affirmative action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saIVafSC38k

Should affirmative actions be used for lower class people instead of by race. In this clip Barack Obama talks about how he hopes that his children are seen as privileged and do not get in just by the color of their skin. He goes on to talk about lower class white and black families and how he hopes that they are helped out because they have had less. Does going by social status instead of race sound like a good idea? No matter what someone will get angry, that is the nature of the beast called America, everyone has an opinion, right or wrong. He also said we have to account which generation of middle class people are. How would we do this? Would we have to everyone have a background check? Or are there other ways to do it that are simpler?

Images?

I was looking at things on the interned and this picture came up. I was wondering how could something like this pass in the subways of New York City? Just think of what it takes to make a poster go up. First you have to have a company for equality. Then you have to have someone make this sign. Next the company that is trying to spread equality has to approve this image. The only logical thing that must have happened is that the person who approved it did not read it, or that they really think this way and say nothing wrong with it. This thinking right here is what is wrong, we have to make it so people know that everyone is "normal" not just white people. It is a disgrace for the company to make this sign but it also a disgrace to have the city allow this sign to make it to the wall. Something or someone should have spoken up.

For anyone who has attended another college...

I've been wondering lately how race and ethnicity on other college campuses are perceived and whether or not their are significant issues surrounding these things. Since SUNY Fredonia is the only college I've ever attended, I do not have anything to compare it to. However, while I don't think that Fredonia is the perfect haven of racial mixing and multiethnic harmony, I think we are a very accepting and educated community. We have our problems here and there, but for the most part I think that Fredonia is a great campus in terms of racial, gender, and sexual orientation acceptance.

But for anyone else in the class who previously attended another university, how was race and ethnicity perceived there? If poorly, what do you think caused this and if positively, what do you think contributed to the positive perception?

Erin Goldberg, Post 17

Race in Sports

Erin Goldberg, Post 16

So I know we've talked about this as a class before, but as I was watching the Sabres game I was struck with a thought. I read somewhere earlier this year that in the NHL there are only 20 African American players (Mike Grier from the Buffalo Sabres being one of them). Along with this, hockey has gotten a reputation for being a primarily "white sport." That's not to say that only white people can play it or that only white people are good at it, but that only white people seem to be drawn towards this particular sport. On the flip side of this, the NBA has more African American players than white, Hispanic, or Asian. And I'd say that the NFL seems to be split down the middle in terms of racial diversity, with an equal amount of most races being present. So I guess my questions are 1) Are certain racial groups more drawn to certain sports (whether it is because of interest or their opportunity to participate) and 2) Is this why certain stereotypes develop (i.e. white guys can't be professional running backs, black guys can't play hockey, ect.)?

Terica post#20: the threat to society is ourselves

I always knew our society supported racism but I think the book just made me realize how much. Birdie is constantly told who to be and what to believe by other people. She has yet to find who she is apart from everyone else’s ideals. It made me think about the world and how people are following other people’s beliefs and ideals. We feel as if we are coming into the world with fresh new eyes. Yet have the time our vision is covered by someone else’s view. Most people don’t question their beliefs  and values. They don’t take the time to think about the whys and what if. If we took more time to think about the what ifs and whys, maybe this world would could be a little different.

Terica post#19: habits of the heart

I had this conversation with a professor of mine today about the dilemma of our country. We have the values of an individualistic society with the ideals homogenous society. We talk about people making it on their own merit and yet feel that people who don’t have should be helped this leads to confliction and ultimately no answers to the countries problems. We not only have to change our ideas but our values and beliefs. Our society is changing ever so slowly. With every change we make in our selves we make a difference for someone in the future.

Racial Ambiguity

Birdie's racial ambigous features are a major component of the novel Caucasia. While she is half black and half white, she is able to use her features to play whatever role is needed for her at the time. She uses this to survive in any situation. At the start of the novel, she plays up her white features. Then when she attends the black power school, she plays up her black features in order to fit in at the school. Then later when she needs to change her identity, she is able to pass as someone who is Jewish. While this is a beneficial survival technique, I think it'll cause problems for her in the future. She may be able to work her features to how she needs, but it doesn't work to her benefit because it doesn't give her own identity.

Caucasia

Andrea Burns A major focus of Caucasia is the relationships of the family between the mom, dad, Birdie, and Cole. Before their exposure to the real world, Birdie and Cole had an extremely close relationship which never acknowledged their skin differences, with Birdie more resembling Caucasian and Cole more resembing an African American. They never really understood how much of impact their differences had until they started going to school and realized how different the world treated them. Even in their home, their skin color affected how they were treated. The father was much closer to Cole while the mother was much closer to Birdie. This fact interested me since the parents were fighting for equality yet they couldn't practice equality in their own home. Skin color not only impacted their relationships with the outside world but inside their family dynamics as well.

Affirmative Action

I was surprised as well that the affirmative action conversation in class didn't get more heated. There are so many different opinions. I found a video online that asks different people their opinions, just to keep us thinking.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hClFP3Gj2w8
Please do check the video out, it's one of many and pretty interesting points are brought up.

Campus Division

I think it is really important for us to take a stand on campus against racism. Maybe things won't change today, this semester, this year..but more interaction between students needs to happen I feel. Now I don't spend a ton of time on campus, so maybe I am wrong. But, I rarely see whites and minorities mixing company, at least not often enough. It makes me wonder why though. I've visited many campuses and acyually been at a different one for 2 years myself where race really didn't seem to divide the student population. It seems to at Fredonia though sometimes. We need a way to break these habits and keep them broken for future students. I do think the first step is recognizing it. And now that we have it's up to us to stop it and spread the love.

Anti-Racism

Is the first stage of Anti-Racism acceptance? Or can we not fully acheive acceptance until we go through all the other necessary steps. Perhaps it's not so much acceptance as it is awareness. I think that one of the most powerful thing a person can do is to make society aware of social injustice. People are content to turn a blind eye on things like racism or sexism or homphobia. If we don't speak out about it, how are we ever going to change it. This needs to be accepted. There is power in numbers and power in voices. We speak up, we take the first step towards racial/gender/sexual equality. So I'm speaking up and out. I want to make the world aware. Give them something that will stare straight into their face until they accept it.

Golliwog’s Revenge

As I read this chapter I wondered what it had to do with the title. That is, until I read page 113 and 114 and finally decided to look up the definition of golliwog (a grotesque black doll). I knew that it was a funny looking black doll, but I never thought of it as grotesque.
Anyway, I believe the revenge had to do with Birdie’s description of her mother’s appearance and behavior which began on page 113:
“When I turned, she appeared enormous to me. It struck me that she had been eating lately with a hurricane energy – with even more gusto than usual.”
“Meanwhile, my mother was whispering things to herself as she drove, her head at a crooked angle.”
“At Friendly’s she wolfed down her banana split, getting chocolate around her mouth and a little dot of whipped cream on the tip of her nose so that she looked clownish, like Golliwog.
“So, Miss Black is Beautiful doesn’t think you’re good enough, huh? You probably remind her of me, and that’s what they’re all trying to forget these days, you know – that they ever dabbled in the nitty gritty land of miscegenation.”
So, here was Sandy, a paranoid, under cover, activist; looking like a real life white golliwog. Then later, as the saying goes, the pot calling the kettle black!

History 359 a CCC?

The other day in class we discussed the idea of making our class a CCC. I believe this would be very beneficial for Fredonia's campus. I agree with the idea that there should be different levels of the course and all students should be required to take the course at one of the levels. My roommate is taking a class similar to ours. Since my roommate and I have been in these classes we have often discussed the different issues that are brought up in our classes. I feel that if every student was taking a class that educated them on these issues of ethnicity and race there would be a lot more discussion about this topic not only in class, but outside as well. This discussion could definitely help to raise awareness of issues around campus. I agree that there will be some students who do not want to learn and will not take anything from the course. However, I do not think this should stand in the way of making the course a CCC. As long as one student is impacted after taking this course it is worth it because that is one more student that has a new found awareness of these issues than there was before. I think requiring all students to take our class would be very helpful to our campus. Ashley Allen, Post 18

Colorblind Casting

Jordan-the black little orphan Annie thing got me thinking. A lot. Sometimes we just can't colorblind cast something. Broadway standards like Annie were, indeed, written at a time where the historical context would change entirely if the race of the main character was different. And there are times when valid social context is altered because of colorblind casting. For example, West Side Story has a very strong message about gang violence and interracial relationships. I saw a production with a 95% white cast, including a white Maria. All of the rich social context was taken away and it was merely just another play. The same thing would happen to Hairspray or the Color Purple were colorblind cast. Having said that, I believe that there is such a thing as an artistic vision and making choices. I think that directors are allowed to be bold and choosy. And if a director wanted to make a statement and cast a black little orphan Annie, then they can do that. However, there are plenty of plays and shows out there with the ability to cast people of all races because racial issues or the historical context isn't an issue. I once read a play where there was a footnote that said "Casting should reflect the racial diversity of New York City." It's all based on the context.

Caucasia

When I first began reading Caucasia one of the things I picked up on right away was the amount of information Cole and Birdie are exposed to at such a young age. One thing that really stuck out to me was in the beginning of the novel when their mother told them that the people from the immigration authority were "fascist, murder, monsters." This made me curious to see how these ideas would shape Cole and Birdie's views on things throughout the rest of the novel. Ashley Allen, Post 17

To be or not to be...ccc

We had a lively discussion about whether or not HIST 359 should be CCC (College Core Curriculum. However, a good deal of it was irrelevant! We took off on a tangent about size and unwilling participants. I take issue with many aspects of SUNY Fredonia and the SUNY system as a whole in how poorly some things are handled. However, I do tend to think that they can manage handling enrollment size without totally screwing up anyone’s life! As for uninterested students…why would I let their behavior limit my goals, my journey?
The real issue has to do with the purpose (mission), of the CCCs. Read the entire statement at http://www.fredonia.edu/department/gened/. Can you think of courses that you have been and/or will be forced to take that will not help you fulfill that mission? Can you think of the same for courses (HIST 359 included), that will, but are barely an afterthought?
Go to the following site, scroll down, and read the history:
http://www.suny.edu/sunypp/documents.cfm?doc_id=327&CFID=5408694&CFTOKEN=23465999&jsessionid=9e30540dd032099abcf07e5335734d332d73.
Do you think the standards reviews are keeping up with the changing times referred to in the mission statement? No, they are not! In fact, it’s pretty much already antiquated. That’s not to say that there are no options. Depending on when an individual entered school he/she may have some power of choice. However, you have to go through hell just to be given an audience. More importantly, most folks don’t even know they have that right.
I’m reminded of a discussion between a talk show host and a panel of other notable folks. The topic was faith and religion. Quite naturally level of one’s participation was thrown in the mix. The host stated, and I quote “attending a church isn’t going to make me anymore faithful and religious than standing in a garage is going to turn me into a car.”
With that, taking courses that no longer fit CCC, isn’t going to make me anymore of a well-rounded individual than donning sports outfits is going to turn me into an olympic champion.

Post 19: Caucasia Part 1

So this thought on Racial Fantasies made me think of how we view the President. We constantly hear back and forth whether he is called mixed or if he is being called Black. Which of course makes me wonder what he considers himself. I don't remember ever actually hearing him claim a certain connection to a specific race. Now it is a question, of whether he did that on purpose. I assume that would be yes because if he had taken a specific stand to a specific race he might have lost a massive loss of support from one side or the other. Just a little bit of food for thought.

Affirmative Action (20)

I agreed with most of what was said in class on Thursday about Affirmative Action.  I believe Affirmative Action is and can be helpful to minorities but it can also hurt them.  I believe Affirmative Action does some, not much but some to counter balance white privilege.  In some cases I think Affirmative Action can be bad or more hurtful to minorities than helpful.

How to really be anti-racist: Just be real with yourself (20)

The only genuine way to be anti- racist in my opinion is by being real, with yourself and those around you about how you feel; be it for better or for worst being honest on what your feelings are about certain things, set your boundaries and always BE JUST AS RESPECTFUL OF OTHERS AS YOU'D WANT THEM TO BE OF YOU AND YOUR FEELINGS. I feel like this class has via open discussion and readings has revealed to me some very intimate things to me about myself, and the way I feel about certain thing and why I feel that way. Some things upset me more then others, other things I'm for some things, I am against others, believe it or not there are even things I feel I may be neutral on. I think the best things about this class is just the fact that we get the opportunity to; just learn, do some self discovery and see things from a different perspective. This class has given me a opportunity to be real about racism, confront some of my fears, anxieties, anger and hopes for the state of racial relations in America and thoughout the world. This class allowed me to honestly talk to people about my experiences and for me to also hear some of theirs. To learn something new. I'm grateful for this opportunity and I believe that if more people had these same real discussions which allowed for them to have self discovery while also learning about racist and discrimination too, that things can and will get better. First comes knowledge of the issues, then understanding, then tolerance which leads us to peace. Its not so unrealistic but the common theme I learned from this classconcerning racism is that fear and sometimes anger are whats being masked by hatred. Everyone on all sides are scared, scared to speak up about it, angry for remaining silent about it; and resentful about things being the way they are. Then starts hatered. I really believe that being anti-racist starts with: 1. Not being ignorant of the issue of racism and discrimination (like Boston legal episode talk about it, start that conversation when its appropriate even if everyone doesn't agree with you.) 2. Be honest with yourself about your feelings concerning issues of race. ( ex: Yes I'm against affirmative action because.....) 3. Always try your very best to be respectful of other peoples feeling s and beliefs. (they feel a strongly about their beliefs as you do yours. Take them serious.) 4. Say what you need to say. (You see something say something) Stand by what you say/ believe and feel. (you may not be justified but your still have that right.) Set your boundaries. (Nobody likes a closet racist, don't be a coward.) 5. The more you learn about these issues, The more you learn about yourself and the more you grow as a person. (be willing to learn about these issues, take the opportunity; discuss it with friends family and peers.)

Post 20: Can a Black Person play the role of what would normally be considered a white character?

To this question I say it depends. As I stated in class you wouldn't have a Black person play Captain America because of the historical context. That made sense, and I believe is entirely a realistic belief. There is another movie role that did get some publicity for making a unique choice. The upcoming Thor movie has a Black actor playing a Norse god. Apparently some Southern men believe that this is a horrible choice purely because of the fact that the Nordic people were scandanavian and thus, this character should be played by a white person. I honestly believe their claims were sheer bigotry. It is a "GOD" who are they to claim his race? Plus he is a fully fictional character with no true historical context that can claim the true race. To these Southern men I just have to say just one thing. Shut-up and enjoy the movie!

Caucasia (19)

In class on Thursday we talked about racial fantasies and Birdie Lee being ambiguous.  My understanding so far of racial fantasies is that it is our perception of a particular race or an idea that we have about a race.  However for Birdie Lee its hard to place racial fantasies too because of her being half black and half white and having many different names.  Birdie Lee also has close relationships with her sister Cole and her mother so far in the book.  However her relationship with her father is strained because of her looking more white like her mother, her father which is black has more of an attraction to Cole because Cole looks more like her father than Birdie does.

Anti-Racist Community

I agree with you Rachel when you stated, "I really think that we have to begin creating a large anti-racist community by evaluating our own selves first." I believe the first step in becoming anti-rasicst is taking this course. I think many of us would agree that the individuals are taking this course because they want to be educated about race and ethnicity. To the people in class, ethnicity and race is an important subject. One that is important enough to expand and create new information. I also think a crucial step to becoming an anti-racist is for people in this class to not let what we learned in class just stay in the four walls of the classroom. We need to take every thing that we have learned and apply to our lives outside in the real world. That is when we can truly become an anti-racist community.

Another stupid controversy

So this week, parents are in an uproar about a little boy with painted toenails in a J Crew ad. Apparently this means that this little boy is on his way to being another transgendered (sarcastic gasp!) person to look out for in the world. Really? It's toenail polish, and he's chilling with his mom. This is the reason why acceptance of every lifestyle still hasn't come to fruition yet. Seriously, let the kid's mom paint his toenails and leave him alone. The trans community has got to be one of the strongest groups of people in the world. They left behind all different kinds of conventions they were told to embrace, and listened only to what their hearts, bodies, and mind told them.

This story makes me miss all the crap people were putting out about Charlie Sheen...

Here's a link to the story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110413/ts_yblog_thelookout/hot-pink-toenailed-boy-in-j-crew-ad-sparks-controversy

Anti-Racism

I really think that we have to begin creating a large anti-racist community by evaluating our own selves first. What are our real thoughts on race? Especially those we are afraid to confront or our political persuasions tell us we aren't. We have to realize that there is always room for improvement and that at our core, we always have corrections to make. I think if we are first able to make ourselves uncomfortable for the sake of improving our ability to create change, it is a discomfort that we must make room for.

Anti-Racist/Rip The Runway

I thought it would be a good idea to add more ways that I believe people could be anti-racist allies.

1. If you hear someone make a racists comment: say something.

2. Even if we can't get this course to be a CCC, encourage people to take it.

3. Make sure the schools keeps funding for groups such as the Black Student Union.

4. Go to events that the CMA holds.

5. Become members of the groups in the CMA office.

6. Maybe have an increase in diversity at our school.

Those were just some more examples of things I didn't get to say in class. I also wanted to continue talking about the Rip The Runway Event, because it really has bothered me. I don't under stand why the school went through such harsh measures at this event. There have never been problems with any concerts that BSU has thrown in the past, so why all of a sudden. I am concerned for other students of color. This weekend was Multicultural Weekend, were lots of students of color come to see if they would like to come to our school. Many of the students went to Rip The Runway. I believe that the sheriff's/schools behavior would discourage people of color to come to our school.