Kyle Stern Post 4

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be in class for any discussion of prejudice and discrimination. So hopefully I don't just repeat what many people already said.

Well, what I would like to talk about is just the idea of the term prejudice as a whole, because I feel it has a huge impact on how we view our own ethnicities and others. I personally remember when I was younger I had a prejudicial view of the Jewish people. I believed they were all cheap, and this was all built off of how my dad was cheap about shopping and the same with my grandma. Fortunately for me, I was able to break that belief after being exposed to more Jewish people.

Many also used prejudices to shape how they act or how they should act. For example one African-American calling another a "snow-flake" because the other does not act like the preconceived prejudice of what an African-American should act like.

Prejudices are clearly just one of those things that we have to think about before we truly pass judgement on if it is a truly 'bad' or 'good' concept.

Marcus Anderson Post 5 Acceptance of progression in our society

After our class discussion and reading a few of the blogs, I've come to the conclusion that our Society in America has a lot of work to be done with creating equality in all aspects of life. In our history, we have made much progression from what we once were. I am happy of the steps that we as a Nation are taking toward equality, but theres some work to be done. I would have to agree with kyle that yes we have elected a President of who is African American. I would like to raise the question though, do you think that our President would have been elected if he was 100 percent African American? I believe that there are many different views that you could conclude form this question. But my bigger question would be why does it even matter? I think that as society we can set limitations to what is acceptable on certain scales. We are progressing, but we need to reach a place where everyone is assimilated into a equal society without differences.

Marcus Anderson (post 4)

Marcus Anderson, Media and Judgements post 4

In our last class, we watched a skit on the "gingers". After watching that skit, I began to think of the Dave Chappelle show on comedy central and how he also in his skits does the same things. Now, even though there we all got some humor out of "stereotype" comedy, there are a lot of things wrong with it. I believe that in our society today, how the media and film portray stereotypes, is how one gathers his or her feeling about different people and different races. I myself growing up had to deal with the " Dave Chapelle" skits in my high school. Now, I was one of the few blacks in my senior class. The majority of my friends and kids in my school were white. There would not be one day that didn't go by without me hearing " hey dude, did you see the skit on Dave Chappelle". There would be instances when these kids would try and repeat some of the things they heard on the show, which is very offensive rather it be repeating what someone heard or not. If I took a pole out of all the students, I bet about 80 percent or more would believe that what they see on TV and film about stereotypes is very well and true. I believe that there is a great danger in people trusting the media about they stereotypes that they display on film and television. We must discover the truth before making a judgement about different races.

Politically correct

Andrea Burns post 4

A topic of discussion that came up last class was being politically correct. My question is who decides what's politically correct? Who is the one to figure out which terms are considered appropriate to use for certain groups of people? From that when a politically correct term is decided, why does it change? What causes it change? How is one ever suppose to know if they are being politically correct if the terminology continues to change? One day a term could be acceptable, the next it could be deemed inappropriate. An example that was brought up earlier in the semester for the various terms for being black. At one point it was negro, then it was colored, then it was black, then African-American. With all these different terms, how is one suppose to know which is okay to use in conversation without being at risk for offending someone? I also found it interesting that this is not the only language that faces issues with political correctness. I'm currently taking a 200 level sign language class here at Fredonia, and the textbook we use is slightly outdated. We came upon a unit that dealt with signs for different ethnicities, and the professor explained that some of the signs in the book were no longer considered to be politically correct. However, like English, ASL is always evolving so she was unsure as to what signs were considered to be politically correct.

Kim Krenzer, Post #4 (Stereotype Elaboration)

Can we exist as a society without stereotypes?

Is it a means of survival? Is it part of society's NEED to label everything they don't understand?

Or is it just an unfortunate trait of our multi ethnic world that we just have to live with?

I live up to some stereotypes. I have friends who live up to their stereotypes. But, that doesn't mean we don't have a multitude of traits that make us unique and wonderful.

And unfortunately society has the tendency to focus mainly on a person's stereotypical demeanor.

BUT are ALL stereotypes bad? Or do some of them have the ability to bring us together? Perhaps, sometimes we have to embrace the stereotype. Though the overall connotation is negative and categorical, sometimes stereotypes bring us together as a culture. For example, when Will & Grace was on television, that show was nothing but stereotypes. But it was successful and it was funny and it was one of those times where the LGBT Community had to be like "What's better? No stereotypes and no visibility or some stereotypes and gay visibility?" I took the positive vote and decided that at least the community was getting representation and it was being portrayed in a positive way, even if there were stereotypes. And since we are all human beings, we are susceptible to succumbing to stereotypes. There is more than one Jack McFarland out there and you know it. HAVING SAID THAT, it doesn't mean that every gay man is like him and that doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with gay men are flamboyant .

In conclusion, perhaps not all stereotypes are bad. Sometimes they can bring us together. And we need to think of embracing them sometimes. Because when we can embrace them and make fun of ourselves, it gives us the power to move past them.

AVENUE Q - 'Everybody's a Little Racist,' Broadway Cast

Catherine Tate skit

Andrea Burns post 3

I felt that the Catherine Tate skit about the ginger minority was an interesting way to deal with the problems of racial stereotyping and prejudices. Granted some may be offended that it turned a very serious issue into a joke, but sometimes that is the best way to handle it. The skit used comedy to show how people can discriminate others based on outward appearences. The skit made obvious the ridiculousness of stereotypes and hatred towards people who are of different races and backgrounds. The skit reminded me of other examples where comedy was used in order to point out negative prejudice and discrimination. A similar tactic was used in the movie and Broadway show Hairspray. It used music and comedy to tell the serious story of racial segregation and integration in the 1960s. It made light of a serious situation in efforts to show the audience the real dilemmas with discrimination and segregation. The muscial Avenue Q used a method to voice a similar problem with their number of "Everyone is a Little Bit Racist." It uses comedy to indicate that racism is a very real problem that many people are too afraid to admit to. I think these examples of using comedy can be a beneficial idea when addressing racism since many are to afraid to discuss the topic and the comedic relief allows it to be a more addressable subject.

Who create's the Norms?;The Normative Theories (7)

I think its very intresting how Marger in ch 3 exsplains the Normative theories. I agree with it that thier are rules to everything; Society has social norms. But I have heard people say things to the exstent of "If I were to do this as a white/black person around a bunch of white/black group of people. this or that would have happened to me" Well this is why because when your in a diffrent enviorment diffrent rules apply. People live by diffrent creeds one thing that isnt offensive to one community may be offensive to another. I feel like some people already know this but still and yet they make the consious choice to "rock the boat." Then when they are "negatively sanctioned" however that is they blame it on racism. I just want to say that I personally feel that if people want to learn from each other then do that but if not then dont. Because the bottom line is people's Creed and way of life isnt going to change on the basis of you beleiveing it should.
This is why althought I dont agree with everything that goes on in a "Ghetto" neighborhood I still got love for these places and the people that live thier because dispite what many think these communities are very tight nit and thier is a code of loyalty in certain places.

Ex: The oldest person on the block is usually given the most respect even if people do not particularly care for that persons attitudes. They are usually regarded with a friendly nick name like "ma" "grandma" "Ms. such-and-such" or that the landscaping guy around the block may have a drinking or drug addiction will cut your grass for 10$ on saturdays. Believe his word is good to do so every week unless this verbal agreement has been terminated for whatever reason. In spite of all the bad things that go on in these neighborhoods. I personally believe that if you arent apart of a certain enviorment you shouldnt assume these norms are invalid because that way of life isnt what your use too.

Barack Obama Waka Flocka Rap Parody ( Head of State ) MP3

I thought about stereotypes and the fact that it is not only supported by outside groups but also by inside groups. There were so many things said about Obama and what would happen if we had a black president.  While so many people were spouting black stereotypes, blacks were doing the same themselves. This video is the perfect example of the inside group supporting a stereotype.

Catherine Tate skit

I thought the Catherine Tate skit we watched the other day provoked some thought. The skit showed how ridiculous it was to be treating the "gingers" differently just because of the color of their hair. When it comes down to it discrimination against different ethnic and racial groups is not much different. Although the skit was a good laugh, I think it also sent a message. I think the skit could have made some people realize it is just as ridiculous to be discriminating against a certain ethnic or racial group as it is against a group of red heads.
Ashley Allen, Post 4

Stereotyping

I think stereotyping is something that we will always be dealing with. Whether it's stereotyping on the base of race, gender, etc. it seems to be the human mind works. In a lot of cases when we meet people for the first time I think we tend to subconsciously put them into categories based on the first few things we notice about them and assume they fit the stereotype that comes with that category. In more than one instance I've found myself thinking "wow I never thought so and so would do something like that" only to realize how little I knew about that person and the only reason I'd assumed they wouldn't do something is because it did not fit the stereotype I'd placed them in. I think what is important to realize is that in many cases after getting to know someone we find the stereotype we placed on a person is wrong. Although stereotyping is something many of us do when we first meet someone, we need to be able to look past that stereotype and get to know someone for who they really are.

Ashley Allen, Post 3

Keeping your distance: The Bogardus scale (6)

I think that everyone has a level of comfortability with all things, so why not with people of diffrent races and ethnicity? Is it wrong to have a diverse group of people that you socialize with, work with and even live nearby (or with) but not wanting them to be within' you family via marriage? I personally dont think so. Many films particulary romantic comedy's such as; Guess whos coming to dinner?, the remake Guess who? I ultimatley dont think its wrong cause you dont want to be "the my best friends is black" guy (which usually is the most racist guy/person of em' all lol). Just be truthful with yourself about how you feel or what your comfortable with. Because the bottom line is there is no need to fake it, or force a intimate relationship between yourself and others that isnt a sincere one. We all live by a diffrent Creed. And we have to respect that creed even if we dont like it or necessarily agree with it. Respect is what permits tolerance. Tolerance is what permits peace. Peace begats uderstanding which is the cure for hate, hate crimes and all other B.S. I know plenty of black woman particularly who do not want the men in thier families to date or marry outside of thier race particulary white woman. Is this wrong? No, because they have a right to feel that way. Now I personally hope this isnt based on any kind of hatred towards white people in general, but if it is what can I say or do to change thier minds. Nothing.
I think everyone should acess thier personal levels of comfortability with everything in life. But most relevantly to this class with people of diverse backgrounds. Its good to know yourself. You may be shocked to find out how you really feel about certain things and People. What is your level of intimacy with people of other races?

Terica Post 4: Middle Man Stores

The middle man discussion in class brought to mind shopping experiences.  Where I live there are a lot of stores owned by Asians. The funny thing about that is usually there are not any Asians working in the store. The employees are usually Hispanic and often it’s mistaken for a Spanish owned store. Then you see an Asian manager come out and tell everyone what to do. I always thought this was kind of odd but it fits perfectly with the middle man theory.

Stereotyping beyond race-Erin Goldberg 4

So I posted earlier about the issue of stereotyping in society, but I only included the issues of race and ethnicity. But when I read Kimmy's post I noticed she included issues of stereotyping among lesbians. It also made me think back to class discussion where we talked about the bisexual within the gay hierarchy debate. Are all minorities prone to stereotyping, whether it's an issue of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or physical disability? I know through personal experience that there is quite a bit of stereotyping that goes on in the gay community, and I also know through personal experience that there are a lot of stereotypes about women as well. It kind of reaffirms for me the point I made earlier that stereotypes can be changed, but not eliminated.

Stereotypes - Pilar Nelson # 4

I think stereotyping people is not right at all. But at the same time, I believe that it is natural to make an assumption about individuals once you meet them or encounter them. For example, if I see a tall, big black man talking to himself with a baseball bat in his hand coming towards me, I'll be honest I am going to move away. I going to think that he is mentally ill or crazy, and I might fear my life. But for all I know, he could just be talking to someone on one of those bluetooth devices and on his way to a baseball game. But out of concern for my own life or fear of the unknown, I might think the worst of that person. Therefore, I believe that it is human to make assumptions or prejudgment on others, it is when you catorgize that person on that predjudgment or assumption without trying to get to know that person or finding out for yourself if it is true or not that makes it wrong, which makes it a stereotype.

Sellout? - Pilar Nelson #3

In class I ask the question does Assimilation = sellout? Because I personally believe that we all have to conform in today's society, not to fit in but just to survive it. For example, Native Americans would not be able to live on huts in living in Western New York because they would not be able to survive the cold winters, therefore they had to adapt into living in houses, instead of huts.
Also, I believe that one can never actually get rid of who they are or what ethnicity one is, because it is in one's blood line and in one's DNA. It makes up who one's identity, without it one would not be the same person. Sometimes one may want to conform to make things easy for themselves. For example, I straighten my hair or put weave/extentions in my hair from time to time because it is alot easy for me to manage and I think it looks good on me. Not because I want to look like a white woman. I am not sellout, I just expressing myself. What's wrong with that? This is just my thoughts on it.

Stereotyping? Guilty or not guilty?

Erin Goldberg, Post 3

After reading Marger Chapter 3, I began to wonder if human beings can learn to be immune to the trap of stereotyping. My original thought was "No, as humans we feel the need to categorize and label everything." So having a picture in our mind that all Jews are stingy or all Asians are good at math, helps to make less work for us upon meeting new people. It also puts general labels on everyone we meet, so that even when we are introduced to a stranger, we assume there are already things we know about them based on their race or ethnicity. However, I wonder what it would take for all the stereotypes to be eliminated or even switched. What if we associated African Americans as stingy or Italians as being good at math? What have these ethnic and racial groups done to deserve their specific label and can they be changed? My opinion is, yes they can be changed, but no stereotypes can never be completely eliminated. To be changed, it would simply take a shift in social thought and ethnic action. But elimination of stereotyping, I believe, unfortunately is not possible. As a society, we like our labels, mental pictures, and categories far too much.

Relationship between ethnic groups in society

Connor O'Brien 4

In Chapter 4 of Marger, it talks about the relationship between different ethnic groups in society.  Marger says that conflict is one action that occurs between the different ethnic groups.  In the chapter it explains that there are different ways in which ethnic groups can interact with each other.  One way is Assimilation, which the minority or the weaker ethnic group is absorbed into the dominant culture.  Another way is Pluralism,  which is the opposite of Assimilation and is about maintaining ethnic differences and boundaries.  It will be interesting to hear the class discussion on Tuesday for this chapter.

Kim Krenzer, Post # 3

Hello All!

I apologize for my absence from class this week. I have been knee-deep in casting calls for my senior capstone film. But I'll be back on Tuesday!

I was taking a look at some of the blog posts and my interest was piqued by Alaysia's posts on stereotypes. She brings up an interesting point about how we shouldn't have to label ourselves but at the same time, we do succumb to certain stereotypes.

But having said that, isn't the human race, as a whole, subjected to all stereotypes? For example, I am a lesbian and I wear flannel. It's warm; sue me. But I also have many straight female friends who wear flannel. And at the same time, I do not know the first thing about home improvement or power tools. And that's supposed to be something lesbians know all about. I would probably accidentally kill myself if I ever tried using a power saw.

In another one of Alaysia's posts, she brought up "Colored People Time" which is a concept that I have been previously familiar with. My best friend from high school was late all the time, it didn't matter where we were going, she was always late. My best friend from high school was also black. And she would always describe herself as being on "CP time." But is being late something that can be attributed to only one race. I know plenty of people, of a multitude of races, that are always late. I have days where I'm really late! I feel like being late is a universal thing.

Is it easier to just simplify ourselves in the categories? Or do we find it funny? Or do we do it to fit in?

Or are stereotypes just jell-o molds for society as a whole?

Kyle Stern Post 3

I have been thinking long and hard about the idea of the stratification of ethnicities, ever since we had our discussion in class, and all I've really come to realize is that society on a global scale needs to take a step back and re-evaluate they way things are done. I can be understanding of how some nations will have a harder time than others, but that doesn't mean they cannot make adjustments. Our nation for instance was able to make an African-American, President. This speaks volumes for some progress that we have made. We can do something major like that, and yet we can't get some of the most simple things, like equal oppurtunity employment right, all because an employer may think they can't hire someone because of their beliefs or skin color. It seems to be just plain backwards to me.

stereotyping

Connor O'Brien 3

For chapter 3 in Marger, it talks about stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice.  I really liked our class discussion on this topic.  The big part of the conversation was about minorities in certain roles on Television and in movies.  I liked all the examples that were mentioned, especially that much of it was from little kid shows.  It got me thinking and I remember that on the TV show Power Rangers that the yellow power ranger was Asian and the black power ranger was black.  Thats just one example I can think of now.  Stereotypes persists while beliefs change.  This line I saw on the power point and thought it was very true. Stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice will always be around.  I work for my town highway department.  And there are no Asians, African Americans, Hispanics that work there, its all white males except for one female but she works as the secretary. I also find that people are narrowed minded when it comes to stereotypes.  People only look and take notice of those that fit the stereotype of a certain group and ignore those that break the stereotype.

Connor O'Brien 2

For the readings so far, I find the Toni Morrison reading the most interesting reading because it leaves the reader unsure of which girl is black and which girl is white.  While I was reading, I kept on switching in my mind the races of which girl was which race. I also thought Omi and Winant's "Racial Formations" was interesting as well.  It got me thinking about Barack Obama, and has our views on race in these last few years, since we have a Black President?  Also throughout the Omi and Winant's reading the word "Black" had many different meanings which I could see and understand.  Omi and Winant also touched on the topic of being from a mixed race.  What would you consider youself as?  What would be your ethnic identity?  However for the "Venus Hottentot" reading, I didn't quite understand a lot of what was going on?  For example the theme of science in the beginning of the reading.  I wasn't sure if she was in a circus or not.  The movie helped explain things a little better, also the class discussion helped greatly in helping me to understand the "Venus Hottentot" reading.

My Stereotypes - Danielle Wlodarek, Post 4

Stereotypes are everywhere and what I've experienced is that they really shape the way society treats you sometimes. I'm naturally blonde. Very blonde. And I never noticed how people acted towards me until I dyed my hair dark and realized the difference in the way I was being treated. People considered me more professional now, I seemed to instantly gain respect from strangers without judgements being passed. I couldn't walk around anywhere with my blonde hair if I had a tank top or semi-revealing clothing without people assuming I was easy. A thing as simple as hair color can really (and sadly) shape how others view you.
The same thing happened when I was dating out of my race and we went out together. People passed certain judgements because I was a white girl and he was a Dominican guy. Stereotyping is sort of understandable though. Everyone passes their own assumptions at times. But actually acting on them is what bothers me. Should a person be treated differently, stared at, because of things that you're assuming? I can't understand how someone can make a decision about a person without even knowing them. But do I think we can stop stereotyping? Not anytime soon. There are too many people who are set in their ways. It's upsetting.

Connor O'Brien 1

As you can probably tell I'm mostly Irish.  75 percent Irish and 25 percent German.  Both of my grandparents on my father's side are Irish and my Grandmother on my Mother's side is also Irish.  My Grandfather on my Mom's side is German.  I consider myself Irish-German.  I don't really recall my first encounter with race.  However 9/11 was a big eye opener for me when dealing with race.  To see that event take place really brought me to the attention of race and ethnicity.  I was taught to respect everybody no matter what they look like but my teachers and parents mentioned little about race and ethnicity when I was growing up.  They taught me to treat people how you would want to be treated.  I don't disagree with anything that I was told when I was  younger.  My views have not changed much on the topic of race and ethnicity.  I can't recall if I have every witnessed any racism before.  You would think I would be able to remember it if I had witnessed it so I don't believe or at least not in a big way.  I've might of witnessed racism but didn't know at that time.

David Kleis IV

Chapter four has made me realize how serious racism is still in our country. During the last Presidential election Barack Obama was constantly being ridiculed because he was half black. Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin were both be singled out because they were women. Our country claims that we are the land of the free and everyone here is equal, but clearly this is not the case. The color of you skin should not matter at all anymore in the twenty-first century. Barack Obama has been doing a fine job. It just makes me disgusted that this country wants to be run by old white guys. It's just more of the same. I feel that Barack Obama handled the election well and dealt with the racial tension.

Embracing the Stereotype--Meaghan Rowland Post #4

Also in class on Thursday we discussed stereotypes on TV. There is one show that I have watched where an ethnic person embraced the stereotype and acted a certain way so that his beliefs would be accepted in the workplace. In the show "Bones" a forensic anthropologist who solves murder cases is looking for a new intern, one of whom is Arastoo Vaziri a Muslim grad student. During the first few episodes that he is a character, he wears traditional Muslim dress and talks with a foreign middle eastern accent. He prays five times a day facing Mecca even during work. Because those are his values and religious beliefs the rest of the forensic team has no problem with him doing this. A few episodes later it is revealed that he was born and raised in the United States. He normally does not wear that traditional dress, and he does not have an accent. He does pray five times a day because he is a Muslim. He explained himself by saying he felt everyone would be more accepting of his beliefs and customs if he portrayed the traditional Muslim man. In the end everyone was more hurt that he lied than anything else. This is an example of people acting a certain way to be accepted for who they are by others even if how they are acting is not who they are in its entirety.

Discrimination in Politics---Meaghan Rowland Blog #3

In class on Thursday someone brought up the face that many people and politicians are saying they want the president out of office not based on his policies but on the fact that he is black. I disagree with this. I feel that it is very hard to determine someones racial beliefs in the political setting. Yes, many are wanting to a different president or for the current president to change his current policies. However they are preparing more arguments than the fact "he is black." They also prepare arguments solely against the policies being made. This is not the first time the opposite party wanted the current president to be different in office. Whether black or white, republican or democrat politics is a difficult place to determine whether someone is racist. I am not saying that all politicians are not racist because there are definitely are some that are. However, it could be seen that the fact that he is black justifies and is a barrier between him and the opposite party because whenever there has been opposition to any of his policies the first thought has been 'they're opposing this because he is black.'

Alaysia- Assignment 4 (stereotypes)

I was looking around for different stereotypes and I came across some of these that were directed only towards women. We've only focused on general ones in class and I thought it was interesting that there were so many stereotypes directed at this sex. I'm sure there's more out there...

•I'm gorgeous, so I must not be a virgin.
•I'm blonde, so I must be a stupid ditz.
•I'm a lesbian, so I must have a sex-tape.
•I speak my mind, so I must be a bitch.
•I'm a girl who actually eats lunch, so I must be fat.
•I have a bunch of guy friends, so I must be doing them all.
•I wear skirts a lot, so I must be a slut.
•I'm a cheerleader, so I must be a whore.
•I fell in love with a married man, so I must be a home-wrecking whore.
•I'm a teenage mom, so I must be an irresponsible slut.
•I have big boobs, so I must be a hoe.
•I'm a virgin so I must be prude.
•I'm skinny, so I must be anorexic.
•All black women have three children by three different guys.

I'd suggest this website, because they have a lot of others.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/stereotypes-list.html

I think it's kind of sad how we got to this point. We don't have to label ourselves but we do anyway. I think it really comes down to self-esteem and how we feel about ourselves. If we don't like what we see in the mirror, then sometimes we feel that everyone else needs to feel the same way.

But then again, can't this also be a way to tell the truth, just with hurtful words?

Alaysia- Assignment 3 (CP Time)

I was talking to my sister about this class and she found a lot of interest in it. I explained to her about how last class we were talking about different stereotypes and how it related to Marger. She then asked me "have you talked about CP Time?" and I answered no. So I would like to share with you all what CP time is, if you haven't been informed. The "cp" in CP time stands for colored people; a saying that I grew up with. Unfortunately, I believe that this stereotype is correct. I do feel that black people tend to be late, or on CP time. She asked me why I thought that black people was always late and I responded by saying, they had to wait hundreds of years for the white man to let them have their freedom. Now it's their turn for people to wait on them.

I always joke around with my sister about that because she can never be on time. Our conversations would go something like this:
Me: "Where are you?"
Sis: "At the store."
Me: "I'm hungry, how long are you going to be?"
Sis: "I just got in the car, I'll be home in ten minutes."- so at this point, she's still in the store, barely done with grocery shopping.
Me: "What do you mean ten minutes."
Sis: "Exactly what I said."
Me: "Okay, where are you on the road."
Sis: "Don't worry about it. I'll be home soon." -so when she says this, she means an hour.

I deal with this kind of stuff on the daily. It's sad because I'm use to it and I shouldn't be.

Terica Post 3: Nessa and the crisco

“Stereotyping does not come from experience.” I thought it was funny when I read that. You always hear someone supporting a stereotype and usually saying it’s from my experience. In fact, I think most people just assume there is some fact behind. That somewhere down the line the person has experienced this. I think it is important for people to know this is not the case.

I learned this lesson long ago with a friend of mine. One day I was hanging out with two friends. My friend nessa I’ve known for 7 years and lizze I’ve known for 6 years. We use to hang out at nessa’s house fairly often. Usually when I get hungry I want to go out to eat. However, nessa and lizze are picky eaters. Lizze doesn’t care where we go as long as there is something she likes and nessa doesn’t like to eat outside of the house. On this particular day, nessa decided she was going to cook.

Now, I have to say I was shock by this. Nessa never cooked before and we weren’t sure if she could. It was decided, if it did not come out right we would go out for food. We followed nessa into the kitchen and watched her cook chicken. At first she was doing everything right but I noticed she was missing something. I said to her “you need to use flour for the chicken”. She said “we don’t use CRISCO. We’re Spanish, only black people use CRISCO”.

For everyone who doesn’t know Crisco is oil, not flour. You need oil to fry chicken, as she was doing so. When she said it, I looked down at the oil in the pot and the oil container in her hand. Then I just completely lost it. I just could not believe she said something so racist and didn’t even get it right.  It was downright stupidity. After yelling about how racist it was for a couple of seconds and seeing she still wasn’t getting the point I let her know that CRISCO is oil not flour. Lizze, who is also Spanish, yelled at her two about how she can say something so racist and didn’t even know what it meant. Nessa just sat there saying she didn’t know.

Lizze did tell me that Spanish people don’t use flour on their chicken. That I understood, it wasn’t the first time I saw people who didn’t use flour. However, it was upsetting that something which could have been simply stated turned into a race thing. Without any support behind the stereotype, a friend I’ve known for years felt free to utter something so racist. I learned ignorance is often based off of stupidity.

David Kleis III

Chapter 2 has really made me think about society. We live in the twenty-first century during this technological revolution. Our generation seems to be more progressive and with the aid of the internet and sites like this, we have become more outspoken about our beliefs. Why is that we still have to fall into the social stratification classification system? I feel that people have become more tolerant of and accepting of "minority groups". The fact that we still have the urge to stick labels on people is pretty ridiculous. It really shouldn't matter anymore. We've come along way from enslaving Africans to having the first black president. I feel that this may be a catalyst to push toward ending racial tension and hierarchy. The idea that the Dominant group dictates what is hip in society is lame. Individuality is a good place to start if we want to break the trend.

Famous Speeches: To Kill a Mockingbird

Strange Fruit

This was one of the first songs to protest the violence in the South. This violence was a tactic of maintaining white superiority in the South long after the passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments. Segregation and the systematic submersion of black Americans in the South still reverberates today.

Above is a clip from "To Kill a Mockingbird," in which Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) defends Tom Robinson who is accused of raping and assaulting Mayella Elwell. The Elwells are a stereotypically redneck white family from the South. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Tom is ultimately convicted of raping May, even though she recants on the witness stand. The black people in attendance at the trial, sitting in the balcony of the segregated courtroom, stand in silence to respect Atticus Finch and the job he did in his representation of Tom. The legal system was another method of black suppression.

Shawna Racino, Post 4

In response to Jeff's posts:
When watching the Beyonce video, Freakum Dress, I completely agree with Jeff that these videos are somehow influenced by Sarah Baartman's past. I have mixed feelings about these videos. I am a feminist, and I am completely supportive of women celebrating and embracing their bodies. Women should not feel that they have to conform to a certain look. I have caught myself even trying to form to the images the mass media say "real women" look like. I think that it is great that Beyonce and man other famous celebrities (Niki Minaj) are showing off their curves and their beautiful body. I don't think they are trying to say one body type is better than another. I think they are in fact, trying to make black women, more confident with their bodies. And I think that is great!
On the other hand, in the video we watched in class it stated that women of the Koi Koi tribe were seen as very sexual by the Europeans. Of course this could be a great thing. Who doesn't want to be seen as sex? But, this could also cause problems with men possible over sexualizing black women. I'm not sure if that would necessarily be bad, but it was just a thought.

Danielle Wlodarek, Post 3

After reading and discussing chapter 2 I began to wonder if inequality is inevitable. This idea, of inequality being needed to maintain our way of life, has also been brought up in another class I'm taking. Resources are often distributed unevenly, the well-off recieve more opportunity than do the less fortunate. So can you climb your way through life, improving yourself and your situation as you go? Or are you born into what you will become?
Some people argue yes, that it isn't only inevitable but that it creates a positive attitude in the work force. These individuals feel that inequality drives people to become more succesful. These people argue that after the wealthy become so, some of their wealth will trickle down in improve "the masses" as well as their own stability.
Others argue that it's not. They feel that some people aren't afforded the same luxury that others are. They argue that lower income families put their children through poorer schooling, which is all they can afford, and from there are offered less opportunity for success.
It's hard to say. Again, your opinion probably has a lot to do with your experiences in this case.

Another interesting point in the reading for me was found on page 33. "..sociologists began to show that intergroup relations between blacks and whites were just as much a white problem because it was the dominant white group that controlled the character and course of those realtions more than did blacks themselves." Very rarely do we look at the majority and analyze their problems. Well personally at least, I always consider the minority. I wonder what makes them different, consider what they are or aren't doing. But reading this allowed me to take a step back and realize that the majority is just as much to blame the minorities for the seperation and distinction between the two.

Marger chapter 3

After reading this chapter's section on "The Mass Media and Stereotypes," I was reminded of a discussion we had in my Civil Rights class 2 semesters ago about Hurricane Katrina and its racial ties. The media covered every inch of the storm, its destruction, the survivors, the damage, and the static flood waters; however, the only person who ever brought up race in the whole situation was Kanye West, who was then laughed off by most White Americans as just another music personality trying to be political. But the facts were, as we learned in my class, that approximately 25% of New Orleans' Black population was without a car, leaving them to rely on city transportation. When the levies gave in and the flood waters took over, those people had no way to get out. The public transportation systems provided little to no assistance for those stranded on rooftops and other areas of higher elevation. With nowhere to go, and their houses flooded, leaving no supplies, they were forced to find what they could to eat. We looked at a couple different articles in that class that discussed this situation. Two different photographs and their captions stood out. This article from the Huffington Post includes the two photographs and captions: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/van-jones/black-people-loot-food-wh_b_6614.html. The words "looting" and "finding" when used to describe the actions of African-Americans and Whites, respectively, reflect the way in which the media reinforces the stereotypes that encourage prejudice and discrimination, as well as provide further protection for White privilege. Marger wrote, "The stereotypical linkage of crime and violence with African Americans is similarly bolstered by television news...." These captions prove that our society is in no way a colorblind one, and prejudice and stereotype are very much contemporary issues that need to be acknowledged and eradicated before anyone can say that the struggle for civil rights is over.

Shawna Racino, Post 3

While reading Chapter 3 in the Marger text. One section really interested me was the Mass Media and Stereotypes section. It discussed how the media portrays minorities so that it continues to reinforce stereotypes. What came to mind as I was reading this, was the television shows my 12 year old sister watches on Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. In my opinion, many of the shows that are aired on Disney and Nickelodeon are not really ethnically diverse. Of course these channels have different types of ethnicities/races. But very rarely do we see a main character who isn't "white". And even though these channels do have multiple ethnicities in their shows, some are still left out. For example, I couldn't find a show on these channels that had a character who was Asian American or Native American.

The book also stated how the mass media could also convey "exaggerated positive images". This is where characters could be portrayed in much more favorable terms. I think I found an example of these on Nickelodeon with a show called Ned's Declassified. Here is a link to the descriptions of the characters. Let me know if you agree that Cookie, a black student, is an example of exaggerated positive images in the media.

http://www.teennick.com/shows/neds-declassified/characters/ned_neds.html

Marger chapter 2

On page 42 of Race and Ethnic Relations, Marger wrote, "In situations of interaction with dominant group members [ethnic minority group members] are often viewed as representatives of their 'race' or ethnic group. References made in conversation to 'your people' or questions of 'how do (black people, Jews, Chinese...) feel' about a particular issue assume that the minority person, simply by virtue of the fact that he is a minority person, speaks for an entire group. Such forms of address also imply that the minority person is an outsider, not fully part of the social mainstream." I see where Marger is going with this, and I certainly hope no one would ever use the phrase "your people" in an interracial discussion; however, I can't help but point out the fact that discussions between people of different heritages and ancestries are immensely important in developing an informed and conscious diverse society. I think too often subjects of race and ethnicity are seen as taboo, and uncomfortable feelings with discussion of these topics often build a wall between different groups. With that divide built, stereotype, assumption, and voluntary segregation can move in to thicken that boundary. Different groups must have conversation about their differing opinions and life experiences with certain subjects. Our class is the perfect example. We have students of different ancestries, ethnicities, religions, sexualities, and who come from different towns with different levels of diversity. Through our class discussions, we can begin to look at the world using a more informed frame of reference. Of course, as Marger said, our individual experiences and views on things can't be representations of an entire group's voice, but we shouldn't discount our relatively small group as too small to learn from. For example, the other day, we discussed the use of the word "nappy" when describing African-Americans' hair. If the room had been full of only White kids, maybe we would have never learned how the use of the word with its historical use and present connotations can affect members of the Black community. I think that discussion was a good example of how hearing different groups' explanation of how a word differently affects them. We must be willing to learn about each other in order to embrace our differences and build a society that truly celebrates diversity.

Sir Mix-A-Lot - I like big butts vs. Freakum dress and Barrtman.(5)

Now this is what I beleive to be most problematic to Sahrah Barrtmans life and legacy. Its very much so comparing black womans bodies to white womans. And I think this has alot to do with Barrtman past. Now this song is clearly saying one body type is better then another. Or is it tryin to make black woman confident with thier bodies? How would Sarah Barrtman feel about this music video? (Notice the Josephine baker reference/banana skirt dancer in this video also)

Barrtman and Beyonce "Freakum Dress" (4)

I feel that this particular music video by Beyonce doesn't reinforce stereotypes about black woman and their bodies because the message of the song is about putting on that certain dress that makes you look and feel sexy, that shows off all you best attributes whatever they may be (hips, butt, thighs) but the overall message is to turn "his" head. Make "him" remember what he has at home. "Cause when he act wrong, that's when you put it on, get him uptight this is your song. Hold out your back time to impress. Pull out you freakum dress...Every woman got one ooh ooh shut it down when the time comes." So I think it was more about every woman. Also in this video she had all kinds of woman, other than black and white of all shapes and sizes and even had men too. She was parading around sexy not half as "showy" As the "Baby got back" video girls. I like the song and the video. Now Sir mix-alots video and song on the other hand, (which I also enjoy lol) is problematic and is more relative to exploitation of the black woman's body. As I hear the into of white valley girls discuss a Black woman's behind, then as sir mix-alot proceeds to rap while standing on a giant ass. After watching Barrtmans story I don't know exactly how to feel about this video & song.

Venus Hottentot

I think that what happened to Sara Baartman was awful. I do not understand how you can treat other people that way and the things people will do for money. I really liked the poem and gave me an interesting view on the matter. This is absolutely relevant to modern day society. I was just reading an article on modern slavery in africa. A bout was leaving Benin Africa that was full of child slaves. This horrible and something needs to be done about it.

ethan fox who i am 1

Well I have a little bit of German, Polish, and Russian in me but I dont really like to think of people as split up into different groups. I just think that we are all people and no matter color you are our how you sound does not matter to me, as long as you are a good person. We are just one single species. So when people ask i say that i am just a person. I grew up in the city of buffalo and attended a city school so i was always faced with diversity and of course what comes out of that is racism. But i feel very fortunate that i was exposed to this. If you close your eyes it really does not matter.

Baartman and Contemporary Society

We discussed at-length how Sara Baartman was considered an anomaly during the 19th Century. Her large hips, bulbous buttocks and smaller upper-half were considered freakish and out-of-the-ordinary. Our mood as a society has changed. In the spirit of the Super Bowl (Go Pack!) I am inclined to use an example from tonight's game; the Black Eyed Peas are performing at halftime. This is a group that despite earlier successes, launched to fame with a song entitled, "My Humps." This song goes into great detail about the large size of the "lady lumps" of the singer, Fergie. Fergie, who is white, takes a great deal of pride in her large assets, and is certainly now much richer for having them. Using another pop-culture example, last night's Church Lady sketch on "Saturday Night Live" chastised the Kardashians. These are women who share similar traits with Sara Baartman. We place these women on a pedestal and these traits have now become desirable?

Why is this? I'm perplexed as to how, particularly in the last decade, we have gone from a society who called for stick-thin models and diet-crazy regimens, to a world who loves women with a little extra meat. Why is this? Have we as a human race become so increasingly sedentary that we've marginalized those stick-thin women?

Rainbow

Hi everyone,

Since the metaphor of society as a "rainbow" seems to keep coming up in class, I thought this new template for the blog was particularly fitting. I may change the look of the blog throughout the semester just to keep things interesting and fresh.

Cheers,
Jeff

Race: The Power of an Illusion, Erin Goldberg Post 2

So in my African American history class that I took a couple of semesters back we had to do a website critique. One of my classmates critiqued a website based off the PBS series Race: the Power of an Illusion. Although I have never seen the series myself (although I'd really like to), the website itself offers some really cool information about ethnicity, race, society, class and much more. If you guys have the chance, you should definitely check it out. There is one section where you can arrange people according to the ethnicity you believe they fit in (ex. Asian, Hispanic, white, black). It gives a different perspective as to how we look at people and how they self identify. In general, the website just offers a lot of cool information. I'll post the link below.

http://www.pbs.org/race/000_General/000_00-Home.htm

Sheila's Post 2

I'm not too into reading and/or writing poetry. However, I did enjoy reading this. And I guess it was because I had an interest and felt that I could relate somehow.
I think it was interesting in how Cuvier is so excited to study everything he feels is science. Such as how he refers to everything as being beautiful blown up beneath the glass of his micro scope...the dazzling colors of insect wings. He brags about how few will ever see what he sees through his microscope. All seem to be pretty exciting things to study in the name of science.
Ahh, but then the sad reality! He refers to Venus as though she is nothing more than his little pickled science specimens in a jar.
I did like the way that Elizabeth Alexander flipped the script on Cuvier by giving Venus a voice and the opportunity to disect the scientist and place him in a jar.
I think it's interesting in how the attraction for Venus was her ample rear end. When the fact of the matter is that her people were not the only people with such voluptous body parts. If you view paintings, sculptures, drawings from their period and before. You will notice the round meatiness of especially the women and children depicted in the art. Robustness was seen as something beautiful and sensual.
However, I believe that we all know why it was so easy to obtain, enslave, and exploit Venus. The beautiful brown color of her skin and more than ample breast and rear end was her birth right blessing....but they were also the cause for the morbid fascination and her sad demise.
I believe she died of a broken heart. Not of a lover, but of the missed love for her family and home land.
From the film:
It's nice that someone thought to attempt to tell the story, but there were too many discrepancies. From why she traveled with her keeper, how she was treated, the trial, how she died, what happened to her remains, were those really her remains that were returned to Africa, etc?
I think the film was hasitly put together in an effort to make it appear that they genuinely supported her return to Africa.
S. Ramos Post 2

Sheila's Post 1

Generally, when asked (what is my racial heritage?). I can pretty much tell what the individual(s) are expecting me to say. When I fail to produce a personal version of 'Roots', their facial expression confirm my observation. They look bewildered, blank, questioning, disappointed, and sometimes angered. What I've found to be very interesting, is that those type responses have come from all sorts of folk....young, old, educated, barely educated, people of Color, Caucasian people, american, foreign, etc. Not any one particular group from any specific area.
What that says to me, is that there are too many folks either wanting and/or needing me, an american woman of Color, to at least fit a generally accepted version of what they have come to believe I should represent.
I am an american woman of Color. My beautiful brown skin is just but one shade from the resulting rainbow of colors from the mix between a multitude of beings known as the Human Race!
When I was a child my family couldn't afford an encyclopedia so I looked up everything in the dictionary. Whether it was a word, place, thing, phrase, etc. One day I heard a woman refer to another child from my school that I felt looked just like me, as a negro. I didn't quite understand the context in which she was using it, but it seemed to me that she was calling him that name. I wanted to know what was a negro? In a Thorndike-Barnhart copyrighted 1969 elementary school edition dictionary I found: negroid - an inferior race of people.
I brought that to my mother's attention. I asked where are those people and how did they catch inferior? She calmly explained how many things written in our text books are incorrect. And how many people who are afraid to truely accept all God's children just the way He created them, say and do some horrible things. She then gave me the above definition of skin color and race. It made sense to me then and it makes sense to me now.
My mother told us that if we acknowledged all of our heritage no one would want to or be able to interject such hate, horror and lies into our history because we would all be busy caring for and loving each other. We wouldn't see any differences between us.
I believed that because that's pretty much how life was in my family's homes. My father was from Barbados with dark chocolate colored skin. His father was from France with even darker chocolate skin. His mother was from Curacao and Caucasian.
My mother was from New York with very light tan colored skin. Her father was from Kansas with medium brown colored skin. His mother was from North Dakota with golden brown skin. His father was Ojibwe from Canada with golden brown skin. My mother's mother was from New York with very, very light tan skin. Her mother was Lumbee from North Carolina with honey brown skin. Her father was Caucasion (Jewish), from Germany.
Have you kept track? And that's just from the information that I have. I can't begin to imagine the volume of missing information. So, which line do I claim as my heritage? I'm pretty certain that if I were to continue further down the line, like everyone else on this planet, I would find some Africans. However, as my mother so wisely pointed out we need to claim us all. It would be a huge error to refer to myself as African-American...only! Just as it would be for me to claim French...only, Native American...only, and so on.
As I continue to grow and learn I've watched as over time more labels are created to supposedly identify who, what, and where we (people), come from. I believe that because so many of us have been lied to, are confused, want to disassociate from, want to belong to, are hungry for some sense of a solid recognized identity, that we make the mistake of grasping onto labels that may sound cool or good, what may feel good and so on. Here's an example: When I was a very young child I was colored. Later on I was negro. The next thing I knew I was Black (and suddenly proud). And later on, low and behold, I'm supposed to be African American and shouting out much love for my mother country!
I'm sorry, I mean no disrespect to anyone that feels a strong sense of connection to any land and/or groups of specific peoples. However, a long time ago I stopped accepting the labels that were thought up and handed to me. I stopped checking those race choice boxes on business forms and applications. When asked 'what my race is' I write in 'human'. Think about it, if as they state, the information won't be used for anything, why the heck are you asking for it? All any business or government entity need know is my gender (not sex), and age.
Racism is a part of our daily lives and it's not just a so called black and white issue. Just because someone may not outwardly reveal that they are a racist, doesn't mean that they are not! If you carefully observe everyone in your surroundings everyday, you will pick up on all sorts of nuances in people's interactions. Not too many folks do that because life is just so busy and much goes unnoticed. However, I challenge you to do a 24 hour purposeful study. It's sad and it's real! But we (people) don't have to accept that. Dare to be different in a positive way!!!