Saturday, April 14, 2007

One Last Thing on Race

While walking to a party last night, I was thinking about perceptions of people walking at night (since as a woman I obviously pay attention to all the cars & people who walk past me just to be safe).


At some point, I realized that I would probably be more scared of a young white male offering me a ride than I would a young black male.

I thought that was interesting.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Racism & Me

For my work, we've had a 3-part training on diversity over the last few months, & I felt an obligation to write down some things I wanted to say about race...

~I can definitely say that I've become more aware of situations that I am in where the color of my skin could be working to my advantage. I do a lot of apartment searching & job interviews & I can't help but wonder if my race will help me.
(Especially I wonder if a black couple in a long-term relationship would be evaluated as if they were married in applying for an apartment. I was in both places, but I don't know if that happens for everyone.)

~I have shared about how uncomfortable I was when I walked out of an apartment building (which I had been looking at) & saw a few black men across the street from me. I don't know if the discomfort was because they were black, or because they were men.

~I have been actively been trying to learn more about the perspective(s) of black women so that I can better relate to some of my students, since I still feel very ignorant in how they're lives are shaped.

~I have been excited that many of the books we have been reading in our CADRE groups have involved African-Americans & Native Americans (& hopefully later on will include Latino/as).

~While my mother showed me the way to some avenues for understanding racism, a dialogue was never actually established.

~I became aware of White Priviledge while in India for my year abroad (with the extra restrictions placed upon me because I was White & the gained knowledge that many of the men were taught to believe that lighter skin was better). However, I don't think that I was able to transfer it as well to my life in this country until much more recently.

~I remember conversations with my friend Sarah Anderson (who is half-Japanese) on the impact of race on her life. She was disgusted with talks about affirmative action, hated that a presenter came in to talk to "all four" of the "peoples of color" by a blond-haired-blue-eyed woman, & hated the look the new drama teacher gave her when she introduced herself (with the irritation of knowing that the woman expected someone with her name to be a white female).

~I don't remember any racist comments made about Carlo when he was with my sister. I know my father would get irritated that he kept losing his job & left all the responsibility on my sister, but I think that could be because she's had bad luck with guys thus far.

~I feel uncomfortable telling people about how my sister left Carlo because he smacked her up real good (one time?) because I don't want them to assume that I'm making a statement about black men being abusive.

~After seeing my sister's child (from Carlo), I was unable to look adoringly at my other nephew. He seemed just so pasty. Julius has made if harder for me to look at white babies anymore.

~I don't remember what it was that tipped me off, but I know that I started being against Columbus Day in 5th or 6th grade because of the truth about what a bastard he really was finally came to me.

Saturday, April 07, 2007

"She's All That"

Movie Anaylsis:
(rough)

This is another "make-over movie." On the plus side, both of the main characters get changed. But I still think it's stronger on her side than his. Through the story, Zack learns, essentially, to relax when it comes to making life decisions, & choose what he really wants.
But it's so much different for her. She has the obvious physical change that brings her beauty to the forefront. She also becomes more personal in her artwork; her art teacher tells her that she notices, & that Laney shouldn't let go of "what's brought about this change." So? So this is implying a bigger importance on the role that Zack has played for Laney, & not as much visa versa. Don't get me wrong though. I loved the idea of the movie when it first came out. I wanted to see a movie where the underdog was realised as being beautiful. And I still think that's the idea. I just wonder a little if girls are going to wonder about how much it is going to take to get there...and work at it...even if they are just fine right now.


(Another revision: Thinking again about the basics of this story...in the bet & the remaking of an "unappealing" girl into a beauty...reminds me a little of My Fair Lady. I kind of wonder a little as to whether the basic premise was stolen from there, and then dumbed down to be palatable for a teenage audience.
Makes me kind of remember Tiffany's bitterness at the rewriting of Shakespearean plays for teens...
I think this will require a rewatching...)

"Mean Girls"

Movie Analysis:
(rough)

There were some good points to this movie. It was right. Girls are really mean. And those who are passing through adolscence now have the advantage of scheming with 3-way calling. People can talk on AIM & save conversations to show later. It's different from how my life was like, but similiar to what Anne Barkow told me about her time in middle & high school.

The problem was that the idea was that it could all be fixed. All that was needed was for the girls to be put in one place where they could admit to back-stabbing each other & such. It isn't that easy to fix! It is ignoring some of the main causes for such subversive behaviour. The problem is that girls don't feel like they can be openly irritated since everyone is always telling girls to be "nice." This would be fixed just through apologies. Cliques & rifts don't disappear that easily. And the humour that is scattered throughout tends to undermine the point that was trying to be made. It was almost hard to tell if the movie was supposed to be sarcastic, but Tina Fey was actually trying to convey the idea from the book Queen Bees.... Serious idea by SNL. It didn't really work in the end. The start was okay, but didn't go where it should've.

(Additionally, I wrote this a couple years ago. Since then, I have been working in an inner city school in Minneapolis. I want to abridge some of the ideas that I wrote, and that have been written: this suppression of open irritation is more true for suburban middle & upper class white girls. While some parts may apply still, it is not as wholly true for lower class minority girls.)

"Clueless"

Movie Analysis:
(rough)

This was a movie attached in Branded by Alissa Quart. She commented on the movie's constant protrayal of consumerism. (For example, Cher has to go shopping when she's frustrated...& at any other opportunity it seems.) Quart says that it is just another "make-over" movie, but I don't think it's a make-over movie for just Brittany Murphy's character. Cher also starts working for more charitable causes (in a naive way). But she really doesn't change. Sure, she's thinking a little more openly, but not in any substantial way. She got the guy, but you can't believe that she's actually any different. So what do we have? Another consumerist girl...& one who pretends she's not...sometimes.

Branded

by Alissa Quart

Teens & parents are constantly bombarded with "branding." Colleges/universities, clothing lines, etc. have images attached to them, & people will do a lot to make sure that they're into the correct thing. Girls will work as consultants & get special attentions from the brand they commit themselves to. Teen movies have become covered in ads in the shots like never before...as have video games. There must be an "unbranding."

"Killing Monsters"

by Gerard Jones

Kids will form violent images in their minds without even seeing similar scenes. Acting out fantasies that are "violent" in their ideas are needed means for a kid to feel powerful & in control. Adults need to remember that there is a difference between make-believe & reality.