1.
Discussion Questions
·
What
differentiates the act of grouping people from the act of stereotyping? How can
stereotyping affect group relations? Provide an example of a stereotype you
find in your everyday life. Comment on the experiences of
your classmates. Are the experiences the same or different from yours, and how?
Stereotyping
is assigning a positive or negative trait to them after observing only some
from that group, such as all blonde are dumb simply because you have met a few
that may not be geniuses or all Japanese individuals are smart because a few
wealthy businesses happen to be Japanese owned.
Grouping people is assigning an individual to a group because of traits
that are shared, such as grouping women together because of their gender, or
football players because they play football.
·
Review the
following scenario. Deana recently decided to start attending college, but her
family is criticizing her decision. They argue that she should focus on working
so she can start earning money. When she begins school, they fear she will not
have as much time to spend with family. Her family worries that college will
change Deana and that she will become too mainstream. As the first person in
her family to pursue higher education, Deana thinks her family members have a
prejudicial attitude towards higher education and that they should accept her
decision.
If you were Deana, how would
you address your family’s criticisms of and attitudes about higher education?
How would you dispel their fears and try to convince family members that going
to college is a worthwhile endeavor?
If I were Deana, I would sit my family down and try
to explain the benefits of getting a degree for myself and my family. I would let them know the doors that will
open for me once I have the degree, what kinds of jobs I can look forward to,
and the monetary difference in paycheck with and without a degree. I would dispel their fear by showing them I
was capable of handling college. I would
ask them to have faith in my abilities and know I can complete a college
education.
·
How do you
think slavery influenced the evolution of both Black and White America
today? Explain your answer. (Schaefer, 2006, p. 207)
Slavery
in my opinion is one of the worst concepts created, it is not only demeaning to
the individual labeled “slave”, but also it gives the “owner” a sense of
superiority that is usually undeserved. The
Europeans brought them to America with the intent of using them as slaves. The timid and passive nature of the Africans
allowed them to be used in this manner.
After
generations of oppression, African Americans began to fight for equality. That passion
was passed on to their kids and grandkids.
Of course most European Americans still did not believe they deserved to
be treated equally. I believe that this
made African Americans as a race more aggressive because they had been given
equal rights under the law but people still did not view them as equals, more
aggressive and more forceful as they fought for individuals to agree with the
law. Because of the adapted new persona
this has pushed some into crime and then gave them, as a race, the inevitable stereotype.
The Europeans started that, the rest of
us perpetuated that, but no one recognizes or acknowledges it.
I
am reminded of an interesting exchange, as a woman in a big city and a bad part
of town; I became accustomed to never answering any man I passed that said
“hello” to me because they were only after one of two things. They were either interested in buying something
or selling something and neither I was interested in. One particular gentleman I passed said hello
to me and I ignored him as usual. His
response was “what, you have a problem with black people?” My thought, as I kept walking was, “no, I
have a problem with people.” If there
was no slavery, would he have said, or even thought that?
I
have to admit I have never thought about what the challenges that others might
face in certain areas of their lives. I
have always believed that no one holds you back at getting what you want. They may try and some try really hard, but
you can achieve anything you wish no matter the handicap if you have faith in
yourself and your abilities enough to never give up. There is evidence all around us that anyone
can achieve anything. Some races or
groups may have a harder time, and I do not think it would be in just one
certain area. Each area of concern would
probably be just as difficult to manage.
The
only suggestions I could make to overcome such challenges would be for the
individual to not give up in the face of oppression or racism, and for people
to learn to be more accepting of other despite their differences. After all, this would be a very boring world
if we all looked the same or had the same likes or dislikes.
2.
Discussion Questions
·
Consider the
choices of Native Americans who decide to stay on their tribe's native land or reservation,
and those who choose to relocate to a city. If you were presented with this
decision, which would you choose and why?
If given
this choice I would choose to stay on the reservation. I like being left alone with my family, my
tribe. To be independent and be capable
of having my own piece to cultivate and grow that would be awesome. One of my ‘if I won the lottery’ dreams was
to build my own housing complex that would house my family and be totally self
sustaining with natural resources for power and gardens for food. This is how I imagine life on a reservation
would be, and why I would chose to stay.
1.
Discussion Questions
·
Consider the
following statements:
(a) Asian Americans and
Pacific Islanders are a model minority, and
(b) Asian Americans and
Pacific Islanders belong to a single “Asian American” culture.
If someone said one of these
statements to you, how would you explain that the statements are
misconceptions? Include whether you think most Americans believe these
misconceptions, and explain why or why not.
Up to now,
I had always believed that of all the minorities, Asian Americans had
assimilated the best and were the most respected. They do seem to the general public to be a
‘model minority’. Their young kids do
well in school; some of the best electronics come from our Asian country
neighbors, and you do not hear of Asian’s rioting, or making loud accusations
of their treatment. They are also
responsible for most martial arts we have in America today. That to me screams respect. They have a really respectful culture. After reading the text, I get a sense that it
might not all be peaches and cream with them.
Their soft voices and accepting life styles makes it easy to overlook
the fact Asian Americans might suffer racial abuse.
My view of
any race of individuals is that you cannot group them with other races. Each country has its own culture and heritage
even if they may look the same or come from the same place.
After
reading the text, I would say both these statements are misconceptions, for the
reasons I previously stated.
1.
Discussion Questions
·
Consider these questions: What are the most significant
similarities between the Chinese American and Japanese American [cultural]
experiences? What are the differences? (Schaefer, 2006, p. 352)
Choose
from any of the following topics when
considering similarities and differences:
o
Level of
assimilation
o
Relative
lifestyle success in the United
States
o
Political
involvement
o
Experience with
racism, prejudice, and discrimination
o
Pursuit of
education
o
Role in the
economy
o
Continuance of
family and religious traditions
Some
similarities between Chinese and Japanese American’s would be their commitment
toward familial obligations. Both
cultures feel a strong tie to extended family often caring for aunts or uncles
or even distant cousins the same as brother or sister, or mother or
father.
A few
differences would be the technology; Japan is noted for creating great
technology while China is just the opposite.
There are differences right down to the language they speak.
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