Sunday, September 20, 2015
By now I'm sure everyone has heard the tale of Ahmed Mohamed, the teenager who was put in handcuffs for bringing his homemade clock to school. This incident is a shameful example of predjudice getting out of hand, but has luckily turned out for the better for Ahmed in all the support he has found following his suspension. Since the story has spread, a lot of questions have been asked over the scenario. Did President Obama really need to get involved? Does the clock work? Does Sarah Palin really still believe that it's "more than a clock?" However, the one that I've read above any other is:
"Whould this have happebed if he was white?"
I read a pretty interesting article concerning this on The New York Post.
While I don't agree with the claim of this whole story being a "False, convient tale of racism" I do think the author's questions pose for a compelling conversation. Is the issue bias? Or is it something else?
In my opinion, it is difficult to deny that Islamophobia had a minor (if not major) role in Amed's arrest and suspension. However, I have to admit, when I first heard the story, my mind immediately went to an event that happened in my own community this past Wednesday, when a portion of the freeway was shutdown for an hour because of a cooler on the side of the road.
The New York Post article also rattles off some examples of overeactions to certain, unthreatening behavors in schools. Some students mentioned are white, some are not.
We can all agree that the reactions are extreme, we can all agree that the way they were handeled completely wrong, but what about the source of the behavior? From what illness is this a sympotom of?
When I play this out as happening at my old high school, which was predominantly white, I can very easily see a student proudly showing off his clock, and security thinking nothing of it, but at the same time, I can't rule out the possibility of the situation getting out of hand in the same way as it did for Ahmed, because I know it happenes all the time.
So, would this have happened to one of Ahmed's white classmates had they brought in a clock?
It's hard to say, but I think the greatest issue that's floated to the top of this entire ordeal is society's knee-jerk reaction to look for something to roll our eyes at, rather than allowing it to motivate us to try for something better. It always has to be dilluded by some debate. What were the administrators who called the police thinking? What was the racist-to-non-racist ratio? Who knows? Who cares?
It was another line added to the sad song of discrimination that too many minorities hear thanks to society's branding of all non-whites as violent and that's should matter.
It should have stopped before Treyvon.
It should have stopped before Tamir.
It should stopped before Ahmed.
How many more children need to fall victim before we admit that yes, racism is a problem, racism is the problem? I fear for a country that keeps asking why white kids aren't getting free white house tours instead of why black kids are getting shot.
But that's just me. Like I said before, I think this topic provides for some really, really compelling discussion, so for anybody reading this, I am personally challanging you to get out of your comfort zone and to share your opinion. What was your reaction to the story when you first heard it? What connections did you make? What do you think is the greater issue? Please, contribute below!
"Whould this have happebed if he was white?"
I read a pretty interesting article concerning this on The New York Post.
While I don't agree with the claim of this whole story being a "False, convient tale of racism" I do think the author's questions pose for a compelling conversation. Is the issue bias? Or is it something else?
In my opinion, it is difficult to deny that Islamophobia had a minor (if not major) role in Amed's arrest and suspension. However, I have to admit, when I first heard the story, my mind immediately went to an event that happened in my own community this past Wednesday, when a portion of the freeway was shutdown for an hour because of a cooler on the side of the road.
The New York Post article also rattles off some examples of overeactions to certain, unthreatening behavors in schools. Some students mentioned are white, some are not.
We can all agree that the reactions are extreme, we can all agree that the way they were handeled completely wrong, but what about the source of the behavior? From what illness is this a sympotom of?
When I play this out as happening at my old high school, which was predominantly white, I can very easily see a student proudly showing off his clock, and security thinking nothing of it, but at the same time, I can't rule out the possibility of the situation getting out of hand in the same way as it did for Ahmed, because I know it happenes all the time.
So, would this have happened to one of Ahmed's white classmates had they brought in a clock?
It's hard to say, but I think the greatest issue that's floated to the top of this entire ordeal is society's knee-jerk reaction to look for something to roll our eyes at, rather than allowing it to motivate us to try for something better. It always has to be dilluded by some debate. What were the administrators who called the police thinking? What was the racist-to-non-racist ratio? Who knows? Who cares?
It was another line added to the sad song of discrimination that too many minorities hear thanks to society's branding of all non-whites as violent and that's should matter.
It should have stopped before Treyvon.
It should have stopped before Tamir.
It should stopped before Ahmed.
How many more children need to fall victim before we admit that yes, racism is a problem, racism is the problem? I fear for a country that keeps asking why white kids aren't getting free white house tours instead of why black kids are getting shot.
But that's just me. Like I said before, I think this topic provides for some really, really compelling discussion, so for anybody reading this, I am personally challanging you to get out of your comfort zone and to share your opinion. What was your reaction to the story when you first heard it? What connections did you make? What do you think is the greater issue? Please, contribute below!
Sunday, September 13, 2015
A lot of the posts on this blog are based off of articles on other social justice websites. This week, i decided it was time for a change. I searched through my favorite websites, Psychology Today, for some insight on unconscious bias and what I found was an article that both shocked and impressed me.
Check it out here.
Dr. Mikhail Lyubansky expands on some issues outlined in a 2012 W.K Kellogg Foundation panel on "Unconscious Bias and Race." The issue is introduced with the horrifying study that revealed that Doctors actually treat patients different based on the color of their skin. They give them less pain medication, they're more reluctant to do strenuous procedures on them, and more likely to perform less desirable solutions like lower -body amputations for diabetics.
With data like this, both Lyubansky and panelists argue, it is impossible to deny that racial bias exists, and yet so few are willing to admit that unconscious bias is an issue, that racism is just a left-wing urban legend.
Psychologists argue that this bias is nothing to be ashamed of. Our brains naturally categorize everyday items into groups to make more sense of them, and the very same applies when it comes to people. But just because it's normal, doesn't mean it's okay. The longer the biases go unknown, the more harmful they can be, because the deeper they become ingrained into one's logic.
My favorite point was the following:
“There are three types of not knowing,”[John Powell, director of the Haas Center for Diversity and Inclusion and Robert D. Haas Chancellor’s Chair in Equity and Inclusion at the University of California Berkeley] explained: 1. What we can’t know, like how many neurons are firing at any given moment, 2. What we don’t care to know, like the color of the car we pass at a particular intersection, and 3. What we don’t want to know. When we talk about racism, we usually talk about #2 and #3, and those are important conversations to be having. We all need to care. We all need to want to know. But #1 is important as well."The article very prophetically describes a series of repercussions for unchecked bias that we are seeing here today. It's a pretty old piece, but overall, I think it's a good read because it goes over a lot of points that should made included into the conversation of unconscious bias, many of which weren't even mentioned in this blog post.
So the real question is, do you disagree? What stuck out to you?
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Privilege. I have it. You have it. Now what?
I've come to realize that I've drilled the importance of self-reflection into this blog, but not once have I described what self-reflection is, or what it looks like in the context of privilege. I'm going to try to fix that as best as I can.
Self-reflection, in layman's terms, is "meditation or serious thought about one's character, actions, and motives." It's taking a moment in your life to pause and critically contemplate the nature of your life, your self, and your actions. In a culture where we are all about self-validation, all about instant gratification, and life is constantly on the go, go, go, we have reached a destitute poverty of self-reflectors. Its gotten to a point where we don't even know what it looks like anymore. We don't even know where to begin.
Is self-reflecting self questioning?
Is it investigating? Excavating?
How long does it take?
Ten minutes?
Ten years?
I think the answer varies from person to person, but reflection in the context of privilege, in my opinion, is mostly based on observations that lead to an irreversible sort of awareness. It's an everlasting process. With different experiences, you become aware of different kinds of privilege. For example, I'd never really thought of able-bodied privilege until I started writing for this blog.
The real challenge comes when we start to deny the privilege that we have discovered, when we blow off multiple observations we've made as irrelevant to the conversation of unconscious bias.
A great example of the self-reflection process can be read in this article from the Huffington Post.
Gloria Atanmo exemplifies what it is to critically dissect observed disparities and sort them into privileges she has, many of which (such as African-American Privilege) she'd never consider a privilege previously .
Self-reflection varies on the person of course. What is reflection to me, to Atanmo, or her editor, could be entirely different from somebody else's "aha!" moment in privilege.
So what is self-reflection to you? Have you had any big "aha" moments worth that completely shifted your understanding of privilege?
Feel free to share in the comments below!
Sunday, August 30, 2015
And the Moonman for Best Hip Hop video goes to.. #VMAs http://t.co/SWRN5MPOOT
— MTV (@MTV) August 31, 2015
Nicki
Manaj's acceptance video has been a buzz all throughout social media
for the past few days. Her firm, assertive stance on white
artists winning awards by appropriating black artists' styles has
earned her a title as a revered voice of reason in the music
industry: a beacon of light. Manaj further inspired fans on stage at
the VMA's, where she called host Miley Cyrus out for her
tone-policing comments in a recent Time interview where
she claimed that Manaj was hurting her cause by not being
"polite."
As
awesome as it was, the speech was the end all to a greater issue. Not
to cultural appropriation, and especially not to tone-policing: an
issue that remains a huge threat to oppressed peoples outside of the
pop culture scope. However, as Maisha
Z. Johnson points out in a recent Everyday
Feminism article,
the whole ordeal does provide an important lesson to be learned, and
creates an ample opportunity to those blinded by their
bias to step forward and educate themselves.
Check out the article here.
Post
your thoughts in the comments below.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
It's easy to admit that privilege exists, but admitting it exists in ourselves is a whole other beast, and it seems like the more privilege you have, the less you actually get the concept of privilege. Personal accountability is a bullet dodged far too often, and according to a study released this past week by the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, the reason why comes with a common misconception of what privilege actually looks like.
Accourding to a report by the Pacific Standard, during the study a group of 94 and 91 participants respectively were administered two different surveys: one covering racial inequality in America and the other childhood experiences. One group answered the survey straight away, while the other read a paragraph providing evidence of white privilege in multiple aspects of society. Researchers found that those who read the paragraph first were more likely to deny white privilege in their survey, but also more likely to claim harship in the other one.
They further predict that "...such evidence will be threatening and that people will claim hardships to manage this threat. These claims of hardship allow individuals to deny that they personally benefit from privilege, while still accepting that group-level inequity exists."
In other words, many fail to realize that a life with privilege is not a life without hardship, and just because one is oppressed in a single way, does not mean they do not benefit from privilege in any aspect at all. Tom Jacobs, author of the Pacific Standard article mentioned above, argues that we like to believe that in this country everything we gain is based off of our own merits, and when this idea is threatened, we feel offended, we feel like we're being told that we don't earn what we have. And yet, being accountable for one's personal privilege has nothing to do with denying their merits, but rather, admitting advantages. It takes a great degree of maturity to admit there is a difference between the two, but make no bones about it, a difference does exist.
Do you see individuals deny their privilege frequently? Do you agree with this study's explanation for this behavior? Express your thoughts below!
Accourding to a report by the Pacific Standard, during the study a group of 94 and 91 participants respectively were administered two different surveys: one covering racial inequality in America and the other childhood experiences. One group answered the survey straight away, while the other read a paragraph providing evidence of white privilege in multiple aspects of society. Researchers found that those who read the paragraph first were more likely to deny white privilege in their survey, but also more likely to claim harship in the other one.
They further predict that "...such evidence will be threatening and that people will claim hardships to manage this threat. These claims of hardship allow individuals to deny that they personally benefit from privilege, while still accepting that group-level inequity exists."
In other words, many fail to realize that a life with privilege is not a life without hardship, and just because one is oppressed in a single way, does not mean they do not benefit from privilege in any aspect at all. Tom Jacobs, author of the Pacific Standard article mentioned above, argues that we like to believe that in this country everything we gain is based off of our own merits, and when this idea is threatened, we feel offended, we feel like we're being told that we don't earn what we have. And yet, being accountable for one's personal privilege has nothing to do with denying their merits, but rather, admitting advantages. It takes a great degree of maturity to admit there is a difference between the two, but make no bones about it, a difference does exist.
Do you see individuals deny their privilege frequently? Do you agree with this study's explanation for this behavior? Express your thoughts below!
Sunday, July 5, 2015
We all know about white privilege, class privilege, even able-bodied privilege, but have you ever heard of something called neuro-typical privilege?
Up until this week, I hadn't. But then I came across this comic shared by Everyday Feminism.
This comic takes readers into a day in the life of a schizophrenic, and provides a simple list of need-to-knows and advice on socializing with those who have the mental illness. Not only was it informative, but it opens my eyes to a whole new kind of privilege that I've never noticed.
As the author, Crass, points out, dealing with the everyday challenges of your brain fighting against you isn't the only uphill battle that the mentally ill face. Because of the stigma media has branded to these people, primarily schizophrenics, many with mental illness have to pretend that there's nothing wrong with them in order to be accepted by their peers. This also shed light on a post I saw by a man with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosumon the blog Humans of New York who said:
I feel as if, from the outside, these assumptions seem so inhumane to cast upon people, yet we do it all the time. I dont know how many times I've tip-toed around people with mental illness just out of fear of not knowing what to do with them. But the reality is, these are people we're talking about, and it's heartbreaking to think that so many are trying to hide an illness because "coming out" as mentally ill brings so much isolation. You don't see that coming from cancer patients, or people who have physical (rather than mental) ailments. The true illness is not within these minds, but within our society. We have to reach a collective point of maturity to where we can strive to understand, embrace, and respect the mentally ill just like any other oppressed sub group of people.
However, in order to do that we must take the first crucial step first step in changing by being informed.
For more information on neuro-tyical privilege, take a look at this checklist here.
As well as this first account story on the harmful effects of neuro-typical privilege by a woman struggling with Autism.
And in case you missed it before, here's the full link to Crass's comic.
Up until this week, I hadn't. But then I came across this comic shared by Everyday Feminism.
This comic takes readers into a day in the life of a schizophrenic, and provides a simple list of need-to-knows and advice on socializing with those who have the mental illness. Not only was it informative, but it opens my eyes to a whole new kind of privilege that I've never noticed.
As the author, Crass, points out, dealing with the everyday challenges of your brain fighting against you isn't the only uphill battle that the mentally ill face. Because of the stigma media has branded to these people, primarily schizophrenics, many with mental illness have to pretend that there's nothing wrong with them in order to be accepted by their peers. This also shed light on a post I saw by a man with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosumon the blog Humans of New York who said:
“...when people know there is something wrong with your brain, they think you’re retarded...I’ve been labeled all my life. I’ve always been told that I’m learning disabled and I can’t do this and I’m not good enough to do that. And it’s hard to hear that stuff all the time without viewing yourself as a permanent victim and learning to be helpless. ...
Posted by Humans of New York on Thursday, July 2, 2015
I feel as if, from the outside, these assumptions seem so inhumane to cast upon people, yet we do it all the time. I dont know how many times I've tip-toed around people with mental illness just out of fear of not knowing what to do with them. But the reality is, these are people we're talking about, and it's heartbreaking to think that so many are trying to hide an illness because "coming out" as mentally ill brings so much isolation. You don't see that coming from cancer patients, or people who have physical (rather than mental) ailments. The true illness is not within these minds, but within our society. We have to reach a collective point of maturity to where we can strive to understand, embrace, and respect the mentally ill just like any other oppressed sub group of people.
However, in order to do that we must take the first crucial step first step in changing by being informed.
For more information on neuro-tyical privilege, take a look at this checklist here.
As well as this first account story on the harmful effects of neuro-typical privilege by a woman struggling with Autism.
And in case you missed it before, here's the full link to Crass's comic.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
It's no secret that women, particularly women in color, face the brunt of significant bias in their careers. But you'll be shocked to know the extent of it. According to a study by the Harvard Business Review, which included 557 surveys and 67 in-depth interviews from women in science, female scientists find that they constantly have to "prove" themselves to male co-workers. Prejudice fills these labs like a hot, sticky fog, causing women to struggle not only in maintaining respect, but preserving their passions.
According to this study, there are 5 types of Bias most women in STEM have in common.
1. Prove-It-Again:
People take Women's word for it when they insist that they are competent enough to do their jobs. Not only do they have to prove themselves over and over, but they often need more evidence to prove their points than male colleges.
2. The Gender-Role Tightrope:
Women can't act too feminine or they won't be respected, but at the same time, they can't be too masculine or they'll be considered "unlikable"
3. The Maternal Wall
Women are frequently questioned and expected to start families and, if they do, they are often pressured by co-workers to work less hours so that they can take care of their children.
4. Tug-of-War
While women generally support each other in the work place, others report that they feel as if they are competing for the "women's spot" in the workplace.
5. Isolation
This one is specific to women of color, who feel as if engaging with others socially takes away from their authority. In other cases, they find themselves being excluded from things because they think they'll be uncomfortable as the only minority in the group.
In addition to this, many women of color reported people being completely open and expectant to racial stereotypes, one black biologist reported being asked by an administrator if any of her family was "into drugs or in jail" while several Latinas claimed to overhear the stereotype of Hispanics being lazy. What's even worse, many of these minorities have reported to have been mistaken for janitorial or administrative staff.
This shows the sheer impact of bias. So many assume that making these assumptions is harmless, but the truth is, they hurt. And when people are faced with these comments and assumptions on a day-to-day basis, it goes from being a nuisance to a hostile workplace.Gender and Racial bias is driving women out of a field that we desperately need more people in. It's yet another reason why we must she'd our ignorance and put bias to an end.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Christian privilege is being able to practice your religion without any interference from society. This has been a long running issue for the Muslim community, however, it seems that one very small success has been made this past weekend. According to The Guardian the supreme court has overseen the case concerning Abercrombie and Fitch's firing of Muslim workers for wearing hijabs on the grounds of "breaking the dress code." The courts have ruled against Abercrombie in an 8-1 decision, under their the provision that her employer openly stated that she was not hired because of the religious accommodations the company would have to make for her, which is a direct violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
This is a victory not just for the Muslim community, but for our country as a whole. In an era of rampant Islamophobia in the United States, we need as many Muslim victories as we can possibly get. This supreme court case assures a single extra degree of equality for women in the workplace, and as small of a victory it is, I still feel that it is one to celebrate nonetheless.
See more information about the court case: here.
See more information about the court case: here.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
A couple of weeks ago, I mused on the implications of Caitlyn Jenner's coming out as transgendered. At this point, it seems silly to not to do the same for her debut as a woman on Vanity Fair. Aside from a couple of ignorant tweets, Caitlyn's reception has overall been very supportive. Many are calling this transition a turning point for trans acceptance in society, however, that isn't entirely true.
The media coverage of Jenner's journey definitely has given the trans community its biggest spotlight in history, but "visibility is a double edged sword," says Kel Kray, Everyday Feminism contributor. In a society where "fitting in" is synonymous with "assimilation," it's important to watch bouts of awareness such as these with a weary eye, and to make use of them by clearing up some misconceptions while the iron is still hot. Kray's article "10 Things Trans Activists and Allies Need to Remember That Have Nothing to Do With Caitlyn Jenner" attempts to do exactly this.
Definitely worth a read. Check it out here.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
It's often argued that success isn't about who you are, but how hard you work. While those coming from financially sound families do have an upper-leg, the less fortunate ones have the opportunity to reach this same level through hard work and a good education. After all, we aren't solely defined by our home life, and the differences it allows to our character is relatively small. The problem is, as this comic argues, "...over the years all these little differences, they start to add up, to build into something bigger."
"On a Plate" accurately and profoundly expresses the implications of privilege. Closing these disparities isn't a matter of socialism, it's a matter of rectifying the fact that "equal opportunity" doesn't exist in this society.
Check out the whole comic here.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Privilege isn't usually isolated, many times, certain kinds of privilege are connected to others. White privilege, for example, connects to class privilege in many cases.This article breaks down information from the US Census Bureau and provides six easy-to-understand charts that illustrate six different building blocks in the bridge between white and class privilege.
See the full story on Upworthy.com
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Those who don't identify with a defined gender often have trouble finding a comfortable, judgement free place to use the restroom. It's a plight no cisgendered person has ever experienced, but it seems, for the most part, that when people cant specifically catagorize a bathroom patron's gender, tery generally tend to treat them with animosity. When bathrooms are inclusive too all genders, the boy-girl rules don't matter, and the pressure comes off.
For many of us, this isn't considered to be "big news," but it should be, because it speaks volumes about the progress that is being made in the LGBTQ movement. The white house's choice to add gender inclusive bathrooms to their blueprints is a symbolic leap taken by the Obama Administration in the name of protecting LGBTQ rights, and best of all, it's a permanent symbol that will remain in the white house even after President Obama leaves office.
Way to go, guys!
Sunday, April 5, 2015
This weekend everyone on my Facebook feed seemed to be up in arms over Jaden Smith wearing a dress to coachella. I don't really understand the cause of the hype. First of all, it looks more like an over sized T-shirt than a dress, and second, even if it was a dress, who cares?
Men always seem to be dressed in women's clothing under an absurdest context, but does it always have to be absurd? After all, society allows women to cross-dress with no problem. In the words of Mark Blechner, Author of Sex Changes: Transformations in Society and Psychoanalysis " Marlene Dietrich in a tuxedo was considered very erotic; Jack Lemmon in a dress was considered ridiculous." Similar reactions to cross dressing celebrities have been gauged throughout the years, but why? Why is there such backlash? Why do we have a reaction to it all?
NYU released an analysis of this issue in 2009, suggesting that it's all a symptom of a cultural stronghold of heteronormativity.
Heteronormativity is defined as the social norm that suggests that people fall into distinct, complimentary genders. However, when people challenge the behaviors assigned to their sex, their gender roles, this in turn challenges a prevailing societal norm. When a celebrity breaks social norms there is often a widespread, out of proportion response. That's why the internet practically blew up when Jennifer Lawrence cut her hair or Jaden Smith is seen in a not-so-masculine outfit. Our society conditions us to care more about it than it really matters.
But the reality is, people aren't solid blocks of gender. Females have masculine qualities, and males have feminine qualities. People cross the (imaginary) line of boy-girl rules on a day to day basis, and nothing bad has happened as a result of it. The negative repercussions start when the judgement comes in. It starts when hate is used to emphasize little differences in each other.
The concept of violating gender roles is the same as violating racial roles, or class roles. These designations do not exist, and we should not allow others to think so by consonantly reacting to the things that do not adhere to our norms.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Last week I came across an article arguing that the word "thug" is the new "n----r."
Could this be true?
This Friday I also had the privilege of sitting in on a high school presentation of Dr. Neal Lester's "Straight Talk about the N-Word." During which, he talked about the connotations of the N-word throughout history, and why it is considered to be so offensive.
I learned that not only was it a word to express hate, but it was often just a commonplace word to describe African Americans. In early 20th Century pop culture, the n-word was usually paired with derogatory statements, pictures, or lyrics. The n-word wasn't just something people randomly yelled when they wanted to hurt African Americans (although it was frequently used for that purpose as well). It was a word used to demean and categorize a whole subgroup of people on a day-to-day basis.
I had already read the article before I went to this presentation, and as I listened, I thought of the similarities between "thug" today and "n-----" in the past.
"Thug" is a word used far too often to describe African Americans. Every time we see a black victim of violence, the media is always trying to justify their attacks by trying to prove they are "thugs." And what exactly is a "thug?" What does one have to do to be considered a "thug?" The answer depends on who you ask, but to get a basic idea, I looked it up on Google images. Here's what came up:
Notice anything they all have in common?
These are the over exaggerated images that come to mind when somebody tries to imagine a thug. Like the n-word, "thug" is a word encompassing a negative connotation, perpetuating the mistreatment of African Americans that is used in a commonplace context. Because of this, I am entirely behind the idea that "thug" shares nearly identical implications with the n-word.
Is "thug" the new "n-----r?" It could be, it's used just as commonly to say something very similar, but that's just my opinion. What are your thoughts?
Sunday, March 22, 2015
I am cisgendered. Which means that I can never fully understand what it feels like to misgendered, or how detrimental this can be to somebody's self esteem, but I do know that being recognized as the correct gender is a huge issue within the transgender community. This is why it is so important to be diligent in recognizing and supporting those who are transgendered or transitioning, and the very best way to do that is with our words. Specifically gender pronouns.
As Everyday Feminism argues, using the correct gender pronouns is essential to becoming an effective ally for the LGBTQ community. People want to be called the right pronouns. It sounds like an easy concept to grasp, after all no "sir" wants to be called "ma'am" and the same applies in vic versa. But misgendering means a whole lot more to those who are transgendered. Like I said, I personally believe that this is a feeling no cisgendered person can come close to fully understanding, however, this is an article that really put things into perspective for me. It's called "What You Are Actually Saying When You Ignore Somebody's Gender Pronouns" Check it out!
As Everyday Feminism argues, using the correct gender pronouns is essential to becoming an effective ally for the LGBTQ community. People want to be called the right pronouns. It sounds like an easy concept to grasp, after all no "sir" wants to be called "ma'am" and the same applies in vic versa. But misgendering means a whole lot more to those who are transgendered. Like I said, I personally believe that this is a feeling no cisgendered person can come close to fully understanding, however, this is an article that really put things into perspective for me. It's called "What You Are Actually Saying When You Ignore Somebody's Gender Pronouns" Check it out!
Sunday, March 15, 2015
As one who grew up in a Hispanic family, operating among a multi-language environment was never anything strange to me. I have members of my family who are fluent in both English and Spanish, and others who can only speak one or the other. For most of my life, I operated under the belief that the language somebody spoke just was. I never really focused on the fact that I could understand my mother when she was talking to my aunts, but I couldn't understand my grandmother when she was talking to my great aunts. To me, all these verbal barriers weren't a matter of inferiority vs. superiority, it just meant that I couldn't understand certain people's gossip. However, it has recently come to my attention that as a society, we do value those who speak the same language as us a little more than we should.
The multi-language warning label on your hair dryer may lead you to think different, but America mostly operates as a single-language country. For those who don't speak English, it is difficult to do day-to-day tasks that require communication, an uphill battle to get an education, and nearly impossible to get a well-paying job. On top of this, many who face this language barrier in America are personally attacked for failing to learn our "mother tongue." This is a form of discrimination called linguiscism. We've all heard somebody at one time or another say that only "true Americans" speak English. While many of us don't have such extreme tendencies of liguicism, we all have some kind of unconscious bias when we encounter people who don't speak the same language as us, or who have accents that make them difficult to understand.
Whether its a completely different language, or some different dialect of American English, a lack of fluency in our own language often goes hand-in-hand with being labeled incompetent or uneducated.
I met my turning point in linguistic perception when I was seventeen years old. I asked my mother why none of her siblings were fluent in Spanish, and she said the reason why was because they were banned to speak Spanish in their house. My grandfather, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, was often bullied for his lack of fluency. To him, banning Spanish was not only a form of protecting his children, but a way of guaranteeing their success. Since then, I have been told by many of my Hispanic peers that the same thing has happened in their household.
It is shameful to see just how far we let lingucisim get by. In privilege talks, linguiscism is mostly scanned over, but it is one of the most prevalent forms of discrimination in our country.
Linguiscism is a difficult concept to combat, because many feel that the only way to counter it would be to learn as many langauges as possible so that we can all understand each other. While that would be great, that is not a realistic expectation for most people. Honestly, just like any form of discrimination, the very best first step one can take is to practice empathy and to watch for the unconscious bias within oneself. Tolerance isn't a quality exclusive to multi-langauged individuals, and this extension of empathy can mean far more than any words ever could. When we allow these actions speak louder than words, the dialect we're using hardly even matters.
The multi-language warning label on your hair dryer may lead you to think different, but America mostly operates as a single-language country. For those who don't speak English, it is difficult to do day-to-day tasks that require communication, an uphill battle to get an education, and nearly impossible to get a well-paying job. On top of this, many who face this language barrier in America are personally attacked for failing to learn our "mother tongue." This is a form of discrimination called linguiscism. We've all heard somebody at one time or another say that only "true Americans" speak English. While many of us don't have such extreme tendencies of liguicism, we all have some kind of unconscious bias when we encounter people who don't speak the same language as us, or who have accents that make them difficult to understand.
Whether its a completely different language, or some different dialect of American English, a lack of fluency in our own language often goes hand-in-hand with being labeled incompetent or uneducated.
I met my turning point in linguistic perception when I was seventeen years old. I asked my mother why none of her siblings were fluent in Spanish, and she said the reason why was because they were banned to speak Spanish in their house. My grandfather, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, was often bullied for his lack of fluency. To him, banning Spanish was not only a form of protecting his children, but a way of guaranteeing their success. Since then, I have been told by many of my Hispanic peers that the same thing has happened in their household.
It is shameful to see just how far we let lingucisim get by. In privilege talks, linguiscism is mostly scanned over, but it is one of the most prevalent forms of discrimination in our country.
Linguiscism is a difficult concept to combat, because many feel that the only way to counter it would be to learn as many langauges as possible so that we can all understand each other. While that would be great, that is not a realistic expectation for most people. Honestly, just like any form of discrimination, the very best first step one can take is to practice empathy and to watch for the unconscious bias within oneself. Tolerance isn't a quality exclusive to multi-langauged individuals, and this extension of empathy can mean far more than any words ever could. When we allow these actions speak louder than words, the dialect we're using hardly even matters.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
This Buzzfeed article has been trending for a while, and I've felt the need to share it since the first time I came across it. José's story is as shocking as it is tragic. Most importantly, it is representative of the unconscious bias that many of us have.
It is unlikely that each one of the hundreds of employers José contacted consciously decided not to hire him because he had a Hispanic name. Scenarios like this happen all the time due to an unconscious bias perpetuated by the stereotypes associated with members of each race. John, Joe, or George are perceived as more professional than Juan, José, or Jorge because employers often associate ethnic names with the stigma of an ethnicity. In José's case, he was assumed to be a migrant worker, and immediately dismissed. Bias, whether conscious or unconscious, hurts people all the same. It's important to be aware of the different kinds of bias so that we can try to identify them in ourselves and others, and then fix the problem from there.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
In the past couple of months, we have gone over a number of forms of privilege (white, thin, able-bodied, class, ect.) and the actions and fallacies that cause major disparities in our society. While examples of these actions and fallacies mostly include racism, discrimination and hate crimes, there are more out there. That's why, today, I want to dive into the power of words.
We all know that the old "sticks and stones" rhyme we used to hear in elementary school is about as accurate as claiming that the sky is magenta. Words can cause some serious damage. Currently, our culture is littered with damaging words that are not only offensive, but active in the perpetuation of the inequality overwhelms this country. One specific sub-group which faces the brunt of this epidemic is the disabled community.
When it comes to words of offense, there are some that are not up for debate. For example, "faggot" or the n word. Words like these have been known to be spoken out of hate, and, generally speaking, we've come to the consensus that we're not supposed to say them. However, there are still many harmful words that have slipped under the radar of offense simply because they don't offend us. For example, "crazy," "retard," "cripple," "bipolar," and "spaz." Many of us hear, or even say, at least one of these words on a day to day basis. As ordinary as they may seem, however, they still have a derogatory effect. This is called ableist language.
Imagine if somebody used "crazy" to describe their mother who had Alzheimer's, or if somebody called a veteran missing one of his legs a "cripple." That would be extremely offensive! Why is then, that these words are acceptable to use in other contexts? The answer is that they really aren't, it is just assumed that they are because there are so few activists against ableist language. Ableism really is something that we should work towards avoiding. There specific terms that cut into specific groups more than others. Just as we abstain from saying racial slurs, or homophobic phrases, we should extend the same act of diligence to the disabled community by choosing alternatives to ableist language.
For some examples of non-ableist alternative, check out the chart from Upworthy!
We all know that the old "sticks and stones" rhyme we used to hear in elementary school is about as accurate as claiming that the sky is magenta. Words can cause some serious damage. Currently, our culture is littered with damaging words that are not only offensive, but active in the perpetuation of the inequality overwhelms this country. One specific sub-group which faces the brunt of this epidemic is the disabled community.
When it comes to words of offense, there are some that are not up for debate. For example, "faggot" or the n word. Words like these have been known to be spoken out of hate, and, generally speaking, we've come to the consensus that we're not supposed to say them. However, there are still many harmful words that have slipped under the radar of offense simply because they don't offend us. For example, "crazy," "retard," "cripple," "bipolar," and "spaz." Many of us hear, or even say, at least one of these words on a day to day basis. As ordinary as they may seem, however, they still have a derogatory effect. This is called ableist language.
Imagine if somebody used "crazy" to describe their mother who had Alzheimer's, or if somebody called a veteran missing one of his legs a "cripple." That would be extremely offensive! Why is then, that these words are acceptable to use in other contexts? The answer is that they really aren't, it is just assumed that they are because there are so few activists against ableist language. Ableism really is something that we should work towards avoiding. There specific terms that cut into specific groups more than others. Just as we abstain from saying racial slurs, or homophobic phrases, we should extend the same act of diligence to the disabled community by choosing alternatives to ableist language.
For some examples of non-ableist alternative, check out the chart from Upworthy!
Sunday, February 22, 2015
As the PEW research center finds, 87% of Christians, no matter country they live in, find themselves being a part of the majority religion in their society. Anybody whose willing to drive two blocks down their neighborhood could confirm that America is no different.
Most Christians don't think twice about how their Religion effects how people treat them -- that's because being a Christian is relatively normal in our society. Meanwhile, thousands of others are discriminated for their beliefs: the Jewish, the Muslim, even Atheists. Too often, having one of these faiths is seen as a cultural or moral blemish. The reality of the world that we live in a culture not of Christian persecution, but Christian privilege.
Last week, we witnessed the death of three innocent Chapel Hill students who were killed because they were Muslim. The news doesn't cover things like this often, but let it be known that -especially to Muslims- hate crimes like these are far from being rare occurrences. In fact, According to the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division's most recent report, 16.9% of hate crimes are motivated by racial bias.
But bias isn't just defined by violence. It's the little things.
Last month, Buzzfeed released a video of what happened when four women decided to wear a hijab for a day.
None of these four women were attacked, but they did experience bias. People stared, some were excessively nice to them; one of the women wearing a hijab was even told that she "[didn't] have to wear that in America." Overall, they were treated differently.
Granted, bias against Islam is a form of both religious and cultural bias, but that's not the point. The point is, as a Christian, I don't have to worry about my safety if I choose to wear a cross. I don't have to worry about being called a terrorist or old fashioned. As a Christian, I live in a world without fear of violence or ridicule, while people of other religions do every single day.
Christian privilege is yet another form of privilege because most people bias against those of other religions, and here in America, there is an overwhelming majority of Christians who, like anybody else, are prone to inherently judge those of different faiths. Just like we can't persecute those of different races, genders, and abilities, we can't persecute people because of their race. Most of all, those who are a part of the majority, just like those who are able-bodied, male, or white, Christians need to openly admit the privilege that they have in this culture and help lessen the burden of fellow humans who are victimized because of their differences.
Most Christians don't think twice about how their Religion effects how people treat them -- that's because being a Christian is relatively normal in our society. Meanwhile, thousands of others are discriminated for their beliefs: the Jewish, the Muslim, even Atheists. Too often, having one of these faiths is seen as a cultural or moral blemish. The reality of the world that we live in a culture not of Christian persecution, but Christian privilege.
Last week, we witnessed the death of three innocent Chapel Hill students who were killed because they were Muslim. The news doesn't cover things like this often, but let it be known that -especially to Muslims- hate crimes like these are far from being rare occurrences. In fact, According to the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division's most recent report, 16.9% of hate crimes are motivated by racial bias.
But bias isn't just defined by violence. It's the little things.
Last month, Buzzfeed released a video of what happened when four women decided to wear a hijab for a day.
Granted, bias against Islam is a form of both religious and cultural bias, but that's not the point. The point is, as a Christian, I don't have to worry about my safety if I choose to wear a cross. I don't have to worry about being called a terrorist or old fashioned. As a Christian, I live in a world without fear of violence or ridicule, while people of other religions do every single day.
Christian privilege is yet another form of privilege because most people bias against those of other religions, and here in America, there is an overwhelming majority of Christians who, like anybody else, are prone to inherently judge those of different faiths. Just like we can't persecute those of different races, genders, and abilities, we can't persecute people because of their race. Most of all, those who are a part of the majority, just like those who are able-bodied, male, or white, Christians need to openly admit the privilege that they have in this culture and help lessen the burden of fellow humans who are victimized because of their differences.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
So the Super Bowl was exactly one week ago, which means I may be late to the party, but I still felt like Alway's "Run Like a Girl" ad was worth mentioning. Growing up, "Like a girl" was always something I heard with a negative connotation, but it never really put me down, I just accepted it. I was a girl and therefore I ran slower, I couldn't throw, I wasn't as smart. Looking back, I know that it isn't the phrase that is harmful, but the perpetuated stereotypes that I was fed growing up. A couple of my friends and I were going over this topic last week and many recalled vivid memories of their parents putting an overbearing emphasis on being feminine when they were younger.
What makes this ad so important isn't just the empowering message it gives to young girls. As the advertisement already shows, the girls featured in this video are virtually unaware of the gender bias ringing in the statement "like a girl." The key to this video's success is it's true audience: adults, current or future parents and members of society who actively reinforce these stereotypes. Sure, it's inspiring to girls, but it also challenges members of society to re-think the phrase "like a girl" and to rethink these stereotypes in general. If it's simple for a group of kids, then it should be simple for us too, right?
Kudos to the #LikeAGirl campaign that is moving in so many ways!
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Earlier this week Disney released its design for their first Latina princess ever. Corks were blown off of campaign bottles, parades filled the streets, and the media celebrated this leap in pop culture diversity. All for basically no reason at all. The initial problem here is that we are waaay past due for a Hispanic princess; however, there are enough flaws with Elena of Avalor that Disney should consider going back to the drawing board with this one.
The special irony here is that just like Latinos in the real world, Elena too is being marginalized in her land far far away. Unlike the first Arabic princess, the first African American princess, or the abundance of white princesses Disney has released, Elena's debut will not be on the silver screen, but on the children's show Sophia the First. Sadly, Elena is nothing more than a supporting role in a show where her appearance is likely going to be swept under the rug and forgotten.
Also, in a statement made by a senior vice president of Disney Junior, Nancy Kanter, it was revealed that "All [Sophia] characters come from fantasy lands that may reflect elements of various cultures and ethnicities but none are meant to specifically represent those real world cultures." Meaning, the actual culture of Latin Americans will not be represented along with Elena, which is arguably what gives the introduction of the character purpose. It isn't about the quotas or the skin color, but the accurate representation of individuals who are being underrepresented in society. When it comes to this standard, Disney is completely missing the mark.
There has been talk about Elena getting her own spinoff series in 2016, there is still room to be pessimistic. After all, it is very likely that creation was not a part of the original Sophia blueprints, but to rectify a PR mishap when Disney Junior originally announced Sophia the First and producers labeled the series's obviously Caucasian main character, Sophia as Latina. Whatever the case is, the introduction of Elena is far from the break through that it is being presented as. Yes, it is great that Hispanic children will be presented with a character that they can finally relate to at 9:30 am/8:30c, but will Elena dolls get a spot on Disney Store shelves? Will there be Princess Elena Halloween costumes, lunch boxes, or backpacks? Will there be a Princess Elena at Disneyland? The answer to all of these questions, more than likely, will be no. So why should we be celebrating this as a victory?The bigger question is, what does this have to do with privilege?
As one of my girls began to show off the princess sticker book she got for Christmas, she made a remark that there were no big stickers of Princess Tiana and seemed deeply disappointed by this. Children can sense these disparities early on. According to an "animation census" released by Buzzfeed 71.% of Disney Princesses are Caucasian.
White children are given a mass of princesses they can look to based on the loose argument that most fairy tales are based off of European characters. Meanwhile, children of color continue to wait....and wait....and wait.
Disney needs to be more diverse. There's no doubt about that, but garlanding a minor character in a minor series is not going to cut it. I say go big or go home. Anything that falls short of "big" this late in the game in unacceptable. Here's to hoping Disney, along with other animation studios, start to become more brave with their character designs and more accurate with the society they represent. None-white people are not make-believe, so we should really stop acting like it.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Earlier this week, I was surfing the internet and came across the Cisgender Privilege Checklist released by Oberlin College. This is so important. We hear about white privilege, class privilege, and male privilege all the time, but too often is the full extent of gender privilege truly considered. I could not imagine the amount of pain that comes with the feeling of being a prisoner in my own body. It's heartbreaking to think of, and what's worse is that people rarely ever think about it. Really, cisgendered privilege seems to be the redheaded stepchild of privilege discussions. And yet it's something that most of us have. We really need to step it up. Not only should we be more mindful of this privilege, but more active in the way we acknowledge it. The transgender community is so unapologetically discriminated against, if there's any minority group that deserves some extra compassion and empathy, it's them.
We'll dive deeper into cisgendered privilege in some later posts, but for now I highly encourage everyone to read through this checklist as well as this one, posted by ASU's Project Humanities. Both do an excellent job of describing all the bullets most of us dodge as cisgendered folk.
We'll dive deeper into cisgendered privilege in some later posts, but for now I highly encourage everyone to read through this checklist as well as this one, posted by ASU's Project Humanities. Both do an excellent job of describing all the bullets most of us dodge as cisgendered folk.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
This spoken word poem is proof that we are not beyond racism. The fact that people feel the need to act a specific way because of their race is not only heartbreaking, but shameful evidence that stereotypes affect people more than we think they do. Being smart or ignorant, cruel or kind, honest or dishonest are traits without color. Becoming who we are is never a matter of breaking or adhering to a stereotype. Many like to think this is common sense, but too many are caught unknowingly making assumptions about people they will never get to know. As this poem demonstrates, these assumptions are hurtful and contribute to the greater issue of racial bias that has been especially prevalent in recent events. If we were more mindful of the assumptions we made based on race, could we maybe see these negative effects dissipate? There is no straightforward answer, but it certainly is food for thought.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
The salience of racial inequality has been always been questioned, perhaps now more than ever. While people are still debating over whether or not racism still exists in a post-segregation era, there is something that most Americans can get behind when discussing racial bias: it's wrong. Call me optimistic, but I'd guess that if I were to pull 10 people from my neighborhood aside and ask them if they thought it was okay to be a racist, they'd probably say no. In a post-slavery, post-segregation society, we know that it is socially unacceptable to judge people based on their nationality, ethnicity, or the color of their skin. We've got it. Racism is bad.
Well, sometimes racism is bad.
There is good racism. Apparently.
Call me pessimistic,but I'd have to say that if I were to pull 10 people from my neighborhood aside and ask them to lay out both of their hands, I would still not have enough fingers to count the number of times that I have heard somebody make an argument for "good racism." Granted, it's never called racism, but it's the same concept. Racism is defined as,"the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race." As said before, most people consider it morally wrong to make these judgements to say that somebody is dirty, inferior or dangerous, but what about smart? What about being frugal or athletic? Is it wrong to assume good things about people because of their race? To be blunt, yes. All bias is harmful.
For example, the concept that Asians are smart is one of the most common forms of "good" racism or "good" bias. Most people would consider that an advantage, but check out this. Clearly being seen as superior in a certain field is not always an advantage. Even if it was, this judge. ment is still wrong because it assumes that others are inferior to one's ability because they are of a different race. It doesn't matter the ethnicity of who's getting discriminated against: black, white, Indian, Asian. Judging one's abilities and granting them opportunities based off of anything other than their performance is unfair, no exceptions.
All bias is bad bias. All bias needs to end.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
The New Year's resolution has always been one of my least favorite holiday traditions. The first of January is just an ordinary day, there's nothing that's specially ordained it to be a day where change is any more possible or will power is any stronger, yet many still like to follow the "New Year new me" trend. What I find to be the most regrettable part of it all is the fact that the number one New Year's resolution made is to lose weight. It's unfortunate that so many people are so displeased with their bodies that to many the biggest accomplishment for their year will be couple of shed pounds. I think that one of the biggest factors of this mentality is demonstrated through the media this holiday season. The fact that weight loss is a widely accepted New Year's resolution is no secret. That's why, early this January,one can expect to see morning TV shows, magazines and advertisements bloom with headlines selling all kinds of tricks, miracle diets and super foods to make the pounds melt away in no time. The new year is the high tide of society's obsession with dieting and it needs to stop.
It isn't just because dieting has been argued to be counterproductive and even unhealthy among doctors. It's offensive. Not everyone wants to be thin, not everybody can be thin. Perpetuating the idea that this is the New Year is when people are supposed to make the decision to dramatically change their bodies is dangerous. It tells people that the only way to finish the year successfully is to become thin, but noticeable results take a while, and a 365 expiration date can make people impaitent. When counting calories, becoming vegetarian, or the detox tea doesn't work, people start taking more extreme measures.
I saw the consequence of the calander-based weight loss first hand with my twin sister who, at 240 lbs; wanted to lose 80 pounds by the beginning of her next school year. She cut off junk food, ate nothing but fruits and vegetables, then stopped eating altogether. By Junior year, my sister was praised for losing 30 pounds, but she had also developed an eating disorder nobody knew about until the following Novermber. When I came to visit over the holidays it seemed as if she had picked up healthier eating habits, but constantly asked if it looked like she had gained weight since the last time I saw her. Reflecting on my sister's experiences, I can't help but blame America's anti-curve culture for the way she sees herself. Our plus sized population being so under represented is one issue, but demeaning this community by promoting weight loss as much we do at the beginning of the year contributes to the problem just as much.
The concept of New Year's resolutions aren't entirely evil, I think the biggest issue lies in society's definition of what a "better self" is. For many this comes from the inside. Take Demi Lavoto for example, who list weight but decided to show off some gained confidence instead by posting a picture of her at the beginning and end of the year side by side on instagram and captioning it, "I was beautiful then and I'm beautiful now." This is how weight loss resolutions should be approached if approached at all. Losing weight doesn't mean that the heavier version of somebody was any less than the thinner. This kind of milestone should be presented and celebrated as an increase in not beauty or self worth, but, "health, balance, endurance and consistancy" as Demi continues in her post.
Inspiring words aside, if there's anything that we should strive to have more healthy, more balanced and more consistent by the end of the year, it should be our outlook on body image and the way we present it to others. Maybe we won't shed all the insensitivy away by 2016, but I think it's a pretty good goal to keep in mind.
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