This was an amazing article! ive always believed that words have many powers and should be used accurately. there are so many words in the English language and people shouldn't have to limit them selves to such an offensive vocabulary. i dont think many people understand or recognize for that matter, the effect their choice words may have a an individual/grp or association of ppl. its imparitive that we educate those who are unaware of the social inclinations and harm of their words. i have always tried to watch what comes out of my mouth in regards to what might offend someone.
there were many great points made by the author of this article. this communication scholar and professor highlighted a few things that really resonated with me and caused me to think a little bit deeper. we are all aware of the influence these words have over the vast majority; some ppl dont care, some are highly offended and there are those who are speaking out against this type of disrespect and discrimination.
there were two quotes in the article that i was blown a way by and they are:
1) "While I set out to teach my students to respect and appreciate difference, I am fully aware that we live in a society that seeks to punish people who don’t look/think/act/talk/believe/worship/live like the majority. I struggle to establish a space for reconciliation, particularly when the loudest voices are generally the ones of dissent and disrespect, echoing from the far right and the far left."
2) " ...all of our lives, count regardless of age, ability, political affiliation, religion, education, skin color, sexual orientation, etc. We all matter! As a feminist I am invested in human rights, respect, and equality. And I constantly check myself because I know that for every representation/experience I highlight, another voice/story is being ignored."
POWERFUL!!
4 comments:
Yes, SUCH powerful remarks! You touch on such great points here Meleani. This particularly makes me think of my own position as an instructor and being conscious of what and who is being represented so as to not go an entire term...or class meeting really...marginalizing various people and/or groups. But,this is so hard and we can't do it all--and especially not in 50 minutes--although I am thankful for this reminder that when we do highlight the voices of some, we are ignoring the stories and voices of others. Great quote. How do you think we can do a better job of recognizing these challenges in our own class?
that's a great question Andrea. i think that its really important that as a class we are able to set classroom norms and adhere to them. along with that, it can be very beneficial if we are able to provide the class with a expansive vocabulary list... for example, "the most commonly used verbiage in WS" *ethnocentrism *feminist *marginalized people *differentiating between *undocumented immigrants and *"illegal" imm. i know that you have touched bases on many vocab already in the term, which i appreciate, but i think its imparitive that all the students are aware of how to articulate themselves and use the correct words w/o offending anyone..i know a vocab list would help me and im sure that it would help the other women in our class who are not familiar with the correct terminology to use in discussions.. what do you think?
Hey Meleani, I think that is a great idea! I will try to keep addressing concerns of language and point out specific WS terminology as the term continues. You have taken quite a few WS courses and I know that not everyone has been exposed to the same concepts/terms that you have already learned. Let's work together to make sure everyone can continue to feel open and share whether or not they have the appropriate terms and still continue to educate each other. I wonder if we could add a sidebar to the blog here with different terms...? :) Sounds like a nice project!
sounds like a great idea!
Post a Comment