Multicultural Children's Literature

I really enjoyed the discussion and readings about multicultural children’s literature. I think paying close attention to ways in which material of controversial issues is presented to children is very important.  Children are very impressionable and have to be taught the right thing from an early age.  After reading about the types of multicultural education, assimilationist pluralism and multiracial democracy, I believe the more effective form of teaching is the latter. With multiracial democracy, you are teaching the child the realities about his community and society. In contrast, I believe assimilationist pluralism just paints a pretty picture in the child’s mind that doesn’t actually convey the realities about life.

            Some argue that children shouldn’t be exposed to the “harsh truths” about the world until they are older. I think that accurate facts should be presented to them since the beginning so that they are not given the wrong notions that can lead to a sense of confusion when they are finally taught the truth. I think that if the facts are presented in an efficient manner and with the educator’s tactfulness, the child will be able to handle and comprehend the matter at hand with no difficulties. 

Reinaldo Arena's: Before Night Falls

I really enjoyed watching the film on Reinaldo Arena’s life.  Although I was not very familiar with his life or story, I became very interested in this Cuban poet after watching the movie “Before Night Falls”. I think the movie does a great job at portraying the sad realities that Arenas had to face in his homeland of Cuba and upon immigrating to the United States.  In Cuba he was marginalized from society for opposing the government, writing about controversial issues, and being a homosexual. He found himself forced to leave Cuba in order to escape political persecution. Unfortunately this was the sad reality for many Cubans during Castro’s regimen. Watching the movie helped me realize the injustices that existed towards any member of society that did not follow the preconceived ways a citizen was supposed to behave, or be like in Cuba.            

            Also, watching about Arena’s life after he moved to the US and contracted HIV was really sad.  However, I think it accurately portrayed the harsh realities that Latinos with HIV have to face as members of a disadvantaged group. Like Arena’s, most Hispanics infected with HIV are not given proper care due to their scarce resources and lack of healthcare. This made me more aware of the crisis on this issue that exists in the Latino community. I would like to watch this movie in its entirety as well.

A Day without a Mexican

I'm not entirely sure how to take the movie " A Day without a Mexican." While I understand what it was trying to do, I dont think I agree with the way in which the information was presented. I think the satirical and comical nature of the film may overshadow the point of the movie. The movie was meant to bring to light the blatant anti-immigrant discourse that is prevelant in America today.
I spoke with Prof. Caroll after her lecture to asks if she agrees with the movie and she said at first she didn't like it becuase she also felt that its comical nature might have distracted from the real issues. However, after closely examining it, she found that it did do a good job in getting peoples attention. Its easy for people to "zone out" on such a touchy subject as immigration and getting people to merely pay attention, is the first half of the battle. However, I do still fear that the light heartedness of the movie might not get people to take the issues seriously enough to actually try and make real changes to the way current immigration laws are made.
The movies was meant to show how important the immigrants are and always have been to the way we function as society. America, in its entire history, has not been able to function without the efforts of a cheap labor force. So far, Latinos have stepped in to take the place of other workers who don't want to work in the fields for long hours with very little pay. Its important to see what role these latinos do play in our everyday lives and how significant their presence is here in teh US. Only then, can we start to mvoe away from the anti-immigrant discourse that plagues immigrants everyday.

Picking on Disney

While I agree that we shouldn't place the blame solely on Disney, it is true that their cartoons and movies do play a significant role in how children precieve the world both racially and socially. I know when I was younger, I watched dozens of Disney movies growing up and I still continue to watch them from time to time. However, I can't help but to feel excluded from the Disney equation since there is rarely ever characters I can identify with, at least racially. I know that growing up I wanted to be a disney princess like any young girl, but all the princesses were white, blonde ( mostly) and blue eyed, something I definitely was not. There was a time when I thought I should dye my hair blonde so I can be like them.
However, I do not blame Disney for making these somewhat "racist" cartoons. I think if we pick at anything long enough we can see things that weren't the intention of the creators. I think Disney was just going with what was dominant at the time, and white culture has been the dominant culture in the US since it began. I do believe however, as the country begins to change and grow into the 21st century, Disney will continue to manifest itself to be more "politically" correct in the way it presents its characters.
But its true, growing up I didnt get all of my social and racial cues from disney, but its signifcant presence in the lives of children can't be ignored and should be taken into consideration. Disney and parents should take the responsibility to talk to children about what they are seeing. It important for children to have multilple outlets in which to learn "important life lessons." As far I am concerned, Disney is only for entertainment purposes, but real lessons should come from the family.

Intro to Latino Studies...

This class has been very interesting. It wasnt exactly what I expected but I still learned A LOT. I think the incorporation of other lecturers was weird to me. I have never had that type of experience before but it fit for this class since there were so many topics covered. I loved the incorporation of films that were related to our readings and lectures; they enhanced the topics and helped me connect more. For instance, in the film about Arenas I saw that they were leaving from the port that said MARIEL and I was like (in my head) "LOS MARIELITOS" and I remembered that that was the group of homosexuals and other men that left during that time. It made since that he would be leaving in that group. For the next classes, try to connect ideas like that more often. I could have missed other instances but that one was one of few I caught.

As far as discussion, I wish I could have made it more...and on time. However, the ones I went to really helped me to grasp the concepts. The key terms were especially helpful. Keep up the good work Isabel!!!!!!

PS. Im not really a blogger so this was hard keeping up with it. But, it keeps us updated on other people's opinions.

PEACE
"Be happy, healthy, and holy"

..overall

I really enjoyed taking this class for many reasons. The lecture formats were dynamic, in the sense that we got a little bit of everything. Each professor talked about the things they knew the most about. So, not only did we hear about many different aspects of Latino studies, we heard the best information about them. Discussion sections, in my opinion, were great because the students led them. Not only does this give everyone a chance to participate, but it's definitely way more interesting than having a professor or GSI ramble on about what we learned for an hour. Although there were a lot of reading assignments, they were easy to complete. Some of them were actually very interesting.
For having been an introductory course, I was very impressed with the way it turned out. Plus, we've already met the other professors and gotten to feel out their styles, so we can use that experience to choose new classes more easily. I would recommend this course to anyone who shows an interest in Latino studies...not Latin American studies. ;) I plan on furthering my education in American Culture and am glad to have taken this as my intro course. Besides, it ended up being my best grade!
Veronica Blattner

A Day Wihout A Mexican- Film Post

I did not enjoy the film we had to watch for class titled "A Day without A Mexican".  I was expecting the film to tackle the issue of immigration and immigrant workers in a more serious fashion.  I understand that at times being over dramatic about a point helps people to see the point but I did not think this film did much good for the argument of the importance of immigrant workers.  The protests that happened all across the United States a few years ago had more of an impact on me then this film did.  The protests showed just how many people in the workforce are invisible workers and really made me think about my interactions with all workers.  It is also imporatnt to remeber that immigratns are human.  I think a problem with all of the immigration issues being in the news is the media does not focus enough on the person stories behind the legistlation.  Many of the readings from this class were interviews that focused on the stuggles many families had during their migration and first years in the United States.  Some families went through traumtic events just to be able to have the oppotrunity to reach American soil.  

In my opinon there might be more of a conversation if people looked at all aspects of immigation. What types of conditions are people try to escape?  Is there more opppotunity in America for them?  Is their quality of life going to imporve if they move their famiy to the United States? There needs to be more action similar to the protests to help reinforce the human factor in the immigration converation. 

Looking Back on the Class

Looking back on this class I feel that I have a much better understanding of where Latinos came from and what they are dealing with in this country. While I knew about most of the historical parts like the Mexican-American War, and the invasion of the Spaniards, I have never heard it tin the way that Professor Cotera explained it. It was like hearing the other side of the story.

I also thought that it was interesting to hear about the struggles that Latinos are facing today, such as AIDS, poverty, and the language barrier. I think that knowing about these issues helps me to be more sympathetic to their situation than I was before.

Overall, I thought this was a very good course. I enjoyed the different guest speakers, and I thought that the class was always interesting. I especially enjoyed discussion because we really got to dive into what was being taught in lecture. Having everyone lead a discussion was a great idea because it gave everyone a different chance to take the class where they wanted it to go.

A Day Without a Mexican

Although I know it is late, I would like to comment about the movie "A Day Without A Mexican." I thought that the Hollywood version of "A Day Without a Mexican" was eyeopening and entertaining. People don't realize how much of their lives are affected by not only Mexicans, but all Latinos/as. While the movie was full of horrible acting, I think it touched on the great issue of immigration and "illegal aliens." So many people in America say that they don't want undocumented people living here, but when these people are finally gone they don't know what to do.

I did think that it didn't really make sense that the in the movie all of the Latinos living California disappeared. I think it would have been more powerful if only the undocumented people disappeared because, after all, that was the issue being confronted. I also didn't think that the soap opera drama was necessary. For example, when it turned out that the little girl was actually the neighbor's daughter. Where did that even come from? I also thought that the way in which the people that the non-latino characters in the movie were very stereotypical of people living in California. It got a little old after a while because it was so unrealistic for everyone to be that way.

Overall, I thought that this movie was pretty interesting. It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, but I thought it touched on the issue of illegal immigration and brought it to a new light.

Before Night Falls

I really enjoyed watching the clip from the movie Before Night Falls for a couple of reasons. I thought that it was really helpful to put into context the readings from the other unit about Cuba and the Marielitos. I read about the history, how Castro let all of these people leave, but I never really understood and envisioned how it actually happened. It was interesting to see how people had to prove themselves to be homosexual and the stereotypes that the officers were required to judge people on. I also like the actor Javier Bardem and, even though I am unfamiliar with the life and story of Reinaldo Arenas, I feel like he delivers a very good performance of a struggling Cuban homosexual writer in New York City and I will probably end up seeing the movie in its entirety.

Multimedia

Looking back, I have learned much about Latinos, especially in various areas. In my opinion, the multimedia aspect of this class made this class stick out in my mind.

Blogging was a center for expression. Those who were too shy to share in discussion now had another outlet to express their thoughts. Individuals were able to view the blog before discussion to see the questions that would be explored.

If you chose to, the final project involved making a website. As I was new to this, I naturally faced some difficulties. However, this produced a new way for me to express my research. Making the website was much more interesting that writing a paper. It was exciting to create new pages and create a fully functional website.

However, I have found the movie aspect to be the most fascinating. I particularly enjoyed "A Day Without a Mexican." While this film focused on Mexicans, I think that the ideas reflected the objectives of the class well. This movie showed how California, if not the entire nation in general, would suffer if there were no Mexicans working in the fields. I think much discussion today revolves around issues of immigration with many Latinos. Many are only concerned with the problems these Latinos cause. Yet, many are oblivious to how much Latinos contribute to our society. I think that this movie accurately depicted this.

I believe that the multimedia aspect of this course made it more enjoyable, more educational, and more engaging.

Disney Racism?

I think that the topic of Disney being racist is quite controversial. Like many from my generation, I grew up watching numerous Disney films. Not once in my mind has the idea of racism crossed my mind.

While this may be valid, I think these issues must be explored further. For instance, my parents played Disney movies for the sole purposes of entertaining and distracting me. I would sit for hours and watch the movies.

Whether my parents were oblivious to the fact that Disney movies portrayed racism, this was not the source of my education. It was solely a source of entertainment. Cartoons are meant for this purpose. Like all other companies, Disney's purpose is to make money. While this may not be socially beneficial, it is the truth.

For those who believe that Disney is racist and should stop producing movies, please consider this. What other company out there produced cartoons for children to watch? There are very few, none as popular as Disney. Therefore, racism should not be such a big issue with regard to this company. Their purpose is not educating children; it is entertaining children.

So while many of these claims about Disney may be valid, we must look at how important this is in the overall picture. There are other sources of education rather than movies. If children are learning to much from these movies, the blame falls on their parents.

HIV/AIDS

I learned many things from Professor Stern's lecture last week about HIV/AIDS in the Latino community that I had not previously known. First of all, there were some very shocking statistics provided; for example, she said that Hispanics/Latinos accounted for 17% of people living with HIV/AIDS in the 33 states studied, that they have the second highest infection rate after African Americans, and that most of the transmission occurs through male-male sexual contact and drug use/injection, which is very shocking to me. 

In addition, Professor Stern discussed one particular case of an individual who had AIDS, and that was Reinaldo Arenas. He had a very interesting life, and lived a life of exile in many ways; he was labeled dissident for opposing the government and declaring that he was gay, and then he was isolated and alienated in NYC for having AIDS. 

HIV/AIDS is still a very prevalent disease in society today, and the United States needs to continue educating the population on the dangers of this disease. I find it shocking that there are people purposely trying to contract HIV/AIDS, when there are so many people who are suffering from the disease. 

Also, I am doing an advocacy project on HIV/AIDS for the final project, and it has been extremely interesting to talk to professionals in the field and find out how they are trying to solve the problem and also figure out what we can do to help. 

Young People as Competent Citizens

I found the article "Young People as Competent Citizens" to be very interesting. Many youth today are alienated and disengaged from society, and are considered to be 'victims of poverty' and 'problems of society'. In addition, they are over-represented as perpetrators of crime. However, in reality, the rate of juvenile crime is actually falling; this finding is attributed to the media bias. 

Also, the article mentions an organization called Lifting New Voices, which is based on the idea that youth are competent citizens and have a right to serve their community. I think that this is a great way to get young people involved, and feel like they can create community change. It enables them to organize themselves and become more central to planning and decision making in their community. 

In conclusion, from their observations, they discovered that young people actually are creating community chance. They are solving problems, organizing action groups, and planning local problems, which is wonderful. 

I hope that people realize that the youth are a vital component of society today, and are going to be leading the future of our country. 

Disney racist?!? Eh...

I was really fascinated by the issue of Disney being racist in Isabel's lectures. Although I was aware of the accusations against Disney being a racist enterprise I never really thought about them until about 2 weeks ago. 

Growing up, I was definitely a Disney kid. However, unlike what I have heard in discussion/lecture I never thought anything about the characters skin color in the cartoons/ movies. To be honest, the main messages that I received from Disney were ones about hope, dreaming, fairytales, and simple fun. I never read into anything, nor thought anything about the nature of my skin and what that meant in relation to others. In fact, from movies like Mulan, I learned that women can be powerful and just as good as men in whatever they put their minds to. Additionally, from Beauty and the Beast I learned that first impressions are not always right. Mainly, the old adage, "You can never judge a book by its cover." Never once did it cross my mind that Belle was a foolish girl for accepting the "abuse" that the Beast dished out to her. 

Being older now, I do understand the arguments being made against Disney and I do think that they are valid. However, at the same time apart of me still believes that children are really too young to completely understand what adults see as racism. 

A Look Back...

Throughout the semester various important and interesting themes/topics have been brought up and discussed in class. Coming into the class, I really was not sure what to expect but seeming that the semester is nearly over, I am so glad that I was able to take AC 213. Instead of restating all that I have learned in the class (which is A LOT) I would like to discuss something that I wish I could have learned more about. 

To be specific, I found Professor Ortega's lecture on "Latinos and Child Welfare" fascinating. He unraveled the complicated issue of academics for Latinos in the United States. Primarily, he illustrated how unfair/unkind the educational system was/remains to the Latino youth. It is interesting to note that the Latino population is younger than the non-Latino white population. If schools and teachers do not provide the resources/materials that these individuals need, our education system in this country will be doomed! It was appalling to hear that schools deliberately do not provide enough desks/classroom space for the upperclassmen because of their conviction in the idea that a good amount of the students will not make it through to graduation day. It is my hope that in the future the education system be re-structured so as to promote academic success and encourage the Latina/o students to obtain a higher education. Knowledge is power and the only way to bring about change for the future is by using knowledge as the foundation. 

That being said, this past semester I really wish that we could have discussed more ways in which the educational system could be re-structured in the future and how to avoid this from ever happening again.

Overall from this class

This reflecton post is an overall feeling gathered from this class of some things of learned and some things I wish we got into more.

I had never realized the latino minority, a heterogenous group, was the largest minority within the United States. I also never really realized the educational battles that they are faced with everyday. Watching that film of that little girl who was afraid to go to school because her teacher would deport her opened my eyes: this isn't a just and fair society. There are many things that need to be changed. I also never realized how much health care is such an issue for this minority. This is a shame -- health should be above the law and racist views; health should be of the upmost importance. People shouldn't be afraid to go receive healthcare, because the possibility of deportation looms. People shouldn't be untrustful of doctors; doctors should be here to help. And lastly, I learned why we study spanish in school. This language is the 3rd most spoke languge in the world, and it is increasing in importance within the United States.

On the other hand I wish their was more we could have talked about. For example: As brought up in lecture, I wish we could have talked more about the drug trade and drug wars. And how has these wars in mexico effected America as well? And I wish we could have gone into, more so, why we consider mexicans 'dirty' people and yet not spaniards? Or why does America not celebrate holidays, like cinco de mayo, even though the population who celebrates these is large? Their is obviously so much more I could mention, but these are the things right now that stick out in my mind.

Radio broadcast about Latinos and HIV

I listened to the radio show that Professor Cotera sent to us that was being broadcasted on World AIDs day. I was absolutely surprised to hear what the man being interviewed was saying. He explained that many Latino homosexuals are TRYING to contract the HIV virus in order to received benefits and not have to work. They would attend parties with the hopes of having unprotected sex with other males that had the virus. He explained an account of two partners, one had the virus already and the other wanted to contract it that way they would be set for life and not have to work again. This man that was being interview quit his job as an activist in the Latino community helping other homosexuals cope with the disease and other issues because he was so disturbed. Some of the very same people that he was trying to inform and warn about the virus were trying to get HIV so they did not have to work again. I think it is horrible that people would do this, and its so bad that someone who was passionate about helping others be comfortable with their homosexuality became so upset that he quit. I think this put our government and health care providers in sort of a catch 22 position. Yes, they need to help people who have the disease by providing medicine and care. The government should provide those with the virus some sort of benefits incase they are unable to work. Yet people should not be rewarded for knowingly and intentionally contracting it. 

Discussion Questions for Friday 12/5/08

This is Paola and Ana and we will be discussing the Ching and Fregoso articles in section on Friday. Here are our questions!

(Ching's article)
1. How can one define Assimilationist Pluralism versus Multiracial Democracy? What are some key differences?

2. The article states that in order to advocate for certain causes, one needs to be aware of power relations. In what ways can this be applied in children's multicultural literature? What are some examples?

(Fregoso's article)
3. Personal narratives bring reality to major issues that one may or may not experience first-hand. How does the movie "Paulina", Cruz Suarez's childhood story, bring reality to violence against women and sexual abuse?

4. What kind of theatrical tactics are employed to give the audience a better connection to the protagonist, Paulina Cruz Suarez?

(Isabel's Lecture)
5. Do you think that the media/Disney has gotten better at portraying diversity? What are some examples of stereotypes still prevalent today? Do they need to be dealt with?

Latino/a Health

After reading the Latinos ACT UP article I began to wonder why the response to HIV/AIDS in Africa is so high but the response to HIV/AIDS in Latin America is low. We have all seen the RED campaigns that promise a certain portion of the price/donation/contribution goes to research for AIDS and HIV in Africa. But why is Latin America overlooked (or any other countries for that matter)? There are many reasons why I feel that Africa is looked at first. Africa is always looked at as being so overwhelmingly underdeveloped, so is the response so high because Africa is seen as needing the help desperately? I know that Africa is without doubt the region most affected by the virus but does that mean that other countries should be excluded from receiving adequate care? Not only that but like it mentioned in the article the recycling process that is used to give care to other countries is only helpful to a certain degree. Many factors involved in the recycling process make it extremely unreliable. So why not do something where the organizations that are helping don't have to rely on recycling. But that would call for more money, more research, more time. It also said in the article that only when local issues were worked on did the ACT-UP organization receive help. The issue of HIV and AIDS and providing health care for those with AIDS/HIV is not just a local issue. (We know that because it affects all people, all colors, all ages..etc.) So why only help out with local issues? The way health care and insurance is dealt with in the United States along with who we decide to or not to help is sickening. There has to be a change.

Questions for Friday's Discussion

"Sterilized in the Name of Public Health"

1. In 1909, California passed the third sterilization bill in the nation, granting the medical superintendents of asylums and prisons the authority to asexualize a patient or inmate if it improved their physical, mental, or moral condition.
-What kinds of characteristics did inmates have in order for them to be a target for this surgery or treatment?

2. According to the leaflet, what were some of the effects of the eugenic sterilization?

3. Into the 1950s, how did California describe compulsory sterilization?

4. In the survey African Americans and Mexicans were operated on at rates that exceeded their populations. Mexican men and Mexican women comprised 7% of the 8% percent sterilized. Why do you think Mexicans comprised such a high number of those sterilized?

"Latinos ACT UP: Transnational AIDS Activism in the 1990s"

1. Why do you believe that Latinos were left out of/skeptical about the HIV/AIDS movement? What was ACT-UP's response?

2. Do you believe that the "recycling" effort that ACT-UP used and other organizations use today is dysfunctional? Why or why not?

3. What was the CHA and what was it's purpose?

4. What were the three goals of ACT-UP Treatment in Developing countries Symposium?

Reflection Post on Prof. Stern's 1st Lecture

Professor Stern's lecture on Latina/o health in the United States was very interesting. The health care crisis in this country has become a very serious issue, and I think it's sad that we may be the richest country in the world, but our health care system is 37th out of 187 countries, (with all of Europe above us). It is the government's responsibility to make the health system here as effective as possible, but putting the issue on the back burner for all these years has just led to crisis. 50 million people in the United States do not have health insurance. I work at a restaurant, and one of the guys from Mexico that I work with has been working there for twenty years, and does not have health insurance. He told me that he can't get sick because he will "be screwed". I think that the United States government needs to provide health care for everybody. Everyone is entitled to free health care, regardless of how rich or poor, how healthy, or how old. I am hoping that with this new government administration, we can finally start to fix our health system and make it available or more accessible to every American.

Another issue that was discussed in lecture was the bad stereotypes of Latinas/os as "dirty" and "diseased". These stereotypes go back to the early 1900s, and are still around today, which I find disturbing. Also, the working conditions of Latina/o farm workers is terrible. I know people who worry about the pesticides used on fruits and vegetables, so they either buy organic, or try to grow their own. If people are worried about the pesticides and chemicals at the consumer level, I cannot imagine the seriousness of the health risks for those actually picking the fruits and vegetables and working amongst them when just sprayed. Pesticides are still being used, and we need to make sure that the use of them is safe and regulated.

Izote Vos Reflection

I particularly enjoyed reading the pieces off the Izote Vos website. All of the writers were about the same age, and we easy to understand where their opinions were coming from. Most of their stories talked about the same hardships throughout immigrant life. Troubles included poverty, parental sacrifice, and family ties. Each family had to make huge sacrifices and endure much suffering in order to truly become a part of American society. Some related their identities to lacking quality of life and poor material conditions. Often the immigrant families feel they are supposed to be poor, suffer losses, feel anger, and basically be the minority, literally.
The Izote Vos readings related a lot to the "Becoming Somebody" article written by Marcelo Suarez-Orozco. Many of the immigrant students felt compelled to excel in American schools in order to repay their families for their sacrifices. Both the parents and the students were driven by a perception of opportunity in a new land. Often an entire family would immigrate in order for the children to have better opportunities for education. The parents often held multiple low-paying jobs to provide enough.
The fact that parents would sacrifice so much for their children is amazing, but I suppose all American parents feel the need to "make sure their kids are better off than they were."
Veronica Blattner

Health Disparities in Latinos

Professor Stern's lecture yesterday was very eye-opening for me. What truly surprised me where the statistics that she shared with us delineating the disparities that Latinos face when it comes to health care. It is obvious that the health care system in the United States is terrible and like Professor Stern said, "in crisis", but Latinos are one of the most under-served group of people in the system. The fact that they are Latinos sometimes accounts for their diagnosis and their treatment, if they are even able to receive that. Many Latinos are afraid to even seek health care because of fear of deportation. What kind of health care system is that?! One that makes immigrants (who most of the time need more urgent care than anyone else) afraid of getting help. That is ridiculous. And if they choose to get help, their race status furthermore marginalizes them when it comes to treatment and diagnosis. One statistic that really surprised me was that 55% of Latina/os who arrive to emergency rooms with broken bones do not receive pain medication opposed to 26% of whites. THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!! How can health care providers refuse to give someone medication simply because they look different?! The same statistics apply when it comes to postoperative treatment, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS treatment (Lecture 12/1/08). I think it is IMPERATIVE for the United States to come up with a completely new health care plan that has the health of EVERYONE in mind, not just middle-class whites. If anything, it is the undocumented immigrants that should have the most accessible health care possible! They are the ones working the dangerous jobs, getting treated the worse by their employer. And as was seen in the film A Day Without A Mexican, without them the infrastruture of this country would be in shambles because we would be wiping out the base of it. Hopefully President Elect Barack Obama will clean up the mess that has been made of our health care system and put one in place that has the needs of everyone in mind.

Gender Socialization

In Isabel's lecture, she focused heavily on gender socialization in children, whether it be through Disney movies or children's books. Yes, Disney movies are very gender normative. That is, the characters in the movies represent the stereotypical performance of man and woman. The woman is portrayed as skinny, fragile, and usually white, while the man is portrayed as hyper masculine, and also white. Compulsory heterosexuality is also extremely prevalent in Disney movies and books. So yes, the images that these kids are seeing and the texts they are reading are all sending them these underlying messages about or socially constructed society that views gender and gender performance as very strict. Any deviation from the norm is not socially accepted. I completely agree that children are being socialized by these books and movies. However, I think it is unfair to blame books and movies for the behavior, thoughts, and beliefs that these children will have once they mature. A child does not spend every minute of every day watching movies and reading books that depict this inaccurate representation of the population. I think a lot of times people get caught up with the gender socialization and they account all the blame of these movies and books. Don't get me wrong, they make a big impact in a child's life but the parents or legal guardians need to make sure that this is not all their children are exposed to. There are other factors that account for a child's thoughts and behaviors. For example, the behavior or the child's parents or legal guardians. If a child lives with an abusive dad, and a submissive mom, I am confident in saying that this will affect the childs behavior more so than the socially inaccurate Disney movies they watch on weekends. In conclusion, I think it's important not to ignore the other issues that account for a child's gender socialization.

Reflection Post: Disney World Racist?

This is not a new topic for me -- but yet still it is a very interesting topic. If one sits and just watches cartoons created by disney intended for the children it appears their is a strict reinforcement of these racist beliefs: basically that it is a white person's world.
Over this past summer I worked in the psych department doing research. My research was concerning racist beliefs and negative connotations that are associated with specific races. One weekend my boss went off to Disney for some benefit they were hosting. It was apparently a benefit to show how Disney was moving away from this negative light (whiteness) that had been stamped on them for past cartoons. But ironically my boss had the worst experience on his travels concerning these matters he has ever had. First, they set them up in a terrible (and he said dangerous as well) hotel. Apparently Disney made them pay for their stay as well. Then Disney had a banquet in where their main speaker was a man preaching that racism didn't exist in this world and it was something merely made up. Another important note is: the banquet lasted for quite a while (if i remember correctly he said somewhere around 5 hours), yet they were not fed. Moving along, apparently Disney's host site was connected to disney world, but it was on a side entrance; and they wouldn't let the banquet members enter into their park. They said they could go to disney world, but it had to be off their own budget.
This just seems funny to me -- a company trying to prove a point were not willing to allow those, who they are trying to convince, have a good time.