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.
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