v
So, this post will have 2 things: an update on what's happening with me and also a rant. If you are not interested in the rant don't read past the dividing line.
SO! IT's been 6 months. Hello friends!
Well- what you've missed is the end of a semester, finals, moving out of my apartment, driving back to NM, me working all summer, and then me moving back into my apartment and school starting again.
Now it is Senior year #3, and gratefully it is also the last. School is never not crazy though. Which I don't understand.
News: Jason and I are engaged. My lovely friend Maddie took our pictures and the joyous occasion will happen in May :)
School is chugging along, and I'm getting dragged along in the back. Seriously- it is torture trying to make myself do homework every week. The struggle IS REAL. Senioritis IS REAL! I don't know how I've made it through 2 other senior years before this one with out cracking up. It's a miracle.
Well, those are the highlights of what has been going on with me. I still haven't been taking many pictures, however since I plan to do a senior show next semester and I don't have a body of work yet- photos will be happening :) soon! Love you all!
So, this post will have 2 things: an update on what's happening with me and also a rant. If you are not interested in the rant don't read past the dividing line.
SO! IT's been 6 months. Hello friends!
Well- what you've missed is the end of a semester, finals, moving out of my apartment, driving back to NM, me working all summer, and then me moving back into my apartment and school starting again.
Now it is Senior year #3, and gratefully it is also the last. School is never not crazy though. Which I don't understand.
News: Jason and I are engaged. My lovely friend Maddie took our pictures and the joyous occasion will happen in May :)
School is chugging along, and I'm getting dragged along in the back. Seriously- it is torture trying to make myself do homework every week. The struggle IS REAL. Senioritis IS REAL! I don't know how I've made it through 2 other senior years before this one with out cracking up. It's a miracle.
Well, those are the highlights of what has been going on with me. I still haven't been taking many pictures, however since I plan to do a senior show next semester and I don't have a body of work yet- photos will be happening :) soon! Love you all!
So now the rant.
For some reason it is really popular for people to write articles about how racist white people are and how they are all in denial. Or just to generally complain about how privileged white people are and how racist they are and how they don't even know it, and that we need to have this conversation about this problem.
Here is my take on this idea of "having a conversation"
Firstly, a conversation requires 2 people (or groups) and they both get to participate and talk. You complaining or lecturing to me about how racist I am is not a conversation. Secondly how does all this complaining and lecturing actually fix the situation?
For example: I took a class called "Multicultural Education". It was basically a class teaching us how not to be racist, and to make sure all our students have equal access to the resources they need to be successful. But mostly it was a class to make us feel guilty to for being white and to make sure we were aware of the fact that not everyone gets the benefits we do.
There was nothing wrong with being in this class. It did help me to realize all the benefits I receive in society and that I need to be sensitive not to give my students unequal treatment etc.
That is a good thing. But apart from what I can do as a teacher, someday, in some school, only God knows where - this class did not give any suggestions on how I am supposed to help society change how it treats people in the broader context.
And this is why I am writing this rant.
These people, news stations, articles, etc, etc etc. complain and yell and shout about the unfair system and how horrible white people are and how racist we all are but they never talk about how in the world they think we should go about fixing anything. I do not feel any particular animosity toward anyone of another race, except when they are looting and rioting and being violent. Then I get angry that they want me to respect them while they hurt innocent people as collateral damage on their path to "equality" or whatever they are riled up about at the moment.
If you want a "conversation", or you want "change" then you need to give me some tangible solutions. There are in fact laws about discrimination, ya know. It's already the law. Obviously that doesn't change people. So what am I supposed to do to help you be treated more fairly?
I will give you some of my ideas. How about we stop identifying ourselves by "race". Race is a construct. It is not a genetic thing. There isn't a gene for "Hispanic" or "African-American". We make up these words to split ourselves apart. So when I send my kid to go take a standardized test, I don't think there should be a box by your name where you have to say what your skin color is, or what your gender is. Why is that even relevant for that test? Like the ACT or SAT, why does that matter at all? Oh, right it doesn't. Except to perpetuate inquality and sterotypes when you later rattle off statistics about how only this percent of African Americans got higher than a 20 on the ACT.
Then lets make it so that when we submit applications to jobs and universities they can't see your name, gender, or race. So that it really is the "best man for the job" who gets the job. So that way Shaniqua and Emily both have an equal shot at the same job, or Jamal and John can have equal shots at getting into Yale.
In return, stop telling me that I am a racist. I don't give a sh** about where you are from, or what you look like if you are a good person. I just came up with 2 ideas that could help change equality. But where were your suggestions? Oh right you don't have any cause actually your the one who is racist and you just want to b**** about how much you hate me.
How do we change the world? I am only one person. And I am planning on being an artist. I will never be in a position where I can change even the things I suggested changing, let alone anything else. I can make my future classroom a place where students feel appreciated and cared about. Where their teacher helps each individual meet their potential. And that is about the extent of it.
So.
Stop complaining, and work on solutions. get other people involved in your solutions. But don't complain. Do something constructive about it.
For some reason it is really popular for people to write articles about how racist white people are and how they are all in denial. Or just to generally complain about how privileged white people are and how racist they are and how they don't even know it, and that we need to have this conversation about this problem.
Here is my take on this idea of "having a conversation"
Firstly, a conversation requires 2 people (or groups) and they both get to participate and talk. You complaining or lecturing to me about how racist I am is not a conversation. Secondly how does all this complaining and lecturing actually fix the situation?
For example: I took a class called "Multicultural Education". It was basically a class teaching us how not to be racist, and to make sure all our students have equal access to the resources they need to be successful. But mostly it was a class to make us feel guilty to for being white and to make sure we were aware of the fact that not everyone gets the benefits we do.
There was nothing wrong with being in this class. It did help me to realize all the benefits I receive in society and that I need to be sensitive not to give my students unequal treatment etc.
That is a good thing. But apart from what I can do as a teacher, someday, in some school, only God knows where - this class did not give any suggestions on how I am supposed to help society change how it treats people in the broader context.
And this is why I am writing this rant.
These people, news stations, articles, etc, etc etc. complain and yell and shout about the unfair system and how horrible white people are and how racist we all are but they never talk about how in the world they think we should go about fixing anything. I do not feel any particular animosity toward anyone of another race, except when they are looting and rioting and being violent. Then I get angry that they want me to respect them while they hurt innocent people as collateral damage on their path to "equality" or whatever they are riled up about at the moment.
If you want a "conversation", or you want "change" then you need to give me some tangible solutions. There are in fact laws about discrimination, ya know. It's already the law. Obviously that doesn't change people. So what am I supposed to do to help you be treated more fairly?
I will give you some of my ideas. How about we stop identifying ourselves by "race". Race is a construct. It is not a genetic thing. There isn't a gene for "Hispanic" or "African-American". We make up these words to split ourselves apart. So when I send my kid to go take a standardized test, I don't think there should be a box by your name where you have to say what your skin color is, or what your gender is. Why is that even relevant for that test? Like the ACT or SAT, why does that matter at all? Oh, right it doesn't. Except to perpetuate inquality and sterotypes when you later rattle off statistics about how only this percent of African Americans got higher than a 20 on the ACT.
Then lets make it so that when we submit applications to jobs and universities they can't see your name, gender, or race. So that it really is the "best man for the job" who gets the job. So that way Shaniqua and Emily both have an equal shot at the same job, or Jamal and John can have equal shots at getting into Yale.
In return, stop telling me that I am a racist. I don't give a sh** about where you are from, or what you look like if you are a good person. I just came up with 2 ideas that could help change equality. But where were your suggestions? Oh right you don't have any cause actually your the one who is racist and you just want to b**** about how much you hate me.
How do we change the world? I am only one person. And I am planning on being an artist. I will never be in a position where I can change even the things I suggested changing, let alone anything else. I can make my future classroom a place where students feel appreciated and cared about. Where their teacher helps each individual meet their potential. And that is about the extent of it.
So.
Stop complaining, and work on solutions. get other people involved in your solutions. But don't complain. Do something constructive about it.