Sax, 2007-Boys Adrift

Essentially this guy wrote this book (we're reading the intro) about how boys today are so unmotivated when it comes to school or basically anything except their friends and video games.  There's extreme apathy for school and even if they end up going to a 4-year college--only 42% do--most won't graduate and do anything with it.  Girls, on the other hand seem to be pretty motivated on their own.

He has spent 7 years trying to understand the phenomenon and thinks there are some factors that contribute like the way we do school nowadays and such, but overall it's just weird that boys don't want to do school when girls do.  It might be from the media--Tom Sawyer, Ferris Beuller--examples of boys who didn't want to go to school, but they were at least motivated by other things.  Boys today are perfectly content to sit in front of the TV playing video games all day.  It's bizarre.  That's where the article ends.  It was pretty repetitive.

10/1/14 Sue and Sue Chapter 24: Counseling Women

10/1/14 Sue and Sue Chapter 24: Counseling Women

Chapter 24: Counseling Women

Intro

• Women compromise more than half the population, however, due to the patriarchal structure of US society, women have been historically subjected to prejudice and discrimination as well as a disadvantaged status.
• Feminism: is a frequently misunderstood term, refers to efforts directed toward gender equality--equal economic, social, and political rights and opportunities for women.
• current feminist are fighting for reproductive rights, parental leave and quality child care, psychosocial safety, ending wage disparity, sexist power structures, and other forms of discrimination.

Specific Challenges

• Societal Pressures
• 
  
• Implications
• Discrimination, Harassment, and Victimization
• Implication
• Educational Barriers
• Implications
• Economic and Employment Barriers
• Implications
• Ageism
• Implications
• Depression
• Implications
• Gender Bias in Therapy

Embracing Gender Strengths

10/1/14 Gardiner 2008

Culture and Issues of Gender and Sexuality

The chapter starts with two case studies about siblings that grew up differently and asks the question about whether or not each person got to choose their different interests or were they "assigned" to them (a boy who plays rough and tumble games who becomes an engineer and a girl who plays with barbies who did well in school and wanted a career, but had a family because she was raised to see her future role that way). Or was the other family experience so similar (a boy and girl in thailand who wore similar clothes, both went to university, one became an engineer and the other a teacher --not clear which was which)?

Sex and gender are different. Sex= biological aspects of femaleness and maleness. Gender= acquired behavioral and psychological aspects of being a woman or a man. 

The relationship between biological sex characteristics and gendered social behavior is more complex than the old nature vs nurture discussion. 

A person's sex is determined by 4 different criteria: chromosomes, hormones, gonads, and external genitalia. But the book says there are exceptions to just male and female. sometimes a female can carry the XY chromosomes of a male but show all "female" physical characteristics. Also, a female with the XX chromosomes may have a hormonal imbalance that causes her to have muscle patterns and genitals similar to males. So, this can even be tricky. Once a nurse declares the gender after birth, the first major decision of a child's life is made for them. 

Gendered behavior is a social requirement. IDing someone as male or female provides us with one the most basic social clues as to how this person is likely to behave toward us and how we are expected to behave toward that person. 

Theoretical Perspectives on Gender Differences

Biological Perspectives

boys and girls of any species have biological and physiological differences (chromosomes, hormone production, reproductive capabilities). But we don't know how these link with social behavior. Society determines a lot/most of how the different genders act and what's okay.

Evolutionary Perspectives

Many gender differences may be explained by an organism's motivation to pass on genes by producing offspring. Women can only produce so many children in a lifetime, so they put more energy into creating an environment that promotes the survival of a maximum number of children (food prep, home maintenance, protective network). However, men can produce an unlimited number of children. Men strive to produce as many as possible and they have to compete with other men to do this. The focus being on physical strength and aggressiveness. 

Ultimately, they have the same goal-- to create children and they can do this by mating with a healthy partner with healthy genes. We both enhance our evolutionarily attractive characteristics (strength, sexual prowess, wealth and status for men and youthfulness and health for women to show they can bear many children). 

Socialization and Learning Perspectives

From birth on we are all socialized into our culture and we learn to conform to the roles that culture says is consistent with our sex. 

In a study done, they had adolescents draw pictures of the ideal woman and the ideal man. In most places the ideal woman was taking care of children, but in more masculine cultures they were business women. In more feminine cultures the men were also drawn taking care of children. 

Infancy and Childhood

parents are the primary source of socialization for young children.

Gender Socialization

Most female stereotypes are of being more passive and nurturing while male ones are more aggressive and dominant. 

Also, male stereotypes are more overt than female stereotypes and children are more familiar with them in general than female ones. 

Stereotypes are already established in children at 8 years old and start affecting their behavior. (Interesting- age of accountability)

The feminist argument is that these stereotypes socialize women into lower-status roles and dependency due to power differential. This feminine idea is defined by men to preserve male privilege. By conforming to this feminine ideal, women become attractive and gain the recognition of powerful men. 

This isn't the same in all cultures. In polygamous cultures this is a big deal because men are fighting for women and the competition is strong. However, in monogamous and polyandrous societies the number of partners is limited and there isn't the same competition. In Nyinba, Tibet for example, men are taught cooperation and sharing since they will one day share a common wife and children with 1 or more men. Socialization of girls in societies like this focuses more on independence and assertiveness (not obedience and submissiveness)

Cultural Influences on Female and Male Socialization

it's impossible to view socialization of behaviors outside of a cultural context. Cultures define the basic values and ideals as well as the agents who teach the values and the settings in which they are taught. 

Gender Relationships in Childhood

Peers also play an important role in socialization

Gender segregation early indicates large differences in normative expectations for women and man. Mixed-sex peer groups may indicate greater equality between genders in adulthood. This isn't in all cultures and cases, but most often the case. 

Preference for same-sex playmates is universal, regardless of cultural norms. This is true among various cultures with varied gender socializations. 

The games they tend to play reinforce some social stereotypes- like girls playing cooperative and interpersonal games, while boys play competitive sports. 

This lends to there being a biological difference in gender. 

Adolescence

Markers of Sexual Maturation

There are distinct cultural markers that indicate a readiness among women and men to find a sexual partner.
The transition to adulthood is often a spiritual event with initiation ceremonies. But this isn't always marked by a single event.

Gender, Sexuality, and cultural Taboos

Once young men and women are sexually mature they are prepared to experience their first sexual encounter. Cultural norms determine a lot of this as well. Chastity norms are usually more strict for girls than boys across cultures. 

In some cultures communication about sex is pretty taboo and surrounded by myths. 

In some societies (like China) there are strict taboos and laws about sex- like only heterosexual intercourse within a monogamous marriage being legally and morally permissive. India as well- and these are protected by law with consequences. 

In most cultures the concepts of gender and sexuality are closely related. 

And this goes hand in hand with deviant sexual behavior (homosexuality, etc.). 

Early and Middle Adulthood

This section discusses how gender influences the lives of adults in different cultural environments.

Status and the Division of Labor Within the Family

Historically and culturally, women have been in charge of the home and childrearing while men have been in charge of work outside the home. However, industrialization and economic pressures have changed this. This has changed traditional family roles. 

This increased participation of women in the workforce hasn't changed gender roles all that much. 

This creates a bit of a problem because now women have double the responsibility- they have to work in the world and take care of the home. 

Division of Labor in the Workforce

Men and women are also often segregated into different occupations in the labor force.

These segregations are often based on gender stereotypes (for example women are more often teachers or nurses- because they are more nurturing jobs and men are more often in jobs that require more strength, or assertiveness like laborer jobs or executive positions). This segregation also happens with statused jobs (men having higher status jobs and women, lower).

Gender Relations in Social Status, Religion, and Public Policy

The social/economic stratification can be reflected in family relationships. If economic power= social power then the family member with the most social power will be most dominant in the family and a powerful influence. This means they make decisions, assert their needs and control resources. Since men typically fill this role they tend to shape relationships with their spouse and children. 

The section goes on to discuss different countries where policies affect gender equality.

Later Adulthood and Old Age

Divorce and Widowhood

In India, divorce is never an option, but if a man in unhappy in his marriage he can take a second wife. On the other hand, if a wife is widowed, she is an outcast and is not allowed to remarry. Some women choose to burn themselves alive at their husband's funeral because widows are still honored if they die within a reasonable time frame after their spouse. 

There are like 3 other case studies you can read about in other countries. 

When viewing divorce, it's obvious that the culture shapes gender roles and behavior within a family. The option of divorce, when socially accepted, gives women power to negotiate equal status in the family. 

Gender Roles and Status in Old Age

In a lot of societies, age is associated with a gain in community status. They also hold spiritual and religious responsibilities. 

In societies where status is based on age and role, older women gain considerable power. 

9/23/14-Wu & Keysar 2007

Sorry this is so incredibly late!  Cultural Genogram took wayy longer than I thought it would.  grr...

The Effect of Culture on Perspective Taking

Abstract:

Perspective taking: Considering the mental states of others to understand their actions.  

Basically, people in collectivist cultures do better at being tuned in with other people and perspective taking as they interact with them than in cultures like the US which are much more independent. 

 Article:

Since actions are ambiguous, we are constantly perspective taking to see if we can figure out what others are thinking or intending.  Only at age 4 do children start to realize that other people have different thoughts and beliefs from them.  

INDEPENDENCE AND INTERDEPENDENCE

Collectivist countries tend to be more interdependent.  Their identity is defined by relationships with others.  Individualistic countries define themselves by their own achievements.  

When remembering events, Chinese people told it from a 3rd party perspective, while Americans told it from a 1st person.  We project emotions onto other people, Chinese project reactions to emotions to other people.  (?)

CULTURE AND PERSPECTIVE TAKING

There were two hypotheses--one claimed Chinese would be worse perspective takers, and one claimed they would be better.  (The first one didn't make logical sense to me, but whatever)  So this study is going to figure out which is right.  

So this was the experiment^^.  The left is the view the "subject" has, and the right is the view the "director" has.  The director will say "Move the block one slot up", and because the subject knows that the director can't see all the blocks he can see (because of the black squares blocking it from view), he should move the one that can be seen by both sides.  This was the test for whether you were taking in the other perspective or not.  

Americans got hung up on the blocks that their director couldn't see, which dramatically slowed down their rate of response.  The Chinese did much better at ignoring the hidden blocks and moving the correct ones.  So it turns out that the Chinese did better at perspective taking because they have been raised in a culture to take in other people's perspectives.  

9/23/14- Talwar 2012

The abstract for this article was actually pretty good so I included it below. I also included some interesting points and observations from the article. 

ABSTRACT:

“Body dissatisfaction is a highly prevalent experience among women across the world; however, there is minimal research relating to this topic for the different ethnic groups in New Zealand. In this study, 45 New Zealand female university students who identified either as Tāngata Whenua1 Māori or New Zealand European completed questionnaires measuring body dissatisfaction and ethnic identity. Although there were many similarities between the groups, there were also interesting differences. Body mass was related to body concerns more so among European than Māori participants. Furthermore, strength of Māori ethnic identity was shown to be associated with lower levels of weight concern.”

The article talked about some things regarding body image and body dissatisfaction…

-Body dissatisfaction is so prevalent among females in western female populations that it’s even seen as normal.

-Body image standards seem to vary across different ethnic groups Here’s an example: Large bodies in pacific communities tend to represent wealth, status, and good health. In Westernized societies, it’s the opposite.

-Something interesting that research has found is that women tend to pick ideal figures that are thinner than what men tend to find attractive, and women seem to think that men prefer thin ideals. So basically, the perspective of most women is totally distorted.

-Research found that across different ethnic groups, body dissatisfaction immerged at different levels of body mass, telling us that a lot of body image is cultural.

-Cultures differ widely on the ideal body sizes

-Thinner ideals may be increasing in Pacifc female populations.

Pretty much what I got from this article is that body image can be heavily influenced by ethnicity and culture. Also, exposure to other cultures/ideals can shift a culture’s ideal. Overall, though, those who have a strong sense of ethnic identity and culture tended to have better body image and less dissatisfaction with weight. 

9/24/14 McGoldrick Chapter 1

9/24/14 McGoldrick Chapter 1: Overview of Ethnicity and Family Therapy

Cultural background: our ethnicity but is also profoundly influenced by social class, relition, migration, geography, gender, oppression, racism, and sexual orientation, and family dynamics.

• We still live in communities that are segregated.

The Meaning of Ethnicity page 2

Having a sense of belonging, of historical continuity, and of identity with on'es own perople is a basic psychological need.  

Ethnicity: the concept of a group's "peoplehood"  is transmitted from generation to generation.

• evokes deep feelings, often polarizing
• We will not be culturally competent until we let go of the idea the America is primarily from European descent.
• America is very ethnocentric (even all the world maps, we are at the center.)

African Americans

• community is a bigger part of their identity.

DSM IV was the first to finally recognize cultural influence in some of the diagnosable problems.

• typically we don't go very far back into getting race and ethnic information.

The Complexity of Ethnicity page 6

• Each of us is a "hodgepodge" of ethnicity, we are all migrants, moving between our ancestors cultures.  
• We all belong to a variety of groups and different cultures.  EXAMPLES page 6
• Each generation has a different culture!!  Culture changes with historical events, geography, socioeconomics, religion.
• We try to get people to label themselves: African American, Hispanic, White, etc.  But this is TOO SIMPLE!  We are complex  and we need to acknowledge that.
• "Bill of Rights" for racially mixed people
• Identify myself differently than stranger expect
• Identify myself differently than my parents identify me
• Identify myself differently than my brothers and sisters identify me
• Identify myself differently than different situations
• to create a vocabulary to communicate about being multiracial
• to change my identity over my lifetime and more than once
• to have loyalties and identify with more than one group of people
• As therapist we must help clients understand their ethnicity is a fluid, ever-changing aspect of who they are.
• Ethnicity can become a toxic topic, and people may avoid it, but you can't let clients do this!
• Ethnicity is tricky because so much of people's past cultures is associated with poverty, pain, hurt, and often the pain continues in their homeland.  
• so many immigrants want to forget their past, forget the migration, the difficulties and move on and assimilate as soon as possible.
• As they assimilate the lose their sense of themselves!  
• Families may even fight about assimilating and trying to "pass" for the dominant ethnicity.  
• Example of a man who tried to ignore is ethnicity and past page 12.
• We cannot judge other because their culture is different that us.  CASE STUDY page 10.  Family was given a hard time for not being as nice or kind to each other, but that was their culture.
• Therapists must work to see the limitations of our own view so we can open our minds to the experience of others. 
• Cultural Competence means to have an appreciation for the hidden cultural aspects of our psychological, spiritual and social selves, a profound respect for the limitations of our own cultural perspective, and an ability to deal respectfully with those whose values differ from our own.
• We all want and need a place to call home.
• Those who try to assimilate at the price of forgetting their connections to their heritage are likely to have more problems than those who maintain their heritage.
• We often see people in therapy who are disconnected from their history, Help them reconnect!!

Stereotyping



Our Evolving Concept of Ethnicity

The Changing Face of Ethnicity in The United States at the Start of the 21st Century

Factors Influencing Ethnicity

Race and Racism

Religion

Social Class and Socioeconomic Status

Cultural Differences in Worldview and Basic Values

Migration at Different Phases of the Life Cycle

• Young Adult Phase
• Families with Young Children
• Families with Adolescents
• Launching Phase
• Later Life

Cultural and Racial Intermarriage

Clinical Intervention from a Cultural Perspective

Cultural Attitudes toward "talk" and therapy

Cultural Difference in what is viewed as a Problem

Not Romanticizing Culture

Ethnicity Training

Conclusion

EchoHawk - 2007 An Unexpected Gift

This was a devotional given by Larry EchoHawk.  He is a BYU Law Professor.  I think the main thing that I thought we were suppose to get out of it was an understanding that education might be a given in our culture, but it definitely isn't in the native american culture.

He briefly gave a history of the way the Pawnee people have been mistreated by the American Government.  He went on to describe a time when he ran to the the attorney general for the state of Idaho.  A native american had never been elected to any statewide state constitutional office (such as governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, or attorney general).  The newspaper said he didn't have a chance, but he ended up winning.  He said when he won he felt the full promise of America.  He felt the possibility of the future.

His conversion story.  He was baptized at the age of 14, but he wasn't really converted.  It wasn't until he was in priests quorum and he met Brother Boren that things started to change.  Brother Boren told him he could become anything he wanted to become.  If he wanted to get good at something he needed to practice.  He set out to become a good football player.  He eventually became the starting quarterback, but he was hit in the eye a few days before the first game and he had to have bandages on his eyes for over a week.  He felt it was unfair, but as he sat in bed for a week and he couldn't look at anything because his eyes had bandages on them so he had nothing but time to think.  He thought about the things that Brother Boren had taught him.  He prayed and asked the Lord to heal his eye so he could read the Book of Mormon.  His eyesight came back.  He became a good football player and immediately started reading the Book of Mormon.  He gained a testimony and, after some time, was offered a football scholarship to BYU and New Mexico.  He attributes a freak accident to bringing about his humility and all of the subsequent blessings.

President Kimball - "This is my Vision"
President Kimball relayed a story where he saw native americans as lawyers taking care of their own people.  "Get an education and help your people."  He became an attorney and worked for the largest indian tribe in Idaho.  He saw the hand of the Lord as he worked with the Native Americans.

The Army
Army drill sergeant would yell at everyone.  The drill sergeant found his Book of Mormon and yelled at him asking him if he knew the Book of Mormon was true.  He yelled yes and the drill sergeant never yelled at him about it again.

Maker, 2005

-America’s war on terrorism has done irreparable damage from South Asia and the Middle East.

-Post 9/11 has included tons of discrimination  occurs and the media has created a super negative image of Islam. This target racism might even be compared to that targeted towards Koreans, Japanese, and Vietnamese after other wars.

This chapter hopes to highlight some of the author’s own encounters and interventions since 9/11 as a Muslim, Pakistani, female psychologist.

Using overt and proactive “combat” tactics in session with supervises can serve as an antidote to racism towards therapist of color and have a profound impact on clients and supervisees, this facilitating therapy in a more productive way.

Goals of chapter:

1. How cemented stereotypes of Muslim women (i.e., specific negative gender roles, calues, and cultural norm) emerge I the family therapy session
2. 2. The assumptions of differences between therapist and client based on race, religion, nationality, and culture.
3. the therapist’s use of the self and cultural process dialogue with ckients to confront racism and discuss race and ethnicity, culture, religious beliefs, and values.

The author give background about herself:

-first generation South Asian, Muslim, immigrant woman from Pakistan residing in the US.

-Doesn’t fit the stereotype you are thinking of

-she looks westernized and comes from a diverse background.

-her other is from East Africa and her father is from India

-Her parents studied in England and she went to British school

The author goes on to tell about how the cultural hoops she had to jump though in conjunction with being admitted to the University of Michigan. This included her having to take tests which assess for “integration knowledge of American culture, history, politics, values”.

After studying and practicing in America, she returned to Pakistan, she struggled to transfer her Western techniques to an enormously different psyche and community.

Literature Review

-The author did an extensive literature review and identified research focusing on the impact of race, ethnicity, and other cultural factors or the therapeutic relationship.

-few articles were found about racism directed toward therapist of color. The few studies that do focus on therapist of color strongly point in the direction of racism racism and discrimination that significantly interfere with the essence of healing.

-Urgent need to address racism towards therapist of color.

-research has indicated a huge bias towards therapists of color and a view that they are more incompetent except when working with clients that are ethnic minorities. Some therapists experience Clients’ refusal to be seen by them as well as racist stereotypes.

Case Study:

The author talks about a case she saw in which late into therapy the client brought up negative feelings and stereotypes about her Arab neighbors. Originally the therapist was validating and showed empathy, but the client continued to feel stuck on the topic. This is when the therapist realized she was communicating something and talking about her, the therapist.

It was the therapists ability to connect with her anger without using resentment that allowed her to be upfront with her client, discuss how her client felt working with her, dismiss incorrect assumptions, and aid in the therapeutic process. 

9/17/14 Hill and Torres

9/17/14 Hill and Torres

Negotiating the American Dream: The paradox of Aspirations and Achievement among Latino Students and Engagement between their families and Schools

The america dream is that one comes to american and they can achieve success and prosperity through determination, hard work and courage.  That there is an open system for mobility.

Latinos really emphasize education and have made great sacrifices to come to America.  However, despite all the sacrifice, hard work, desire to succeed, Latinos are lagging behind other immigrants.  

• Highest high school drop out rate, only 64% of Latinos age 18-24 have complete high school.
• Oddly enough, the longer Latinos are here the worse they perform.  So 2nd and 3rd generation Latinos are doing WORSE than the 1st generation.

Why is this happening?

High Expectations met with Harsh Realities: Experiences of Latinos in American Schools

• Latinos are currently the most segregated racial or ethic group in America.
• go to the most poor schools, with inadequate instruction.  Schools that do not promote success
• Not on track for college, rather they are set on course for vocational jobs.  Bachelor degrees are essential these days and not being on this track is detrimental.
• Teachers expect little from them and there are very few Latino teachers.  Teachers tend to praise Latino kids less, reprimand more.
• Latino students do not feel respected and valued.
• So it isn't surprising that by the 2nd generations, they have lower achievement motivation and reject school.

Parents' experiences engaging with Schools: Misunderstandings, Mistrust, and Frustration

• Many Latinos parents are expecting better schools with more rigor and standards.  Better schools with dress codes and high academic standards.  But they find school districts put Latinos last.
• Parent usually feel unwelcome and not trusted when working with school personnel
• no enough translators so it's difficult for parents to get involved.  
• Latinos are used to know and being involved with the teacher, but that's not how it works here.

Discontinuities and Incongruence between Home and School

• Latinos see education as encompassing more than just math and reading, but moral values and how to behave, etc.  
• Latinos believe the parents should teach these values and are hesitant to "team" up with teachers.  Part of their hesitation is that they don't fee as qualified as the teacher.
• Latinos are reluctant to express opinions because teachers have more education and are respected.
• because of the lack of familiarity with the school system, parents don't know how to get involved or even who to turn to.
• Latino parents don't know the culture of school and how to make their voices heard
• Values contradict.  US culture is too permissive. 
• Latino parents don't understand how kids could be so good at home and have teacher report behavior problems at school
• Latino youth acculturate faster, but still have difficulties understanding teachers.  They feel a lot of internalized shame and failure.
• Students feel marginalized at school

US School Culture, Latino Cultures, and the Theories and Policies that Shape Engagement

• Schools serve dual purpose, to educate academically and to help immigrants assimilate.
• US Schools promote the individual and individual achievement, very opposite from the community oriented Latinos.
• Schools promote the idea the Euro-America is the norm and the right way to do things.
• Attempts to endorse multicultural things is nice, but it's only a day or a month.
• Epstein's six factor model (bottom of page 103 if you want to know the six steps) promotes that schools and families are equal partners and must collaborate.
• No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is where this comes in.  Bringing the parent into the school

Latino Cultures and Practices Related to Achievement

• Latino culture is all about communalism and interdependence.  Respect for each other, getting along.  Conforming to the family or the culture or the community.
• Simpatia = willingness to conform to others to be agreeable, ability to share with others, empathize with others.
• Personalismo = reflects a desire to relate to and trust people, rather than insitiutions.  A genuine interest in people, in contrast to a professional distance.
• Respeto = means empathy, respect, intimacy in relationships.  
• dignidad = is reverence, venerability, and honor expressed between people.
• Parents try to instill values in their kids that would help them achieve.  
• Ganas = the drive to succeed
• empenos = the dedication and commitment to the task or goal
• estudios = diligent study and effort that will bring success
• Children are expected to make productive use of their time.
• however, for their efforts, much of what Latino parents try to teach their children gets lost.  Their achievement-related parenting strategies are not captured in models of family-school relationships.  Their parenting doesn't translate to success in school.

Applying knowledge about Latino Cultures and School Culture to Practice

• Latino immigrants, despite not having found much success so far, still want to help their children in school.
• Schools must consider their cultural biases.
• Getting more information to Latino families about how to support their children.
• Educate schools on what would be inconsistent with Lantino values so they can work to bridge the gap.

Building on Current Knowledge: Next Steps for Theory and Reasearch

• The Latino values, practices, are not included in the theories of parental involvement in education.
• More research needs to be done including Latino values.
• More studies need to be done on why Latino achievement gets worse with more time in the US, when 2nd and 3rd generations should be doing better.
• By 2050 or sooner, Latinos will be the largest ethnic minority.  We need to address these issues.

9/15/14: Gladwell, The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Ch. 3-The Warren Harding Error: Why we fall for tall, dark, and handsome men

The chapter opens by describing Warren Harding in a shoe-shining shop as a man of amazing proportions, handsome, jet black hair, tall, "roman"esque, with a bronze complexion, tipping generously to imply generosity and friendliness, kindly giving his seat up to the next person to suggest agreeableness of character, etc.  The superman.  The man describing him looked at him and thought, "Wouldn't that man make a great president?"

Now, Harding wasn't particularly intelligent.  He played poker, drank, and loved to chase women.  His speeches were never great because he was vague and ambivalent on important issues.  He didn't participate in the debates on women's suffrage and prohibition when he was in the senate in 1914, which were the two biggest issues.  But he kept advancing in politics because Harry Daugherty (the man in the shoe shop who described him) pushed him to and because as he got older he looked more and more distinguished.  He pushed him to run for the white house in 1920 against Harding's judgment because Daugherty thought he would be a "great-looking president".  He ended up actually getting elected because the Republican Party Bosses needed a candidate they could all agree on.  He served two years as President of the United States and then died of a stroke.  He was arguably one of the worst presidents in American history.  

1.  The Dark Side of Thin-Slicing

Gladwell goes on to explain that our snap judgments about things are usually correct--even if we have nothing to support them.  Once you "thin-slice" things, you can make sure that that judgment was correct.  But in the case of Warren Harding, that snap judgment was the end of the line of thinking, and no one thin-sliced long enough to realize he would be a terrible president.  This is at the root of prejudices today.  

2. Blink in Black and White

Explains the IAT (Implicit Association Test).  It pairs female with career, and male with family and you have to put the right words in the right category and it's hard.  He took the race IAT and found out he has a moderate immediate preference for whites.  He was mortified.  Took it like 4 times, but it didn't change.  This is important because these subconscious feelings are manifest in the way we act around black people.  We might be a little more closed, a little less friendly, etc.  People pick up on this and then act standoffish and the cycle goes on and on.  Same goes for Tall people.  We treat tall people more positively than short people.  Most CEO's of large companies are just short of 6', which is 3 in above the average american male height.  He says being short is as much of a handicap as being a woman or african-american.

3. Taking Care of the Customer

Bob Golomb is a car salesman virutoso, selling about 20 cars a month in his business.  He has to thin slice every customer who comes in to read their dynamic and mirror it to connect on their level.  His biggest rules are take care of the customer!!  He calls them the day after they stop by to thank them for coming, he checks in on people who bought cars to make sure they're satisfied, etc.  He never judges anyone on the basis of their appearance.  He treats everyone who walks in as if they have the same chance of buying a car that day.  

4.  Spotting the Sucker

Ian Ayres conducted a study where he sent white men, white women, black men, and black women who were all dressed the same, groomed equally, equally attractive, etc. into car shops to haggle a price down on the lowest car in the showroom.  It turned out that white males got the best deal and the black males got the worst deal (surprise).  The salesmen try to spot the sucker.  He thinks it's an unconscious association with blacks and women as "suckers", so the salesmen make a split decision and stop thinking after that, even though they hear that these people are college-educated and not suckers at all.  Golomb quotes everyone the same price, regardless of physical appearance, and it works for him.  

5.  Think about Dr. King

If you look at pictures of heroic black people, it will be a lot easier to associate good with blacks on the IAT.  That's how we change our first impressions.  We change the experiences we have that compromise those impressions.  Become familiar with the good in other cultures so you become more comfortable around them.  Change the way we thin-slice!

McIntosh, 2008 (While Privilege and Male Privilege)

Men are often (not always) unwilling to admit that they are over-privileged, even if they admit that women are disadvantaged.
Denial of the advantages men gain from women's disadvantages create a taboo that protects male privilege.

We are taught to recognize racism as being awful but are taught NOT to see white privilege. Whites are taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege.
This paper is all about what it's like to have white privilege.

White privilege is like having an invisible package of unearned assets that you can cash in each day that you try to remain oblivious about.

The author states: "After I realized the extent to which men work from a base of unacknowledged privilege, I understood that much of their oppressiveness was unconscious. Then I remembered the frequent charges from women of color that white women whom they encounter are oppressive. I began to understand why we are justly seen as oppressive, even when we don't see ourselves that way."

She then lists 46 of her white privileges

She rambles for a bit and I couldn't find anything too important or not repetitive.

But then she talks about privilege, as we have it today doesn't help society and then talks about distinguishing earned strength and unearned power conferred systematically. "Power from unearned privilege can look like strength when it is in fact permission to escape or dominate." However, not all privileges are damaging, like the expectation that your neighbors will be nice to you.  But they aren't harmless either, like the privilege to ignore less powerful people, etc.

Even the author's ability and power to choose whether to broach this subject is privilege.

An analogy she makes with women's studies makes a lot of sense. She says that men don't have much (or anything) to lose by supporting women's studies, but they don't have anything to lose if they oppose it either. They will probably have few penalties no matter what choice they make. They aren't really at risk. It's the same with issues of privilege. 

Very few men get really upset about male advantage.. so are we going to follow that, or are we going to get distressed and outraged about unearned race advantage and dominance. And what will we do about that?

"We need more understanding of the ways in which white "privilege" damages white people." 

Many white people think that racism doesn't affect them and don't see whiteness as a race. Likewise, many men don't see women's studies as influencing their existence because they're male.

Race and sex aren't the only advantaging systems, there's also age, work ability, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, etc. There is recent talk on heterosexual privilege and it's even more taboo than race and privilege.

She has a second list of her heterosexual privilege:

Since racism, sexism, and heterosexism are not the same, the advantaging of them should not be seen as the same.

She then talks about just changing how you feel about race doesn't change the system. Like, man just treating women better doesn't change the advantages they have. Big macro changes need to occur with privilege.

So, now what will we do with this knowledge? (That's about how she ends it)

McGoldrick Chapter 3, Part 2

The Missionary System of Assimilation

• The goal was to Christianize the heathens.  The government seemed to support this by encouraging missions.
• Missionaries cost the government very little (the cost of a soldier to protect the missionary) and yet it gave a way to get rid of tribal language and tribal beliefs.  Missionary schools were used from around 1607 to 1783, but ultimately they were insufficient as a means to assimilate and annihilate the native american cultures.

The Boarding School Phenomenon

• Implemented towards the end of the 1800s.
• Their aim was 2 fold
• To remove all traces of Indian from the child
• To immerse the child totally in western culture, thought, and tradition
• Life in the boarding schools was traumatic
• "All-out warfare, with associated atrocities, was a much more humane method of dealing with native americans."
• Children were essentially taken away from their parents
• The Process of Assimilation
• English language immersion with punishment for speaking a tribal language
• Destruction of traditional garments and replaced with alien, western clothing
• Braids and traditional hairstyles were shaved and replaced with western style haircuts
• Buildings, dormitories, campuses, and furnishings of western design
• Forced physical labor in the kitchens, stables, gardens, and shops, necessary to run the schools
• Corporal punishment for the infraction of rules or for not following the work and school schedules.
• Immersion in western educational curriculum with associated alient goals and philosophy
• Regimented, time-bound schedules

Implications for Treatment

• These clients tend to have a pervasive sense of self-worth, powerlessness, depression, and alienation from the power and strength of cultural values.
• Treatment mud provide for cathartic release of affect during the initial process
• Treatment must provide an emotional container so that the client feels safe and competent to handle the feelings that emerge
• Timing is critical to ensuring that the client can cope with the feelings and knowledge associated with multigenerational trauma.
• Traditional ceremonies and healing processes provide a grounding for clients linked to their culture and history.

Numrich 2007

The US in the last decade in the twentieth century surpassed the first decade of the country in its admission of immigrants.

The country's ethnic roots are now more latin american and asian american than european american.

This means there is also a lot more religious diversity, with the Muslim religion being second only to Christianity in the country.

Conservative Immigrants

Many of the religious immigrants find the non-traditional views of America to be worrisome as their cultures and values are centered more on traditional family values.
Many immigrants worry that their children will fall away from their culture and religion and fall into American mainstream liberal culture (premarital sex, drugs, alcohol, violence, lack of respect for elders). Many immigrants also have more conservative, solid, and strict views on issues such as homosexual marriage, cohabitation, and divorce, etc.

This worries many cultures, and the Muslim Americans in Chicago even at one point in the 1970s had the idea to carve out a Muslim part of the city with a mosque, school, dorms, and everything else so as to preserve their culture and keep themselves apart to protect their children from the influence of modern America.

While 99% of immigrants believe that America is technologically advanced and ahead, and they can learn a lot from that... they also feel unsafe in the toxic culture. (This chapter says this a TON and just gives like a million examples of different people saying the same thing. It's really redundant)

The term "immigrant puritanism" is introduced as a biproduct of coming into a new culture that is SO different from your own and seeing the stark contrast and is a normal/typical reaction to the ethical and moral disorientation of immersion in a new culture.

The chapter then talks about this immigrant conservatism isn't new and how immigrants have had these fears ever since there were immigrants.

The chapter then talks about American Christianity becoming more diverse ethnically and doctrinally less moderate due to this trend in immigration. Also morally more conservative, especially regarding the family.

In summary, the chapter ends with some trends that are being seen, like the more time immigrants spend in America the more relaxed they get about some of these things. And then poses some hypothetical questions about where the trend will go from here and how everyone/thing will continue to influence each other.

McGoldrick Chapter 3, Part 1

What is it like to be an Indian in today's society?

• "I live in shame and feel oppressed.  I want to raise my fist in anger, but I don't know who to be angry at."
• "I learned from a young age that I was different.  My school teachers looked down on me, looked at me with pity.  And none of us Natives ever talked about it.
• "Now as an adult I don't try very much, I've given in and I see looks of pity and disgust on my bosses face.  I drink, I gamble, I wonder about suicide."
• The government has made lots of promises, but nothing as ever come to fruition.
• All they've found is depression, oppression, anxiety, drugs, alcohol.
• They have to acknowledge their losses in order to be able to move on.

Documenting our historical loss and the dynamics of unresolved grief

• Just like in Schindler's List, the cry is to remember, remember the past and the traumatic history.
• Historical Trauma: the impact and social transmission of one generation's trauma to subsequent generations.  There is still UNRESOLVED GRIEF.
• Unresolved Grief has symptoms: migraines, stomachaches, joint pain, dizziness, and chronic fatigue, chronic illness, Type II diabetes, depression, substance abuse, preoccupation with death, suicidal ideation, chronic delayed or impaired grief, psychic numbing, survivor guilt.....
• Unresolved grief and trauma are endemic of reservations and among urban Indian populations.
• Only in the last two decades have historians started to detail the oppression and racism.  

Life Before Contact Between Native America and European Cultures

• Before contact with the Europeans, the North American were complete.  They had education, community.  Each group had their own language and certain knowledge skills to be learned: 1. cultural heritage, 2. spiritual/religious practices, 3. economic survival skills.  That's how the kids were raised and educated.  

Life After Contact Between Native Americans and Europeans

• The Europeans came and they are immigrants, interlopers, and usurpers, but most history books don't call them that.
• There was constant pressure on Native Americans to give up their land and to conform to European customs.
• With all the pressure to conform and the loss of their lands, they lost their educational systems
• By the 1800s, Europeans had taken over, pushing further and further West.  And the Native Americans were decimated, by 1850 only 250,000 Native Americans were left.

University Statement on Fostering an Enriched Environment

Super short, so it's worth just reading the whole thing.  I'll post it here.  But this is the essence: 

"The University seeks qualified students of various talents and backgrounds, including geographic, educational, cultural, ethnic, and racial, who relate together in such a manner that they are “no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”

University Statement on Fostering an Enriched Environment

Brigham Young University is committed to a campus environment that is inclusive, free from discrimination, and reflects the backgrounds and values of the worldwide LDS Church population. In March 2005, the Board of Trustees approved and implemented the University Statement on Fostering an Enriched Environment that describes, in part, the mission of BYU and the attributes and characteristics of the students it seeks to serve:  

    "The Mission of Brigham Young University – founded, supported, and guided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – is to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life.  That assistance should provide a period of intensive learning in a stimulating setting where a commitment to excellence is expected and the full realization of human potential is pursued."

    To this end, the University seeks qualified students of various talents and backgrounds, including geographic, educational, cultural, ethnic, and racial, who relate together in such a manner that they are “no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”  It is the University’s judgment that providing educational opportunities for a mix of students who share values based on the gospel of Jesus Christ and come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences is an important educational asset to BYU.

Scriptures on -isms

3 Nephi 6-The church was all split up and broken because of the great differences in the people.  Basically this,

"15 Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this—Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world."

 Jacob 2-Seek for riches before ye seek for the kingdom.   Puffed up and prideful people.  

D & C 38-"For what man among you having twelve sons, and is no respecter of them, and they serve him obediently, and he saith unto the one: Be thou clothed in robes and sit thou here; and to the other: Be thou clothed in rags and sit thou there—and looketh upon his sons and saith I am a just?"

Gordon B. Hinckley, The Need for Greater Kindness, Ensign, May 2006
Overall, President Hinckley testifies that when the blacks got the priesthood he was in the temple and he knew it was from God.  

M. Russell Ballard, Doctrine of Inclusion, Ensign, November 2001
"Surely good neighbors should put forth every effort to understand each other and to be kind to one another regardless of religion, nationality, race, or culture..."  Essentially, don't exclude others and don't teach your children to exclude others.

He quotes Pres. Hinckley, “Each of us is an individual. Each of us is different. There must be respect for those differences. ... We must work harder to build mutual respect, an attitude of forbearance, with tolerance one for another regardless of the doctrines and philosophies which we may espouse. Concerning these you and I may disagree. But we can do so with respect and  civility” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [1997], 661, 665).

"Of all people on this earth, we should be the most loving, the kindest, and the most tolerant because of that doctrine."--Loved this!