I found what I think is an amazing article entitled "It's time to let go of race and celebrate our rich ethnicities;" from the San Fancisco Chronicle. The article posed questions about "race" that I had never heard before. It had a few different viewpoints of people of different ethnicities and was making a point that acknowledging race diminishes our own individuality. Most people in the United States are of mixed ethnicities and the people featured in the article feel like they should enjoy them without having to lump themselves into giant groups of people with the same skin color. One example the people mention is the term "Caucasian" and says that there are many sub-groups to this category, many sub-races that are a mixture of different heritages. Not just Caucasian, but any “race” in terms of skin color can put you into categories you might not even identify with at all, yet we are still judged by them. Describing someone by a certain name based on their ethnicity doesn’t really tell you anything about who they are, because they are individuals that don’t necessarily have to be anything like their “race” at all. One thing that surprised me in this article was someone’s disapproval of the ethnicity boxes we sometimes have to check when filling out paperwork. I’ve always thought these boxes were a good thing because it allows schools to make sure that they are giving a variety of people equal opportunity. The woman asked why, instead of checking a box that labeled her, she couldn’t have instead written a few things about herself? She sees the U.S. as mixed but hopes that one day we will be able to see each other for our individuality rather than the colors of our skin. (295)
Link: http://proquest.umi.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/pqdweb?did=46878745&sid=16&Fmt=3&clientId=8991&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Week 6: Stereotypes/Prejudice
Article Title: Common Racial Stereotypes
Article URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=639338311&Fmt=3&clientId=8991&RQT=309&VName=PQD
The article I chose to read for this week’s discussion was about racial stereotyping. The author chooses the Oxford Dictionary definition to define a stereotype and then explains how people do that to entire ethnic groups. People will associate certain features or characteristics of one or a few people to an entire ethnic group. They will portray that image onto others of the same ethnicity without counting each person’s individuality. The sad thing is racial stereotypes are often negative. The author points out well known stereotypes about certain ethnicities and the negativity of the general public toward minorities and ethnic groups especially. A few examples he uses are ones we already heard, like “Native Americans are Alcoholics…Asian kids are nerds…Arabs are terrorists…African Americans are criminals”. All of these things sound completely absurd but a large part of the population tends to fall for these stereotypes and that’s why they’re well known to all of us. I really liked this article and believed it was very effective and perfect for this week’s topic. The author’s organization moves from the definition of stereotypes, into how they are applied to cultural groups, to what causes them, and then to what kinds of stereotypes we are familiar with. So what does cause racial stereotypes? It is said to be a communication barrier that two people from different cultures have between each other often causing misunderstanding and frustration. The differences in customs makes people believe that all of the people from the opposite group are the same, denying each person’s uniqueness. The most effective part of this article I thought was the steps the author advises people to take to avoid stereotyping. In these steps, all the problems where stereotypes come from can be addressed. They are, in order, Awareness, Saying, Education, Overseeing, and Conclusion. We need to be aware of the problems with the stereotypes we hear, we need to correct someone when we hear them saying something to stereotype, we need to educate ourselves of different cultures and add that into the public school curriculum, we need to oversee the misrepresentations in the media, and we need to conclude that although its human nature to want to judge other races, we need to check ourselves by using the previous steps. (377)
Article URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=639338311&Fmt=3&clientId=8991&RQT=309&VName=PQD
The article I chose to read for this week’s discussion was about racial stereotyping. The author chooses the Oxford Dictionary definition to define a stereotype and then explains how people do that to entire ethnic groups. People will associate certain features or characteristics of one or a few people to an entire ethnic group. They will portray that image onto others of the same ethnicity without counting each person’s individuality. The sad thing is racial stereotypes are often negative. The author points out well known stereotypes about certain ethnicities and the negativity of the general public toward minorities and ethnic groups especially. A few examples he uses are ones we already heard, like “Native Americans are Alcoholics…Asian kids are nerds…Arabs are terrorists…African Americans are criminals”. All of these things sound completely absurd but a large part of the population tends to fall for these stereotypes and that’s why they’re well known to all of us. I really liked this article and believed it was very effective and perfect for this week’s topic. The author’s organization moves from the definition of stereotypes, into how they are applied to cultural groups, to what causes them, and then to what kinds of stereotypes we are familiar with. So what does cause racial stereotypes? It is said to be a communication barrier that two people from different cultures have between each other often causing misunderstanding and frustration. The differences in customs makes people believe that all of the people from the opposite group are the same, denying each person’s uniqueness. The most effective part of this article I thought was the steps the author advises people to take to avoid stereotyping. In these steps, all the problems where stereotypes come from can be addressed. They are, in order, Awareness, Saying, Education, Overseeing, and Conclusion. We need to be aware of the problems with the stereotypes we hear, we need to correct someone when we hear them saying something to stereotype, we need to educate ourselves of different cultures and add that into the public school curriculum, we need to oversee the misrepresentations in the media, and we need to conclude that although its human nature to want to judge other races, we need to check ourselves by using the previous steps. (377)
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Influence of Media on Race Relations
Article name : COCHRAN WILL SPEAK AT UB ON THE POWER OF THE MEDIA TO INFLUENCE RACE RELATIONS
Article URL: http://proquest.umi.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/pqdweb?did=49827986&sid=6&Fmt=3&clientId=8991&RQT=309&VName=PQD
The article I chose to read was about the media’s influence on race relations. The author Kevin Collison, states that “The media can reveal real-life discrimination or create a fairy- tale TV world where minorities don't exist, depending on how it uses its power to influence race relations”. I agree with this statement and believe it’s important because for a lot of people who do not read or keep up with current events in newspaper articles or magazines, television is one of the only sources of education. Not to say they haven’t gone to college, but in our daily lives we learn things and sources like the media effect this learning greatly. It’s important to recognize that the media has the power to influence race relations so we can ensure what’s shown on commercials, shows, and the news coverage speaks well of diversity. The author speaks of Cochran, a high profile attorney that defended O.J. Simpson, represented the family of Cynthia Wiggins, and now is representing Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. Cochran knows the media’s power and speaks of it at places like Universities to discuss “The Influence of the Media on Race Relations”. This was part of the 24th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration sponsored by groups like the Buffalo Association of Black Journalists. He pointed out in Wiggins’ case the media’s coverage of the minority-free jury and how this coverage could effect reforms on having more balanced juries in courtrooms in the future. Cochran said "The media can point out where we're falling short on the whole issue of diversity” in reference to the coverage of the all-white jury. Although he is pleased with this, he is also displeased with the way some TV shows like friends live in a minority-free world, as if they do not exist in the characters lives. In this article, the media was portrayed as both positive and negative. Is it a way of solving race relations or a way of showing sitcoms with all white casts? The media is definitely both, and I’m happy that at least part of the time it uses its power to recognize that diversity should be present on our TV screens, just as it is in real life.
371 words
Article URL: http://proquest.umi.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/pqdweb?did=49827986&sid=6&Fmt=3&clientId=8991&RQT=309&VName=PQD
The article I chose to read was about the media’s influence on race relations. The author Kevin Collison, states that “The media can reveal real-life discrimination or create a fairy- tale TV world where minorities don't exist, depending on how it uses its power to influence race relations”. I agree with this statement and believe it’s important because for a lot of people who do not read or keep up with current events in newspaper articles or magazines, television is one of the only sources of education. Not to say they haven’t gone to college, but in our daily lives we learn things and sources like the media effect this learning greatly. It’s important to recognize that the media has the power to influence race relations so we can ensure what’s shown on commercials, shows, and the news coverage speaks well of diversity. The author speaks of Cochran, a high profile attorney that defended O.J. Simpson, represented the family of Cynthia Wiggins, and now is representing Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. Cochran knows the media’s power and speaks of it at places like Universities to discuss “The Influence of the Media on Race Relations”. This was part of the 24th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration sponsored by groups like the Buffalo Association of Black Journalists. He pointed out in Wiggins’ case the media’s coverage of the minority-free jury and how this coverage could effect reforms on having more balanced juries in courtrooms in the future. Cochran said "The media can point out where we're falling short on the whole issue of diversity” in reference to the coverage of the all-white jury. Although he is pleased with this, he is also displeased with the way some TV shows like friends live in a minority-free world, as if they do not exist in the characters lives. In this article, the media was portrayed as both positive and negative. Is it a way of solving race relations or a way of showing sitcoms with all white casts? The media is definitely both, and I’m happy that at least part of the time it uses its power to recognize that diversity should be present on our TV screens, just as it is in real life.
371 words
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
We aren't a one-religion nation. (Post #1)
The article I read was called "Classroom compromise offered for evolutionists, creationists". (URL: http://www.cnn.com/US/9911/14/school.church/index.html?eref=sitesearch )
This article was about the fighting between Christians and evolutionists about teaching religion as an alternative in public schools, and the middle path that brings a compromise to both parties. The article discusses a "middle path" that Christian religious groups have proposed as an alternative to only teaching religion in public schools or not teaching it at all. It is a medium between the two extremes. According to the proposed idea of teaching religion as an alternative in public schools, the teachers/educators would have to follow rules ensuring that the learning is educational, not taught as historic fact, and a variety of interpretations of the bible. This however brings forth serious cultural problems. Apart from this being against our Amendment that separates church and state, the teaching of Christianity in schools completely denies that America is a mix of people from many different religions. America is a multicultural place and choosing Christianity to be taught in the public schooling system is not fair to the American citizens who raise thier children by other religions and respect keeping it to themselves and thier own religious communities. A spokesperson for this "middle path" alternative, Charles Haynes, says "Treat religion with fairness and respect. Keep the government neutral in matters of religion, not promoting religion or denigrating it." I don't agree with his arguement, because if you treat religion with fairness and respect, you're treating all religions that way, not just Christianity. Teaching one religion in schools is not fair to other people's religions either. By not teaching any religion in classrooms at all and leaving it up to the family, you are neither promoting a specific religion or denigrating any religion.
This article was about the fighting between Christians and evolutionists about teaching religion as an alternative in public schools, and the middle path that brings a compromise to both parties. The article discusses a "middle path" that Christian religious groups have proposed as an alternative to only teaching religion in public schools or not teaching it at all. It is a medium between the two extremes. According to the proposed idea of teaching religion as an alternative in public schools, the teachers/educators would have to follow rules ensuring that the learning is educational, not taught as historic fact, and a variety of interpretations of the bible. This however brings forth serious cultural problems. Apart from this being against our Amendment that separates church and state, the teaching of Christianity in schools completely denies that America is a mix of people from many different religions. America is a multicultural place and choosing Christianity to be taught in the public schooling system is not fair to the American citizens who raise thier children by other religions and respect keeping it to themselves and thier own religious communities. A spokesperson for this "middle path" alternative, Charles Haynes, says "Treat religion with fairness and respect. Keep the government neutral in matters of religion, not promoting religion or denigrating it." I don't agree with his arguement, because if you treat religion with fairness and respect, you're treating all religions that way, not just Christianity. Teaching one religion in schools is not fair to other people's religions either. By not teaching any religion in classrooms at all and leaving it up to the family, you are neither promoting a specific religion or denigrating any religion.
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