Saturday, May 1, 2010
Multicultural Education and Art
Before entering this class I really did not know a lot about multiculturalism, particularly about what strategies to use in the classroom that could promote the acceptance of different cultures. I had learned some about it in my first art education course last semester, but no more than knowing how art disciplines can support a multicultural education. Otherwise I thought that it was aimed towards teaching students about the cultural practices of a wide variety of people by studying “past” cultures or ethnicities of people; their religions, languages, values, clothing and so on. My definition was not wrong, but it is limiting and excludes a wide range other groups or “types” of people that should be studied within a “multicultural” education. In an article by James A. Banks, titled Multicultural Education: Goals, Possibilities and Challenges, he described multicultural education as a “meta-discipline,” and that the agreement “among specialists centers around a primary goal for multicultural education, which is to increase educational equality for both gender groups, for students from diverse ethnic, cultural, and language groups, and for exceptional students” (Diaz, 2001, 12). I had not considered these other characteristics of types of people as being part multiculturalism, but in fact they are. In order to fulfill the main goal of multicultural education and equality for ALL students, our school systems need to be totally “reconstructed” and the gaps between rich schools and “low-income schools” needs to be filled (Diaz, 2001, 12). Upon reading this article, I decided to refer back to one of my textbooks from my Introduction to Art Education class last semester. There are many similarities between the article by Banks and one of the introductory chapters of my art education book by Stephan Mark Dobbs, titled Learning In and Through Art; A guide to Discipline-Based Art Education. I have scanned in a couple quotes from this book by Dobbs that discuss the idea of multicultural curriculums and how one can incorporate them into art education, which I definitely plan to do once I have my own art classroom one day.
The Story of My Body...
The Story of my Body was a very touching article for me, not because I necessarily know how she, the author Judith Ortitz Cofer felt, but because I too was always very self conscience about my looks throughout my childhood. I have also always felt awful for others who were ridiculed because of their appearance. I now know that I had no reason to be self conscience and have changed my attitude about the importance of looks in the overall big picture of life. But still, I felt a certain connection to Judith’s story because as I was growing up starting during middle school, I always seemed concerned with how I looked at school particularly, frequently “fixing” myself in between classes. I had no reason to feel insecure, in that unlike the girl in this story, my mother and father always told me how beautiful I was and to be myself regardless of what others thought. My mother also did not criticize me when I started experimenting with make-up around 12 years old and never once told me to wash it off or change how I looked. Looking at the pictures now, I apparently thought that eyeliner was used to draw thick black outlines around my eyes and concealer was meant to totally conceal my actual skin. However, as ridiculous as I looked or whatever strange clothes I chose to wear, my parents let me express myself as I pleased…probably excusing it as some sort of phase I would get over (which I did thank goodness!-).
I think that perhaps being a single child could have had something to do with my self-consciousness, because once I started going to school, I wanted nothing more than to have kids to play with and to be liked by everyone. Somehow I had equated having friends with being “pretty” because I thought that all the popular girls were typically “pretty.” I was not an ugly child by any means but I did have very fair skin, lots of freckles and sort-of reddish tinted hair, which I thought of as not the ideal definition of beauty. I had plenty of friends also, regardless of what I did or didn’t look like so I am still not sure where my insecurities stemmed from and why I felt the need to dress up every day. Maybe it was because I noticed that the kids with zits or weight problems were the ones who got picked on in much the same way as Judith did in this story. I did not want to be the outcast or “that girl” that had no one to play with on the playground. Though I felt sorry for these students, I would continue to hang out with the kids that usually made fun of them even though I knew it was wrong. I would try to stay out of it and laugh it off because I did not “really” want to hurt their feelings and only wanted to be accepted too.
Once I went to high school, I continued to try to hold this image and strived to be “pretty,” probably for no other reason than to fit in. I went to a high school where none of my friends from middle school went, so I was considered a “new kid” among the students there. Still, I had met a couple of the “pretty” girls in my science class and thought that I was “in there” with this group, so I had begun sitting with them every day at lunch. I remember one day during the first few weeks of high school, I went to go sit with “the group,” which I thought I had been accepted into. They were those kids whom were considered “the cool kids” and they always sat at the “cool peoples’ table”. This particular day was different though. I walked up to the table and for some reason, everyone started laughing and looking at me like all the sudden I should not be sitting there. I felt uncomfortable because I did not know why they were all looking at me so strangely, considering as I said before, I thought I was “in there” for sure. Come to find out later that day, one of the” really cute” boys, which I actually did know from middle school was making fun, of how white and “pasty” I was according to him. I had never been so embarrassed in my life and did not understand why a white boy would be making fun of a white girl for being white?? I thought how ironic? How could that be? I was devastated at the time and immediately began shopping for fake tanners and applying them daily, even though the streaky orange color looked horrible and was very noticeable.
It is funny now looking back on it, but it definetely had some impact on me because I still remember it so clearly. I continued to be friends with these girls after that and now they are some of my very best friends. Even the “cute” boy, whom I have reminded of this incident several times since, I am also still friends with today. But the fact that this little incident has stuck with me to this day has helped me realize how others must feel who get made fun of on a daily basis. How I felt that day cannot even compare to how these kids might feel who really have skin or weight problems. It is no surprise that so many of them remain negative towards others and have low confidence levels for the rest of their lives, considering the treatment they have gone through. And even worse many of them hurt themselves or even commit suicide because of bullying like this. After reading Judith’s story and reminiscing about my childhood insecurities, I have also come to realize the importance of teaching our students to be kind to one another and that looks are NOT everything. As teachers we need to recognize issues like this that go on among our students and nip the problem in the bud during their early years of schooling!
I think that perhaps being a single child could have had something to do with my self-consciousness, because once I started going to school, I wanted nothing more than to have kids to play with and to be liked by everyone. Somehow I had equated having friends with being “pretty” because I thought that all the popular girls were typically “pretty.” I was not an ugly child by any means but I did have very fair skin, lots of freckles and sort-of reddish tinted hair, which I thought of as not the ideal definition of beauty. I had plenty of friends also, regardless of what I did or didn’t look like so I am still not sure where my insecurities stemmed from and why I felt the need to dress up every day. Maybe it was because I noticed that the kids with zits or weight problems were the ones who got picked on in much the same way as Judith did in this story. I did not want to be the outcast or “that girl” that had no one to play with on the playground. Though I felt sorry for these students, I would continue to hang out with the kids that usually made fun of them even though I knew it was wrong. I would try to stay out of it and laugh it off because I did not “really” want to hurt their feelings and only wanted to be accepted too.
Once I went to high school, I continued to try to hold this image and strived to be “pretty,” probably for no other reason than to fit in. I went to a high school where none of my friends from middle school went, so I was considered a “new kid” among the students there. Still, I had met a couple of the “pretty” girls in my science class and thought that I was “in there” with this group, so I had begun sitting with them every day at lunch. I remember one day during the first few weeks of high school, I went to go sit with “the group,” which I thought I had been accepted into. They were those kids whom were considered “the cool kids” and they always sat at the “cool peoples’ table”. This particular day was different though. I walked up to the table and for some reason, everyone started laughing and looking at me like all the sudden I should not be sitting there. I felt uncomfortable because I did not know why they were all looking at me so strangely, considering as I said before, I thought I was “in there” for sure. Come to find out later that day, one of the” really cute” boys, which I actually did know from middle school was making fun, of how white and “pasty” I was according to him. I had never been so embarrassed in my life and did not understand why a white boy would be making fun of a white girl for being white?? I thought how ironic? How could that be? I was devastated at the time and immediately began shopping for fake tanners and applying them daily, even though the streaky orange color looked horrible and was very noticeable.
It is funny now looking back on it, but it definetely had some impact on me because I still remember it so clearly. I continued to be friends with these girls after that and now they are some of my very best friends. Even the “cute” boy, whom I have reminded of this incident several times since, I am also still friends with today. But the fact that this little incident has stuck with me to this day has helped me realize how others must feel who get made fun of on a daily basis. How I felt that day cannot even compare to how these kids might feel who really have skin or weight problems. It is no surprise that so many of them remain negative towards others and have low confidence levels for the rest of their lives, considering the treatment they have gone through. And even worse many of them hurt themselves or even commit suicide because of bullying like this. After reading Judith’s story and reminiscing about my childhood insecurities, I have also come to realize the importance of teaching our students to be kind to one another and that looks are NOT everything. As teachers we need to recognize issues like this that go on among our students and nip the problem in the bud during their early years of schooling!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Disney movies and Sex?? WHAT?...
Disney movies and Sex?? WHAT?...you are probably thinking to yourself, “What in the world could these two things have in common?” Well… I thought the same thing. A paper written by Jamie Rosier, explains just that and how these animated films by Disney Productions do in fact include many hidden messages and sexual content. Her findings were especially intriguing to me because I too remember my classmates in middle school talking about the how the word S-E-X was written in the clouds during a scene from The Lion King. We tried for hours to find it and see if the rumors were true. Immature? ...
YES, but we were not allowed to view such material, or at least I wasn’t, and were shocked to see that the rumors were true. My mother always steered me away from watching MTV and other shows or movies that she considered inappropriate for my age. I do not think I even saw a PG- rated movie until I was in middle school. At the time, these restrictions on what I could watch made me very angry because I did not understand why most of my friends were allowed to watch them, but I wasn’t. Little did my mother or I know that the Disney films I had been watching since I was at least 1 year old, were filled with sexual connotations and obscene hidden innuendos. Of course I did not notice them, considering I was so young, nor would I have known their meanings if I did, the fact that there were still there, right in front of me, is mind-boggling. And for WHAT reason??
This paper, Hidden Sexual Messages Found in Disney Movies, explains some examples of how Disney films have snuck in the hidden messages in order to boost the sales of their children’s films. This seems rather ironic to me because I thought that Disney’s target audience was definitely young children and not pervert teens or even adults for that matter. In the movie Aladdin for example, viewers began to speculate that during one of the scenes, Aladdin says a dirty phrase to Jasmine. Apparently the rumors were true, after researchers read the closed captioning of the film and found the remark that Aladdin made. I believe that there are in fact obscene messages in the films from the proof given in the movies themselves and the research that has been done on this issue. BUT, I pose several questions here.
1. Why would Disney do this and risk losing all of their devoted viewers?
2. Did the creators of this movie just think it would be some sort of funny joke or that no one would notice? And, if the creators of Disney simply did not know these messages were there, was their no one reviewing or censoring the films before they published?
3. Were these messages placed here for a laugh or did adding the messages or images really boost movie sales that much to be worth ruining the reputation of the company as a whole?
4. Or even stranger to think about… were there really sick people out there renting Disney movies for sexual pleasure? GROSS!
This paper by Rosier did seem rather bias and claimed that Disney knew about the messages and did indeed add them on purpose. This may be true but I just find it hard to believe that Disney would intentionally put these images in their movies, unless the cartoonist or writers of the films were trying to get the company in trouble. It is just shocking to me that a major company such as this, designed to make films for children would jeopardize their image for a few random pictures of penises? I still struggle with this idea and the reason for why these messages were put in the films. WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON IT? Read this article or watch the films and you be the judge.
YES, but we were not allowed to view such material, or at least I wasn’t, and were shocked to see that the rumors were true. My mother always steered me away from watching MTV and other shows or movies that she considered inappropriate for my age. I do not think I even saw a PG- rated movie until I was in middle school. At the time, these restrictions on what I could watch made me very angry because I did not understand why most of my friends were allowed to watch them, but I wasn’t. Little did my mother or I know that the Disney films I had been watching since I was at least 1 year old, were filled with sexual connotations and obscene hidden innuendos. Of course I did not notice them, considering I was so young, nor would I have known their meanings if I did, the fact that there were still there, right in front of me, is mind-boggling. And for WHAT reason??
This paper, Hidden Sexual Messages Found in Disney Movies, explains some examples of how Disney films have snuck in the hidden messages in order to boost the sales of their children’s films. This seems rather ironic to me because I thought that Disney’s target audience was definitely young children and not pervert teens or even adults for that matter. In the movie Aladdin for example, viewers began to speculate that during one of the scenes, Aladdin says a dirty phrase to Jasmine. Apparently the rumors were true, after researchers read the closed captioning of the film and found the remark that Aladdin made. I believe that there are in fact obscene messages in the films from the proof given in the movies themselves and the research that has been done on this issue. BUT, I pose several questions here.
1. Why would Disney do this and risk losing all of their devoted viewers?
2. Did the creators of this movie just think it would be some sort of funny joke or that no one would notice? And, if the creators of Disney simply did not know these messages were there, was their no one reviewing or censoring the films before they published?
3. Were these messages placed here for a laugh or did adding the messages or images really boost movie sales that much to be worth ruining the reputation of the company as a whole?
4. Or even stranger to think about… were there really sick people out there renting Disney movies for sexual pleasure? GROSS!
This paper by Rosier did seem rather bias and claimed that Disney knew about the messages and did indeed add them on purpose. This may be true but I just find it hard to believe that Disney would intentionally put these images in their movies, unless the cartoonist or writers of the films were trying to get the company in trouble. It is just shocking to me that a major company such as this, designed to make films for children would jeopardize their image for a few random pictures of penises? I still struggle with this idea and the reason for why these messages were put in the films. WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON IT? Read this article or watch the films and you be the judge.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
"Tired of Playing Monopoly?" by Donna Langston
When reading the article, Tired of Playing Monopoly, I was met with conflicting opinions on whether I agreed with all of the views the author had or not. I understood and fully accept the arguments in primarily the whole first half of the article; the definition of class and classism and how one’s class is based on more than just the amount of money they make. Your “class” is also formed by one’s cultural background because it can affect the educational opportunities you are more likely to have if you are one race or another…where you will typically eat and shop, and even where you work or the positions you are likely to hold in that job. One sentence that I felt particularly summed up the definition of class nicely was the following:
As a result of the class you are born into and raised in, class is your understanding of the world
and where you fit in; it’s composed of ideas, behavior, attitudes, values and language; class is how
you think, feel, act, look, dress, talk, move, walk; class is what stores you shop at, restaurants you
eat in; class is the schools you attend, the education you attain; class is the very jobs you will work at
throughout your adult life ( Langston, 2007, p.1).
I also believe that accepting the titles of class that society has put on you, whether a good or bad label, only further emphasizes classism. Those who are considered “low class” individuals must not settle for what they get or blame themselves for the economic positions they are in, unless of course your unemployment and lack of incoming funds is due to something you have directly done. (For instance, an excessive drug problem or doing other illegal things that has caused you to be viewed as unemployable to most companies. You cannot blame society or others for your own poor judgment.) I also believe that if we keep believing, as a society that is, that the current economic distribution is unchangeable, we are only increasing the chances of classism and widening the gap between the wealthy and the poor.
My main disagreement with the author, Donna Langston, in this article begins on page 103. The author described the “working class” as having distinctions within it, the “white” working class and then everyone else, people of color, female-headed households, and so on. The author does not consider the “white guys in overalls” to really be part of that working class, even though they could be working just as hard and receiving the same low pay and lack of benefits. I feel the author is semi biased here, because I do not think that every working class white man is necessarily living the life of luxury. Not that the author says this but she seems to feel there is a great distinction between the two. There are in fact many white men that suffer the same classist stereotypes as others simply because they work in these low paying less desirable jobs. How are these people’s privileges any different, when they are also working all hours of the night away from their families and getting the same benefits from their jobs? Outside of work, things could be different, but if the author is speaking specifically about this type of working conditions, I do not think it is fair to place them in a different “working class” altogether solely based on their color. I could be wrong, but this is how I feel.
As a result of the class you are born into and raised in, class is your understanding of the world
and where you fit in; it’s composed of ideas, behavior, attitudes, values and language; class is how
you think, feel, act, look, dress, talk, move, walk; class is what stores you shop at, restaurants you
eat in; class is the schools you attend, the education you attain; class is the very jobs you will work at
throughout your adult life ( Langston, 2007, p.1).
I also believe that accepting the titles of class that society has put on you, whether a good or bad label, only further emphasizes classism. Those who are considered “low class” individuals must not settle for what they get or blame themselves for the economic positions they are in, unless of course your unemployment and lack of incoming funds is due to something you have directly done. (For instance, an excessive drug problem or doing other illegal things that has caused you to be viewed as unemployable to most companies. You cannot blame society or others for your own poor judgment.) I also believe that if we keep believing, as a society that is, that the current economic distribution is unchangeable, we are only increasing the chances of classism and widening the gap between the wealthy and the poor.
My main disagreement with the author, Donna Langston, in this article begins on page 103. The author described the “working class” as having distinctions within it, the “white” working class and then everyone else, people of color, female-headed households, and so on. The author does not consider the “white guys in overalls” to really be part of that working class, even though they could be working just as hard and receiving the same low pay and lack of benefits. I feel the author is semi biased here, because I do not think that every working class white man is necessarily living the life of luxury. Not that the author says this but she seems to feel there is a great distinction between the two. There are in fact many white men that suffer the same classist stereotypes as others simply because they work in these low paying less desirable jobs. How are these people’s privileges any different, when they are also working all hours of the night away from their families and getting the same benefits from their jobs? Outside of work, things could be different, but if the author is speaking specifically about this type of working conditions, I do not think it is fair to place them in a different “working class” altogether solely based on their color. I could be wrong, but this is how I feel.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Taking the "Cultural Plunge"...
I found the idea of a “cultural plunge” experience, to be a very fascinating one. Participating in a cultural or social experience outside of your comfort zone is an ideal way to learn about people unlike you, looking through their eyes instead our cultural blinding sunglasses. Jean Piaget, a biologist who studied the patterns of learning and cognitive development in children, found that psychological development “including the development of knowledge about self and society,” comes from the constant cycle of understanding and interpreting new experiences by relating it to previous knowledge. When I was asked to participate in my own “cultural plunge” experience, I was slightly timid at first. I came up with many ideas for my plunge, ranging from going out to a Homosexual bar to visiting a strict black church on “the other side of town.”
Discussing the experiment with my parents and friends opened my eyes to just how prejudice we are, almost unconsciously, when we are talking about other groups of people. Upon analyzing each idea, I thought about what the people might think of me or how they may or may not include me in their activities. Each of my concerns stemmed from some preconceived notion I had about that “type” of people. Though I find racism and all other forms of prejudice unacceptable and flat out WRONG, I too was judging and stereotyping these groups of people before I even knew them, only relating them to my previous assumptions. I believe these assumptions primarily developed from the images I have seen in the media. (Also my family, friends, educational systems…pretty much all things one comes in contact with living in the United States.) From this realization, I felt eager to participate in the “cultural plunge” assignment and try to learn why I and so many others have developed these preconceived ideas about groups of people that are different from us. I was reminded of a song by Everlast, which speaks about stepping into another person’s shoes, and seeing what their life is like from the other side of things. Maybe if we were able to step into “other” peoples’ shoes for at least a few minutes every day, we would begin to understand them for who they really are and appreciate all people regardless of our differences…Some of the Lyrics from “What It’s Like,” by the band Everlast:
We've all seen the man at the liquor store beggin' for your change
The hair on his face is dirty, dreadlocked and full of mange
He ask the man for what he could spare with shame in his eyes
Get a job you f&*%in' slob's all he replied
[CHORUS]
God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in his shoes
'Cause then you really might know what it's like to sing the blues
Then you really might know what it's like [x4]
Mary got pregnant from a kid named Tom who said he was in love
He said don't worry about a thing baby doll I'm the man you've been dreamin' of
But three months later he said he won't date her or return her call
….
And then she heads for the clinic and she gets some static walkin' through the doors
They call her a killer, and they call her a sinner, and they call her a whore
[CHORUS]
God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in her shoes
'Cause then you really might know what it's like to have to choose
Then you really might know what it's like [x4]
I've seen a rich man beg
I've seen a good man sin
I've seen a tough man cry
I've seen a loser win
And a sad man grin
I heard an honest man lie
I've seen the good side of bad
And the down side of up
And everything between
I licked the silver spoon
Drank from the golden cup
Smoked the finest green
I stroked the fattest dimes at least a couple of times
Before I broke their heart
You know where it ends
Yo, it usually depends on where you start
I knew this kid named Max
He used to get fat stacks out on the corner with drugs
He liked to hang out late at night
Liked to get shit faced
And keep pace with thugs
Until late one night there was a big gun fight
Max lost his head
He pulled out his chrome .45
Talked some shit
And wound up dead
Now his wife and his kids are caught in the midst of all of his pain
You know it crumbles that way
At least that's what they say when you play the game
[CHORUS]
God forbid you ever had to wake up to hear the news
'Cause then you really might know what it's like to have to lose
Then you really might know what it's like [x3]
To have to lose...
Discussing the experiment with my parents and friends opened my eyes to just how prejudice we are, almost unconsciously, when we are talking about other groups of people. Upon analyzing each idea, I thought about what the people might think of me or how they may or may not include me in their activities. Each of my concerns stemmed from some preconceived notion I had about that “type” of people. Though I find racism and all other forms of prejudice unacceptable and flat out WRONG, I too was judging and stereotyping these groups of people before I even knew them, only relating them to my previous assumptions. I believe these assumptions primarily developed from the images I have seen in the media. (Also my family, friends, educational systems…pretty much all things one comes in contact with living in the United States.) From this realization, I felt eager to participate in the “cultural plunge” assignment and try to learn why I and so many others have developed these preconceived ideas about groups of people that are different from us. I was reminded of a song by Everlast, which speaks about stepping into another person’s shoes, and seeing what their life is like from the other side of things. Maybe if we were able to step into “other” peoples’ shoes for at least a few minutes every day, we would begin to understand them for who they really are and appreciate all people regardless of our differences…Some of the Lyrics from “What It’s Like,” by the band Everlast:
We've all seen the man at the liquor store beggin' for your change
The hair on his face is dirty, dreadlocked and full of mange
He ask the man for what he could spare with shame in his eyes
Get a job you f&*%in' slob's all he replied
[CHORUS]
God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in his shoes
'Cause then you really might know what it's like to sing the blues
Then you really might know what it's like [x4]
Mary got pregnant from a kid named Tom who said he was in love
He said don't worry about a thing baby doll I'm the man you've been dreamin' of
But three months later he said he won't date her or return her call
….
And then she heads for the clinic and she gets some static walkin' through the doors
They call her a killer, and they call her a sinner, and they call her a whore
[CHORUS]
God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in her shoes
'Cause then you really might know what it's like to have to choose
Then you really might know what it's like [x4]
I've seen a rich man beg
I've seen a good man sin
I've seen a tough man cry
I've seen a loser win
And a sad man grin
I heard an honest man lie
I've seen the good side of bad
And the down side of up
And everything between
I licked the silver spoon
Drank from the golden cup
Smoked the finest green
I stroked the fattest dimes at least a couple of times
Before I broke their heart
You know where it ends
Yo, it usually depends on where you start
I knew this kid named Max
He used to get fat stacks out on the corner with drugs
He liked to hang out late at night
Liked to get shit faced
And keep pace with thugs
Until late one night there was a big gun fight
Max lost his head
He pulled out his chrome .45
Talked some shit
And wound up dead
Now his wife and his kids are caught in the midst of all of his pain
You know it crumbles that way
At least that's what they say when you play the game
[CHORUS]
God forbid you ever had to wake up to hear the news
'Cause then you really might know what it's like to have to lose
Then you really might know what it's like [x3]
To have to lose...
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
"Oppression," by Marilyn Frye
Before reading this article by Marilyn Frye titled, Oppression, I realized that I didn’t really know the definition of the word “Oppression.” I am not sure what I thought oppression meant, but I knew it was a negative thing and was something that happened to people when others discriminated them against. Frye begins the article by defining oppression according to what she thinks it is. Frye states that when “the stresses and frustrations of being a man are cited as evidence that oppressors are oppressed by their oppressing, the word “oppression” is being stretched to meaninglessness; it is treated as though its scope includes any and all human experience of limitation or suffering no matter the cause, degree, or consequence” (Frye, 2007, p. 1). Also she exclaims that its consequences hurt the “oppressor” as much as the “oppressie”. Frye then describes some acts that could be considered oppressive, by giving examples of ways in which members of our society are “oppressed” perhaps without even noticing. I did not consider these situations as examples of oppression before I heard her aspect on the issue. One example that I found interesting was the way in which women are constantly criticized for participating in promiscuous behaviors. At the same time they are labeled as “uptight” or a “cock tease” if they do not give in to a man’s advances. Another example is the accusations made about women based on how they are dressed or do not dress. If a woman dresses a certain way she is usually judged as looking either “slutty” or “unfeminine,” giving way to other stereotypes in relation to her sexuality. It is a no win situation for the women in this case.
After reading Frye’s debate over what oppression actually is, I understood that situations such as these are indeed oppressive and I too had been oppressed in many ways. I felt that overall this article pointed out some valid points surrounding the issue of oppression, but I also felt that her views seems rather bias. I would have appreciated more examples of how other types of people are oppressed based on their differences and how they too get stuck between this limbo of what is considered “right” or wrong” according to the society we live in. The last section discusses how some people think the act of a man holding the door for a woman is an oppressive act. I agree to an extent but I personally think that it is nice when a guy holds the door for me. Whether than an expression of control or dominance over the woman, I believe that it has just become more of a common practice that people engage in daily and could even be considered a sign of respect for the woman. I see her point, but I think that these people and Frye are simply over-analyzing the situation, almost searching for ways to say men oppress them. I know that I too hold the door for others, regardless of their race, gender, or any other characteristic of the individual. It is like saying, “thank you” or “excuse me” in that it has simply become a habit among the “gentlemen” of our society and something they just do without thinking. Sometimes I feel that people internalize the ways that they “think” they are oppressed, causing them to assume or create ideas about others that may not be true. Isn’t this technically oppression too? You be the judge…
Monday, March 22, 2010
"Defining Racism," by B.D. Tatum
“Defining Racism” is a difficult task especially because oftentimes examples of it are either not recognized or simply ignored by those in the so-called “superior” white race, so much so that they fail to acknowledge they are indeed a part of it. The author B.D. Tatum wrote a book titled, “Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?; and Other Conversations about Race,” explains her definition of racism and why the issues surrounding racism must be incorporated in the education of our students and society as a whole. Tatum explains that when discussing issues of race with others during her research and career, she has found that there is always someone who thinks racism is no longer a problem in our country. These people are ignorant to the prejudices, stereotypes, and disadvantages within our culture and according to Tatum, and furthermore these are the ones that have flat out not been “paying attention to issues of race” (Tatum, 1997, 3). I found her studies with young children to be an excellent way to show how our culture places stereotypes and bias on “people of color” even in children as young as 3 and 4 years old. Movies and children’s books supply images and ideals about different types of people, not all of which are negative or intentional. For instance, when the children were asked to draw an Indian, the majority of the class drew a dark skinned person with a feather and/or a weapon of some type. Without knowing any actual information about Native Americans or Indians they all drew what they had seen before through the media. At this age they are not knowledgeable enough to understand what certain types of people might REALLY be like or even have the opportunity to interact with and get to know them. This adds validity to the argument that our culture almost subconsciously displays pictures of certain types of people that teach our children a certain stereotyped view of what these people may be like. Because the young children are technically neutral minds at this point and have only had their families and the media around them to build their assumptions and opinions about people, it becomes obvious that these are very influential sources on their ideas about others. “Cultural racism” has formed in America through our social, economic, and political systems teaches children that there is an “assumed superiority of white’s and an assumed inferiority of people of color” (Tatum, 1997, 6). I DO NOT support this “system” of racism that has formed in our country and hope that one day I can actively participate in reversing this problem and how we teach children about others.
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