thoughts on readings for 3/31

Tatum Chapter 10:

i feel as thought i have overcome the fears that tatum talks about regarding the negative sanctions about the engaging in the dialogue, and do not really remember a time that i had such fears... i always was confident in knowing that i am right in what i feel about the issues of racism in our country, but the difficult task of making the dialogue Meaningful remains. most of the experiences i have with such discussions are among friends and in classes, but most of the ones at school or home are often displaced by the people i am trying to educate. i am fine with being marked as 'deviant' by others in my opinions regarding the topic because i know that they still see the issues through an "us-them" scope. it is breaking this framework that proves to be something that i have yet to acquire...

"unchallenged personal, cultural, and institutional racism results in the loss of human potential, lowered productivity, and a rising tide of fear and violence in out society" 200

making this statement understandable and relatabel for whites that have no introduction or possibilities for diversity in their lives do not posess the potential to relate... so how do i make someone relate?

Tatum refers to something said by Miller in response to a discussion group that talked about race having "felt the energy and the desire" resulting from the issue. this energy is a good thing that needs to be brought out more for people earlier in life so that by the time they begin to develop their own identities, the energy derived from the problematic racism can be channelled by both whites and minorities into a productive, positive form.

she says that it is 'courage' through education that needs to support the transformation, but i do not think courage is necessarily the right word. i think it should be more of a sense of morality after the education that should support the change like knowing what is wrong with the current situation and then taking an active approach to the change. and i strongly agree that the issue is indeed applicable to all disciplines, which is why it needs to be integrated into people's education well before the completion of high school. as tatum says, "we must begin to speak, knowing that words alone are insufficient" 206 Thus, the words must come well before a person gains more potential and influence as an agent acting for correcting a MAJOR problem with our society.

E&F Chapter 10:

in such a multicultural society, the fear of the unknown intertwined with a lack of understanding or knowledge about other races or cultures and fear of being interpreted as being racist or having prejudices after breaking the line of silence is the source of these constricted relationships. most white americans feel positive about integration, but still the underlying assumptions remain in the subconscious and in order avoid the discomfort that may arise from an attempt to be enlightened, whites are afraid to speak and still have an outsiders view of race. the challenge that minorities have is the second guessing that arises when situations of discrimination occur, analysing the treatment with an uncertainty of the motive behind the treatment.

thus, both sides have vast uncertainties. social interaction between people of different groups is Always filled with uncertainties of how to act, what to say, what role is the other person expecting me to play, what role do You expect them to fit, etc. and this occurs in Any interaction across groups, not just those regarding different races and cultures.

limitations of past research: looking at the interaction and not its individual subjects, seeing the problem resting in the majority group's attitudes, rather than the attitudes that Each participant has.... i mean, they are being social here, they are playing off of each other, each person is the link to the next sentance, thus the attitudes of both groups must be addressed. people are reactionary to their surroundings, interpreting and then producing.... this happens on both sides.