Alaysia Assignment 11 (Delicioso- Beer commercials)

For those who didn't know what commercials I was talking about when I said the spanish speaking woman made it seem like everything was better through her culture...here it is.







Clearly these two videos CAN be stereotypical. The fact that the people in the videos think that everything is better with a spanish accent can add to that. It's hard because I can even decide whether this is offense to spanish speaking people or not. I don't think anything in the videos is putting down spanish speakers. I just feel like that culture has made it so that they are better than others.

*just in case vids don't work*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16QH0VmRbrE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1hjzzsOj8c&feature=related

Hispanic Culture - Pilar Nelson - Post#10

When I think of Hispanic Americans or Latino Americans, I think of the culture. The language, clothes, music, dancing, food, environment, etc. Growing up I have always been fascinated with ethncity and different cultures. I feel like the Hispanic culture is one of the most interesting and beautiful culture existing. Despite any stereotypes I have heard or even thought of myself, I think the Hispanic culture is a wonderful thing and I only have good things to say about it. Just a thought that was on mind.

Alaysia (LOOK LOOK)

*This is not a post*
http://www.google.com/search?q=venus+noire+trailer&tbo=p&tbm=vid&source=vgc&hl=en&aq=1&oq=venus+noir

I'M NOT SURE IF ANY OF YOU REALIZE THAT LAST YEAR THEY CAME OUT WITH A MOVIE OF SARA BAARTMAN CALLED "VENUS NOIRE." THERE ARE MANY TRAILERS AND I DIDN'T WANT TO PUT THEM UP BUT THIS IS THE WEBSITE FOR THEM.

Alaysia Assignment 10 (Yo no comprendo.)

I thought the story about the latino women working at sephora in NYC was interesting: How they were banned from speaking spanish amongst themselves. If I was an actual work who was fluent in spanish, I would be offended if I was told that I couldn't speak my native language. But if I was a worker who didn't understand spanish at all or a customer who didn't understand spanish at all (which by the way I am), I would feel threatened. And I feel the same way sometimes when I go to get my nails done. Not only do I not understand you, but you can be degrading me and mocking me in front of those who do understand.
These women who were told to not speak spanish shouldn't be offended at all. The fact that they can speak more than one language is a great thing. I think they forget to think that they are in a work place, and if the manager says to not speak it, it should be done.

Racism in Disney

Erin Goldberg, Post 10

We talked a bit in class about negative racial depictions in sports mascots. And we also talked about racial diversity in the cartoons we were exposed to as children. While most every child has seen at least one Disney movie, however, there certain are quite a few examples of racism in Walt Disney's films. I watched the Youtube video below a few years ago and it makes a number of very good points about the negative depictions of racial minorities as shown in Disney, including the Indians in Peter Pan, the crows in Dumbo (meant as a negative stereotype of African Americans) and the merchant in Aladdin (as a negative depiction of Arabs and the Muslim religion). While I think that some of the points that the video's creator makes are a bit reaching, I do believe that the overall point of acknowledging that there is racism in Disney gets through. And while some of the examples, like Song of the South, are a bit outdated and come from a time when racial sensitivity was practically unheard of, examples such as Aladdin are much more recent. In fact I remember reading an article somewhere once that had Aladdin listed in the top 10 most controversial movies of all time based on the backlash it received from the Arab American community and those who practice the Muslim religion. Just something to think about, as I know many of us will be parents someday. Makes you wonder what you should allow your kids to watch and what you will have to explain to them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viiOnhmxcjU

Introducing ethnic diversity into a racially homogeneous family

Erin Goldberg Post 9

I know that last week we discussed the issue of interracial dating. After I blogged about it last week I got to thinking a lot about how families react when one or more of their members decide to marry and produce children with people outside of their own ethnic identification. Obviously I believe that there is nothing wrong with doing this, however, I know that sometimes older members of families react unfavorably to their children and grandchildren interracial dating. Like we have discussed in class, it was our grandparents were part of a different generation and had different social norms. In my family there has been an interesting example of this. My uncle who is gay just recently proposed to his partner of six years. His partner Chris is also African American. I've come to see that certain older members of my family have a more difficult time dealing with my uncle marrying a black man than they do with him just marrying a man in general. And for some of the younger members of my family, like my other aunts and uncles, they have more of an issue with my uncle's homosexuality than they do with the color of Chris's skin.

I've come to realize that the social norms of today are quite obviously different than those of the past and that they will continue to shift for as long as humanity continues to exist. When my uncle and his partner told my great-grandmother that they were looking into adoption from Vietnam, she had a small moment of internal conflict. As much as I love her, I could tell that racially diverse great-grandchildren were never what she foresaw in our family's genetic line. But again I also realize that her lack of understanding and discomfort comes from being born in a time much different from mine. The idea of racial purity is quiet simply a ridiculous one, and I think that with time, it will be one that is slowly eradicated from our society.

English only please?

Andrea Burns post 10

A major problem with having a multiethnic society is the many different languages in use, especially here in the United States where we have no official language. English, being the language used in schools and businesses, tends to be the expected language to use. As mentioned in class through the Sephora example, it is usually expected in the workplace as well. The question asked was whether the Sephora store was out of line in forbading the employees to use Spanish in the workplace. In my opinion, on some level they were out of line and yet they weren't. I feel the employees should be allowed to speak to each other in Spanish while on break in the back. That is their time to be spent as they wish, and they are not in front of customers. The use of Spanish should not be forbidden in that instance. However I do agree with the store's decision to not allow the employees to speak to one another in Spanish on the floor in front of customers. English is the language that is would be used between a customer and employee most commonly, while some Spanish is used there. If the employees are speaking a different language to each other that is not understood by the customer, the customer will feel that they are unapproachable and not as likely to seek their assistance. At least I know I wouldn't. Their use of Spanish wouldn't make me paranoid that they're speaking about me, but I would feel uncomfortable approaching them since they were conversing in a language I do not understand very well. I don't feel that the store was trying to discriminate, but rather just looking after their own economic interests.

Cartoons and Racism - Post #9 - Pilar Nelson

When I look at cartoons and aminated movies and see the characters display as stereotypes of different types of ethncities. I honestly do not get offended or see it as wrong. I am not saying that it is wrong or right, I just don't see anything wrong with it. I do not believe that it is done out of hatred or a way to target or discriminated against a particular ethnicity. I just find it entertaining, adorable, cute and funny. I believe that it gives us a reason to laugh at ourselves and accept each others differences and culture. When looking at these shows or movies, I do not see a particular individual acting out a stereotype of their culture, I just see a cartoon character. That's it.

Use of Language in Business (10)

I believe that in whatever business your in it should be up to the customer and whats easier for the customer.  If the customer prefers English instead of Spanish or French than use English if not than use whatever language the customer wants.  I believe also as a business that if your the boss and your employees prefer another language while talking to each other over English than that should be alright and the boss should be okay with that.

Spanish Stereotypes (9)

During class I like our discussion on the different Spanish stereotypes.  Especially about the sex stereotypes and the romantic stereotypes and how they differ from one another and how the romantic stereotypes have a better image on the Spanish community and culture than the sex stereotypes.  I believe that Hispanic culture is more romantic than sex in their stereotype.  Also, I believe that people too often refer to Latin American people as Mexican American.  Examples of this can be seen in the media all the time.  Crash the movie came up in our discussion where this can be seen.  I also can see the Spanish women having a stereotype of having feisty attitudes.

Rude?

Andrea Burns post 9

Something discussed this week that really stuck out to me was Marcus's story of his father finding his girlfriend's father to be rude because she got his plate for him, instead of him getting it for himself. She had saw no problem with it since that how she was raised to act and what she was used to. How one is raised obviously differs from household to household, regardless of race. It really can effect how you come across to others. What you consider natural, they may consider to be rude. Marcus's story helped me to understand the problems I have had with my exboyfriend's family in the past and hopefully a way that it can be resolved. While we are both white, we came from drastically different households. He lives in Long Island, so the first time I met his family I was staying at his house for a few days. While I thought how I acted was fine, I come to find out his parents thought me to be rude. That was obviously very upsetting to hear and for awhile I couldn't understand why I came across as that. How I acted was typical for how I was raised. Now I can understand how the differences of our livestyles clashed and came off in a manner that it wasn't intended to be. I was raised in a household of pretty much silence. I was taught to not speak until spoken to, to not address someone unless they address you first. I was not suppose to start conversation, but rather to respond when someone starts speaking to me. In today's society, that may seem a bit odd but that was how I was raised to be. I didn't find that to be rude, but how I was suppose to act. So when I went to visit him and met his family, I acted as I've been taught to act. I was pretty quiet and didn't talk unless I was spoken to. I wasn't doing it to try to be rude but rather that was my way of being respectful of them and their house. Unfortunatly, it did come across as rude to them since it was not the life they were accustomed to at all. They were the total opposite of my family. They had open, flowing communication that did not need to be initiated by the adults. Him and his siblings were able to address them when they wanted to, rather than needing to be brought into the conversation. His household was loud and full of discussion, totally in contrast to where I had come from. So when I stepped in with my "do not speak unless spoken to" background, it totally clashed from his open, communicative household. I was viewed as rude when I was just acting by the customs that I knew. Now looking at the situation, I can understand as to why things went as they did. The differences in background really affected the relationship I had with them. If I am to ever meet them again, hopefully better understanding background differences can improve our relationship.

Cartoon Versus Actors and Actresses

The other day in class the question of why cartoon characters are less offensive than actors and actresses when it comes to stereotypical characters was raised. I think that cartoon characters seem make believe therefore the stereotypes and offensive characteristics are taken more lightly. People don't relate these cartoons to real life so the stereotypes don't seem real or quite as offensive. Actors and actresses on the other hand make it easier for the audience to relate to real life. Therefore the stereotypes seem real and close to the heart. This makes them come off as more harsh and offensive.

Ashley Allen, Post 8

Should English be spoken in professional settings?

I think it is understandable that people would want to speak their native language. I feel that being in country where everyone speaks a different language than you would be rather intimidating. Finding others you can talk to in your own language would be comforting. It seems that it would also make you feel close to home and would just be easier/ more natural. However, in a professional setting I think that it would be less difficult if everyone spoke the language that the majority of the country knew. In many jobs in order to get the job done quickly and accurately, it is important that there are not miscommunications. In other cases I think it is perfectly okay to speak whatever language you please. It can definitely be a learning experience for others around you and help to make people more culturally diverse.
Ashley Allen, Post 7

Post #10: Segregation Today

Well as some know, this past Thursday I went through an interview with the History Ed Department. As we talked, we started to discuss the idea of segregation today. As we all know legal segragation is today illegal, but it seems that unintentional segregation is still around today. My best example that I used in my interview was looking at inner city school systems and comparing them to suburban schools. My main evidence I discussed was the fact that the schools with higher populations tend to do poorer due to a lack of funding that they would need to do better, and then the students get stuck in the system and many being unable to leave the inner city areas. It was one of the eye opening ideas we discussed, understanding that we may not have moved as far forward as we think we have.

Mascots vs.Cartoons. Jokes & The Psycology of it all (12)

I keep loosing really good post today so I'm going to summarize what I had wrote before it was lost. : (
I was saying the reason Cartoons are seen as more socially acceptable means of racism and stereotypes, as a whole. The thing about it is; "There's a time and a place for every thing" and "Content is king" Cartoons are for entertainment. Where as Mascot's are direct representations which could more likely be deriving from hatred, ignorance for deliberate purpose of mockery. Mascots also has a greater chance of being misrepresentative of people. And this is problematic because People do not want to be misrepresented. It's hurtful and more hurtful when it's becomes acceptable.
Whereas we like cartoons because they entertain us, they are comical and cute. They are a escape from our world. (moon parking lot attendant) Often time we love their over exaggerations, with magical plot an extremely silly situations. We even like caricature's to some degree. We get them drawn of ourselves just for fun at amusement parks, NYC and we read political cartoons routinely. They are the norm. Even if they are offensive. We can all identify a Sambo, or Former President Bush as caricatures. You wanna know why? because cartoons are like jokes. What are jokes? Jokes are a socially acceptable way to act out, discuss or even say things that aren't socially acceptable otherwise. Such as; Aids jokes, racial and sexual jokes, Dead baby jokes. These things are socially unacceptable to talk about even disturbing to think of as funny, But we laugh at them all the same and it somehow okay. As long as its said within that invisible sphere of time or acted out on that invisible stage. This is why we tell jokes our minds are physiologically wired that way. Its the ID, The ego and the super ego. our conscious and unsubconcious minds. We have to exspress how we feel but we also want to not dirupt the norms of society. We want to fit in rather than stand out. (Especially not stand out negtivley we get embarassed.)This is why we had minstrel shows in which homosexual antics/jokes, black face and drag, blue collar jokes about high society were performed, because it was socially acceptable to act out on stage but not with society at that time. Example the Oedipus complex; in which a man desires to his mother sexually, this is not okay at all. (hints the plays ending) But its okay within today's society for men to say: "I want a woman just like my mother" or even okay for him to marry and date woman who resembles his mother. So cartoons are more acceptable because our society think they are for children (which originally they weren't). That cartoons messages are usually diluted because of their comedic storyline and antics. Its a inferior/ cute form of racism. We usually have a favorite character(s). But its something about a cartoon that's more forgiving then a Mascot or even a caricature. Maybe its because we view their message as less harmful or that it doesn't come from a place of hatred rather comedy. Plain socially acceptable funny. Where as Mascots say: "This is how we see you."

Post #9: Cartoons?...Racist?...Counldn't be true!

So, as odd as it may sound, after our little discussion on cartoons and whether they allow for stereotypes to be used, I decided to take a look at the old shows I used to watch when I was younger. The two shows that really stood out after my search were Rugrats, and Power Rangers.

Of the first show there was no openly obvious race stereotypes at first, but then there was the openly obvious bickering Jewish grandparents of Tommy Pickles. Mentioning of saving money and the neurotic Jewish woman was all through out the episodes that they were there. The next stereotype that popped out was Susie(sp?). She was the one African-American girl that was introduced to the series. She was right off the bat naturally talented in music (hip hopish), but that was as far of an extent that she was part of the stereotype.

As for Power Rangers the racism was a little more subtle. The costumes were what hinted towards it. The Asian ranger was yellow and the African-American one was black. Of course later in the show a white ranger was introduced and he was stronger than all the others, seems to have a little bit of a white supremecy undertone... maybe? This is purely speculation.

Barack Obama The Magic Negro

Need I say more? This song was played on "Rush Limbaugh," who by the way is one of the most public-sanctioned racists of all time. Folks in the TEA Party and even just the Republican Party love this guy.

Here is a list of some of the things that Rush has said on his radio show:

1. “Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?

2. “Right. So you go into Darfur and you go into South Africa, you get rid of the white government there. You put sanctions on them. You stand behind Nelson Mandela — who was bankrolled by communists for a time, had the support of certain communist leaders. You go to Ethiopia. You do the same thing.”

3. “Look, let me put it to you this way: the NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it.”

4. “The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies.”

5. “They’re 12 percent of the population. Who the hell cares?”

6. [To an African American female caller]: “Take that bone out of your nose and call me back.”

7. ”I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. They’re interested in black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well. I think there’s a little hope invested in McNabb and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he really didn’t deserve.”

8. Limbaugh’s many attacks on Obama.

Limbaugh has called Obama a ‘halfrican American’ has said that Obama was not Black but Arab because Kenya is an Arab region, even though Arabs are less than one percent of Kenya. Since mainstream America has become more accepting of African-Americans, Limbaugh has decided to play against its new racial fears, Arabs and Muslims. Despite the fact Obama graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law school, Limbaugh has called him an ‘affirmative action candidate.’ Limbaugh even has repeatedly played a song on his radio show ‘Barack the Magic Negro’ using an antiquated Jim Crow era term for Black a man who many Americans are supporting for president. Way to go Rush.

9. “We need segregated buses… This is Obama’s America.”

10. “Obama’s entire economic program is reparations.”

THIS GUY IS ON THE RADIO FOR HOURS EVERY SINGLE DAY! Need I say more about how the mass media perpetuates racism?

The Provocation of Stereotypical Continuation and Mass Media

This is a clip from "Driving Miss Daisy." While this might just be a historically accurate take on the dynamic between black and white in the Civil Rights-era South, there is more to see here than meets the eye. Morgan Freeman plays an illiterate yet charming man hired to drive Miss Daisy. There is Elvira, miss Daisy's maid, who is also African American. Is this a continuation of a stereotype? Certainly! While this is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play and also won the Academy Award for Best Picture, it is hardly politically correct. This movie clearly displays the subordination of blacks to whites. Thoughts?

"You No speak-a-dey Englishhha?" (11)

After class I thought about the way people respond to Hispanic/Latino Spanish speaking people, speaking Spanish fluently around them here in America. As an English speaking person I want to say the reason this is upsetting to them is because they usually assume that people are either talking about them or plotting against them. This is weird but understandable because in America like anywhere else int he world we have a code of social graces. It is considered rude to speak "around" someone, directly excluding them from the conversation. It becomes especially rude when you don't know what is being said. This can also interrupt the chain of communication when trying to work collectively on certain work task; such as retail work or amusement parks. Aside from all of that all people ever shout in defense of not liking Spanish speaking options is: "This is America speak English!" Yea this is America and English is our unofficial primary language, But the key point is it's UNOFFICIAL so why continue to feel this is the official language ignoring the fact that; We know America has a large bi-lingual Spanish speaking population permanently residing here? I think that with the English language globally being declared the language of "intelligence", "professionalism" and just overall a being considered a higher level of the most "civilized" language (Thanks elitist colonialism) When in fact right here in good ole fashion America people geographiclly speak very diffrently. Holding very diffrent dialects, vanacular, accents and Annunciation of words all accross the board. Making it very difficult to understand one another within the same country, So whats the big deal?
Another thing we as Americans seem to forget is that the people visiting us from other countries feel the same way we do about them speaking spanish or whatever thier native tounge is infront of us. Im sure they feel Fustrated, scared, paronoid or even inferior when we use fomalities they arent familar with such as introductions, hugs , handshakes and such. Along with everyone around them speaking the "highest" form of language in front of them that they may not understand.
So just remember when you go to say to someone "This Is America speak English!" Remmeber not everyone can, also the same way you feel excluded when they are speaking to someone in thier language they feel teh same way when we speak English. Except is all around them Because this is America. Then take into considerations English hasnt been declared our National Language. And know that no matter what language you speak there will always be a communication issue regardless. Because just like love is a universal language so is ignorance. When all else fails some of the best communications is unspoken; Body Language and facial exspressions are universal. Also liek one of our class mate said he was well aware that the guy in the spanish speaking country was unste at him and called him something derogetory. He probably was right because you dont need to know what some one is saying to fully understand WHAT they are saying. Also I personallythink that if someone feel they are in a life threatening situation with a bunch of "Spanish speaking forginers" "Talking about them or plotting thier demise" right in front of them (which I highly doubt) but then you should excuse yourself from that enviorment and seek help. But just wanting to understand what they are saying to further seek a confrentaiton isnt necessary. So seriously just be as accommodating as you can because you would want some one to do it for you if the shoe was on the other foot.

Terica Post#10: another form of discrimination

I have mixed emotions when it comes to speaking Spanish in the work place. I understand that the customers should feel comfortable and there should be communication between the staff. However, if the language is not getting in the way of either one of those things, than it should be allowed. This is just another form of discrimination and assimilation. We are telling people that to work in our society you have to speak our language and blend in with us. If they are not hurting anyone, then it should be fine.

Terica Post#9: spanish cable

This is the commercial I was talking about in class. This cablevision’s commercial for Spanish people. There was a bit of an argument about whether this was offense or not. It was geared toward Spanish customers and was not meant to be offense. They put in pirates of the Caribbean which was a popular movie at the time and reggaeton because it was really popular music at the time.  However, a lot of people felt this was offense and others who weren’t offended just felt it was annoying. In the end, cablevision changed their commercial.

The Great Lanuage Debate

I just lost a three paragraph rant about double standards and how it's frightening to be in a foreign country and have no idea what anybody is saying. And I am sad, so very sad.

So, here's the jist:

I went to Turkey in January 2010. All I knew how to say were "Hello" and "Thank you." A couple of the people I went with bought a travel dictionary for Turkish and we were those people who walked around Ankara, Konya and Istanbul trying really hard to speak some form of Turkish. We were actually scammed a couple times.

It's really scary to be in a place and not know the language. If I'm going to move there for an extended period of time, I would do everything in my power to try and be well versed in the native language.

I had similar experiences at Cedar Point. I worked with a multitude of people from all over the world. I lived with three french girls. I worked with a handful of people from Ecquador. There were multiple people from Taiwan on my crew. And they were all great. I loved them. But I had to admit that sometimes it was hard because I had no idea how to speak their languages. And sometimes, they would include me and explain everything they had said in english. But for the people who didn't speak english as well, I couldn't explain it back to them in their own language.

Sometimes that caused miscommunication issues, which is something we could not afford in ride operations because of the potential danger that could befall the crew or guests.

I believe it's important to have one solid universal language among a business and company or whatever work place you happen to be. But at the same time in certain situations, I don't think it's right for management to bar people from foreign countries from speaking their native language. And the fact that they can only use it when it comes to training or helping a customer is a double standard.

Being able to speak your language in a foreign country is not only important to expanding and sharing your culture, but it's comforting.

Mascots v. Cartoons

I was taking the test and it dawned on me. What is the difference between mascots and cartoons? The majority of the class took offense to the American Indian mascots. The majority also said that cartoons aren't that harmful. But aren't mascots just giant cartoons of sorts? I think an exaggerated Indian costume on a mascot can't be any worse than a little Spanish cartoon with a mustache, thick accent, and sombrero. It's pretty strange. Just something to think about. Personally I don't think the mascot thing is that bad. I think an American Indian mascot represents hard work and dedication more than a cartoon could represent anything meaningful.

The Spectrum of Hispanic American Stereotypes in Today's Media

The conversation we had in class on Tuesday made me stop and really think about how Hispanic Americans are portrayed in popular culture.

Crash was one of the first things that came to mind. Particularly the scene after Sandra Bullock and Brendan Frasier are robbed. The man changing the locks on their doors happens to be Hispanic, but Sandra describes him as being untrustworthy and that he will sell people their keys to his "gang banging amigos." In reality, he's just a family man trying to protect his daughter from violence they had previously experienced in the past.

Hispanic Americans are generally portrayed as being involved in gang violence, criminal activity and living in low income housing or on the streets.

Having said that, there are a number of Hispanic American characters who are portrayed just like any other race and are well-adjusted. Dr. Callie Torres from Grey's Anatomy comes to mind; aside from being foxy, Callie is a brilliant orthopedic surgeon who is one of the more complex and interesting characters on the show.

Unfortunately, the ratio of White/Caucasian characters to those of other races is vastly uneven.

Residential segregation

Marger, Chapter 7
Residential segregation has always been an interesting concept to me. When we were small children growing up in a large city, many of us were aware of the stark differences in certain neighborhoods. However to us, it didn’t really mean much. In fact, neighborhoods with one and two family homes appeared to be boring. There was nothing in the world like the fun of being able to run up and down the hallways and to different floors whenever the weather was too extreme to go outdoors. And although our apartment buildings were about 4 to 6 stories high and adventurous, we dreamed of someday being able to live in the newer and taller project housing that was being erected all around us. We saw only the aesthetics. They were uniform, orderly, neatly designed grassy areas; some closed in by a rope of chain link fence others by chicken wire, onsite playgrounds with all sorts of cool looking cement and metal structures to climb on. Most inner city project housing was 10, 20, or more stories high. To obtain tenancy people had to meet very special requirements. Which were a mixture of the working low income and the poorest of the community. To the children, uniquely modern, sky-scraper type housing had come to town, concrete cities within the city!
Communities were bombarded with information about luxurious yet affordable housing in the heart of the city. Lists of conveniences were stated in such a way to make people think they would have to be fools to even consider leaving the city. The following were pointed out:
-Why let your children go out of the area to other parks when you can have access to state of the art playgrounds right on the premises.
-Why worry about the hassle of transferring schools and busing for your children when they can continue at their own neighborhood schools.
-Don’t buy a car. 24 hour bus and train service is available within walking distance to blank development.
-Why worry about costly moving expenses and higher rent neighborhoods when you can pay rent according to your income. Many units available for large families…and so on.
For many people those were very attractive amenities. However, when looking at the broader picture, it was nothing more than a way to keep poorer people, mostly black and Hispanic, corralled in the cities. Piled on top of each other in what became high rise ghettos. As the text pointed out, highly segregated and spatially isolated
S. Ramos, Post #10

Environmental Racism and the idea of NIMBY

After reading the chapters on African-Americans and Hispanic Americans, both addressed the idea that the environment plays in the lives of these two groups. Marger wrote about urban concentration of different ethnic groups because of Red-Lining and the way in which this leads to inadequate schools and housing. Another important component of this is the physical environment, i.e. pollution. In my Civil Rights class, we learned that 75% of industrial institutions that don't comply with the Environmental Protection Agency's standards for toxic output and pollution are located in urban areas whose residents are disproportionately Black or Hispanic. This is because these groups generally don't hold political power in their respective areas, such as in the city and state legislature. This means for them that those in power look to protect their areas from these kind of environmental dangers while letting others fall off the way-side. I was stunned to learn that this is allowed; however, I can't say I was shocked. Those who allow this to go on operate according to the "Not In My Backyard" or NIMBY mentality, meaning that as long as something to the effect of Love Canal doesn't exist in their immediate area, it can exist. The implications and effects of these operations have far-reaching ripples and directly affect the physical health of non-Whites living in urban areas.

Stereotypical Casting

I really am interested in the casting of stereotypical roles in Hollywood. After doing some research I found an article that talks about 'Hollywood's 6 Favorite Offensive Stereotypes'. #6. The Magic Negro (think Bruce Almighty or Shawshank Redemption) usually prisoners, janitors, etc. that knows from his heart and has a level of "earthy wisdom". #4. The Latina Maid (Spanglish, Maid in Manhattan, Mad Money). #3. The Mighty Non-Whitey (Bringing Down the House, Money Talks) where a majority is forced to stay with a minority that they may not like but eventually develope a love for. You get the idea, there are more. Here is the site -- http://www.cracked.com/article_15989_hollywoods-6-favorite-offensive-stereotypes.html . Stereotyping is everywhere! Can we break this mold?

Black beauty woke up and was killed.

Marger, Chapter 7
I can remember living in the heart of Brooklyn, New York City when ‘Black Power’ took root.
It was as if people suddenly realized, and then gave themselves permission, to speak out loud about the beauty of their uniqueness. In this chapter Harold Isaacs says of the well-known term ‘Black is Beautiful’…”In both its literal and its symbolic meanings, it became the password to a measure of self-acceptance by Black Americans that generations of earlier leaders and tribunes of the people had sought in vain to achieve.”
Measure is correct because that’s all it was for a time. Marger stresses this, but says it was due to the public being preoccupied with the Vietnam War. I agree, but only to an extent. The fact of the matter was, regardless to the war, black power, black pride, black autonomy, had to be killed.
What? A peoples that have been displaced, lied to, kept down, and starving for self-identity and finding a way to rise up and be heard. That wasn’t going to be tolerated! That awakened beauty had to be put back down. And so it was done, by what Marger refers to as the white power structure, but we all know as our illustrious government. The most courageous and visible leaders were eliminated. To cover the inflicted gaping wound a small band aid was offered in the form of small concessions to some communities. Specific and limited funds were increased for a few government programs and services.
What was sad is that so many people believed that the governments so called generosity were a direct achievement of the black power movement. The increase in black pride was the real achievement.
S. Ramos, Post #9

Stereotypes in the media

Today we discussed stereotypes portrayed in the media. I thought of one that isn't a Hispanic stereotype, but I still think it's interesting. It's from the Disney animated movie, Fantasia. It was cut from the version that was released to the public. In original, a scene depicting centaurs galloping around contained a darker centaur made out to look like a Pickaninny tending to a lighter centaur with flowing hair. The Pickaninny is similar to other stereotypical racist images such as Sambo, the happy slave, Mammy, and Jezebel. All of these images were used to depict slavery as a benevolent institution full of characters that made slaves seem jovial, childlike, deceptive, and in general need of Patriarchal guidance from their masters. This is in no way an accidental depiction in Fantasia. I'm sure racial stereotypes were not lost on Disney as can be seen from his other works. These Black Plantation Myth images can be seen in all aspects of the media. Here is an image of the Pickaninny from Fantasia:
Another stereotypical image in the same vein as the Pickaninny was that of Mammy. She was a desexualized, large woman who loved her White "family" and often looked down on her own children. The image of Mammy was used in the image associated with Aunt Jemima products. The face of Aunt Jemima has evolved since then, perhaps as a departure from the image of Mammy. This is the original face of Aunt Jemima:

...and how she looks today:

My opinion of interracial reltaionships

In a previous blog, someone mentioned that they do not think the color of one's skin should effect who they should or shouldn't date. I completely agree. In the past, I have dated people of different races, and I remember getting a lot of grief from it. It really felt so upsetting to me because why shouldn't I, a good person, who is in love with their significant other, be with the person who makes me happy? I know people are going to have their "type" of person they would want to date, and that is okay. Some people are attracted to certain people and some aren't. In my opinion, I felt extremely hurt when someone in the class said that sometimes black women doesn't like seeing back men date white women because that is one less good man for them. I believe that people should be able to date whoever they wanted to. If a white man started dating one of my friends and he was an extremely good guy, I wouldn't be upset that my friend took a potentially good candidate for me to date. I would just be happy for them. That issue of women being concerned about one less good guy could work for different ethnicity's and same ethnicity's. I believe that skin color doesn't really matter when you are in love with someone. When you are in love you see they person for who they are. It's the people around them that can only concentrate on color. And I think that is something that our society needs to work on.

The N-Word and Degradation

First allow me to apologize if this offends anyone. It was not my intent or my motive. This show is written by African Americans and is meant as a social commentary. Our discussion in class the other day got me rather upset. Just hearing the word has a tendency to rile people up, but what I think might be misunderstood is the reason why it riles people up. To white Americans, we have a history of racial oppression and bigotry that no one likes to revisit, but it is through the revisitation of our history that we prevent things like segregation. The word itself was originally meant to be condescending and sought to assert dominance over an entire race of people. It's use today, even casually or as a term of endearment, I still believe to be inappropriate. This clip will hopefully address how I feel with words that I cannot use. "The Boondocks" released this episode for Martin Luther King Jr. Day a few years ago. The premise of the episode was that MLK had still been shot, but had been in a coma for almost four decades. He comes out of the coma and sees what life was like in contemporary society. He had this to say: