Latino Homosexuality

One of the most interesting topics that we studied in this course was the topic of homosexuality. The articles we read about comparisons between Latino and American homosexuality, and the idea of Latino "Machismo" really intrigued me simply because of how foreign the ideas seemed.
The idea that a man's homosexuality in itself is not a defining character in Latin America is unimaginable here. Instead, Latino males are judged on their power rather than their sexuality. As the readings put it, there is more of an emphasis on object aim (what you want to do with your sexual object of desire) rather than your object choice (what you want to do said acts with). This is extremely different from here, where people don't really care what a homosexual man does with another man; more important is that he bares the title of "homosexual."
Although this seems a little less judgmental than the way we view homosexuals here, in fact it may be just as judgmental or more. The reading talks about how the idea of "machismo" plays a huge role in Latino culture. Rather than ostracizing homosexual men like American culture, Latino culture generally looks down effeminate, or "passive" men.
The roots of these cultural and societal beliefs are very interesting. Even though America shares such geographical proximity to Mexico, their cultural views on homosexuality differ so greatly. Therefore, I would not be surprised to find a migration of people from America to Mexico, or vice versa, to fit into a society whose views they find themselves more comfortable with.

post 4 Disney

Reflection post on Disney
I never realized until we watched that movie in class just how sexist Disney movies are. Shows like Americas next top and others of the sort have always bothered me because of the role they present for women. My girlfriends all follow that show and revere the characters. They love it- like an addiction. Personally I don’t understand how people can watch the crap and I say this all the time. I feel like people should be offended by shows that like that tell girls that people skinny and pretty having a good smile is something worth devoting their life to. Disney movies I feel promote these values from an early age. They tell girls that need to be beautiful and accommodating for people to like them. The girls in Disney films are often powerless, needing to be saved by the hero of the story. Usually they are easily won over and treated somewhat as a prize.

Post 3 (playing with fire)

Reflection post on “playing with fire” specifically the interview with Maria.
I found myself a little confused while reading this interview. I understood that Maria found the need to justify her feelings of attraction towards other women in the context her family, religious and cultural values, but I don’t agree with her perception of the male. In the interview she says she took on the role of the aggressor and told her first girlfriend not to look at other boys. She then goes on to essentially say that she always kept multiple girls on lock. In some ways I can see how this is taking on the role of a male, but in other ways I think this demonstrates a distorted and unfriendly view towards men by Maria. She brags during the interview that most other men would be jealous of her because she’d taken the virginity (vaginal penetration) of 7 girls without having to marry them. This part especially confused because I don’t think this is a natural impulse of men – to take virginity. I was actually a little bothered that someone would have this impulse and I wondered after that comment if Maria justifies all her actions by calling them male. I wish the interviewer had brought up this idea more: the jaux de postion between Maria’s perception of males and typical actions of males.

Final Reflection Post

After reading the articles on sterilization in California, I was shocked. I had no idea that these kinds of procedures were still being forced on people even into the 1970s. I always thought of forced sterilization as a thing of the past. It is also saddening that it took so long for laws to be made that establish fair methods of acquiring consent. The law even had to emphasize that doctors needed to get consent, and cannot do the procedure without it. I found this ridiculous that doctors would abuse their power like that for the sake of their anti-immigrant and racist beliefs. They also would sterilize people in asylums or prisons that they believed had diseases that could be passed on genetically. Thus, society was aiming to create a perfect race, free from foreigners, uneducated people, mentally diseased individuals etc. This is one of numerous examples of the concept of white supremacy that we have encountered in this class.

I feel like this issue specifically approaches the events that happened during the Holocaust. In concentration camps, the Nazis would perform experimental medical procedures on Jewish people. They believed the Jewish race was not worthy of being in their society and thus used them in these experiments. Although sterilization is not as severe as what the Nazis did, it is on its way there if we let it continue. This is also an example of the subtle discrimination that it characteristic of our country. It was found that most of the sterilizations occurred to Latina women that were asked for consent right before or after labor, when they were not thinking clearly. They were also told that they would be cut off from welfare if they did not undergo this procedure. This type of discrimination, if we let it go too far, can evolve into a repetition of history. To me, it is unbelievable that these types of things still exist even though we have seen the consequences.

Reflection #3

It was discussed in discussion whether or not kids should be taught certain "adult" themes via Children's literature such as "Smoky Night" a story about the Los Angeles riots. While books like these may not seem appropriate for kids that aren't directly experiencing things like this, I think it might be beneficial for the child to broaden his knowledge a little bit in terms of knowing more about the world around him and learning to embrace it. None of my family had the luxury of being shielded from violence and danger when they were growing up. So it's very lucky for me to have grown up in a safe atmosphere and have my child do the same, however I don't think its smart to isolate and avoid teaching about the bad things in life just so my child rests easy. Im not saying I want to drop him off in a bad neighborhood and see if he survives for a learning experience, I'm just saying I don't think I'm protecting my child by not letting him read a childrens book about Rioting, rather the opposite.

Reflection of A Day Without a Mexican

This film was very powerful because it brought to light an extreme hypothetical that has undertones of reality throughout the movie. This would never happen (hopefully) however the situation showcases the views and perceptions of many people towards Latinos. A lot of people wont come right out and say what they think about Latinos whether positive or negative from the get-go, but that doesn't mean that these misconceptions are not thought, and advocated. When the Mexicans disappeared people realized that the jobs that they do because they are thought to be stupid or whatever are in actuality jobs that only they can do. A hard work ethic is not easy to come by and Latinos namely Mexican Immigrants put up with sub standard pay and harsh working conditions because they really don't have a choice, they do what they need to do because they have family members that they wish to take care of. Aside from the working class of Latinos the film showed many prosperous Latinos that disappeared and that had major contributions to the society. This film reprimanded any and all people who takes Latinos for granted and seems to think that A Day without a Mexican will be a good one.

reflection #3

I wanted to bring up the movie we watched that brought up the issue of illegal aliens in the United States.  People that want all illegal aliens found, kicked out of the country and want a "fence" put on our borders don't know how much our economy depends on these people.  This film showed us what would happen if all of the "Mexicans" all of a sudden just vanished and were gone.  All of the the small jobs that a lot of people don't think of and a lot of major jobs and domino effects would occur that would hurt the economy greatly.  Mechanics, friends, husbands and also people like border patrol policemen would all be gone and/or lose their jobs.  I think that this video was a very important bit of information to show people the consequences that would follow what would happen if we were to get rid of all the illegal aliens in the United States.  The jobs done by these illegal aliens allow our food to be purchased at the low prices they are sold at and allow large farming companies to hire cheaper labor to sell their products at a lower price.  

Reflection 3: Prof La Fountain-Strokes Lecture

The lecture by La fountain-strokes was a great lecture. I think that many people assume that because I am Latina I should know a lot about my culture, but in all honesty I don’t. The professor said many concepts and terms that were used in by different Latino communities that I had never heard of. What is interesting, is that in Mexico, or in my family, a pato is someone that talks a lot, however, in Puerto Rico, pato is what they call homosexuals. Marica, is a term that we use in Mexico, to call homosexuals, but there is a work that is similar to that, which my mom use to use to refer to me. I was raised with three boys, and all of their friends, so I was somewhat of a tomboy. My mom used to call me a Marimacha, if you break that word up I is Maria and Macho and they make Marimacha. There are many derogatory terms used, but I know that sometimes people don’t always use them as bad terms but sometimes they are said in a joking manner, however, I don’t think the queer community accepts these because they are referring to them.

I have a gay cousin in Mexico and many people in our family, especially those in Mexico constantly tease him behind hid back. I do not want to make a general statement that applies to all Mexicans, but in my family, it is very hard to accept my cousin. I think that is because they are very close-minded and because they don’t know what it feels like to have homogeneous emotions. I think it is even harder for his father to accept him because my uncle is a machista, which is a term that Dr. La Fountain-Strokes mentioned to us as well.

Reflection 2: On Prop 187 film

I want to reflect on this film for two reasons. One of the reasons is because I attended a bilingual school for 9 years. My grammar school started in a Mexican neighborhood in Chicago, it was only a pre-k program for Spanish speaking children. It expanded to third grade in the same facility, which was in a church. After about 7 years, it moved to down town Chicago. Because it moved it expanded all through sixth grade and eventually 8^th grade. My three brothers and I attended this school, but now that my brother is older he constantly tells my mom that sending us to a bilingual school was a terrible decision. I am in Education 118 “Teaching in a Multicultural Society” with Professor Moje, where I am doing my final essay/project on bilingual teaching and learning.

I do think bilingual education is important for those students who need it, but I never needed it, therefore, I want to find if other students like me, were better off not attending a bilingual school.

The lady that did her interview in Spanish, said many things in which she contradicted herself. First of all, she along with her friend, organized the parent programs, in which they supported the needs of Latino parents. Secondly, she said her interview in Spanish, but didn’t support bilingual education. One thing I wondered was, did she not think that if students don’t learn both languages they will end up like her and only be able to speak one language? Also, the white teacher with the glasses, also bothered me. I feel that teachers like her, may be good teachers but also, their personal feelings may not allow them to reach their students at the level that they could be.

I want to be a teacher for the beginning years of my career. I would like to teach at my grammar school, because I think that many schools in urban cities need bilingual teachers to educate bilingual children. I think the Prop 187 video was a great idea, I will be referring to in my essay. I hope that after the essay, I can have a clear stand on this issue.

reflection #2

In discussion last friday, we began to discuss whether or not young kids should be talked to and told about real issues, or if they should be shielded from the "bad" parts of the world, and let them figure them out as they go.  In my opinion, I would have to say that I personally would like to let my kid know about some of the truths about the world and not shield him/her from those issues.  Kids are a lot smarter than people tend to realize, and can comprehend much more than we think.  Talking to a kid about what they might encounter in life is a good idea, it will help them to know more, and maybe be able to prepare themselves, or just have some common knowledge on the subject going into it, rather than just trying to find out as they go, encounter whatever it is that they are going to encounter.  

Final Reflection Post

Although we watched this movie a few weeks ago, I'd like to comment on the movie, "A Day Without a Mexican." I'd never seen a 'mockumentary' before, so the style of the movie was very different from any type of film that I'd seen before.

I found quite a few parts of the movie humorous, although I'm not sure if my classmates thought the movie was quite as funny. I think that the movie did a good job of showing how absurd it is that some people think that all the problems of the United States, mainly California, are caused by Latinos, or Mexicans. I think that many people take for granted how hard many Latinos work in this country to provide for their families. This film brought out a lot of the racial and stereotypical undertones that I believe still prevail in today's society. The one scary part about the mockumentary is the fact that while this movie was full of satire, there are many people that truly do think like the characters in this movie, in particular the grown son of the crop worker.

I believe this movie showed in jest many of the problems of American society, and how without Latinos the country would not run the way that it does. While to me, a day without Mexicans sounds absurd and ridiculous, I can only hope that eventually everyone in this country will have the same view. But until then, films such as this one will need to be made to call people out on their racist and stereotypical behavior, however masked they believe it to be.

Sterilization

After hearing about the forced sterilizations of poor or people that are not smart, I was personally shocked at some of the facts and stories that I heard.  Hispanic, latino and other women that were found to be using, or thought to be using, the welfare system for money were forced, convinced, or just had the sterilization surgery performed on them without them knowing is just wrong and shocking to me.  Women being asked if they wanted the surgery while they were in extreme amounts of pain during labor and they gave consent to it, only because they were in an extreme amount of pain.  

Some arguments for the sterilization of these people were that it would improve and/or help overall public health by not allowing people with mental diseases and/or illnesses to reproduce.  Personally, I would have to say that that is a horrible way of looking at that "problem" if you even call that a problem, people with mental health problems cannot help it, they had no choice, they were born with their illnesses.

I would have to say that I agree with the court case that says spanish women and other non-native speaking people know exactly what they are giving consent to, and to not have it done to people, without them knowing what is being done to them.  What was done to the poor, and non-native english speaking women in the past was a horrible thing to do, and I am glad that it does not happen anymore.

Reflection Post #3: "Sterilized in the Name of Public Health"

I found the article, "Sterilized in the Name of Public Health: Race, Immigration, and Reproductive Control in Modern California," to be one of the most interesting articles of the semester. I liked the history of sterilization and all of the controversy that has erupted throughout the United States. I was personally in shock after learning about how doctors would deceive Hispanic women just because they needed to meet quotas. All of the plaintiffs in the Madrigal vs. Quilligan case were asked for consent during unreasonable times when the women were in severe pain. Sometimes they did not even have the women sign consent forms. The doctors automatically assumed that these women could not make decisions for themselves. They completely disregarded how their patient's feelings, which is, morally, supposed to be their largest concern. I cannot believe that the plaintiffs actually lost this trial. The doctors' actions were completely immoral and discriminatory. These actions show how racism is still very much present. People may hide it more, but it is still active. Actions such as these are unwelcoming and make the United States an unattractive place to live. Immigrants cannot even catch a break in healthcare. 

Another aspect of this article that was interesting was how states tried to justify the practice of sterilization. They claimed that they were trying to help out humanity by not allowing those with a mental disease to reproduce. It is shocking to think that states thought they were going to make a positive difference in society. They are making the decision as to whether or not an individual would be allowed to reproduce. The individual's opinion did not make any difference, and the state would decide whether or not they could have a family. I cannot believe that it took so long for people to speak out against these procedures. They were implemented during the 1900s, and the trials did not take place until the 1970s. This shows that state officials were able to easily manipulate the public through their justifications. People only began noticing that these procedures are actually a punishment when a trend among Hispanic patients became apparent. 

Overall, I think the outcome to the Madrigal vs. Quilligan trial was very significant as measures were made to make sure that Spanish-speaking patients will know exactly what they are agreeing to. In addition, I think that a three-day period between signing the consent form and the actual procedure is very smart. Patients will be able to thoroughly think through their decision, rather than jumping right into the surgery. 

Reflection Post #2: "Fear and Learning at Hoover Elementary"

I thought this movie was very powerful as it displayed the effect that Proposition 187 would have on the public. Mayra, a young fifth grader at the Los Angeles Hoover Elementary School, was the main focus of the movie and she was followed throughout the movie at her school as well as her own home. I have never heard of a young girl with so much ambition and hope for her future. You could tell that she truly wanted to make a difference in her community. She was originally from El Salavador, and she made it very clear that she did not want to be sent back. Despite these constant worries, she continues to elucidate a sense of optimism in everything she does. Her fourth grade teacher says she performs her very best at school. It is quite astonishing to watch such a young girl maintain such a positive outlook on life when, at the same time, she is spending her time at home alone because her mother is often working to bring in a decent amount of money for her family. Mayra is surrounded by a community that is hurt by inequality, yet she remains very hopeful. I think that many young children who are born in America should watch this film and learn how Mayra views school. There is a large number of elementary school students who take their education for granted. They need to realize that a good education is such a gift, and they should take full advantage of what they are given. Living in El Salvador, Mayra is able to compare communities, which makes her so thankful to be in America.

In addition, I thought that the difference in Proposition 187 views among the teachers was very interesting. I could not believe one of the teachers (I cannot recall the name) who was pro-Proposition 187 even though she worked with the kids who would directly be affected. She had no problem stating that illegal immigrants should be sent back to their home country. I was so surprised by the extreme statements she expressed throughout the interview. If teachers deal with the same students on a daily basis, they must form some type of relationship with their students. This teacher seemed so emotionless like there are worse things in life. 

Overall, this film provided such a great insight into Proposition 187. Viewers are emotionally touched by this film as you see who this proposition would directly be affecting. I loved Mayra's personality and character. She has an incredible amount of determination that will definitely take her far. She does not deserve to be kicked out of an education she takes so seriously.

Professor Stern's Health Care Argument

Professor Stern discussed in lecture that Senator Clinton's Universal healthcare plan is a better proposal to address the United States' healthcare crisis.  I concede that mandatory mandate on all citizens is key to keeping insurance cost down (because youth people are healthy and will pay into the system without spending much) and allows all citizen coverage.  However a mandate does not address the concept that the Federal Government can mismanage its finances, which would ultimately drive cost up and mandate all citizens to increase payment because there will be less finances for subsidizes.

I feel Obama's Universal Access Plan is best because it forces the federal government to compete against insurance companies.  The federal government would subsidize its insurance rates forcing all other insurance companies will have to innovate and adapt lower coverage packets.  His plan utilizes key capitalist traits that have built the US economy, open competition amongst companies for profit.  Obama's plan would harbor competition and if the federal government enters another financial crisis, insurance rate will stay competitive.

Also I agree that a mandate on child health coverage will allow all children the ability to receive healthcare.  If all capable parents are mandated to pay for universal child coverage, no child would be shut out if in need!

Reflection 3

Just a personal reflection…
My parents immigrated from Korea to the states in the early 80s knowing little to no English. They both worked low income jobs and it was hard for them to transition into the American culture. When I was growing up, I was taught Korean first, English second. I remember my parents telling me that when I went to Montessori School, I would talk to my teachers in Korean, not knowing the difference between the two languages.
Then my parents decided it would be a good idea to send me to Korean school. I attended Korean school for six years, but during that time, I had no desire to learn to read and write. I just wanted to play (hahaha, what kid doesn’t?). I guess you could say that I comprehended the basics of reading and writing but it was still really hard for people to understand what I was writing and it was hard for me to fully comprehend what was going on in conversations. In middle school and high school, I remember wishing I knew how to speak, read, understand, and write fluently. It was especially embarrassing when adults (especially my parents and grandmother) would talk to me in Korean and expect me to understand and respond back in Korean. I would usually respond back in English or use Konglish (kind of like Spanglish). This drove me to sign up for the Korean classes here. So far, I’m glad I made the decision to take Korean.
I think there is definitely a desire in our generation to learn our family’s heritage, culture, and language. Unlike the time when immigrants that came to America tried to assimilate into the “American way of life”, there is more emphasis on being different and preserving the cultures.

Mass Consumption

Going back to Unit II, I want to address and discuss the ideology of mass consumption.  Mass Consumption can be simply defined as a concept that middle class to migrant workers are no longer working and producing enough resources to survive and to be self efficient.  The concept promotes consumerism and the desire for someone to obtain expensive resources. Personally this concept has led to American capitalism and greed and the current American financial crisis.

Most people, specifically Americans, have had a drive to consume products and services.  In the past, many Americans worked long hours to earn as much income as possible to increase their propensity to consume.  Over time Americans, including myself, have grown to become materialistic and desire to consume materials above their means of income.  Combining Americans desire to consume above their means with the high availability of subprime loans-  a loan accredited to individuals in risk to default- will equate to a crisis amongst financial institutions.

Overall Mass Consumption is not necessarily a negative ideology because it has helped the American economy become the largest in the world; however, Americans careless management of credit debt along with greed has attributed to a limited access of money to be able to consume.  This limitation will ultimately decrease Americans' ability to mass consume within the near future.

Reflection Post #3

After hearing the second lecture from Professor Stern about HIV/AIDS in the Latino community I was able to draw a lot of connections to the topic of the Cuban migrations presented by Professor Pedraza earlier this semester. These connections deal mainly with the third wave of Cuban migrations (Los Marielitos) and the AIDS outbreak that followed shortly in the 1980s. The third wave of the Cuban exodus was dominated by single males, many of them being homosexual. These men wanted to leave Cuba mostly because of political persecution much like the people in the other waves, but also probably because of some discrimination based on sexual orientation. Reinaldo Arenas follows this pattern because he mainly wanted to leave Cuba to escape the Communist government that didn’t allow him to openly write and publish his works. A less significant, but still important reason for his wish to depart from Cuba was because he was labeled as a dissident for openly declaring his homosexuality. Arenas and many of the other Marielitos left Cuba to escape one type of persecution only to be faced with another potent type of discrimination in America. Instead of being political prisoners, the Marielitos along with the rest of the homosexual community in America was stigmatized by the outbreak of HIV/AIDS. The fear that followed the outbreak of HIV/AIDS had very negative affects for the homosexual community and especially for the Marielitos. It must have been almost impossible for the Marielitos to adjust to new culture, language, and set of values, while being basically quarantined by heterosexual Americans. So little was known about HIV/AIDS when the outbreaks first occurred and I think that many people probably avoided openly homosexual males at all costs for fear of contracting the disease. People like Reinaldo Arenas were allowed to speak, publish, and record their ideas freely, but at the cost of being alienated from the very people that they were trying to reach with their message. Arenas was eventually able to obtain critical acclaim, but only after his death and after the initial hysteria surrounding HIV/AIDS had died down. All of the people involved in the four waves of Cuban migrations experienced extreme hardship both before and after the migration, but I think that Marielitos had to overcome more discrimination than any other wave. The fear of the unknown in America crippled the Marielitos in terms of both ignorance towards the culture and lifestyle of the immigrants as well as the lack of education surrounding the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Reflection Post #2

I was intrigued by the lecture about the stereotypes and struggle for equality faced by Latinos in the United States health care system. I have been learning a lot about the health care systems of the United States and the world in another class and the topics in both classes are very much aligned. The root of the problem of the United States health care system boils down to its inability to provide adequate coverage to the entire population, and the impoverished population in particular. The lecture by Professor Stern mentioned that 22% of the Latino population lives below the poverty line and many of these people fall through the cracks of programs like Medicaid that are meant to provide health care for those who cannot afford to purchase private insurance or don’t receive employer based health coverage. This number was a 2003 estimate and is now much higher as nearly 40% of the Latino population in the United States is currently living below the nationally established poverty line. Many portions of this demographic are unable to receive health insurance of any kind and as a result are forced to perpetuate the cycle of a polarized health care system that provides grossly unequal access to care. I believe that the problem faced by Latinos in the health care system stems from the same stereotypes and discriminatory practices that hinder the Latino population in other fights for equality. A history of oppression continues to affect the way that Latinos are viewed in multiple facets of society including the available access to health care. Actions taken against Latinos in the past such as the typhus quarantines in El Paso, and the recurrent theme of ignoring health issues raised by workers affected by harmful toxic pesticides built a platform of discrimination that helped shape the structure of the current health care system. Those afflicted by poverty are constantly overlooked and forced to live the unjust stereotypes of the past. These stereotypes can be blindly applied to an entire group, in this case the majority of Latinos that are not living below the poverty line. This is evidenced by the 63% of working Latinos that are unable to receive any access to health care. I think that many Latinos and Latino immigrants in particular are faced with a double edged sword when it comes to the health care policies of the present. Choose to Americanize and face the drastic lowering of health statistics, or refuse to Americanize and face the same stereotypes popularized in the beginning of the century.

On Professor Carrol's Lecture

For my final reflection post, I have decided to lend my insight on Professor Carrol's lecture on Rasquachismo and "A Day Without A Mexican." I understand that a lot of you are not familiar with lectures in the humanities. With Social Sciences (like our class), and Natural Sciences, lectures are rather straight forward. We get slides, people often say "You will need to know this for the exam" and such.

Since I am in the humanities, I have had my share of lectures and classes like Professor Carrol's. With humanities, the point of the instructor is to help students create their own ideas. Humanities explores things such as art, literature, philosophy, and things that are often completely subjective. Things cannot be straight forward in humanities lectures because, frankly, the humanities are not that straight forward.

So, what does this have to do with class? Through this paper, Professor Carrol was explaining that "A Day Without a Mexican" is in itself rasquachismo, in the sense that it was taken from the play "A Day of Absence." I think we can all agree on that. However, the manner in which she presented it should be viewed as her expressing a theory, like a literary theory presented in a paper.

I implore you: Do not be upset with Professor Carrol's lecture. She taught how anyone in the humanities would have taught. Like stated before, the humanities are designed to help people create their own theories on the subjective. So, be subjective.

Questions for Friday Discussion: Sterilization

• What was the significance of the 1909 sterilization bill in California? What do you think were the intentions behind this bill?
  
• Do you think the 1917 amendment made sterilization seem more justified to the public?
• How did other states, such as New Jersey and Iowa, feel about sterilization?
• Why was California able to continue sterilization procedures for so long? 
• What trend did Popenoe discover about the individuals who were being sterilized?
• What were the reasons behind the sudden rise in sterilization during the 1970s?
• What happened during the Relf v. Weinberger trial, and what conclusion did the judge make about the number of poor people being sterilized?
• What major observation did Dr. Bernard Rosenfeld make about the County General obstetricians?
• What similarities did all of the plaintiffs' stories share during the Madrigal v. Quilligan trial? What does this show about the views of the major institutions who deceived these women?
• What were the results of the Madrigal and Quilligan trial?

Questions for discussion on Friday

Ching
Multicultural Children's Literature as an Instrument of Power

How does the author define the terms:
Assimilationist pluralism and Multiracial democracy as framing categories within multicultural education? (Hint page 487)

Now that we’ve answered this question which framing category do you find better- if any?

What do you feel about ‘Smoky Night’ substituting racial harmony in the place of reparation?

Final question from this reading: The author claims that ‘Smoky Night’ cannot awaken young readers to the economic and social conditions that continue to ghettoize urban pockets of America and that create the substandard social connections that catalyze violent upheaval. Do you feel that children’s texts should educate youngster’s about the hardships in life or do you think it is more appropriate to shield children from the hardships and evil in life? It is my opinion that the author is a little biased because they assume the former view.

Question for Isabel (if we have time): have there been any studies done that focus on the cognitive internalizations of these texts. If so, what are the differences in having main characters act as subjects as opposed to objects? Do kids pick-up on these differences between narratives?

reflection 2

Back in early November, there was a lecture and readings about immigrants in the classroom. While immigrant students may have a drive to study more, not cause problems in class, and do well in school, I feel like this all depends on what age the student is and how long the immigrant has been in the United States. In my perspective from what I have seen at the schools I went to, I noticed that immigrant students entering high school that have recently come to the United States have a drive to succeed in school, because their parents had sacrificed so much for them to have a better life than they ever did. They have a better understanding of what is important and how much better their lives will be with education. These students do not want to disappoint their parents. However, I have also noticed that when the immigrants come at an earlier age, like elementary school, they start to assimilate into the American society, their accent goes away, and it becomes almost impossible to differentiate them with other American kids. These kids do not have as strong a sense of responsibility that the older immigrants do.