Identity and Social Interactions

The quote from Bryan Stevenson really captures the beauty of being broken. This is important because society does not often recognize brokenness as something positive or beautiful. This makes me reflect back on my own life. I often tell others that I would not change the difficulties that I faced growing up because then I would not be the person I am today. I feel that this is what Stevenson is describing. The setbacks that we have in life make us relatable, human. When we see vulnerability in ourselves we can empathize with others. This idea was then represented beautifully in the kintsukuroi. It is art that takes something broken, something that others might disregard and makes it beautiful. For those looking at this artwork, it serves as a reminder that others can see beauty in brokenness.

I was immediately taken aback by Jacqueline Navogratz. She opened her talk by describing an impoverished community and the first thing she said about the people there was that it was impossible not to notice their vitality. It was a little mind blowing to hear positive statements about the poor as opposed to being told everything that was wrong with them. My amazement did not end, as she then talked about Jane and her dreams. Jane wanted to be a doctor and have a good husband and Navogratz explains that she did not get either of these things and that she is HIV positive. Jane does not focus on this though, instead she spoke of the things she had in her life that gave her hope and made her happy.

Aaron Huey spoke about pictures he took of the Lakota. He explains the proud and tragic history of the Sioux tribe. Due to the United States government the Lakota have been hardened by life. They have had their land and their culture taken away from them and from the pictures that Huey took they have been left with little to nothing. The images showed homes that were falling apart, buildings covered in graffiti, overall a people with a broken spirit. As Huey explained though, these are not people that need our help. They are strong and capable of being independent. They just need us to stop cutting them off at the knees, they need us to give the Black Hills back.

Tan Le came from a dangerous place and she explains that her first memories are of the boat ride to Australia where her and her family became refugees. She explains that everything in her life from that point on she had to work for. She does not seem hardened or bitter, she explains that being an outsider is a good thing. She talks about the great things she has been able to accomplish in her life, all because of where she started from. Even though her family has been through difficult things, she says that if she could give her children the same experience she had from the boat ride that she would (with her guidance).

Mellody Hudson then talked about race and the uncomfortable subject that everybody makes it. She compares it to touching the third rail because it is followed by shock and a long silence. In her experience talking about race is more effective than choosing not to acknowledge it. She explains that we need to be comfortable in discomfort, meaning that to get others to acknowledge race we have to be ready to face uncomfortable situations ourselves.

All of these advocates were able to find beauty in the broken. They saw the situations that people were in and did not pity them or treat them like charity. Instead they saw the inherent worth of every human being. This is something I want to strive for in my social work career. It may sound simple, but I feel that getting past interactions we are used to could prove difficult. I will have to work to be present in each moment and give every person the time and effort they are worth.

Hobson, Mellody. (2014, March). Color blind or color brave?.

https://www.ted.com/talks/mellody_hobson_color_blind_or_color_brave

Huey, Aaron. (2010, September). America’s native prisoners of war.

https://utexas.instructure.com/

            Le, Tan. (2011, December). My Immigration Story.

 https://www.ted.com/talks/tan_le_my_immigration_story

           Novogratz, Jacqueline. (2009, February). An escape from poverty.  

https://www.ted.com/talks/jacqueline_novogratz_on_an_escape_from_poverty

Theories of Difference: Pt 2

This week talking about religious discrimination and aging with disabilities both made me think of my grandparents. My grandparents, especially my grandmother, are enthusiastic southern Baptists. This is a nice way of saying that they are narrow minded about their Christian beliefs and they tend to want everyone else to behave accordingly. When I was growing up I remember being confused about other religions, specifically around the holiday times. I remember asking about other religious beliefs and being told that they existed but that I did not need to worry about them because basically, they were wrong. I don’t say this to make it seem like my grandparents are unaccepting of all other faiths, simply that they genuinely do not consider them or their perspectives relevant. They are so caught up in the hype of Christianity and saving everyone else that they never stop to consider that they could be wrong or how their beliefs are affecting other people. I do not apply this to all Christians, but it is an all too common problem based off of my personal experience.

When reading the list of Christian privilege, I felt that the items on the list were privileges that I have very recently become all too aware of. As I said I was raised southern Baptist and before my senior year of high school I was very devout. I prayed and read the Bible daily and I even went on a couple of mission trips. I never thought to be upset that other religions were not represented in movies and television, or the radio, or my church. When you are surrounded by so much of your own culture and religion it is hard to understand why you should question it. While I genuinely had the interest of others in my heart, I was still not trying to understand their beliefs or cultures, I was trying to inflict my religion upon them. Unfortunately at the time I did not realize this, based off of everything I had been taught I was doing the right thing.

Disability is easily identified as a difference, but I do not think that people often consider the differences within disability. When we group those with a disability all together we are refusing to acknowledge their uniqueness, stripping away their humanity. When reading about being an ally to those with disabilities it seemed that one of the biggest barriers is that people either ignore disability or view it as a weakness. Time and time we hear from the disabled that they are not weak and that they do not want or deserve lesser standards. This week Rosie King spoke about having autism. She did not complain or discuss the things she has been unable to do. She tells us that through her autism she has been able to accomplish things she could have never done in an “able” body.

I mentioned that the aging disabled population also made me think of my grandparents. This is because they are both afflicted with a physical disability. I remember in high school when both of my grandparents were on disability (income from the government) for the first time. It drastically decreased our household’s yearly income and it was really scary. As time went by and I was able to work myself things got better, but for a lot of people once they are unable to work there are little or no options in terms of annual income.

Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castañeda, C., Hackman, H. W., Peters, M. L., & Zúñiga, X. (Eds.). (2000). Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York: Routledge.

King, Rosie. (2014, September). How autism freed me to be myself.

https://www.ted.com/talks/rosie_king_how_autism_freed_me_to_be_myself?language=en#t-353205

Theories of Difference: Pt 1

This week talking about theories of difference has brought up the challenge of getting out of my own mind. If you’re thinking that this sounds impossible, it just might be. What I mean by this is that when trying to understand concepts such as race, gender, sexuality, etc. it is difficult to think outside of the way we have been socialized. A more specific example would be thinking of gender in terms of a spectrum as opposed to a binary, it is difficult for the mind to do especially without any bias. The reason I said this might be impossible is because I am not sure that it is possible to eliminate one’s personal bias. I also think it might be impossible to completely eliminate the effects of socialization.

This week in Adams we read about “whiteness,” this is a construct of socialization that I think will be difficult to overcome. George Lipsitz put it best when he called whiteness “the unmarked category against which difference is constructed.” In America we don’t even acknowledge it, but white is the standard that everything and everyone are compared to. This makes accepting and overcoming difference much more difficult. Since Europeans first came to the Americas they set a precedent of promoting whites ahead of every other group of people. In recent years this has presented itself as a narrative of white innocence. This narrative has presented itself in multiple ways first in youth like Christopher Fisher, who feel that they can get away with unforgivable acts because of the privilege that their skin color gives them. Secondly it has shown up in legislation with the best of intentions, affirmative action. Entitled white people have continued to fight affirmative action on the basis that it is “racist.” Instead of supporting legislation that promotes equity and gives opportunities to minorities, there are white people who would rather promote their own self-interest.

Perhaps just as difficult to understand as racial differences is gender differences. Although short, the poem of Lee Mokobe was powerful. In just a few lines he is able to explain his internal struggle to understand himself and how he fit into the world. Being a twelve year old that knows you’re of the wrong biological gender, the last thing you would need is criticism and isolation. Yet, this is the way we choose to treat those who do not fit into our gender binaries. Instead of celebrating our differences, we shame them for being themselves. Although talking about a separate population, I felt that Mia Birdsong’s talk touched on similar feelings. She talked about populations that are within the scope of two inequalities. Her focus though was not on the things that they lack, but rather what they can provide. She tells us that we are getting people’s story wrong and that people in poverty have a lot to offer. She urges us to appreciate their financial difference, even though in America being a low income family is not celebrated. People’s differences whether they chose them or not, are a part of who they are. They not only form an individual, but a society. Without difference, we could find no common ground or understand how truly similar we are. Difference is beauty, not shame.

Adams, M., Blumfeld, W., Castañeda, C., Hackman, H., Peters, M., Zúñiga, X. (2013). Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York, NY: Routledge.

Birdsong, M. (2015, May). Mia Birdsong: The story we tell about poverty isn’t true [Video file]. Retrieved from

http://www.ted.com/talks/mia_birdsong_the_story_we_tell_about_poverty_

isn_t_true/transcript?language=en

Mokobe, L. (2015, May). Lee Mokobe: A powerful poem about what it feels like to be transgender. Retrieved from

https://www.ted.com/talks/lee_mokobe_a_powerful_poem_about_what_it_feels_like_to_be_transgender?language=en