Ni Hao

When I was about seven, I asked my mom if I could go to Chinese school. She basically brushed it off and as a result the only Chinese words I know are "ni hao." My mother is a 1.5-generation-immigrant, which I actually did not really realize she was in fact an immigrant until our discussion in class a few weeks ago. She moved here from Taiwan when she was two. She speaks perfect English, and English is actually the only language she knows. I was curious about why my mom did not know Chinese despite Chinese being technically her first language, so I asked my grandparents about their immigration and learning English. They basically said that they did not consciously choose to not teach their children Chinese, but it just happened naturally because they worked with, went to Church with, and lived near mostly white people. My grandparents could read and write English before they came here, but my mother and my uncle did not know any English at all. My grandparents said that after my uncle started school, it took him one month to learn English. My uncle beginning school was also a bit of an impetus for them to speak English in the home. Within three or four months they spoke about half Chinese and half English. After about two years, they spoke mostly English, and within four years, they spoke all English.
This is a rare case with immigration, to assimilate so easily and quickly. Their age of arrival was pretty young, their time in the US now is long, and they are better educated than most. They said their first priority was "being able to communicate" so their switch to English just happened unconsciously. But I honestly kind of wish they had tried to preserve the language.

Any thoughts on language or assimilation?

Redefining Race

The following video gives an example of what race and ethnicity is becoming in the United States. The line between races is thinning and the United States is, and is becoming more, a melting pot of ethnicities. These students tell their backgrounds and races, which they say doesn't completely define them, because they are also Americans. Their heritage consists of two parts that they may wish to be seen all as one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA7La5JgOUk

What is it that actually defines us as Americans? What are the benefits to having a melting pot of races, ethnicity, and culture in the United States?

4-year-old Deported to Guatemala

I found this article on NYTimes.com and thought it brought up several interesting issues. I was quite surprised that this little girl's reentry back into the United States, where she is a legal citizen, became such a big problem.  I can't help but think that the resources that were used to handle the situation of this little girl could have been used elsewhere.  Is a 4-year-old really that much of a threat to national security?  And how did she get deported if she is a U.S. citizen?

There are also other issues at play here, besides the mistake of sending her to Guatemala unnecessarily.  If her parents are known to be illegal immigrants, why were they not deported to Guatemala?  How was the little girl identified as an "illegal?"  These questions point to the larger problems surrounding familial citizenship rights.  This little girl was separated from her parents for a relatively short amount of time, and the issue has, for now, been resolved.  But what happens to children whose parents are deported permanently?  Do they have the right to remain in the United States?  Do parents who are deported lose the right to care for their U.S. citizen children?  What are your thoughts?

Racism in Utah

http://www.fox13now.com/news/local/kstu-racism-investigation-at-alta-high-expected-to-wrapup-20110408,0,63893.story

So, I'm putting the above link up because it is the most recent article written on the problems that have been going on at Alta High School. The media has been aware of two racist incidents, one where a student wore an outfit similar to a KKK outfit, and then another incident involving text messages with pictures of burning crosses. However, there are apparently more problems going on in the school. The administration doesn't really seem to know exactly what to do. I think being a teacher is a lot harder than we think, especially in an area that is so politically, religiously, and culturally homogeneous.

I had an experience last night that got me thinking about the fine line that teachers have to walk. I'm a swim coach and last night I was asked to help out with two swimmers after practice because their mom couldn't be there to pick them up right away. My husband and I went to dinner with them and it was startling how many racist/homophobic comments came out of their mouths. These boys are good kids, but they kept making comments that made fun of Muslims, illegal immigrants, and gays. It was hard for me to know what to say because I am in a position of leadership and power, and yet, I still have to answer to their parents, who I am sure are teaching their children these things. I wonder how teachers in a school address issues like this, especially because parents will get so worked up over what is being taught to their kids. So, here's the question: How to we teach kids tolerance and respect and love, without getting in trouble from their parents?

"Career Strategies for Women"

I came across this article as I went to check my email and just about laughed out loud. “Career Strategies for Women”. Really? It is pretty pathetic that such a title was given to the article. Why could it have not simply been titled “Career Strategies”? Is there a necessity to divide such tips among men and women? I clicked on the article and continued to read the article in curiosity of why these strategies couldn’t possibly apply for men as well. Through reading the article it listed five “smart strategies for building long-term career success.” The five strategies were: #1 - Make Sure You Have the Right Credentials, #2 - Determine the Best Career for You, #3 - Be Positive and Proactive, #4 - Go the Extra Mile, #5 - Get Noticed for the Right Reasons. Personally, I feel that any man should take these same points into consideration. This article is an example of how sexism continues today in the workplace. Women are given special tips in this article as if men do not need them because they already have jobs. I think this article is a social example of the unfair opportunity for jobs in society based upon sex and am sharing this to bring awareness of such continued perspectives and practices of society shown seeping through in the media.

The Other Side

My brother is on a mission in Honduras and asked me about immigration in the US. I told him what we had been talking about in class and asked him what people are saying there.

This is what he wrote: "Well the whole immigration thing, I have heard people tell me that when language was confused at the Tower of Babel that there were Spanish speakers and English speakers, and the Spanish speakers lived here in America namely California, Texas, Florida, and New York. The Spanish speakers were the majority but slowly the English speakers took over and are continually trying to get rid of the Spanish speakers by sending them to Central America. I tried to explain the discovery of America and other basic historic facts but he persisted, and since he is my friend and I didn't want to tell him he was being an idiot I just gave up. Also I have heard that the immigration law in Arizona is that they stop anyone from Honduras and shoot then. That is a big one down here, all the police force in the United States exist just to kill illegal immigrants. These are just a few, people really stretch their imaginations when it comes to making stories about the United States."

I thought I'd share since it is always good to hear from the other side and all of could probably use a good laugh as we head to the end of the semester.

Latinos driving Arizona growth

Considering all that is going on with immigration in Arizona, this is an interesting article...some of the comments posted after it are even more, shall we say, interesting?

Latinos driving Arizona growth

Census: Most new residents Hispanic

by Ronald J. Hansen and Matt Dempsey - Mar. 25, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

More than the nation as a whole, Hispanics led Arizona's changing population over the past decade.

Of the 1.3 million new residents Arizona gained by 2010, 600,000 of them were Hispanic, census data show. Overall, their share of the state's population grew from about 25 percent in 2000 to 30 percent last year.

It is a demographic bloc that is changing Arizona like no other. All other minorities in Arizona, including Blacks and Asians, increased by 200,000, or less than half the growth of non-Hispanic Whites.

Phoenix and Tucson led the state's overall shift, with both becoming majority-minority cities over the past 10 years.

Over the decade, Phoenix gained nearly 125,000 net residents, but the number of non-Hispanic Whites actually declined 64,000. Meanwhile, the Hispanic population of the city grew by 140,000. Similarly, Tucson gained 33,000 residents even though its non-Hispanic White population declined by 18,000.

The shift is especially evident among children and may signal further changes ahead.

Statewide, the number of non-Hispanic White residents younger than 18 fell by nearly 1,000. By comparison, the state added 211,000 Hispanic children in the same period.

Goodyear, for example, was 58 percent non-Hispanic White in 2010, an 11 percentage-point decline since 2000. Among Goodyear children, 55 percent are minorities, most of them Hispanic.

Fromhttp://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2011/03/25/20110325census-azhispanic0325.html

The Fab Five

Recently, a Jalen Rose produced film about the Fab Five of the University of Michigan aired on tv.

In it, members of the Fab Five accused Duke players as being "Uncle Tom's" and worse.
In response, a former Duke player, Grant Hill, had this to say:

"To hint that those who grew up in a household with a mother and father are somehow less black than those who did not is beyond ridiculous."
see http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/grant-hills-response-to-jalen-rose/?ref=sports

It also reminded me of the episode of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, where Carlton attempts to join the same fraternity as Will.
see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOY9CbIK9zk

What the clip doesn't show is the reaction of Uncle Phil when he hears about the frat not accepting Carlton.

"You know, this really irritates me. I have worked very hard to give my family a good life, and suddenly, somebody tells me there's a penalty for success? I'm sorry you had to go through that, son. When are we going to stop doing this to each other?"

Personally, I believe there is a way to be proud of the accomplishments made in our personal lives without trying to elevate ourselves above those who may come from other, seemingly better, situations. We can, and do, all try to better ourselves and our situations.

Women, know your limits?

My older sister showed me this video clip about how men think women should think. Although this clip portrays women several decades ago, do men really think that women should act a certain way or play dumb to intellectual conversations and only be there to be looked at? I think this could be argued both ways and they clip's purpose is to be humorous, but it does bring up interesting opinions.

Are Whites Racially Oppressed?

I found this article and found it interesting given the recent discussions in our class. Some sociologists are saying that whites are feeling like they were the priviledged and have of late become the new minority. Whether or not this is true, scholars state that some whites are adopting "the language and protest tactics of an embattled minority group."

Do you believe that? More colleges are offering "whiteness studies" and offer scholarships for needy white men. The majority of these white discontents are either those who identify with the Tea Party, are Republican, or are Evangelical Christian.

What happens when white is no longer the "norm?"

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/21/white.persecution/index.html?htp=C2

Comedy and "Learned Helplessness"

As I was sitting there listening to the town meeting yesterday I noticed that a couple of references were made to the "learned helplessness" of those individuals and families that live near or below the poverty line.  For some reason this got me thinking about comedy and the way that African American's are portrayed in comedy, specifically stand up and sketch comedy shows.  The first sketch that came to my head was on the Chapelle Show where Dave Chapelle showed what he thought would happen if African Americans were paid reparations for the work of the slaves.  I would post a link to that sketch, but there's some very colorful language (pun intended) in that bit.  Look it up if you want.  My question is simply this:  Do you think that poking fun at the lifestyle of those that live below the poverty line helps shed light on their struggles or just reinforces the "learned helplessness" lifestyle.  This can come from white comedians poking fun at rednecks or black comedians, like Dave Chapelle, making fun of their own race.  What are your thoughts?

Puberty suppression treatment for transgender preteens

http://childrenshospitalblog.org/childrens-gives-transgender-tween-new-hope/

This article discusses the early life and struggles of a transgendered child who strongly identified with the female gender despite being biologically male. More specifically, it details the family’s decision to use medical techniques to suppress puberty in their child through monthly injections that block sex hormones. This treatment has become standard for transgendered preteens in other countries such as the Netherlands, but is only offered in a few hospitals in the United States.

The article states that not only must the child submit to a host of rigorous psychological tests before receiving the treatment, but the puberty suppression treatment is fully reversible at any time. The child can discontinue taking the drugs and would then go through puberty according to their biological sex. If the child were to continue taking the puberty suppression drugs, they could then choose whether to eventually take hormone therapy or have a sex change surgery.

The doctors who supervise the puberty suppression treatment state that “For the appropriate patients, we’ve found that the use of this therapy not only prevents severe psychological distress, but allows these young adolescents a chance to begin to blossom into their true selves”. What do you think about the treatment? If you were in a similar situation to the parents in the article, do you think you would choose the same path for your child?