Reflective essay

             Throughout this course I have learned about social behaviours, and I have started to better understand cultures, race and society. This course has helped me to better understand why people act a certain why and how I can personally deal with the actions of others. Moreover, I have learned about why it is important to look deeply into issue people are facing in society and try to debunk them. This course has helped give me a new perspective on global issues and it has taught me to always question society.

            A core concept that came up many times in the duration of this semester is the concept of debunking. Debunking means: to look at the obvious and deeper explanations of social behaviour. To fully understand someone, you must not only observe them, however you must also decode their behaviour and try to explain the reasons behind they are behaving accordingly. I believe debunking is an important concept in order to fully understand a situation. In society today, minorities tend to try and debunk out system more than the majority, since it is not as beneficial to the minority. There are taken for granted assumptions in society, and the minorities approach them and challenge them.     

            One issue that I was interested in throughout the semester was racism. I used to believe it was wrong to bring up this issue and I felt uncomfortable. However, as this semester progressed I realized that addressing this issue is the only way to solve it. I used to feel uncomfortable saying “the white people” or the “black people”, however I have come to realize that saying those words are not the real issue, it is the stereotypes and discrimination associated with those words that is wrong. I used to believe that we were overcoming racism and that we are much better off now than we were years ago.  However, now I realize that in some ways, racism has become worse since it is more subtle and hidden. The issue is much easier to deal with if everyone can see it, however when it is hidden it’s harder to address. Moreover, I learned that “not seeing colour” will not solve any of our racism problems and instead we must acknowledge it and look at colour with logic. If we approach race logically, we come to realize that it does not in fact exist. If race does not exist then racism should not either. This whole concept is a man-made idea that is not logical in any sense. It was created to be able to discriminate and take advantage of other humans.

          Core concepts such as debunking and issues such as racism taught me life lessons that I will build on and continue to use throughout my life. This course has taught me to always question ideas in society and challenge them, for they are all created by humans and we tend to make mistakes. It has taught me to not judge but instead strive for change. The content in this course has truly inspired me and changed my perspective on life. It exposed me to issues and solutions in society. I have already started questioning my own thoughts and my own actions to better myself. I know that I will someday take this knowledge and spread it to make a change, even if it is a small one.  

Social Justice Event- December 9th

Sometimes, the best way to understand and learn is through experience. Last week, I attended a public symposium for the people of African descent from 3 to 9pm. By simply being surrounded by a different culture for a couple of hours I was exposed to much more than I would have been able to learn about through textbooks or lectures. Not only was I inspired by the words of the speakers, however I was also inspired by the positive and kind attitudes of the people around me. I did not expect to learn so much and enjoy it as much as I did. Overall, it was an experience that allowed me to see the world in a slightly different perspective.

The first speaker had made quite an impression on me. He was younger than many of the people at the event, so it was interesting to get his perspective. I was surprised when he started presenting his poetry. Not only did I connect with his words, but I was intrigued and wanted to listen more. He said things that made me laugh, but nonetheless made me think as well.

A part of the night that stuck with me the most is the reverend’s stories, specifically the story about the little boy who asked why the reverend was brown. The words that stuck with me the most from this story were “…we are the people painted by god”. I believe this is the perfect way to describe people of colour and to avoid racism. We are the people painted by god, yet that is the only difference between a brown person and a white. Moreover, I discovered that the first person that came to Canada was not a slave, but he was a translator. This furthers the understanding that racism has been created through the years, and was not always apart of society. I find it to be unusual how instead of advancing and moving forward, our society turned to racism which is not logical.

Furthermore, I learnt how African’s came into Canada as free people, but society changed laws to essentially prohibit them to continue to live a free life. The consequences of this continue to live within us. Even though we can now see right from wrong, we still tend to discriminate because racism has been with us for so long, that we have been conditioned to think a certain way. Logically, racism makes no sense, we are all humans born in different parts of the world which has changed the colour of our skin.

After attending this event, I realized even I have begun to see people in a different way. Seeing the atmosphere of such kind and positive energy changed my own attitude and energy as well. I realized there is many different ways to deal with racism and inequality. You can either get angry at people who are being racist and accuse them, which in the end does not solve anything or you can prove people’s stereotypes wrong. We have been conditioned to have certain mindsets; it is not necessarily our fault that we unknowingly discriminate. However, it is our responsibly to speak out about it in an appropriate way and face our wrongs. We have become scared to face our problems, and instead we are neglecting them by saying that we do not see colour. I believe if everyone was to get to experience other cultures; get to know people of different colours and speak openly about racism we would be able to overcome this idea of race and racism.

“What Have My Cocoa Beans Got to Do with Canada video”- Affective reading

 

                This video “What have my cocoa beans have to do with America”  was about the global sociological imagination and how we are all interconnected in this world. It explains how our actions, living here in Canada can affect the people on the other side of the world without us having any knowledge that we are doing anything at all. There were personal examples used, for example: the chocolate bars we purchase here to eat are the cause of some people even having a chance to eat. The cocoa beans come from farms and the owners of these farms rely on the consumption of their beans for them to be able to make a living.

                After watching this video, I felt inspired and I felt as if my eyes were opened to something I had not paid attention to before. I did not realize that everything an individual does here in Canada could be affecting someone or even a group of people living in another country. Furthermore, I feel as if I am responsible to be doing things to benefit these people, instead of make their lives harder. This video uses many small examples, however it helps getting the point of how we are all interconnected across.

                I think that I will see the world in a different way after being exposed to this video. I will try to stop and think before I pursue something on if what I am doing or purchasing is helping or destroying someone in the world. I never realized how interconnected we are, thus I think that I will be more conscious of my actions to ensure I am acting as an equal individual and helping our world.

                I believe that if were all to contribute to this world, and not be so selfish we would be left with a more fair and loving world. I do believe that selfishness ruins us, therefore ruins our world. We must learn to give and take, and to make sacrifices sometimes. Moreover, I believe we should be more concerned about the less fortunate people around the world and fight for their equality instead of buying products in which other individuals are being forced into labour to produce.

                I know that these changes will not happen over time, but along with many things in our world I believe this is an issue that should be addressed. I know that small gestures on our part can make huge differences in the lives of those around the world; therefore we should make the time to ensure we are making those gestures to help one another instead of destroy.

Canadian Culture YouTube video-Dialectic reading.

What questions did the video raise?	How did the video answer this?	How does the answer match my own   experiences and ideas?
What is Canadian culture?	Canadian culture is everything unique about Canada from maple syrup to   people such as Celine Dion and Pamela Anderson who represent us. Furthermore,   it is equality, fairness and the diversity of cultures.	It matches my own experiences because I live in Canada, therefore I   associate with the norms and culture on a daily basis. Moreover, I have been   exposed to all aspects of this culture. I believe in fairness and equality   because they are important beliefs in our society and in many societies over   the world to ensure individuals are treated right. In addition, I live within   a society in which there are many different groups of people of different   cultures and religions which has formed our own unique culture in its own   right.
What are the positive aspects about   Canadian culture?	Some positive aspects about Canada is our multiculturalism, politeness,   nationalism, and other places such as the cn tower and the general beauty of   Canada that we are known for.	This relates to my experiences because I   am apart of our multicultural society, and I am proud to be a Canadian much   like many people living here. Also, I believe that is it important to be   polite and respectful and Canadians are known for that. Furthermore, we have places   that in Canada that people want to come see which also makes us proud.
What are the negative aspects about   Canadian culture?	According to the video, some negative aspects is we apologize too much   and it tends to get really cold in parts of Canada.	Personally, I catch myself apologizing   many times a day, sometimes for things I should not even be apologizing for.

 

“The dangers of a single story”- Affective reading

The video “The danger of a single story” is about a woman by the name of Chimamanda Adichie who talks about how people tend to form their views on a group of people by what they hear by a single source. In this video Adichie tells her personal stories and how she has come across the effects of the single story. Not only does she explain how she came across people in the U.S. who had their stereotypes of her being poor (since she was from Nigeria); she also explains how she has experienced situations where she found herself being stereotypical as well.

            After watching this video, I felt shocked since I realized much like the people apart of her presentation, I also have been stereotypical. However, the video inspired me to be more knowledgeable. I feel as though we tend to assume and draw upon conclusions without hearing the unique story of individuals.

            Moreover, I think Adiche made some very important points through her stories. I was impacted by her video because she used her personal stories to convey bigger issues in society to her viewers. I felt as if I could personally relate to her stories because I have been in similar situations. People within our society have become so quick to judge; they associate the actions or consequences of one group of people and apply it to everyone of that region. For example, there were a few cases of East Indian men who were abusing their wives in our society which caused many people to believe many Indian men were abusive, when in reality that is not the case.

            I believe that the effects of the single story can cause harm by falsely informing people and resulting in ignorance. However I do believe we can overcome these effects by simply not being stereotypical and listening to more “stories”. This video has opened my eyes to how our image of people is not always the right one, and even if it is there is always much more about a person that what we see at a first glance.

            I know that from now on I will try to be less stereotypical and always remember not to judge a person, instead ask him or her their own story to gain more knowledge. I also know that it might take a lifetime to overcome these effects since we have been brought up in a society where we tend to assume thing about people, however I am inspired to atleast try.   

           

Negotiation, not retribution (Paraphrastic reading)

                This article essentially conveys the message that we do not learn from history and tend to make the same mistakes many times. The article touches on 9/11 and all the innocent lives lost in the tragic attack, however it also takes a look into the opposite view and touches on many lives that are constantly lost in developing countries because of the selfishness of our modern societies. Not only do we tend to be greedy and wasteful, yet we also provide and sell weapons to third world countries which result with death. Furthermore, this article talks about how countries such as the US train people to be cruel and fight against other nations, but how it ends up turning against them in the long run. Therefore, the article teaches us that we are in favor of the actions of an individual and are “friends” with that individual if he shares the same interests, yet once our interests are no longer mutual, we become enemies.  

            We were warned many years ago by Lord Pamelston that politics only ensures constant interests and not friends. Osama Bin Laden was in fact trained and even equipped by the US army to fight against Russian and Afghani soldiers and to kill mothers and their children. This is ironic since in today`s day he was assumed to have been the master mind behind the 9/11 attacks…The philosopher Georg Hegel teaches us that history has taught us that we do not learn from it. Sadly, we tend to make the same mistakes over and over again, and that is illustrated to us through our history. 

            I chose this 5 sentence section to paraphrase since I believe it gives the perfect example of how the US and other societies around the world support individuals when they have the same selfish interests in mind, yet once they are no longer mutual how they turn into enemies.

Who will liberate Liberia? (dialectic method)

What question did the text/chapter raise?	How did the text answer this question?	How does the answer match our own ideas and experiences?
Is justice blind in our society?	This text clearly demonstrated that justice is blind in our society. It explains how even when the cost of war is more expensive than the cost of peace, the US still continues to fund the wars even though that same money could be used to feed and provide for over half of the starving world. Moreover, our ethnocentric society tends to think about what benefits ourselves the most. For example, the US has gone into Iraq since Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction, yet the US is blind to the weapons of mass destruction in any other countries.	I believe in equality of humans, and believe that we should all be treated in the same way. Although it is evident that we do not live in a perfect world, thus we can not expect every human to be treated equally, we should still attempt to work towards this. Moreover, we as humans should be helping on another, instead of destroying one another because of materialistic things. We, as a society, have become much too selfish.
Why does the US decide to “liberate” Iraq but not Liberia?	The US conveys a “tunnel vision logic“, therefore, they tend to only see what affects them and what they want to acknowledge. Whatever they do not wish to see is thus ignored. Furthermore, the US involved themselves in Iraq, since Iraq is rich in oils whereas Liberia is not. They is no benefit for the US to involve them in Liberia, therefore they leave Liberians to deal with everything on their own.	This text relates to my own idea`s because I believe in humanity and helping one another. The US is selfish in “helping” whichever countries benefit them, and dismissing any other countries that do not. Even when our modern day societies attempt to help another, they have selfish intentions in mind. The US portrays that they are selfless people that wish to help other countries that “need their help”, however instead they are doing it for their own selfish gain.

The myth of Race and Reality Racism (dialectic method)

What question did the text/chapter raise?	How did the text answer this question?	How does the answer match our own ideas and experiences?
What is race?	According to the text, race is something that was invented. It is not a biological fact; instead it is a social fact. Humans created race on their own. Race is based on physical features of a group of people. The only reason humans are perceived different is because we adapted to our surroundings to survive, therefore race is not a real concept, instead it is artificial.	We are constantly separated by race in society. The first observations we make on an individual is their ethnicity and race. It is then afterwards, we learn more about the person and their personality. We are separated into browns, yellows blacks and whites even if that does not necessarily play apart in our identities.
What is racism?	According to the text racism is an idea based off of race. Racism is the concept of discriminating against other races because of subtle physical features.	I believe that racism is apart of our everyday lives if we like it or not. We discriminate against other races, even if we do not intend to. Although we may have come a long way since racism against African American’s and any other “coloured” person in the past, we still contain a more subtle type of racism.
What are the consequences of race and racism?	According to the text there are many consequences because of this idea.  There are some minor consequences such as a certain group being perceived as a inferior to another race(usually the white race), yet it can also cause more severe consequences such as ruining relationships between people, or destroying and killing of a group of people.	All of the consequences the text illustrated affect me as an individual, along with the rest of society. The hidden racism still continues to affect us today which affects our relationships we have with people. Moreover, if an individual partakes in an illegal action such as terrorism or domestic violence society tends to look at the individual’s race and judge the entire race to the one person’s actions. Although people may not be as obvious in expressing their thoughts, hidden racism is still a major part of society.

 

September 11- Forgiveness is not apart of the lessons learned (Affective reading method)

The article “September 11: forgiveness is not part of the lessons learned” is an explanation of the aftermath of 9/11 but importantly it criticizes the lessons America and western countries learned. This article primarily focuses on how America and more specifically George W. Bush dealt with the aftermath of the attack. It argues that it is not justice, yet it is revenge he seeks and he demonstrates that by bringing war into countries and killing innocent civilians and blaming it on terrorists. This article explores the morality of the western people, and essentially illustrates how we can become ethnocentric and selfish. Moreover, it questions our humanity and criticizes how we affect the lives of the people in developing countries negatively and expect them to forgive, yet if the opposite occurs we ourselves choose to go with the more violent approach.

            While reading this article, I felt genuine anger, not only towards Bush but towards my own society as well; I included. However, after reading it, and having a chance to reflect I realized that we as a society have been conditioned to think about things a certain way. We are fundamentally ethnocentric; therefore we do not believe we can do wrong. The fact that we want other people to live by our standards, yet we are not willing to accept other standards truly saddens me. Moreover, I feel as though we strive for power, and tend to ignore things such as peace while we attempt to pursue this endless journey towards a goal that will never satisfy us. We search for power, and once it is gained we ask for more. We are never satisfied. There are many lessons to be learned concerning the aftermath of 9/11, it has shown our true colours and demonstrates to me that it is not only the act of forgiveness we must learn, yet many more lessons as well.

            In addition, I was overwhelmed with thoughts after reading this article. I think western societies have much to learn. We give the impression that we are well off, and always morally correct; however this is definitely not the case. We underestimate the knowledge of other countries and trust in only our own. We are truly an ethnocentric society, and I think we must change our perceptions of our “perfection”. Every country has its negative and positive elements; it is up to us to better ourselves instead of always comparing how we are better than others.

            Moreover, I believe that our western society has many flaws. I believe that we should be much more forgiving and understanding than we are. We forget our wrongs instantaneously, yet we hold on to our rights when it should be the other way around. We should be holding on to our wrongs so we do not repeat history. Also, we should be taking lessons from people from countries such as Africa who have learned to forgive, yet not forget. This has allowed the descendants of slaves in America to better their lives and demand their rights without violence and the killing of innocent people. Killing innocent people in foreign countries will not bring your own people back. We must take lessons from people such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Ghandi who believe in peace and equality. Who are we to determine whether a life should be taken away? We can not fight sorrow with more sorrow. We are equals and it is morally wrong to kill innocent people without reason. If everyone on this planet was not willing to compromise we would be left in chaos.

            Furthermore, I know the world is not a perfect place and that we are always morally correct; however I also know that we must always try to better our world and the best place to start bettering the world is by finding our own flaws and bettering ourselves. It’s easy to see the flaws of other countries and correct them, for we do not understand them. It is essential for us to look at our history and find our faults to be able to overcome our future issues. We must learn from our mistakes, instead of being stubborn and reenacting them. We must accept other cultures even though we may not agree with them, and learn to forgive. Americans were killed by the attacks, however in the same way more lives of innocent people in other countries were taken away by the American government. It is not fair to punish a whole people because of a single individual. As illustrated in the article we are replacing revenge with justice; however that will leave our beloved planet war torn. We must learn to compromise and see the people of the world as equals before we can better our world.  

 

Paraphrastic reading method Ch. 12

Summary:

            Chapter 12 of “Issues in Social Justice”, illustrated essentially how race is not a real biological factor, yet it is a human created concept that separates social groups. We tend to base race on physical elements and fail to acknowledge the fact that we hold these differences solemnly because of adaptations to geographical factors that allowed us to survive. Different races created the idea of racism, which is used to discriminate against minorities based on their physical differences. Furthermore, this chapter describes how racism is still present in society, however has become more hidden. Although, it may not be as evident as it was in past generations, the idea is still apart of our thinking. Racism has become a reality that we face daily, and has become apart of our minds. Consequently, although it has and continues to affect us as a society, it is not impossible to defeat either; we must learn to unlearn what has been taught to us through the use of history and logic.   

5 sentence section being paraphrased:

            Society has changed, and African American’s are no longer seen as slaves or savages as they were once seen; however, this does not indicate that the racism has completely disappeared. Instead, the human created idea of race continues to live within society and proceeds to cause discrimination in a more concealed manner. Modern society has been able to hide this quiet racism effectively. Although the more evident concept of racism has been discontinued, it still lives on as an idea in society. Racism affects our society and individuals within our society who might see themselves as superior or might be discriminating against other races, even if they are not aware of it.

(See page 317)

Why I chose this section:

             I chose this segment because it interested me, and in my opinion summarized the most important issue in the chapter. It illustrated how we have overcome the obvious concept of racism that we saw years ago (for example, slavery), however we still tend to be racist and see differences in races even if we do not wish to, or are not aware of it. I agree with this passage, and think that we must learn to acknowledge that there is no such thing as race and that it is just a human created social idea.