Ageism in the U.S.

As an increasingly visual-based society, we tend to take social cues from mass media.  How we should act, speak, dress in certain situations, to treating certain groups of people in a particular way. Unfortunately, the media’s portrayals of elderly of our society are mostly negative. When we see an old woman or man on television, they are usually fulfilling a stereotype of a grumpy, scheming, or incompetent “old” person. In United States, we glorify and sexualize youthfulness and thus perpetuating the media’s portrayal of the elderly occurs on many levels of social behavioral and cultural aspects. With the modernization of the economy, we have monetized human labor, disregarding human wisdom or mutual compassion between age groups. This has led to an increase of the general attitude that the elderly and caretaking for them is a burden, a choice, and I believe this is because there is no tangible benefit in caretaking or respecting the elderly. There is the benefit of increasing human compassion/awareness, and cultural identity; but again, if it cannot be monetized, it is not beneficial in our capitalist society.

The common myths and misconceptions about the elderly ranges from all old people are senile, are all the same, incompetent, hard or hearing, and unproductive. Notice how most of these qualities can be affixed to systems that do not produce quality products? Applying economic attitudes to the cultural and social aspects of a country can create a sense of distance between groups, a gap that is prone to building discrimination, prejudice, and even abuse between both groups.

Therefore, understanding that one can capitalize of the image of youth, some elderly of our society have turned to the Goffmanian theory of perception of oneself. They use makeup, botox, exercise, and other activities to make others perceive them as younger than they truly are. They place their self-worth in how well they can maintain this perception, and feel respected if they are treated as part of an age group below their real one. They are also retiring at a later age than the conventional 65 years; for they again, place self-worth in working the same or similar job they’ve worked when they were younger. (Rice University,2014)

The pressure to conform to the youthful standard to be respected isn’t universal; even though growing evidence is showing an increase in some parts of the world of elderly needing institutionalized caretaking because of the dearth or decrease of filial piety in caretaking the elderly. For example, in Asian countries; such as India; extended family is still a very conventional family structure, especially in the rural areas of the country. The elderly are majorly supported and sheltered by their sons and in return, teach the children about cultural values, norms, and other skills they have. Some of the challenges they are beginning to face is the forward movement in India towards industrialization. I predict the same system of institutionalized care of the Western countries will began to become a norm there as well.

Resources:-

http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/p/peterson-gray.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/malcolm-prowle/ageing-population-challenges-_b_3609175.html

http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/older-people-are-what-they-think-study-shows/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wise/201101/myths-aging

Homelessness @ Different Social Scientific Perspectives

Identify key issues that a psychologist, sociologist, cultural anthropologist, economist, and political scientist would consider in regard to homelessness. What might we learn if the disciplines and sub-disciplines between them connect and a more interdisciplinary approach is taken?

Watching Glen Anderson’s interview with three social workers from Thurston County, Washington; we learn about the state of the homeless systems that are at state, social, and federal level. We learn that there is a clear fragmented ideal of the homelessness issue in this county, which a reflection of the issue in the country, overall. The recent programs and systems grew out of interdisciplinary studies and the application of them at local and social levels. For an indepth explanation; let us examine the issues that each social science disciple would individually address:-

Psychological: As Jill Severn, the board member of Panza states, “a significant number of homeless people have experienced severe trauma, and have had really difficult childhoods, while the adult chronically homeless; mental illness is a huge factor.” A psychologist would therefore, consider the background mental and emotional stability in determining the causes and effects of homelessness. They may question how self-medicating can lead to self-harming behaviors such as addiction, or chemical and drug abuse. There is a whole range of issues that psychologist can touch, as a separate approach to this issue. 

Cultural Anthropological: As Teresa Slusher and Jill Severn discussed the Whack-a-mole policy; where homeless people are required and reprimanded for squatting on sidewalks or in public; we began to understand the stigmas that lay upon the whole homeless spectrum. Societies do not want to deal with homeless people, treating them as outcasts, as criminals even, for simply being homeless which is nonsensical. An Anthropologist may approach the issue by studying the relationships between societies attitudes with the homeless. They may wonder, is the absolute coldness displayed or total disregard in fact a defense mechanism in place that hides a personal and inherent fear of instability within the society member? What can alleviate or change the perspectives of homeless people in a society, or how does these perspectives effect at a personal and social level over time. 

Economical: An economist, such as Tereasa Slusher, who as a housing coordinator, “crunches numbers” as a major part of her job to reduce homelessness. She identifies a couple reasons using “Gap Analysis” of why people are homeless, and economically tries to approach the problem. For example, she is a supporter and implementer of the permanent and rapid housing programs which apply services such as sobriety and other addiction rehabilitation after housing the ideal is; after taking care of basic needs, a person would be better equipped to address his emotional and behavioral needs; which would therefore, reduce the costs of long-term rehabilitation, etc. And not surprisingly; the studies done on participants of the program had reduced the alcoholic usage by 50%, among other positive variables. Therefore, we can see an economist would question the best economical way to approach the issue, asking questions such as, how can we connect shelters with outcomes, rather than inputs, or filling up a certain number of beds per night, or how can we improve a system to work more efficiently with the least amount of input? 

Political Scientifically: Again, returning to the Whack-a-mole policy as its called in the social work system; people are by law incarcerated for doing things in public that they have no option to do anywhere else due to their homelessness; such as relieving themselves, panhandling, or squatting on sidewalks. A political scientist would question how these policies and laws can affect the homeless issue in itself, it is a positive or negative effect, or is it even having the desired effect or not. 

Sociological: Theresa Slusher speaks a lot of segments of the homeless population; which is a sociological approach. She has identified 5 major issues in her gap analysis which include single men and women shelters, youth shelters, and low-barrier shelters. She also says, only 4/10 of the population is homeless, “there isn’t this huge group that needs help, so we should help as much as we can.” A sociologist would analyze the homeless population in respect to the whole population of the county, or country as a whole; and the different fragments or types of homeless people and their intercorrelated needs as a societal group. 

I believe the fragmentation of each of these disciplines is detrimental in two ways; the long-term and short-term. In the long-term; the system will began to lead to a dead end; for example; a homeless person discharged into the streets due to no social or communal place/support for this person to be until he or she is physically and mentally stable to care for basic needs and necessities. If the economical and social disciplines worked together; they would’ve been able to address this simple yet important issue. Another example would be the social stigmas that are associated and perpetuated by homeless people. This is so disadvantageous to the society as a whole because such attitudes only perpetuate the issue even more; as one homeless person told Jill Severn; “I felt like a ghost before coming to Quixote Camp, because people would not even notice me, or looked right through me.” In the short-term; systems like rapid-housing and low-barrier shelters would be more widespread if the economical and political science disciples could meld sources and create a system where there is a budget for housing projects and makes policies where low-barrier shelters are available around the country. In conclusion; I think not only will the interdisciplinary outlook on this issue be beneficial to the homeless, but to the society as a whole; for it will build bridges where there is so few. As Jill Severn states, “we are infants, in many ways, in developing relationships with community partners.”

Thoughts on the Cancer-Cell Injections Case

In  July of the year 1963; three doctors at Jewish Disease Hospital in Brooklyn, New York had injected twenty-two chronically ill patients with active cancer cells with the intention to observe the regression process in patients of their condition. The ethical dilemma that arises in this situation, is the fact that no written consent was ever taken from the patients, indeed the patients were not informed that they were being injected with active cancer cells at all; and rather, the researchers did the injections on the patient’s assumption that it was a routinely medical procedure.

The purpose of the study conducted by the petitioners or researchers was to affirm that the homograft rejection reaction would be as fast as it was in a healthy patient which was between four to six weeks. They hypothesized that the rate would be normal or near normal in the patients who had chronic or debilitating diseases at the contrast of cancer patients who reflected a delayed regression period of over six weeks to three months.

The procedure that was conducted on the chronically-ill patients at the Jewish Disease Hospital was not unlike the Nazi scientist’s experimental studies upon the human subjects incarcerated in concentration camps. Each of the twenty-two patients was injected with a hypothermic injection of a suspension of tissue-cultured cells in to sites on their body; either their inner thigh or arm. Observations were then done of the sites at weekly intervals till regression was completed; the growing lumps on the site grew to about 2cm before exhibiting the regression stage of the cancerous growth.

When there was no consent taken from the patients, it is a violation of the human right to their own body; which states that they have a right to choose what to be done with or to it, unless there is a dire medical emergency. While no direct harm was received by the patients, besides being invasively injected, the actual fact that their consent was not taken, is a violation that caused the physician’s licenses to be put upon probation, after much deliberation.

I personally was not familiar with this study and case. I do feel that the fact that the physicians only received probation was not duly acceptable, especially when it was clear in their writings and statements that they had only a clinical interest in their patients as subjects while the cancer cells study was in progress, makes a violation of their Hippocratic Oath extremely likely.

References:-

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/history/rothman/COL476I5027.pdf

Language is Key

This is going to be my final journal; and I honestly am already feeling nostalgic about it. I’ve been regularly posting my journals on my blog that I started in high school so I have a record of my thoughts in that particular time and a timeline of my mental intellectual progression.

So here goes!

This week; we went back to the basics and cracked open Richard D. Bucher’s “Diversity Consciousness.”  We learned about topics such as Teamwork, Leadership, and Communicating in a Diverse World. I’d like to share my experiences of being bilingual, or trilingual; for I can read, speak, and write English, Arabic, and Urdu in varying degrees.

We learned that, “Communication skills are a specific form of diversity skills.” (Bucher, 2010 p.154) When we have a capability to communicate effectively, it broadens our range of people we can speak to. For example, I live in Southern Maryland, which has a large population of Hispanic- Americans. Now, some of the Hispanic Americans have elderly parents of grandparents who don’t speak any language but Spanish. I remember one time, meeting my neighbor, Miguel’s grandmother while she was watering her flowers. I wanted to let her know that I thought her garden was beautiful, yet due to the language barrier I wasn’t able to communicate my words and thoughts. I felt extremely frustrated and helpless, and thinking about this, I can picture how she must’ve felt living in America where she cannot understand the majority of the people. It really narrows your world and your capacity of expression.

We see here that, “Our individual and cultural backgrounds influence the way we communicate. The most obvious example is the language we learn and use.” (Bucher, 2010 p.156) Being bilingual really is a cultural factor. When I speak in Urdu, my thinking processes and speaking tone, attitude changes, as it does when I speak English, or Arabic. It is a true blessing of languages that it engages so much of us and ourselves into speaking, not just the words, but how we change the way we think and act.

Speaking English, with which I am most comfortable with, I tend to speak louder, quicker, and with emphasis on the beginning of the words. I am confident that I am saying exactly what I want to say; therefore my style of speaking reflects my confidence, as well as the clarity of my thoughts. I think and make connections much faster as well, my thoughts are filed in my head into blunt and clear to read “files.” If I’m trying to recall a place in, say TN; I remember that it was called Gatlinsburg; and this word prompts a flood of winter break memories. And I love that about language.

Speaking and thinking in Urdu is a bit more complex. When around native speakers, It is obvious I am not speaking my native language, yet they comment on how well I speak it nevertheless. I believe I have a natural ability to just pick up little cues and mannerisms that come along with speaking a language ( like how Italians speak with their hands!) and when I speak a certain language, especially Urdu, it naturally just becomes part of my expression. Urdu is very respectful. There are certain ways you would speak to a man, a woman, a child, an elder man, and elder woman, your mother, etc. Therefore, all these rules create a sense of roundabout ways to speak. There isn’t a possible way to speak very directly in Urdu without using words that evoke a sense of rudeness. Also, some inanimate things are ascribed male and female attributes, so thus if you speak, for example to your mother about putting something on the table, you would refer to the table as a “male” noun and your mother as a “mother female noun.” Yet Urdu is melodious, and when someone speaks it well; the ideal is to express yourself in a way that the listeners feel like they were part of the process of your statements. Sounds confusing but let’s see if an example can clarify this. Okay, if I am trying to tell my mother that I bought a very expensive pair of shoes, I would explain it in Urdu that I’ve bought some shoes, but what are your thoughts on it? How do you think they look on me? Do you agree that they are suitable? And thus you relay the fact that you’ve bought these shoes, and have assured that they approved of it by involving their input into your purchase, and that you can wear them. This ideal can apply not only on parents but on friends as well; so what Urdu does is emphasizes the community above the self. Any decisions you make should somehow or someway attribute back to the community.

Arabic is an extremely beautiful language. It is the language of poets, singers, and of the Holy Quran. In Islam, we are told it is the language of the heavens; everyone in heaven will speak it, including the angels. It’s emphasizes the use of the whole mouth, throat and even chest muscles to speak it, and therefore a person experiences a sense of transcendence or a physical connection with his or her words. When I speak or recite Arabic; I feel myself falling into a pattern of thinking where I try to speak where the words meld together and create a cohesive whole. The whole ideal, when speaking Arabic is that I believe, make your thoughts seem as put-together as they sound, and native speakers will do their best to join one idea to the next so the conversation sounds like one train of thought when in actuality, it may be two or three. Reciting Arabic, specifically the Quran is very peaceful; even when one is doing is best to recite following all the methods of speaking it, from the mouth to the chest. You feel a sense of organization and a gain a bigger picture of subjects, than you would in English or Urdu.

I am, in no way speaking for the general public, these statements are of course based upon what I can infer from other speakers and from my own experiences as a trilingual speaker. I truly believe that speaking more than one language makes it easier to learn others, as well as, expand the pool of people you can meet and communicate with; which makes life that much more enriched and valuable.

Thank You,

SFK

References:-

Bucher, Richard D. Diversity consciousness: opening our minds to people, cultures, and opportunities. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.

Parting Thoughts for My BEHS220 Class

I think this was one of the most interactive course I’ve taken, even more so than the hybrid course I took! I think the sheer amount of personal thoughts and creativity, diverse expressions, and most of all; the group project really made this class one of the best I’ve ever been in.

The Group Project was literally done, at least for us, through blood, sweat, and tears. Everyone in my group put so much work and thought into this while juggling four different schedules and personalities. The project brought out a side I believe in each of us, that we usually hide away, and so this, I believe was the biggest contribution to our diversity awareness. I also made a friend that I’ve learned so much from and is and will be an inspiration throughout my life. And for that I have to thank our amazing professor.

Having an amazing instructor is always the focal reason, I believe, for optimum class experience. Dr. Lea, you’ve been such a help throughout our journey in how we learned to express and engage ourselves in topics that are considered controversial in our societies today. I felt like more than just a professor, you were a cheerleader for each and every one of us through the rocky road of building our diversity awareness, and I appreciate that so much, especially when today’s greatest and most valuable commodity is time.

Your coaching us through the group project, responding to our journal entries with thoughtful and encouraging comments, and answering our questions with detailed responses all contributed to a such a great atmosphere of support and encouragement; that I feel that everyone of us had responded with going above and beyond  their comfort zone to produce the best work possible.

Walking away from this class; I think some of the most important things I’ve learned are: the importance of communication and having an open mind. We live in the Information Age and no matter what society conditions us to believe, we must become a two-way street; communicating our ideas and thoughts, while keeping our minds and hearts open to receive and understand others. And I think all my classmates can vouch that point as well.

Thoughts on Migrant Workers

While conducting the interview for our Different Perspectives project; I’ve come to learn that my interviewee was a victim of exploitation through a guest worker program. This opened a whole new door for me, because as an individual who knows about living in no other country but here, to the extent that I don’t even own a passport; the ideal of such lack of respect to another human commited by Americans was hard for me to grasp. I thought, like many people, that the “average trafficking victims are from the poorest, most isolated communities.” (Adams et al. 2013 p.188) Learning about Lul’s story, I found that this was not always the case, for example, Lul’s mother was a graduate of Oxford University, one of the most prestigious universities of the world; and to imagine her daughter being exploited at the degree she was as an au pair in Michigan was very hard for me comprehend. Coincidentally; last week’s readings were also on the topics of migrant worker explosions and they really helped me understand the situation from an overall point of view.

I’ve learned that “international migration is relatively unregulated.” (Adams et al 2013 p.189) Which brings about a whole host of issues of debt bondage, forced labor, document servitude, and sex trafficking. Why and How? Well when people are brought into the country and do not understand their place in the country, for example if they are here on as a guest worker, as Lul was, before she got her student visa and green card; and have had their travel expenses paid through an organization, they have to work to pay off that debt. Now if the work assignments are not regulated, exploitation is so easy to occur. Where I work, since it is a non-profit organization; our contracts are extremely basic and open; to the point, at the end of the day I have done work of up to five different positions besides my own. Yet, according to my contract, I am only working as an office manager and nothing else and with no documentation of the actual work done, there is no way I can say I have done more and above what my position asks of me.

Therefore, I believe that documentation of work and actual duties should be outlined in guest worker contracts; very clearly, and Article 32 actually does give some suggestions of how U.S. can implement better controls over the situations and one of the few I feel that should be implemented as soon as possible are, “ examine guest worker programs tp reduce vulnerabilities, conduct briefings for domestic workers of foreign diplomats to ensure that they know their rights, and expand anti-trafficking outreach, services, and training in the insular areas.” (Adams et al. 2013 p. 190)  the reason that I believe these recommendations should be implemented are because we do have many programs for foreigners to work here, there are many ways that they may be exploited, and thus every foreigner, no matter what program they are part of, should be briefed of the rights they have here. If Lul knew she had the right to report on her employers for the mistreatment they did to her, she may not have had to be in the position for that whole year, working herself sick but unable to tell anyone, not even her own sister. Also, even if she knew her right to report or claim basic rights that are not given to her; where would she have been able to report on them? She didn’t drive, so she couldn’t have driven out to a police station or otherwise and explained her situation. Expanding the anti-abuse services to a point that every foreigner, not only knows his or her rights, they are in the position of being able to also exercise that right makes the difference between venerability and empowerment.

Thank You,

References:-

Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H., Peters, M., Zuniga, X., (2013).  Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York: Routledge.

Bioethics:- Do you Agree with Dr.Nuckols??

Dr. Beverly B. Nuckols states, ““Bioethics” has become the formal study of who we can kill and enslave by designating them not human-enough to possess the basic human rights not to be killed or enslaved.” (Nuckols, 2010)

First of all, what is bioethics?

According to Michigan State University’s Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences; Bioethics is an activity; it is a shared, reflective examination of ethical issues in health care, health science, and health policy. There are many inter and multi disciplinary fields in bioethics, which I believe is due to the fact that it encompasses issues across all the life sciences. The basic goals of bioethics are an effort to successfully apply moral reasoning to the issues that require ethical insight.

Now, Do I agree with Dr. Nuckols on his statement?

I believe, in my limited understanding, that bioethics is more of an empirical approach to the moral landscape of sciences. We use bioethics to weigh the consequences of our actions and see if our decisions have valuable consequences, on either side of the issue. I also believe that using rational thought in some case studies may seem quite unethical and inhumane, because we do not consider or disregard the importance of human moral standards.  For example, Obama Administration had signed an executive order lifting the restrictive ban upon embryonic stem cell research on March 9, 2009. (CBSNews, 2009)  This had instigated a great deal of moral and ethical issues, for embryos for stem cell research are usually obtained from fertility and abortion clinics. Now, if a woman is given financial compensation to donate her embryo to stem cell research, there is a likelihood that she will. Also, looking at embryos with a clinical eye, more stem cells can be harvested from an older embryo, giving rise to another issue of where is the line drawn of when it becomes infanticide. (GSLC, 2014)  So I do agree with Dr. Nuckols, absolutely when dealing with human biological material, that this field is where we try to answer to ourselves, how far we can toe the line before it becomes scientific research for the betterment of the general public or pure murder.

References:-

GSLC "The Stem Cell Debate: Is It Over?." The Stem Cell Debate: Is It Over?. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. < http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/stemcells/scissues/>

"Obama Ends Stem Cell Research Ban." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-ends-stem-cell-research-ban/

The Stem Cell Debate: Is It Over? (n.d.). Michigan State University Retrieved March 15, 2014, from http://www.bioethics.msu.edu/about/whatisbioethics

A Dialogue in Black and White

I loved this week’s conferences and topics; I was able to touch upon ideals that I had, yet really didn’t take the time out to examine them under a social scientist’s gaze or intuition. So I thank you for that!

Article 22; “A Dialogue in Black and White” is a phenomenal read. Technically, it is a transcription of a conversational interview of two inspiring women; Andrea Ayvazian and Beverly Daniel Tatum who cross racial and social borders to enact a friendship that is a true inspiration to everyone. In Andrea’s words:

“Beverly and I call that first professional collaboration during which our relationship was formed, “our trial by fire.”  And later she states, as she and Beverly discussed many delicate issues of race early on in their relationship for their work; they attributed this to being “a bonding experience.” (Adams et al. 2013 p. 128)

I find this statement reflective because the social norm in this society is to be very casual in your relationships. To “network” rather than “develop” relationships, to “imply” rather than “state;” the causality of social living is effectively chipping away our humanity. Rather extreme statement and obtuse, but I’d like to see how far I can contemplate this state of affairs.

When we become personal in our relationships for example, what do we mean by that [being personal]? Well, as Beverly states, “One of the things that have been important is that at the beginning of our relationship there was an examination of our values.” (Adams et al. 2013 p.128)

Examining and sharing values, I believe is the key to developing and knowing a person. A person once told me that he was dating a girl so seriously that they were at the point of announcing their engagement, when one day; her parents asked him, “So Kyle; are you a Christian?” He was an atheist and for the two-three years he knew this girl; they never discussed this vital piece of information. Needless to say, he was forbidden to meet/see that girl ever again. This shocks me, yet it does make sense to me, that in this society we are trained to only speak on the obvious connective lines, such as work, mutual friends, and other common grounds. Now, I’m not saying these points are also important in creating relationships, but I’m speaking of the lack of disregard to develop deeper and stronger relationships.

When we move towards developing meaningful relationships, we began another path of learning. Just as Beverly and Andrea worked hard to be open and mutually respected each other in their relationship, and so should we in our relationships. I’m twenty years old; but I’m still learning from my mother and our relationship is still growing and developing as we both watch ourselves respond to the environment and share our responses.

I respect her so much more, and I know that the more she shares is an indication of her trust that I am mature enough to handle it, and that humbles me. While a mother-daughter relationship may be vastly different than having a friendship; I still believe that every relationship should be where there is a mutual respect and an openness to discuss deeper subjects if needs be. 

Resources:-

Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H., Peters, M., Zuniga, X., (2013).  Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York: Routledge.

Conference # 2 for Diversity Consciousness Class - Let's Pretend not to see any differences between us all

In what ways do whiteness or CIS-ness not get seen?

According to Williams; “whitness is desciribed as the abscene of color.” (Adams, et al. 2013 p.120) If you aren’t myriads of other minorities; you are white. The sense of exclusivity towards other races is never really implied, but certainly acted upon. “Whiteness is unnamed, suppressed, beyond the realm of race. (Adams, et al. 2013 p.120) When you are bracketed as a race, you understand the limits placed upon you, yet as a white; there is no limitations placed simply on color. I personally have experienced this while reading autobiographies. If I am reading a biography of a, say, African-American; you can be sure there will be a chapter where that certain person relates how he came to terms with his or her race and how the limitations effected him or her. On the other hand, if I pick up an autobiography, of say, a socialite in the 1930s; her race would almost never be mentioned, and if it was it would only be in relation to other races. Not as a “coming to terms,” or “coming of age as a white,” sort of ideal, as it would be for another race.

In what ways are the disabled, non-white, and transgendered not seen/ignored because they make may make some people uncomfortable by not fitting conveniently into a box.

People who are a minority, disables, or transgendered challenge an adult’s firmly established ideals of the world. These topics are treated “as though it were an especially delicate category of social infirmity.” (Adams et Al. 2013 p.121) Thus, they are avoided, and what really irks me, is that the adults also further their views onto their children, creating from the very beginning, a sense of inclusivity. Dressed as a Muslim, children tend to ask questions outright as, “why are you wearing that, can you still hear me in that, are you a princess? (Yes these are real questions I’ve gotten!) And as someone who was taught by being encouraged to ask questions, I find their questions adorable and an indication that their power of observance is at its sharpest. I do not hesitate to stop and explain, yet I’ve noticed, usually if the child is from a Caucasian background, he or she is quickly told to “hush up” and “don’t be rude.” And neither will they explain who or what we are, so now the child will associate every Muslim woman he sees as someone that should be avoided and not spoken about. I love the parents who would bring their child up to me, to show them that a person, no matter how he or she dresses, is still a human being that must be respected, yet these parents are usually from a minorities group. I believe it’s simply fear of the unknown and unpredictable. I’ve also worked with a non-verbal autistic boy all my life, and now I understand his tics, that I get frustrated when people back away from him in public places if he speaks too loud or he displays his tics. He isn’t harming you by being a bit louder than usual, and as a special needs child, shouldn’t he be given “special” attention in any case? Rather than be ignored and avoided? I don’t think, as a society as a whole, as learned to accept the various definitions of  “human.”

How would you react when interacting with members of groups your rarely see/interact with (perhaps the disabled or gay/lesbian/bi/transgendered/queer folks?

I’ve been simply stumped on this question, so I asked my mother, and she responded with; “You interact with everyone the same, this is not a question that applies to you.” Let me clarify:

Dr. Lea is asking the opinion of “we.” Now, while I do consider myself a member of the American society, by enculturation is mostly Islamic. Therefore I find this week’s discussion not very applicable. Our religion, first of all has all, the nationalities in the world. Being educated is actually an obligation in our religion and thus, from a very young age, I knew the differences of people, whether it was race, religion, gender, etc and understood the implications of knowing those differences on me. Let me give an example, before this seems too confusing. I grew up in graduate university apartments because my father was still completing his masters in biochemistry. We had a very diverse upbringing where my parents always told me, things like, “Anna, your friend upstairs is Chinese, she speaks a different language that uses pictures, Clara next door is German, her family is from Europe, Marependa is Kenyan; her traditional clothing is made with stamp printing, I think the ideal that my parents were trying to pass on was that learn as much as you can about all these different people and enrich and create your own identity based upon your interactions with them. So I never avoided or distanced myself from another person. It could also be a sense of social responsibility, if I see a disabled person, I would rather keep an eye out for a chance that he or she needs help, that’s also the reason I went and got my certification in CPR & First Aid. Or if I meet someone, like I did yesterday, who grew up in Utah as part of a very strict Mormon community, I did my best to ask questions that will make me understand andappreciate her background. After all, don’t we all want to be appreciated?

Why do we so NOT want to see differences and what does this mean for true integration within our very diverse culture?

Williams talks about a term called “triage.” Sometimes people don’t want to acknowledge that people may live differently than themselves because it questions their mode of living and thus a person will become uncertain. Or so it the ideal. Triage is where it’s used to “convey an urgency of limited resources. If there’s not enough to go around, then those with the leas should be written off first because it will take more to save them anyway.” (Adams et Al. 2013 p.122) What makes me laugh at this assumption is that, the reality is the complete opposite. People who are used to destitution and poverty are resilient and extremely strong; mentally, physically, and emotionally. Therefore, if they receive even a bit more sustenance than usual, they will use it to the utmost capacity and benefit, because poverty has enabled them to think in a way where every aspect of that sustencene is used in the best possible ways. For example, if a native happened to own a television in Mid-Africa, where poverty is rampant; they are obliged and feel socially responsible to share this privilege with others, yes, there is a sense of flaunting, but most importantly, they would feel guilty if they didn’t.

Now if a person who is used to too many privileges and is placed in a situation where he doesn’t have them, he is immediately debilitated. Let’s take something really simple as an example. Clean Water. We all know, if we go into the kitchen, there is immediate access to water. Water that is in its reasonably true color, form, and taste. Yet, for many people, clean water is a privilege; some do not even know water can be clear, rather than a muddy brown. Many of my friends who’ve traveled overseas, especially to South Asia have always warned me that the water makes every American sick until he or she is acclimated to it, or resorts to bottled water. So there is a recognizable amounr of physical and financial drain in this situation I would imagine, as the person is acclimating himself to the dirty, pesticide-filled water, his health is suffering and if he would rather buy bottled water, he is financial tied to act of drinking water!

Do we want full integration?

Does America want full integration? I would like to say so; yet it is an ideal, not something that someone would sweat blood and tears for, yet.

What would that mean?

Full integration to me means, a world where everyone is recognized and appreciated for their contributions to society, and their recognition is not hindered in any way due to religion, race, or gender.

How might it look?

There would definitely be less fighting. I think another meaning of integration is respect. When we learn that the person next to us, no matter his color, his disability or lack of it, his gender, or religion is just as worthy of respect as you, or even more; you will find it hard to disrespect them or treat them in a lowly manner. 

Ageism Discussion Point # 3

Your point that the solution is in "coming to terms with ourselves" couldn't be more true, Safiyyah.  What do folks think this would mean?  Do we marginalize the young or old as a function about how we feel about our own youth / fears of aging?

I personally believe “coming to terms with ourselves” points to the level of self-esteem and self-confidence we have within our own skins. People may define it in many ways, depending on who they are. An African-American may define it as understanding his or her place in the world as a person of color, or they may define it as a person who represents the United States, or even their hometown. Coming to terms for some, can mean knowing and acknowledging the privileges one has, and being grateful and giving in return. It can mean so many things!

In the context of age; I do feel like our associations are limited between age groups. This is because people in the public school system are segregated by age. Before, during the concept on one-room schoolhouse, we didn’t have an issue of ageism, because interactions between different age groups occurred in all areas of life, at home, in school, in church, etc. I can see evidence today as well in the Amish community; where they still practice the one-room schoolhouse theory, and thus the children have been conditioned to know how to behave with every age group, as well as type of person. Now, we teach children to segregate themselves, “She’s a Kindergarten Student, I’m a 2^nd Grader, Oh I can’t play with big boys, I have to play with my friends, etc” When people began associating the same-age group with their only social group and thus the only group they allowed to make friends from; you are setting the stage for Ageism.

Fast forwarding, each group is then taught to marginalize the other. It’s a basic concept to break a unity of a community. If a community’s elders, whose experiences grant them wisdom, and the community’s youngsters, who can physically act upon the advice of the elders join ideals and thoughts, they can cause many changes in their environment. Rather morbid example, but look at Hitler! He was able to cause a horrific genocide, of millions of people, through joining the minds of every German citizen, young, old, rich, or poor. 

Journal #2 for Diversity Consciousness Class - Ageism

My journal entry today will be an expansion on the definition of Ageism towards elders. I feel like I’ve come to realize, as I’m growing into an adult in an adult environment, how youth’s mistakes and attitudes shall always be unpredictable and changing, so attuned to the time & place, that it’s rather useless, in my opinion, to discuss and attempt to remedy the situation. So here I’d like to attempt to understand Ageism towards elders.

Ageism, as we’re told is, “a form of systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people, simply because they are old. (Adams et al. p. 559) This can entail many things, in the social aspect; people may degrade an aged person by calling them names, denying them equal treatment, ignoring their opinions in a group setting, and/or stereotyping them. In the workplace, they may be chosen last to do upcoming projects or even denied a renewal in their work contracts on the basis of their age. The ways to discriminate are endless, because a person’s interactions with others are countless till he dies.

Now, discrimination may not be unfounded. As our text states, “Some profound and common problems of old age are, mobility problems, dementia, and incontinence, which are unattractive and provoke a negative response. (Adams et al. p. 563)  

Why is this an issue? I feel like, as a person ages and exhibits signs of age, these should be respected and understood, rather than using them as a basis to justify our negative reactions. The life they’ve lived, no matter how insignificant, is still a full life that we haven’t lived, or even have the guarantee to live. They have experienced many things that have given them a chance to relate insights, some that may seem completely illogical, but may have a far-reaching effect that we, in our current phase of life, will not be able to grasp the understanding of.

Last summer, I’ve worked with an eighty-six year old World War II veteran to write his memoir. I was intrigued by the patience he had, he was discriminated as a black man all his life, yet he still manages to accomplish so much, being deployed multiple times overseas, lived a moralistic life, worked hard, had children, and was loved by everyone he met. His acceptance of who he was and self-confidence, and hard work made him content and able to do exactly what he wanted to do in life, despite the hardships. That is a great life, a life that is a lesson to me and everyone else. How and why would I discriminate against him, or even justifiably justify discrimination? If I do justify it, then I should be able to justify it for every old person I meet. And that isn’t possible. In our society in America, we are taught to value a person’s worth by materialistic components. How well can a person perform in a workplace, how much money does he have, how big is his home, etc. So when a group of people display another type of mentality or moral of their lives, they are immediately marginalized. This may seem like an extreme example to some, but look at the Amish community. They have completely different lifestyle, so much so, that the interactions with the real world are limited as well. Why? It isn’t that they are hidden away, why there is a huge Amish community in Maryland, right in St. Mary’s county. Yet the majority of people who visit and interact them are other minorities. Is this evidence of America’s attitude towards anyone who displays otherworldly morals and values?

Resources:-

Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H., Peters, M., Zuniga, X., (2013).  Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York: Routledge.s

Been MIA, but back!
I'm going to keep this blog as I've originally planned it to be; a place where I share the papers I've written for uni, and see the progression of improvements in my writing. Also, I've expressed so many thoughts and ideals, that I'd love to share with everyone else. So here goes!

Number Uno: For my Diversity Class, we had a discussion point where we had to discuss Ageism. Here is my response:

Reading through our assigned readings this week; I’m struck that Ageism is an actual stereotyping, just like racial and gender profiling. As we’re told, Ageism is, “a form of systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people, simply because they are old. (Adams et al. 2013 p. 559)

People refer to old people in this society with derogatory and patronizing names, and even treat them with disrespect and subpar manners. Unfortunately this ideal and concept has been promoted in our society through media, because decades back, adults and elders were considered, as they still are in many societies around the world, as respected leaders and wise people who are the reason we’re still doing the right thing. I think the fact that our society treats elders with so much disrespect, and actively promotes in media and through television, why statistics show evidence that, “approximately 70% of older men and more than 80% women seen on television are portrayed disrespectfully, treated with little, if any courtesy, and often looked as “bad.” (Adams et al. 2013 p. 561)

I’ve been one of the lucky ones, I’d like to say; we weren’t exposed to too much television because my mother did believe the cartoons children my age were watching promoted disrespect to parents, and even some books I wasn’t allowed to read because of the name-calling that was found in them. As I’m older and working in a school; I am very appreciative that my parents were aware of the long-term effects of such seemingly insignificant details in our upbringing. Now I can think clearly and logically, without my judgment being colored by any irrational or corrupting social influences.

Therefore, I’ve always considered an elder person, and having a relationship with them, as an opportunity. An opportunity to learn and to be a service to them, as they have served our community and society in their youth. Isn’t this the best ideal, where you work hard and be the best you can be, and when the day comes where you can’t perform to the best of your abilities due to age, that is the time you are appreciated and pampered for everything you’ve done? Or else, what’s the point of life?

In our society, according to our texts, that, “taking away validation of work or purposeful activities, and demeaning the capacity of love, are surely the most profound forms of age prejudice.” (Adams et al. 2013 p.561) We treat older adults as incapable of living life on the basis of how we expect a life to be lived. I think that’s absolutely erroneous and irrationally judgmental.

Youth, though, are also judged and discriminated against. I believe the ideal, “Children are seen as future, older people, the past,” (Adams et al. 2013 p. 562) causes people to do whatever they can to deny that reality. People are conditioned in this society to fear aging, to fear death, and to idolize the ideal of youth. Why? There are many reasons why, but again, according to the reading; it’s a way to discourage our youth to amount to anything and thus usurp the positions and status we hold now, today. Thus, to belittle their opinions, try their minor offences as major ones, treat them like nothing better than a burden, all of these attitudes displayed by an adult towards a youth are conditioned to “teach them their place.” I remember writing a speech on media and their portrayal of youth, and this topic brings up some of the points I’ve made. If I may, I’d like to share a paragraph. Please keep in mind I was only 17 when I wrote/spoke this, so hence the plaintive tone!

“We are perceived and stereotyped so strongly; you see a girl wearing black; and immediately our  high exposure to the media causes us to think, “ oh she’s a Goth” or if we pass by a guy with long hair, “Oh a skater dude.” It’s true that as humans we are judgmental; it’s in our nature, we judge others to know where we belong, yet I believe teens are judged too quickly and harshly. The truth is; we aren’t as strident and rigid in our beliefs and customs as people may perceive us to be. We tend to blend aspects of different things and ideals in an effort to make it uniquely ours. We’re still growing up; we have barely a score of a lifetime lived; how can you justifiably judge us if you judge us by media’s standard? Everyone knows you can’t trust the media; so why do you? What is wrong with reality? If adults do not want to come to terms with the fact that we are their replacements in the next fifty or so years; then so be it; just don’t make us deal with your insecurities. We have enough of our own.”

Which group do you think faces more discrimination?

I believe both groups receive about the same amount of discrimination, yet one of my classmates, Tina, brought up a very valid point, she says, “discrimination against youth is overcome by aging, where as there is no way to overcome senior discrimination.” (Christina, 2014 Topic Post)

I sincerely believe that in order to understand ourselves, we must come to terms with reality. Discriminating against any group, no matter it may be racial, gender, religion, or age; they are borne out of insecurities. The youth pick upon the old because they can see a constant living form of what they will eventually become, the elders, looking at the youth, bitterly reminisce about their own youth and lost vitality; it’s a vicious cycle, yet media has trained us to always be discontent with our lot in life, and thus what else state of affairs would you expect?

How could we eradicate ageism in our society?

By coming to terms with ourselves; and looking at serving an elder as an opportunity to better ourselves, not as a burden. We can live our life so much better if our community is happy, and caring for the elders in the community created harmony and a sense of security.

Resources:-

Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H., Peters, M., Zuniga, X., (2013).  Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York: Routledge.

Based upon the assigned readings, what insights have you gained regarding how young people and how older people are regarded/treated in our society?

                    

Reading through our assigned readings this week; I’m struck that Ageism is an actual stereotyping, just like racial and gender profiling. As we’re told, Ageism is, “a form of systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people, simply because they are old. (Adams et al. 2013 p. 559)

People refer to old people in this society with derogatory and patronizing names, and even treat them with disrespect and subpar manners. Unfortunately this ideal and concept has been promoted in our society through media, because decades back, adults and elders were considered, as they still are in many societies around the world, as respected leaders and wise people who are the reason we’re still doing the right thing. I think the fact that our society treats elders with so much disrespect, and actively promotes in media and through television, why statistics show evidence that, “approximately 70% of older men and more than 80% women seen on television are portrayed disrespectfully, treated with little, if any courtesy, and often looked as “bad.” (Adams et al. 2013 p. 561)

I’ve been one of the lucky ones, I’d like to say; we weren’t exposed to too much television because my mother did believe the cartoons children my age were watching promoted disrespect to parents, and even some books I wasn’t allowed to read because of the name-calling that was found in them. As I’m older and working in a school; I am very appreciative that my parents were aware of the long-term effects of such seemingly insignificant details in our upbringing. Now I can think clearly and logically, without my judgment being colored by any irrational or corrupting social influences.

Therefore, I’ve always considered an elder person, and having a relationship with them, as an opportunity. An opportunity to learn and to be a service to them, as they have served our community and society in their youth. Isn’t this the best ideal, where you work hard and be the best you can be, and when the day comes where you can’t perform to the best of your abilities due to age, that is the time you are appreciated and pampered for everything you’ve done? Or else, what’s the point of life?

In our society, according to our texts, that, “taking away validation of work or purposeful activities, and demeaning the capacity of love, are surely the most profound forms of age prejudice.” (Adams et al. 2013 p.561) We treat older adults as incapable of living life on the basis of how we expect a life to be lived. I think that’s absolutely erroneous and irrationally judgmental.

Youth, though, are also judged and discriminated against. I believe the ideal, “Children are seen as future, older people, the past,” (Adams et al. 2013 p. 562) causes people to do whatever they can to deny that reality. People are conditioned in this society to fear aging, to fear death, and to idolize the ideal of youth. Why? There are many reasons why, but again, according to the reading; it’s a way to discourage our youth to amount to anything and thus usurp the positions and status we hold now, today. Thus, to belittle their opinions, try their minor offences as major ones, treat them like nothing better than a burden, all of these attitudes displayed by an adult towards a youth are conditioned to “teach them their place.” I remember writing a speech on media and their portrayal of youth, and this topic brings up some of the points I’ve made. If I may, I’d like to share a paragraph. Please keep in mind I was only 17 when I wrote/spoke this, so hence the plaintive tone!

“We are perceived and stereotyped so strongly; you see a girl wearing black; and immediately our  high exposure to the media causes us to think, “ oh she’s a Goth” or if we pass by a guy with long hair, “Oh a skater dude.” It’s true that as humans we are judgmental; it’s in our nature, we judge others to know where we belong, yet I believe teens are judged too quickly and harshly. The truth is; we aren’t as strident and rigid in our beliefs and customs as people may perceive us to be. We tend to blend aspects of different things and ideals in an effort to make it uniquely ours. We’re still growing up; we have barely a score of a lifetime lived; how can you justifiably judge us if you judge us by media’s standard? Everyone knows you can’t trust the media; so why do you? What is wrong with reality? If adults do not want to come to terms with the fact that we are their replacements in the next fifty or so years; then so be it; just don’t make us deal with your insecurities. We have enough of our own.”

Which group do you think faces more discrimination?

I believe both groups receive about the same amount of discrimination, yet one of my classmates, Tina, brought up a very valid point, she says, “discrimination against youth is overcome by aging, where as there is no way to overcome senior discrimination.” (Christina, 2014 Topic Post)

I sincerely believe that in order to understand ourselves, we must come to terms with reality. Discriminating against any group, no matter it may be racial, gender, religion, or age; they are borne out of insecurities. The youth pick upon the old because they can see a constant living form of what they will eventually become, the elders, looking at the youth, bitterly reminisce about their own youth and lost vitality; it’s a vicious cycle, yet media has trained us to always be discontent with our lot in life, and thus what else state of affairs would you expect?

How could we eradicate ageism in our society?

By coming to terms with ourselves; and looking at serving an elder as an opportunity to better ourselves, not as a burden. We can live our life so much better if our community is happy, and caring for the elders in the community created harmony and a sense of security.

Resources:-

Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H., Peters, M., Zuniga, X., (2013).  Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York: Routledge.