Race Class Genter Blog

[rcg-zakaria]

Unit 5 Blog Post-

As the years go by, the income gap is widening and I support this widening gap because this is what drives businesses and keeps businesses alive. Without the competition in business there would just be equality and there would be no strive to come out with new innovative and technological advances that spark businesses worldwide. Our whole economy is mostly built up with big time businesses that supply money for all its workers. On the other hand some people see equality is better than competition so everyone can be on the same level and there would be no complications, but I think that is wrong because there wouldn't be any strive to succeed in the market. 

[rcg-zakaria]

Unit 4 Blog Post

So far, many issues have arisen in chapter four that seem very one-sided. Part of our RCG course is to take in a wider look at the issue, and look at both sides to it. When reading about the Tennessee Judge telling immigrant mothers to "learn English, or else", I thought about how I didn't agree with the Judge and that the government has no authority to make such a demand. I decided to analyze this closer and look at both sides to the issue. Many people are afraid that English will become a second language in the United States over the years, as more and more immigrants come to the country. But isn't the United States a place where people come to, to feel freedom in their speech?  On the other hand,  if children don't learn english, the question of 'would they have a successful life in the United States' plays in. There is another issue that derives from this and that is, what is the definition of success? And, is it the same for everyone? I have a really close personal connection to this issue. My pre-school school was unwilling to accept me since spanish was my first language and English came second. This was a well-rounded Jewish school with amazing academic programs that my parents really wanted me to attend. My mom had to teach me the basics of the English language before most of the kids knew how to speak it themselves, just because English wasn't my first language. As a mother, my mom felt a lot of pressure because she had this pre-conceived notion that she wanted her daughter to be the best and the most successful so this is the route she had to take. Was it fair? I think it was beneficiary to me. I have taken honors English for a long time, as it is one of my favorite subjects. I feel this is an ongoing issue that will become more of a "big deal" as the United States starts to become more overpopulated with people who speak English as a second language.

[rcg-zakaria]

Crash: Unit 3 Blog Post

       In "Crash", different peoples lives are displayed as they all deal with the different tense race relations throughout their city. Much of the unfortunate events throughout the movie correlate with our studies in units one, two, and three. Some examples of this are; in unit 1, we learn about disability and justification of inequality. In the movie, a Persian family, consisting of a mother, a father and a daughter, owned a shop. The issue in this particular scene was the factor of a lack in women's rights. The father ordered his wife around like a slave and talked to her in a degrading tone. While he was managing the store and was in possession of a shot gun, taking care of the money and his "manly duties", he ordered his wife to clean up and wash windows. She barley had a say. This shows that his wife was perceived not as strong as her husband and too emotional to react to his bossiness. I noticed that in this movie the idea of "White privilege", as we discussed in unit two, came up several times during different occasions. In the film the white couple we see are "unknowingly advantaged", right off the bat. The White couple live in a nice home, drive a nice car, can afford a great deal of things, and have important jobs. None of the Black, Latino, or Persian people in the movie had such advantages. In actuality, people often forget these advantages, and rather focus on the disadvantages of "non-whites". In this case, "white privilege" is considered "subtle racism" because so much of it unconscious or unknowing. Unequal childhood is displayed in this movie as well. In the Latino family, the dad is at work all day. He works as a locksmith for the "wealthier" people in the film. His daughter see's her father late at night and isn't able to spend much time with him since he is always working. Wealthy families give their kids more opportunities because they can and it is easy for them. In the film, my view on each individual was complicated because there were points where I felt sympathy towards a race because of the color of their skin even though what they were doing was morally wrong and definitely against the law. An example of this is when I saw the two black men steal the white upper-class woman's car, in my head I made up an excuse for it although the men used their race as an excuse and in a way "advantage" for their action. In all, this movie was an incredible way to tie our first three units together to bring life and meaning into our studies.

[rcg-zakaria]

Asian American? - Unit 3 Blog Post

Author Sonia Shah explains, the story of Asian American history is one of not belonging, and alienation from America and Asia. The term "Asian American" is viewed as problematic to Asians because there is so much more depth to their ethnicity, nationalities, and cultures as to where they are from, rather than just being an "Asian American". The authors family would find this offensive because they are not just simply Asian Americans because they live here and come from Asia. They are Gujuratis. There is so much to the cultures of people from all over Asia including, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Hmong, Pakistanis, Thais, Indians, and so many more, that no one takes the time to know anything about these people and cultures, so they just label. Asians seem to be belittled in the American society. Most Americans know so little about Asian culture, that people just go by stereotypes labeled onto these people. No matter how "Americanized" Asians become, they are still looked at as a "model minority" and feel held at a distance apart from the rest of Americans. In today's American society, many Asian activists come together to form a stronger, more vocal community. They will continue to force America to reckon with the realities of the Asian identity. Shah concludes the passage by mentioning the future of Asian American history will make for a more Asinized- America.

[rcg-zakaria]

Zakaria- Masculinity as a Homophobia Unit 1

For men, manhood is everything. Manhood includes being masculine, acting tough, playing it cool, and having the desire to be bigger and better than other men. Around other men and even women, a man fears to be uncovered, he fears to be emasculated or appear unmanly which is essentially Homophobia. A man needs to maintain his manly front which covers up everything he does. This effects how a man dresses, eats, walks, talks, etc. They alter everything they do so that no other man could possibly get "the wrong idea" about them. I see this play out amongst adolescent guys that I surround myself with. The way a guy acts around his boys is very different than the way he would act towards me in privacy. This is an issue for me, and I'm sure many females who witness this. Violence is a huge cause of "a man trying to prove his manhood" at my age and to be honest it's a complete turn off. If a girl has a boyfriend, and he is one way around her and treats her differently in front of his friends just so he can look "cool", I don't think that relationship would end well. My perception on being masculine is completely different than a mans. I think being masculine means you're a gentleman. I think being masculine is taking care of yourself and your loved ones to the best of your ability. I think it means to be a figure of moral respect and good demeanor. I think overtime the issue of masculinity as a homophobia goes away at least to a certain extent, and it is really just a hormonal issue amongst young men.