change, change, change

After this term I am left with one thought that still plagues despite all we have learned and all we have discussed. How can we still have social problems when we know about them, when they are blatantly staring us in the face and when we learn the facts and can no longer deny them? If the pay scale for the same job is different for men and women and it's out there, the knowledge is factual, how can that still be happening? I suppose it's naive but seriously, when approaching someone with facts and asking what the explanation is for inequality how can it be excused away? Can someone say well men are better than women and that's why they get paid more? Whites are better than blacks? Or heterosexuals are better than homosexuals? Who actually believes that? I guess people do or our society wouldn't be like this. I know that we can begin with small changes but it just seems like it should be so easy to fix with big changes when the inequality is so clear. But I suppose if it was we wouldn't have a history of wars, movements, boycotts and revolutions. So I suppose we keep going with the ways we can change now until we see the big changes come from all the small ones.

?

How do we change poverty? What a huge question. When asked that in class I think the reason the discussion came to a kind of standstill is because no one really knows where to begin with this problem. With racism and sexism we can do something individually to be proactive in the words we use and the way we talk to other people. It's not that I don't think we can do anything as individuals. I just have no idea where to start. Because thinking of some of the suggestions in class today such as bringing jobs back to America it makes me think of the huge scale of this issue. Because if jobs are brought back to the U.S. then it's true that some people are able to sustain themselves here, but what about the jobs that people of foreign countries have come to depend on? Of course the disgusting way that businesses treat and pay these people is a problem in itself, but these people have come to rely on that wage, no matter how unfair it is. So in what ways can we resolve world poverty, because it is not just an American problem. Welfare in America provides families with money that may not otherwise have money, but it provides not even enough to make it through the month alone as one of our readings described. So how can a family be expected to thrive and be able to break free of poverty when they have little or no resources to work with? And how is a child supposed to dream of college when they have no choice but to begin to contribute to their families income as soon as possible as their first priority? In order to thrive and better your situation first you must be able to survive, and sometimes there are only the opportunities to do one. How can society look down upon that? Where do we go from here? We can't just steal from the rich and give to the poor like Robin Hood, not that we wouldn't find all we need within the 10 percentile of the very rich and rich, but that would never become a reality. If it were to happen it would have already, but people like comfort and security and so the separation, greed and excuses grow. And we continue to be wasteful with resources and money, every one of us. And now I'm back to where I began. Where do we start?

in the jungle, the mighty jungle...

My final day at James Sales (or at least in the SOCI 240 service learning capacity) was a great one. I got to count fake money with a student for math, observe music class complete with a recorder, xylophone & voice rendition of 'In the Jungle,' rounded out with students reading to me. What struck me most about today, besides meeting some wonderful students, was the fact that there was hidden curriculum. Hidden curriculum is the stuff teachers slide in beyond simple equations, skills, or the basic skeleton of the curriculum. The stuff about life, society, cultural capital, etc. Seeing it again (we did service learning in 387 as well) in the classroom is fascinating because it does exist and it's interesting to see the varying degrees teachers add it on depending on different factors. While we were counting money the instructor was not just emphasizing the math portion, she was also making sure the young girl counted the money out loud and every time it switched hands. She said things like 'You can never trust people with your money,' 'people make mistakes at the bank even,' and 'The customer is not always right anymore and if you learn to count your money every time you will save yourself a lot of headaches.' It was interesting because both the instructor and the student were African American and I was curious how the hidden curriculum lesson would have been different, if at all, if the race combinations had been different. I also concluded today that this class has ruined me because of that very curiosity! Now instead of subconsciously consuming Disney movies, simple interactions or jokes I now am very aware and question the implications behind behaviors and inequality. I even find myself analyzing people's words like never before. I also noticed the heavy emphasis on the WASL today as when we were walking the young girl back to class after counting money the instructor asked if she had worked on the measurements of a ruler yet. The girl's response of no was met with the instructor reminding herself to do that the next time they worked together as the WASL was in a couple months. This struck me more from the fact that we studied the effects of NCLB and standardized testing last semester in 387 and so it was weird to see the 'teaching to the test' phenomenon in action. Some of these kids need extra help and these schools rely on volunteers to satisfy that need, although that is not a reliable source for consistency. Especially seeing the time it takes to switch these children to the resource room and then the limited time they then get to spend in there. The funding for more resources and specialized schedules needs to be increased, but in order to do what seems like a logical and beneficial simple choice actually carries a lot of resistance as the funding scales for schools come from neighborhood property taxes and those won't go up drastically anytime soon since wealth inequality doesn't seem to be changing. They're all wrapped up in each other these social problems, and its sad that wealth inequality affects students who don't even know that they are lacking resources and equal educational opportunities because of national greed and the fact they don't live in the wealthiest neighborhood and that somehow comes to affect their education.

the link.

Yesterday at James Sales I spent half my time in the staff/volunteer workroom with Justin binding 22 books together. After we were finished with that we went back to finish some grammar sheets that Justin had started last week when I was working with Mrs. Schimdt. After Mrs. Carlson was done with her meetings she came in and told Justin that the superintendent was going to be there Monday afternoon, which is when Justin will be there so she led him to the teacher he would be assisting since they are really nervous about it. I thought this was interesting because the superintendent is apparently the one to impress when it should be the other way around if you think about schools with less resources and the need for help, which comes from a position higher up. And yet these teachers are nervous of what the superintendent will think observing their room for ten minutes because depending on what he thinks and sees he has the power to use those impressions for cuts, proposals or increases in the future. But I suppose that goes along with the disproportionate wealth distribution because with money comes power in our nation. And so the cycle continues since the people with most of the wealth have most of the power to keep things the way they are. It should be easy for 90% of a population to override an unequal system that is obviously unfair. But it's not easy in a society where the other 10% have the wealth and have been afforded the power along with that, which also means opportunity. It should be easy to give our schools equal funding and resources because all the children deserve education equally. But we have tacked the deserving of funding and resources for proper education onto property tax. So beyond wealth distribution in simply monetary terms of inequality (which has its own implications) we can also say it affects a child's chance at education and fair resources since those function by neighborhood. Ah, so a social problem that some (10%) would describe as personal trouble (pull yourself up by your bootstraps) also feeds another social inequality in the educational realm that is an issue for our nation's children. Hmmm, I think I get why we study this now. We don't just need to change this for the simple reason of wealth inequality, we need to change this because it's affecting everyone in multiple areas, not just the absence of the extra money for some new shoes. It affects the hungry, the sick, children, and many more that are hidden because we have constructed their issues as problems or shameful troubles. When in fact, it starts higher up, with the most basic inequality structure and begins to trickle down to affect different areas inside we may never see as linked. I suppose you can't section inequality off, it begins to affect all our social realms, even though it would be easy to act as if some of these inequalities are quarantined to their own little area and only affects the obvious. It seems a lot less harmless when society tries to convince us of that...

it's all about getting (un)comfortable

Today I noticed that our class has transitioned from being a class full of strangers kind of speaking how they felt to a class full of people who now trust the space enough to speak about tough and hard things with less reserve or fear. Not to say that there is no trepidation in speaking about these hard and sometimes taboo topics, it just seemed as if people really exposed their feelings and were open to others' views too. I know that has been progressively happening all month but today really seemed to cement that. It's hard to talk to even our closest relatives about race sometimes and here we are really hashing it out with people we have known for not even three weeks. I think that is saying something about the idea of taboo topics in society. We are told we can talk about these things in this class, in fact it is expected and so we do. We allow ourselves to ask questions and think of possible solutions because, well we have to in order to not fail or be picked on daily :) But maybe that is society's problem and the reason we have so far to go. When we were talking about what we can do in order to help combat racism I was thinking that maybe it isn't enough to simply talk to people about it. Maybe we have to admit that we're all racist, and sexist, and ageist and all those things we aren't supposed to be. Maybe then we can be honest with each other enough to work toward a resolution. Because if you think about a conversation with a friend or relative in which you speak of race in some way, like someone telling a racist joke, or witnessing a racist interaction or hate crime, we focus on the horrid nature of the act. Which is appropriate after witnessing a blatant act of racism. Like when we watched the video yesterday and I know I just shook my head throughout because I was shocked at the idea that happens. But what about afterward when we could critically think and talk about why these people treated the two men differently and what we ourselves do? Of course we don't want to say we're racist and we add to the problem because well, who wants to think of themselves as such? But until we can admit that how can we progress? So in talking to someone about racism and glossing over the fact that individually we are racist and add to it even if we didn't begin this labeling centuries ago, maybe we should take responsibility to admit our faults first in order to help the other person know it's okay and we can begin to move forward. This reminds me a little of what Katy said in class today to Konark in response to his story about him and his friend and their nicknames for each other. She said she understands how it's hard to view things we do as racist because sometimes it feels easier to laugh or excuse it away. And that is powerful to say you understand instead of just pointing out what is wrong with what someone is doing and put them on the defensive. I liked that. So even though it sucks to point out weakness and imperfection in ourselves to another first and before question it may just help our society accept, heal and begin to move toward some true change. Because if we continue to gloss over our own personal feelings and internalized messages then we will remain stagnate in silence and ignorance. Maybe you always ask men to carry large things and thing women are weaker, that's fine as long as you can say that and be aware that you feel that way and try to get to the root of that thought. Then you can begin to change the message. And then you can help others change their messages by sharing your story and experience they can relate to.

oh recess...

Yesterday was my first day at James Sales Elementary...it was a good and interesting day...

When I first pulled up to park my car I looked to my right and observed students playing at recess. I was thinking, 'Oh how cute, I remember recess,' when all of a sudden this little boy came streaming across the field carrying like ten jump ropes which was a little puzzling. It was puzzling until I noticed that chasing behind him was this little girl trying to get one of the jump ropes back as she screamed, almost crying, and chased. It was kind of sad, I wanted to go rip one of the jump ropes out of his little fists. I restrained. Instead I thought to myself, hmm is that flirting or is that societal messages telling the little boy to pick on a girl because she's helpless and less threatening than a boy? I am still not sure which one is less disturbing.

Anyway, after my 'sociological' playground observation analysis I proceeded to the office. Not much sociological happened thereafter because it was a little disorganized since the woman I had been contacting was in Washington D.C. for Obama's Inauguration. So after the secretary and I talked about our jealousy she tried to figure out where I was to go. Long story short I got to assist Alisha Shmitt, whose job is helping and coordinating intermediate student groups who need extra help and preparation. Her job is funded by title I she said, and before that she had been in the resource room. I did some tasks to help her out, like stapling, ripping tickets and grading some spelling tests. I also got to meet some other teachers and worked with students for about ten minutes. As Becky, who also volunteers at James Sales, had told me the other day the teachers are predominantly white, while the students are of diverse races. In Alisha's 5th grade math group of 5 students each was a different race. That was interesting because of the idea of what we see and associate and internalize with regards to position and possibility.

Next week I will be working in the resource room so hopefully I will be able to interact a little more with students. I really enjoyed getting to know Alisha and helping her because she was so excited and grateful for my help and all I could think was wow, you have so much to do and that you do for these kids stapling is the least I can do and helping is what I was there for! In fact, I talked to her and I think I am going to go once a week throughout the spring semester and just help her with little tasks so she can focus more on the stuff that she needs to give thought to, rather than stapling packets together while trying to do that. It was a great first day even though initially I was expecting more student interaction, but that's the best part about volunteering and being flexible and open to any area they need you. That way the interaction isn't limited and also sometimes other assignments and areas surprise you with great opportunities, information and people.

sitting in the middle.

Is it important to know your race? Essentially no, in fact the only context in which it is important to know your race is within the context of society. Which makes sense, since race is socially constructed. If there are no scientific differences between races then we shouldn't have to know our race because it makes no difference. It doesn't tell of a biological shortcoming, different talents we have or what we can and cannot do. So in a world devoid of agent and target statuses, in a world devoid of a 'pie' model of power, we wouldn't need to know our race. Just like Gillian, I have been told and shown that my race is an important status I occupy. So I know what to check in a survey, I know how to describe myself if asked. And it is weird to think that something I just need to know to check a box, and usually think about just at those times, is needed to be known to survive in society by others. It is needed to be thought about everyday, and as one of our articles for today's reading talked about, when someone is spending more time thinking about race in their daily life and how it affects them and ways they need to change, alter and adapt throughout the day, that is that much more time and energy that could be put to other things in their lives.

Why and how can this change? It is such a huge question. And such a hard question. Last year I contacted Beth Kraig,a History Professor and the Chair of the Women's and Gender Studies department concerning a center spread I was working on. She submitted a short personal narrative about activism. (I have included it at the bottom of this post)

What has always stuck with me is the part about sitting in the middle or on the fence actually working against justice. Many people think, myself previously included, that if they tolerate or don't speak for the oppressing side that that is essentially being for a cause, or proactive in an issue. However, it's not. In fact it accomplishes quite the opposite. So no matter what, no matter how big or how small the action, as long as it is an action against oppression or inequality it is positive. Maybe it changes one person, one group, or nobody. But at least you crossed a line that showed you can speak and you can show that you are not straddling the line, you are against inequality of any kind and you are not afraid.

After that narrative I read in the news that a nurse in the Army was fired for being a lesbian. And she was so close to acquiring her retirement package (or some other benefits package, I am little hazy at remembering those details) but since she was let go those were in danger. I couldn't believe it when I read that. How could someone be fired for just being who they are? Could I be fired for being right-handed, since that is just an innate part of me?

Remembering Beth Kraig's words I wrote an editorial about it. Who knows how that changed anything, if at all, but giving people information is powerful. Making people aware of injustice that could affect them in some way, some day is powerful. And maybe it didn't change anybody else, but it was an action, and it was a way for me to do something within my ability. Using the newspaper as a tool that is at my disposal, I did something. It changed the way I viewed what I could do. It didn't need to be grand, extensively planned, beyond my means or unrealistic. It may seem small, but I wasn't just thinking it was unfair anymore, I was doing something to say it was unfair. Beth Kraig's words are something I think everyone can apply. We can't just sit in the middle, we're still in the way.

Here is what Beth Kraig wrote:

"Over the years as an openly queer faculty member, I’ve had responses ranging from death threats to the kind of pro-queer activism that I want (“angry” activism from people who are truly disgusted by ongoing anti-queer prejudices and discriminations). Many people respond somewhere in the middle. They are not actively anti-queer, but they haven’t really thought much about what they could do (and must do) if the society is to become fair and equal for all.

PLU is a slice of the world and therefore it includes people who would mark “die, fag!” on my office door to people who take injustice seriously wherever and whenever it happens. I like to tell queer students that they have a chance at PLU to learn how to be honest and effective as “out” people, and that includes understanding that if one pursues equality in an unfair world, one will receive hostile responses. It is important to learn how to respond to hostilities and attacks, because they surely exist in the world beyond college. If we wait for the world to change on its own, nothing much will change.

So, much as every bit of hate mail or name-calling has been ugly and nasty, I would never have expected otherwise. As a historian, I know that societies can change but not without struggle and activism and lots of hard work. If PLU students take equality seriously, they must embrace the process of hard work and they must be prepared to engage ugliness. They also need to see apathy and complacency as major obstacles to equality, and remember that “sitting in the middle” on a justice issue is actually working against justice." (Beth Kraig)

clothes talk?

If I know someone may think something about me because of what I do, say or wear should I alter that so the image is more acceptable, more neutral? I don't think so, because I think we do it too much already. We leave things unsaid in case of misunderstanding, we leave things undone fearing the unknown or what people think, and that is just the fear. If I now think before I put on something from my closet that I like because of what someone else may think that's pushing it. A police officer wears a uniform for a purpose and as a signal that this is a trustworthy authoritative figure. The uniform services a purpose, to alert the public to who they should seek for help and quickly identifies them. I am not wearing my clothes as a public service to alert people to what or who I am. And if someone uses clothing as a tool to legitimize their criminal and horrible act, it is our societal responsibility to deny that explanation. As long as we even believe for a moment that it has some validity then that excuse and blame will stay in our legal system and continue to taint the reporting and prosecuting of crimes in our nation, especially crimes against women.

It reminds me of what the author of 'The Body Politic' articulates about power. As long as society continues to trick women into spending all this time on an unachievable ideal of beauty and size, then their will never be equality, and their will never be true power because so much time is spent on the other stuff. And just as she initially believed she was in control because she was controlling her body and what was happening to it, she later realized that the beauty norms were controlling her and giving her a false sense of power that steered her away from true issues and change. As long as a line of questioning to a rape victim continues to try to undermine or blame the victim, which is often times a woman, the power and positive from being able to report and seek justice goes away. The roles of power can be easily manipulated. And when I am worrying about what my clothes say or how unnerving something I say might be I am not spending time on the the things that matter, I am spending time on the things society has taught me to make sure are ladylike, right and acceptable. Instead I am worried about things of little consequence that I should just naturally be able to do with little thought, while the big issues pass by because I have to think twice about putting on an above the knee skirt.

the mouse & progression

The thing that struck me when we watched Mickey Mouse Monopoly was the 'Beauty and the Best' revelation of Belle staying with the beast despite abuse and excusing it away in order to change him. I have never thought of it like that, and I have heard of many other racist and sexist allegations against Disney, but this one escaped my attention. I was telling someone about it that night and in response to my statement of never thinking about it like that he said something to the effect of how many people don't think of it like that when they watch it. And as true as that is we have to consider the fact that subconsciously we see that. It affected the answers of the young girls asked if they were Belle's friend what would they do. So even if we don't think of it like that we are still consuming that portrayal of a relationship and with a happy ending even. The fact that we are unaware of this consumption may be worse because I can look at that relationship model and think, that's not just behavior that she should be nice to change and it will work, I can look and see it's abusive and shifting the blame and responsibility on the woman. If she doesn't stay and make excuses and change him she is giving up, or so it argues. However, young girls aren't aware of this kind of thinking to dispel the image, they are simply watching a fairytale and modeling after it. Very dangerous. The most disturbing, and rather chilling part of that film was the excerpt from the internal memo that said the only responsibility and purpose Disney has is to make money. Oh my. With power comes responsibility. Whether they want to or don't want to, they are making a statement with every move they make. But I know they know that at Disney, and it's sad to think with all the potential and impact for change and progression this company has, they choose to feign ignorance.

After yesterday's discussion the lingering thoughts, as with most people I am sure, is the question of handout or opportunity. I really like the explanation Gillian gave about fair versus just. Because everyone knows the world is not fair, I'm sure we have all heard that multiple times! I like switching it to just because so many more positive outcomes can come from thinking about justice rather than the elusive ideal of fairness for all at one time. I can see where Justin is coming from, and would love to see a world where the shift from inequality comes naturally. However, I also believe that if we didn't institute those steps to change people may never be ready, as sad as that is. What comes to my mind is integration. If students and civil rights leaders had waited until white schools were 'ready' to accept all students regardless of race then who knows what are school systems would look like even today. It was forced at the time because of the mass resistance. But if it had not started there then change would not have come. So if we have to start with 'forcing', I say we do. Because even if it looks like 'handouts' that 'reverse discriminate' to some, I would rather have people thinking that than no steps to change and equality. People are always going to have bias, disagree with change, misunderstand and be misinformed. Not everybody will be happy and resistance will be met in the form of degradation, demeaning comments and trying to spin a positive action or situation into a negative. However, we can't let that limit where we can go because of our human imperfection.

troubles v. issues: schools

Social Problems. Why did I take this class? The other day when Gillian asked that question the first answer that came to my mind was because it interested me. But when thinking of that answer critically what comes to mind is, well what interests me? In fact, after taking SOCI 387: Race, Gender & Schools last semester with Professor Gregson and realizing how depressing that was I can only imagine how this class will be examining even more social problems. What fascinates me about sociology courses is how unaware we are, myself included. During Gregson's course I found out how absolutely backward our schools and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) are and how much I didn't even know. Things that are commonly thought to be abolished and part of the past are still present and thriving in our present day society. And I didn't know; I naively thought segregation was illegal and therefore didn't exist, and since I wasn't exposed to systems that perpetuated resegregation in my Spokane school district my thoughts were affirmed. I didn't know that it just means that officials, administrators, teachers and parents even are finding ways to segregate beyond separate schools. That's why this course interested me, because I believe we must be aware in order to begin to resolve issues in our world. And if for some reason you miss something or your environment doesn't expose you to something then why miss an opportunity to be a consumer of such knowledge? So I guess that's why I am here and why I love taking sociology courses beyond my minor requirement. They make me think in totally different ways and views, and help me be more aware so that I can be more informed and proactive even if it is just being able to make another more aware.

Reading Mills and thinking of the issues that plague our schools such as drop out rates, poor resources, resegregation, teaching to the test, etc. makes me think of how the privileged can label such issues as troubles in order to deny responsibility and thus contribute to solutions. Defining failing schools and the structure as a trouble places the blame on the school, and cause for a solution on the school. When many U.S. schools fail and it begins to affect students nationwide in their learning environment and our achievement levels compared to other nations it then becomes an issue. If a school has poor resources, old books and no extracurricular opportunities than no parent wants to send their child there. We watched a video in which a family in NYC was moving to a suburb in order to give their children a better chance at educational achievements since the state of New York was not doing anything to improve poor conditions at its schools in NYC. The father said that he felt kind of bad for just leaving since he knew there are families that don't have that option, but he wouldn't stay and fight the system for better schools at the expense of his daughter's education. In this case he knows that it is an issue, but he treated it as a trouble because he created a solution as an individual. However most low achieving schools with poor resources cannot create a solution because the entire system and No Child Left Behind Act need to be revised, which makes it an issue. But when it is their own children or a school that is high achieving in a wealthy area the problem is labeled as the school's own because they are low-achieving, even though it is hard to catch up to high achieving schools with the best resources when you don't have books and materials or keep firing teachers as a result of standardized test results. It's a trickle down effect, but by blaming the schools the privileged can maintain the status and population of its school and stay away from any conversation of change. Thinking of privilege in regard to troubles and issues, I now see how privilege can shape how we define a social problem, as it dictates how that social problem will essentially affect us or society. Depending on which way we construct it, it can hold an entirely different action or inaction in our world, and can be the difference between consideration and disregard. If you have time or are interested in education or our nation's schools, NCLB and the corrupt structure I recommend watching 'Beyond Brown' and/or reading Jonathan Kozol's 'The Shame of The Nation.'