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The Myth of the Latin Woman- I Just Met a Girl Named Maria

This article by Judith Ortiz Cofer was extremely powerful. The stereotypes and racism associated with Latina women is prominent to this day, and is due to the women's tradition and culture being embraced... hence, the women have no reason to be ostracized. The common stereotype of Latina women is that they are feisty, oftentimes, domestics, and sexual, sultry women. The author goes on to prove, and disprove this point. An outside example of this is from the hit television show, Modern Family. The character Gloria is a modern Latina woman, who embraces her culture, and does justice to prove that she can fit the mold of her stereotype, but it is not what defines her by any means.

Gloria represents the stereotype that all Latino women are ill-tempered, and good house maids. The writers of Modern Family use humor to poke fun at Gloria's Colombian heritage. “This is not my first language. I do not speak English very goodly,” Gloria jokes in an episode. The following dialogue also humorously picks on Gloria's Latin heritage:

Gloria: (about her husband, Jay) We're very different. He's from the city, he has big big business, and I come from a small village. Very poor, but very, very beautiful. It is the number one village in all of Columbia for all the... what's the word? Jay: Murders.

Clearly this is not how Gloria intended her sentence to end, however, the show's writers very evidently addressed the common stereotype in American culture: that all people of Latin heritage are criminals. Gloria also commonly jokes, “What, is it because I'm Latino?” when references are made to her housework and domestic ability. Similar to what Judith Ortiz Cofer stated in her article, “The Myth of the Latin Woman”, Modern Family addresses the stereotype that all Latino women are good domestics.

The stereotypes that are addressed and teased about in Modern Family are all very real in American society today. Yet, the show teaches us that our race, sexual orientation, or job does not prove who we are as individuals; overcoming stereotypes, and simply embracing who you are is what makes you a powerful person. Below, Gloria pokes fun at her heritage.

Race as a Social Construct

Lusca's article is profound. Race really is a social construct, created by society. Since nearly the beginning of time, there has been racial separation. People, solely based upon their race, have been treated differently, looked down upon, and judged unfairly. When in the course of human events, racial disparities have become out of hand, and attempts have been made to solve this issue; yet, no such resolvement has been made. In the United States of America especially, the "land of the free," something must be done in order to create true equality for people of all races in this nation. Yes, civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. have greatly improved the racial disparities in our country today by promoting equality for all. Yes, our nation has come a long way since the times of slavery. Yet, the proof is here that we are not TRULY an equal nation. Because of race, citizens are still not granted the respect and equal consideration they deserve. Lusca writes that the shift in socio-therapy is "not the abandonment of race, but instead a paradigm shift, or a revolution in the way race and differences are understood." White people in this country by far, have the greatest advantage in society. Based solely upon race, minorities are still discriminated against, and racial disparities still exist today- despite the efforts made in the past.

As Lusca states, "No matter how much we may attempt to make our legal language and documents racially neutral, race will always remain in the minds of people."

Selling Sex For Visas

This article by Denise Brennan was one of the most powerful we read and discussed all semester. The stories of the Dominican women living in Sousa who are so desperate to live in better conditions that they are willing to sell their bodies to "sex tourists" was very alarming. Following a mother's natural instinct, the majority of these woman are seeking to find better living conditions not just for themselves, but for their children as well. However, upon selling their bodies, many of these women have the fantasy that one of the "sex tourists" will take them to be their bride, to live with them in a better country, and take care of them and their needs for the rest of their life. Yet, this fantasy hardly ever becomes true. The lucky women who are even able to get off of the island with a man more than often return, divorced, and even more desperate than before. I can definitely see why these women want to get off the island, and I can even see how selling their bodies is an option that many Puerto Rican women turn to. Yet, it is so wrong for these women to have to endure that in order to seek a better life for their families, and for themselves. These women are putting themselves at risk for disease, domestic abuse, and much more. These womens' stories need to be documented and more frequently discussed, for sex trafficking is a prevalent issue that is ignored in society. It is very eye-opening, unfortunate, and sad to read an article like this.

White Privilege

Peggy McIntosh strongly argues in her article that White Privilege is a real, important, and oftentimes ignored issue in today's society. In fact, through her research, McIntosh came to the realization that in most situations, the majority of white men are very unwilling and uncomfortable admitting to their obvious advantage and over-privilege in today's society. I believe this to be very true. White privilege is definitely real- just see the previous blog post regarding Jose, a man who was discriminated against just because of his name, which prompted employers to be enlightened to his Latino background. White people, in society, have an advantage in the workforce, in criminal situations, on the street, etc. The majority of incarcerated individuals are minorities; the highest number of employed individuals in this country are white. This isn't the minorities' fault, it's society's. Minorities are oftentimes blatantly disregarded simply because of their heritage, their ethnicity, and their background; while whites have no problem of being ignored for these features. White individuals are looked at based upon their qualifications for a job position, which EVERY individual should have the right to be. And a majority of whites do not even consider their privilege. They do not recognize the problem with racial discrimination surrounding them, because anything they need is simple, as compared to other races' situations. Although it should not be the case, it is a proven fact that whites and blacks are looked at differently in society. For example, in New York City in 2010, there were 601,285 stops by the NY Police Department. Of these, based solely upon suspicion, 52% were black, and 9% were white. This is just wrong.

Is Fat a Feminist Issue?

For decades, women have struggled with their weight, and trying to fit the “standard” image of beauty of their times. According to Susie Orbach, “Feminism argues that being fat represents an attempt to break free of society’s sex stereotypes” and that “The relegation of women to the social roles of wife and mother has several significant consequences that contribute to the problem of being fat.” However, should we really blame women’s weight on the pressures of society? Every person has pressure in society. Men, women, children, etc. Yet, that is no excuse to become overweight; just to spite society, and to put oneself at a health-risk. Yes, every woman is beautiful in their own way. But, overeating purposely due to the stress of gender roles is not good, and is not proving a purpose. Sex stereotypes should not lead anyone to become unhealthy just so they do not have to fit a certain “image.”

http://www.returnofkings.com/28671/the-horrifying-merger-of-feminism-and-fat-acceptance

The above article argues that feminism and fat-acceptance are merging rapidly in today’s day and age. Rather than debating that their fat is beautiful and does not define them, women should really take care of themselves, stop trying to prove a point, and prevent themselves from becoming ill due to their weight. Certain feminists on the issue are also starting to bully women who, for example, lose weight/tone-up after pregnancy, claiming it is “impossible.” Rather than putting down others, women should stick together, and encourage each other to be healthy. Size does not define your beauty, however, being healthy is a crucial part of respecting yourself.

Jose vs. Joe- Racial Discrimination

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/02/jose-joe-job-discrimination_n_5753880.html

In a time where a plethora of Americans are desperately searching for jobs, an appealing resume is crucial in the heat of the competition. However, what if the one thing holding you back from getting your dream job was not your previous employer, grades, or education… but your name?

To Jose Zamora, this was the case. He applied to nearly every position online that he qualified for; applying to 50-100 positions each and every day. If that isn’t determination, I don’t know what is. However, with his impressive resume, Jose received hardly any responses from employers. Interestingly enough, Jose decided to drop one letter in his name- going from Jose to Joe. One week later, the responses from employers were flowing in.

Nothing changed in Jose’s resume except his name. Simply “changing” his identity, his name, to appear “American” rather than “Mexican/Spanish” in the view of skewed employers was enough for this man to be given his deserved chance at a prospective job. The article refers to Jose’s move as him “whitewashing” his name.

Jose’s case proved the brutal point that racism still exists in our society today. Jose was not given a fair chance from employers because of his name, and his name only. In today’s day and age, this is atrocious. Something has to be done. Every American deserves a fair chance at success, no matter what your name, culture, ethnicity, or race may be. America needs to learn to become TRULY accepting of all individuals, and embrace different cultures- not shame or disregard them.

Is Capitalism Genderized and Racialized?

The answer to the above question is absolutely. Capitalism is absolutely genderized and racialized, and the article discussed in class by Joan Acker did a great job in explaining so.

Unfortunately, as Acker discusses, masculinity continues to be a prominent factor in today's workforce; hence, the primary source of work to meet this need is the male population. Wage differences still exist today. Women get paid significantly less than men in general. In addition, in today's American, capitalistic society, the wage-gaps between the middle and upper class continue to grow further, and further apart.

The history of this nation has a lot to do with the racial, and gender disparities that still exist in this country. For example, beginning in the 1800s, Asian, Mexican and African American labor forces were used primarily for cheap labor in the United States. These racial groups were disrespected, not treated as equals, and exploited for low pay. Then, in the 1900s, women were exploited for work while men were away at war. They were also not treated as equals, received lower pay, etc. We have come a long way in this nation's capitalism since that time, but we still have a far way to come before racial and gender equality is achieved in the United States of America.

Race is a social construct. White supremacy has been prevalent since the time of our Founding Fathers, and still exists today. Recently, in 2013, solid proof was given that white males are the dominant force in today's society. Among Fortune 500's top CEOs, only six were African American, accounting for 1.2%. Likewise, there were only eight Latino and eight Asian CEOs, accounting for just 1.6% each. These statistics prove that the job force in America today is still dominated by the Caucasian race. Below, a picture of a common white, male CEO can be found.

Optional Ethnicities

The article discussed in class, "Optional Ethnicities- For Whites Only?" was very eye-opening. The author, Mary Waters did a very powerful job in arguing that only people of the Caucasian race have the ability to claim different ethnicites in themselves, such as being Italian-American, Irish-American, etc. However, this is a weak argument to me. Especially after our class discussion, it was prominent that most everyone in the world takes pride in their ethnicity, and the variety of enthicites they have in themselves. It is certainly not just "white" people who come from a range of different backgrounds; it is just as probable that an African American man or woman could have parents and grandparents from an array of decents. Claiming this comes off as ignorant, disregarding the fact that just based on skin color, the author believes that only whites have optional "ethnicities." The article makes a good point that oftentimes, especially when attending a large university and undergoing the shift from a small town/high school to college, that the exposure to new cultures can be overwhelming. The author also makes the point that we live in a society of never-ending racial prejudice. Yet, in times of exposure to new cultures, we must embrace each other and our differences, rather than ostracize those around us for being different. I believe UB does a very good job in promoting acceptance, by having a wide array of international-based clubs, who love to share their culture with the rest of the university. This was a very interesting article.

The Incarcerated Mentally Ill- Is Imprisoning Unjust?

After going to Attica State Prison for a criminal justice class in high school, and feeling an odd sense of empathy towards the inmates, my eyes were greatly opened to the lack of mental health treatment in correctional facilities. The mentally ill who commit crimes are battling their psychological problems and reality, and once imprisoned, conditions only become worse. I firmly believe that the mentally ill in prison need to receive special care, and incarceration does nothing to help their situation. Rather, there should be a mental health prison of sorts, in which punishment is being served, but treatment is being received. Many times, the mentally ill who commit crimes do not even realize the severity of their actions, because many crimes are brought about by delusions. Although committing crimes is by no means right, if there is a lack of a sense of reality and without medication, the mentally ill are disconnected to the real world; actions are brought on by frightening delusions, and the severity of actual actions is not processed.

Deinstitutionalization is the process of replacing long-stay psychiatric hospitals with less isolated, shorter-term community hospitals for the mentally ill. Deinstitutionalization was greatly pushed during the 1950s, and since then, there has been a great shift in the mentally ill population from state psychiatric hospitals to the streets, jails, and prisons. Without being supervised and monitored, the mentally ill were led on a downward spiral after the attempt to deinstitutionalize was taken too far out of hand. Instead of being treated in a hospital setting, the mentally ill were now left with no place to turn, and minimal treatment that was ineffective because it was at random. Deinstitutionalization simply moved mentally ill patients from psychiatric hospitals, where they belonged, to jails and prisons- where no help was received, and conditions were worsened.

The mentally ill who commit crimes need to be in a hospital setting receiving treatment- not locked up in prison with worsening symptoms.

Sicko: The Frightening Reality of Healthcare

After watching the documentary Sicko in class, I was truly disturbed by the horrific truths of the American health care system. The documentary proved that health care systems are more concerned about wealth, greed, and politics- rather than the actual health of American citizens. To begin, health care policies are extremely expensive for the middle-class American citizen, making it very difficult for many households around the country to be able to afford the care in the first place. Yet, once citizens have shelled out the appropriate, absurd cost for their policy, the co-pays are so expensive that, once again, Americans can no longer afford to stay healthy. Insurance companies will go so far to save themselves money that they will actually decline surgeries, tests, etc. on ridiculous bases. For example, the woman who could not get treated for her cervical cancer because she was "too young" to have cervical cancer. This was CLEARLY not the case, and the poor young woman was denied treatment, and unable to afford it on her own, just because the insurance company was too caught up in their greed. In addition, if one is not the "stereotypical model" for health care, with minimal pre-existing conditions, they will be refused to be covered by an insurance company. The point of health insurance is to protect people, and help them maintain a healthy lifestyle, but when companies are more concerned with benefiting their paychecks and salaries than the actual well-being of citizens, there seems to be a huge problem. Justice must be brought to this very serious issue immediately.

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