Write about what you learned from Blane Harding's talk and how it might or might not have changed your opinions on the topics he mentioned in his speech such as multiculturalism, colorblindness, diversity, and privilege. You can also include your reaction to the Tunnel of Oppression video shown in class.
Blog posts must be 200-400 words, proofread, and void of common grammatical errors.
Your blog posts are due before the start of class next week.
Please email albreaks@ku.edu if you have any questions!
I found Blane Harding’s presentations on diversity to be one of the most refreshing and enjoyable that I have seen. I think he did a wonderful job at making students feel relaxed because presentations on diversity can come off as combative, especially to members of the majority who might feel that they themselves have never been prejudiced but fail to see the privilege they receive on a daily basis. I think the Tunnel of Oppression video was also a stellar way to start off the class because it made me consider stereotypes I have of others. Seeing people and making snap judgments about them only to have those judgments challenged by their personal struggles revealed on the placards made me aware of how I make assumptions about people before I even meet them. All that being said, I did find the activity labeling the dominant group and subordinate group in various categories to be problematic. I felt that it created a dualistic paradigm that creates erasure for a multitude of minority groups. For example, sex—the category that seems most simple and straightforward—isn’t even binary. People are born male and female, but they’re also born intersex. A more complicated example is sexuality. While heterosexuality is unquestionably the dominant group, the subordinate group isn’t homosexuality. Homosexuality is a subordinate group, but so are bisexuality, pansexuality, asexuality, queer, and any other sexuality one chooses to identify with. Then within the non-heterosexual community, homosexuality is privileged while other sexualities are subordinated or simply ignored. What I want to say is that creating a simple list of the dominant group and the subordinate group ignores the complexities that exist within each category and the resulting erasure it causes of a multitude of identities. At the same time, it ignores the hierarchy and complicated relations that exist within minority groups and I think that is something that needs to be discussed more. At one point in the activity, other identities were mentioned, which I appreciated, but I think the general structure of the exercise is flawed and limited. Otherwise I found the experience enjoyable and it challenged my idea about how multicultural I truly was.
ReplyDelete(Susie McClannahan)
DeleteBlane Harding’s talk was exceptional in regards to demonstrating how one can become more multicultural in their own life. Furthermore, his personal anecdotes about his life and the lives of his children offered further insight as well as comedic relief to a serious topic. I personally enjoyed how he clearly defined different terms that we simply take for granted. His talk on self-identification has made ask myself who I consider myself as. Coming from an Italian, German, and French-Canadian background, I have much to choose from; however, as it was mentioned, I can choose my own identity and change it in the future if need be. The volatility of our identities is often forgotten, in that society has placed this notion that once you identify yourself with “this” or “that” crowd, that you are permanently identified as that kind of person. However, what Harding was adamant about in his talk was the fact that you can only wisely identify yourself and by identifying others you are subjecting them to a benign form of prejudice and effectively shutting the door on getting to know the real them. It is by getting to know the true side of people and their own personal story that one can really advance in becoming more multicultural. For me, this presentation helped me realize how many times I intentionally and unintentionally label people based on their actions or their attire. It is by these actions that hinder the growth of human perspective and stunt culturally dynamic knowledge in our society. In addition to not identifying another, one has to expand their comfort zone so that they get a taste of other cultures and broaden their own personal spectrum of knowledge, which can be easily accomplished through simple conversation. These points, along with the many others in the presentation, offer a chance to better oneself for their respective alternative winter break, but also to better oneself in life as a whole.
ReplyDelete-Kevin Tenny
The video of the Tunnel of Oppression brought back vivid memories of KU’s Tunnel of Oppression. I attended last year and was really floored by how easy it is to go about daily life without thinking about injustice. Even as issues are brought up in media, rarely are the emotional consequences evoked for issues we don’t experience.
ReplyDeleteBlane Harding’s talk further explored how easy it is to hear buzz words but not truly be able to understand the meaning behind really important terms. Before his talk, I would not have thought about the difference between multiculturalism and diversity. There is such a huge difference between truly understanding race, ethnicity and culture and purely just surface differences in a very similar culture. I thought his example of a Gap commercial with different races but the same culture was a great example of diversity rather than multiculturalism.
It was also really eye opening in the talk when he talked about the importance of language. Terms that may have good intentions, such as “colorblindness”, actually imply something very demeaning. The naming of races is also an example of the importance of language. Like he mentioned, humans name what we own (e.g. cars, pets, etc.), so labeling people’s race is implying that we have power over them. Cultural identification should be an individual decision and should be deeply respected.
I really connected with his stories about incognizant racism. While I have witnessed this with racism, I have also encountered incognizant sexism. Men claim that they couldn’t possibly be sexist because they have sisters and think women should have equal rights yet they find the “women-belong-in-the-kitchen” jokes hilarious. Contradictions and lack of awareness make incognizant sexism and racism large problems.
Overall, I think Blane Harding’s talk covered very important topics and multiculturalism as well as careful selection of language should be on the forefront of our minds as we embark on our alternative breaks!
Throughout Blane Harding’s presentation, it was interesting to compare my preconceived notions about cultural definitions with those described in class. The concept of multiculturalism was thoroughly explored, and it was thought-provoking to understand how multiculturalism is based on the concept of social justice. True acceptance comes from promoting helpfulness and equity in the everyday world with all kinds of people. The presentation brought forth the idea that alternative breaks represent a chance for individuals and students to learn about multiple perspectives while simultaneously empowering the disenfranchised. The alternative breaks program allows students to become mutualistic leaders: those who leave behind the skills and ideas to motivate and change a community. In this sense, it was made more obvious to me that I could be a mutualistic leader in everyday life. By simply helping those in need, without preconceived notions of what they did and did not need from me, I could help better understand entire cultures and socio-economic groups. Last Thursday’s class helped teach me that as a volunteer it’s important to be responsible and response-able. What this meant to me was that it was my obligation as a volunteer not only to serve, listen, and respect others, but also to accept differing languages, customs, and change to truly understand those around me.
ReplyDeleteThe other central element of Blane Harding’s presentation that really stuck with me was the focus on privilege and how this might influence the way I thought or treated others. It was very eye-opening to categorize certain variations of people as privileged or not-privileged in order to categorize myself. In relation to these different sub-types, I was considered very privileged in my standing. This got me to thinking about how important it is for me to separate my opinions when working with others. Certain elements of my upbringing could have consequence on how I thought and treated others, so in the context of volunteerism, it was central for me to go into any situation open-minded and ready to learn from others. To really become culturally aware, it became necessary for me to put myself into situations that taught me elements of different lives. To really become a completely well-rounded person, I would have to do research, inserting myself into places and customs that would shape my thoughts and viewpoints. From Blane Harding’s presentation, I learned the central importance of true awareness.
-Emily Lenherr
Regardless of our motivation for going on an alternative break, each of us is expected to come with the proper attitude and represent KU in a positive way. Prior to Mr. Harding’s lecture, I was under the assumption that a kind heart, high morale and hard-working spirit was sufficient enough to be successful on a volunteer trip. I overlooked the impressions that might be held of us; although we are a diverse and kindhearted group of individuals, we all know privilege. When we temporarily step into a difficult situation and work with vulnerable populations, we have to be conscious of the culture(s) of these populations and to behave accordingly. An open-minded person can still be offensive and not understanding, it takes a higher level of discipline to anticipate and adapt to cultural differences, even if we don’t personally accept those differences. The Tunnel of Oppression video was another insight into how easy it is to overlook the subordinated groups in society; as a member of a dominate group it is not simply enough to be tolerant of other groups, you must become aware of other identities and expand your comfort zone, not simply expose yourself to temporary and uncomfortable situations. As Mr. Harding said, preconceived notions are devastating to social justice, and we must be the leaders who break through that barrier and connect with different populations and leave with having expanded our comfort zone and having made a permanent difference. Another important subject that Mr. Harding touched on that is relevant to our trip is identity. In a society where our values are so important, it can be exceptionally difficult to accept and promote an individual’s identity. The subjects Mr. Harding discussed are important to functioning in our multicultural society, and should be integrated into our personal outlook overall. We have the power to discourage incognizant racism and sexism, to promote individual identity and to strive for intercultural skillfulness. By mastering and sharing these concepts our society will be one step closer to being just. In our daily lives these ideas may seem irrelevant, but it is guaranteed that we will need these skills to connect with the diverse populations we will be serving on our Alternative Breaks. I’m grateful to Mr. Harding for opening our minds to a new perspective of multiculturalism that is sensitive to differences that occur in a wonderfully multicultural society.
ReplyDelete-Abby Schletzbaum
Blane Harding’s talk did not necessarily change my opinions based on his talk, that is because it is the second time that I have heard him give his talk. The first time that I heard Blane speak it was extremely eye opening and I have never been presented with views such as his. It was nice to hear his lecture again because he once again drove home his main points, and its nice to be reminded of these factors because it can be easy to lose sight of them. The first time I heard him speak I learned that I am a multicultural being and that we are all multicultural beings. His viewpoints on being a color conscious society and not being a colorblind one were reiterated once again. His talk about privilege, the first time was my favorite of all of the topics he covered. Its something that I have found myself questioning constantly and observing the privilege that society gives me. I think that its easy to agree with him on diversity, multiculturalism, and colorblindness because being raised the way I was it was not difficult to agree with them and to learn to look at these ideas in a different perspective. But his talk about privilege was riveting. I have never been presented with this idea, the way he presented it. I was completely unaware of my privilege that I held. Not that it is a bad thing, but it was good that I became aware of how other might view the privileges that I hold. It’s also made me aware of the privileges that others hold and those people who are aware or unaware of the privileges that they have. Blane Harding’s talk is one of my favorite talks that I have ever witnessed. He is a truly engaging person who brings out opinions from a different perspective that society may have. He has taught me a number of things and made me very aware of the life that I live. The most important thing he has ever taught me would probably to look at aspects of life from a variety of perspectives and to be open to all and to be aware of the people I encounter on a day-to-day basis. His talk is an eye opening one and one that I wish everyone could observe.
ReplyDelete-Alex Kinkead
While Blane Harding’s talk covered a lot of important points, the one that affected me the most was just something he said in passing. He said something to the effect of “all minorities experience discrimination”, and he listed working class people as a minority. I didn’t hear the next couple minutes of his talk, because I sat there thinking, “Oh my God, I’m a minority. I’ve experienced discrimination.” Mr. Harding broadened my definition of “minority”. I went home and had a long, hard think about myself as a minority and how I’ve been discriminated against. My economic class, my hometown, the neighborhood I grew up in, my weight, and even, for a short time, my skin color have all made me the source of discrimination at different points in my life. It was a bit strange to come to terms with, especially the fact that I had experienced racial discrimination as a white girl. I had originally thought that it would be very hard for me to relate to some of the girls I’ll be working with in Pittsburgh, because almost all of them are black and have experienced racial discrimination, but I’m starting to think that maybe we’re not so different after all.
ReplyDelete-Kalen Stockton
Before coming to KU, I had no concept of the importance of diversity, nor the differences between diversity, multiculturalism, and social justice. It was only when I began attending events at the Office of Multicultural Affairs that I began to have a truer understanding of how our society functions. Since my first year, I have been in a long, personal process of gaining perspective on multiculturalism, recognizing my own privileged and oppressed identities, and realizing how these play out for different people. Blane Harding’s discussion about identity furthered that process. I particularly enjoyed his remarks on being “colorblind” versus “color conscious.” Why would one strive to treat all persons exactly the same when our society dictates that different groups have different experiences? Incorporating, and not ignoring, difference is the key to celebrating multiculturalism. This concept certainly applies to all identities, not simply race. Instead of being “gender-blind,” “sexuality-blind,” or “class-blind,” it is important to notice how these and other factors influence a person’s upbringing, decisions, and experiences, instead of downplaying their importance. By continuing the conversation on social justice, I will not only learn more about multiculturalism from others, I can help others see the importance of social justice. It often takes only one conversation to change a person’s outlook on an issue or change the language they use. Even small acts like these can have a huge impact, especially on a university campus like KU.
ReplyDelete-Drew Harger