TP#5 Something about the Subject

Something about the Subject Makes it Hard to Name
Gloria Yamato
Quotes
      Yamato writes about the everyday struggle of racism that she encounters on a daily basis. She feels that racism has become so common that people no longer see it as a problem. She states "Racism is pervasive to the point that we take many of its manifestations for granted, believing "that's life"." She is trying to show that people make racist decisions so often and possibly without conscious thought, that they no longer see it as racism.
      She then states "It influences the way I see or don't see myself, limits what I expect of myself or others like me. It results in my acceptance of mistreatment, leads me to believe that being treated with less than absolute , at least this once, is to be expected because I am Black, because I am not white." This is a powerful statement to me. She is saying that because she has is black she has accepted the fact that she will be treated than less of a person, treated lower than a white person. Whether we realize it or not, people of color, and other minorities, have been treated so poorly for so long that it no longer seems to be a concern. When in fact it is a problem. We need to make a conscious effort to make sure we are treating everyone with the same respect as white males seem to get.
     This piece explains the different types of racism. She not only speaks of racism on a skin color level but also as it relates to class and gender as well. She stated "Like every other oppression, racism can be internalized. People of color come to believe misinformation about their ethnic group and thus believe that their mistreatment is justified". This is the whole point of the piece. If people are told enough that they are ugly they will begin to believe it. Same goes for acts of racism. If a person of color is treated poorly by enough people they will begin to believe that they deserve it because they are just not as privilaged as other groups.
     Until people openly discuss racism and the behavior that expresses racism, it will not go away. Like many of the other -isms, racism is one of those things that people hope will just go away of they ignore it long enough. This of course is not her only point in the piece and I hope I can adequately teach the class what she taught me about myself.

TP#4 - Compulsory Heterosexuality

Rich, Compulsory Heterosexuality
Reflection  
  Here it is Tuesday night after 10pm and I have not finished reading Rich's piece. This is not because I have neglected my studies or procrastinated, it is because this is not an easy read. I have about 6 pages left and will finish them before class on Thursday. But in the mean time I feel that I am starting to understand what Rich means when she talks about Compulsory Heterosexuality. She is saying that females have to be heterosexual to be normal and fit into the cookie cutter idea of life. She states people, especially females, are heterosexual until proven other wise, which I take to mean that people assume that a female is heterosexual until her actions or words say otherwise. This idea that heterosexuality is the norm is reinforced by almost every expect of one's life. For example, Rich points out that exposure to fairy tales, television, films, and advertising are just some of the ways we show our young children that it is normal and this is how parents expect them to act. She seems to be passionate about the lack of lesbian representation in literature. As I review my notes that I have written in the margin, I noticed that I have a written the following statements.....Women don't choose to be heterosexual they are forced to be because it is a man's world, therefore homosexuality is natural and heterosexuality is a choice. I will be totally honest I am not sure if this was stated in the piece or if it is something I came up with in a moment of wisdom. Either way it is an interesting idea that we can maybe discuss in class. I did use the internet to google as much as I could about this topic. I ran into many resources:http://afeministtheorydictionary.wordpress.com/2007/07/18/compulsory-heterosexuality/ , http://gayblackcanadianman.com/2008/12/22/compulsory-heterosexuality-the-heteosexist-matrix/ , and http://womenshistory.about.com/od/feminism/a/compulsory_hetero.htm.
     These websites helped to make Rich's point clearer and easier to understand. I recommend checking them out if you still don't understand the piece.
     Lesbian existence is not as easy for me to define. As far as I can gather (after reading all the stuff on line that I could) lesbian existence has more to do with the lack of representation in literature. The topic of being a lesbian is not mentioned in most scholastic papers or research papers. Rich goes as far as to state that if a topic is written about which should by all rights include lesbian couples and doesn't, then the whole point of the paper is lost and invalid. I am hoping to understand this part of her beliefs when I finish the paper and hopefully class discussions can help me understand this more.   

"Without a Teacher"

Let me just start by saying that class without a teacher could have gone far worse than it did. We watched the film and had a wonderful discussion full of stories and opinions. For the me, the personal stories that are told in class have a much stronger impact on me than just reading professional writings. Sheila told a story of an experience she had in class as a child that has had a profound influence on her. I could not imagine what it must be like to stuck in a social class without any hopes of getting out. I don't want to ruin the story for anyone who was not there in case Sheila wanted to share the story in class Thursday.
    When Lawrence Mead stated "if poor people behaved rationally, they would seldom be poor for long in the first place" he seems to be assuming that class is based on behavior or a psychological state instead of being based on financial status and other factors like race and gender.  If class was based on behavior it would be easier to move up the "social ladder" . People would just need to learn how to act "properly" and all their problems would be solved. If only it was that easy.
      The film gave a sneak peak into the opinions of some of the social classes out there and how they feel not only about there own class but the class of others around them. For example, the WASP guy (Langhorne Phipps), who drove most of or some of us in the class crazy, had no shame in stating that he enjoys being who he is and doesn't feel that anyone can learn to be like him. You have to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth to be part of this upper class society. Well if Meads quote is accurate this guy would be as low class as they come in my book. He was rude and childish and didn't warrant any good behavior award as far as I am concerned.
     The scene with the upper class young adults that went to a bar in a lower class neighborhood to experience the lower class lifestyle in one of the "dive" bars is another example of upper class people showing poor behavior. They assumed that because they had more money they could go into this bar and and "fit in" with the rest of the crowd. Or maybe they thought they could bring a little class to the bar. They acted like children and patronized the patrons in such a way that it seemed they were making fun of them right in front of their faces and they were too stupid to realize it.
     The saddest of all the stories was Tammy's story. While her low class was due to lack of financial income, her behavior made her high class in my eyes. She went to work everyday and tried to take care of her kids as best as she could and never complained about her living arrangements. She was hurt by her sons embarrassment as any mom would be.
     I also assume that Mead didn't mean just behavior as in how they act in public on a daily basis. I am sure he was also referring to the way they react to their social class. If they want move up a class they need to get an education and get a high paying job which will give them the necessary resources to afford the finer things in life. This sounds easy but it is easier to solve the problem when you feel your not part of the problem. Not all people have access to the same privileges such as education, housing, jobs, and health care. And then when there is a chance for a lower class to receive some instances such as welfare they are seen as trailer trash.
     The film showed a picture of a man in front of screen door to people on the street (or that is what is seemed) and people made comments that he looked lower class and one woman said he was "so pathetic". The picture was of a older gentleman he wasn't behaving in any manor. He was standing. There was no information on his occupation or education level. Same goes for the woman who said she can look at a woman on a beach in a bathing suit and tell if she belongs or not. Really?
      I realize that social classes have existed for centuries, and I am totally convinced that we can ever move past this part of life, but maybe a good place to start would be in the early years when kids are in school. The visit we were taken on through the high school was heart breaking. Kids from different classes were not able to join forces and be friends because of the way they were raised. We need to teach our kids that it is not were you come from, or how much money your parents have that make us who we are. Our class is determined not by our financial status or how we behave in public but in how we feel about ourselves.
     I feel that I should have written this as soon as I got home from school because I had so many things to say that day and now I am at a loss for words. I will say I loved the gnomes and the stone ducks, I'm not sure of that in itself makes me low class trailer trash but so be it if it does. Can't wait to read what everyone else thought about the film. I just wanted to add a thought for class on Thursday......Isn't the Military that defends our freedom based on classes? They higher up the rank you are the more respect you demand? Just a thought.