Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community

“Within normalizing communities and subject positions get priviledged and represented as “normal” while other individuals and subjects positions are disempowered and represented as deviant, sick, neurotic, criminal, lazy, lacking in intelligence, and in other ways “abnormal.”” This quote reminds me of almost all of the readings we’ve done so far it seems like a pretty common theme with out the course of the essay. Because in this case members of the LGBTTQ community are not part of the mainstream and are outside of the circle of SCWAAMP, and their culture must still be represented and talked about, and that how our society works we exclude them along with other groups, and we cant do that. “… Normalizing texts systematically exclude and neglect the culture of those outside the norm for the purpose of ratifying or legitimating the dominant culture as the only significant culture worth studying.” A prime example of this is William Shakespeare, when I was in middle and high school we all learned about Shakespeare but about his writings and his life. His life as a normal white man, a poet and great thinker but never once did I hear an utterance of him being homosexual. It seems like the people who write the books and teach the subject think that the fact that he was gay will take away from the fact that he was a great literary mind. We should teach acceptance of all peoples and all cultures, because if we don’t we lose the diversity that is so important in this “melting pot” culture we live in. It will also give a better sense of understanding and compassion and give young people a better sense of pride in who they are. “The commonsense perspective on language is that words refer to or stand for things, so that it does not really matter what you call these things. But words do not merely stand in for “things.” They emerge out of and take on meaning within particular discourse and practices. Thus the words “homosexual,” “gay,” “lesbian,” and “queer” have histories we have to consider when we invoke them.” This is a really important quote to me because I find this concept really key to the entire impact on words. We can’t just throw any word we feel is appropriate, because these words mean things. Like when kids say gay to describe things as unpleasant, you can never know who around you is gay. Because unlike issues of race, people who are part of the LGBTTQ community may not outwardly display the fact that they are, so people please use discretion.

Aria

Okay so as I read Aria all I could think of was what I could only categorize as my previous opinion on the issue of bilingual students and or ESL students. I used to think that if you lived in the United States you should speak the official language. Now I still feel that all people of this nation should speak the universal language, it’s just that I never realized it came at such a price. I never imagined that it would cause a person to lose their essence, or their identity. Seeing as to how I only know and speak English I’ve never thought of the fact that by learning a new language to assimilate with a new culture it comes at the expense of who you are. It’s made me think more analytically of understanding the troubles and woes that people have to overcome in order to become part of “our” culture as Americans. I remember when previously I used to think that it was wrong or at least reprehensible for people not to understand the “mother” tongue but if I English was my second language I wouldn’t want to lose my ties to my original tongue. Anyone else feel that way?

Kozol & Goldberg

Okay so I decided to do my first blog on the Goldberg and Kozol pieces. I’m kind of glad that I read the Goldberg piece first because it kind of helped me read the Kozol piece. It was kind of interesting to get some insight into the youth’s mind in the Goldberg piece. Although from my own personal reading of the piece I didn’t get the whole concept of being anti- American like the youth mentioned. I saw it more along the lines of Kozol painting an image, of what it is like to live in certain areas of this country. Now I personally don’t like to assume things but for all inclusive purposes i am going to make some assumptions, or more like educated guesses. Now, I can only assume that the youth from the Goldberg piece lives in a pretty well off area of Connecticut, and that he is most likely a republican, and has probably never been to an area like the one represented in the Kozol piece. I am not anti American in the least and I feel like the piece didn’t make me become against my country. However I see Kozol’s work as I previously stated to depict a way of life. A way of life that those who don’t see or live in most likely won’t care about, which makes me think of the entire privilege discussion we had in class. It seems like this young man is unaware of these environments and unaware of (to be blunt) his privilege. Did anyone feel the same way as I do?