Of course it's not the goal. Colorblind society is a fantasy, and would also make traffic lights useless. Would not ignoring race also imply ignoring history? Ethnic studies do not "cater towards a particular ethnic group". They are important for everybody so that we can have some minimal understanding of the people with whom we interact in our heterogeneous society. We can't get rid of the Other, only change the way we interact with her/him.
How long do you think it will be before Arizona bans the teaching of slavery and Jim Crow in U.S. history classes because they might make black people resent whites?
I agree that ethnic studies can lead TO resentment if the curriculum has content promoting victimization. But you have to admit this was very suspiciously timed. Seems like a nice bookend on top of SB 1070. And I'm actually halfway in favor of SB 1070 Maybe I'm naive- promoting overthrow of the US government? Is that was goes on in these classes?
I think being harassed by Joe Arpaio's posse due to your skin color or accent make you a suspect for being an illegal immigrant can lead to resentment.
When I read that part I figured it was something that was thrown in to guilt people into voting for this, because if you vote against it you're supporting terrorists.
If only that were true . . but Schools cater to the WHITE ethnic group. So . . .the only way to get along is for everyone to conform MONOCULTURALISM?? - Is this what you speaking on? [Seriously . . isn't that what Hitler wanted] What people mean by Color Blind Society - is. . .ignore anything that isn't 'white society' Ignoring differences doesn't make them go away Rocket River
The French have done everything possible to operate a "colorblind" society. Once you are a resident of France métropolitaine, you are French. The racial ghettos and the ethnic youth riots a few years ago speak to exactly how well that works out.
I don't want a color blind society. I enjoy the varieties of people and cultures, even if some prejudice and racism comes along with it. A salad bowl is better than a melting pot.
i'm not sure i agree. yugoslavia is a prime example of a salad bowl, or the former USSR. one of the great strengths of the US has been it's ability to assimilate people from many different cultures. we should joyfully celebrate our differences. we should not accentuate them.
In almost all of the stories read what do the protagonists look like? In the history studied how much of it Eurocentric? There may be the odd little blurb about MLK, and George Washington Carver, as well as a little bit about Native American Indian tribes. In the histories of inventions how much to do you here about the African American inventors? (a little more now than before, but not really that much in relation to their contribution) In the stories for comprehension how much of the subject matter is really about Latino culture, African American culture? The little kids stories aren't normally about families who have different cultures, they eat apple pie, popcorn, and hamburgers they don't share pupusas, tamales, or things of that nature. How much of the American cultural such as Rock, Jazz, dance, fashion is ever discussed? (almost all of this stuff stems from non Euro-ethnic origins). Yet it's never really discussed in school. Most teachers don't even understand that what used to be known as Ebonics wasn't just slang, but had an actual linguistic structure based in part on West African dialects. It is very difficult to address the needs of learners when the teachers don't even understand what those learners need. School is largely centered to, and relating to whites.
I don't think there is that much differences between celebrating the differences and accentuating them
I'm not sure what difference between celebrating and accentuating you are drawing. I'd use celebrating to describe what I referred to in my post. I guess that means we agree?
Only "white" people think a color blind society is a good idea. Ask any non-white person if the world is a better place if we don't see color and you'll get a consistent answer. Try it out sometime. So do this test. If we are all just "people", then it's okay to adopt just one lifestyle, right? Lets all adopt the culture of, say, Hawaii. We all will now wear flower shirts and eat lots of spam. Or maybe we'll all adopt the lifestyle of African Americans. We all wear baggy jeans and listen to rap music. The only people that say they don't/shouldn't see color are people who want everybody else to look/act like themsevles. The rest of the population actually enjoys our individuality ...including that they like to eat spam or listen to rap. Being politically correct doesn't mean to avoid certain topics. Being PC means that when you talk about something, you should know what the hell you are talking about. If you don't know, then don't say stupid things. If you do, appologize and move on. Simple as that. Regarding Arizona, it's a racist overtone. Why now? Who is pushing this agenda? I bet it is white people.
Spam or rap... dang that's a tough decision. Why couldn't you have gone with spam versus country? That would've been easier.
