Chap 11 - On Ethnicity vs. Race and Obama's Comments on Being Bitter

Yesterday on one of the lists I participate on, I got the full transcript of Obama's comments about people being bitter on holding on to their guns and religion. On the major news outlets all week all I've heard is that Obama's elitist.

Once I read the transcript below, I realized how race and politics as usual in the form of political soundbytes that distort the truth are at work. See for yourself and let me know what you think of his actual context and conversation.

In Chapter 11, Kottak emphasizes "multiculturalism" as one of the strategies humans have used to combat the assimilationist tendencies of the past where ethnic minorities had to give up their ethnic affiliation to fit into the American melting pot. (I am started to really appreciate the term "ethnic minorities" differently reading this this time around--it means there are ethnic majorities). Here is the synopsis from the chapter followed by Obama's actual words in a larger context. Goes to show CONTEXT IS DECISIVE.

In my opinion, speaking as both citizen and teacher, Obama is expanding multiculturalism to truly include the majority and minority along racial, class, socioeconomic, and gender lines in a platform for America (A More Perfect Union) that whether he wins or loses will alter the landscape of our nation and transform the old adage that W.E.B. Dubois once wrote, “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line” (1903).

Multiculturalism and Ethnic Identity

1. Multiculturalism is the view of cultural diversity in a country as something good and desirable.
2. This view is opposed to assimilationism, which expects minorities to abandon their cultural traditions and values, replacing them with those of the majority population.
3. Basic aspects of multiculturalism at the government level are the official espousal of some degree of cultural relativism along with the promotion of distinct ethnic practices. (be sure to look up this key anthropological term again in Kottak and memorize it!!)
   
4. A number of factors have led the United States to move away from the assimilationist model and toward multiculturalism.
   
5. Large-scale migration—driven by globalization as well as population growth and lack of economic opportunity in "less developed" countries—is introducing unparalleled ethnic variety to host nations, particularly the "developed" countries of North America and Europe.
6. Ethnic identities are used increasingly to form self-help organizations focused on enhancing groups' economic and political competitiveness and combating discrimination.

FROM TOP OF GOOGLE SEARCH: "Obama and bitter"

Online Gambling Paper

Clinton Says Obama's bitter remark repeats democratic errors - Apr 15, 2008 Obama responded that while his phrasing was “clumsy” and furor over them a ... His statement -- that some voters have “gotten bitter and cling to guns or ... Tehran Times - 2518 related articles » Obama: 'Bitter' Comments May Have Been a Mistake - ABC News - 50 related articles » Obama's "Bitter" Comment Halts His Momentum - U.S. News & World Report - 851 related articles »

IN HIS OWN WORDS:
Here's a transcript as well as a link to the audio to the APril 6 speech at a fundraiser
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-no-surprise-that-ha_b_96188.html

> OBAMA: So, it depends on where you are, but I think it's fair to say
> that the places where we are going to have to do the most work are the
> places where people feel most cynical about government. The people are
> mis-appre...I think they're misunderstanding why the demographics in
> our, in this contest have broken out as they are. Because everybody
> just ascribes it to 'white working-class don't wanna work -- don't
> wanna vote for the black guy.' That's...there were intimations of that
> in an article in the Sunday New York Times today - kind of implies
> that it's sort of a race thing.
>
> Here's how it is: in a lot of these communities in big industrial
> states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, people have been beaten down so
> long, and they feel so betrayed by government, and when they hear a
> pitch that is premised on not being cynical about government, then a
> part of them just doesn't buy it. And when it's delivered by -- it's
> true that when it's delivered by a 46-year-old black man named Barack
> Obama (laughter), then that adds another layer of skepticism (laughter).
>
> But -- so the questions you're most likely to get about me, 'Well,
> what is this guy going to do for me? What's the concrete thing?' What
> they wanna hear is -- so, we'll give you talking points about what
> we're proposing -- close tax loopholes, roll back, you know, the tax
> cuts for the top 1 percent. Obama's gonna give tax breaks to
> middle-class folks and we're gonna provide health care for every
> American. So we'll go down a series of talking points.
>
> But the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded
> that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their
> daily lives. You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania,
> and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone
> now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through
> the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each
> successive administration has said that somehow these communities are
> gonna regenerate and they have not. So it's not surprising then that
> they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people
> who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade
> sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.
>
> Um, now these are in some communities, you know. I think what you'll
> find is, is that people of every background -- there are gonna be a
> mix of people, you can go in the toughest neighborhoods, you know
> working-class lunch-pail folks, you'll find Obama enthusiasts. And you
> can go into places where you think I'd be very strong and people will
> just be skeptical. The important thing is that you show up and you're
> doing what you're doing.

Colonialism= Dominican Republic Vs. Haiti

It's always interesting to see the different affects that colonialism has on countries. It seems that colonialism is the reason behind the culture wars between Dominican Republic and Haiti. According to Jalisco Lander, the reason why Dominicans and Haitian can't get along is because of the war between their colonizers, the Spaniards and the French respectively, started it. Another interesting affect of this was the way people view each other based on culture AND color, as opposed to either or more. If a Dominican just happens to be dark this is due to indian descent as opposed to the probable African descent. Look at the extreme reasonings in order to avoid association; its ridiculous.

Below is a Haitian and a Dominican getting along



http://www.allempires.com/article/index.php?q=conflict_haiti_dominican

Group 3 - Families, Kinship, and Marriage

Different Stories, Many People. Or One People?

Adam
An Arranged Marriage - Russia

Once upon a time- around 1978 in Communist Russia, some friends introduced a man and woman to each other. The intention behind the meeting was that they have an arranged marriage with one another so that they would be allowed to leave the country and come to the United States. At that time, during the communist era, a Russian citizen was not allowed to emigrate from Russia by him or herself. After a year went by, the man and woman planned to marry without permission from either family’s parents. Although it had been traditional to ask a father for his daughter’s hand in marriage, Russia veered towards a more liberal lifestyle because of the influence of American hippies during the 1960’s.

The wedding day arrived. There were no rehearsals, bridesmaids, or flower girls. The Russian equivalent of the best man and maid of honor were the “svideteli”, which mean witnesses. The wedding reception lasted two days, with plenty of food and drinks such as herring, pickles, and of course, vodka. After the reception, the married couple went on a traditional horse-drawn carriage ride for two hours, while a little man in the back seat, played the “garmoshka”, which is an accordion with buttons. When they returned, they participated in the time-honored tradition of each one taking a bite of bread and salt. Supposedly, whoever takes the larger bite will be head of the family.

A year later, the couple conceived a baby and he soon grew into a boy. Life was great. The boy helped his father and grandfather outside of the house with work as was expected of a five-year-old Russian boy. If they had a daughter she would be expected to stay home with the mother and help her. On the weekends, the three of them and the grandparents went to the countryside and just like everyone else around, they would collect either berries or mushrooms. They would take long walks around a lake, and during the winter they would go ice fishing.

The bond within the nuclear and extended family was very strong in Russia- they would go everywhere together. They raised rabbits and chickens for meat and eggs, and grew vegetables in their garden. As a family, they would go to the city market where all the other nuclear and extended families would be selling meat, eggs, and vegetables. They would go to the theatre together very often, and walk around the city.

Shortly afterwards, the family decided to follow through with their original plan and come to America. The grandparents felt they must stay, and so the mother, father, and son moved into an apartment in Forest Hills, Queens, New York. Soon the mother gave birth to another boy and their family was complete. They were surprised at how much stronger the bond between friends and family was in Russia than in America, so throughout the boy’s life he was encouraged to make tight connections with people and consult his family with anything.

Mohit (Mack)
Could This Be a Nightmare?

Like many of you, I don’t remember a lot about the early stages of my childhood. I do however try to remember. And, after trying much, most of what I remember is a village.

When I was five or six years old, my elder brother moved to the city and took me along. He wanted to get an education and be as far as possible from the rest of my family. I never understood why he wanted to keep me from my family, and as time went by my interest in my background faded.

After college I got married and had a child, a girl. I was really happy with my wife, she was amazing! She rekindled my need to know about my family in the village. Even she wanted to know where I came from. And so we took our little girl and drove to my village. At first my brother wasn’t happy with my decision to go back but eventually he followed us to take care of us. I couldn’t understand his cautious decisions until it was too late.

Upon arriving at the village my mother, father, grandfather, and everyone else in our extended family greeted us. It was an awkward welcome, a very traditional one, but a very warm one at that. We walked in and had a great time, everyone loved my family. As the day went by my mother questioned my wife to see if she knew how to take care of me, and my wife did a great job at answering all but one of her questions. It wasn’t until dinner time that my mother found out that she was a part of a lower caste of Hindus. I don’t even know how she figured it out and I could care less. However, everyone else at the dinner table was severely offended and they all walked away. Despite the current mayhem we slept throughout the night peacefully but it wasn’t until early next morning that the real uproar began.

As I walked down the stairs I could hear a woman scream, and along with this noise I could hear a baby screaming. As I approached the source of this noise I realized that it was a hairless woman with a hairless baby. For a moment I relived but after having a better look I was terrified.

It was my wife and little girl. They were tormented and thrown outside. On their foreheads I could see the word “untouchables”. Under the current situation all I could do was shout, but that only tempered the rest of my family. They locked me inside a room and made sure that my wife and children were sent home. My mother wanted me to take a shower and recite a prayer so that I could get remarried. They wanted me to forget my family; my wife and my little girl. How can anyone do this?

ANNOUNCEMENTS: A teach-in on race and Pangea Day

1. Wed., April 9th 6-8:30pm TBA - TEACH-IN on RACE at Baruch College
I am spearheading a TEACH-IN on the conversation of race inspired by the address "A More Perfect Union" by Obama. Many professors and colleagues as well as students have been floored by the power of this address, and we want to open up a conversation that goes beyond the soundbytes, beyond the elections.

A teach-in features short speeches by professors and some students. Professors Clarence Taylor (History/Black&Hispanic Studies), Johanna Fernandez (History/Black&Hispanic Studies), Michel Marriot (Journalism), Arthur Lewin (Black&Hispanic Studies), Sonia Sanchez (School of Public Affairs), and myself among others will be presenting ideas to contextualize the issues of race in our college, society and world.

The location is to be announced but if you want to know where let me know by email kyra_gaunt@baruch.cuny.edu.

For a great overview of issues of race, check out the following website:
http://www.understandingrace.org/about/index.html


2. Pangea Film Day at Baruch College Sat May 10th, 2008

What Is Pangea Day?

Pangea Day taps the power of film to strengthen tolerance and compassion while uniting millions of people to build a better future.

In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that - to help people see themselves in others - through the power of film. On May 10, 2008 - Pangea Day - sites in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro and NYC (at Baruch) will be linked live to produce a program of powerful films, visionary speakers, and uplifting music.

The program will be broadcast live to the world through the Internet, television, digital cinemas, and mobile phones. This is the first global campfire.

Of course, movies alone can't change the world. But the people who watch them can. What will we do here at Baruch?? http://www.pangeaday.org/

Manliness in the US

When talking about male gender stereotypes, we should first take a step back and ask ourselves: what is manliness, anyway?  As we explore the answers to that question, it becomes obvious that definitions of manliness aren't always consistent between cultures.  More important, though, is the fact that the definition of manliness isn't a static one: it has a tendency to change over time.  As American society crosses into the 21st century, we are experiencing shifts in what gender stereotypes are socially acceptable.  Gone are the days when little Jimmy would go outside to play stickball with his friends every afternoon.  Today, the average male youth participates in a host of activities that transcend male and female lines.  He talks about his feelings.  He takes cooking as well as woodworking.  For many, manliness is less about eating red meat and watching football, and more about gentleman-liness, for lack of a better term.

As American men search for what it means to be male, it become obvious that gender equality is not exclusive of gender identity and role.  One blog, The Art of Manliness, embodies that new American male identity.  Its writers focus on contemporary interpretations of the core values of masculinity, using them as a path to becoming a gentleman.  I recommend the blog to anyone else in the class - it's often a great read.  Click here for The Art of Manliness blog.

Blog by Abraham Hedaya

I do both Jay and Jane

This plays into our discussion regarding Gender Stereotypes. The song "I do both Jay and Jane" clearly distinct these roles through the eyes of a bi-sexual who sees men and women as equal. The song states:

Jane is sweet as honey, the taste I'm teasin'
She knows how to hit the spot, her touch is pleasing

He knows how to make me hot, his heat is healing babe
He is a special man, long, rough, and rugged

The adjectives that she chooses to describe women "sweet as honey" "her touch is pleasing." On the other hand, men were described as "long, rough, and rugged."

Ciara- Like a Boy

Ciara's song, Like A Boy is the pinnacle of relationship gender roles in our current generation. The song is implying that there is a certain way that men act which would be unacceptable for a woman to do since in apparently she can't "switch up the roles and be like that."

Sometimes I wish I did act like a boy..

Like A Boy lyrics

Pull up your pants
(Just Like Em')
Take out the trash
(Just Like Em')
getting ya cash like em'
Fast like em'
Girl you outta act like ya dig
(What I'm talkin' bout')
Security codes on everything
Vibrate so your phone don't ever ring
(Joint Account)
And another one he don't know about

[Hook]
Wish we could switch up the roles
And I could be that...
Tell you I love you
But when you call I never get back
Would you ask them questions like me?...
Like where you be at?
Cause I'm out 4 in the morning
On the corna rolling
Doing my own thing
Ohh

Kanye West and Religion

I love Kanye West but it wasn't until today's class that I realized all his religious references.


Jesus Walks
*Basically the Whole Song


Can't Tell Me Nothing
*I had a dream I could buy my way to heaven
When I awoke I spent that on a necklace
I told God I'd be back in a second
Man, it's so hard not to act reckless
To whom much is given, much is tested



Never let me down
*Let it been known that God's penmanship has been signed with a language called love
That's why my breath is felt by the deaf
And why my words are heard and confined to the ears of the blind
I, too, dream in color and in rhyme
So I guess I'm one of a kind in a full house
Cuz whenever I open my heart, my soul, or my mouth
A touch of God reigns out
((MANA ANYONE?!))