Don't Ask Don't Tell

I disagree with the current policy. It does not allow gays to have full rights. They can join the military, but in the end they have to 'cover' who they are in order to stay in the military. I feel if they were to get rid of the policy it would open up more employment for these men and we will have more men who would like to serve on our forces since they can live freely. However, the only problem I foresee with lifting the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is the 'bullying' that may ensue. I feel the minority of men who absolutely do not want gays on the military bases will harass these men. I question whether the men who say they don't care would say anything because they don't care enough either way. Or if the leadership on the base gets into the wrong hands, who knows what will happen to the openly gay. No matter what, I do believe this is a necessary right that all men and women should have, as long as they pass the physical and make it through boot camp.

Globalization

• I do not like the idea of Americanization. I think it is sad that people are losing their culture and sense of individuality. Sure, it is cool to have a McDonalds and Starbucks in other countries, but where did the individualism go? Along with this, people are starting to wear our sports logos in different countries and same name brand items. I do not like the thought that if I go travel the world, I will see the same food chains, or clothing as I would in America. What is the point in traveling then? I want to experience different cultures, not experience mine every country I visit. 
• McDonaldization is the spread of McDonalds to different countries all over the world. I believe he said something like every 6 seconds a new McDonalds is built across the world. I don't even know who would want McDonalds in their own country, it's so gross and fattening. :)
• Pessimistic hyperglobalizers: Do not believe we are growing into a world of cultural diversity, but instead we are witnessing a rise of loss of individuality between the different cultures
• Optimistic hyperglobalizers:  Agree that globalization is resulting in sameness, but they believe it is a good thing.

Multi - Genre

I have created most of my multi-genre project already. I wrote a story on what my experience with being bullied my senior year of high school was like at it's worst. I think I have conveyed my experience very well. Along with the paper, I would like to create a poster of a girl with words covering her whole body or all these words in her head. The words would obviously be ones that her female attackers have called her. These girls will be surrounding her in the picture as well.

I think these things will be able to show outsiders the effect bullying has on females and the emotional toll it takes on them.

Felicity's Questionnaire

I read Felicity's questionnaire. I found our feelings toward our class was the same. She is a part of the working middle class. Her parents work hard, but she has to pay for her own things and her loans. This is very similar to me. I feel that her family values are much more important than money, this shows in her answers. Her family values getting a degree, open communication, and respect. "I've learned to work hard." Through her class placement, she has learned to work hard and value what she works for.

article data and results

• Participants : 179 public high school girls in the midwest, but only have results of 128 girls
• Beginning: The beginning was used in the methods section. The way the experiment would be handled was described. However, it went on to the data section to describe what the girls would be asked on the survey. 
• Organization: Methods, Content, and Results
• Themes: 
• Evidence to support claims: 
• What stands out to me the most: 
• In what ways can this be improved? What grad would you give this person? 

 http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=9&hid=101&sid=4d5af58f-8b0b-4392-b14f-62b0e9208cef%40sessionmgr112

Data Analysis Articles

I enjoyed the article on Columbine by Samantha Sanderson a lot more than the first article we read that was written by Bryan McLucas. I felt Samantha's article flowed a lot more smoothly than Bryan's. Bryan did have a lot of data coming from one participant, but he also had a lot of his voice. The style of Samantha's was her voice was at the beginning at the end. In the middle she had her two participants only. I completely enjoyed and was enthralled with the story of Columbine. I think she tied her thoughts together at the end.

Progress on data

So far for my social action project I have only thought up questions and discovered how I will be handing out my surveys. Unfortunately, I do not believe I will have time to go back to Lisle and survey students on my own. I think I will have to make a survey through surveymonkey.com. Right now, I am trying to figure out who my new subjects will be. I may just send it out to my friends via facebook. But, I have no idea. I thought the due date for data would be later. Surveymonkey.com seems like my best bet right now.

Equality in Education

1) Sally French seems to be thinking: although we want to be treated equally, there are items disabled people need in order to be put on an equal playing field. These needs are necessary at work and the employers should be able to recognize this, which would lead to equal treatment.

2) Sally French's tone seems sort of bitter, or frustrated. She is upset that people ignore the needs of disabled people and feels there is little improvement on equal rights because people are too busy writing guidelines. She is a visually impaired person feeling frustrated with the little improvement that has been made.

3) Joseph Shapiro feels that a student from a minority group is more likely to be placed in special education classes because of their language barrier or teachers may not understand how ahead or how behind a minority student is due from immigrating from another country.

4) IDEA is able to help manage the needs of people with disabilities, no matter what the circumstances are. Whether they need certain technology or a different schedule from non-disabled students. IDEA and ADA has helped people realize the importance of people with disabilities need for difference in order to be normal. It is sparking an evolution in educational equality.

What can I do with a major in. . . ?

I chose the professional job of teaching. I would love to become an elementary school teacher. Preferably teaching first or third grade. I feel it is important for kids to have a good role model at a young age and it will influence their life later. I had so many great elementary education teachers I would love to give back what they have given me.

Homophobia

What are the consequences of anti-gay prejudices?

• The consequences of anti-gay prejudices are as follows : homosexuals may internalize the phobia, some will hide their sexuality, hate crimes are created, interferes with same-sex friendships, psychological consequences, and homophobic guys will do anything that would even make people wonder if they were gay. 

How does Herek define "Secondary Victimization"? 

• an LGB hate crime survivor experiences increased discrimination when others find out about their sexual preference because of another victimization

What did Burns find out about staying silent about one's sexuality? Why is it important for some students to be open and vocal about who they are? 

• If you stay silent about your sexuality you will not face much discrimination. However, it is important to be open and vocal because it might help someone else find you or it could release fears you have been having. 

What is the intersection of race and sexuality according to Lim - Him? 

• even though gays are oppressed they reciprocate oppression through their racist views and remarks

• 
  

Shitty First Drafts

I loved Anne Lamott's article. It will help me finish my first draft of my research paper a lot. The idea she points out is that every writer usually has a shitty first draft. You write down everything you want to say in that first draft and then pick it a part later because there might be something useful in the shitty squabbles. I like how she uses herself as an example; she has been writing for years, however she still panics when she sits down to write a paper or review and will write a shitty first draft. From now on, I will stop trying to make my first draft so perfect and just write what is on my mind.

In class interview

I interviewed Bill to see ask what his career goals are for the future. Will is currently going back to school at Illinois State to receive a degree in Bilingual Education. The degree requires 5 years of hard work, however he plans to go back to school once he becomes a bilingual teacher to then receive his masters. Along with this major, he is also taking classes to achieve a minor in Theatre. He states the minor is to better himself. Looking ten years into the future, he would like to be teaching classes half the day in Spanish and half the day in English.  If Bill starts a family, he would ideally like two take two years off work.

Finding Your Own Voice

• Voice is your own opinion and beliefs written throughout a paper. By the time the author is done reading, they should know how you feel towards the topic. The way I discover my own voice is by incorporating personal experience in my own paper. I also emphasize the points I am trying to get across. 
• Lamott's quote applies very well to the topic of voice. She is saying that we write to inform people who have not been informed on the topic you are writing about or to inform them even further. She is saying you must expose the important issues in your topic that sometimes get brushed aside or that are  never talked about. If you don't, you will just keep reiterating what other authors already uncovered. That would not show your voice in your paper.

Asian Lesbian's Struggles

A visible minority is someone who could walk down a street in a country where there are not many people who look like you and people notice your differences. The person could never pass as 'white'. Invisible minorities are people who appear to be 'white' however, when they speak or you get to know them you see they have a different heritage. "Stick to your own kind" means to hang around with people who are the same as you, minority or sexuality wise, and do things that people like you would typically do. It seems that people stick to their own kind because they are more comfortable hanging out with people like them or they feel they will not be judge because of who they are. They are not left with any other choice, while some people may be not be accepting of minorities, other people are extremely accepting of minorities. The author has struggled with internalized racism and lesbianism throughout her life. She has oppressed her dad because of his heritage. She is overcoming it by the people she meets who help her and hanging out with Asian lesbian friends. I feel the only time I really change who I am to fit in is when I hang out with certain girls, I'm not as blunt. Other than that I really don't feel I have to change who I am all that much in many situations.

"Adopting the Principle of Pro-feminism"

There are many ways I perpetuate sexism. I make sure I wear make up every time I go out, sometimes I look at models and say "ooh why is she a model she is ugly", and I feel fat every time I get ready to go out. I feel guys perpetuate sexism whenever they degrade women in conversations.

The only way we can overcome this is to change our mentality and that takes a lot of time and effort.

American Dream Response

The author had a dream. When he was little, he wanted to become President and planned live the American Dream. Unfortunately, as he grew older and realized who he really was, he believed he would never be able to live out the "American Dream". From then on - his dream was to be accepted, no matter what his lifestyle was.
I really enjoy the quote by Kevin Jennings " Real freedom will be ours when people around us- and when we ourselves-accept that we, too are "real" Americans, and that we shouldn't have to change to meet anyone else's standards" pg. 6. I believe this is 100% true.  You will not live a free life, until you first accept who you are, even if you are different. This does not make you un-American. However, it is hard to accept your lifestyle when others around you, hate your lifestyle. It is sad that a "free" country is not really free for everyone and people feel they have to change who they are to be accepted.

White Guilt and Discussion 1 Response

After having read all three of these articles, Moving Beyond White Guilt was my least favorite. I felt like the first article was very well put together and had you understand racism a little better. The third article was compelling and very realistic - I mean relatable to readers. However, Moving Beyond White Guilt did not appeal to me that much. However, I do believe white guilt is very realistic among Americans, whether they realize it or not. The article, along with the other two, proposes that we get up and do something about the problem of racism and prejudice. 

• Get info: I can get information about the topic from virtually anywhere. Whether it be online, on t.v., at the library, or through first hand experience, it is extremely accessible. However, possibly the best source is from a person of color himself. This makes the problem and the feelings real. 
• Do something: Once I become more informed on the topic, it is time you start informing others. This is the first step to do something. I can start sticking up for people, making sure you try to defeat your own prejudices, and, if I'm really interested, I could research ways to be more active in cleaning up this social issue. 
• Listen: First, I must listen to people's issues and try to become more understanding of their feelings. It is important to do this if I want to create change. Second, I must listen without any bias and be open minded the entire time. 
• Talk: I must talk to two different groups. First, I must talk to the people who are being affected by racism and involve my listening skills. Second, I must talk with your peer group and others who are on the other side of the subject. I must explain to them why this is important. 
• Back to the past: The past is necessary to look at. It cannot be ignored. It is important to see how far we have come as a country, but how far we must still go to change our individual thinking. If I look at the past, I understand and I am empathetic to the way people of color or different ethnicities were treated. However, I must also remember not to have White  Guilt, but instead do something about what is currently going on. 
• Find heroes or sheroes: A big hero is MLK Jr. However, there are more heroes and sheroes. Anyone who overcame prejuidice and racism is a hero to me. Anyone who is trying to improve the social issue is also a hero to me.

Reflection James' and I Presentation

When I found out we had to lead discussion at the beginning of the semester, I was dreading it. When I decided to actually go sign up for a topic, I was choosing between this topic and one other. I ended up picking this one because I saw it was the first discussion topic. The weekend before the presentation was due, I regretted that decision. However, my regret was unnecessary, I felt the presentation turned out to be just fine. 

I enjoyed the articles we had to read, well two of them. The other, the one on White Guilt, I did not enjoy as much. I discovered it would be easy to talk about these articles in class because the topic is such a huge social issue. I have always loved watching Def Poetry on Youtube and after reading the articles, I knew exactly what I wanted to use as my audiovisual. So I began working on my half of the powerpoint and putting the presentation together. 

As for the presentation, I feel it went well. Although I was nervous, I found it a lot easier to be up there with James, instead of by myself because all the attention was not turned to me. I believe that our powerpoint was very well put together and went along with our presentation well. I liked the AV James picked out to go along with the White Guilt article. I felt as though my nerves got the best of me at points during my discussion, but it didn't seem that anyone noticed. I felt the discussion questions we picked worked out very well, even though the class was somewhat unresponsive. :) 

I also liked how it tied together nicely with what Professor Seloni discussed afterward. All in all, I am content with James' and I presentation and it was not quite as bad as I expected it to be.

Students often overuse the amout of direct quotations that are nesseccary in writing a research paper. It is important to try and limit your use of direct quotations in a paper. To make your paper more valuable, only around "10% of your final manuscript" (46-47) should be directly quoted from your sources (Lester, 1976).

Child Trafficking in Cambodia

I must say this writing was very passionate and emotional. The topic and paper was very shocking. I knew very little about trafficking before reading this and could barely tell you what it was. Now, I feel like I should do something to try to help stop the problem. Moreover, the statistics she used throughout her paper made the problem more real. It is sickening to know this disturbing is really happening every day. She mentioned OPTIONS, which seems like a good idea, however I wish there was a permanent solution to this problem. Anyways, all in all, I thought this was a good paper. I am glad she chose a topic to write about that not many people are not informed on. 

Reflections on BREAKING THE CODE activity

I was able to gain a lot from this activity. I learned what I need to focus in on when analyzing research and how to do it quickly. It will help me when I need to read my ten sources. I feel it will be able to pick out the research questions and main points a lot easier.

3.4 Exercise

The researcher is saying that you cannot relate music to society without  using many different components.Depending on the style the relation to society can be different from another style of music. He says, "In analyzing serious music, we have to uncover the social forces concealed in the talk of "transcendent" values; in analyzing pop, we have to take seriously the values scoffed at in the talk of social functions." You cannot give value and compare one type of music to another.

Effects of Bullying Among Teenage Females. Is enough being done?

http://www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/bullying.html

http://www.suite101.com/content/the-drama-and-trauma-of-bullying-among-girls-a240640

http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=13057

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ab.1010/abstract

http://spi.sagepub.com/content/27/5/535.abstract

Keywords

self-esteem, social anxiety disorder, self love, self confidence, self esteem in women

Websites

Self Esteem - The Problem Behind All Problems
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Selvarajah13.html
Google

The Nature and Function of Self- Esteem: Sociometer Theory
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B7J09-4DTXDVC-1&_user=564876&_coverDate=01%2F01%2F2000&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1455349723&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000028718&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=564876&md5=d7df6c52968275f9002ee68874e68d6d&searchtype=a
Google Scholar

The social Importance of Self Esteem
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=uo-uiTapxaUC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=self+esteem&ots=74iQNtUMV2&sig=QBiM12YaR_WfXJ6FvMHA_SCNWNo#v=onepage&q&f=false
Google Scholar

Research Questions

• What influences a person's self esteem? 
• What are the effects of low self esteem?
• Why is it important to have high self esteem? 
• Can you re-build your self esteem and if so, how?

Exercise 1.1

Step 1

Places: Lisle, Allendale and Grand Rapids Michigan, ISU, Door County, Netherlands, Honduras, Ireland, Medieval Times, Texas, California

Trends: facebook, tumblr, El Burrito, Forever 21, high waisted skirts, bangs, reality tv

Technologies: Ipod, laptop, texting, cell phones, facebook, skype, Redbox

People: Family, Friends, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Lil Wayne, The Beatles, teachers, camp kids, Eminem

Things: cell phone, facebook, contacts, big sunglasses, pictures, digital cameras, crimper, straightner

Controversies: abortion, homosexuality, abuse, stem cells, death penalty

Jobs: Camp Counselor, Guest Service, Music TV or Radio Producer, Teacher, Social Worker

Habits: shaking leg, snacking, checking if doors are locked multiple times, facebook, telling too much of a story, talking too loud

History: Holocaust, JFK assassination, 9/11, Napoleonic Wars, The Beatles, Woodstock, the '70s, Columbine

Hobbies: volleyball, basketball, working out, music, talking, scrapbooking

Step 2

Woodstock

Step 3

what was Woodstock?
when was Woodstock?
who attended Woodstock?
why was Woodstock created?
how long was Woodstock?
how do people view Woodstock now?
how did people view Woodstock then?
where was Woodstock?
what did Woodstock influence?

Social Diversity

 I was asked to define multiculturalism and social diversity. I believe multiculturalism is a group of various cultures within the same neighborhood, state, or nation. I believe social diversity is a way to define people in our society using social factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. These four factors most commonly stand out in our society today. Social diversity is very prominent in my life, especially while at college. It is important to be knowledgeable and considerate of people who are different from you. I have met various different types of people, of different races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations.

The high school and college I attended and some of my best friends have very much influenced and shaped my ideas about social diversity and multiculturalism. I have two gay best friends that have helped me learn about our diverse views on sexual orientation. I have learned that just because they have a different sexual orientation, it doesn't make them any more different than me. Well, they may be a little bit more humorous than most of my friends ;). Regardless, it makes me sad to see how people with homophobia or with different beliefs treat people who have different sexual orientations. I cannot think of one specific conversation I had with these friends that showed me a lot about their diversity, however I did experience the Chicago Gay Pride parade. I attended with friends to show my support for my friends and had a great time. The creativeness of the parade was spectacular and the pride everyone had was even better. However, religious fanatics lined the corners to criticize these people and it angered me. Why can't people be different and other people just accept it? Homosexuals, bisexuals, and lesbians don't all line the corners of churches and criticize them. It opened my eyes to see how extreme the prejudice is against them.

snapshot taken at the Gay Pride Parade taken in 2009

There are countless social justices issues in the world today. I am interested in learning more, specifically about racism in the world today, women's rights, and abuse. These are important because these three issues have been apart of the world for a long time and are still a big problem today. Abuse will unfortunately greatly relate to elementary education. I suspect that I will unhappily see a few cases of abused children or maybe even mothers. Racism may also be apart of the classroom.

8/26/2010

Writing is an important part of my life. I use writing as a way to talk about things I could never really say out loud. I depend on writing. I use it all sorts of ways. I have a personal blog - tumblr, a facebook, I email, write letters, free write, and write papers.

In terms of academic writing, I hate getting started. I will avoid a paper until the last minute. But, I usually end up regretting that decision. Because once I get started, I could write forever. So, I need to work on my decision to write last minute and instead start writing ahead of time. Another weakness I have in academic writing is the research portion. I hate having to cite sources and things of that nature.

Reading definitely goes hand in hand with writing. I read all sorts of different genres. However, my favorite books are written by Jodi Picoult. She writes about current, controversial issues. I feel she has influenced me to write about topics close to my heart that are also controversial.

For this class, I want to research all sorts of topics. However, I have three topics in mind and it's going to be a hard decision. I will either research bullying, self-injury, or abusive relationships. All three of these are broad topics as of now, but when I make my decision, I will go into more detail. All three topics are close to me, so it is a hard decision. I am leaning towards bullying because it will help with my elementary education major. However, I would like to research the other two in more detail as well. When I make my decision, I will go about my research by creating interviews, doing library research, and hopefully finding someone who can help me with video recording and editing.