Looks like it's a B

I just don't regurgitate the way this professor wants so it's looking like it's a B. Even if I got full credit on the report and the last discussion it would only be a B+ and I haven't managed that yet.

It's all good, it's a GE I'm not too worried about it.

Week off and then back to C++. Since I just took an introduction to C++ in January hopefully it's still fresh enough in my mind that I can do well and learn lots. Well that is the plan at least!

Finally actually starting my major which is very exciting. I am going to need to budget my time a bit better but I think my study habits are good and my laptop is working again so I'm not stuck at the desk.

Leaving tomorrow for a week in Sedona, taking the train and am greatly looking forward to reading and relaxing.

Car is in the shop, we'll see what kind of shape it's in when I get back.

Home Strech

Waiting on the grade for my second test, I have two more 'discussion' things to do and my report on Good Will, all due this week.

The goal is to have the report done today and get my part of the discussion questions done, then I just have to respond to others between now and Sat.

Car has MORE damage and goes in for another estimate tomorrow, this is getting so old.

Religion and State

I'm about to get into an argument with someone in my class about the separation of Church and State. This is something I feel very strongly about as I am tried of these people screaming that our country was based on their religion (umm no it wasn't thanks) and so of course the government should be run by their values and forget everyone else.

It makes me sad because I know true Christians that follow the teachings of the religion they believe in. They love their fellow man, they try to do the right thing with their lives according to what they feel their God would have them do. They turn the other cheek and love everyone no matter what their religious differences are. It's these wack jobs that give Christians a bad name, and honestly it makes me angry.

Someone right now is complaining that there was a Crescent on a Muslim place of worship, and she had to 'tolerate' that but the Christian cross in the CITY OF LA's seal had to be taken out.

I'm not seeing the correlation unless she wants to take every cross off of every Christian church, but to her it's the exact same thing. I don't follow the logic, and honestly with a lot of 'these people' I don't know that there is any.

Mormons do this with their 'non member' bullshit even though I heard the head of the Mormon church get up in front of everyone and told people to cut it out, we love everyone remember?

I can truthfully say that the 'Religious Right' is one of the reasons I became a Democrat.

Grades and computer issues

Laptop is in the shop so I'm trying to deal with Google Documents and trying very hard to not install anything I don't have to on the desktop.

Still a 'solid B' though I think I'm getting a hang of this. I'm happy for the course feedback stuff, lets me express my frustration about having to read this guy's mind to get an A.

Essay test today, outline and rough stuff for the report tonight and tomorrow, more discussion questions on Tuesday, Thursday and Sat and the report is due on Sat. Leave for AZ on Sunday. Laptop come back by Wednesday. Oh and people to measure the new slider on Mon and the locksmith on Tues. Not busy at all!!

Hopefully the car will be done by Wed and then I take it into the dent fixer and painter on Thursday, that should be done by the time I get back.

Then we go to C++, a real test to see if this is a good career choice. July and Aug are programming classes then Sept is my last English GE. Oct is Databases, my first 400 level class and then Nov and Dec are Calc, which I really really need refreshers on.

I'm getting more used to doing this, starting to plan my time out a BIT better, still need to work on that, but I think that is a life long struggle for most people so I"m not overly stressed about it.

Still no grades... take two

This is the other problem with the way this class is graded is that it takes forever to get grades, and that is annoying.

Still nothing...

Still waiting on grades

Took a test this weekend, still waiting on grades. I'm a bit nervous as the way this guy grades is totally subjective, annoying as hell.

I have a report to write too, need to find an organization that works towards erasing diversity issues. Goodwill I think, we'll see.

That Nighmare

The one where there is a class you forgot to go to? Now you're getting an F and there is nothing you can do about it? Yah had that again last night. I was trying to explain why I was killing my gpa by absolutely failing two classes. I felt better waking up and realizing I only take one class at a time!

Took my first test this weekend. I really don't like classes where the grading is all based on the teacher's opinion, vague questions to answer where he has an idea in his mind on what is right and you have to try to figure that out. I also hate regurgitating what I read, but that seems to be what he wants. I just have to figure out what he wants and give it to him so I can do well in the class. We'll see how I do on this test, if I don't do well then I may not be getting an A this month, we'll see.

This instructor is going to LOVE me....

Ok not really but still.

Every 'module' (three days or so) we have a few 'discussion' questions which we're supposed to answer and then respond to other's answers. I believe it is to simulate a classroom discussion and gauge participation.

I just got my grade for yesterday, 1.5/2 which when there are only 75 points available in the class isn't a good thing. His comments were basically taking me to task (in a very polite way, never had a professor so formal and polite) for not basically repeating everything everyone else had said.

Here was my response:

Hello

I read your critique of me and I really only have one comment. Everything you talked about had already been said numerous times in every way possible. Me repeating the same thing wasn't going to provoke any discussion or discourse. What I did was bring up something different, a different point of view on these topics to generate some conversation.

Regurgitating the Jim Crow laws doesn't help anyone understand them, talking about institutionalized racism and the connection between legislating racism and the changes that happened because of that legislation, I think, brings more to the class than listing the specific laws, especially as those laws had been listed, and not just once.

My question is, if all you want is the same answer from everyone why is it a discussion and not an assignment to turn in? It seemed to be a waste to simply repeat what everyone else had said.


We'll see what he says. Technically I didn't completely the assignment to specifications, but I'm taking the assignment to task as why pretend to have a discussion when he only wants things repeated back to him.

I may not be getting an A in this one =)

Perpetuating Sterotypes

All of this cultural diversity stuff I've been reading and discussing this week got me thinking a little bit. There are a lot of sterotypes out there that are unjustified and wrong, but many of them have seeds of truth. The one I was thinking about was the one that applies to me, the dumb blond that is into girly things and only wants to get married and have babies.

To this day I have people telling me 'you need a man' or 'we need to find you a husband' both statements which piss me off to no end. I don't 'need a man' to make my life complete, I am me, a whole person thank you very much. Sure finding 'the one' and falling in love would be great, a loving relationship can enrich someone's life in a way that nothing else can. Children conceived in love and raised with a partner are a joy and a blessing (most of the time) but I am not less Ester because I don't currently have these things.

Those things are very rare, most people end up heartbroken and alone, or single parents trying to juggle what is best for their kids vs what is best for them, and the kids should win in that situation. Yes I'm really cynical but most people don't have the loving relationship, they have something they either settled for or are stuck in. I would say that most people are happy, or at least content, in those relationships, but it's not the sunshine and roses that people try to make it out to be to those of us who aren't married.

You know what, there are a lot of things I don't have, and a lot of things I do have. I have two fantastic nephews that love me unconditionally, twin nephews to make them even more remarkable. How many of you have that? Am I better than you because I have this wonderful thing that you don't? I'm not trying to get everyone's siblings to have twin boys so you can have what I have, that would be silly. I'm not going to insist that everyone have a younger brother, because I kind of enjoy mine, and I'm not going to insist that everyone live in San Diego, though you all should, because it is something that brings me much peace and happiness.

However there are parts of that stereotype I find myself reinforcing, and kind of laugh at myself for doing so. I drove a little red sportscar (oh my car!!!!!) and now have a cute little red scooter. Not just any scooter but one that has a following and message boards devoted to it. Today I spend 35 dollars on a dog bed that matches my bedspread. I bought it at Target, but it still matches my bedding.

There is only one person I let near my hair even if I have to wait a year in-between haircuts. My next car will be very trendy and if that one is gone when I go to buy a car I'm ordering a brand new one. All of these things lend into that stereotype, and I'm finding that I'm ok with that. As long as people realize that just because some of the stereotype applies, not all of it does. I still surprise people when I say something intelligent, and that is really annoying.

The whole thing just strikes me as amusing sometimes.

Next Cultural Diversity Discussion Question

And my response

Q 2. In Jean Baker Miller's article: Domination and Subordination she poses two questions: When does the engagement of difference stimulate the development and the enhancement of both parties to the engagement? And, conversely, when does such a confrontation with difference have negative effects? Pick two hypothetical instances of what she describes and discuss them. Make sure that you explain how one learns from encountering difference and when does such an encounter lead to difficulty?


Miller talks about two different situations in her article: Domination and Subordination. She talks about the Temporary Inequality and the Permanent Inequality, the first is more rare and kind of an ideal while the second is the more prevalent in our society.

Temporary Inequality is explained as a relationship like a Parent/Child, or an Instructor/Student, where one party is dominate but the goal of the relationship is to serve and give to the lesser party to raise them up to the level of the dominate one. This seems, at least on the surface, to be a healthy relationship where both parties can learn from one another and there is an end to the inequality. Ideally a parent is teaching their child enough that the child can then become a parent, thus leveling out the relationship. Unfortunately this is the exception instead of the rule.

Permanent Inequality, Miller discusses, is where a group is considered “… some people or groups of people are defined as unequal by means of what sociologists call ascription; that is, your birth defines you.” When reading over her essay, the problem of illegal immigrants came to mind. I live in Southern California and there is a very big illegal, and legal, Mexican population. These people are the subordinates, they learn out language, they take the jobs we don’t want and make it look like they enjoy the process.

This last week I had people come to the house and clean. A group of three, a man and two women came to my house and did a wonderful job. All three were of Mexican decent and only the man spoke English. They were all smiles and polite, as I said they did a fantastic job, but I can’t help but wonder what they were really thinking as they were cleaning my dirty dishes. I am not required to learn their language, but they have to learn mine, they are doing a job I didn’t want to do and were apparently happy to do it. All of these behaviors tie directly into Miller’s description of these Subordinate relationships.

The difficulty in my specific situation is as all of these service jobs are held by people either from Mexico or descended from those who are, now service seems to be ‘their’ job. It can lead to a false feeling of superiority for the one being served, and then just perpetuates this problem.

Cultural Diversity Discussion Questions

I'm going to post the discussion questions I had to answer today, and include my answers to them. Not having read the material I'm quoting from may make some things a bit unclear, but bear with me =)

Q 1. The Problem: Discrimination, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a 1981 report, usefully outlines three levels of discrimination in the United States. Identify the three levels of discrimination and explain how discrimination functions structurally and systemically in American Society. Use examples from the C.P. Ellis interview with Studs Terkel, or other course readings to illustrate your points.

Three levels of Discrimination in the US

1. Individual Discrimination
2. Organizational Discrimination
3. Structural Discrimination


Individual Discrimination is manifested when an individual shows discriminatory behaviors towards a specific individual. Examples given in the essay include: Sexual harassment, Real Estate Agents showing people specific housing because of their race and people who move from a neighborhood due to someone ‘else’ moving in. All of these are one on one issues, and sometimes people don’t even realize they’re doing it.

Organizational Discrimination is when such discrimination is ‘often reinforced by the well-established rules, policies, and practices of organizations’. These can include Senority Rules where the most recently hired are the first to be laid off, when the jobs are traditionally held by one cultural subgroup, like white males, then they are the last to loose their jobs. Nepotism is another common form of Organizational Discrimination, and while there are many companies that make rules against this it is still very prevalent even in our highest reaches of Government, some would argue to our determent.

Structural Discrimination deals more with class issues, though racial sterotypes can be perpetuated through those very same class problems. When minorities live in the inner city they get fewer opportunities to succeed in life than someone living out in the mostly white suburbs, their education is less and their chances of not dying to violence is significantly less. Yet many of these people don’t have any other options, or haven’t been taught that they can do better, and they end up in the same situations as adults as they were raised in as children. Then ‘society’ will see them as failures and the cycle begins again, with only a few ever breaking out.

I believe Structural Discrimination is the most harmful for our society as a whole. Individuals can be taught and shown what they’re doing is wrong, either through education or lawsuits. Inner city kids, as my example above, are caught up in something that won’t be fixed by a lawsuit or one well meaning person, though those things can help. When people feel trapped in a situation that is not of their own doing, and feel helpless to change it, it won’t be changed, and that, I believe, is to the determent of everyone.

New Class

June is History 350 - Cultural Diversity

I'll update the link soon

I'm glad I have another GE before I get into the hard core programming stuff, it will get me back into the 'swing' of things. May was pretty much a vacation.

Lots of reading, some writing I think, I'm going to have to work to get an A so I'm happy with it. I'll write more as I decipher the syllabus.