Article on Belfast's "Peace Wall"

Here is a link to the article I mentioned yesterday about Belfast's Peace Wall from USA today... it is a quick and interesting read!

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2008-05-03-1826820552_x.htm

Environmental Justice and Time

Have you heard about how children are suing over climate change?

I realize I’m a little tardy to the party with this, but in our discussions about environmental justice one of the things that I kept thinking was that we never explicitly discussed the temporal element of the problem. (Yes, we discussed how the past affects the present, but not explicitly how the present affects the future.)

As we (like, as a people, not as a college class) attempt to navigate these socio-environmental issues, I think it’s important to remember that actions that “externalize” disamenities onto disadvantaged groups ultimately externalizes the problem to the next generation as a whole.

The idea that environmental impacts can even be externalized is a privilege provided by distance (a function of resources, ability and social context) and time. Over time, distance will become irrelevant. The threat of global climate change affords humanity on it's best opportunities to reexamine these social phenomenon and (hopefully!) dismantle them.

Powers of 10 video

Thanks to everyone for a great class discussion today.  Here is the "Powers of 10" video that I mentioned in class today, in case you're interested in taking a look at it!

Panopticon and Spatial Injustice

In the first chapter of Space, Place, Sex: Geographies of Sexualities, Johnston and Longhurst (2009) articulate the importance of discourse in creating individual and collective bodies. In addition, the two authors narrate how Michel Foucault provides examples “in which individuals and populations are regulated through the power of a surveillant gaze” (Johnston and Longhurst, 2009, p. 30). However, the example that Michel Foucault uses in his groundbreaking book Discipline and Punish (1977) is the Panopticon.

The Panopticon was developed in the 18^th century by Jeremy Bentham. It is an architectural design to ensure the power of a surveillance machine (Ozguc, 2010). The idea was first developed to control and discipline prisoners through making a dark watchtower. “The whole purpose of the Panopticon is to ensure that the unseen gaze of the inspector creates an illusion of constant surveillance which would deter abnormal behavior and discipline individual bodies” (Ozguc, 2010). This design is commonly used today in prisons as well as in social and public institution such as schools, hospitals and governmental offices.

(Inside the Presidio Modelo Prison in Cuba. Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon#mediaviewer/File:Presidio-modelo2.JPG)

This Panoptic technology is also constructed in social spaces to create spatial injustice. In the reading entitled Spatial Justice: A Frame for Reclaiming our Rights to Be, Thrive, Express and Connect, the writers mention that one of the ways to create spatial injustice is spatial attacks. Spatial attacks include a construction of a segregation wall as the one in the case study “Sweet Auburn” in Atlanta, Georgia. Walls also serve as a panoptic gaze in creating spatial injustice, uncertainty, unpredictability and subordination (Ozguc, 2010).

The example that Ozguc (2010) provides in his article is the West Bank Wall, which was constructed by the Israeli government in 2002. The Israeli Wall in the West Bank is an eight meter high concrete wall (26 foot), with electric fence, electronic sensor, watchtowers and monitoring systems, which does not separate the West Bank from Israel, but it also separates Palestinian villages, buildings, the connection between Palestinian enclaves, and communities (Ozguc, 2010; Leuenberger, 2011).

(The West Bank Wall. Image source: http://greennumberplate.wordpress.com/2013/11/)

However, Ozguc (2010) argues that the Panopticon system cannot be applied to the West Bank Wall, since the wall which creates chaos, uncertainty and unpredictability in the Palestinian side, and the Panopticon system aims to create an ideal society. Nonetheless, the West Bank Wall creates spatial injustice, not only because ethnically segregate between Palestinians and Israelis, but because it excludes Palestinians as the “Others” (Ozguc, 2010). The construction of such physical objects in social spaces generate the stereotypes and homogenizing the "Other" (Leuenberger, 2011), and “administer the exclusion of the Other” with permits of entering and rights of movement and accessibility (Ozguc, 2010).
References:

Design Studio for Social Intervention. Spatial Justice: A Frame for Reclaiming our Rights to Be, Thrive, Express, and Connect. Retrieved from: http://ds4si.org/storage/SpatialJustice_ds4si.pdf

Johnston, L., & Longhurst, R. (2009). Space, place, and sex: Geographies of sexualities. Rowman & Littlefield.

Leuenberger, C. (2011). From the Berlin Wall to the West Bank Barrier: How material objects and psychological theories can be used to construct individual and cultural traits. In Gerstenberger, K. & Braziel, J. (Eds.), After the Berlin Wall: Germany and Beyond (pp. 59-83). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Ozguc, U. (2010). Beyond the panopticon: The separation wall and paradoxical nature of Israeli security imagination. In Australian Political Studies Association conference, Melbourne, September (pp. 27-29).

White privilege for Asian Americans?

Just today I came across this article on white privilege being afforded to Asian Americans.

I thought that this article compares well with what we talked about in class last week concerning as privilege being binary and privilege being problematic for those in the privileged group (as argued by McIntosh from the class readings). With concern to race, the binary seems to go ‘you’re white and you have privilege or you’re black and you don’t.’ However, reading this article and discussing it with a close friend of mine really sort of adjusted my thinking of white privilege and clarified the problems that it creates.

I knew that race and privilege are topics of interest to close friend of mine, so I sent the article to her and we had a short conversation. She provided some really valuable insight from her own experiences being Japanese-American. She so kindly gave me permission to quote her (Thanks again, girl).

As for the article, the main gist that the author is getting at is that Asian-Americans are quite often afforded the same privileges as white Americans, thus becoming a part of white privilege as it is, and not changing it. She makes the argument at the end that white privilege should be challenged by anyone who has it and isn’t white.

This article seems limited however in that it only talks about tech jobs and university admissions. So statistically, Asian Americans are well represented in Silicon Valley, but we don’t quite have the big picture of Asian American experience and representation in the larger workforce. This was something that my friend took issue with. Stereotypically, Asian Americans are seen as holding jobs in high tech industries or in the medical field, and this is also the assumption that this author seems to explore in her article. But what about those who are not working jobs in technology or medicine? This is where I think the white privilege of Asian Americans conversation gets weak. Here is a quote from my friend:

“There have been a number of times where people have asked me at work if I’m also a pre-med student or studying to become a doctor.”

She has a BFA in painting, and is currently in New Orleans doing art but supporting herself financially with a job in retail. She does not aspire to work in Silicon Valley or become a doctor. She is an artist and what she does for income is for just income, not for status. There is no indicator other than her race and her age that would suggest to these inquiring customers that she might be a future doctor. She does not have medical textbooks stacked behind the register or a “Tulane School of Medicine” sweatshirt. But to these customers she otherwise would seem out of place with her retail job being her main source of income. Contrary to white privilege, her race has set expectations and boundaries for her by others.

Here’s a related quote from the conversation with my friend on the topic of expectations and boundaries:

She went on to express frustration about that good old concept of “having it all” as a woman, and how ‘career’ is a part of that ideal in popular media. In addition, from the article and her experience, ‘career’ is something that is presumed to be a priority for Asian Americans. So, what if it isn’t?

In conclusion, even though Asian Americans may experience white privilege in seeking a professional career in tech or medicine and college admissions, there are plenty of reasons why ‘white privilege’ of an Asian American is still not the same as a white person’s white privilege. Mainly, this is because of the issue of race. Asian-American experience cannot be assimilated into white privilege because they’re not white. And that’s one of the problems with white privilege. It’s exclusive and it maintains a hierarchy thus creating oppression in one way or another for those who are explicitly ‘not white.’  Just because one may enjoy privilege in the workplace doesn’t necessarily mean that they will enjoy that privilege on the street or community at large. Socially constructed presumptions about a race and history itself are still important in contemporary American culture. McIntosh from last week’s reading said it well that her whiteness “protects her from many kinds of hostility, stress, and violence” (p. 90). I have not yet seen the case for Asian Americans enjoying the same protection.

So like McIntosh from the reading last week, the author of this article calls out the damage that privilege creates for those on either side, and in general for rejecting white privilege when possible. From this and from conversing with my friend, I really understand the urgency for this even more.

Social "Injustice" and White Supremacy

Last Thursday on the 9/11, there was a panel co-organized by the OU Students for Law, Justice and Culture and Center for Law, Justice and Culture called “Racism, Policing and Struggles for Justice in Ferguson”. It was a faculty lead discussion panel focusing around the recent events in Ferguson. Why was I there? My political science teacher, Dr.T was part of the panel and she promised extra credit for those who attended the whole discussion. I went there expecting to lull away 2 hours just to gain those extra credit. What I did not expect was an extremely engaging panel, audience and inspiration for another blog post.

It started with a brief history of a long list of unarmed black teens or young adults being shot to death by white armed people. In fact, there were at least 4 cases reported just in the last six months alone minus Michael Brown’s case in Ferguson. Why is this still happening in modern day and time? In fact, what can be done to rectify this situation? Those were just some of the questions raised. Young students from various backgrounds stood up and gave insights to their own personal stories of racism. All the panellists gave very good answers which I cannot even begin to articulate how powerful they were. All I could think about at that moment was that these are prime examples of social injustice.

However, Dr.Y, another political science teacher gave an example that I thought was great. He teaches Critical Race Theory and one of the stories that he will use was a short science fiction story by Derrick Bell. The story is called "The Space Traders" and it was written in 1992. Just to summarize the story for those who might not have heard of it: It is the future and the economy is bad and our environment is polluted. One day, aliens appeared and offered the President of the United States gold for wealth, chemicals capable of unpolluting the environment and fuel to solve energy crisis. All they want in return was every single African Americans that are living in the States. Dr.Y said in his years of teaching this story, 95% of his white students will say yes to the trade. He goes on to mention white supremacy is very much alive because most people are not willing to give up their privileges. I thought that tied in so wonderfully with the article White Privilege and Male Privilege that we just read. A lot of people do not think about having privileges but the moment it is being brought to light, you have to re-think if you are willing to give it up. 

Full turnout for the panel

Spacial Justice & Privilege

I was really intrigued by the two readings we were assigned for today so I decided to investigate the topic of spatial justice. This is not a concept that I was familiar with before today, but it really piqued my interest so I looked into it.

This event relates to a lot of topics we have discussed and it took place this week in Oklahoma. The first link is an article explaining what was said and the second article covers CAIR-OK's response to the State Representative's statements:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/oklahoma-republican-refuses-apologize-anti-muslim-statements-article-1.1928414

http://newsok.com/social-justice-groups-join-together-to-condemn-oklahoma-lawmakers-anti-muslim-comments/article/5340759 

While reading the articles above I was reminded of many of the circumstances and conditions Peggy McIntosh mentioned in White Privilege and Male Privilege. Number six in particular stuck out to me. 

"6. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely and positively represented." (p. 88)

This is one aspect of white privilege I have personally never given much thought to until very recently. Current events like Rep. John Bennett's statement and the portrayal of Black Victims, like Michael Brown, have caused me to start thinking about race and privilege in the context of media. I have started to analyze what we are shown from a different (sometimes shocking) perspective.

Since 9/11, Muslim-Americans have been viewed differently by certain groups of Americans. With the recent coverage that ISIS has been getting this view has only been exacerbated. I can’t imagine what it would be like to hear that an elected official, who is supposed to represent me, had said something like that about a group that I was a part of. I believe this is also an example of privilege being invisible for two reasons:

1) Rep. Bennett refuses to apologize or resign of his own accord.

2) This is considered acceptable behavior and being tolerated by others in power.

If a well-known Muslim-American had said something like that about a politician via social media the response would be entirely different.

After reading the Spatial Justice piece by the design studio for social intervention I was forced to ask myself if the Internet and media is a “space”. As strange and alarming as that is to me, I believe it may be true. While you can argue that Rep. John Bennett has a right to free speech, you must also acknowledge that Muslim-Americans have a right to feel safe in the space that is the internet/media. It would seem to me that several marginalized groups have been portrayed through a lens of a privilege in the media and experienced injustice in this space.

picture of the social justice

Hello Again,

Issues with Gender in Society

We fear what we don't understand. All of the prejudices that are in our world seemingly come from this lack of understanding. I think that this includes gender as well. We have these norms set for people to lay out the expectations and to avoid uncomfortable, awkward situations of meeting someone who doesn't exactly fit the cookie cutter image that society often advertises. Gender has become a huge part of our identities. It tells us what we can and cannot do. It sets boundaries. When we break those boundaries, that's when people get uncomfortable or upset.

For instance, female body builders. Women are portrayed as beautiful when they are petite or curvy. So when someone sees a woman who is a fitness buff, many people are horrified and disgusted because she doesn't "look like a woman should". But when you think about it, there's nothing wrong with her actions. Wanting to be healthy and physically fit is a good thing! It should be celebrated. And fitness comes in different forms. Just because not everyone sees her as beautiful doesn't mean there's something wrong with who she is. To me, it's frustrating that beauty often defines who we are.

Another example of people that are seen as social outcasts are the people who claim to be "human Barbies". These people choose to alter their bodies to imitate a doll's physique. While it may be deemed somewhat unhealthy, it is their body and their choice. It isn't harming anyone else. Maybe looking that way makes the person feel good or beautiful. The point is, it's their choice. And societal values on what each gender should look like/do shouldn't matter if the person is happy and not harming anyone else.

Other parts of being male or female we can't always control. For instance, men who have breasts. Often, they are judged because they look feminine when they are supposed to look masculine. Breasts on a man are generally not seen as sexy so they aren't as accepted in society. Also, body hair. Both men and women have hair, however, men aren't always expected to shave/remove it while women generally are.

Boys are expected to be high achieving in maths and sciences while girls are better at language, history, and arts. When a girl is good at math or science, people are more surprised. I have a friend who is in engineering and is surrounded by male colleagues. Because she is female, she is picked on and harassed. Boys who are in more female dominated career paths are made fun of too. For example, in the TV sitcom, Scrubs, Elliot briefly has a fling with a male coworker who is a nurse. All of the other doctors and faculty in the hospital talked and teased her about it, causing their relationship to tank because of her embarrassment of his career.

In class, I mentioned reading a post about an infant named "Storm". His/her parents decided to keep their gender disclosed from the public in order to let the child choose who he/she wanted to be. They dressed Storm in gender neutral colors, gave him/her toys for either gender, and let the child grow his/her hair. This caused a huge controversy within the public. No one could possibly understand why parents would want to let their child decide who they want to be. Imagine that.

It's time we mind our own business and let people live their own lives! We spend so much time picking apart everyone else's lives and not enough on our own. Since when are we perfect? What entitles us to judge everyone else around us, especially based on their gender? There is no benefit to controlling someone else's life. We are all entitled to be different and to be accepted for that (within reason). So if a girl has interest in math or science, we should support her and encourage her to pursue her dreams. Not because she is female, but because that is what she is interested in! If a boy wants to be a nurse - awesome! We need more people who care in the world. Gender doesn't matter all the time. While there are some psychological and physiological differences, men and women are very very similar. When it comes down to it, gender shouldn't be the main thing that characterizes who we are as people. What we do, how we treat other people, and how we act should be the focus.

TED TALK poetry

The Reading by McIntosh"White Privilege and Male privilege" reminded me of this TED talk

http://www.upworthy.com/someone-told-her-she-was-articulate-now-watch-her-very-articulately-reject-the-compliment

Sometimes we take things for granted, and never question if it is fair to own what we have.

In this video, Jamila tries to introduce how people judge her by the way she talks which is attributed to her skin color...

"when she is cooking in the Bathroom"(min 2:41), I though that was an example of intersection between identities and culture. We act differently depending on the people who surround us, and that is reflected in language and space. What I am trying to say is that we act according to the spaces that surround us. For example, this summer, I did an internship at the U.N in New York, and I noticed that the language I used inside the building of the headquarter was very different to the language I would use with my friends when I am going to the movies.
Places affect our identities and language use.

In addition to that she mentions all the inequalities her race has to face because she isn't among the "White" privileged.

Rasha Sansur

Transgender, Public Restrooms

While reading Lynda Johnston's and Robyn Longhurst's chapter from the book Space, Place, and Sex, I was reminded of a recent conversation I had with a good, family friend. My friend, we will call her Jane, was telling me how she and her husband recently went to the movie theater on a date. Before the movie, Jane needed to use the restroom, but once she entered the room was caught off guard by a transgender individual washing their hands, who most would identify as a a male in our society. Jane was okay with the individual in the bathroom, but it made her wonder about her safety in this typically gendered space. She explained to me she fears that some men may dress as a transgender individual in order to gain access to a women's restroom in order to assault women who believe they are entering a generally safe, public space. This really made me wonder what can be done to be sure these public spaces (normally gendered spaces) will not become dangerous in our society. 

Clearly, there is a question about what restroom a transgender individual could and should use and the answer does not seem clear. Johnston and Longhurst explain not all bodies "fit the two-sex model," which ties into exactly what I am discussing (p. 23). Our society tends to center itself around binaries: male and female, homosexual and heterosexual, etc., which has been discussed in today's readings. However, not everyone fits these binaries (e.g. transgender and asexual individuals also discussed in Johnston and Longhurst's reading). Thus, when a restroom enforces these binaries (having male and female restrooms), it leaves individuals out who do not clearly fit into one of the two categories.

After reading the article and doing a bit more research, I found a possible solution to this topic that has been implemented in Multnomah County in Portland, Oregon. The county now requires all future buildings and buildings that are remodeling to provide gender-neutral restrooms to accommodate transgender individuals. This way it allows anyone to use the restroom without concern or question to whether or not the individual belongs in the space. I have provided the link to the news story, which includes a video and write-up here:

http://www.kptv.com/story/22566263/multnomah-co-makes-new-rules-for-gender-neutral-bathrooms 

I find this to be a great solution, as everyone can now feel safe in the public space. Not only does this provide safety to all people, but it also begins to break down the binaries that our society has been so obsessed with for decades. Government officials understand not everyone can fit into one of two categories. I believe it is laws like this that will begin to change the way our society understands the world and the people in it. This is one step toward changing our ideas of gender and opening society's eyes to the complexity of humans.

Hello Everyone,

I am posting the image from the blackboard for race as a social construction

When all you ever know is about Race

Malaysia, a relatively peaceful country in South East Asia has always practice ethnic-based or should I say race-based politics and governance. Malaysia comprises of 3 major race groups which are Malays, Chinese and Indians. They make up more than 80% of the population. As a child, I was never aware there are differences between races. I had friends. I did not care much else.

As I grew older, more things caught my attention. I think my first ever encounter with a racial barrier was when I was applying for a government scholarship. I noticed that I was not even granted an interview but another classmate with significantly lower results than me got an interview with the admissions people.

Some background information to Malaysia’s constitution. The Malays make up approximately 50-60% of the population in Malaysia. When we gained independence from the British, the economic divide between races was huge. The dominant political group called United Malays National Organization (UMNO) now, implemented special privileges for the ethnic group to narrow the gap. This means more allocations of funds and placement in schools, government and universities. Public university has a quota system in place which I learned when I was applying for acceptance. They have to maintain a certain percentage of Malays. So, imagine besides being judged on your grades, you are also being judged by your race.

Fortunately this has being ingrained in all of us since young so I have no resentment to my fellow Malaysians. I do hope this can be changed in the future but at the current moment my government is not making the effort. Why do I say this? I think the picture below speaks more than I can say.

This was the front page a mainstream newspaper that came out the day after General Election in May 2013. The headline translates to What else do the Chinese wants? next to the picture of our Prime minister being sworn in. Most Malaysians wants to be just known as Malaysian but the divide and conquer rule still works.

Like the idea of culture -and the practices that support that idea- the idea of race is powerful only insofar as it organizes people's activities, actions, and ordinary lives in particular ways for the benefit of particular people, classes and social groups" (Miles, 1982, p. 232; as cited in Mitchel, 2000).