Thursday, May 10, 2012
President Obama Takes a Stand
Should this blog continue?
Thursday, April 19, 2012
President Obama aboard the bus ridden by Rosa Parks, at Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan
“I just sat in there for a moment and pondered the courage and tenacity that is part of our very recent history but is also part of that long line of folks who sometimes are nameless, oftentimes didn’t make the history books, but who constantly insisted on their dignity, their share of the American dream.” - President Barack Obama, April 18, 2012 (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) — with Maria Wills.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Social Media and Hate Crime
by guest blogger M. Peoples
Is the use of oppression on a social media site enough to charge someone with hate crime charges?
In the article posted in the link below, one of two suspects in Tulsa, Oklahoma posted a very racially charged status on the anniversary of his father's death at the hand of an African American citizen. The two suspects went on to kill 3 African American males and leave 2 in the hospital after shooting them at four different locations. After reading this article which can be found on CNN.com, I would like to know do you feel like after seeing only a few details that this was a hate crime and if so is a facebook status with oppressive language enough to charge these men with a hate crime?
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/09/us/oklahoma-shootings/index.html?npt=NP
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Latino and Screen Media
Gradual acceptance and tolerance of the other (Latino) into the American screen media! Language of liberation!
Manny’s family is shown as the third set of family. His mom in the show Modern family (link below) is glaringly a very hilarious lady with very conspicuous Latino accent. For her to star in a high profile show like this one sends a message of acceptance of the other (in my opinion).
Do you think this is a total acceptance of the Latino community into the American society where they where they were once ostracized?
http://www.hulu.com/watch/339016/modern-family-send-out-the-clowns
Face of Africa
Face of Africa: Why has the western media consistently portrayed Africa in this light? Is poverty polarized only towards Africa?
http://world-poverty.org/povertyinafrica.htmPortrayal of the Latino
Portrayal of the Latino (others) accent as inferior! Is there a world-class stipulated accent?
http://www.hulu.com/watch/346212/celebrity-apprentice-walking-papers
In this edition of the show Celebrity apprentice, specifically during the exchange of words between Lisa and Dayana in the 8:46-8:55minutes and Aubrey O’Day’s imitation of Dayana’s accent in the 10:03-1013minutes from the above web-clip. Personally listening to the participants' arguments (during the above timings) and paying close attention to their body language raised a red flag of the average Americans' perception of the Lationo (Dayana’s) accent as banal!
What is your take on this?
Timely Warning
by guest blogger Uchechi
Research indicates that images of Africans in mainstream popular culture and prime-time programming (from 1996) have traditionally been quite negative and demeaning, often centered on stereotypical portrayals. Example: gangster, poor, jobless, lazy, unintelligent, hustlers, criminals living in ghetto and slums. The expectation is that as a consequence, black viewers will feel like they do not matter, they are unimportant and do not count (Ward, M.L., 2004). Below are two different emails sent to my EMU (school) inbox on the 23rd and 27th of March respectively per warning regarding crimes committed by “only” the African American folks.
MY EMAILS:
1. Timely Warning 12-06 March 23, 2012
Shooting - Area of Jarvis and Lowell St -City of Ypsilanti (off-campus)
A shooting occurred in a parking lot, off campus, near the intersection of Jarvis St. and Lowell St. The intersection is near the Alexander Music Building. Three people have been shot and taken to a hospital, and none of the injuries are considered life threatening. The suspect is described as a black male, white baggy shirt, blue jeans, red baseball cap, scraggly beard, pierced ears. The Ypsilanti Police continue to investigate. The area has been re-opened again to the public. Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Ypsilanti Police at (734) 483-9510.
2. Timely Warning 12-08, March 27, 2012
Reported Crime: Armed Robbery (Handgun Seen) – Off Campus.
The Ypsilanti Police Department is investigating a report of an armed robbery that occurred near Cornell Road and Roosevelt Boulevard at approximately 10:35 p.m. tonight. The victim, who is not an EMU Student, reports that he was approached on foot by two suspects while walking in the area. The suspects demanded the victim’s money and pointed a silver handgun at the victim. The victim says he gave the suspects his wallet, and the suspects fled south on Cornell. The victim did not report any injuries. The victim described the suspects as being African American males in their early to middle twenties.
REFERENCE
Ward, M.L., (2004). Wading through the stereotypes: Positive and negative associations
between media use and black adolescents’ conceptions of self. Developmental psychology, 40:2, 284-294
http://www.emich.edu/publicsafety/police/services/prevention/safety_tips.phpWhy has the image of the average African American man in the city of Ypsilanti Michigan become akin to crime?
Friday, April 6, 2012
To Kill a Mockingbird: Happy 50th Anniversary
Or as Homer Simpson said, "Books are useless! I only ever read one book, To Kill A Mockingbird, and it gave me absolutely no insight on how to kill mockingbirds! Sure it taught me not to judge a man by the color of his skin . . . but what good does that do me?"
"That Awkward Moment When the Hoodie Returns to Simply Being a Hoodie"
http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2012/04/one-womans-i-am-not-trayvon-martin-vid-goes-viral-does-she-have-a-point/
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Students take a stand
To go along with the more recent themes we have been talking about I found two article that are covering two different Detroit Public Schools that are affected by the control of the new Education Achievement Authority of Michigan. Students parents and community members have been rallying for an appeal. Because it's so early on there hasn't been much change in legislation yet but it is always inspiring to see the youth stand up for education. It may be a small step but it is a step none the less.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120316/SCHOOLS/203160409?fb_ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.detroitnews.com%2Farticle%2F20120316%2FSCHOOLS%2F203160409%2FHundreds-Denby-High-students-protest-state-takeover&fb_source=timeline
http://www.freep.com/article/20120403/NEWS05/204030355/Hundreds-protest-theft-of-Mumford-High-School-by-statewide-district
Georgia Passed “women as live stock” bil
Georgia house reps passed a bill commonly referred to as the “fetal pain bill” by Georgian Republicans and as the “women as livestock bill” by everyone else, HB 954 garnered national attention this month when state Rep. Terry England (R-Auburn) compared pregnant women carrying stillborn fetuses to the cows and pigs on his farm. According to Rep. England and his warped thought process, if farmers have to “deliver calves, dead or alive,” then a woman carrying a dead fetus, or one not expected to survive, should have to carry it to term.
http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2012/03/31/at-11th-hour-georgia-passes-women-as-livestock-bill/
Michigan woman fired for not handing over her facebook password
So I’m not sure if you guys would consider this oppression because we haven’t really touched on it too much. I found this article to be very interesting, it shows how a person in power (employer) exercising their authority in an unfair manner against a subordinate.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Alien Act
by guest blogger Uchechi
According to some scholars an alien is one who has been estranged or excluded. If it is a valid statement that we are all equal as human beings then why does the law consider some people more privileged to enjoy some rights than others?
The link below shows information the alien act and the subtle oppressive language imbedded therein:
The Power of the Pic
I’m a picture person, so the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” really stands true for me. For me, a picture can be a read like a book. When I know even a little of the context of a picture, it becomes even more detailed. I find myself collecting photos (on my computer) that resonate with me for one reason or another. Most recently, I’ve been collecting protest/support photos around the Trayvon Martin tragedy. I’ve collected these photos from all over the Internet. See below for a selection of them.
For YOU, how influential are photos? Could one photo encourage you to act? In regards to gaining support for causes and movements, how persuasive do you think photos are in our country? How do you think photos be used even more effectively to gain support for a cause or movement?
INSIGHT ABOUT OPPRESSION and RACISM
http://www.american-pictures.com/english/racism/oppression.htm
People have been oppressed and many have an intuitive understanding of
the distress patterns they have developed as a result. This website
provides guiding principles behind all oppressions used by a man named
Jacob Holdt and Tony Harris who dedicated 25 years of their life to
eliminating racism. . It talks about different workshops that they
performed to eliminate racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism,
anti-Semitism, classism and their many other cousins... If you'ld like
to learn simple ways on how to eliminate racism or any other form of
oppression check out this site.
hope you enjoy your read..;-)
Civil Rights Lawsuits Against The NYPD
by guest blogger Gordon Shumway
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/opinion/stop-and-frisk-continued.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
I decided to post about this article because I felt like it was related to one of my previous posts on an opinion’s page regarding the NYPD targeting Young Black and Latino Males because of crime rates.
Here’s a little of what the article had to say about the “Clean Halls” program.
“Civil rights lawsuits may now force the (Bloomberg) administration to examine this policy, which has largely focused on minority neighborhoods and has created anger and distrust among black and Hispanic New Yorkers who feel that the police view them as suspects, not citizens.”
Furthermore,
“residents in buildings enrolled in the Clean Halls program are subject to being stopped and illegally ticketed or arrested for trespassing in their own buildings if they fail to produce identification when they take out the garbage, check the mail, duck out to the store for a quart of milk. Young people growing up in these buildings, lawyers say, are routinely searched without legal cause and detained”
Here’s another article, which gives more details on the lawsuit against the NYPD.
Although, I have been posting quite sometime on the current race issues which seem to be happening at a rate in which I can post about them on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, I am scratching my head as to how you could properly train this police department on racial sensitivity. Perhaps the lawsuits as the first article suggests, may force the NYPD to reevaluate the Clean Halls program.
Interview with Dr. Khushdeep Malhotra
by guest blogger Courtney
Dr. Khushdeep Malhotra works at the Morehouse School of Medicine Satcher Health Leadership Institute where she is a Health Policy Leadership Fellow. Throughout her career she has won numerous awards for her scholarship and service. As we are studying the language of oppression, I was interested in asking her about strategies she might advocate for developing social justice.
CW: I see that you began your medical career as a dentist. Tell me, what made you want to move into the field of public health?
KM: As a dentist, I was frustrated at having to treat the same individual conditions again and again- especially since the same people kept coming back! I understood then that I needed to address oral health on a grander scale. I completed a three-month community dentistry internship in a village in Karnataka, India and thoroughly enjoyed the community-based approach to practicing dentistry. So, I decided to get further training and got accepted to the MPH [Master’s in Public Health] program at WKU [Western Kentucky University].
CW: What are some of the populations with whom you work, and what kinds of health related struggles do they face?
KM: So far, my work has been with youth who are considered to be 'at-risk' in society. I have worked specifically with incarcerated children. Not only are lifelong outcomes poor for these kids if they are not given the right kind of support, but health, which is tied to overall development, school performance, 'success' is often worse in these kids compared to the general population. For instance, rates of STDs, substance abuse, mental health illnesses and oral health needs are much higher in these kids. Achievement gaps in school have also been documented.
CW: What are some of the ways that the language of oppression entrenches health problems for marginalized individuals? When working on creating strategies for health equity, how much attention is paid to the language of liberation?
KM: Sadly, language is something we (even providers) don't pay enough attention to. One may not intend to be culturally or socially insensitive, but lack of training or prior experience working with these special populations may be difficult for healthcare providers, given there is little to no training in medical/dental schools about delivering care to such patients. In addition to resulting in poor patient satisfaction (and in general, outcomes), not getting appropriate linguistic/cultural competency training may reinforce the stigmas associated with a marginalized identity. Although there is a lot more focus now on cultural competency than there ever has been previously, there is still not dedicated training in all healthcare fields to address these gaps. It is imperative that attention be paid to this training, and public health, which is often the safety net provider of many of these 'marginalized' populations, is paying greater attention to their cultural/linguistic needs, but a lot remains to be done.
CW: I know you are very interested in studying forensics education, debate, spoken word, and other pedagogical approaches as a means of advancing public health equity and advocating public health policies. What drew you to competitive forensics as a tool for public health?
KM: My own experience as a debater in school for over 10 years made me realize the importance of communication in regards to the empowerment of communities and people. Since social justice is integral to the foundations of public health, I think it is only natural to use forensics tools such as debate, spoken word and etc. to advance health, especially with young people. Understanding that they have control over their health and the choices they make, and ability to weigh risks versus benefits, allows youth greater control over their health, and therefore towards making better choices. Spoken word especially resonates with these young people. As they critically deconstruct content, they realize how much of it is applicable to their own context, and how much they are in charge of recognizing and exercising healthier choices.
CW: What kind of advice do you have for someone, oh, say a communication graduate student, that is interested in helping to make real change in the community?
KM: Tough one. Real change is slow, and requires persistence. So I would say, first and foremost, persevere. Learn to accept that change will be slow to come and keep working towards it. Communication is a powerful gift to give to another, and so is the presentation of scientific evidence. So find ways in your field to incorporate this evidence into your work, when advocating for a cause.
For further discussion, Dr. Malhotra can be reached by at khushi_jovi@yahoo.com
Monday, April 2, 2012
NOM To Use Race to Stop Marriage Quality
Orwell and March Madness
A Photographer's Mission to Show That Breast Cancer is More Than Pink Ribbons
Last semester, during Interpersonal Communication Theory class, a student presenter asked us to raise our hand "if a family member, or close friend, had been diagnosed with, or died from, breast cancer." I was caught off guard. I guess I always thought of cancer statistically and symbolically: large numbers and pink ribbons. I guess I resisted thinking about the person for whom I raised my hand. Then, as nearly the entire class raised their hand and, one by one, shared their story, those safely distant stats changed into faces and stories. In this article, photographer David Jay similarly encourages a more visceral understanding of cancer with his exhibition "SCAR Project: Breast Cancer is Not a Pink Ribbon." The photographs are striking and Jay is insightful as he uses visual rhetoric as a means of generating the kind of discussion that can generate the systemic change needed to save lives.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Banning 'Loaded' Words in Tests
by guest blogger Patrice G.
Liberating people through the abolishing of words is an idea many have had and few have succeeded in doing, but still organizations use the tactic. For instance, New York city schools are proposing to remove numerous words from the city's standardized test for liberating purposes. Apparently words like divorce, dinosaurs, birthdays, religion, halloween, television, and Christmas are offensive and oppressive words. Surprised or not surprised? Well, either way take a gander at the article below and share your thoughts:
New York city schools want to ban 'loaded words' from tests
By Brian Vitagliano, CNN
New York (CNN) – Divorce. Dinosaurs, Birthdays. Religion. Halloween. Christmas. Television. These are a few of the 50-plus words and references the New York City Department of Education is hoping to ban from the city’s standardized tests.
The banned word list was made public – and attracted considerable criticism – when the city’s education department released this year’s "request for proposal" on March 8, 2010. The request for proposal is sent to test publishers around the country trying to get the job of revamping math and English tests for the City of New York.
The Department of Education's says that avoiding sensitive words on tests is nothing new, and that New York City is not the only locale to do so. California avoids the use of the word "weed" on tests and Florida avoids the phrases that use "Hurricane" or "Wildfires," according to a statement by the New York City Department of Education.
In its request for proposal, the NYC Department of Education explained it wanted to avoid certain words if the "the topic is controversial among the adult population and might not be acceptable in a state-mandated testing situation; the topic has been overused in standardized tests or textbooks and is thus overly familiar and/or boring to students; the topic appears biased against (or toward) some group of people."
Matthew Mittenthal, a spokesman for the NYC Department of Education, said this is the fifth year they have created such a list. He said such topics "could evoke unpleasant emotions in the students."
"Dinosaurs" evoking unpleasant emotions? The New York Post speculated that the "dinosaurs" could "call to mind evolution, which might upset fundamentalists.”
But what the tabloid failed to realize is that those "fundamentalists" who oppose evolution on religious grounds, believe wholeheartedly in dinosaurs.
Young Earth creationists, or Biblical creationists as they prefer to be called, often point to dinosaurs in making their arguments. They say dinosaurs and humans roamed Earth together, citing legends of dragons and say the fossil record shows the earth is 6,000 years old, though few paleontologists and geologists share this theory.
At the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, the heart of the Young Earth Creationism movement, dinosaur models and exhibits fill the museum displays and gift shop.
Apparently many of the words on New York’s list were avoided because of faith-based concerns.
For instance, the use of the word "birthday" or the phrase "birthday celebrations" may offend Jehovah's Witnesses, who do not celebrate birthdays. A spokesperson for the Jehovah's Witnesses declined to comment on the use of the word "birthday."
The Department of Education would not go on the record to explain the specific reasons for each word, which has left many to speculate and draw their own conclusions.
Halloween may suggest paganism; divorce may conjure up uneasy feelings for children in the midst of a divorce within their family. One phrase that may surprise many, the term "Rock 'n' Roll" was on the "avoid" list.
And not good news for Italians: the Department of Education also advised avoiding references to types of food, such as pepperoni, products they said "persons of some religions or cultures may not indulge in."
The Department of Education said, "This is standard language that has been used by test publishers for many years and allows our students to complete practice exams without distraction."
Stanford University Professor Sam Wineburg is an expert in the field of education and director of the Stanford History Education Group.
When reached by phone said Wineburg, after a brief pause on the line, "the purpose of education is to create unpleasant experiences in us. ... The Latin meaning if education is 'to go out.' Education is not about making us feel warm and fuzzy inside."
Wineburg questioned the idea that the New York City Department of Education would want to "shield kids from these types of encounters." He said the goal of education is to "prepare them," adding "this is how we dumb down public schools."
CNN's Eric Marrapodi contributed to this report.
article link: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/28/new-york-city-schools-ban-loaded-words-from-tests/
MPAA Gives "Bully" an R Rating
In response to the rash of LGBT teen suicides over the past two years director Lee Hirsch decided to draw attention to the problem of bullying by releasing the movie "Bully". This movie tells the story of teens who are the victim of bullying and acts as a plea for parents, students, and teachers to do more to stop it. Harvey Weinstein, the head of the studio who produced the film, was planning on taking the films to schools as a means to directly confront bullies with the consequences of their actions. Sadly, the MPAA - the group which assigns movie ratings - has decided that the film is too obscene to be given a PG-13 rating. The MPAA cites a few vulgarities as the reason for the rating. However, many are concerned that the traditionally conservative MPAA is using the R rating as a means of enforcing "traditional values". An R rating is problematic as it means that most kids won't be able to see the film, negating the effectiveness of the message. Celebrities and students from across the country have petitioned the MPAA to lower the rating to a PG-13, but the MPAA has yet to budge.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
RACIST CHANT DURING NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
Members of the University of Southern Mississippi's pep band taunted Kansas State player, Angel Rodriguez with a racist chant during the teams' NCAA tournament game. The band members chanted "where's your green card?" and Rodriguez approached the free-throw line. Southern Mississippi has revoked the scholarships of five students who took part in the incident and removed them from the band. They also were required to complete a 2 hour cultural sensitivity training course. Rodriguez has accepted apologies from the university. Do you think the situation was handled appropriately?
articles at:
Hate Crime in San Diego?
This article pertains to a possible hate crime. A 32 year old Iraqi woman was beaten to death in her home in San Diego. Her body was found by her 17 year old daughter. There was a note next to her body that said the woman was a terrorist and she should go back to her country. There have been no leads on who killed the woman as of yet. Why would this not automatically be considered a hate crime? It seems that this should automatically be considered a hate crime. It is very unfortunate that this woman had to die at the hands of someone who thought something of her that most likely was not true.
http://www.freep.com/article/20120327/NEWS02/120327042/Shaima-Alawadi-Iraqi-American-beating-death?
Thank you,
Jenni
Black Teenager Gunned-Down, Legal Protections Afforded to Murderer
News coverage has spread nationally regarding the murder of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old boy who was gunned-down by an armed vigillante in an Orlando suburb. Trayvon was unarmed and had just finished purchasing a bag of Skittles and an iced tea from a convenience store. While walking home, Trayvon was pursued by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer. Zimmerman followed Trayvon in his car, defying the advice of 911 operators to not pursue the teenager or exit his vehicle.
After hanging up with the 911 operator, Zimmerman continued to pursue Trayvon (who was now running in an attempt to evade Zimmerman chasing him in his vehicle). Zimmerman stopped his vehicle, exited, drew a weapon, and fatally shot Trayvon. Other neighbors had placed calls to 911 in the intervening time; Trayvon can be heard calling for help and pleading for his life in the last few moments before gun shots can be heard on the 911 tapes.
Zimmerman was not arrested and is not currently being prosecuted because of Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law - one which allows citizens to use deadly force against individuals who they have "reasonable suspicion" intend to harm them. Similar laws exist in states throughout the country and are being pushed by groups like the NRA.
Mother Jones Magazine has published an excellent synopsis of the case, including copies of the audio recordings from 911 operators and other media coverage. These can be viewed here:
http://motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/what-happened-trayvon-martin-explained
Glen Beck, a conservative radio and FOX News personality, has called Trayvon the "aggressor" on his website, The Blaze. According to Beck, Trayvon was the aggressor in the confrontation with Zimmerman. The articles continue that the Rev. Al Sharpton is inciting racial conflict by advocating for Trayvon and for the arrest and prosecution of Zimmerman.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/al-sharpton-dismisses-self-defense-argument-in-shooting-of-teen/
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2012/03/glenn-beck-blaze-trayvon-martin
Best and Worst States for Women
“The states in which women live well and get decent pay -- the rating
factors in education levels, health insurance, and employment…
includes Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, California,
Vermont, New York, Minnesota, Washington and New Hampshire.”
The article below describes the rationale of iVillage recent campaign
to blog the ten best and ten worst states to live in as a woman.
“The worst places for women are in the South, although Idaho and
Indiana rank among the bottom dwellers. The other places in which
women are less healthy, less educated and get paid less are
Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, West Virginia,
Alabama, Louisiana, and South Carolina.”
It is common to understand women’s rights as a national problem, which
frankly it is. As a female voter – should my focus center on state
rights that effect immediately?
Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/connelly/article/Washington-One-of-the-nation-s-best-states-for-3427995.php#ixzz1qEsTlOsN
"The Hunger Games"
With the Release of the movie "The Hunger Games" this past weekend there has been some shocking backlash on the internet by "fans" who were angry when three characters were black, even though the book stated that they were dark-skinned. check this links and prepared to be shocked.
"The Hiunger 8
With the Release of the movie "The Hunger Games" this past weekend there has been some shocking backlash on the internet by "fans" who were angry when three characters were black, even though the book stated that they were dark-skinned. check this links and prepared to be shocked.
Oppression and Neighborhood Watch
by guest blogger Rebecca
Even while this shooting may not constitute what is legally considered a hate crime, the man did shoot and kill a teenager so he should be arrested on that account alone- What other factors could be at play here besides racism?
· Should neighborhood crime watch participants be allowed to carry weapons and should they have to pass some type of screening interview?
· What do you think about the sentence “ this kid looks like he is up to no good and they always get away?” Could this have been phrased differently so that the outcome could have been different??
· Do any of you feel like that biased language is on the rise or is it just so focused on in the media that any event makes it seem like this when it may actually be on the decrease? Key phrase is “seems to.”
Freedom, oppression and social media
http://www.viewpointonline.net/freedom-and-oppression-on-facebook-and-twitter.html
This article talks about the Pakistani people and their opinions about
facebook and twitter. How these sight are used to to liberate others
and to also oppress them. The most popular Pakistani profiles on
Twitter and Facebook, and the most popular blogs belong to people who
would be opinion leaders in any case. Some of them hold key government
offices, others are celebrities offline, and most were journalists or
became journalists...Why is this important?..This article tells you
why...so enjoy reading...
Possibilities? What possibilities?
Question: what kind of social changes will social media bring? Who
will it empower? What will they do with that power? In the light of
these questions.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Race and Suspicion
There has been a lot of coverage on the murder of Trayvon Martin in the news lately and obviously we have given some of the attention on this blog. Trayvon’s story highlights the issue of race and suspicion. The article below was written by an individual (Michael Skolnik) who has decided to speak up on this issue and point up just how privileged white skin can make someone. The powerful message he spreads is the idea that he will never look suspicious to the people around him because he is not black. The blog post has been circulated around the internet and serves to help our society take a step forward toward a language of liberation by acknowledging the rights white people take for granted by not extending the same rights to the oppressed. I hope many people will hear this message and choose to speak to those around even though this is considered a taboo conversation topic. Maybe the fact that this topic is considered taboo says something about our society and how serious we are about invoking change.
Skin Color and Oppression
Does the color of someone's skin make them the target of oppressive acts? What happens or should happen when this leads to a death?
If we can't blame the police then who do we blame?
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/03/12/young-black-and-male-in-america/you-cant-blame-the-police?scp=4&sq=nypd%20racism&st=cse
In this opinions page article titled “You Can't Blame The Police” writer Peter Moskos argues the reason why the police focus most of their attention on young black males is because that's where the highest murder rate is (he's talking about in NYC). He goes into more detail for his reasoning, and ends the article by saying “Ideally, we'd end the war on drugs, the greatest cause of racial disparity in the criminal justice system. But until we do, we need more police and smarter policing, not a knee-jerk politically correct response.” Needless to say the article struck a nerve with me, and I disagree with the author. Anyone have any thoughts on this one?
Are Children an Oppressed Class?
This article talks about children being an oppressed class and the
innuendo that comes when you speak against another oppressed
class...Talking about these differences gets tricky, however. If you
say you simply do not want to be treated the way a member of another
oppressed class is treated, it comes across as a desire to be more
respected, and less ill-treated, because you are not a member of this
other class and that contributes to the stigma they must face. Children
are smaller and weaker than most adults, and at very young ages unable
to provide for their needs independently at all, they are deeply
vulnerable to oppression. My question is did you feel oppressed as a
younger child growing up? Did you feel like your VOICE or opinion
mattered in your house hold? why or why not explain?...Do you agree or
disagree with the article, are children an oppressed class in your
opinion...Are their voices heard?...
http://www.genderacrossborders.com/2010/02/25/children-oppressed-class/
Oppression in the Language of Laws
by guest blogger Purple
Almost a month after the death of 17 year old, Trayvon Martin, the incident is garnering national attention and outrage. On February 26th, Trayvon Martin was shot to death in the gated community where his father lived in Orlando, Florida. He was visiting his father there. The shooter is 28 year old, George Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watch captain. Zimmerman deemed Martin “suspicious” as he spotted him walking in the neighborhood, after having returned from a nearby convenience store to purchase a pack of Skittles and an iced tea. Zimmerman called 911 to report Martin’s “suspicious” behavior and ignored instructions to not pursue Martin. He ended up confronting Martin and shooting him in what he claims was in self-defense. Recently, 911 calls and witness reports have been publicly released, and largely challenge Zimmerman’s claims of self-defense.
This case brings to light Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, which has thus far provided Zimmerman immunity from arrest despite the numerous amounts of evidence from 911 calls and witness accounts. The Sanford Police Department in Florida maintain they don’t have enough evidence to dispute Zimmerman’s claim and arrest him. But, back to the “Stand Your Ground” law; the law was passed in Florida in 2005 and basically gives people the right to use deadly force if they feel they are being threatened without first trying to retreat. While I read the law was partially introduced in support of the fight against domestic violence, Trayvon Martin’s case allows me to see the potential for oppression with the law. Like any law, it can be misused and abused, and in this case, which reeks of racism, it can lead to injustice.
What do you think of the “Stand Your Ground” law? Apparently the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming all have laws similar to it.
For more information on the case, check out some of the links below… and also do your own research.
*Update: Late Monday, the FBI and Department of Justice announced plans to investigate the shooting of Trayvon Martin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgNvPdRVnyQ
http://www.wesh.com/r/30719969/detail.html
Monday, March 19, 2012
Age Discrimination in the Workplace: Is it Ageism or your Attitude?
Submitted by Guest Blogger Patrice G.
Unfortunately, retiring at 55 or 65 years of age has become unrealistic for most workers. Therefore, it is not uncommon these days to see people working well into their 70's and 80's, because of the horrible economic status of most Americans.
But what should not be common is Ageism, however, the statements listed below are widely used when younger employees voice their opinions on veteran employees:
- Rigid and stuck in their ways.
- Poor or failing health. Medical issues impact attendance and productivity.
- Afraid of new technologies.
- Slower to learn new concepts. Slow to change.
- Years of highly developed opinions; unwillingness to hear new ideas.
- Expensive. They demand higher wages.
- Poor investment because they won’t be staying with the company for long enough to get a return on investment with their training.
- Physically slow moving. Low energy. Unable to sustain long hours if required.
- Risk adverse.
What would you propose to help lessen or end the Ageism (language of oppression) towards the more veteran employees?
read the entire article here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneywisewomen/2011/03/02/age-discrimination-in-the-workplace-is-it-ageism-or-your-attitude/
Oppression Between Personality Types
by guest blogger Simone
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/18/opinion/cain-introverts-power/index.html?hpt=hp_bn6
Here is an opinion article from CNN about the long-standing debate between the personality types of Introverts vs Extroverts.
Many people who consider themselves to be introverts, have felt that they have been wrongly criticized or judged for being 'aloof', a 'loner', or anti-social by some extroverts, who tend to be much more outgoing, sociable, and gregarious. Some introverts may feel that they have been oppressed in school or in the workplace because of their introspective nature. Here is a portion of the article, but please read it in its entirety at the link above, along with reading some of the reader's comments. BTW, which are you, introvert or extrovert? I'm an introvert.
Introverts run the world -- quietly
The theory of evolution. The theory of relativity. The Cat in the Hat. All were brought to you by introverts.
Our culture is biased against quiet and reserved people, but introverts are responsible for some of humanity's greatest achievements -- from Steve Wozniak's invention of the Apple computer to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. And these introverts did what they did not in spite of their temperaments -- but because of them.
As the science journalist Winifred Gallagher writes: "The glory of the disposition that stops to consider stimuli rather than rushing to engage with them is its long association with intellectual and artistic achievement. Neither E=mc2 nor Paradise Lost was dashed off by a party animal."
Introverts make up a third to a half the population. That's one out of every two or three people you know.
Yet our most important institutions -- our schools and our workplaces -- are designed for extroverts. And we're living with a value system that I call the New Groupthink, where we believe that all creativity and productivity comes from an oddly gregarious place.
Picture the typical classroom. When I was a kid, we sat in rows of desks, and we did most of our work autonomously. But nowadays many students sit in "pods" of desks with four or five students facing each other, and they work on countless group projects -- even in subjects like math and creative writing. Kids who prefer to work by themselves don't fit, and research by educational psychology professor Charles Meisgeier found that the majority of teachers believe the ideal student is an extrovert -- even though introverts tend to get higher grades, according to psychologist Adrian Furnham.
The same thing happens at work. Many of us now work in offices without walls, with no respite from the noise and gaze of co-workers. And introverts are routinely passed over for leadership positions, even though the latest research by the management professor Adam Grant at Wharton shows that introverted leaders often deliver better results. They're better at letting proactive employees run with their creative ideas, while extroverts can unwittingly put their own stamp on things and not realize that other people's ideas aren't being heard.
Of course, we all fall at different points along the introvert-extrovert spectrum. Even Carl Jung, who popularized these terms in the first place, said there was no such thing as a pure introvert or a pure extrovert -- that "such a man would be in a lunatic asylum." There's also a term, ambivert, for people who fall smack in the middle of the spectrum.
(read the rest at cnn.com)Friday, March 16, 2012
Oppression in Sports?
This week I came across two incidents of rhetoric being used to oppress in the world of sports.
first
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/southern-miss-band-chants-where-green-card-puerto-205326741.html during the NCAA tournament the band from the other team taunted a Puerto Rican player.
the second is an article about a local Detroit Basketball game that turned ugly when the Catholic school student section began chants that made fun of the econmic status that many student at King HS in Detroit face http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120313/OPINION03/203130328/1332/OPINION0317/Detroit-King-s-comfortable-win-turns-uncomfortable
So why is it that people feel they can chant whatever they want at sporting events? Do they foster that much of a mob mentality that people shout against their better judgement?