Social Constructions of Difference

1. Social Constructions of Difference

2. OBJECTIVES Begin to understand that everyone does not live the same experience. Develop sensitivity and perspective�from a culturally different perspective. Take inventory of our own barriers and challenges. Take an objective look at Asian Americans. Continue to practice THINKING�

3. School statistics�Why? And Where do they come from? One of the main goals of this class is to connect you to the world around you and help you develop your own sense of responsibility for how our world develops. That means looking at a variety of issues and facts in order to increase our awareness levels. The school statistics I used in module 3 were taken from the Seattle Post Intelligencer at http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_School_Statistics.html

4. Where is all this going? Think of this class as a giant jig-saw puzzle. Every day we are able to put a few pieces in place. But in order for us to understand our World and our place in it�we have to look at a variety of facts and information�both present and past. That is how we discover the future!

5. No, all public schools are not funded equally. Public schools receive funding based on their tax base revenues. Schools in wealthy districts or districts with large industry connections, receive more money and goods. Although some monies and supplies are given through uniform grant-type systems (Perkins Act), supplemental funds from local taxes can make huge differences in the quality of the school.

6. Where will I use this information? EVERYWHERE!! In the grocery store, at the bank, in your office or place of business, at your children�s school�wherever there are people, you need to have the skill to communicate effectively. Understanding the differences in our society, means increasing your communication skills.

7. Activity # 1 Pick up a pencil and a blank sheet of paper. In a moment I will tell you to close your eyes�keep them closed. With your eyes closed do the following steps: Draw the past on your white board. Now draw the present. Last, draw the future. Open your eyes. What do you see?

8. Your Drawing� As you reviewed your drawing, did you� See any connections between past, present & future? See what you expected to see? Without the past, how can we have the present? Without the present, how can have a future? All three work together�remember that!

9. Movie Time! Watch the Lunch Date This is found on D2L under �Videos for Reference��approximately 6 minutes

10. Discussion Go to the Discussion Board!

11. The Trouble We�re In Chapter 3

12. The Trouble We�re In� Privilege and Power Lopsided distribution of Power Pitting groups against each other Looking at what goes on Tracking

13. Difference is not the problem. Ignoring privilege Unreality Myth #1 People are afraid of the unknown Buster�People are curious Buster�children love the unknown

14. What is privilege? Privilege exists when one group has something of value that is denied to others simple because of the groups they belong to, rather than because of anything they have done or failed to do. --Peggy McIntosh

15. Activity # 2 Different Lens This activity will require you to have a pair of sunglasses and some Vaseline. First smear a heavy coat of Vaseline on your sunglasses (I know, but bear with me�it really makes a solid point and you can clean your glasses with simple soap & water.)

16. Next steps OK, are your glasses ready? Then put them on and read the following four slides with them on. Don�t cheat, really try to read the slides with the greased glasses on.

21. What happened? What happened when you tried to read the slides? Was it difficult? Did you feel your eyes straining trying to make out the words? Did you ever think of your vision as being a privilege? What if you could NEVER take the greased glasses off? Are people with poor eyesight, or even blind people, treated differently? THINK about it�.

22. There are three keys to Social Construction� Knowledge Attitude Skills

23. Knowledge Knowledge is the systematic, conscious acquiring of the essential themes and concepts relating to the diversity in the world we live in.

24. Attitude Attitude can include both cognitive and affective layers. The cognitive layer refers to the willingness to suspend judgment and the readiness to be open-minded in learning about cross-cultural difference issues. The affective layer refers to the emotional commitment needed to engage in someone else�s perspective, and to spend time reflecting on those differences.

25. Skills Skills are our operational abilities to integrate knowledge and responsive attitude with adaptive practice.

26. Back to privilege� Conferred dominance Gives one group power over another Example: Men that dominate conversation with women

27. What privilege looks like in everyday life� Race privilege�White over Black Gender privilege�Men over women Sexual Orientation privilege�Heterosexual over Homosexual

28. Privilege as a Paradox Individuals may experience privilege�but it is actually a group or social category that holds privilege You may experience privilege simply by convincing people that you belong to a privileged group.

29. Protecting against privilege Comparing self to people of lower socio-economic status Comparing privileged race status Comparing privileged gender status Comparing privileged sexual orientation status

30. Privilege Paradox Privilege doesn�t always bring happiness Things don�t always work like expected Privilege can exact a cost from those who have it

31. Two Types of Privilege Unearned entitlements All people should have Such as feeling safe in public or at work or any place they feel they belong Unearned advantages Things restricted to certain groups Sometimes give dominant group an advantage

32. OPPRESSION: The flip side of Privilege Belonging to a privileged category that has an oppressive relationship with another isn�t the same as being an oppressive person who behaves in oppressive ways.

33. Imagine Imagine there�s no heaven, It�s easy if you try, No hell below us, Above us only sky, Imagine all the people Living for today�. Imagine there�s no countries, It isn�t hard to do, Nothing to kill or die for, No religion too, Imagine all the people Living life in peace�

34. Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man, Imagine all the people Sharing all the world� You may say I�m a dreamer, but I�m not the only one, I hope someday you�ll join us, And the world will as one.

35. Privilege as Paradox May we know unity�without conformity. --Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States

36. Asian American Facts In 2001, there were nearly 13 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States, comprising 4.2 percent of the total population., projected to reach 22 million by 2025, and 34 million by 2050 The top six Asian American populations are Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Asian Indian, and Vietnamese Consumer Profile With approximately $230 billion in spending power, Asian Americans are a powerful force in the United States consumer market In 2000, Asian and Pacific Islanders had the highest median household income, at $51,205, among all ethnic races in the United States Geometric Growth

37. More AA facts.. Asian American-owned companies experienced a growth rate of 30 percent from 1992 to 1997, and a revenue growth rate of 46 percent during the same time period At 913,000 firms, Asian American-owned businesses generated a total of $306.9 billion in sales with each firm averaging $336,200 Asian American-owned businesses employed more than 2.2 million workers in 2000. Over 50 percent of all minority-owned businesses whose sales exceeded one million dollars were Asian American owned

38. Asian American Timeline 1848: Gold discovered in California. Chinese begin to arrive. 1860: Japan first sends a diplomatic mission to U.S. 1885: San Francisco builds segregated �Oriental School.� Anti-Chinese violence at Rock Springs, Wyoming Territory. First group of Japanese contract laborers arrives in Hawaii under the Irwin Convention. 1893: Japanese in San Francisco form first trade association, the Japanese Shoemakers� League. Attempts are made to expel Chinese from towns in southern California. 1897: Nishi Hongwanji includes Hawaii as a mission field. 1909: Koreans form Korean Nationalist Association. Seven thousand Japanese plantation workers strike at major plantations on Oahu for four months. 1925: Warring tongs in North America�s Chinatowns declare truce. Hilario Moncado founds Filipino Federation of America. 1947: Amendment to 1945 War Brides Act allows Chinese-American veterans to bring brides into the U.S. 1952: One clause of the McCarran-Walter Act grants the right of naturalization and a small immigration quota to Japanese. 

39. Strengths of Asian American Couples Asian American families tend to hold strongly to filial piety- respect, honor, and obedience to parents and elders in the family. The older generation is seen as a valuable resource for providing wisdom and support to younger couples. � Asian Americans tend to value the good of the family over the good of the individual. Perhaps this helps explain the lower divorce rate: couples are more motivated to work out their problems rather than leaving to pursue their own interests at the first sign of trouble.� Ethics education has been cited as a strength of Asian American families: values such as loyalty, harmony, patience and hard work are typically instilled in young Asian Americans- equipping them with skills necessary for building a healthy marriage. (Olson, D.H., & DeFrain, J. �

40. Every culture has its own unique set of temporal fingerprints. To know a people is to know the time values they live by. --Jeremy Rifkin

41. Grocery Store Ethnography This exercise will count as a 20 point homework and it will be due Monday, June 11. Read D2L handout in Module 4 and complete the exercise.