Chapter 3

“If you want to be American, you have to speak ‘American.’” (p. 85)

One piece of this chapter that sticks out to me is about the media. The section about “reinforced femininity.” This is something that I hadn’t looked close into. Sure, Barbie is the picture perfect woman who has corrupted so many children into being obsessed over weight, and there are plenty of other very obvious examples, but I never looked so deep into the subject. As I read this all I could think of was Grand Theft Auto and the way that women are portrayed as opposed to men. The women are extremely feminine, and the men are the only thieves. Also, I thought about commercials. Specifically, I thought about cleaning and household appliance commercials. It is nearly always a woman doing the dishes who needs the formula that is extra soft on hands. As I was reading, I felt like I bought into the femininity thing for the past 20 years of my life, because I have overlooked the subtle hints telling me to be pretty, as odd as that sounds.

The “Honky Want a Cracker” article and chapter 3 touch on different things. The short article by Time Wise was very eyeopening for me. Not that anything he brought up was new to me, but the way he structured his argument was successful. I do believe that it is possible for racism to be directed towards white people, however I neglected to realize the difference in depth. As Wise says, “Perhaps if they had settled on “slave-owning whiteys,” or “murdering whiteys,” or “land-stealing whiteys,” or “smallpox-giving-on-purpose whiteys,” or “Native-people-butchering whiteys,” or “mass raping whiteys,” the point would have been made.” Wise makes a great argument because it is nearly impossible to hurt a white person with words as deeply as words could hurt a minority who have been oppressed. Newman incorporates a quote form a Mexican woman that is a great example of oppression: “If you want to be American, speak ‘American.’” Those words impacted this woman as a young girl deeply. This girl was unable to speak Spanish in school without being reprimanded, leaving a young girl scarred.

Chapter 2

“We can choose to rely on skin color or genital configuration as the primary means by which we make “us-them” distinctions. Or we can choose to downplay these traits and treat them with the same nonchalance that we treat eye color, hair color, or the shape of a nose or chin.” –Newman p. 69

After I first read the chapter about “manufacturing difference” I felt like it just reiterated and confirmed many of the ways that I feel in regards to sexual preference. People who are not straight are unfairly treated differently. Similarly, people who are open with their sexuality are often not accepted. Newman wraps up the chapter saying, ‘we can look at differences to differentiate one person from another, or we can overlook the differences.’ I really like that he states this because it is a way for people who are, in fact, concerned with other’s sexuality or skin color, to see how similar skin color is to eye color.

When I read this piece, I found many new ways to approach the topic of sexuality. I enjoyed the excerpts that were brought in from other authors and people living with related issues. The part about “The Closet” specifically caught my attention. When I was a junior in high school one of my best friends, AJ, FINALLY “came out of the closet.” We all knew, but we let him take his time with the announcement. I remember going to the local ice cream bar and someone throwing something at our car that AJ was driving while they yelled comments about being a “f-ing queer! And God-damned homo.” This day haunts my friend and me too, even to today. These boys who said those things were once friends of AJ’s and turned on him with fear that they too would be called gay. That was upsetting to see, first-hand, the ignorance and cruelty that some people have.

Aj used to crack jokes like “ew… hetero’s” when I would kiss my boyfriend, or if there was a love scene in the movie we were watching. We always just laughed it off. When I read Time Wise’s article, I feel like my eyes were really opened. “Sorry, but it just isn’t the same,” he writes. Though his article is about native Americans making fun of white people, I feel like it can be related here too. AJ always joked, but the jokes were never as harmful as when other jokes about his sexual preference. I never thought about it, but Wise made a good point about how hard it would be to discriminate against a majority such as the white or heterosexual population.

Observation Journal 1

“Racial stereotypes show ugly face in restaurant”

A table was set for one person in the front corner of our restaurant. Our busser, Dylan, walked in and asked why it was set up and I replied that there was a girl who walked in asking for a table for one. Then, after looking over the menu thanked me and let me know that she was looking for something more along the lines of fried chicken. Dylan, cocked his head to the side and asked, “Was she black?”

This struck me because the question was so straight forward and just outright rude. I found it quite offensive. I have had numerous wealthy customers who are black, and for him to say that, it seemed so ignorant. Someone who remains stuck in the mindset that people who look different, or of another race, are not equal to us shows that the lack of progress our society has made. The stereotype that black people are poor and cheap is ridiculous and frustrating. This impacted me because I was surprised that this person would have the audacity to talk like that. I didn’t say anything to him, I just walked away. Confrontations aren’t something for work.

Through a person’s immaturity, I could see what is still embedded in many people in our society. These racial slurs have always stuck out as rude to me. As I started to pick them out daily, I realize how commonly they are used.

Chapter 1

“Is similarity or difference more important in every day life?”- Newman, p 27

“To be white meant at least you were above them. If you had not a pot to piss in, at least you had that.” –Tim Wise

When I read Time Wise’s article it got me thinking. I feel that I am a person who can really say that I look through color and I bring on the challenge of learning about people different than I am. I do not believe, however, that I would ever turn into a person who is rude and biased as his grandmother did. I feel like the article challenged my depth in a way. I read the article and found myself getting a bit angry. I could never do that! Or at least I don’t think I would.

To me, I love to meet people that are different than me and I love to continually broaden my understanding of other people and their culture. I think that opposites attract and that two people who are very similar will not get along as well as two people who are very different and willing to except each other’s differences. For instance, I lived with two Polish men and a Slovakian man who were quite the opposite of any guy I had ever met. It kept me on my toes, and I really enjoyed it. After I moved out I stayed with my mother for a week and realized how similar we are. This ended in conflict as our similarities conflicted. I feel that similarities are much more important in daily life.