obvert
Posts: 14050
Joined: 1/17/2011 From: PDX (and now) London, UK Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: HansBolter quote:
ORIGINAL: obvert quote:
ORIGINAL: HansBolter quote:
ORIGINAL: obvert . If you don't recognise the discriminatory history of the US in regard to black and brown Americans, the civil rights movement and the existing legacy of those institutions then it'll be hard to discuss this on the same plane. Keyword: HISTORY as in ancient history. Institutionalized Racism simply does not exist anymore. Every Institution in the US has been providing special treatment to people of color and discriminating against non-people of color for somewhere around thirty years now in a misguided attempt to redress PAST discrimination. There is no institution in the US today that could even dream of getting away with racist treatment of people of color. That Institutionalized Racism exists in America today is a leftist fabrication. Sooner or later you are going to have to step outside of that bubble you are living in. Many of the people still alive today were alive, educated, and lived in a segregated society and unequal society. Their lives and possible opportunities were altered regardless of subsequent changes in law. This is recent history. Many working age Americans were raised by parents who suffered these inequalities. That legacy and the legacy of poverty linked to this past are still in the present and relate to healthcare among many other things. Here is an exercise our school community engaged in to understand more about what experiences are different for people of racially different backgrounds. It's called a privilege walk. ----------------------------- If your ancestors were forced to come to the USA not by choice, take one step back. No step taken here. If you were ever called names because of your race, class, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, take one step back. Stepping back here. If there were people who worked for your family as servants, gardeners, nannies, etc. take one step forward. No step here. If you were ever ashamed or embarrassed of your clothes, house, car, etc. take one step back. Stepping back here. If one or both of your parents were "white collar" professionals: doctors, lawyers, etc. take one step forward. No step taken here. If you were raised in an area where there was prostitution, drug activity, etc., take one step back. Stepping back here. If you ever tried to change your appearance, mannerisms, or behavior to avoid being judged or ridiculed, take one step back. Stepping back here. Every teenager on the planet qualifies for this one. If you studied the culture of your ancestors in elementary school, take one step forward. Half step forward here. No Arab culture studies in my schools. If there were more than 50 books in your house when you grew up, take one step forward. No step taken here. The only books in my house were the huge stacks I brought home each months from the mobile library. If you were taken to art galleries or plays by your parents, take one step forward. No step taken here. If one of your parents was unemployed or laid off, not by choice, take one step back. Stepping back here. If you have health insurance take one step forward. Stepping forward here. If you attended private school or summer camp, take one step forward. Stepping forward here as I guess Boy Scouts summer camp has to count. If your family ever had to move because they could not afford the rent, take one step back. No step taken here. If you were ever discouraged from academics or jobs because of race, class, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, take one step back. Stepping back here. If you were encouraged to attend college by your parents, take one step forward. No step taken here. If you were raised in a single parent household, take one step back. No step taken here. If your family owned the house where you grew up, take one step forward. Half step here...family only 'owned' house after I spent 20 years paying off the mortgage. If you saw members of your race, ethnic group, gender or sexual orientation portrayed on television in degrading roles, take one step back. Stepping back here. Whites are constantly portrayed in degrading roles. If you were ever offered a good job because of your association with a friend or family member, take one step forward. Stepping forward here. personal recommendations are the only kind to have. If you were ever accused of cheating or lying because of your race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, take one step back. Stepping back here. If you ever inherited money or property, take one step forward. Inherited the house I grew up in after paying my parents mortgage for 20 year so I guess I have to step forward. If you had to rely primarily on public transportation, take one step back. For how long? Stepping back and forward here. Extremely stupid question. If you attended private school at any point in your life take one step forward. No step taken here. If you were ever stopped or questioned by the police because of your race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, take one step back. No step taken here. If you were ever afraid of violence because of your race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, take one step back. Stepping back here. If you were generally able to avoid places that were dangerous, take one step forward. No step taken here. If you were ever uncomfortable about a joke related to your race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation but felt unsafe to confront the situation, take one step back. Another stupid question. Some people have sufficient backbone to fear nothing. Doesn't mean I have never been denigrated jokingly. No step taken here. If you were ever the victim of violence related to your race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, take one step back. Stepping back here. If your parents did not grow up in the United States, take one step back. No step taken here. Only my Lebonese immigrant maternal grand parents didn't grow up here. If your parents attended college take one step forward. No step taken here. If your parents told you that you could be anything you wanted to be, take one step forward. Stepping forward here. I had good parents thank you very much. I'll be happy to take your test as I can and will answer in the same way that you expect many people of color to respond. Many of the perceived prejudices evident in the questions apply just as strongly to poor white folks (I'm only half white, with the other half being camel jockey) as they do to oppressed people of color. So, how did I do? Do I qualify as oppressed and discriminated against? It's not a test. It's a reflective exercise. So how did you do?
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"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill
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