Saturday, January 31, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Thinkpiece #1
I have to say I really enjoyed this article because I think it did me justice both as a member of oppressed groups and a member of privileged groups, and didn’t just complain about the way things are but made a solid effort to explain how to fix them. One major point that caught my interest is that Mr. Johnson says we need to not only talk about the problems of heterosexism, racism, and privilege, but we need to name them and own them. He says “Our collective house is burning down and we’re tiptoeing around afraid to say fire.” I couldn’t agree more, hoping to fix these problems by leaving them in their closets and not mentioning them will not do. We need to talk about them- directly- and not feel embarrassed to say what our weaknesses are and how we need to improve. I know that coming from a rural town where I was the only out queer I knew for two years, with literally five people of color in my high school, I haven’t had the most diverse history, but I own that.
I like when he said “I don’t mean something as minimal as mere tolerance or refraining from overt violence”, because “working with” is so much different then “working alongside.” Being a member of Rainbow I preach all day about tolerance and acceptance, when in actuality I want so much more then for you to hate me silently, or grudgingly accept the fact that I am sharing a neighborhood with you. I want to live in a world where I can go out, as a woman, and not have to check over my shoulder as I fumble to get out my keys, where I can, as a queer, hold hands with my girlfriend and not have “dyke” coughed at us as people pass us on the quad. We need to shoot for higher then the bare minimum, because if we settle for less, we are letting the privileged keep us oppressed.
He talks about feeling the oppression, and not. And its absolutely true, that I don’t feel the color of my skin. I may be one fourth Native American, but my skin is white as the paper I write this on, and I have never felt the prejudice of being something other then white. I do know that its very hard to have to explain to my best friend why I can’t just “Not tell people I’m queer if it scares me so much to come out.” That, as a third grader I would refuse to recite “One Nation, under God,” because there is no God, and my peers looked at me like I had three heads. The ways we fit in we don’t notice at all, but the ways we stand out are blatantly obvious.
It is so powerful to me in his section where he has a “privilege checklist” so-to-speak, that so many of the key points resonate through all three lists. For example, that “white, hetero, males can pretty safely assume that their models for success, national heroes, and other key figures, will be of the same gender, race, and sexual orientation as them.” And it’s so true- you look through history and even if a woman came to a significant scientific conclusion first, she is discredited because she is female. When we know someone in history who is queer, people are afraid to just come out and say that they were a raging homosexual as if they might be less of a person if they claimed it. What we see here, though, is that in any underrepresented group, our struggles are the same. We can still feel invisible and in the spotlight all day, everyday, we share each other’s pain, so we need to work together to fix the inequality.
All I can think about as I read this paper is how that as a straight, white, middle class, male he can sit there and say these things about oppression and privilege, and I give him props for having the balls to do so, but that, if he were anything other, he wouldn’t be taken seriously. If I, for example, had written the same article it wouldn’t be published because I would be just another angry feminist. If my friend James had wrote it he would be just another ranting black man. Johnson is using his privilege to get the word out that we need to overcome the constraints put on us in out society, that we choose to follow. It makes me think about how important Allies are, and that, if we are to overcome oppression of groups, all underrepresented groups have to come together, but also join up with the group in power, and only then can we effect change. It won’t begin to be solved unless “those with privilege see this problem as their own, and feel obligated to do something about it.”
I like when he said “I don’t mean something as minimal as mere tolerance or refraining from overt violence”, because “working with” is so much different then “working alongside.” Being a member of Rainbow I preach all day about tolerance and acceptance, when in actuality I want so much more then for you to hate me silently, or grudgingly accept the fact that I am sharing a neighborhood with you. I want to live in a world where I can go out, as a woman, and not have to check over my shoulder as I fumble to get out my keys, where I can, as a queer, hold hands with my girlfriend and not have “dyke” coughed at us as people pass us on the quad. We need to shoot for higher then the bare minimum, because if we settle for less, we are letting the privileged keep us oppressed.
He talks about feeling the oppression, and not. And its absolutely true, that I don’t feel the color of my skin. I may be one fourth Native American, but my skin is white as the paper I write this on, and I have never felt the prejudice of being something other then white. I do know that its very hard to have to explain to my best friend why I can’t just “Not tell people I’m queer if it scares me so much to come out.” That, as a third grader I would refuse to recite “One Nation, under God,” because there is no God, and my peers looked at me like I had three heads. The ways we fit in we don’t notice at all, but the ways we stand out are blatantly obvious.
It is so powerful to me in his section where he has a “privilege checklist” so-to-speak, that so many of the key points resonate through all three lists. For example, that “white, hetero, males can pretty safely assume that their models for success, national heroes, and other key figures, will be of the same gender, race, and sexual orientation as them.” And it’s so true- you look through history and even if a woman came to a significant scientific conclusion first, she is discredited because she is female. When we know someone in history who is queer, people are afraid to just come out and say that they were a raging homosexual as if they might be less of a person if they claimed it. What we see here, though, is that in any underrepresented group, our struggles are the same. We can still feel invisible and in the spotlight all day, everyday, we share each other’s pain, so we need to work together to fix the inequality.
All I can think about as I read this paper is how that as a straight, white, middle class, male he can sit there and say these things about oppression and privilege, and I give him props for having the balls to do so, but that, if he were anything other, he wouldn’t be taken seriously. If I, for example, had written the same article it wouldn’t be published because I would be just another angry feminist. If my friend James had wrote it he would be just another ranting black man. Johnson is using his privilege to get the word out that we need to overcome the constraints put on us in out society, that we choose to follow. It makes me think about how important Allies are, and that, if we are to overcome oppression of groups, all underrepresented groups have to come together, but also join up with the group in power, and only then can we effect change. It won’t begin to be solved unless “those with privilege see this problem as their own, and feel obligated to do something about it.”
Do You Feel Your Opression?
Let me give you some context to my life. I grew up in a rural town in back woods, Connecticut, and I’ll be the first to admit that it wasn’t a very diverse location. We have more types of horses at my barn then we did different ethnicities at my school. You think I’m kidding, I’m not- in a high school of close to a thousand kids, there were five people of color- and that was painful for me. I have little experience working in an urban environment or with people who aren’t white, middle class, rural kids, and that in itself scares me. I came to RIC because I needed to branch out, get a feel for diversity, expand my horizons, but I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into.
Last semester I was at my friends apartment in providence, and she asked me to go retrieve something from her car. I’m going to be honest, I told her I didn’t think I could do it, cause it was a city, and I would get jumped. Now I know that part of my fear is that, being homosexual female that has been raped, I’m a little more on edge then most people, but I also know that those of you that grew up in an urban environment think I’m a little irrational right about now. In these situations I often think of the people of color in my high school, who always complained that its always the people of color that are portrayed as the bad guys that will hurt you, and that they all live in the city and racism, white prejudice and so on. And then it struck me, and this is the part that I find so funny- the images playing through my head of who was going to jump me, rape me, or kidnap me, should I go out to the car alone, had nothing to do with people of color, in fact, if anything, they were white as milk. My fear was that a middle aged white man was going to come jump me in the middle of providence.
I am not saying that growing up in the country made me somehow devoid of racism, as I know there are such people, like my father, that will tell you with Obama as president the world is now in the hands of the devil, but I find it strange that growing up in a very white setting, melanin content in skin is not the first thing I notice. I notice what gender people present, what their sexual orientation is, how old they are, and if I feel comfortable with their vibe, long before I think about their ethnicity. I guess what I am wondering is how other people feel about it. For those of you who are people of color- do you feel it everyday? Is it the fist thing that you think about when you meet someone for the first time? When you get fired, or watch someone get a promotion you should have had, do you find yourself thinking it is because of your ethnicity?
Last semester I was at my friends apartment in providence, and she asked me to go retrieve something from her car. I’m going to be honest, I told her I didn’t think I could do it, cause it was a city, and I would get jumped. Now I know that part of my fear is that, being homosexual female that has been raped, I’m a little more on edge then most people, but I also know that those of you that grew up in an urban environment think I’m a little irrational right about now. In these situations I often think of the people of color in my high school, who always complained that its always the people of color that are portrayed as the bad guys that will hurt you, and that they all live in the city and racism, white prejudice and so on. And then it struck me, and this is the part that I find so funny- the images playing through my head of who was going to jump me, rape me, or kidnap me, should I go out to the car alone, had nothing to do with people of color, in fact, if anything, they were white as milk. My fear was that a middle aged white man was going to come jump me in the middle of providence.
I am not saying that growing up in the country made me somehow devoid of racism, as I know there are such people, like my father, that will tell you with Obama as president the world is now in the hands of the devil, but I find it strange that growing up in a very white setting, melanin content in skin is not the first thing I notice. I notice what gender people present, what their sexual orientation is, how old they are, and if I feel comfortable with their vibe, long before I think about their ethnicity. I guess what I am wondering is how other people feel about it. For those of you who are people of color- do you feel it everyday? Is it the fist thing that you think about when you meet someone for the first time? When you get fired, or watch someone get a promotion you should have had, do you find yourself thinking it is because of your ethnicity?
I have a problem....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ku1YOrxXeQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpLGkzu1bN0&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28o21UFsmO0&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LwuQlU2LOU&feature=related
All the intruders are male. Furthermore, they are all white males.
Does anyone else see a problem with that?
Maybe thats why my veiw of reality is so distorted
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpLGkzu1bN0&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28o21UFsmO0&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LwuQlU2LOU&feature=related
All the intruders are male. Furthermore, they are all white males.
Does anyone else see a problem with that?
Maybe thats why my veiw of reality is so distorted
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Inaugural Address Responce
President Barak Obama, if nothing else is giving the world something to talk about, instilling hope in millions, and reaching out to many more who may or may not be ready to hear him. Everyone seems to have such strong opinions already about what he is capable of and what he will ultimately amount to, and in his inaugural address he laid the groundwork for what his dreams and plans are over the next four years. Unlike those who oppose him, his vision for society and his focus is heavily on inclusion. He wants to unite us as a country, as a continent, as a world which has the potential to be such an amazing opportunity. He makes no effort to hide the fact that he faces a number of hurtles, but is positive and unwavering that we can work together to overcome them. He also makes it very clear that this is the start of a new era- of rebirth, a new direction, of change. As a president, I do not know if he will leave behind a legacy of greatness or failed promises, but he has brought the nation more together already, and for that, I like him already.
Obama was very clear in his speech about his vision for society being equality and inclusion for all. He lays the groundwork for the nation by mentioning our “patchwork heritage” and how we are a nation made from different peoples from different places. He directly is speaking to the people of the United States but his undertones of inclusion are meant also for the world at large. He is very careful to include ‘men’ and ‘women’ instead of just ‘men’ when he makes a statement. He mentioned also “Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Nonbelievers” in an effort to unify our main religious groups. As a person, I am very quick to recognize that I fall under none of these five categories, but as a citizen I am grateful he even made the effort to try. I also notice that he included different races, religions, nations, and peoples in his inclusion, but made no reference to sexual orientation or gender presentation, whether this is because he felt it was too specific, he is against it, or he wants to avoid it entirely is yet to be seen. What we do know is that, as Obama said, “this is a new era of peace where we need to drop our differences” which sums up his position- that within and beyond our country’s borders, we need to get over petty problems and make good with those around us so that we may work together.
Working together for what would be the logical question here, and to this he answered with cleaning up and reorganizing, directly our country, but indirectly our planet. He made no effort to negate the fact that we are in “economic crisis” and more then that, we need a huge once-over to many of our current systems, but he is dedicated to tackling them each in time. He acknowledges that we are at war, and mentions we need to pull out, but it seems that’s a side note he’d rather push aside to focus on internal problems first. In relation to the economy he mentions programming like building bridges and roads to give people jobs, which seems a solid strategy. He said we need to raise healthcare’s quality and lower its price, I agree, but cleaning up some of the corruption and the backwards insurance companies would be a good place to start. He also mentions that we need to improve schools and colleges, I hope this means chopping out the “No Child Left Behind” that served to Leave More Children Further Behind. Through his plan for rebuilding our unity and problems as a nation, we continues the undertone that we must work together and resolve our differences, or at least put them aside as we have bigger issues facing us. He says nothing is impossible, and there is no limit to “what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined with common purpose.”
What he is hoping to achieve, here, is the turning over of a leaf, the existence of a new era. Partly this is an effort to stick to his party and distance himself from George W. Bush, or rather, from Bush’s abysmal approval ratings, but I think it is also his genuine dream. In more words or less he says that we need to overhaul our programs, cut the bad ones and improve the effectiveness of the good ones, which seems logical. He says we need to restore trust between the people and the government, part of which he is already striving for by gracefully but clearly distancing himself from Mr. Bush. But his message here switches from the local to the global. He offers peace to the Middle East, showing that we is willing to negotiate and give chances unlike what McCain seemed to be proposing of going in guns-blaring. He lays a commitment to help poor nations, being the superpower that we are, to help them help themselves get what they need, mainlining clean water. He says “your people will judge you on what you build not what you destroy”, which is a cute message, but in truth, the people will judge you for both, they will only like you for what you metaphorically build, and will hate you for what you metaphorically destroy. He acknowledges that he has his work cut out for him but has committed to this new era, where we work together through our differences and make our environment, both in the tangible and intangible, a better place to be for all.
In his speech on election night he mentioned that he is the president of everyone, those who voted for him and those who didn’t, and he graciously accepted his place and is determined to reach out to everyone (I hope) that he represents. His vision for our country and our world is one of great cooperation, where we, as the inhabitants, all accept each other and treat each other as we would like to be treated. He makes no effort to hide the face that the global economy, environment, and moral is abysmal at best, but that we do not have to accept this as the only way and true to our history we will overcome it! His vision is that of a new era of unity were we rebuild ourselves as a nation and help others to do the same. Some may doubt his commitment or his ability, or judge him based on his youth, his party, his name, or the amount of melanin in his skin, but I, and many people older then people, have not seen the country pull together in such a way in many, many years; and that in itself is a beacon of hope and a sign that we can pull together, and with some guidance we can put aside our differences and make this world we live in a better place for everyone.
Obama was very clear in his speech about his vision for society being equality and inclusion for all. He lays the groundwork for the nation by mentioning our “patchwork heritage” and how we are a nation made from different peoples from different places. He directly is speaking to the people of the United States but his undertones of inclusion are meant also for the world at large. He is very careful to include ‘men’ and ‘women’ instead of just ‘men’ when he makes a statement. He mentioned also “Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Nonbelievers” in an effort to unify our main religious groups. As a person, I am very quick to recognize that I fall under none of these five categories, but as a citizen I am grateful he even made the effort to try. I also notice that he included different races, religions, nations, and peoples in his inclusion, but made no reference to sexual orientation or gender presentation, whether this is because he felt it was too specific, he is against it, or he wants to avoid it entirely is yet to be seen. What we do know is that, as Obama said, “this is a new era of peace where we need to drop our differences” which sums up his position- that within and beyond our country’s borders, we need to get over petty problems and make good with those around us so that we may work together.
Working together for what would be the logical question here, and to this he answered with cleaning up and reorganizing, directly our country, but indirectly our planet. He made no effort to negate the fact that we are in “economic crisis” and more then that, we need a huge once-over to many of our current systems, but he is dedicated to tackling them each in time. He acknowledges that we are at war, and mentions we need to pull out, but it seems that’s a side note he’d rather push aside to focus on internal problems first. In relation to the economy he mentions programming like building bridges and roads to give people jobs, which seems a solid strategy. He said we need to raise healthcare’s quality and lower its price, I agree, but cleaning up some of the corruption and the backwards insurance companies would be a good place to start. He also mentions that we need to improve schools and colleges, I hope this means chopping out the “No Child Left Behind” that served to Leave More Children Further Behind. Through his plan for rebuilding our unity and problems as a nation, we continues the undertone that we must work together and resolve our differences, or at least put them aside as we have bigger issues facing us. He says nothing is impossible, and there is no limit to “what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined with common purpose.”
What he is hoping to achieve, here, is the turning over of a leaf, the existence of a new era. Partly this is an effort to stick to his party and distance himself from George W. Bush, or rather, from Bush’s abysmal approval ratings, but I think it is also his genuine dream. In more words or less he says that we need to overhaul our programs, cut the bad ones and improve the effectiveness of the good ones, which seems logical. He says we need to restore trust between the people and the government, part of which he is already striving for by gracefully but clearly distancing himself from Mr. Bush. But his message here switches from the local to the global. He offers peace to the Middle East, showing that we is willing to negotiate and give chances unlike what McCain seemed to be proposing of going in guns-blaring. He lays a commitment to help poor nations, being the superpower that we are, to help them help themselves get what they need, mainlining clean water. He says “your people will judge you on what you build not what you destroy”, which is a cute message, but in truth, the people will judge you for both, they will only like you for what you metaphorically build, and will hate you for what you metaphorically destroy. He acknowledges that he has his work cut out for him but has committed to this new era, where we work together through our differences and make our environment, both in the tangible and intangible, a better place to be for all.
In his speech on election night he mentioned that he is the president of everyone, those who voted for him and those who didn’t, and he graciously accepted his place and is determined to reach out to everyone (I hope) that he represents. His vision for our country and our world is one of great cooperation, where we, as the inhabitants, all accept each other and treat each other as we would like to be treated. He makes no effort to hide the face that the global economy, environment, and moral is abysmal at best, but that we do not have to accept this as the only way and true to our history we will overcome it! His vision is that of a new era of unity were we rebuild ourselves as a nation and help others to do the same. Some may doubt his commitment or his ability, or judge him based on his youth, his party, his name, or the amount of melanin in his skin, but I, and many people older then people, have not seen the country pull together in such a way in many, many years; and that in itself is a beacon of hope and a sign that we can pull together, and with some guidance we can put aside our differences and make this world we live in a better place for everyone.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Hey!
I'm Eva, obvi, and I'm coming into my second semester here at RIC. I live on campus at Willard, though my plan is to get an apartment before next semester. I have a pretty busy life... I work a lot, I'm the Secretary of the Rainbow Alliance here on campus, I read a lot, and I love to write poetry. I generally like being outdoors playing with my horse or snowboarding, and yes, as you will find out sooner or later, I am a hunter. I'm pretty easy to get along with. I speak french and i got to visit france which was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I'm an out, flaming homosexualist, though I actaully identify as queer. I realise my gender presentation can fuck with people at times, and i dont mean to confuse you, i'm just doin my thing. I just wake up some mornings and i would rather bind my chest then flaunt the girls just so some grimy guy can try to pick me up. ew. nothing against all you guys out there- im just sayin.
Sooo... thats fidget in a nutshell....
Can't wait to see everyone in class!
I'm Eva, obvi, and I'm coming into my second semester here at RIC. I live on campus at Willard, though my plan is to get an apartment before next semester. I have a pretty busy life... I work a lot, I'm the Secretary of the Rainbow Alliance here on campus, I read a lot, and I love to write poetry. I generally like being outdoors playing with my horse or snowboarding, and yes, as you will find out sooner or later, I am a hunter. I'm pretty easy to get along with. I speak french and i got to visit france which was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I'm an out, flaming homosexualist, though I actaully identify as queer. I realise my gender presentation can fuck with people at times, and i dont mean to confuse you, i'm just doin my thing. I just wake up some mornings and i would rather bind my chest then flaunt the girls just so some grimy guy can try to pick me up. ew. nothing against all you guys out there- im just sayin.
Sooo... thats fidget in a nutshell....
Can't wait to see everyone in class!
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