Monday, April 21, 2008

Johnson

Premise:

-priviledge
-power
-difference
-community
-rejection
-schools
-problem
-answers
-hatred
-acceptance

Authors Argument:

Johnson argues that the more aware and the more people talk about roblems we have in society the more likely we are to be able to face the problem and solve it.

Evidence:

-"The problem of privilege and oppression is deep and wide, and to work with it we have to be able to see it clearly so that we can talk about it in useful ways"
-"We won't end oppression by pretending it isn't there or that we don't have to deal with it"
-"Dare to make people feel uncomfortable, beginning with yourself"
- "It simply means acknowledging an obligation to make a contribution to finding a way out of the trouble we're all in and to finding constructive ways out of the trouble we're all in and to finding constructive ways to act on that obligation"

Comments:

I felt that this peice was very easy to understanding and read. Also i think that the topic was great and caught my attention right away. i agree with him 100%. problems cant be solved if we dont realize the proplems and run into them head on. there is no point running around a topic, it is easier to just face it. Also i loved the quote "dare to make people feel uncomforatable, begining with youself", this quote is sooo true. Some things are hard to face and talk about but if we can crack open our hard outershell we can get down to the problem without feeling awkward adventually and it will be easier to talk to others once we can comfortable face it ourself.

P.S. ~ things went great on thursday :) all of the group was there and we got a game plan ready and a day to meet up to finish everything up

Monday, April 14, 2008

Orenstein

Premise:

-gender
-inequalities
-girls
-boys
-comparisions
-self confidence
-self esteem
-education
-community
-families
-schooling
-statistics
-fairness
-hidden curriculum

Authors Argument:

Orenstein argues that teachers need to watch how they teach curriculum differently with different genders. She warns that we need to be fair for both girls and boys with out making one stand out as better. Also we ned to stop assuming what we see as feminine or masculine. She also talks about the "hidden curriculum" that can effect girls self-esteem and self-confidence.

Evidence:

-“ Boys perceive equality as a loss”
-"Curriculum should be both a window and a mirror for students , that they should be able to look into other's worlds, but also see the experiences of their own race, gender, and class reflected in what they learn."
-"Sexual harassment is part of the hidden curriculum for girls, and for boys, too, because they learn whether it has anything to do with them or not"

Comments:

I thought that this article was a great read. It was easy to understand what Orenstein was trying to get across and it proved so many point si never thought of. Schools, media, ect. all point men out as the masculan and dominating type and show women as silent. This article also helped to teach me about things i was blind to. I did not even realize how much the media and schools effected the way i view myself as a women and view men. It was a great read and i feel it will help me a lot not only in the classroom but in my life experiences.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Tim Wise

Premise:

-race
-minorities
-priviledge
-real action
-income/money
-opportunity
-cause and effects
-invisibleness
-treatment
-differences

Authors Argument:

Wise argues that white people have always been priviledged so they do not see the inequalities that others have. The ideas white people have are ingraved into them that they do not even rocognize the racism around them.He also believes that the progam of affermative action we have now is only furthur benefitting whites, not truely helping the problem.

Evidence:

-“privilege, to us, is like water to the fish: invisible precisely because we can not imagine life without it.”
-"We strike the pose of self-sufficiency while ignoring the advantages we have been afforded in every realm of activity: housing, education, employment, criminal justice, politics, banking, and business."
- “White families , on average, have a net worth that is 11 times the net worth of black families, according to a recent study; and this gap remains substantial even when only comparing families of like size, composition, education, and income status.”

Comments:

I really enjoyed this article. It was easy to read and it really opened my eyes. Whites get priviledges everyday, but blacks only get a few and the few they do get, people complain about. Another thing i like about the article is how anyone can relate to it. Everything in the srticle i backed up with substancial evidence which makes it even more eye opening.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Charles Lawrence

Premise:

-race
-truth
-lies
-hate
-denial
-seperation
-power
-labeling
-inequality

Argument:

Lawrence argues that there is still much segregation in schools. The laws and court ulings alone can not do enough. People need to realize how much this effects children in schools and there needs to be change.

Evidence:

- “Segregation’s only purpose is to label or define blacks as inferior and thus exclude them from full and equal participation in society.”
-"Equality of education is not enough, there can be no equality under a segregated system. The American negro is not a dominant minority; therefore he must fight for complete elimination of segregation as his ultimate goal."
-"If one views the Brown case narrowly, as a case intended to desegregate the nation's schools, history has proven it a clear failure."

Comments:

This reading was very very hard. I continuously needed to go back and re-read thins and at times even look up words. I am still not to sure that i fully comprehend the message that Lawrence is trying to get through. But overall i do not think there is much segregation in our generation, i feel the difference lies mostly in the hands of our grandparents. The more and more generations being born will hopefully lead to less and less segregation.