The City of Walking

Hello, just got back today from Portland, the City of Roses. I decided that this blog might be more topical in nature from now on, instead of oriented on daily rambling. I stayed with Kristi's half-brother and his family. Chris (who is very attractive and also very married) and Hope were so sweet to set me up with a place to stay for a few nights. They are such chill and cool parents, who never hesitate to tell it like it is. They made my stay in the city 200% better.

Let's see, I had high hopes of the city before coming in, labeling it as my future home - for the next few years, at least. Something that sort of took my breath away at first sight was the beautiful and abundant foliage - and not only that, the leaves were brightly golden and flaming red. It's a nice change from Texas' bi-seasonal productions of monotonous green and dead brown. Mount Hood towers amongst clouds in the east, perpetually blanketed with snow so that it is possible to ski year-round. Portland is pretty similar to Austin in that a river (Willamette) runs through it, dividing downtown from the East, and housing many a cute bakery, restaurant, and theater, especially down a certain Hawthorne St. I'd say that the street is comparable to South Congress, except that it was less like Factory People and other pricey/pretentious shops, and more like Jo's Coffee, having a very cozy, community feel to it. There is also a pair of beloved brothers called the McMinimans who actively restore old schoolhouses and other forgotten buildings and turn them into quaint hotels with character and theaters that serve pizza and beer. (Chris said that he has gotten to the point where he can't watch a movie without a beer in hand.) And a handful of microbreweries are scattered near downtown that enjoy fierce loyalty from the locals. Oregonians do love their beer.
Something of interest: there is currently ongoing hostility towards Californians, because more and more of them are moving to Portland, thereby driving up housing prices, bringing along their hoity-toity attitudes, and introducing rudeness and rage on the previously honk-free, "let's everyone take turns" road. I wonder if they like Texans. I found myself saying "ya'll" a whole lot, but it didn't elicit much of a response.
After attending getting in late Thursday night, and attending most of the conference on Friday, my brain was fried from everyone's data and findings. Also tired of being lectured at (which is something I can get anyday in Austin), I left the hotel like a bat out of hell once the dreadful receptions began. What took place there was nothing more than small-talk and networking, terms which are sometimes interchangeable, among people who were much older, more nerdy and intellectual than I. As a mere undergraduate, I had nothing to offer anyone, except an ear and naive wonderment, and even that wasn't enough most of the time.

So with the conference behind me, I trekked throughout downtown, weaving in and out enough times to help me memorize the map I was constantly unfolding and folding. Powell's City of Books bookstore was one place every Portlander and knowledgable visitor raved about, and after stepping into it, I see that it most certainly lives up to its purported title of "best independent bookstore in America." How can you not love a bookstore that has giant rooms labeled by color, books on sale that are actually worth reading and have won prizes, said sale books in every room, a Sociology section, a Leftist Politics section, a Knock Knock stand, and has hosted two weddings and a funeral? What's more, you kinda need a map to get around the warehouse-sized place taking up the whole block on Burnside and 10th. It's hard not to pick up every book you ever heard of or has a long, lovingly-written employee recommendation attached to it, since they sell good, used copies of most of their titles. It was at Powell's that I finally purchased David Sedaris' Me Talk Pretty One Day. The funniest book I've read in 21 years, it besought me with its $7.98 sale price and near-dead mint condition. When considering whether I truly needed a Penguin reader on Nietzche or a yellowed paperback on then-modern Marxists, I made the quick decision without even thinking about how I would have to lug my weighty purchases throughout the rest of the day. While walking around the nearby trendy Pearl District, I saw a sign advertising the Art Institute of Portland open house that very hour. Delighted, I stepped into the school, registered, attended a session, walked around and chatted with an advisor. It was all very fortuitous, considering that my wobbly future plans currently consist of attending graphic design school and residing in Oregon.

Portland does indeed have a very cozy feel to it. Apparently, the recurrent rain just comes down in drizzles and everyone who is seen with a raincoat on or hoisting an umbrella is clearly a dryness-loving visitor. The weather, Chris explained, is pretty mild and is only around 30 degrees to 90 degrees year-round. Texas would burn with shame at that stat, but only if it actually cared that it melted its denizens away every summer. Because Portland's beauty lies not just in its old buildings and homey houses with basements, but in its natural environment, outdoor activities are not simply athletic hobbies - they are part of a Portlander's lifestyle. Chris mentioned an annual 400-mile long bike ride around the state that he participated in and a citywide, scenic ride along the main bridges across the river that brings out every citizen from the cycling enthusiast to the grossly obese.
Portland's population is also relatively young. Hordes of high schoolers loitered around Pioneer Square and coffee shops, each identically wearing skinny jeans and styled hair (yes, now both boys and girls can squeeze into true denim tights, where nothing is left to the imagination). That scene is decidedly hip, alright. The rest of the older folks are happy with their loose-fit jeans, German wool clogs, fleece pullovers, and Crocs. Casual best describes the dress code there. Also, Chris mused that Portland was probably "Lesbian Capital, USA," noting that out of all his female friends, the majority of them were lesbians. Hm. Must have to do with Portland's gorgeous scenery, friendly atmosphere, and rich cultural offerings. Or not. Anyway, after that my imagination let loose and no pair of females walking down the street was safe from my guess stab at their relationship. Sorority sisters, sisters, acquaintances, friends, best friends, two strangers who happened to be walking at the same pace and less than 4 feet from each other- nobody escaped entering my personal ruminations. (OK, that was partly a joke.) But then again, they make it public there with little fuss by slapping a blue-and-yellow equal sign bumper sticker on their autos (or in Rivers' day, a pink triangle). <|

It was a nice trip, but sitting in the airport, waiting for my 11:10 PM flight, I was deeply homesick (for Austin) and missed having my friends/roommates around. It was this lonesome feeling that cut short my evening downtown, repulsed by the thought of having to eat dinner alone. (Everyone else was getting their money's worth and still back at the conference.) So, Portland, or any vibrant city, in all its greatness, would lose its shine if there was nary a person with whom you could connect. That is my only fear of moving away from Texas, but you know what, it might just be worth it.

there aren't enough tears to drown the world's sorrow

Mostly, because people like me don't cry enough about anything.

"Who Killed Vincent Chin?" - a documentary about a hate crime against an innocent Chinese man who was beaten to death with a bat by two white workers (Nitz and Ebens) who mistakenly thought he was Japanese. "It's because of you little motherfuckers that we're out of work," declared Ebens, referring to U.S. auto manufacturing jobs being lost to Japan. The perpetrators spent one day in jail and were eventually cleared of charges.

F. Less now than before, but still once in a while, I will leave a lecture, discussion or video viewing absolutely floored by a true glimpse of extant evil and injustice in the world. These accounts effect changes beyond mere clinical depression, they inject cruel reality into the fat of our flowery and lavish lives. They should crush all humanly hope. You really think that people are good inside?
These are deep-rooted problems on a macro scale, inside and way outside of me, seemingly alien to my tiny, comfortable particle of existence, yet it touches everyone. OK, so this major makes me a really un-fun person to be around sometimes, with me moping around about abstract issues from time to time. But what I think is the real sin is that we don't mourn enough or care about what's happening to people. Blah, blah, blah: wait until it hits you at the heart, at the friend, at the loved one. I don't want to wait, I'd like to believe it and internalize it now. What can be done? There are the things you care about, some justified and others not, and then there are things you should really care about.
As Anne Lamott so honestly inquired (althought she was referring to Bush's reign), how can I help? I pray that I'll never stop pondering and asking this question.

What about the little, good things in life, you say? These should require similar scrutiny. For me, here are a few examples: quality time spent with my family, eating lunch on Fridays at the 100-year old sandwich grocery with my group of friends, trying new recipes with roommates, finding a well-fitting pair of jeans, pre-rain weather, listening to a song for the nth time and experiencing maximum auralgasm, watching old movies on Kristi's trundle late at night instead of doing homework. But let's examine these further. In my ability to enjoy these things, how am I privileged, and in contrast, how are others not? This is not to say that we should be abstaining from everything good and pleasurable, but that we should not take these things for granted because they come at great cost, and for many individuals, they don't even come.

Reader, I write this down so I will not forget. Carry a pen around everywhere and you're half there. The next time you see me I'll probably be sprawled on the couch, munching on a Wonka bar and rifling through the pages of the latest Star. I am the very problem I cry out against! Even if it takes thousands of failures before a breakthrough, the fist of triumph is still steadily raised.

AYWKUBTTOD screams:
"If you forget how to feel
Reach inside your chest
Is there a heart beating?
Is there there just emptiness"

There's a bloody heart in there! Use it.


Ah... forgetting already..

CUT THE KIDS IN HALF

Instead of blogging this time, I wrote a school assignment. First instance in which I was completely into a paper (it had to only be 2-3 pages and I vomited out a 7-page monster). There was hardly any difference in the result, because it was nearly cathartic and my thoughts are now more sorted. Make do with it for this time, my friend, Oh, and soapbox, anyone?

-=-=-=-=-=-

Sociologists and other researchers have all noted the decline of marriages that last in the United States over the past few decades. Interestingly enough, even though the divorce rates are higher today than 100 years ago, after a recent peak in the 80’s, it has been steadily decreasing ever since. Despite this nonlinear trend, the current statistics indicate that 1 in 2 marriages will end in divorce. As a result, many families are headed by single parents or are knit back together by remarriage or cohabitation, resulting in a myriad of alternative family forms, which include step-relatives, half-relatives, or a live-in parent. Appropriately, the US has been labeled as having a “high marriage, high divorce” culture. In instances when marriage is not the only option, the rate of couples that are cohabitating and children who are born out of wedlock are also steadily rising over the years.

There is little disagreement over these changes that have taken place pertaining to marriage and the family; what is hotly debated is whether they are beneficial, harmful or simply one of the many adaptations to our ever-changing culture. Conservatives strongly champion the model of the traditional family as the only and best way, howling that divorce wreaks havoc on families and their children, and denounce government welfare programs for facilitating the birth of children in single-parent homes. They feel that in current times, the moral fabric of American society has sizably unraveled and only by willfully restoring these lost values can society begin to function normally again.
Liberals criticize conservatives for having too narrow of a view; they assert that these trends have been a result of change in economics and “common sense,” that people are now more free than ever to make decisions for their own personal fulfillment and that gender roles, especially in marriages, are much more egalitarian. In this way, our society is being led by classic American ideals. They also validate newer, alternative forms of kinship, which have become more common. Because more and more women are getting degrees and entering the workforce, they are more able to support themselves and their children, allowing for less dependence on their husbands or other males. Both sides agree that divorce is disadvantageous for children, but both also propose different solutions to this problem. Conservatives push for legislation to further impede the process of getting a divorce, while liberals aim to attack the root of what they perceive to the be the underlying cause by setting up programs that would ultimately result in economic restructuring. In short, conservatives blame the marriage and family “crisis” on a collective loss of morals and liberals attribute the trends to economic reshaping, not necessarily viewing the situation as completely negative.

Growing up in an Asian and religious family (double conservatism!), I had only been exposed to one side of the debate. So upon actual examination of the other stances while researching for this paper, I was duly surprised (and a bit sheepish at myself) at how, once again, few things in the world are ever black and white. Even though I agree with the liberals that the conservative stance is much too narrow to propose viable national solutions, I still uphold the importance of family values and agree that our culture of tolerance has gone too far. However, I would not say that marriage and family in America is in a huge crisis, because the numbers clearly speak otherwise.

The institution of marriage and the family structure are extremely important. The family is the place of primary socialization, where children are in their most malleable stages. As Freud would say, early childhood experiences directly or indirectly affect one’s adulthood, to varying degrees. Although the deleterious effects of a traumatic home life are obvious, what is less acknowledged are the essential skills learned and emotional needs met through having both parents in the household. Without a strong father figure, who will teach a boy how to be a man? Or in sociological terms, how will this boy learn his proper gender role? Of course, as we have discussed in class, modern gender roles are still very much problematic, but that does not provide any substantial defense for the benignity of single-parent households. When two people have sex, they are supposedly engaging in the most intimate stage of their relationship, which should entail a high level of unselfish commitment. How does it make any rational sense for two people to bring a child into the world, but for only one to nurture and raise it? According to experts in the field of sociology and the body, there has been an increasing separation of the body from nature. Humans, intelligent and accomplished as we are, are still an animal species. I feel that this “divorce” of sex from childbirth dehumanizes us and drives us even further from nature and its intended functions. Even for animals, sex is performed primarily for reproduction, and as we as a society focus exclusively on the pleasures (and fantasies) of sex, we are losing touch with our humanity and offer to forgo one of the greatest joys of life: being a parent and raising a family.

A compelling argument promoted by liberals to dispel any cause for alarm is our culture’s unprecedented embracement of freedom and choice in relationships, which results in a loss of stigma for these non-traditional forms discussed above. As the occurrence of arranged marriages has died out, love has replaced economics as the primary motive for marriage. While these revised norms are largely preferred by individuals in modern society, myself included, the necessity of commitment inherent in arranged marriages in the previous ages was unwittingly jettisoned during this time of romantic fervor. American culture and media today is still saturated with fantasies about living happily ever after and the triumph of true love over all else. This starry-eyed notion that a marriage relationship functions mainly on romantic deeds and fluffy feelings cannot be farther from the truth. Regrettably, youths and adults alike are entering marriage and starting families with these foolish expectations, and nothing short of a paradigm shift will to expose them to reality- not even multiple, disastrous divorces. How is love a necessary, but not sufficient ingredient to a happy marriage? Actually, love prior to marital union may not even be necessary, as evidenced by the high success of arranged marriages practiced in cultures outside of the US, like in India. The most common reasons cited by couples with a long-term marital status are commitment and companionship. Feelings will always change and fluctuate, which make them an unreliable basis for anything long-term, but one’s will is completely self- controlled. So, rather than claiming that happy couples stay together because they never have difficulties, the decision of commitment implies that happy couples choose to stay together and stick it out, regardless of spells of loss of love and other negative feelings. In this regard I believe that a lack of stress on the fundamental importance of commitment in a marital relationship is a huge cause of divorce.

That is not to say that I feel that divorce should never occur in any situations, as there are exceptions to nearly every rule. The liberal claim that these trends are a result of economic change is a valid, but partial explanation. Even though I don’t intend to go so far into another topic of debate, I will say this: you cannot deny a conscience or morality in every human being that causes internal guilt when one commits a wrong deed, such as murder of an innocent person, or in general, strong feelings against injustice. And regardless of the societal pressures to conform, even when economics are at play, a person still has free will and can make blatantly countercultural decisions if they feel that it is best. Divorce is a problem whose ill effects cannot be totally blamed on structural forces outside one’s own power. We, as members of society, made collective choices that resulted in these trends; therefore, it is also an issue of lack of claiming responsibility.Thus, to totally ignore the moral aspect of our society results in an incomplete examination of a complex issue at best.

In reference to running wild with our freedoms, I’d like to address the issue of cohabitation, a lifestyle which increasing numbers young couples are choosing to adopt. Even though liberals are very hesitant to bring up the hard research that shows that cohabitation destabilizes relationships and is associated with increased risk of divorce, the facts cannot be denied. You cannot get something for nothing. In my mind, cohabitation assumes all the emotional and sexual benefits of marriage without ensuring the actual commitment. It cheapens the experience of love. Yes, you may be “test driving the car”, but you do not engage in sexual relations with the car, nor can you get into a heated argument with a car. Human beings are infinitely more complex than a hunk of metal with wheels. A vehicle will hardly be any different after a single test drive, but a person will be changed by the deep experience of living and sharing a life with another person. This impact is undeniable, as we are humans and not machines. Cohabitation is not a replacement for marriage; studies show that couples who cohabitate resemble singles more than they do married couples, because they experience lower levels of health and are generally more oriented towards their own personal autonomy at the expense of their partner’s wellbeing.

And, what incentives are there to marry once a couple is already used to living with one another, now that they are already sleeping together? There are scarcely any, especially for the male partner. One may question the worth of marriage, but once kids enter in the picture, their wellbeing is contingent upon parental commitment (and happiness). A recent study conducted by Dr. Glenn Norval, a professor in UT’s Department of Sociology, shows that even amicable divorces have lasting negative effects on children. Thus, the wellbeing of children- emotional, physical, social, sexual, and intellectual- may be the most powerful argument against cohabitation, divorce, single-parent families and other forms of non-traditional families.

Another facet of the sticky marriage debate is the statistic showing that families have declining rates of childbirth, meaning that the average number of children in a family has shrunk, with methods of contraception and abortion as direct culprits. Contrary to the outdated belief of the threat of overpopulation in the world, which first emerged in the 60’s, a more updated look suggests quite the opposite. Much of the undeveloped world is underpopulated and much of the world’s natural resources have yet to be exhausted. My parents’ generation, the Baby Boomers, garnered their nickname because of their own parents’ rates of reproduction; the trend to which I am referring indicates that Baby Boomers are having less children than were the previous generation. In a few decades, the current workforce will be completely retired and supported by a much smaller workforce, our generation. Countries like Germany and Japan have the greatest concern for economic harm because of the growing divergence of their worker to retiree ratio. The effects of underpopulation on the US economy have been thrown off thus far by our relatively high rates of immigration. However, this problem is already becoming apparent in the issue of the future collapse of the Social Security system. So in response to a proposed solution of discouraging childbirth or marriage to lower divorce rates, since both sides agree that children are harmed by divorce, the facts show that this option is not only impractical, but also exceedingly unwise when investigating the dire large-scale effects on the future national and world economy.

As you can see, in probing the nature of change in marriage and families, one must look closely at each reason without bias and with a broader time perspective. I feel like the future of the American family is in limbo and it depends on which side, liberal or conservative, will win in terms of policymaking and influence on the public. It will be difficult to slow down rates of divorce, since people whose parents divorced are more likely to divorce themselves. I hesitate to make any solid claims in predicting the future for American families and I hope to read up on research that is currently and will continue to be conducted alongside this fascinating trend, one in which we are all stakeholders.

It's a wonder tall trees ain't laying down..

Wikipedia states that:
A Meritocracy is a system of government based on rule by ability (merit) rather than by wealth, race or other determinants of social position.

What has been drilled into us from an early age is that intelligence, ability and especially effort will get us where we want to be. "You can do anything you set your mind to!" That statement fills us with dreams and so much hope, yet countless people will drag this unrealized hope to the grave. But we only hear about the triumphs of people who started out with nothing and worked their way to the top. Those stories, however, are the exception and not the norm.

America is not a meritocracy, but everyone believes it to be, to a certain extent. Why else would there be an "American Dream" and immigration issues? Evidence against it:
- The power of social networks : "It's not what you know, it's who you know"
- The privilege of the wealthy
- The overrepresentation of minorites in the working and destitute class
- I'm sure you can think of plenty more examples in your own life.

Anyway, do we truly want a meritocracy? We all clamor for it like it's a good thing, but do we really want everyone to start out on a level playing field? But also, don't we want the most able people running our country? I dunno about you, but the implementation of this type of mechanism for social stratification strikes fear in my heart. (I may get good grades in school, but what does that really mean or measure?) Having this sort of rule means that I would not be able to enjoy the plentiful benefits of growing up in a middle class family, which includes being able to pay for SAT prep, more parental involvement and influence in the schools, riding the "model minority" stereotype, networking by getting to know my professors, and learning how to work the system. There is no working the system if status is based on merit. So people with advantage want to keep it - what's wrong with that? Well, someone/ some group has to get screwed, so who's it gonna be?

In a hypothetical situation, having a meritocracy would probably produce some very unexpected and undesireable results. To simplify measurements, let's consider the use of an IQ test to measure intelligence (based on M. Young's satire The Rise of the Meritocracy):
- Privileged parents would get very nervous if their kids weren't very bright. There will be no extra tutoring or preparatory schooling, since intellectual ability is something you are born with. So there will be a significantly large mass of frustrated parents who are upset that they cannot transfer their huge capital to their children, that maybe their children have to fend for themselves and stop living in an unearned lap of luxury (what an idea!).
- What about the people who aren't "smart"? They will have all the reason in the world to be depressed, since they cannot blame society- they were given an opportunity to prove themselves, and they did. What should be done with them, if they're "stupid" and not very useful?
- What about education? Should the state educate all students, or not waste time with the "stupid" kids and just seek to develop the potential of the "smart" kids? In a way, this is also a dilemma in the real world. There is a thing called tracking which puts kids in different levels of "tracks" according to their perceived ability. Perhaps you were in Honors/AP/IB courses in high school, rather than in Regular. Even though the measurement methods for placing kids are quite inaccurate, it still happens and many students fall in the cracks. But it's efficient, no? Is it fair? What's the point of the education system? Now that's a whole 'nother debate.

OK, so you say, "Silly Frances, success in America is acquired not only by one's intelligence, but through hard work and diligence. There are geniuses who are total idiots when it comes to communication and social skills, and that prevents them from getting the best jobs." You are very correct, but that still doesn't get you off the hook: would you want to live in a society where everyone is rewarded for his/her own efforts only, and there would be no such thing as working the system? It resounds with much more fairness, but it's a chilling concept. The sentiment of response generally seems to be "yeah, that's good for everyone else, but let me do my own thing."

O, I should end every post with something like: it's more complicated than it seems.

Provocative quotes drawn from a relevant reading:

"How could men be equal in the eyes of God and yet unequal in the eyes of the Psychologist?"

"As men became more like machines, machines became more like man."

"All babies are creeping socialists and some never grow out of it."

"There are so few clever parents with nothing but stupid progeny, with a whole brood of ugly ducklings."


On an entirely other note,

Wal-mart grows, looms and threatens..
p.s. Future Economist, this issue should be especially important to you because they are are a huge threat to global economics. article

"We want clean air, clear water, good living conditions, the best health care in the world - yet we aren't willing to pay for anything manufactured under those restrictions." That's right, America!

Boys and T-shirts

“Everyone Loves An Asian Girl”

Sure you could substitute a lot of different adjectives in the blank and have some sort of justification for each of them, but what is particularly offensive about ethnic/racial ones, like this one? Well I aim to show you. Recently, I casually lamented my minority status and was immediately rebuked by my non-minority friends, both of whom blurted out longings for physical Asian features, their main thrust being that boys like Asian girls.

So I ask, what boys? All boys? White boys? Can we make such a blanket statement? (What about the boys who don’t prefer Asians?) But that’s very much beside the point. Drawing from educated, scholarly writing I’ve read in my classes, I am convinced that general male affection towards Asian girls is chiefly based on established stereotypes of the latter group, and that its formation must be understood in a historical context of imperialism.

1 Submissive
2 Exotic

The popular opera, Madame Butterfly, weaves a poignant tale about a tragic romance involving an American officer (Pinkerton) and a young Japanese geisha (Butterfly). He is conceited, callous and confident, while she is like a toy: delicate, pitiful and eternally submissive. They get married in Japan, but then trashface Pinkerton jets off to America and marries “a real American wife.” Poor babygirl Butterfly is left with a baby boy and unwaveringly clings to the hope that her beloved Pinkerton will return for her. After three years, he does swing by again, albeit just to take back his kid, but when Butterfly realizes that he is married to another, she gives up all hope and stabs herself with a knife just as he runs in, recreating an honorable death. The play ends with “Butterfly, the little Asian woman, crumpled on the floor.” What makes this such a beloved and satisfying story?

“Consider it this way: what would you say if a blonde homecoming queen fell in love with a short Japanese businessman? He treats her cruelly, then goes home for three years, during which time she prays to his picture and turns down marriage from a young Kennedy. Then, when she learns he has remarried, she kills herself. Now, I believe you would consider this girl to be a deranged idiot, correct? But because it’s an Oriental who kills herself for a Westerner – ah! – you find it beautiful.”

It was this Western view of the Orient as exotic, mysterious, sensual and timeless that facilitated imperial conquest of Asia a few centuries back. Critic Edward Said explains, “colonization was an engendered subordination, by which European men aroused, penetrated and possessed a passive, dark and vacuous ‘Eastern bride.’ “Another facet of the theory: “Basically, her mouth says no, but her eyes say yes. The West believes the East, deep down, wants to be dominated…” Skip forward to today; now there are no more lands left to conquer, but this fantasy still exists in Western minds and continues to narrowly define Asian femininity, despite that it has lost functionality in constructing political meaning. An outlandish example illustrating this rigid idea is from the 1986 trial of a “former French diplomat and a Chinese opera star … Mr. Bouriscot was accused of passing information to China after he fell in love with Mr. Shi, whom he believed for 20 years to be a woman.” This degree of deception was undoubtedly aided by such cultural conventions of women and the Orient being played out in different spheres.

All this to say, I love learning about how things got to be the way they are today and possessing precursory knowledge about modern society that helps me better understand it. In more primary terms, I am seeking a more accurate view of reality, leading to truth. As to my personal opinion regarding these stereotypes, frankly, I don’t really care because they don’t exert much pressure on the formulation of my identity. Since I was spared from those ideals being instilled in me in my earlier years, I don’t fit neatly in those categories and therefore, need not attempt to. It’s still kind of annoying though and I’ve got to think of a more concise answer to counter such expectations.

In the meantime, if I have pricked your interest in shattering stereotypes, try to take a class on race or gender. We are largely products of socialization – it determines what we believe and the way we think, on conscious and unconscious levels. It is only when you become aware of these controls that you can start going anywhere.

Wow, these rants have gotten longer.

By the way, did ya’ll ever listen to Weezer’s 2nd album “Pinkerton”?

Gender Day

Oh Peru, I miss you already.

Like the title implies, today's classes were all about gender in different aspects of society. We talked a lot about marriage and occupation, and in what ways the implications differ for males and females. First off, I have never been more scared and reluctant about marriage. Here's the modern world's view: Marriage benefits men more than it does women, because men are mainly in charge of providing an income by working, which is something he would do married or not. Women, on the other hand, have much more diverse responsibilities having to do with housework and child care, and then many more women hold outside jobs nowadays. What's so inviting about laying down 20+ years of your life? (And that's just for one kid.) Should we be pursuing our interests more passionately at this time of life, when there is no particular one we need to be looking after? Selfish, yes. But this shattering of the fantasy "happily ever after" love story most likely has something to do with the very high rates of divorce in this country. What's realistic, and is it good? Note to self: don't marry someone with a secular view of marriage, whatever that entails.

Even Biblically, males exercise authority over females. I believe it to be natural, but sooner or later, I'm going to have to relinquish much of my independence, initiative, choice and leanings to serve another's. How did I get so independent in the first place? Is that even a good thing? Are even Christian parents still subscribing too much to American ideals?

Also, yes, everyone and their mom is fretting over internships nowadays, but as women, how much do we need to be building our careers by accumulating human capital (i.e. education, work experience, credentials, etc.)? Is it worth getting higher degrees if you are just going to settle down and raise kids for a few decades soon after? HM. Ok time to go to the next class, where we will be discussing gender in the classroom.

Letter of Complaint

Dear (Sociology) Professors,

As a new Sociology major, it suddenly dawned on me that regardless of my awakened love for this subject, sometimes I still feel like an alien in the classroom. To explain this feeling, I have a question for you: Despite that you teach us the definitions and restrictive effects of stereotyping, why do you still hold stereotypes of your own students? Statements that hint at our wild late-night parties, excessive drinking (of cheap alcohol), disdain for attending class, inclination towards the path of least resistance, unhealthy eating habits, and devotion for instant gratification are offensive to me. What are the demographics of the student population at UT? Can you back these ideas up with hard evidence gained through reliable research? (Will I be eating my words after a search on the JSTOR database?) Surely it cannot be inferred that students at a nationally recognized university lead the stereotypical college student lifestyle – according to admission qualifications, unless we are masters of deception, most of us should be above that.

After spending fifteen years in the public school environment, I’ve learned that the appropriate response to these jabs at the product of our undeveloped values is to laugh it off with a knowing, half-guilty grin. However, this rigid depiction of a college student describes me rather poorly and instead of nodding to allow you to get your point across, it would do me well to not consent and not let these ill-formed perceptions influence your and my opinion of myself. Your speech reveals a lot about your intended audience; even though unmotivated students are the hardest to offend, ironically, they are the ones who need the most encouragement.

I suggest that you, the professors, before even thinking about your students through the current structure dictated by extreme examples, popular culture, and hearsay, allow your students space and time to unfold individually, each with his/her own styles of learning, values, insight and areas of malleability. I think then that you will find that the average student will exceed your expectations and perhaps even reshape your ideas of what it means to be a college student. And instead of authorizing complacency, why not expand and stretch our minds, which we often willingly give you, like your own teachers once did for you? Of course, I am just one person and I can speak confidently only for myself. But as you taught me, there is also the notion of an “expectation theory,” that people tend to live up (or down) to their expectations. So demand our best, assume our interest in learning, and if the task of getting to know us seems too daunting, that’s ok. Just don’t box us into tiny structures, because not all of us fit in them.

Thank you.

F.L.

----

Is that too nerdy for school, even? I just got tired of being looked down upon by people from whom I should respect and learn. Can you relate? Don't get me wrong, I think most of my professors are great and very knowledgeable. But too bad I can't send this out to them anonymously.

Valentine Olivetti, bye

About last week, I was really looking into purchasing a vintage typewriter, but the more I think about it, the more I realize how little good it would do a 21st century middle classer like me. You know, give me enough time and I can learn the ins and outs of nearly anything you can convince me that I am interested in. For example, from not paying attention in stat lab, I now know that the Remington No. 5 is the run-of-the-mill antique typewriter, it's pretty common; the Valentine Olivetti, it is all red and one was going on eBay for $9.99, is a relic of fine Italian design and is displayed in the MoMA; and then 50's teal, white and red make a great word processor color scheme. But it's useless if I can't save my work, even if I do get neat ink marks to smudge up my school papers. I didn't choose to be a slave to technology, but it is one of our age's captivating masters.

I am writing a research proposal for a class investigating the effects of the model minority stereotype on "Asian Americans." Being an Asian American myself, I've been wondering about that lately. It's different from most stereotypes in that it serves as an advantage to a group .. or does it? Other topics I had in the brainstorm basket were associated with why the Church lacks so much in mercy ministry when caring for "the orphans and widows" is a Biblical command. Or is it a thinly veiled attempt to evade the issue of why I don't actively assist the poor and needy? And then I wanted to insert a personal rant about how men are still valued more for achievement and women for physical appearance. But she made me elaborate: for example, you will rarely see an ugly woman on TV, but it's not weird to see ugly men playing large roles in shows, and then they are either real witty or humorous. But then what defines "ugly"? the media? Ug, too convoluted for my undergraduate mind. Thought for food.

Yum-de-dum! Here are my latest splurges on body products:
Kiss My Face Olive Oil and Aloe Soap
"It's like candy in a bottle"
Burts Bees Honey Lip Balm
"It's like smearing honey on me puckers."

Listening to: Belle & Sebastian "The Life Pursuit"
Here's one of my favs, Sukie in the Graveyard. I'm not advocating illegal d/ling, so stream it here.

Ha! I've recently begun to leave single spaces after each sentence, instead of double. According to graphic designer and tutorial writer R. Williams, two spaces is tacky and juvenile. Even though it makes you have to write a few more sentences to meet a required length, that's ok because it looks more professional that way.

Today's outfit, each piece so common that I could easily find images of them online.


























Alright, time to head home, perhaps to snuggle in my PUNDLE! Aww.

Banana Party

A painted tin box with hair.
A (not from China) hat made out of woven hair.
Attempted straightened curly hair.
A sleeping Socrates left on my new sleeping pad some cat hair.

OK Sarah, I will update.
I like my new major, but it's also rapidly reshaping my worldview. Not surprising. Few people think before adopting certain beliefs about the world. I expected to be behind in my classes, since I have little knowledge of how things really are, but it hasn't been the case. If anything, one thing I've realized that nothing is simple. How to eradicate racism? We learned that race is a social construction - biology has nothing to do with it. True knowledge, who knows it? How to fix the education system? You cannot achieve anything you put your mind to, that is the White idea of meritocracy. If you are Black in America, the cards are stacked against you. That I was one of the few students "chosen" to succeed in the educational system exposes a hidden privilege I've enjoyed all my life. I don't pretend to know what it's like on the other end ... Even though I'm not White, the stereoype of Asian Americans being the "model minority" has padded me from any real threat of failure. Why do human beings place so much significance on phenotypical traits?

It weirds me out a bit to talk about societal problems, when we ourselves are the problem. Does it not make Whites uncomfortable to talk about racism and discrimination? Sure it does. But I guess awkwardness is a small price to pay for improvement.

A few days ago I got a position at KAB as an the Environmental Education Intern. KAB stands for Keep Austin Beautiful, a non-profit organization in Austin that focuses on cleanup, beautification and education. It's the perfect job for me, as I am new to the whole networking/professionalism thing, and for the interview, I walked into a small office with papers everywhere, spoke less than five sentences and secured the position. It shouldn't be too difficult putting together a booklet for kids with facts about litter and fun activities. I am looking forward to getting an idea of what it's like to work as a professional advocate.. need overwhelms our world.

I love me a Japanese clown! No, I don't. Ethnocentrism is annoying isn't it? Who decided that eating large insects, kittens and chicken feet were gross? Oh, well, if America deems it uncivilized and nasty, then without a doubt it most certainly is. Please, let's learn how to understand each other. And, it really makes one wonder how long it will be before the US is stripped of its superpower status.

For a homework assignment in Intro, I gotta violate a social norm and then write a paper on it. Even if this doesn't shock or disturb too many Austinites, I would like to eat a meal of noodles (or soup!) with my hands. I bet hands really work better than stiff utensils anyway. And if I had an iron, I'd walk around campus carrying it in my arms. Did you know that in Europe, pelting each other with dog feces used to be considered festive, not rude?

Because the World is Round.

I take back the invitation in that last post, because I will no longer be enjoying an extra long Christmas vacation: I changed my major! On the third class day. Good grief, it's about time and the good thing is that I didn't wait any longer. But two and a half years though, gee, that's quite a while. My teaching internship would've started this semester and just thinking of spending so much time in an elementary school while taking intensive classes for the next three months finally struck pure dread in my heart. Elementary Education -> Sociology. From surety to uncertainty, in terms of career. Out of the frying pan, but into where?

Our dear friend and roommate Erin Hazel is finally back from Spain! Things have changed, but we're all still finding out in what ways. But seriously, this past week, I would just crack huge silly smiles in the middle of life whenever I thought about her return.

Over the break I decided to become a camper/backpacker and I just about have all the gear, minus a tent. Rachel, Emily and I drove over to Pedernales Falls on Saturday to do some hiking. It was a beautiful day for walking, scrambling and exploring the riverbed, complete with little sinkholes and pools of clear blue-green water. I enjoyed myself, but not more than, say, an well made film or fellowship with friends. Nature is not my god, and I am ashamed of once putting it on that pedestal. It has a place underneath what is truly worthy of devotion.

The girls of 4314 made scalloped sweet potatoes and double cornbread tonight. What hits! There's something about cooking together that is so communal in bringing people together. Or I just stole that from Eve's Revenge. Anyway, it's fun trying new recipes and nothing brings vitality to a house more than life, in the form of loved ones and friends, bustling and noisy. It's late, I promise you a more interesting entry for later.

World AIDS Day

And I wouldn't even have known it except that I went inside the SSB today and saw the signs posted up. If you are looking for a modern day display of hopelessness, then this is definitely one of the big ones. Still, even though the whole continent of Africa is dying out because of this virus, that's NO excuse not to help. How about there are three types of people in the world: those who don't care about anything outside their own little world, those who do care, and those who care and who do something about it. May we all be in or moving towards the last category.

Wilco, oh Wilco. They've got a great gargle of very quotable quotes in their superstar album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. And as for the music, the most beautiful parts occur right before they move from dizzying, orchestrated composition to jarring, repetitive noise. This one's on the fridge right now:

I would like to salute
the ashes of american flags

Rev. David Cassidy, in his message last night, pulled out a sticky quote by George Bernard Shaw, his "favorite atheist."

"Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on unreasonable people."

In the spirit of youthfulness: if nothing else at all, let me one of the unreasonable.

And lastly, but certainly not leastly, here is a link to the famous video I watched in my sociology class today about the power and destructiveness of discrimination. What kind of world do we live in? This lady is extremely unreasonable. She made grown ups cry in a two-hour simulation showing how black kids are treated every day of their life. It truly left an impression on me.

Wikipedia:
"Elliott's method for exploring racism in the context of an all-white classroom consisted of dividing her students into two groups on the basis of eye color, blue or brown (those with other eye colors were excluded from direct participation in the exercise.)

On the first day, Elliott told her students that possessing blue eyes indicated superiority in intelligence and conferred extra classroom privileges while having brown eyes indicated inferiority. Quickly, the students of the "superior" color began to oppress those of the "inferior" color, while those of the "inferior" color exhibited negative feelings of self-loathing and fear."

In another class, we also watched another Frontline video on fad diets- bottom line, they don't work and if we do not adopt a change of lifestyle, the future generations will roll, not walk. Not good!

And how many times have you heard this one? "There are kids starving in Africa and you won't eat the rest of your ____." Well guess what, cleaning your plate won't help all those starving kids, it'll just make you fat!

I feel like the mother of the world

Take a hint, give a hint. Cards to hand to people who constantly yap into small metal bleeping devices, loudly. Let's cut down on the noise pollution already. And if you print them out on nice cardstock, it'll be even better. SHHH!

It seems like everyone in this college is learning about black folk and racism in their classes. Theme? A good thing to know, although I still feel just as removed from their terrible experiences. Mine is in the context of education of course, specifically addressing the why's of low-achievement among black students. Factors and complicatedness, but it is not their fault like we think! It makes me ask nonstop, in America, how the hell do these people survive? It is said that what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. Then they are very strong people.

Mojo's Daily Grind on Guadalupe is a pretty neat place. And it used to be a house, silly. Rach, Nora and I studied there tonight, amidst the swirlies of hot smoke on the porch, and then to the tune of a loud and angsty boy who was promoting himself on an open mic. I had just finished my school book, Young, Gifted And Black, and it took me 3 times as long with that background noise beckoning in my ears. I always felt a little self-conscious carrying that book around with it's title in fat bold butternut squash-orange letters on its black cover. Reform, reform. I am getting the idea that we humans started off on bad footing on just about anything and everything and for the rest of time we are trying to fix it, layers and layers of fixing. What can we say that is great for the collective human race? Hum. We are messed up and therefore, we mess up.

Been experiencing some anxiety lately from the machine component. Why don't we use the most effective ways to do things? Especially things that are important, like learning, teaching, studying, exercising, scheduling, ee e e? But if we save time and energies, what do we use that extra on? More efficiency? Is this how business and capitalism work? Life is but a vapor, and then it's gone. How much have I wasted?
Ok, and then there are relationships. Messy, wonderous things. I was thinking, I would not trade society for amazing aesthetic ability; that's why great artists need to kill themselves, dying alone. They couldn't help being selfish. In some ways, the sadness becomes even more real when you can share it with someone. Otherwise, whose reality are you trusting? Ah, I must soon retire, now that I've started spilling words concerning things I know nothing about.

Biking to Mr. Natural's (Chicon and Ceasar Chavez) with Mary tomorrow for lunch. Extra special, I say!

Illusions of Opportunity

Went recreational biking today, this time East of 35 and then North of where I live. Neat little neighborhoods all around! I am going to start mentoring at an elementary school on East Cesar Chavez and it makes me want to get the know the "Eastside" better; I tended to avoid it for the most part (especially for living) these past two years- directionism? I found the elusive 2nd Quack's Bakery, rode on the dangerously car-ridden Airport Blvd., and cycled around the entire IM fields at least twice looking for my friend's ultimate frisbee game. Then I chomped on some of the awesome cranberry/almond/walnut granola I made last night, and some of Mary's equally excellent vegan chocolate chip cookies, looked up scholarships, volunteered for an hour selling Cielo water bottles for hurricane relief to people going to the game (surprising enough, the "scalpers" donated significantly, probably because they were so hot standing out there in the heat and yelling tickets at cars and passerbys. They were pretty amiable as well.), watched three straight episodes of "Freaks and Geeks." Then the ears drank in some Feist ("Inside and Out"!!), the Lucksmiths, and now the Iron and Wine/ Calexico collaboration album (it's ok). They are coming at the end of October to Austin, perhaps I will go. And I think I want to get the latest Gorillaz album to rock future parties/empty house evenings. (I know, I'm way behind.) It's totally conducive to another set of late night workout roommate dance session videos, costumes and all. So this was my Saturday; fun to do, nothing much to type a story about.

One thing though, my computer keeps freezing like once a day, and I'm not sure what to blame: iTunes 5, Tiger, or updates on Real Player, Adobe Acrobat, and Norton Antivirus. Is it possible to un-update an application? Getting bit all over in this house. The feverish feeling in your affected areas are like no other- you feel like hot poison. At least it makes me remember that I have a body to take care of, I guess.

Shoe alert!
Merrell Ewetopia Cinch
Man, tell me this isn't sweet looking. The main thing preventing me from owning these someday is that the complete inner shoe is lined with fleece. Eech, that sort of thing is only good for sweaty feet.

The shoes in European line all have neat artsy soles as well.


OK, the motivational phrase "you can do anything you set your mind to" is simply not true. That bothers me that it is still being preached, even in '99! ("F&G" episode #6) The poor people who hang everything on it.

I'm pretty bad how I don't question what is being presented to me. I don't think critically or even bother to doubt new information, rather I drink it all in. This was once again reinstated in my class, "Sociocultural Influences on Learning," where I thought the book we had just finished about social class affecting family life and success in varying ways was great; everyone else attacked its weaknesses through very narrowed eyes. Gee. It's probably not a very good skill for a learner to be lacking in. Just don't let me write any books, and I think it'll be OK.

Spoon song of the month, I have to say. "Everything Hits At Once (For Discos)."

Roommate Mary's sister is here this weekend, this evening she started watching "Saved,"and when that finished, she immediately popped in the 3-hour long "Pride & Prejudice." Wow.

Got new shoes, material/sneaker girl that I am. Because the deal was too hard to resist.


The fact that there is only Urban Outfitters to be found nationwide as the decidedly hip/alternative/bohemian/streety/non-Gap-style/whatever chain clothing store kills most of its cred, in my opinion. I guess NY has H&M and whatnot, but isn't the real point of fashion elitism, and elitism to be exclusionary? Not to be a terrible prick, but can the store maintain its appeal even after legions of sorority girls and self-proclaimed high school preppies are replacing large parts of their wardrobes with Urban apparel? I'd like to hear more about it, the trickling down of "higher" fashion to the masses and what it does to the industry. And, another question we all have asked, what humans actually buy and wear the fantastical and non-functional clothes donned by models parading around in high fashion shows?

Time to hit the books once again, later, since this time I didn't really mean to write an entry. My roommate probably thinks I'm crazy that I've been on the computer for so long, and on a Saturday night for crying out loud.


Currently Listening:
Demon Days
Gorillaz
"Feel Good Inc."

He Comes Dividing Men From Brothers

Because my 'b' key was too sensitive (that's why all the typos), I took my laptop into the Apple Store and now the keyboard is getting replaced and I won't get it back til the end of the week. Hmph. I guess I can deal with a pc for a few days.. ; ] I also visited my friend Karen at the United Colors of Benetton at the same mall .. working retail is real work! Fortunately, the girl is good at tending to people and tidying up places, so she doesn't really try to shirk any duties.

Also, today "Illinois" came out (I know, I talk about Sufjan way too much, I'll stop soon enough) but surprise, because of murky artwork legal disputes, the record company Asthmatic Kitty was advised to stop selling it and are frantically asking their retailers to do the same. It as something to do with the Superman on the cover upsetting DC Comics. Darn! I knew I should have pre-ordered what is now considered a collectors item. An hour ago, I ordered it off some cd website, hopefully they haven't gotten the memo and will ship the original edition to me in a few days. They're already being sold on eBay for $75. Ridiculous.

Finally, finally, I got "Ok Computer" for my birthday. It was so good hearing it after maybe two years, I dunno what took me so long! I think I can appreciate it on a different level now, not so much teenage emotion. Do people still think it's the best album of all time? Isn't that a slap in the face to all their influences, or to even older bands that were considered greats?

I am sleeping on a brand new mattress, a Simmons Beautyrest with a pillowtop, ah! Doesn't seem like a big deal, but it really is a nice upgrade compared to my old mattress, with the familiar spot that tended to creak every time I tried to breathe. I used to talk about getting a Tempur-pedic mattress someday, but then I decided that I was joking, since only astronauts use them. No, but really, it really is too much money, you'd rather buy a Powerbook.

Here's something I've been musing over recently. For people who have very strong personal beliefs/opinions/views on current "hot topics," if it is correlates to the modern way of thinking, how much of the thinking is theirs and how much of it has to do with being a product of the age in which we live? I am not trying to judge or anything like that, but here is the best example I could think of: how many people who tolerate/uphold homosexuality now would hold the same views if they lived 50 years ago? Would they do it at the expense of their reputation, family, and business? I think not. If society permeates so much of our thinking, why do we so often embrace it so strongly as our own? I haven't taken Sociology or any classes in the Social Sciences, so I'm probably just stating the obvious..

"White Privilege and Male Privilege"

Today in my Second Language Acquisition class we discussed an article titled "White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences Through Work in Women's Studies." We are supposed to ask our family and friends about this "white privilege." Here is my slightly condensed version of the article. Give me your thoughts.

"
I have often noticed men's unwillingness to grant that they are over-privileged in the curriculum, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged. ...

Thinking through unacknowledged male privilege as a phenomenon with a life of its own, I realized that since hierarchies in our society are interlocking, there was most likely a phenomenon of white privilege which was similarly denied and protected, but alive and real in its effects. As a white person, I realized I had been taught about as something which puts others are a disadvantange, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage. ...
I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets which I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was "meant" to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear and black checks.
Since I have had trouble facing white privilege, and describing its results in my life, I saw parallels here with men's reluctance to acknowledge male privilege. Only rarely will a man go beyond acknowledging that woman are disadvantaged to acknowledging that men have unearned advantage, or that unearned privilege has not been good for men's development as human beings, or for society's development, or that privilege systems might ever be challenged or changed. ...

Some claim that men must be central in the curriculum because they have done most of what is important or distinctive in life or in civilization. ... Others agree that certain individual thinkers are blindly male-oriented but deny that there is any systematic tendency in disciplinary frameworks or epistemology to over-empower men as a group. Those men who do grant that male privilege takes institutionalized and embedded forms are still likely to deny that male hegemony has opened doors for them personally. ... They may say that they will work to improve women's status, in the society or in the university, but they can't or won't support the idea of lessening men's. ...

After I realized, through faculty development work in Women's Studies, the extent to which men work from a base of unacknowledged privilege, I understood that most of their oppressiveness was unconscious. .. I began to understand why we are justly seen as oppressive, even though we don't see ourselves that way. At the very least, obliviousness of one's privileged state can make a person or group irritating to be with ...
I began to count the ways in which I enjoy unearned skin privilege and have been conditioned into oblivion about its existence, unable to see that it put me "ahead" in any way, or puts my people ahead, overrewarding us and yet also paradoxically damaging us, or that it could or should be changed. ... (here are a few)

4. I can be pretty sure that my neighbors ... will be neutral or pleasant to me
6. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.
7. When I am told about our narional heritage or about "civilization," I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.
13. When I use checks, credit cards or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability.
16. I can be pretty sure that my children's teachers and employers will tolerate them if they fit school and workplace norms/
17. I can talk with my mouth full and not have people put this down to my color.
18. I can swear, or dress in second hand clothes, or not answer letters without having people attribute these choices to bad morals, the poverty, or the illiteracy of my race.
20. I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.
23. I can criticize our government and talk about how much I fear its policies and behavior without being seen as a cultural outsider.
34. I can worry about racism without being seen as self-interested or self-seeking.
46. I can choose blemish cover or bandages in "flesh" color and have them more or less match my skin.
... In this potpourri or examples, some privileges made me feel at home in the world. Others allow me to escape penalties or dangers which others suffer. ... Most keep me from having to be angry. ...
Whether through the curriculum or in the newspaper, the television, the economic situation, or the general look of people on the streets, we received daily signals and indications that my people counted, and that others either didn't exist or must be trying, not very successfully, to be like people of my race. ... I was also raised not to suffer seriously from anything which darker-skinned people might say about my group, "protected," though perhaps I should more accurately say prohibited, through the habits of my economic class and social group, from living in racially mixed groups or being being reflective about interactions between people of differing races. ...

The word "privilege" carries the connotation of being something everyone must want. Yet some of the conditions I have described here work to systematically overempower certain groups. Such privilege simply confers dominance, gives permission to control, because of one's race or sex. ... Moreoever, though "privilege" may confer power, it does not confer moral strength. Those who do not depend on conferred dominance have traits and qualities which may never develop in those who do. ... In some groups, those dominated have actually become strong through not having all of these unearned advantages, and this gives them a great deal to teach the others. Members of so-called privilege groups can seem foolish, ridiculous, infantile or dangerous by contrast. ...
Through Women's Studies I have met very few men who are truly distressed about systematic, unearned male advantage and conferred dominance. And so one question for me and others like me is whether we will be like them, or whether we will get truly distressed, even outraged, about unearned race advantange and conferred dominance and if so, what we will do to lessen them. ...
Individual acts can palliate, but cannot end, these problems. ... What will we do with this knowledge? As we know from watching men, it is an open question whether we will choose to use unearned advantage to weaken hidden systems of advantage, and whether we will use any of our arbitrarily-awarded power to try to reconstruct power systems on a broader base."

McIntosh, Peggy. 1988. "White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences Through Work in Women's Studies."

What a weighty topic. I feel like I have just read the first chapter of "Eve's Revenge" all over again, except that maybe it could have been "The Minority's Revenge" or something. Except that there hasn't been any revenge. I don't really know how I fit into this discussion because the writer is mainly contrasting whites and blacks in society. I can relate to both sides, but more so to the white side. Even though I'm not white, I have been shielded from direct (and some indirect) racism growing up in America. So in a way, I half responsible, half victim, you could say. Hmph. The society in which we live is so complex and it's hard to know what's really going on sometimes unless someone smarter tells you or you examine your own beliefs.