unlikelydazesoul

[unlikelydazesoul]

Immigration

Immigration is a controversial topic in America. Some people believe that immigrants should be able to come to America and benefits from our great country, but many believe that immigrants should stay in their country and not bring disease, crime, and drugs with them. We feel this way as Americans because that is what we are taught through public policies and how immigrants are presented through the media. The zero-tolerance policy, which was first owned by George W. Bush was used to imprison and separate parents from children upon illegal entry into the U.S. Those who were caught would serve federal prison sentences while their children were placed into the system. This paved the way for the Obama administration that would further criminalize and separate families. Separating families is not a new topic in the U.S. This has gone on for decades where immigrants have lived in fear that one day they will be caught and deported. This is exactly what happened to Cami. Cami’s mother was caught driving without a license. When the cops pulled her over again and realized that she is a repeated offender, they arrested her. Upon arrest, they realized that she didn’t come up in the database because she wasn’t a citizen. She was then transferred to ICE and later deported. Her daughter Cami did not see her mother for 6 years after deportation. Its situations like this that shed light of the horrible realties that many immigrants face. It is because of a piece of paper that she did not have that kept her away from her family. (Vaquera, 2018) That is not to mention the physical and psychological aspect of what deportation does to families.

The trauma of being forcibly separated from families has lasting impacts on a person’s health. “Research on Latina mothers who had been separated from their children found that they report clinically-significant symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Similarly, children separated from their caregivers were noted to exhibit heightened rates of anxious behavior, distress, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.” This is why Pediatrics and the American Medical Association have adopted policies opposing family separation. (Strange & Stark). It has lasting effects on the family that will take years to reverse if they ever can. Not only is it traumatic to be separated from their child, but they also must wonder if their child is being cared for. Their rights are essentially waved, and they can’t give consent to medical care if their child needs it. Often, children fall through the cracks and children die in custody because their health was not caught on time. This could all be avoided if we change the way we see immigrants.

The United States is a country built on immigration. Instead of talking about immigration in a hostile fearful way, we need to start accepting immigration and those who want to come and benefit our country. The media often depicts immigration in a negative light. When we hear about immigration in media, we often hear of violent thugs who only want to bring drugs and steal the jobs of hard-working Americans. We forget that immigrants built this country and has made it to where we are “the greatest nation in the world.” We need to change the way media presents immigration. Words and images influence the way people perceive and evaluate policies, the Washington post collected data from three national news magazines (Newsweek, Times, and the U.S News and World report) and found that the choice of images reinforce the narrative of the ‘Latino threat” who are violent criminals unable or unwilling to integrate into the U.S. Using images from detention centers or footage of immigrants trying to cross the border portrays criminality. In all reality, those who come to America are more times than not less likely to commit a crime especially when they are undocumented. Images in this case are very powerful and often leave a lasting impression. (Washington Post, 2018). Therefore, we need to change the way immigration is perceived in the media. Eric Gomez made a powerful statement when he said, “Trump is right about one thing, let’s make America great again. If we change the lens that we are viewing immigration through and start to embrace immigrants already in this country and embrace diversity and culture, America will be great again. (Gomez, Ted Talk). I leave you with a picture that displays a crying boy holding onto a cage that he is in. Think about if this was your child and you were unable to see him. No family should ever have to endure the loss of their child. Being caring and sympathetic can go a long way. At the end of the day, we are all just trying to survive this vicious world we live in. More pictures like these surfacing on the web may change even the coldest of hearts.

📷

Farris, E., & Mohamed, H. S. (2021, December 7). Analysis | the news media usually show immigrants as dangerous criminals. that's changed - for now, at least. The Washington Post. Retrieved December 10, 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/06/27/the-news-media-usually-show-immigrants-as-dangerous-criminals-thats-changed-for-now-at-least/.

Stange, M., & Stark, B. (2019). The ethical and public health implications of family separation. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 47(S2), 91–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073110519857327

Through the eyes of a child immigrant | Erik Gomez - YouTube. Ted Talk. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46wWjKTn4Ac.

Aranda E., Vaquera E. (2018) Immigrant Family separation, fear, and the U.S. Deportation Regime. Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Change. No. 5. P. 204-212. https.//doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2018.5.16.

Image: Mezzofiore, G. (2018, June 18). The truth behind this photo of an 'immigrant child' crying inside a cage. CNN. Retrieved December 10, 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/18/us/photo-migrant-child-cage-trnd/index.html.

[unlikelydazesoul]

White Privilege in America

Being White in America means that you are afforded special privileges because of the color of your skin. White Americans benefit over non-whites in social, political, and economic systems. With having this sort of privilege awarded to some and not others, it creates injustice and racism in America. This is how America has been running for centuries. We have been accustomed to this privilege that it doesn’t even feel like a privilege anymore. Before taking this class, I would have never thought I had white privilege. It is never talked about or taught in schools that I never knew I possessed this kind of advantage. It’s as if it was supposed to remain a secret. Possessing this type of privilege can be dangerous to those who don’t possess it. Look at the case involving Kyle Rittenhouse. He was able to murder two men and get away with murder because he was defending himself. It didn’t matter that he traveled to the city and walked onto the scene with a violent weapon. It was determined that Rittenhouse was allowed to use deadly force if he believed it was necessary to prevent his own death regardless of if he was wrong or not. He had reasonable doubt to believe that his life was in jeopardy, which allowed him to get away with murder. “In America, it is reasonable to believe that Black People are scary. Understanding this innate fear of Blackness embedded in the American psyche does not require legal scholarship or a judge’s explanation. This belief shapes public perception, politics and the entire criminal system. And it is indeed a privilege only afforded to whiteness.” (The Guardian, 2021) It is this misunderstanding that Black people are dangerous that allows for mistakes to happen. The same verdict would not have occurred if the shoe was on the other foot.

Another example of White Privilege displayed in the media would when Trump supporters stormed the capital. They claimed, “Our president wants us here,” insinuating that he wanted his loyal following of extremists to commit a violent crime for him. (NY Times, 2021) They were called protestors instead of rioters. If it were group of non-whites, do you think they would have received the same reaction? This again shows how being white acts as a sort of shield, protecting those who get out of line. The word play in this example is key. It further perpetuates how society sees those who are white from non-whites. This is why white privilege is a real and dangerous problem in our society. Anyone who tries to bring awareness to this sort of privilege is punished. A man named Matthew Hawn was just fired recently for trying to bring awareness to White Privilege in classrooms. He has been teaching at a rural high school in Tennessee for 16 years. Over controversy of his teachings, the school board decided to let him go. The same month Hawn was fired, the Tennessee legislature passed a law banning it from schools and forbidding educators from teaching that “an individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist or oppressive.” (Seattle Times, 2021) 11 other Republican-led states have now passed similar laws banning this sort of teaching. This goes to show that freedom of speech is only acceptable if school systems are teaching what state legislature agrees with. School systems don’t want children knowing about what is happening in the real world. They decide what children learn and how they learn it. This is why no one knows about white privilege and racism that is still happening around the world. The school boards argument was that he was teaching one sided view. If teachers are going to be teaching about white Privilege, they need to show the opposite of that. The same was said when discussing the Holocaust. What is the opposite view of white Privilege and the Holocaust? That none of them happened? The government and the society we live in want to keep us ignorant and in the dark. They don’t want to acknowledge that we live in a racist society where white is the dominating and superior race. In all reality, “Recognizing privilege doesn’t mean suffering guilt or shame for your lot of life…Recognizing privilege simply means being aware that some people have to work much harder just to experience the things you take for granted (if they ever can experience them at all.”) (Corcoran, 2016) It’s acknowledging your advantage and trying to make it to where everyone can experience the same fortunes as whites. Until then, we will continue to live in a dream, pretending like nothing is wrong until enough people wake up. We will keep having violent “Protests” such as Charlottesville were Neo-Nazi’s trying to “Unity the Right” and inflict violent crimes on anti-racist activists who don’t agree with the movement. This was another disgusting display of how white Americans were able to use their skin color for protection. Police stood by and did nothing as many people were assaulted and one woman ultimately killed. The sad reality of Charlottesville was the coverups that went on within our own government that accepts and wants white supremacy to live on. It is only when a select few are caught that the issue is addressed.

Therefore, the topic of white privilege is so important and needs to be talked about. We all need to work on changing the corrupt system we live in, and we need everyone to do it. We can’t allow more cases like Kyle Rittenhouse, Charlottesville, and even the infiltration of the capital to keep happening. It is only going to get worse until we start active acknowledging that we live in a racist society where white has always been the dominating race.

Barry, D., Mcintire, M., & Rosenberg, M. (2021, January 9). 'our president wants US here': The mob that stormed the Capitol. The New York Times. Retrieved December 10, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/capitol-rioters.html.

Guardian News and Media. (2021, November 20). Kyle Rittenhouse wasn't convicted because, in America, white reasoning rules | Michael Harriot. The Guardian. Retrieved December 10, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/19/kyle-rittenhouse-conviction-america-white-privilege.

Natanson, H. (2021, December 6). A white teacher taught white students about white privilege. it cost him his job. The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 10, 2021, from https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/a-white-teacher-taught-white-students-about-white-privilege-it-cost-him-his-job/.

Crosley-Corcoran, G. (2017, December 7). Explaining white privilege to a broke white person. HuffPost. Retrieved December 10, 2021, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/explaining-white-privilege-to-a-broke-white-person_b_5269255.

PBS, Documenting Hate: Charlottesville (PBS Frontline), .Retrieved December 10, 2021 ,from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/documenting-hate-charlottesville/

[unlikelydazesoul]

Disabled People Are Not Our Inspiration

As a society, we tend to objectify disabled people. We look at them as if they are aliens and think about all the ways their lives are affected by their disability. We never as a society think about how we make their lives hard. By this I mean, not having access to public transportation, bathrooms, beaches, stores, ramps, and much more. We tend to think of them as individuals versus a society problem. When we look at disability as an individual problem, we don’t see a need for change and how we can benefit all individuals with a disability. We must stop treating them as tragic victims and start looking at them as actual people in society. “As far as disability is concerned, if it is seen as tragedy, then disabled people will be treated as if they are the victims. “(Oliver, 1990, pg 159). When society looks at them as victims, we make them exceptional and praise them for just being alive. It is not tragic to have been born that way, we make it tragic by how we treat them. We congratulate them for getting out of bed in the morning and use them as our inspiration.

Disabled people are not our inspiration. We use their existence as an excuse to rationalize how our lives can’t be as bad as theirs. Stella Young for the Ted Talk present below said it best. She said in so many words that we are not your inspiration. We use our bodies to the best of our abilities just like everyone else. She doesn’t want disabled people to be congratulated and receiving awards for just being disabled. She wants disabled people to receive awards because they have actually done something. She hopes that one day we can live in a world where it is not uncommon to have a teacher in a wheelchair or a doctor with a disability. She wants it to be normal instead of exceptional. (Young, 2014) Media also plays a big role on how disabled people are seen. We typically see a child with some form of disability doing an everyday task with an inspirational quote. These quotes usually say, “The only disability in life is a bad attitude,” or “Your excuse is Invalid.” (Friendship Circle Image). In all reality the only disability in life is what we create. If things were more accessible to everyone, there would be no need to call anyone disabled. They would be “able” to live and do a everything that an able-bodied person could.

By Stella Young and many others using the first-person narrative to talk about their disability, it allows them to create their own narrative where society isn’t speaking for them. Before, “The cultural representation of disability has functioned at the expense of abled people, in part because they have rarely controlled their own images.” Now as more disabled people are speaking out, they have been able to control their own narrative by creating a response through autobiographies. (Couser, pg 33) They express how they have been treated and objectified. It is no longer okay to interrogate and violate a person’s privacy because you are curious. We as a society need to start respecting the privacy of disabled people just like we would able-bodied people. We need to stop making assumptions and believing that disabled people are incapable of living a productive life like everyone else. Having a disability doesn’t mean inability. (Moody, image) Disabled people are more than capable of holding jobs, shopping at grocery stores, and doing any other active an able-bodied person can do. Yes, they may do things differently, but that doesn’t mean they can’t do it. Society needs to work on making things more accessible and that way a person with a disability doesn’t feel that it is their fault as to why they can’t be like everyone else. It is the time for inclusion and making it to where everyone prospers.

“Michael Oliver, excerpts from “Disability Definitions: The Politics of Meaning” from The Politics of Disablement: A Sociological Approach . Copyright © 1990 by Michael Oliver. Reprinted with the permission of the author and Palgrave Publishers Ltd."

Thomas G Couser, excerpt from “Disability, Life Narrative and Representation”

Young, S. (2014, April) “I’m not your inspiration” [ted Talk]

Moody, Rich. “Disability Doesn’t Mean Inability” [online image]

Wang .sharethis-inline-share-buttons{margin-top:10px; margin-right:-8px;}, K., 24, W. on D., Wang, K., Karen Wang is a Friendship Circle parent. You may have seen her sneaking into the volunteer lounge for ice cream or being pushed into the cheese pit by laughing children. She is a contributing author to the anthology "My Baby Rides the Short Bus: The Un, & View all 189 of Karen Wang's posts. (2013, December 24). Inspiration is not inclusion - friendship circle - special needs blog. Friendship Circle -- Special Needs Blog. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2013/12/24/inspiration-is-not-inclusion/. (image)

[unlikelydazesoul]

Sex and Gender Identity In Sports

Should transgender and intersex compete in woman’s sports? This has been   a controversial topic for years now. The biological difference between a male and female is clear, men are physically stronger. The natural testosterone produced from male bodies allows them to lift heavier, run faster, and hit harder than women. The quote “Men are the protectors” wasn’t created based off mental strength. Men from the beginning of time have been the hunters, and protectors. They have more muscle mass than women. Women are athletic if they are tenacious, but most men are genetically gifted with muscular physics. In the news interview linked below girls stand up to a high school allowing transgender women, who are still in the beginning of transition into female to compete in high school women’s sports. Now it is okay to identify as a woman, but to still be physically, and biologically male how is it fair for the male bodies to compete against females. I believe that people should be who they are but when it starts interfering with all the tenacious work women have done to get women sports in school this is back tracking. (CT, 2020)

In the article “What is Sex What is Gender: Reading 9: The Olympic Struggle over Sex” Professor Alice Dreger writes " Anatomists still think we should base our sex division in sports on some sort of biological feature, even if it means we have to just pick one. They point out that sports require us to create all sorts of rules that aren’t simply natural and self-evident, so why not do it here, too? " (Dreger,2013) The point I take from this statement is that women and men are clearly different biologically, therefore they should be separated in competitions based on physicality. If it were Chess, no big deal in fact things of mental challenge women and men compete on the same team, because it’s based off mental capability which is equal. There is a reason men and women don’t compete and it is because the male and female anatomy are completely different. Athletes don’t want to speak up on this due to the controversy, they don’t want to be referred to as a “bigot.” The biggest issue is that if this continues there really wouldn’t be a point in women playing sports at all. Therefore, the equality movement for women would go back by decades. At this point may as well combine the male and female teams. If biologically male men can compete in female sports, whets the point of having them in the first place? “There is no transparency here; we don’t fit the words to the bodies. Instead, it is the bodies that must fit the words” to say I am a woman, but you have the biology of a man, what credibility does that hold other than the feeling. It is okay, and accepted by myself and many to not feel like the gender you were born with, but with such a new concept boundaries are being broken, and lines are being crossed. I agree that you should be who you want, but if you show up to tract practice in a sports bra but obviously a male why does that make it okay to compete against natural women who have clear disadvantage over a born male. To just say you’re a woman and not physically be is okay, but it’s not okay to compete against the women who have been born with the physically and actual disadvantage of women.

A great example of words not matching bodies is in this video linked below. Zuby a male rapper who made a mockery of the current controversy. He went to a lifting competition and said, “I identify as a female” and ended up beating the world record by 250 lbs, then turning around and stating, “I now identify as a male.” He did this to prove a point of the insane behavior. Anyone, any man can go to a female competition and say they feel “like a woman” and compete. In my opinion it’s okay to be transgender, but it’s not okay to ruin records given by biologically born females. The hard work and dedication of these women is being thrown away for a male. In my opinion transgender should have their own league, Male sports, Women sports, trans women, and trans males. It’s now time to introduce two new categories to the leagues, not add to the current ones. That being said, I support trans rights, but I do not support the deterioration of women’s sports and women’s history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugzxb5zM-A4&t=52s https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/lawsuit-filed-over-transgender-athletes-in-girls-sports/2222910/

Stossel, J., Lancaster, J., Wolfe, L., Stossel, J., Bailey, R. and Shackford, S., 2021. Should Trans Women Compete Against Biological Women in Sports?. [online] Reason.com. Available at: <https://reason.com/2021/08/04/should-trans-women-compete-against-biological-women-in-sports/> [Accessed 9 December 2021]. " Alice  Dreger,  “The  Olympic  Struggle  for  Sex”  from  The Atlantic  Monthly  (July  2,  2013).  Copyright  ©  2013  by  Alice Dreger. Reprinted with the permission of the author." " Riki  Wilchins,  “All  Together  Now:  Intersex  Infants  and  IGM”  from    Queer  Theory,  Gender  Theory:  An  Instant  Primer      (Los   Angeles:   Alyson   Publications,   2004).     Copyright  ©  2004  by  Riki  Wilchins.  Reprinted  with  the  permission  of  the  author.  "

[unlikelydazesoul]

Privileges I Possess

1. When shopping in a store and reaching into my purse, I am not assumed to be stealing because of my race.

2. I can walk down the street in a neighborhood that I am not from and not be accused of breaking the law.

3. I can apply for a job that I choose and not be accused of special privilege if I were to be hired.

4. I can go to a protest without being harassed because of my skin color.

5. I can say whatever I want, when I want without being told to go back to my country.

6. I don’t have to justify or speak for all my race because I am white.

7. When watching TV, I can be sure that I will see majority of my race on the screen.

8. If I were to state that I was uncomfortable in any given situation, I know that I would be listened to because of my race.

9. If I have any problems at a store, I can talk to a manager that will look like me.

10. I don’t have to constantly justify my actions and watch every move I make because of my skin color.

11. If I were to yell the word “Rape”, I would be believed until proven otherwise because I am a white woman.

12. I have the privilege to make reckless decisions and not have to worry about deportation.

13. I can get away with murder and it be called self-defense because of my race.

14. I can go to the doctor and know I will be listened to and taken care of because of my race.

15. I don’t have to worry about feeling out of place in my work environment because everyone looks like me.

16. I don’t have to worry about being harassed by the police because of the color of my skin.

17. I don’t have to notice or even acknowledge my race because I am the norm.

18. I am seen as an individual instead of being held responsible for what my entire race does.

19. I can spend as much as I want in stores without being accused of taking money from the system.

20. I can make minimum wage and know labor laws will protect me because of my citizenship.

21. I don’t have to worry about making people feel uncomfortable because I look like a cisgender woman.

22. I can display a picture of my loved one on my desk without feeling judged or shunned because I am a straight woman.

23. I can go wherever I please without having to worry about special accommodations because I am an able-bodied individual.

I have lived a comfortable and uneventful life because of my privilege. I have never had to worry about being arrested because of the color of my skin or even having to watch my every move. It is because I am white that I am granted these special privileges. I have never had to worry about being accused of stealing or getting a job to reach a minority quota. I have never had to live in fear, and I know that all my needs will be taken care of if I ask. It’s hard to think about what my life would be like without these privileges that I have so carelessly underappreciated. If I didn’t have these special privileges, my life would be different. I would have to worry about things like healthcare, housing, police interaction, immigration and then some. I would have to think about the choices I make and how that will affect my race and not just myself. I am so easily granted these privileges that it doesn’t feel like a privilege, it just feels normal and safe. Peggy McIntosh said,” privilege is usually invisible to those who possess it; they may assume that everyone is treated as they are.” That is how I have looked at my privilege. I didn’t even realize I had privilege because that’s how society has made it. I don’t look at it as a privilege but as a normal way of life in which everyone has the same opportunities as me. In all reality, that is a lie. Special groups of people are given special treatment that makes it easier from some to succeed and others to not. Writing this list down helps me understand my privilege and how I can help those who are less fortunate.

Realizing that I am granted special privileges makes me want to help those who don’t. If I see someone being harassed, I can use my privilege to defend those in need. I can pull out my phone and record to make sure nothing is spun around to make it seem like the victim’s fault. If someone is being accused of something based on the color of their skin, I can call out their ignorance and educate those who are wrong to make sure those mistakes don’t happen again or to think twice about it the next time. I can use my privilege to call out the wrongs of those who are being injustice to make real change happen. We can’t let people continue to feel comfortable with spewing ignorance. We must be the change we want to see in the world. That is not to say that I have not faced some form of privilege and marginalization at the same time.

Being a woman and white does have some advantages and disadvantages. I can move freely because I am white but sometimes being a woman means I must be careful. I can’t walk down the street in the middle of the night without feeling like I am being watched. It is because I am a woman that I am sexualized and seen as an object. I am automatically seen as weak and in need of protection. I can’t just run for office and be taken seriously like a white man would. I must be stern yet gentle without coming off like a bitch. Women are not taken seriously because of our nature in the eyes of society. Yes, I have the privilege to run for office but that doesn’t mean that a woman will win. Another example of privilege is being able to say I was raped but the marginalized aspect would be that she was asking for it and if she wasn’t wearing that, she would have never been raped. Being white means I have more of a voice but being a woman also hinders my voice. My skin color equals out my gender. We are only heard to an extent when situations don’t matter and when change does not need to occur. The same could be said for employment when a woman is being paid less in the same positions held by a man. There is no reason for the unequal pay other than that I am a woman. I can still have privilege and not be taken seriously in society. Being a woman and white intersects in my case.

" McIntosh, Peggy. 1989. White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Peace and Freedom. July/August (no page numbers). Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley, MA"