Week 13

Week 13

The Question that is being asked is, " What will you do?" When it comes to social change, that question is always being asked, due to the unfortunate fact that there is alway as problem or task that  need to be dealt with. As Johnson states in the introductory, “...privilege and oppression is not a thing of the past…”. Meaning, there will always be some type of social injustice or problems within society, also meaning there will always be a call to action. Just as there is a call to action, there is active roles in which people can’t take to effect the task at hand. Being both a negative effect or positive depending on the action that individuals chooses to enact. Johnson method in involves a few steps. The first step is very simple, it what any person trying to resolve a problem would do, which is acknowledging that there is actually a problem with something. In some cases this is actually the hardest step. For example someone that is experiencing or is a part of a privileged group within society, would have difficulty acknowledging the disadvantage to an individual outside of their group. After you acknowledge the problem you have to “pay attention” according to Johnson. However I would like to call this the analyzing stage, this is when you sit back, and see which side of the fence you reside on, and also who is this problem oppressing, what type of thing are you doing to contribute or denote to this situation. Following Johnson’s method, due to the fact that majority of people don’t have enough courage for the next step, which actually “Do Something”, this is the call to action. This is where and when we see individuals speaking out on situation big and small, even if it’s letting someone know that a joke isn’t funny and actually is harmful. This is where we see protesting and revolt against social injustices. Many different historical event became memorable due to people standing up, and simply just doing something about it. But this method involves taking as risk  you have to be willing to deal with the results and consequences. This is mostly the reason, because people do not like change, society doesn’t like change especially the people who are benefitting from it being the way that it is, although there are other individuals on the other side of that oppression.  It true that it will not be easy, you will probably get blamed “for trying to make something out of nothing” or “ looking for a problem” or “over- analyzing stuff”, but all that ridicule is worth it, if it brings up positive change.

Week 9

Stigma! Woah after reading all the material for this topic and watching the videos all I can say is. True! Very True! However, this is something you really don't know because we (men/boys) have been trained to think and act the way that we do and we try to portray it as normal. Before we even become the age to be a man, we are told to act like a "MAN", when in reality we are only babies and children and we are doing what kids do. For example crying to express sadness or disappointment while you're a child, you are often told "Toughen up and be a man", but you are just acting out your natural reaction to the situation. Once this action is repeated this over and over, you become equipped to it and now you're "tough, a bad a**, a MAN".
No to really, after reading the After There's Something Absolutely Wrong With What We Do To Boys Before They Grow Into Men shows that trying to make boys be men before the are even men has a negative and deadly effect on them. This Mask that we have to put on everyday, makes it difficult for young males to express there true feelings and sometimes even seek help when they need it, due to the fact that they fear being ridiculed by peers that are suppressed by the same stigma. As many other males have experienced, I have personally experienced the reinforcement of making boys "men". I have heard over and over how not to be like a girl and to not show emotions, because that's not what men do. This type of stigma is dangerous, due to fact that after it is experienced over and over one becomes desensitized to emotion. This just doesn't happen to your emotions it happens, ones starts to lose regard for how others feel. This can lead to violence on vast levels, and this is one of the major reasons that we see abuse and violent behavior among young males.
I after reading the 11 things that makes wish they could do. I felt uncomfortable just thinking about doing some of those things. This is because I have been so conditioned by the male stigma that thinking about, " wanting to say another male is attractive" is uncomfortable for me and it's hard for me to process it. Like many things on that list it hard for me think about doing those things, which should probably be normal things that human beings do.

Week 8

Identity and Social Interactions

After watching all the TED talks and hearing all the different situations and the different social interaction that some people had to endure, it correlated with that person or group's identity. I believe that I have drawn the conclusion, that social interaction and identity depend on each other. Your identity is dictated by the way you interact within you social environment and your social interaction can become your identity. It’s almost like the chicken or the egg situation, no one know which is first.

However, in Jane Novogratz’s TED talk she explained the story of the woman who lives in a poverty stricken village, and how the woman initial identity when was that of a prostitute, as result of that being her only resort to make money. Her social interaction was negative, Jane even said that the woman felt embarrassed that she had to do that sometimes to make money. However once the woman invested money in the credit system and started her business up, she was able to change the way that she socially interacted. As shown in the pictures you could tell that the woman had a different outlook on her identity as she previously did. She was now able to go out into the village and sell her merchandise, instead of sell her body, which a major social interaction change. That was an example of how your social interactions and identity can change without you changing your physical environment.

Tan Lee’s TED talk was very emotional as well as insightful. Her story depicted how identity is not just singular, but in fact can be plural in some situation. Lee spoke on how she got to a point in her life where she felt that she couldn’t go on, she said that her mother reminded her that she was around the age as she was when she decided to leave their old life. She also said that  her mother told her ,“Just do it…Don’t be what you're not”. This only made sense after watching Lee’s entire TED talk, and after she spoke on her grandmother experience. It clarified that the identity of the women of Lee’s family have been shaped by their experiences and their social interactions.  After watching the TED talks and hearing how people identify based on their social interactions or how the social interactions help create their identity. I begin to do introspect on myself and I believe that my identity is based on what I have been through as well as what I go through on a daily basis, my social interactions. I am confident enough in this theory to say that it is trust for everyone, because everyone has a different identity, just as everyone has different social interactions.

Week 6: Theories of Difference

As we all know the differences between one individual to another is easy to see, we are all different from each other yet we are all the same. However the difference that we have also play are role in how we live our live, from things that we can control to thing that we can't control. The differences that we possess from one person to another makes up our identity. Also the differences from one group to another plays a major role in the way we interact within different groups in society and vice versa. When thinking of my identity it automatically create differences and different groups that I'm not a part of. I would say that I am a young, black heterosexual, male, son and brother, student-athlete as well as first generation student. The oblivious difference person from myself would probably be someone that not black or male whose sexual orientation is not heterosexual, they are probably the only child that does not play sports or attend college. Although, it seems that me and that person don't share individual characteristics we also differ in groups as well. Adams talks about "the possessive investment in whiteness" the only reason that individual might acknowledge that they are Black, Hispanic, Asian, etc. ...Mostly because they are NOT white and that the way it has been since the arrival of the British to the United States. First they made the natives feel wrong for being Native Americans then slaves. Asian had a period in American history were they were largely discriminated only because they were not white and we are starting to see the same thing happen to Hispanic people. Mia Birdsong’s TED talk held a great solution on how we could use our differences to our advantage and help the people in our groups. For example finical disadvantaged people that are seeking change are the only individuals that know what they need that would help them get a start on improving their lives. So if these people could team up and bring a different resource to the table that will eventually help them out in the end. There also cultural differences that separate us within society whether it is religion, marriage, or certain people deal with death. In the text Grandfather’s funeral there was a very distinct point that was made about letting the people be as sad as they could be about the death of the individual, and that this death was lead way to them being able to cry about the hardships in their lives as well as the death. This also reminds me of how the New Orleans culture deals with death, it is almost the total opposite of the Dagara funerals, the New Orleans culture celebrate the life of the individual in contrast to grieving over the death of individual. They also perform a dance ritual for the dead called “second line” dancing where every family member and individuals from that person community flow a second line band down the streets dancing and drinking in the name of the deceased. As much as we are different we are the same we are all human and we all have the same feelings. I actually like the differences that we have although when we use the difference to discriminate against one another is when I dislike being different the most.

Week 5: Identities

Identity. Something you can’t get away from, no matter how much you just want to be human being or just a person. Identity start before an individual is even born. Now more then ever you are seeing people couple have gender reveal parties for their unborn children. These are events where neither parent knows what’s the sex of their child that’s in the womb. It is typical that you see dads that want the child to be a male so much that when that gender is revealed and it's a boy they jump with excitement, however when the gender is revealed for a female, it is hard for some mean to hide the disappointment. So it can be said that identity is already set for you even before you are born. As, Adams explained, “The concept of identity is a complex one, shaped by individual characteristics, family dynamics, historical factors, and social and political contexts.”. I interpreted this as identity being something that you can control and cannot control. We are born into certain things in society that is a part of our identity if we want it to be or not. Also so we make decisions that help contribute to our identity.

Personally my identity changes depending on the environments that I am in and the people that I am around. For example, I want to perceived as hard worker when I’m in class so I sit the front and always bring my book to class. I also like to be identified as a football player so I wear issued gear. However there are situations when I don’t have control over my identity or how I’m seeing by others. For example when I walk into a store that might be expensive I am usually asked if I need any help immediately. Then to create the identity that I can shopper there I would pull out a large amount of cash or ask for the most expensive thing in the store. This goes with the “ dominant and subordinate” groups that Adams spoke about in the first Chapter of the text. The dominant group is usually the group that creates these identities for us. They are reinforced so much by the things around us that we tend to start to believe in them. For instance, the male label or stereotype that has been placed on my groups is that we are criminals  or thieves, So every-time I go somewhere to shop I subconsciously think if the workers and employees think I'm stealing. Although I don’t commit the act, I still act according to an individual that is under the suspicion of being a thief. However, Identities are a complex concept as Adams said it determines how we are supposed to interact with other and how others choose to interact with us.

As we saw example in the film, 50 Shades of Gay , although Wright was born a female Wright was able to self identify, then she chose to embrace her own sex a few years later. It was interesting how that she never chose what her identity was so it was more expect when Wright chose to be one sex or the other she hardly ever got in backlash. The video of Lana Wachowski who is film director of popular movies and also is transgender that received a human rights awards, that most interesting part of that video was when Lana talked about the dinner with that her guest and how they avoid talking about Wachowski’s identity, much rather the accomplishments of the individuals. Which I personally find difficult to do when identifying a transgender individual, because I don’t want to offend or disrespect the individual. This just goes to show how much we rely on identity to help make a person.

Week 4: Structures and Institutions

This topic is very prevalent for every aspect of our daily lives as human being. Due to something that was created by society, we are placed into categories and groups. How these groups from and how forms then for us is very difficult to pinpoint. When dealing with Structure and Institution, one of the main factors is money and power. The individuals who possess those attributes are the one who set the structure or institutionalize, people, groups, schools, workforce, and society. After reading the material for this week I believe that we have a huge issue with our public school structure and institutions, which is a problem that derives from our political structure and institutions. After reading Can Schools Be Fixed?, it makes you think of the public school system in a different fashion. First, I would apologies for all the teachers that get a bad wrap, especially at the high school level. Majority of the students that make to high have been poorly brought up in the school system, so to say. Not because the teachers are bad and want them to fail. In fact as most of the teachers expressed in the article they would like to see more children succeed, but the public school are under funded, the teachers aren’t paid the value of their work. Another issue is the criminal justice system, it alarming to see the rates the minorities are at risk of getting arrested and convicted for crimes that white counterparts in society commit as well. The criminal stigma of the minorities is an example of an institution that is severely damaged as well as corrupted. This also allows white individuals to develop and possess the “unearned advantages” explained in Johnson’s book. I tend to ask myself how did these structural and institutionalized forms of discrimination derive from. This when and where as Americans we have to look back on the true history and see how unequal things started off for individuals that weren’t white. You also have to ask what is “the American motive”? That would be money and power. So if you take the groups that aren’t white and don’t have power and as well, you then now have someone to blame for all the problems in the world. It’s almost the prototype for people you don’t want to be like. Then once you have placed those people at the bottom it becomes easier to keep them there by not making the “ladder resources” available to them. Examples of “Ladder Resources” would be innovative learning environments, equal justice systems, and positive reinforcements  within the communities. However, the discrimination with the institutions that are supposed to serve these people is so negative, the individuals in the situation tend to fall victim to the system.  There are drastic changes that need to be made in many different institutions in American society, we need to get away from our past and they traditions that we had. The word is changing around us, and if we continue to pretend that we don’t see discrimination on an institutionalized level, we will continue to see things like dropout rates of minority student skyrocket, incarceration levels of minorities of minorities making up more than half of the people that are locked up.

Week 3: Privilege

It seems that this is a topic that will never be fully understood, due to how it is compartmentalized depending on the the privileges you qualify for. However if you look at the definition for privilege you'll probably get something close to this. Privilege: a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people,and which this definition is correct for the group that is receiving the privilege. However McIntosh was stressing the fact that just because the privilege group acknowledges that there are some disadvantages they should also try to acknowledge that they are also “over-privileged”, and are receiving sanction that allow them to have an advantage over another group based on certain things. I believe this would be a hard task for some individuals to do because they just can’t see how, for example, their skin color allows them to have an advantage at somethings. This may be the case, because most of society's standards are set by the white male dominate prospective. That would make it difficult for someone of those in that particular group to understand the disadvantages of individuals not in those group. Another reading that I found very interesting this week was the, From New Orleans to Ferguson, a Decade of Asserting Black Lives Matter article, it was shocking to see the connection between a natural disaster and human on human killings. It frightened me to know, as a citizen that you can be in you community and have to fear for your well being, on a nation wide spectrum. This article described how black citizens have been fighting for the equality of “life appreciation”, so to say since 2005. When individuals were put at risk due to inadequate infrastructure, all the way to the slaying of an innocent unarmed teenager. We can also still see the continuation of Black Lives “NOT” Mattering, with the water situation in Flint, Michigan. A predominantly black community that has been drinking and using poisonous water since 2014. This would probably not be the case if that community were full on white people in a suburban area, there would be many relief resources available to this community. However the strongest sentence of this article is, “The moment we stop reminding the world that black lives matter, black lives will not matter.”. This sentence stuck out to me, not only because it is a true statement, but it goes to show the privilege that other individuals outside of the black community have, in the sense that the don’t have to fight for the protection of their lives and well being. Secondly, it a true statement, if the black community don’t continue to battle back against the oppression that is presented within society, we’ll be accepting the consequences that follow, which will result in these things and events becoming the norm. This is not something that we can let happen as a society, if those that are privileged acknowledge the fact that they are, and can they choose to lessen the privilege. We will then see equality, which will result in communities being protected from harm.