Pre Reading Week 14

In my opinion there seems to be several issues with the prison system.  First, I never see prison helping someone better themselves. Instead of any type of rehabilitation for the people in there, to me it seems that the prisoners have it somewhat better than us outside. Without much thought, I would think prisoners just sat in their cells all day, hung out and ate, little did I know though that they are sought out for cheap labor. So I guess in a sense they are learning trades, but I feel that they should be focusing more on completing their education, getting them off drugs, teaching them interview skills etc.

Another issue I have with the prison system is the fact that prisoners are used as cheap labors. When you think of people making .28 cents an hour, you automatically associate that with cheap labor from overseas, but the fact is that it is right in our backyard. I think what surprised me just as much as the wages they make, but what they make; beds in the dorm, clothes, shoes etc.  We pay so much money to go to school, and live in the dorms on campus, expecting we are getting the top of line stuff, and it is sad to know that someone made all the stuff in there for probably $5. I think after processing all that now I am wondering more than ever who is really getting our money, obviously the people of top.

Thirdly, once you’ve been convicted of a felony, you lose your rights to certain privileges.  For example you will no longer be able to vote in any election, live in subsided housing or even get food stamps. How is a person who just comes out of prison and can’t find a job, supposed to live off the $200 they give you right out the gate? It is disappointing and supports my argument with rehabilitation that the prison system takes advantage of everything.

Finally, the issue I have with the prison system is that we pay, with our tax money, for those people to stay in there, for their food, doctors’ visits etc. and yet the little money they do make goes back to the prison as well. The way I look at it, the prison system is totally profiting double of what they are putting out. It is a sad reality and one that is often overlooked the discrepancies of the prison system.

Word Count: 411

Week 11 Post Reading Questions

From this week’s discussion and video, I have definitely found some interesting points that I did not know.  I think one of the most interesting points I found out was that 70% of the consumers of hip hop music is white males. I know the statistics have changed from when hip hop first arrived on the scene in the 70’s, but was surprised to find out that it changed from a primarily black audience to a white audience.  Furthermore, something I noticed in the film that bothered me was that no female hip hop artist was interviewed throughout the whole process. I know the film was primarily talking about male masculinity, but I thought it could have been enhanced by having interview Queen Latifah maybe, or even Missy Elliot. I think Queen Latifah could have offered some good insight on hip hop, the idea of masculinity, and homosexuality.  Before the film, I thought of hip hop as being an outlet for artist to express themselves, with most of the lyrics being about the hard struggles of their lives. Through the video though, I then found out that once the record label changed and white people took over, the hip hop lyrics became more violent and derogative towards women because it “was something people never heard before.”

When it comes to the film makers arguments, I definitely agree with statement one. To me, the film had some glimpses of the movie Bowling for Columbine, the Michael Moore talking about gun violence in America., which I feel connects with statement the film maker argues. I think in America guns and destruction are portrayed so highly as a thrill in pop culture, movies, media, etc. that it is only nature for music to be the same.

For the second statement, I don’t know if I see homophobia portrayed in the hip hop lyrics or music video, or if it is me just not reading too much into what is being said, but this was something I never thought about. As for degrading to women though, I have heard several arguments before about it and agree that it is, but also feel like there may be more to the story that we are not thinking about. Like when the question was brought up about “why women don’t stop themselves from being in those music videos?”  I think there are different ways of looking at it. I thought the two different statements that were written on the board showed a great example of that. Depending on how you looked at it, there was always someone who was the victim. Overall, I think it is important to remember there are always two sides to a story.

word count: 450

Pre-Reading Questions Week 11

Hip hop is a type of music that I feel expresses the artists’ feeling or the feelings of the general public. I feel like the artist have a general purpose for their music, but I also feel that society has deemed the idea of hip hop music with a negative connotation. 

You can definitely see the idea of race, class, gender, etc. playing a role in the idea of what or I should say who creates hip hop music. We can see a good majority of hip hop artist are black or of mixed ethnicities. With that said there has been historical racism and negative stereotypes about black people and what class they are in. The typical stereotype goes, or what many people see is a black male hip hop artist makes it big with a background of growing up in the ghetto and being around gang activity, sometimes coming out of it or still having some association. I think because of the typical situation I just provided, these ideas provide a negative connotation to the idea of hip hop. I think as you get older, you quickly learn what kind of music you like and alterations of music you like, for example you can like Taylor Swift country music, but not like Wynonna Judd country music, which is a little more traditional. I think it is the same with hip hop, despite it mainly having a negative connotation, I think there are some more mellow tone hip hop artists that have a more positive connotation.

When we think of artist like 50 Cent, there is tons of negativity that comes along. When I hear the name 50 Cent, I think thug life, shot in the jaw, candy shop, G-Unit, etc. Even though, I am a fan of 50 Cent and own two albums, I know of people who hear his music, and automatically are like, “wow, not my kind of music.” Now, in comparison to say Lupe Fiasco, who has a more positive connotation, 50 Cent is seen as more rough, whereas Lupe is seen as just mellow. Though both are classified as hip hop artist, the tone and beats used in their music is different, which I feel also deciphers the negative/positive connotations. Their lyrics are also different, for example when you hear the “Candy Shop” by 50 Cent and really understand what it means, I think people can get an icky feeling, and when you hear Lupe’s “Hip Hop Saved My Life” just by the title you get a more “aww” feeling because it seems he overcame something.

 Word Count: 431

 

Post Reading Questions for Week 6

Intersectionality definitely plays a role in domestic violence in the sense those certain categories, if not multiple ones put you in a more vulnerable situation.  In the first article, Kimberlee Crenshaw talks about how the intersecting of racism and sexism play into domestic violence. We can also see how that plays into the traditional view of domestic violence, in terms of the women being abused and the men being the abuser; this shows the example of sexism.  Then, when it comes to racism, we often see differences in punishment when it comes to who the abuser was and who the victim was. For example, if a black man abused a white women, you know that man would be immediately put in jail vice versa, if a white man abused a woman of color, it seems as though more justifications would be made. Another thing, I also thought about this was the idea of status and how, if you are an immigrant man or woman, you probably would not even say anything because of the fear of being deported. It just goes back to another intersectional, and how the idea of status can put you at a more vulnerable area for domestic violence to occur.

I think in comparison to the traditional views of domestic violence, the views of today have changed or I guess altered over time. Now, I feel that even though the man is often blamed most times for abusing the woman, we see that it is in fact both ways, woman are also abusive towards men. Before, I feel like that was a hidden topic, but not so much anymore. For example, at the beginning of the year I remember hearing a story about a female teacher hitting one of her students that was in second grade.  Overall though, I think what surprised me the most was Kibria’s article when it talks about how in some cultures domestic violence is accepted. I’m trying to process this one, in a way; I think it is like the issue of hitting your child for discipline. At one time, that is what people did, hit their children with belts or shoes and no one said anything, but now it’s like CPS gets involved and at times it can turn into a huge misunderstanding.  In retrospect, I think in either situation it can become violent quickly and unacceptable, as someone will always end up hurt. I think those cultures that do accept domestic violence do not talk about it because they know other cultures will think differently about them.

Word Count: 428

Post Reading Questions for Week 6

To me, intersectional theory is a theory about how different categories intersect within one another to make up a whole picture. For example, like often times in math, the idea of a pie being cut up into pieces, regardless if people take a slice of the pie or even a sliver, the pie is not whole unless it has all its parts. Taking it a step further though, when you cut a pie there are different things to look at like the crust, what flavor is it, was it fresh or was it baked a while ago? All these different factors play into how the pie taste, and if you would eat it, right? Well I feel like it is the same concept with the intersectional theory; race, ability, education, etc. make up the whole you. What makes this theory different than understanding racial, gender, or class oppression, is that those are looked at on individual levels, whereas this theory is based on all those combined. In a way, I feel like it can either complicate situations or make them more understandable. Learning this for the first time, I feel the theory of intersectionality to be confusing because you won’t really know what strikes are against you. For example, when applying to college, say you are a good student with a good gpa, good test scores, Latina, and are graduating from a public high school, but you don’t get into the school you want. It’s natural to wonder why you didn’t get in, so with intersectionality, you think was it because I’m latina and they hit their quota, maybe it is because I went to a public high school that is not ranked so high, or maybe my scores weren’t as great as I thought, and finally it could be a combination of all of those.  See before, I used to just think “ok I did not get in,” now it is like “ok I did not get in, but was it because of a,b, or c, or all the above reasons. In retrospect though, another way you could look at intersectionality is that it is better that you look at the overall picture versus pick at the small flaws. I would hate to know that one of the several categories looked at during the college process out weighted all my other achievements, when it came to making that decision of accepting or rejecting me.  

Word Count: 412

Post Reading Week 5

We study colorblind racism in ethnic studies because it is important to realize that racism still exists today, despite what some people might think. Even though it might not be as obvious as it once was and we do have our first African American president, racism has not gone away, but has transformed. From the time of race riots and lynchings, society has changed that into the idea of colorblind racism, an idea basically saying that people do not look at race as a factor when deciding on who should get the job or who should get into college. We all know that is not the truth, and that there is still white privilege going on. As for the social justice of people of color, it is important to discuss the idea of colorblind racism so that people become more aware that racism is still alive and that there are reasons and justifications behind everything.


Learning about colorblind racism is a very useful tool in understanding race in the United States today because of how society keeps changing. I think if you just look at the world in a birds eye view, you may not see racism existing. But then, when you watch any TV show, movie, or even go shopping and see who your sale associates are, you may see a different story. On TV or movies, most of the time the people who start the conflicts or have the conflicts are people of color and the white people are the saviors. When you go shopping, depending on what store you are in, it may be obvious who the target audience is by the associates or how they look. Nobody is saying these are racists things, but this just how things are, which is what colorblind racism does, it hides these facts.

I think after reading the two articles, and having the discussions in class have made me more aware of the realities of today. Before, I knew racism still existed, but to the extent in which it did not some much. I feel like I have fallen into the justifications that colorblind racism has provided, the idea of this how the world is, when in reality everything clearly has an underlying meaning. Something that has really resonated with me throughout the discussions were the amount of scholarships for people of color. How that is just a way for white people to feel like they are contributing to something. Overall, this week has provided me with examples of life experiences that seemed to have double meanings, but at the time were not that clear.

Pre Reading Week 5

Racism definitely still exists today even with the presence of our first African American president. Even though it still is evident in society, I do believe it has changed since say the 1960’s. No there have not been race riots or lynchings and you do not see the Klu Klux Klan ridding around terrorizing people, but I see somewhat more subtle racism. For example, it is clear more than ever that immigrants, not even Latinos just immigrants in general, are not wanted in this country and the obvious “white privilege” which can cause racism. With just these two examples alone and not to mention a handful of others, it is evident that racism still exists despite having a African American president, more so it may have even turned back the clock a little. When Obama was elected, it seemed the people of color and others gained a sense of hope, a feeling of racism vanishing and possible equality for all coming. Quickly though, people were quick to judge about where he came from, his religion, how he was raised etc. Furthermore, when some of his propositions did not go through or pan out the way he wanted, people were quick, again, to name call. With all that said, I think because we have an African American president, people are now less likely to label themselves as racist. Also, people do not want to be known as racist because people of color are now the majority and they know that by banning with them they can keep those “white privileges afloat.

The commentators in the video feel that because Obama won the election that race does not matter anymore and because of the race that he is, people of other nations can stop saying that we are a “racist nation.”  As a counterargument though, another person in the video says, “Any racism is more than overcoming individual bigotry…we must still continue to strive for a more perfect union.” Obama winning the election was by far “a powerful achievement”, but did not kill the racism of this nation.

To me, diversity means people with all different ethnicity and races scattered through places. For example, I feel like San Francisco State has good diversity for the most part. Yes, I believe it is evident that one ethnicity is the majority on campus, but in terms of where people are coming from (background and where they lived) and how they identify themselves, I think SFSU has a lot of variety.  

 

 

Word Count: 416

Post Reading Questions Week 4

The exercise on Wednesday was interesting. I think it really opened up people’s eyes in class when it comes to the idea of diversity and backgrounds. By having our eyes closed, the class did not get to see who felt the same way or endured the same encounters, but what they got to see after was who stood where they did. It just went to show that no matter what your ethnicity/race is, there are always going to be people on the same level, on a higher level, or on a lower level. When it came to things I stepped forward for, or my advantages, having books in my house, having my parents say I was beautiful, and knowing someone who is a doctor, lawyer, therapist etc. were things that I moved up for. Working as an afterschool program leader for underprivileged families, I see how important and how privileged I was growing up to have those things and still to this day do. Not only do some of my students not know how to read, I know they do not have books at home to practice. Then, I am able to witness first hand when the students get picked up, how their parents interact with them. Sometimes it is not always obvious who is getting the proper attention at home, and other times it is like “what can I do, to provide that child with love for the three hours I see them Monday through Friday?” Sometimes the simplest things, that you think, like owning books and having encouraging parents can be the most challenging to provide and that has such a negative impact on a child’s education and self-esteem.

As for McIntosh’s quote, I agree with it because I feel as though it goes back to this idea of there being “silences,” things we do not say out loud because it might strike a chord in people. The quote of “Keeping most people unaware…serves to keep power in the same groups that have most of it already,” really stands out to me because I feel it is the basis for our social structure today. It is almost like the saying of, “the less you know the better,” which is what the hierarchy wants you to think, but in reality it only leaves you out of the loop on things that pertain to your everyday life.

The reverse racism blog was not only humorous, but I feel a good representation of the idea of reverse racism. To me, it is showing a flip side to the way things are but should be. People of color are now the MAJORITY in this country, yet for some reason we are still fascinated with the “white” ideals. Why? It is because of fear or laziness, or maybe a little of both? The point is though, we are now the MAJORITY and I think once people start realizing that we can move forward with banning together and making a change.

 word count:497

 

 

Pre-Reading Week 4

To me, privilege can be defined in two ways. The first way I look at privilege is something that you can work hard for and receive, like health care through your company after working for 6 months. Second I see privilege as something you do not work for, but rather it is handed to you, for example if you come from a family that can pay for you to go to college and you don’t have to work for tuition. Either way, I guess someone had to work hard at one point in order for that privilege to be passed down.

In today’s society, I see people of lighter skin color as being privileged. I also different privileges among people of classes, if you are considered to be that of high class because of the amount of money you make per year, you are offered more privilege in areas of health care, living in certain areas, and affording name brand clothes. In retrospect, if you are considered middles class, you basically, nowadays, looked at as lower class because of the gap between middle and lower class is almost no longer existent. Back then though, maybe about ten years, to be middle class was average and you were pretty at par with everything. Privileges were given to the middles class, but just not as fast as they were given to the higher class.

In my opinion, White privilege stems from the idea that if you are of lighter skin or considered “white” you are more pure and worth more. To me, it’s an idea of white people receiving things because they are of purity and say people of color having to work for it.

Just going off the two words of structure and unequal, structural Inequality sounds more like unfairness based on society issues rather than individual, referring to the idea that more people of color live in poorer neighborhoods than those who are not.

Then, the words advantage and disadvantage bring about two different definitions. Advantage means you have at least one thing above the next person. For example, when applying for a job and all you have is a high school diploma and your opponent has a high school diploma and a Bachelor’s degree, it is like which one will most likely get the job, the one with more. The person who only has a high school diploma then finds themselves at a disadvantage, or something less than their opponent.

When it comes to people of color being racist, I say absolutely, and in my view it is mostly within the race. I can say from experience, especially with my elders that they always have to say about Mexicans, even though we are Mexican. I think it comes from the idea of you can say things about your own race and it is ok, but when you talk about someone elses, it is not okay. It is almost like a hidden rule, but not so hidden.

word count: 497

 

Post Reading Questions Week 3

I think what Hattam is trying to say is that we need to stop looking at the race and ethnicity factors and focus on the bigger problems of society. It’s almost like why does everyone have to look at everything in a racial perspective and not a “just regular human perspective.” In addition though, Hattam says “we must remain alert, and seek to change, the ways in which ethnic privilege has long been secured by defining ethnicity against race.” How I look at that quote is ethnicity is looked at more highly than race, but most times when you look a person you only see their race, or you assume what race they are based on physical characteristics, and because of that, it has caused chaos among the two categories.  Agreeing with the statement Hattam makes, I believe the ignorance people have about the differences between race and ethnicity and how they are defined cause those problems of ethnic privilege staying the way they were back then and now. Looking at cultural practices in terms of defining ethnicity can be more exciting because you are learning how people view the world. Then, when you look at the physical aspects of a person, often assumptions can be made immediately about their background and where they come from, do they look rich or poor based on clothing, accessories, shoes, etc. It is at that point, I think when the term race becomes something of not the much status. For example, if you look at someone and think they are Mexican because they have darker skin, then you look at them again and assume they are an immigrant. Next, you look at someone of light skin tone and you think they are white and they have money because they are wearing a coach bag. In reality though, they are of the same status financially, because of the term race, the physical appearance between these two people has caused you to look at them in different perspectives. Basically, I see race as a more negative term and ethnicity as something to embrace, and I feel that Hattam tries to distinguish some of those issues by the quote he makes, especially in terms of “defining ethnicity against race.”

As for Flores, he offers three approaches for identifying a Latino community.

1.       Demographics- referring to the number count where people come from.

2.       Analytical- the constructed terms that come out, i.e. immigration, labor market

3.       Imaginary- your personal identification, cultural practices, shared memories, etc.

I think it is important to look at these three areas because this is the foundation of identifying the Latino community. You have to look at where people came from, what they are called by people, and what they call themselves. Once people understand that not everyone is Mexican, or likes the term Hispanic, the quicker society can have happier people and a more diverse country.

Word Count: 484

Reflections to history of Ethnic Studies

I think there still lies some similarities with the 1968 strike of San Francisco State and now, when it comes to issues students are being faced with. The feeling of students being ignored, in my opinion, still is an issue. Although I do not think the issue is as large as it was back then, I believe when it comes to issues of raising CSU tuition every semester, students feel the message is not getting perceived as seriously as they would like it to be. I will admit, as a former occupier at CSU East Bay, the awareness that has been brought to students, faculty, and CSU board members about the frequent tuition hikes has grown tremendously, but obviously not enough to stop the board members from raising fees. To a certain extent, the issue has been somewhat successful, again based on the awareness that has been brought out about the tuition hikes, but also I feel the ultimate goal is to stop the hikes in general. So in retrospect, I feel like we still see a similarity of students feeling ignored, when it comes to the idea of the 1968 and present day San Francisco State students.

Now in terms if HB 2281, the law banning any book or teaching of Ethnic Studies course, I just think it is ridiculous because everyone should have the opportunity to learn about themselves and their culture that they may not have learned about in their homes. According to HB 2281, no class can be taught if it

1. Promotes the overthrow of the United States Government                      

2. Promotes resentment toward a race or class of people

3. Are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group

4. Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals

When I first read these four criteria for the banning of ethnic studies, I thought to myself, wow I can pretty much say those sound like they would fit into most of the history classes I have taken. Agreeing with Monteiro’s statement, this criterion fits for history classes taught now because of the fact they are only telling us one side of the story, and it is the “white side.” From my past history classes in high schools, and the Latinos in California one I took as a freshman in college, I will say the biggest shock for me was learning that Latinos were lynched. Based off all my history classes, European, U.S., social studies, etc. the only group I ever heard of to be lynched was African Americans. It was at that moment that I realized I had been robbed of vital history.

 

Word Count: 441

What I think about Ethnic Studies

To me, Ethnic Studies is a discipline teaching people of different ethnicities the history, traditions, and lessons about their ethnicities. It is different from anthropology and sociology because it is focused on teaching you about yourself and where you’ve come from, the struggles that your people have come from, and how those effect you in today’s society. Sociology focuses on the changing societies, and a bigger picture, and anthropology looks at the evolution of humans, which can tie into ethnic studies but on a different level. I see anthropology dealing more with the human body structure and ethnic studies more on the personal person.

I believe Ethnic Studies has as a discipline because of the awareness and understanding it brings to people about their ethnicities. I can honestly say as a Latino/a studies and Biology major, the view I had of myself and my how I identified myself has changed. Before I started taking La Raza classes, I identified myself as a Hispanic. Then, after reading different articles and books, I learned that the word “Hispanic” was used as a derogatory term against us. The word “Hispanic” back then meant a poor dirty Spanish person, not the general term it is used as today. Since that lesson, I now identify myself as a Mexican- American, which can still have some implications, but it’s just what I feel comfortable with saying. To add, by being in these Raza classes, I have learned about the history of family, by doing oral histories, and about myself as a person. From my perspective, I feel every group benefits and can benefit from taking ethnic studies courses. There is so much information out there about every group, but you have to go looking for it because there is also so much that is covered up or trying to be covered up. By taking these courses, your brain becomes picked at a little bit and makes you think about certain issues, that you then thirst to find more information about and that right there is what has made me find out who I really am and where I have come from.

The state of Arizona has now banned all teachings of ethnic studies because they feel the classes are trying to overthrow the U.S. government. Basically, by teaching students, especially Mexican-American students, about their history they will feel more inclined to go against the government, which can be true, but also unfair in the sense that those students only get to learn about U.S. history and not theirs.

Word Count: 423