Racial Dimensions

Blog 2

It is important to discuss issues that are seen as having racial dimensions because openly discussing differences and letting thoughts be discussed is more productive than staying quiet. When discussing issues that have racial dimensions, people can fully understand where others are coming from and their background. Discussing issues can also teach everyone something new. It is never too late to learn. Another reason it is important to discuss these issues is to help everyone get on the same page and talk out their feelings and thoughts. In our society today, there are many different races and cultures, especially in schools. Discussions need to be had in order to introduce students and educators to a variety of races from the beginning in order to prevent racism or discrimination occurring. Educators need to encourage racial discussions at an early age for children in order to get them accustomed to such a heated topic. I have noticed in our society that there are certain rules for certain people, and this applies to many things in life, but it does apply to racial issues. Educators should guide students on how to constructively discuss racial issues without falling into a situation of getting attacked or ridiculed, but also standing up for what you believe in. Having respect for others personal opinions and beliefs is the most important thing to remember in these types of discussions. The best way to deal with these racial discussions is to set some ground rules and to make sure everyone is on the same page. People shouldn’t interrupt each other or try to talk over one another. This causes tension to arise and that’s what leads to arguments and bitterness. Educators should make sure everyone respects each other’s opinions and is open to hearing a viewpoint that is different from your own. This is not to say that, you have to agree with everything said in the discussion. Using appropriate language and politely saying you disagree with a statement, along with explaining why you disagree is a mature way to go about the situation. In the education world, educators need to get used to these types of discussions because they aren’t going to go away and different races will continually grow.

Breaking a Cultural Norm

Breaking a Cultural Norm

Dr. Faden told us we had to break a cultural norm, and initially I had a hard time trying to come up with something to do. I talked with the people at my table and a few of us came up with walking thru a drive through at a fast food restaurant instead of driving. After basketball practice on Wednesday, January 22, three fellow classmates of mine and myself went over to Dairy Queen. We parked our car in a parking spot and noticed that not many people were there and the open sign wasn’t lit up. We checked to see if they were open and then walked over to the beginning of the drive thru. We lined up as if we were in a car with a driver, passenger, and two passengers in the back. There was a guy in a car across the street who rolled down his window and said “are y’all in an invisible car?” We proceeded to stand in front of where you would normally order in a drive thru, but there was no response from the employees working at Dairy Queen. Our plan was to have the person who was pretending to be in the driver’s seat, to order for us all as if we were in a car. We decided to walk up to the window. We knocked on the window and about four employees were staring at us with weird looks. We told them we tried to order at the ordering spot in the drive thru but we had no response. We asked to order at the window and they all seemed to go along with it initially. I attempted to order mozzarella cheese sticks and they said they didn’t have any, so then I ordered a small order of fries. Finally they asked us if we could just come inside and order, which we agreed to. When we got inside we finally told them we were walking thru the drive through for a class. They laughed it off and said they were planning on just going along with it. Honestly if I had been working at Dairy Queen and young college students came walking thru the drive through, I would probably get real annoyed because I think they are just trying to mess around and cause trouble.