Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Wednesday's Heated Discussion

Hey guys,

After today's discussion, I still stand by what I say. Although I do have something to add. We should not be arguing with each other. Feeding into the notion of intersectionality, we are all part  of a  minority group.This includes people who are a women, homosexuals, African Americans,  people who are handicap,  and more. Some times it is difficult to keep our emotions out of the discussion because we feel as though we are being attacked.

If we have learned anything though, we should acknowledge that the United States should not hold binary values. Such as the comments like,  "There will always be a dominant group," when there doesn't have to be. After more than 210 years, we should've  been a melting pot (by now) with the classification of race as non existent, but that is farther then truth than ever before. 

If anyone felt uncomfortable, that was not my intention. I understand that you may feel like I was singling people out in my metaphors in class. But we have to keep in mind the differences between institutions and individuals. In class, someone mentioned that perhaps they don't understand where I'm coming from because they were not born like me (Mexican-American). My stance was universal for all people of minorities, because as for myself, financially I would be considered middle to upper middle class. When I mention that resources should be shared equitably this is coming from the hundreds of people I know, who were born into disadvantaged positions through no fault of their own.

Finally in class, someone mentioned that it is not fair to say race helped them get into college. Perhaps you or others may not see the advantage given, others  do see. With the statement that was said we have to notice that being white did not help anyone 'get into' college. But being white may have paved the road for the resources that were available to you from elementary school through high school. Kids in public schools with a predominately Black or Hispanic population are not concerned with grades in high school. They are trying to figure out if they will have electricity at home, because their parents didn't pay the bill. They have to try to finish their 10pg essay assignments in the library because they don't have access to a laptop.

The point I'm trying to make is that the economic structures in place are not balanced. The truth is, the rich are getting richer and the middle class and lower classes are getting poorer. If you agree that people should get what they deserve, and that this is foot race, then we are setting ourselves up for failure, as a society. Eventually as Ayvazian pointed out, in her text in relation to allies and oppression, everyone becomes a minority even the white, christian, heterosexual, male will grow old and then will become a victim of social inequality. If a class room full of college students can't see what Professor Bogad and Assistant teacher Eva have been saying all semester, then we may actually be taking a step backwards in social change.

5 comments:

  1. I'm mad I missed today's discussion! Wanna fill me in on what people were saying a bit? If you don't want to rehash it, that's fine! I'm just curious!

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  2. I will agree economic structures are not balanced and never will be, but we need to separate "white" with "rich" and "minorities" with "Poor." People are given privileges based on how much money they have, not race/sexual preference/gender. I feel bad for the kid living in the ghetto but last I heard money buys laptops and electricity, not color.

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    1. While I do understand that ethnicity, race, and gender still play a significant roll in born privilege, I also agree with Ariel that it's important not to place generalizations on entire races. While the difference between individuals and institutions can make a valid point in distinguishing the direction or intention of a discussion, it is still important to make sure that comments directed towards an institution don't condemn or force stereotypes on all individuals within. It is important for those in a position of any level of privilege to acknowlege that privilege. But, it's also possible that assumptions of the extent of privilege for others may come off as discounting or dismissing hard work for nothing more than an easy ride. As we have discussed in class and noted in readings, it's easy for these issues to become heated. These topics can easily lead people to a defensive position, feeling like they are being assoiciated negatively to issues much larger than them. We all have experiences which lead our opinions, and it's important that everyone has equal opportunity to speak openly. That's been one of the best parts of this class. If we didn't encounter varying opinions we'd never have any reason to really consider our own.

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    2. That was a perfect way to state it. Your race or ethnicity doesn't decide your economic standings. It's the cards your dealt. Everyone has to worry about bills, where your going to get your means to do school work, and how your going to support yourself. No Matter what "color" you are.

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