Good Morning World!!! The semester is coming to an end very soon. This has been an extremely rough go. I can say that I am fortunate to be doing quite well. My love for Sociology has blossomed and for that I am excited as well. I briefly want to discuss the Harry L. Gracey article regarding kindergarten.

I honestly have never looked at school in light of being a socializing agent. All these years I looked school as a place were kids were being groomed and prepared to lead society. But boy was I wrong. I am sure that some of that takes place, but school is more like a boot camp. Schools for the most part are large bureaucracies that mold children to be a part of society. The children were “drilled in tasks and activities created by the teachers for their own purposes…” These kids are basically taught routines. It seems that many teachers are focused on making students conform which is a travesty.

These kids are taught unquestioned obedience. They are taught how to conform without asking questions. A place that is for creativity is a place for conforming. There were examples of teachers ignoring students. Thus it is natural that these kids create their own worlds. They learn how to create their own spaces. This is one way that they can be them. They create “holes” were they can exercise their independence. It is a place they can socialize with each other. These are their informal groups that they create. It is sad, because they are ignored by teachers who feel that their interest are “childish.” They are overlooked. Most times, nothing of interest to the students are ever discussed. Their creativity is one that must be quelled. It still must conform. So, is that really creativity?

In closing, I have just one question: When will schools be schools? PEACE!!!

Good Evening World!!! Just left Statistics class and all is well. I’m pumped this week. The semester is coming to an end… Allow me to leave you with a brief thought on this evening. I want to discuss a part of education that I experienced.

I want to discuss the area of education known as tracking. As defined by conflict theorist, tracking is a sorting system that places students on “tracks” that perpetuates inequalities. In most cases, this system leads to the self-fulfilling prophecies of students performing up (or down) to teacher and societal expectations. This seems counterintuitive when it relates to education. One would think that education is the great equalizer, but sadly it is not. Even my experience was eye-opening. In high school we just knew that the “white” schools had the better resources and was a place that perpetuated segregation, but we experienced this in our own tracking system in my school district which was majority Black. People like myself and close friends, the middle class to upper middle class, were placed in optional schools, those were school with honors’/AP courses. Now, within those schools there was tracks. We had the Engineering and Medical tracks for the middle-upper middle class, then we had the vo-tech track for the less fortunate and lower class students. The distinctions were noticeable to everyone. Just to add, many of the ones on the vo-tech track are still living below middle-class lifestyles. But back in school the teachers treated us differently. When we did wrong in school, it was attributed to us just being mischievous. We were suspended at much lower rates. We were pushed harder by all of the educators. We had a sense of entitlement at that school. the students on the vo-tech path were basically babysat. The teachers treated them as if they were second class. I am almost certain that played on their psyche. According to my Facebook, they lived out those self-fulfilling prophecies.

In closing, I couldn’t get pass the early readings without my blood boiling. As I looked back over my life I saw how inequalities play out in school. This was happening even in majority Black schools. This was a shame. This is still happening now. We must change this system in which our kids are experiencing these inequalities… It hurts everyone in the long run. Who were we as kids to treat our fellow classmates that way? But hey, we got it from the adults in the room. The in lies the travesty. PEACE!!!

Good Morning World! Today seems to be starting off great even though my Grizzlies’ got swept yesterday. Hey, they gave a valiant effort though. Let me begin my ramble.

This sex and gender study has been very informative. I actually have more insight on the issue. I even want to explore this a bit more in the future. I like this topic. In the following essay I will highlight my recent trip to a toy store. I went to the Toys R’ Us in Sacramento and it was very apparent the gender differences. It is crazy that it starts so young. It is something that I never really thought about in the past. I feel bad saying that. Let’s delve into this visit.

The layout of the store divided the sexes. The boys section ran along the left side of the store. Whereas the girls’ section was along the back wall. The boys area was noticeably larger than the girls’ section of the store. Also to note, the boys’ section was closer to the front. That means that you come to the boys section first. They boys had more broad toys to choose from. That leads to the next point.

Girls has toys that were more homely toys. That means that the girl section had more kitchen sets, dollhouses, and babies. The girls also had play makeup kits. Their toys were packaged in pink, light reds and blues. The girls had a limited range of toys marketed to them. Whereas the boys toys were more diverse. The boys had more superheroes marketed to them. They also had servicemembers in their section as well. I guess boys should not cook and girls should not grow up to serve our armed forces. The boys also were marketed action figures. Almost all of the movie characters were in the boys section. They have a healthy dose of the new and old characters. I noticed with the army toys, none of them were women. The boys had more building games and race tracks as well. They have more cars as well. The instruments were closer to the boys’ section.

Boys toys had the words, “learn, build, and play” on their packaging more often. The girls packages had the words, “pretty, cook, glitter, and dress” on the packaging more often than not. These words suggest that girls play should be about what is pretty and cooking. I also saw the word “serve” in relation to a couple of tea and dish sets. This meant the girls should be preoccupied with serving and hosting. The differences were obvious. They are in plain site, but it is easy to overlook.

As I looked at the toys, the intended audience is noticeable. The manufacturers make no bones about it. The only games that may have both sexes on the packaging were the board games. Those games in some cases were the most sex neutral, but even many of those had sex appropriate distinguishes. Most toys are packaged with faces of the intended sex.

The store I found was extremely easy to find. In fact, it is located by the most popular shopping area in the city. It is quite easy to see that these toys are a means of gender socialization. The toys for the boys are: heroes, fighters, servicemen, engineering type, cars/races. The boys toys have a component of aggressiveness and competition. They also have the components of teamwork. Many of the toys for boys were toys that required group play. The girls toys were for serving, cooking and taking care of babies. They also, emphasized the beauty. I can see this teaching boys to wait and expect certain jobs to be women jobs. These toys actually reinforce everything that is wrong with gender roles. It is easy to overlook, by saying these are just toys, but these toys tell much about our culture and values. The boys are the thinkers, competitors, and aggressive go-getters. The girls are relegated to service. This is a shame to think this is happening. It is 2016 and we are programming kids on gender roles that widens the inequality gap. Time to wake up. PEACE!

 

Good Evening World!!! I am feeling myself a bit more now… The cloud is lifting higher. I am headed to Statistics class so I will be brief. I know, Stats class in the evening. What was I thinking???!!!

I recently read the Donna Eder article On Becoming Female: Lessons Learned in School and I must say; these young girls are a perfect microcosm of adult women. All I could think about was the image of adult females while I read. Also, the cheerleading tryout was surreal. So I was amazed on two fronts. To think that the traits valued in the cheerleaders was somehow transferred and intertwined into the school culture was kind of disappointing. But in actuality, this middle school could be a microcosm of America. Which could mean that America is in some regards still in middle school. The three discussed categories reminded me of my middle school years. We, as boys, did focus more on the appearance of girls. Heck, many times that’s all we focused on. The young girls in my school and neighborhood did gossip about their hair, clothes, and appearance. It seemed all they were concern about was what we thought of them. The same things that happened at this study school happened at mine. It happens still everywhere.

If is a shame that our society still is in middle school. We talk so much about accepting people as they are. I now wonder how cumbersome this must be to young girls who are going through puberty. This is stressful for adult women, so I couldn’t imagine this kind of stress. We as men in this society must make this a safer place psychologically for a girls so that they can grow into secure grown women. PEACE

Good Morning World!!! I picked my school of choice for the next two years. So I am pretty excited and pumped.

I have been blown away again. Hence my blog title. I am not speaking in terms of the Civil Rights’ Movement. I speaking of sex and gender. Being a male or female is a total social construct. Wow!!! Think of that, the sex of people is something that is practically made up. We become marked in the womb and we are then expected to act out those assigned roles. That is something I never thought of. I read and listened to examples of this phenomena. For instance, 100 years ago the manly color in Great Britain was pink. I also, see men from other countries kiss and or hold hands. Those actions are so un-American. Men kissing, wearing purses, and holding hands is different. It doesn’t offend me, but I now have the social information to examine these actions. I have a toiletry bag. It is rather nice, but I am hesitant to carry many times. Even though it would be extremely convenient and more manageable for me, I do not bring that tote out. I think of what other men would say about me. Oh god, the jokes and laughter from my friends back in Tennessee would be almost unbearable. A couple of my friends have seen it in my house. Their first words, “Dude, you got a f&^%*& purse!!!” I cringe at that thought. Why can’t I wear what I want to and still be a man? I just want to carry my darn tote. It is nice. It is convenient. It is “above it all.” But I dare not carry it. My professor now has me thinking about carrying it after he self disclosed that he carries a purse. So, when will I come out of bondage and carry MY tote???!!! PEACE!!!

Source: Chicago Tribune

Good Evening World! I am getting back into the flow and it feels great! The NBA Playoffs have started and my Memphis Grizzlies are getting killed by the San Antonio Spurs. It is just unfair.

I recently read an article discussing the plight of Black business owners. The plight is that often times Black entrepreneurs feel the need to hide the fact that they actually own the companies. Why? Thanks for asking. In “post-racial, color-blind” America many Black business owners suffer discrimination at the hands of whites and even some fellow Blacks. It has been reported that after finding out their businesses are Black-owned, whites simply did not want to do business with them. In most cases their businesses are “pigeon holed” into certain categories such as: being just for Blacks and inferior quality of service. Because of that, many owners simply do all they can to not come across as Black-owned. In marketing they keep Black faces to a minimum. Some even hire white spokespeople. Others go as far as not readily identifying themselves as owners. I know this to be true. My mentor back home had an extremely successful cleaning service. I remember when he was in contract talks with major corporations, he would send in his white executive to do all of the bidding. That was actually the only reason he was ever hire. He was the face of this educated and affluent Black man’s multi-million dollar company. WOW!!! That always stuck with me. It just shows how embedded racism still is in American society.

In closing, I thought that was an interesting read. Imagine what that does psychologically. You are educated in most cases. You have a successful business, but publicly you can’t “own” the business. The thing you are most proud of is the same thing you cannot outwardly be proud of. Do you reveal yourself and risk losing money or do you just suck it up and get the money? What a juxtaposition… PEACE!!!

Good Afternoon World! I apologize for not checking in… I have had a serious mental block going on lately. Fortunately, the cloud has started to lift. Now to the fun stuff.

This was a rather interesting article. Before I go on, I can logically see why whites may have a hard time giving constructive criticism to minorities. That is an entire different blog. Since we are considering feelings, I wonder how often Larry’s feelings are thought of. That is with the caveat of most of the senior people being white. I am sure he is basking in the glory of comfort as he has the white man by their balls. I am sure he is relishing in this indirect power that he wields within the organization. (Insert sarcasm).

The color-blind ideology, in my opinion, was a collaborative effort between white “liberals” and “conservatives. I have yet to meet any Black person personally who has ever thought color-blindedness was real. So most white Americans have been socialized to deal with the racial differences. The socialization is the act as if it does not exist. And many Americans do a phenomenal job at denying racial inequalities, being indifferent and/or willfully ignorant. It is politically incorrect to even be honest about race. To even talk about race is perceived as wrong. If you watch most mainstream media, there is much talk about diversity. It has become a buzz word. Diversity is everywhere, but nowhere. Look at the so-called hip, liberal industries and companies, the “cool” companies, and it is noticeable that these places lack true diversity. The media and society gives the façade of equality. The façade of love for your fellow man is everywhere, but nowhere. That is the most frustrating thing, to live in a highly racial society, to experience its ill and to be told, “be color-blind, nobody see color.” That is disheartening on so many levels. Popular shows almost never talk about the race issue. I am a huge sport’s fan and I have become disgusted with how major sports’ networks fail to adequately address race. They rarely delve deep into the factors that color play in the NBA, NFL, NCAA and other popular leagues. That leads into the next issue. The issue of discussing racial issues.

It is extremely important to acknowledge race in the workplace. Everyone knows that race is the first outward quality that is noticed. It does more harm than good when the race issues are totally avoided. It helps relationships when people are open and honest about race. It allows for better working groups. Better group environments mean more efficiency. People know that race is on the mind of others, I would just prefer that people discussed the issues. Walls and barriers could be torn down by helpful discourse. When discourse is avoided, walls and preconceived notions stay at the forefront of all dealings with colleagues who are “racially different.” Workplace environments force people of different races to be in close proximity of one another. That space should be filled with helpful talks on getting familiar with different groups. If workplaces could change, then society could change. Progress in the workplace would inevitably lead to societal changes. People would take those ideas home. Within homes is where major battlefields are located. The battlefield of ideas inside of the home is a good place to wage war on racism. It would be an excellent place for honest talks about race.  The colorblind theory is just an easy way around discussing race. It is the lazy way of not addressing the inequalities experienced by people of color. The main propenents of the colorblind theory happens to be the very group who does not experience systematic inequalities.

I was socialized like everyone else in my situation on how to see color and matters of race. After being the first Blacks in our area, whites spray-painted, “Niggers Go Home” in our driveway. All the superhereos were white. All the sports’ team owners were white. The late night host were white. The neighborhood residents who had any interactions with city/state/federal courts always spoke of white judges. Most of the uber-nice cars and homes in the city were owned by whites. We had two school districts. We had the “white”  and the “black” Baptist churches, the former usually had nicer facilities. Whites dominated primetime television. My older relatives spoke of how they suffered mistreatment at the hands of whites. Things I simply do not wish to type simply because I can not comprehend humans degrading fellow human beings in such ways: physically, psychologically, emotionally, financially, socially, and any other imaginable way. That is my personal background on race relations. That is how I was socialized to deal with race.  My family and friends talked openly and often about race and color. We experienced inequalities in this “color-blind” America and we still do. My background has a profound effect on how I deal with race. It makes me more cautious and observant of actions. I prefer to go by the actions of others. Whether direct or indirect, I am laser-focused and what people do.  Even though I disdain typing this, it has made me more distrusting of other races. I know that this can be changed though, because it is not as deep rooted as it use to be.

Overcoming the color-blind theology may not be as difficult for me. the reason being is that I never believed in it from the beginning. Nor did anyone that I had any close bonds with. In my own life I can just be honest with myself. I can continue to be open about discussing race. I love having talks with other races about race. It helped me to not be as distrusting as I once was. A couple of things I can do on campus is to be approachable and purposely working with people who are not Black. People may want to talk about race so I need to make sure that I give off good energy. That way I make it easier for others to get conversations started. In larger society, I look to engage people often. I sometimes look for segways into discussing race. It is such a touchy subject so talking about it ib larger society is no small task. Most people do not want to hear race talk. It makes them extremely uncomfortable. So I definitely have to be very careful and take it one relationship at a time when discussing race.

Race is a very touchy subject, even for me. I am passionate to my core about race relations. I simply wish it would get better during my lifetime. I know that sounds both rudimentary and idealistic but I am all out of fancy words. PEACE!!!

 

Good Morning World!!! I am still on the roll. I must say Rest In Peace to Will Smith, ex-NFL lineman for New Orleans Saints. He was gunned down in New Orleans Saturday night and his wife was shot twice but survived. I liked him at Ohio State, he was a good player.

I will briefly discuss the Raphael Ezekiel article. I must admit that I really did not want to read this article. From the title I could kind of gauge where it was going, but I know better. So I read and I am thankful I did. If I had to choose one word that described that article, I would have to say, insightful.

I have always wanted to know how and why the hell whites are so racist. With all of the facts and history, for the life of me I simply can not wrap my head around it. So I was anxious to delve into the psyche behind these white supremacist movements. The reasoning that was laid out made it so clear as to why these organizations still exist. I will labor quickly on two reason.

When Ezekial said, “Because most white Americans, at some level, share these perceptions, the potential exists at all times for the militant movement to expand its influence,” my mouth dropped. Bingo!!! There you have it. These organizations exist simply because they share the ideas of most whites. I am certain, alas any Black movement, that if whites were that uncomfortable with those ideas those organizations would not exist at all. This is something that all Blacks internally know, it was just refreshing to see it written down somewhere. We know that on some level most whites believe this stuff propagated by these organizations. It is just not chic to be overtly racist.

Secondly, to see the socioeconomic system that provides the pipeline for these organizations (I call bullshit). The low class whites feel good about having someone to hate. They love the thought of superior feeling over Blacks. Now, I will not give them an excuse. There is no way it is the closing of the factors and the “struggling” of the white man that is causing the movement continued growth. My historical reasoning is simple: whites hated Blacks in all economies! The hated and oppressed Blacks since slavery. During the Roaring 1920s, the 1950s, 70s,80s,90,2000s Blacks have faced hate and inequalities from Whites. So I am not buying the whole “bad, low economic” argument.

PEACE!!!

Good Morning World!!! Still cant sleep, so I might as well ramble on… I finally have the time to share thoughts on the Clarence Page article. This article was spot on. I just want to briefly highlight my thoughts on the article.

I want to discuss three points in a not so long fashion: the white friend, showing your color, and color blindness.

Page struck a nerve when he talked about his white friends and their parallel lives. Page talked of how they grew up playing together, but as they got older he noticed that their realities were different. That is so true. I remember growing up with a couple of cool white friends but I quickly noticed we were living different realities even though we were going to school together. We even played together. I, like Page, noticed that our weekends went different. They would rattle off all of the exciting things they did over the weekend, and I had nothing to say. The tone in which they talked about things. Their aloofness of what was going on in society was noticeable. They had the option to not have to be engaged, they were white. Issues of inequalities and police brutality was not a topic of conversation in their homes and that became obvious. It wasn’t that we stopped liking each other. Our lives that were parallel separated us.

Every Black person knows what “showing your color” means. Showing your color is a funny thing. In a sense, like Page explained, it can denote the worst stereotypes of Blacks. In another context, it could mean your sense of being culturally proud. That within itself presents another problem, because white America has historically deemed that inappropriate. So it is a weird position to be in. It is a sad position that one has to be in while negotiating American life. It would be lovely to be able to express racial pride without it being quelled or looked at as a strike against me. This is something that I still need to wrap my head around. This only perpetuates the race problem even more.

Lastly, I want to discuss the issue color blindness. It doesn’t exist. Even in 2016 segregation still in full effect. The thought of living in a color blind society is an absolute myth. America is not as diverse as it like to portray itself. We have many different people here, but there lives do not intentionally intersect. New anti-Black stereotypes have replaced the old one. Blacks still live in a society that judges us based on our skin color. It is hurtful that we as Blacks still have to have “The Talk” with our kids. This is America but our kids are not allowed the same youthful innocence. When we gather together, white America still feels threatened for some odd reason. So we still have a long way to go.

In closing, I must say that this article was refreshing. It was extremely thought provoking. I wish there would come a time when I could feel like I am a total part of America. When will the time come when I can have white friends without the burden of race? When will America be at peace with Blackness? PEACE!!!

Good Morning World!!! It is exactly 2:06 AM and I couldn’t sleep anymore. I have this anxious feeling for some reason. It is like a good anxiety, if that is even possible…

I came across a paragraph in the OpenStax book on colorism. Now, of course the book couldn’t delve deep into this issue, but this is a HUGE deal in the Black community. So much so, my friend is doing her dissertation on the topic. So, I just want to add my two cents.

Colorism has been the elephant in the room for Blacks since slavery. The light skinned versus the dark skinned person has been a battle that even I have been caught in. All of my family and close friends always has a word on the topic. Throughout history, it has been a well known fact that the lighter you are the more accepted by society you are. Blacks knew this long ago. That is why Blacks gave preferential treatment to other Blacks who could “pass” in society. That means hard to be detected as full Black. When you were too dark, society treated you unfairly. You were shut off from jobs, help, and many other vital services one may have needed. That same attitude trickled into the Black community and set off an intra-racial conflict that is still being waged today.

I have seen many families broken apart due to colorism. Old tensions are still high in families over this subject. There are countless stories of the lighter child being favored over the darker child. Siblings are at war to this day over this issue. When you were light skinned in a Black family, you were treated differently. The older members in the family would label you as “handsome” or “pretty” more often than they would the darker kids. The voice of the lighter skinned kids would be heard more. Even in church this issue played out before your eyes. I remember clearly my cousin Larry was favored over us darker cousins. He was the one allowed to play the drums, even though it was Ken and I with more talent. He seemed to get more kisses and hugs. It was crazy. In school, it was my homeboy Vick who the girls died over. He had no natural athletic talent, extremely goofy, and a low average student, but hey Vick was light skinned.

Blacks were and still are torturous to one another regarding this. Oh, I almost forgot about how the Black fraternity and sororities treated their fellow “brothers and sisters.” They were notorious for their “paper bag” tests. If you were darker than a brown paper bag you were excluded from their organization. That is some irony for your. Considering these organizations were started to promote unity amongst Blacks in the early 1900s. The music videos are bad too. Almost all Hip-Hop/R & B videos have the light skinned brown hair woman as the lead. This is almost inevitable. It is so predictable. So, this situation still goes on. I often wonder would President Obama been elected if he was not half white? If he was dark would there had even been an Obama candidacy?

In closing, this colorism thing is something that has broken tons of hearts. People have not dated just because of this barrier. People were mistreated by close relative, even by parents for having skin a bit darker. The emotional scars that many live with. My grandmother was a victim of this. She died at 66 years old still talking about those times. I wonder will we ever stop it… PEACE!!!