important that these people learn obedience to authority" (p. 262-263).
For myself, I definitely learned to be obedient and listen to authority. I remember crying when I forgot lined paper in my 3rd grade class. I cried when I had to sign the book in 4th grade after I forgot a project at home that I had completed. I'm afraid of getting fired from my job, or even being asked to leave from places I volunteer. I do things my teachers ask without question for fear of not succeeding or fear of not being liked by them. Really I'm afraid of anyone not liking me, and I think that makes me submissive. I never was taught to talk back of speak up for myself, so I don't. And in the larger picture, that's exactly what capitalists/the government want. It worked on me.
Arab and African Protest Rappers
This short article on the political influence of Arab and African protest rappers made me think of a now famous political, eccentric rapper named M.I.A. M.I.A. is the daughter of a political Tamil activist. Her father worked against systematic discrimination against Tamils in Sri Lanka.
War war war
Talking bout you is such a bore
I'd rather talk about moi
Like do you know that cost of A.K.'s
Up in Africa
20 dollars ain't shit to you
But that's how much they are
So they gonna use the shit just to get far
Is girls, diamonds
Helping you?
Don't you like my bandanna?
My stains hang low
On my shirts like ay yai ay
Monkey brains and banana
I'll hit you with my antenna
I put soap in my eye
Make it red so I look raa
Ra ra
So I woke up with my holy quran and found out I like Cadillac
So we shooting till the song is up
Little boys are acting up
Baby mothers are going crazy
And the leaders all round cracking up
We goat rich we fry
Price of living in a shanty town just seem very high
We still like T.I.
We still look fly
Dancing as we shooting up
And lootin just to get by.
With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head'll collapse when there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
"Where is my mind?"
War war war
Who made me like this
Was it me and god in co-production
My devil's on speed dial
Everytime I take the wrong direction
All I want is one thing and that is what you got
Sometimes I go lose my mind then I feel numb
There's 24 hours in a day
I used to spilt it 8, 8, 8
8 work
8 sleep
8 for play
Now I give it all it takes
People on the Internet
A new life for the intellect
People judge me so hard
'cause I don't floss my titty set
I was born out of dirt like I'm porn in a skirt
I was a little girl who made good with all that I blurt
I put people on the map that never seen a map
I show 'em something they ain't never seen
And hope they make it back
With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head'll collapse when there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
"Where is my mind?"
Talking bout you is such a bore
I'd rather talk about moi
Like do you know that cost of A.K.'s
Up in Africa
20 dollars ain't shit to you
But that's how much they are
So they gonna use the shit just to get far
Is girls, diamonds
Helping you?
Don't you like my bandanna?
My stains hang low
On my shirts like ay yai ay
Monkey brains and banana
I'll hit you with my antenna
I put soap in my eye
Make it red so I look raa
Ra ra
So I woke up with my holy quran and found out I like Cadillac
So we shooting till the song is up
Little boys are acting up
Baby mothers are going crazy
And the leaders all round cracking up
We goat rich we fry
Price of living in a shanty town just seem very high
We still like T.I.
We still look fly
Dancing as we shooting up
And lootin just to get by.
With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head'll collapse when there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
"Where is my mind?"
War war war
Who made me like this
Was it me and god in co-production
My devil's on speed dial
Everytime I take the wrong direction
All I want is one thing and that is what you got
Sometimes I go lose my mind then I feel numb
There's 24 hours in a day
I used to spilt it 8, 8, 8
8 work
8 sleep
8 for play
Now I give it all it takes
People on the Internet
A new life for the intellect
People judge me so hard
'cause I don't floss my titty set
I was born out of dirt like I'm porn in a skirt
I was a little girl who made good with all that I blurt
I put people on the map that never seen a map
I show 'em something they ain't never seen
And hope they make it back
With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head'll collapse when there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
"Where is my mind?"
Critical Race Theory/ Lum Chapter 1
I read the Critical Race Theory article first, so I felt critical of the Lum chapter. Even in Lum's book, criticisms are pointed out. Notably to me, Contradiction 1 on page 14, "knowing about cultures reminds us that we should practice an inductive learning approach (learning from the client) rather than a deductive assumption stance (knowing about the client)," (Lum). I understand these criticisms are broken down, but this particular point has similarities with Critical Race Theory. I found myself drawn towards the criticisms in Chapter 1 instead of towards the responses.
First of all, cultural competence tends to deem all oppression as equal, but racism is more pervasive, (Abrams, Moio, p. 249). Also relevant to our class discussions is this quote found on page 248 "it is that the cultural competence model may not move students from these more primary defensive responses to a more refined critique of privilege and then to collective social action,” (Abrams, Moio). Many of the white students in our class, including myself, immediately got defensive when we started talking about white privilege. Admittedly, it was probably the first time the majority of us had been confronted with white privilege (it was for me).
Dean is quoted in Lum's chapter, "I would propose a model in which maintaining an awareness of one's lack of competence is the goal rather than competence. ...The client is the 'expert' and the clinician is in the position of seeking knowledge and trying to understand what life is like for the client," (p. 17). In fact, I think that's a good model for life in general. The more I learn, the more I learn I know very little.
Last semester, my professor Dr. Cubbin, gave us an article on Cultural Competence. It discussed how different cultures experience different symptoms for different ailments due to their culture. For example, Asian cultures tend to experience depression through physical symptoms of pain instead of emotional symptoms like in America. It is important for us to be aware of these differences so that we seek out a relevant intervention.
(I didn't have time to read Chapter 2 before noon today, but will update this as soon as I finish it today).
Before You Go
Please consider volunteering with Social Work Council at Inside Books Project next Sunday, February 12.
(You can follow my personal blog at www.katywaters.blogspot.com)
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