At the end of our second year of graduate school, we begin to see who is going to make it (get a PhD) and who is going to leave with a masters. My program is not like all programs in all fields. You enter either with a bachelors or a masters degree and you basically have the same coursework and qualifiers either way. Some of my colleagues who started with a masters degree had an easy time with coursework (because they had seen so much of it before.) But many of us came in with only a BS set on a 4 to 5 year plan to get a PhD, or at least we said that so we could get financial support. (Masters students coming in must pay their own way, while PhD students are fully supported.)
The interesting thing is that all of the black girls (except one) in my entering class are leaving with masters. (Black people : Entering class my year, 6:50) And the one token black boy in the first year class is going to leave with a masters as well. (Black people : Entering class 1st years, 1:45)
The one black girl in my year who is still in the game is a year behind because she didn't pass the literature exams the first time. They all were a year behind because of lit exams, but only one has decided to stick with it.
As for token black boy, he made a C in his boss's class this semester. I think he made alot of other Cs in his classes as well so he doesn't have many options. (A,B = okay, C = fail)
And token black boy's boss is the token black male professor.
So what is going on here? I asked my boss about this, and about the statistics in general, and he said that African Americans usually have lower GRE scores than their peers because the GRE is racist. I believe that. It is easy to see that the GRE could reference some upper-class-white things (like going to see Cats or Phantom on Broadway) that is not as popular in the black culture. But this cannot be the whole story. I know some white people who had low GRE scores and are not smart at all, but they are doing okay because they work their asses off. Their lab-mates are pissed at them because they spend zero time in the lab because they are always working on classwork or lit exams but they know they need to pass this shit.
Here are the facts:
1. Black people are just as smart as white people. Sure, there is a continuum in all people, but the race is not a factor in determining if you are going to be smart or not.
2. Most black people drop out of my PhD program, even when they have black same-sex advisers.
So what the fuck is going on?
My Idea:
Obviously it is sociological. Most white protestants in this country come from the "work hard" puritanical mind set. This goes for the blue collars who start their own car mechanic shops and the countless business people. We as Americans are work-a-holics. Immigrating to America was hard, and a great number of people died. Hard-working people had an advantage, and they survived.
Now, Black people. There are two types: The descendants of slaves, and the recently immigrated. Slavery was a horrible thing. To give an intelligent being zero power over his or her fate is (under most circumstances) emotionally crushing. Slavery is not natural, it is brutal in all forms. If you are a kind white person who has one black slave nanny to take care of your children, you are still participating in a horribly brutal act. I had never experienced such an imbalance of power before I came to graduate school, and previously I was unable to begin to understand how horrible slavery is. I know that slavery is ten thousand times worse than graduate school.
Let us examine this situation. You are a slave on a plantation. If you work extra hard you get a backache and you still have to work the next day. If you work just enough to not get noticed, you have more time to have sex with your wife and you live longer. In slavery, working hard is not advantageous to your situation, but working just enough is. These people survived.
After the abolishment of slavery, the descendants of slaves were/are still treated like second class citizens by white people. Black people learn through experience that maybe they shouldn't trust white people, or maybe it is just that they feel more comfortable with other black people.
Fast forward to graduate school. All of the black girls that are leaving ONLY TALK TO OTHER BLACK GIRLS. And one of them sat on her phone sending text messages during the entirety of a course. Sure, it was boring as hell, and sometimes I graded a few lab reports, but text messaging? I saw a sign up on a black woman's office that said "Attitude is EVERYTHING." And I think that statement is esteemed in the black community, because if the white man is getting you down you still have your 'tude. But having an attitude is not going to help you pass an exam that you just didn't study for.
I think the problem is that post-slavery American blacks have a mix of a social thing and they lack the "you must work extra hard to be worth anything" when they were growing up. Now, the idea that you must work extra hard to be worth anything is not healthy, but it might get you a PhD.
Earlier I mentioned the distinction between recently immigrated black people who were not the descendants of slaves. All of these immigrants were extremely hard workers and totally lacked the social constructs prevalent in black America.
Black American's are less susceptible to the body-image issues that white girls struggle with. But maybe that same society makes it easier for white people to be aggressive and deny themselves in order to get what they want.
Showing posts with label race. Show all posts
Showing posts with label race. Show all posts
Monday, May 26, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Moral not Oral
My time at work flew by today. Probably because (I see a list coming!)
are totally fun. I have decided to focus on trying to do the best work rather than the most work. I am trying to give myself credit for doing well-thought-out experiments carefully rather than trying to figure out how I can be The-Most-Productive-Scientist-In-The-World. It is good. Hopefully my results will be good, too.
Boss.
The fact that he did not show up for work today was awesome. It just makes me enjoy my day so much more when I am not subconsciously concerned about him popping into the lab and making his "unsatisfied" face.
Zazu.
Do you recognize the name? I named him after the bird in The Lion King who was always worrying and who would never shut up. Still I found Zazu in the movie, (and now in my real life) very lovable. So Zazu showed up late because he forgot where the lab was. He is just at the end of his first year of college. I taught him this past fall, and so I was already attached to him. He is just so innocent and nice and bright and I would hate to see my boss break his spirit. I guess everyone has to grow up sometime.
Oral Exam
Every time I read the words "oral exam" I think about the dentist. I haven't been to the dentist in awhile. Last time I went they made my teeth hurt and told me I needed a root canal. I was too busy with graduate school at the time to schedule a root canal so I just haven't done any dentist stuff in 1.5 years now and my teeth feel great! But my conscience nags me about it every time I brush my teeth. By the end of the summer, I promise I will go back.
I taught with the chick who had her oral practice. And I taught with her boyfriend. They are both really great and really smart. They are both Asian. Guess who is racist against Asians? Yep, its the boss!!! And he is on her committee. This is going to be bad. Racism combined with the fact that he likes to be an asshole combined with the fact that she is presenting on stuff related to my project, Citizen's project, and my boss's specialty area. Basically, she is fucked. I told her if she fails, just remember you can do it again and you can kick my boss off of your committee and get a different prof.
Oral Asian Chick also asked two of my other friends to come help her practice. And I learned some gossip. Sexy Pablo (a promiscuous Latino grad student in my entering class) is leaving with a masters. He isn't doing his Oral Exam. And this is a secret. I promised I wouldn't tell. So keep it hush hush! Little Bo Peep (another one of my friends/colleagues) wants to quit also but I made her promise to have lunch with me first. Bo Peep even already passed her Oral Exam! She is a PhD Candidate, the bitch part is DONE, and she wants out. I will know more after Friday when we have lunch... and of course I will try to talk her into staying. She is a smart one with her act together. Coming into grad school, everyone assumed she would make it.
So work is fun again. YAY!
AND, if my boss is too lazy to schedule group meeting, work could be AWESOME all summer.
Yay Grad School Yay!
- I was back in the lab actually doing experiments that relate to my thesis.
- My boss did not show up to work today. (Always a nice surprise, seriously.)
- It was the undergraduate Zazu's first day.
- I spent 1.5 hours helping one of my friends/colleagues with her oral exam practice.
are totally fun. I have decided to focus on trying to do the best work rather than the most work. I am trying to give myself credit for doing well-thought-out experiments carefully rather than trying to figure out how I can be The-Most-Productive-Scientist-In-The-World. It is good. Hopefully my results will be good, too.
Boss.
The fact that he did not show up for work today was awesome. It just makes me enjoy my day so much more when I am not subconsciously concerned about him popping into the lab and making his "unsatisfied" face.
Zazu.Do you recognize the name? I named him after the bird in The Lion King who was always worrying and who would never shut up. Still I found Zazu in the movie, (and now in my real life) very lovable. So Zazu showed up late because he forgot where the lab was. He is just at the end of his first year of college. I taught him this past fall, and so I was already attached to him. He is just so innocent and nice and bright and I would hate to see my boss break his spirit. I guess everyone has to grow up sometime.
Oral Exam
Every time I read the words "oral exam" I think about the dentist. I haven't been to the dentist in awhile. Last time I went they made my teeth hurt and told me I needed a root canal. I was too busy with graduate school at the time to schedule a root canal so I just haven't done any dentist stuff in 1.5 years now and my teeth feel great! But my conscience nags me about it every time I brush my teeth. By the end of the summer, I promise I will go back.
I taught with the chick who had her oral practice. And I taught with her boyfriend. They are both really great and really smart. They are both Asian. Guess who is racist against Asians? Yep, its the boss!!! And he is on her committee. This is going to be bad. Racism combined with the fact that he likes to be an asshole combined with the fact that she is presenting on stuff related to my project, Citizen's project, and my boss's specialty area. Basically, she is fucked. I told her if she fails, just remember you can do it again and you can kick my boss off of your committee and get a different prof.
Oral Asian Chick also asked two of my other friends to come help her practice. And I learned some gossip. Sexy Pablo (a promiscuous Latino grad student in my entering class) is leaving with a masters. He isn't doing his Oral Exam. And this is a secret. I promised I wouldn't tell. So keep it hush hush! Little Bo Peep (another one of my friends/colleagues) wants to quit also but I made her promise to have lunch with me first. Bo Peep even already passed her Oral Exam! She is a PhD Candidate, the bitch part is DONE, and she wants out. I will know more after Friday when we have lunch... and of course I will try to talk her into staying. She is a smart one with her act together. Coming into grad school, everyone assumed she would make it.
So work is fun again. YAY!
AND, if my boss is too lazy to schedule group meeting, work could be AWESOME all summer.
Yay Grad School Yay!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Yes Masta, Youse a good Masta.
Things I am learning in Graduate School
1. My boss has 100% of the power in our relationship, I have 0%.
There is nothing I can do to change this.
2. My boss will do things that (he thinks) will benefit him.
3. My boss does not care about me (or the other graduate students in our lab.)
4. My boss cannot admit that he is wrong.
I have been told that in graduate school in the sciences, the group is like a family. There is the (Principle Investigator (PI) / boss / professor) who is the parent. The graduate students are the children, and post-docs fill the nanny / babysitter role.
In reality, comparing a research group to a family is total bullshit.
In a family, parents love and look after their children. Because of this love, there is some sharing in the power structure. The parents will listen to their kids and take the children's reasonable and healthy desires into consideration.
There is no LOVE in a research group. A research group is much more like a plantation in the old south. The boss is the plantation owner, and the grad students are the slaves.
If you were a slave in the old south, you might be fortunate enough to end up on a plantation with a kind and moral owner. But you could also be unlucky and end up with an insecure and unethical slave owner. Guess whose plantation I live on?
My theory is that younger professors (read assistant and associate professors) are in general kinder than old professors. Older = more shitty. This could be because power corrupts.
So in this 100:0 power situation, what do you do if you are the slave and your boss is unethical, lazy, and self-centered? You either say "Yes, Master" or you leave. Leaving can mean running away to another plantation, or running away to the North. (North = Quitting Grad School)
How does a first year graduate student find a good group? I tell them that you cannot trust people's opinions, but you can trust numbers. Ask for numbers. Here is an example:
In the Past Four Years:
1) Average number of slaves on plantation: 4
2) Number of runaway slaves: 6
3) Number of slaves earning their freedom (PhD): 1
Does that sound like a family that you want to belong to?
1. My boss has 100% of the power in our relationship, I have 0%.
There is nothing I can do to change this.
2. My boss will do things that (he thinks) will benefit him.
3. My boss does not care about me (or the other graduate students in our lab.)
4. My boss cannot admit that he is wrong.
I have been told that in graduate school in the sciences, the group is like a family. There is the (Principle Investigator (PI) / boss / professor) who is the parent. The graduate students are the children, and post-docs fill the nanny / babysitter role.
In reality, comparing a research group to a family is total bullshit.
In a family, parents love and look after their children. Because of this love, there is some sharing in the power structure. The parents will listen to their kids and take the children's reasonable and healthy desires into consideration.
There is no LOVE in a research group. A research group is much more like a plantation in the old south. The boss is the plantation owner, and the grad students are the slaves.
If you were a slave in the old south, you might be fortunate enough to end up on a plantation with a kind and moral owner. But you could also be unlucky and end up with an insecure and unethical slave owner. Guess whose plantation I live on?
My theory is that younger professors (read assistant and associate professors) are in general kinder than old professors. Older = more shitty. This could be because power corrupts.
So in this 100:0 power situation, what do you do if you are the slave and your boss is unethical, lazy, and self-centered? You either say "Yes, Master" or you leave. Leaving can mean running away to another plantation, or running away to the North. (North = Quitting Grad School)
How does a first year graduate student find a good group? I tell them that you cannot trust people's opinions, but you can trust numbers. Ask for numbers. Here is an example:
In the Past Four Years:
1) Average number of slaves on plantation: 4
2) Number of runaway slaves: 6
3) Number of slaves earning their freedom (PhD): 1
Does that sound like a family that you want to belong to?
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
G-skoo
Do you remember that blog on Wordpress, 'Stuff White People Like' that Peach-Bone mentioned a while back? I remember seeing an interview with the guy that makes the blog... He said the whitest band is Vampire Weekend, and the whitest movie is Juno.
Juno comes out on video today. And this weekend I bought two tickets to see Vampire Weekend. Upon further thought about the SWPL blog, I realized that I am very white, but I am white and uncool, and that is why most of the stuff doesn't apply to me. I did a google search to find the SWPL blog again and I found some other kid's blog: I'm pretty sure we've heard this one before. Apparently it is by some cat named John who has an odd obsession with Cmah. Cmah is Asian I think. John and Cmah have the usual man-love thing going on that alot of guys have. So anyway John did this post about SWPL and then he and his friends went on and listed all of the "stuff" and decided if it applied to them. Let's look at how I stack up:
* #82 Hating Corporations: No. I love corporations. Seriously.
* #81 Graduate School: I'm in G-skoo. (1)
* #80 The Idea of Soccer: Sure. (2)
* #79 Modern Furniture: Lame.
* #78 Multilingual Children: Planning on having a Hispanic nanny. (3)
* #77 Musical Comedy: boring.
* #76 Bottles of Water: I like tap.
* #75 Threatening to Move to Canada: it's too cold
* #74 Oscar Parties: no.
* #73 Gentrification: maybe (3.5)
* #72 Study Abroad: I love America. I never want to leave.
* #71 Being the only white person around: no.
* #70 Difficult Breakups: No.
* #69 Mos Def: I didn't even know who he was until he was in a film with Jack Black. I can pass on Mos Def.
* #68 Michel Gondry: who is this?
* #67 Standing Still at Concerts: I like to move ever so slightly.
* #66 Divorce: no!
* #65 Co-Ed Sports: I prefer not to sweat in front of boys.
* #64 Recycling: YES! (4.5)
* #63 Expensive Sandwiches: no thanks, I'll eat my yogurt and blueberries from home.
* #62 Knowing What’s Best for Poor People: I try not to think about them.
* #61 Bicycles: They seem scary to me now.
* #60 Toyota Prius: Ken has one, and it is kinda cool. But I want a hybrid convertible. (5)
* #59 Natural Medicine: no. drug me up and knock me out.
* #58 Japan: I love America, not Japan.
* #57 Juno: I wish I was Juno. (6)
* #56 Lawyers: are lame.
* #55 Apologies: I'll avoid talking to people if I can help it.
* #54 Kitchen Gadgets: STOP GIVING THEM TO ME STEP-MOTHER-IN-LAW!
* #53 Dogs: I LOVE DOGS! (7)
* #52 Sarah Silverman: who?
* #51 Living by the Water: I never have, although it could be nice. (7.5)
* #50 Irony: I'm not sure how this applies.
* #49 Vintage: I'll pass. I like Natalie-Dee T-shirts though.
* #48 Whole Foods and Grocery Co-ops: No.
* #47 Arts Degrees: I'm more into Basic Sciences.
* #46 The Sunday New York Times: Why did this make the list?
* #45 Asian Fusion Food: I don't like Asian Food.
* #44 Public Radio: We only listen to Angry-White-Boy around here.
* #43 Plays: I'd rather be walking my dogs.
* #42 Sushi: No.
* #41 Indie Music: Not because it is indie (8)
* #40 Apple Products: I'm anti apple.
* #39 Netflix: No
* #38 Arrested Development: I don't approve. I am pro-development. Apparently it is funny. I haven't seen it.
* #37 Renovations: Pain in the ass.
* #36 Breakfast Places: I'll pass, thanks.
* #35 The Daily Show/Colbert Report: I don't stay up that late.
* #34 Architecture: huh?
* #33 Marijuana: No
* #32 Vegan/Vegetarianism: No
* #31 Snowboarding: I avoid cold things.
* #30 Wrigley Field: I am against baseball
* #29 80s Night: I love 80's music. but the people that would attend 80's night annoy me.
* #28 Not having a TV: we have more TVs than people in my house.
* #27 Marathons: I don't think they are healthy.
* #26 Manhattan (now Brooklyn too!): too expensive for me.
* #25 David Sedaris: who is this?
* #24 Wine: I don't drink. But I like white wine sauce. (8.5)
* #23 Microbreweries: no. Gay.
* #22 Having Two Last Names: I have one last name. And one ex-last-name.
* #21 Writers Workshops: No.
* #20 Being an expert on YOUR culture: no.
* #19 Traveling: No. I like staying home.
* #18 Awareness: only of me and nice things. I don't want to know about problems. (9)
* #17 Hating their Parents: no
* #16 Gifted Children: I am one. (10)
* #15 Yoga: Too Slow
* #14 Having Black Friends: the black girls would rather hang out with other black girls and not me. :(
* #13 Tea: at times. (10.5)
* #12 Non-Profit Organizations: indifferent
* #11 Asian Girls: indifferent
* #10 Wes Anderson Movies: I don't know who this is.
* #9 Making you feel bad about not going outside: I don't care if you go outside or not.
* #8 Barack Obama: I don't know. I'd vote Hillary before him. *gasp*
* #7 Diversity: it looks good on paper, but not one of my passions.
* #6 Organic Food: no.
* #5 Farmer’s Markets: only in Louisiana. (11.5)
* #4 Assists: Is this a religion about Ass?
* #3 Film Festivals: I don't have time for them.
* #2 Religions their parents don’t belong to: I like religions. (12.5)
* #1 Coffee: Only Diet Soda for me.
So that is it. My score 12.5/82
I am 15.24% white.
84.76% Uncool.
I gave myself 1 point for each (Yes), 0.5 points for (Maybe/Sometimes) and 0 points for (No).
Juno comes out on video today. And this weekend I bought two tickets to see Vampire Weekend. Upon further thought about the SWPL blog, I realized that I am very white, but I am white and uncool, and that is why most of the stuff doesn't apply to me. I did a google search to find the SWPL blog again and I found some other kid's blog: I'm pretty sure we've heard this one before. Apparently it is by some cat named John who has an odd obsession with Cmah. Cmah is Asian I think. John and Cmah have the usual man-love thing going on that alot of guys have. So anyway John did this post about SWPL and then he and his friends went on and listed all of the "stuff" and decided if it applied to them. Let's look at how I stack up:
* #82 Hating Corporations: No. I love corporations. Seriously.
* #81 Graduate School: I'm in G-skoo. (1)
* #80 The Idea of Soccer: Sure. (2)
* #79 Modern Furniture: Lame.
* #78 Multilingual Children: Planning on having a Hispanic nanny. (3)
* #77 Musical Comedy: boring.
* #76 Bottles of Water: I like tap.
* #75 Threatening to Move to Canada: it's too cold
* #74 Oscar Parties: no.
* #73 Gentrification: maybe (3.5)
* #72 Study Abroad: I love America. I never want to leave.
* #71 Being the only white person around: no.
* #70 Difficult Breakups: No.
* #69 Mos Def: I didn't even know who he was until he was in a film with Jack Black. I can pass on Mos Def.
* #68 Michel Gondry: who is this?
* #67 Standing Still at Concerts: I like to move ever so slightly.
* #66 Divorce: no!
* #65 Co-Ed Sports: I prefer not to sweat in front of boys.
* #64 Recycling: YES! (4.5)
* #63 Expensive Sandwiches: no thanks, I'll eat my yogurt and blueberries from home.
* #62 Knowing What’s Best for Poor People: I try not to think about them.
* #61 Bicycles: They seem scary to me now.
* #60 Toyota Prius: Ken has one, and it is kinda cool. But I want a hybrid convertible. (5)
* #59 Natural Medicine: no. drug me up and knock me out.
* #58 Japan: I love America, not Japan.
* #57 Juno: I wish I was Juno. (6)
* #56 Lawyers: are lame.
* #55 Apologies: I'll avoid talking to people if I can help it.
* #54 Kitchen Gadgets: STOP GIVING THEM TO ME STEP-MOTHER-IN-LAW!
* #53 Dogs: I LOVE DOGS! (7)
* #52 Sarah Silverman: who?
* #51 Living by the Water: I never have, although it could be nice. (7.5)
* #50 Irony: I'm not sure how this applies.
* #49 Vintage: I'll pass. I like Natalie-Dee T-shirts though.
* #48 Whole Foods and Grocery Co-ops: No.
* #47 Arts Degrees: I'm more into Basic Sciences.
* #46 The Sunday New York Times: Why did this make the list?
* #45 Asian Fusion Food: I don't like Asian Food.
* #44 Public Radio: We only listen to Angry-White-Boy around here.
* #43 Plays: I'd rather be walking my dogs.
* #42 Sushi: No.
* #41 Indie Music: Not because it is indie (8)
* #40 Apple Products: I'm anti apple.
* #39 Netflix: No
* #38 Arrested Development: I don't approve. I am pro-development. Apparently it is funny. I haven't seen it.
* #37 Renovations: Pain in the ass.
* #36 Breakfast Places: I'll pass, thanks.
* #35 The Daily Show/Colbert Report: I don't stay up that late.
* #34 Architecture: huh?
* #33 Marijuana: No
* #32 Vegan/Vegetarianism: No
* #31 Snowboarding: I avoid cold things.
* #30 Wrigley Field: I am against baseball
* #29 80s Night: I love 80's music. but the people that would attend 80's night annoy me.
* #28 Not having a TV: we have more TVs than people in my house.
* #27 Marathons: I don't think they are healthy.
* #26 Manhattan (now Brooklyn too!): too expensive for me.
* #25 David Sedaris: who is this?
* #24 Wine: I don't drink. But I like white wine sauce. (8.5)
* #23 Microbreweries: no. Gay.
* #22 Having Two Last Names: I have one last name. And one ex-last-name.
* #21 Writers Workshops: No.
* #20 Being an expert on YOUR culture: no.
* #19 Traveling: No. I like staying home.
* #18 Awareness: only of me and nice things. I don't want to know about problems. (9)
* #17 Hating their Parents: no
* #16 Gifted Children: I am one. (10)
* #15 Yoga: Too Slow
* #14 Having Black Friends: the black girls would rather hang out with other black girls and not me. :(
* #13 Tea: at times. (10.5)
* #12 Non-Profit Organizations: indifferent
* #11 Asian Girls: indifferent
* #10 Wes Anderson Movies: I don't know who this is.
* #9 Making you feel bad about not going outside: I don't care if you go outside or not.
* #8 Barack Obama: I don't know. I'd vote Hillary before him. *gasp*
* #7 Diversity: it looks good on paper, but not one of my passions.
* #6 Organic Food: no.
* #5 Farmer’s Markets: only in Louisiana. (11.5)
* #4 Assists: Is this a religion about Ass?
* #3 Film Festivals: I don't have time for them.
* #2 Religions their parents don’t belong to: I like religions. (12.5)
* #1 Coffee: Only Diet Soda for me.
So that is it. My score 12.5/82
I am 15.24% white.
84.76% Uncool.
I gave myself 1 point for each (Yes), 0.5 points for (Maybe/Sometimes) and 0 points for (No).
Friday, April 4, 2008
Early morning, April 4, Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Today, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, I played part of an episode from my favorite radio show, This American Life. It was an episode called "Kid Logic" (you can listen for free) about how children relate to the world and make discoveries.
The part I played for my (mostly white, privileged) classes was about thirteen minutes into the episode. It's a man talking about how his 4-year old daughter came to learn about Jesus. They go through the Christmas holidays and she learns more and more about him and his teachings. Of particular interest was the golden rule: "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The story progresses and she eventually sees a statue of a crucifix with Jesus on it outside a church. At this point, her father explains to her that "Jesus ran afoul of the Roman government" because the message was so "radical and unnerving to the Roman authorities."
Then time passes a month and they both have off for Martin Luther King Day so they go to have lunch at a cafe. At the table, there was a section of the paper with Martin Luther King on the front. She asked who he was and her father explains to her that he was a preacher. She then says (in arguably one of the funniest parts of this episode) "FOR JESUS!" He then goes into an explanation that he also had a message; "that you should treat everyone the same no matter what they look like." She thinks about it for a second and says: "well that's what Jesus said." She pauses for a second and says: "did they kill him too?"
So when I listen to this story alone, I usually have a few tears welling up. That obviously didn't happen in the classroom, but I did have a good and rather unexpected reaction. None of my kids said anything in response. These little boys who are usually so quick to push away the notion that they are sensitive and caring and emotional just sat in silence while I switched the tape off and started distributing grammar books.
The part I played for my (mostly white, privileged) classes was about thirteen minutes into the episode. It's a man talking about how his 4-year old daughter came to learn about Jesus. They go through the Christmas holidays and she learns more and more about him and his teachings. Of particular interest was the golden rule: "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The story progresses and she eventually sees a statue of a crucifix with Jesus on it outside a church. At this point, her father explains to her that "Jesus ran afoul of the Roman government" because the message was so "radical and unnerving to the Roman authorities."
Then time passes a month and they both have off for Martin Luther King Day so they go to have lunch at a cafe. At the table, there was a section of the paper with Martin Luther King on the front. She asked who he was and her father explains to her that he was a preacher. She then says (in arguably one of the funniest parts of this episode) "FOR JESUS!" He then goes into an explanation that he also had a message; "that you should treat everyone the same no matter what they look like." She thinks about it for a second and says: "well that's what Jesus said." She pauses for a second and says: "did they kill him too?"
So when I listen to this story alone, I usually have a few tears welling up. That obviously didn't happen in the classroom, but I did have a good and rather unexpected reaction. None of my kids said anything in response. These little boys who are usually so quick to push away the notion that they are sensitive and caring and emotional just sat in silence while I switched the tape off and started distributing grammar books.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
When we get together
Oooh, I love me some beautiful days like today, guh.
Which brings me to my first topic of conversation: why is it fun for me and different groups of friends to imitate ebonics/African American Vernacular English. Why do white kids love to do this so much. I see it all the time with high schoolers. I do it all the time with my friends, some black friends, mostly white ones. Does this offend black people when they hear it? I definitely make it a point not to speak in this form of slang when black people are around. I can guess a few reasons that I and some other white kids like to do it:
- taking a little field trip outside of our own culture, also known as "slumming" without really having to leave a comfort zone. On the contrary, it fosters a comfort zone. This theory, I believe, could possibly be applied to white people liking hip hop.
- the need for some sort of nonstandard English usage to differentiate "serious time" and "fun time." Since the majority of white Americans don't have to do much code switching, the language we use in the workplace or classroom is the same we use with friends at a bar (give or take a couple billion expletives). If this is true, I am merely stealing another culture's version of codes.
- Speaking "another language" is fun and you don't have to work too hard for this one.
- Black/African American is the most prominent minority here and this dialect is heard a lot on the radio, tv, and in most pubic places. It might be completely different if I lived someplace where a different was widely represented. I imagine that if I lived in California or Texas, it might be Hispanic accents.
Another thing that got me thinking about this was this site that my dad, of all people, sent to me. http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/
I identify with so many of those, I stopped being amused and started wondering if I was really that predictable. But then aren't most cultures fairly predictable. Also, I think that site should be amended to say "what liberal white Americans like."
Now I leave you with a completely unrelated picture. And the promise that not all of my posts will be all fake intellectual.
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