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Final Blog

Dear President Trump,

When I was a young man growing up in New York City I greatly admired you.  I used to visit Trump Tower all the time and asked if you were available to speak.  I even told my parents I wanted you and Ivana to adopt me.  I owned Trump The Game, and waited on line for a couple of hours to buy Trump: The Art of the Deal, the first day it came out.  I also read Surviving at the Top, and How to Get Rich.  You were my hero.  Then as you progressed through the years I realized how big a jerk you were.  It all started when my mom took me to The Taj Mahal in Atlantic City for my 21st Birthday.  I went to buy a deck of cards from the gift shop and I asked the cashier if you ever stop in. She said yes. I thought that was so cool. But then she told me what a jerk you can be to your workers.  I started to look at your media interviews in a new light.  The scary thing is that you don’t see how you have benefitted from white privilege. One of the most important things I have learned in my semester back at college is from a book call White Fragility.  One of the points that the book makes is you can’t confront racism if you don’t acknowledge that  there is an issue.  You sir are part of the problem and you don’t realize it or just don’t care.  You make claims that you have many women employed by you but you only hire women that you can control.  You won’t hire a woman who will challenge your ideals and try to make you better.  One good thing that came from you being elected president is that as much progress as we have made in terms of race and gender relations we have a looonnng way to go.  I know I am not going to change your mind but I want you to know the feelings of an everyday american

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Hi Ashley, 

I am glad you brought this subject up because it is something that we need to make sure that gets addressed.  Although people seem to be doing ok with self quarantining with families we also need to remember to treat workers who have to be out during this time like people.  Obviousuly this situation could have been handled very differently, but I am gad that you brought it up.

Post 7

For this blog post I decided that I wanted to talk about least resistance. I know we just discussed this and it had me thinking about my own life and when I used it. I think it is something that is actually important. It is necessary to know when to speak up and when to have least resistance. It can be difficult at times to keep quiet even when something terrible is happening around you. At this point in the world I think that this is necessary. I have read and seen instances that would make me want to back off because it is not worth it and will make situations worse. For example, I was reading that in my local dollar general store, a worker did not have their mask up the whole way to cover their nose. A customer started yelling at them and making a huge deal in from of everyone. If I were a bystander I would not say anything because it could make the situation worse. This person obviously was really angry and freaked out and it would be better to let that person leave the store and cool off about the situation. I honesty think that people are turning into different people due to this pandemic. As this is a hard time for everyone, we still have to remain slightly calm and respectful. It is not fair to lash out on anyone especially the essential workers that are trying their best though these times.  

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I saw this in another paper and was disgusted.  Of course she issued a half hearted apology but i was not buying it.  And that was then confirmed when she rambled on after her apology that black people have ruined her life because she can’t take a joke.  They are horrible human beings.  I am getting enraged just thinking about it again, but glad you wrote about it because people need to know that stuff like this is not ok.

Blog 7

This week I wanted to do a different topic than just Covid-19. I found this article about two high school seniors who posted a racist video on social media and later were expelled. I do not understand how or why you would think this was a good idea to post or even create. They seem to be making a parody of a cooking show with horrible racist ideals. They are “making a n word” that alone pissed me off. The amount of idiotic uncultured people that live in our country makes me physically sick. They add a number of racist stereotypes during the video that are just baffling why anyone would think this was okay. Some of these include things such as: “we rob people specifically whites” “go to jail” “not having a dad”.  You would think seniors in high school would at least have the brain capacity to see how this would affect not just school but haunt them most likely all their lives. They were expelled from Carrollton High School after the video went viral. I truly hope that actually teaches this couple how inappropriate and just how ignorant this video is. They both have written apologies over Twitter. This kind of action is completely unacceptable especially with the world we are living with today. We need to be coming together during this time and instead we are seeing more divisions. We have idiots protesting the stay at home order in Harrisburg. The stupidity of some of our nation’s people is beyond understanding.

On a side note I hope everybody is doing well during this hard time! My thoughts are with you all!

https://nypost.com/2020/04/20/georgia-students-expelled-for-posting-racist-video-on-tiktok/

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An Interview

For this discussion I interviewed both my children who are biracial.  Dimitrius is 20 and Noah is 10. They were both asked the same set of questions.  The responses are verbatim.

1) Noah you asked me the other day, why do some white people hate black people.  How did you guys learn  learn about the subject?

Dimitrius-It was something I picked up when I was younger by watching the news in New York. The way they commentated about black people and white people in totally  separate tones of voice made me think that they were saying black people were predisposed to committing crimes.

Noah-When I learned about Martin Luther King Jr.

2) How did it make you feel when you realized that you guys were different skin colors the mom or dad?

Dimitrius- I never really questioned the difference, it was just normal to me.

Noah- Confused, because I did not understand why I was different color then my mom or my dad.

3) Are there any characters on TV that you identify with because of their skin color?

Dimitrius-The characters in the show like Static Shock, The Proud Family, Thats so Raven, and Little Bill.

Noah-Yes, Power rangers Beast Morphers Devon and Robby because they are black

4) What characteristics make all people look similar?

Dimitrius-Being part of the species of homosapiens

Noah-legs, arms eyes

5) How would it be if everyone was exactly the same?

Dimitrius- not much different

Noah-weird

6) How important do you think it is for people to be different?

Dimitrius-It's pretty important for people to develop new ideas, which is only done when different opinions and thoughts interact.

Noah- 100% because nobody wants to be the same

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BLOG #6

FAMILY EDUCATION AND RELIGION

     These are the 3 most significant socializing institutions in my life.  They are the basis of my life, kinda ironic that education just recently joined the list.  But let us start with family.  In my family race has always been acknowledged and sometimes discussed but everyone has always adhered to their own thing.  Ironically my mom had 5 children, only one of which married a white person.  I think growing up in the area I did you are around a certain type of people and you find comfort in that.  Ethnically my extended family could not be more different.  With most of my siblings being married to spouses from outside the United Sates we have all experienced exposure to different cultures and customs.  I am very thankful for it because t has contributed to me being a more well rounded person.  As far as class I have mostly identified as middle class based on where I have lived during my adult years.  I have always been a straight male, and am proud of the fact that I have friends of all sexes and genders.  For religion I always got mixed messages as a youth.  My mother was Jewish, my Dad considered himself a non-practicing Catholic, so I occasionally went to synagogue with my Grandparents on my mom’s side.  Sometimes I went to a Catholic church with my dad but it was never consistent so I did not really have any solid foundation with religion till I met my wife.  As far as ability there have been times where various members of my family have had their ability to participate in everyday life hindered but we make the best of it.  

     As far as Education goes most of these have not had much of an effect on it as far as messages go.  On second thought that is not entirely true.  Most of the messages I received about education were more about my observations then anything else.  Out of all my siblings and my parents, and Grandparents I have one older brother and my Dad who completed college.   So it was not a very consistent positive message.  I always remember when ever I would bring home a really good grade like a 95 my mom would be happy, I would go see my dad on the weekends and he would say “What happened to the other 5 points?”  I think that is what led to my 24 year gap in my education.  I did not have enough positive messages about education, and what I did get was like getting orders from a drill Sargent in the marines.  

     I really have not had consistent messages for most of my life on these subjects, so I have always jokingly said I am surprised I turned out as normal as I did.

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Hi Ashley,

That is horrible that happened.  It is bad enough taking stuff that does not belong to you, but when it effects an elderly woman that makes it that much more horrendous.  You make some really good points about the duality of al this.  As much as people are coming together, it saddens me to see how much of a wedge is being driven in between people as well.  This reminds me of all the backlash that asian people have receiving. Someone please explain how asians are being blamed when most of them had nothing to do with it.  They are victims as well.  Not really sure how this started (either in a lob or not is almost irrelevant at this point), but we need to look out for each other not vilify anyone.  COVID-19 does not discriminate and neither should we.

COVID-19 Shortages

This blog was a blog in which we were allowed to choose what we are talking about. In my previous post I discussed how I thought this was bringing some of us together and helping each other in a time of need. Now I would like to focus on the negative side. This is something I feel I need to discuss. The issue at hand is that we are short masks, gloves, toilet paper, etc. My grandma has been needing a mask and my boyfriend had some at work and since he is essential he is able to bring them home. Yesterday, when he went into work, he found out that someone stole all of his masks out of his own personal locker. This is a shame what the world is coming to. They must have thought that he is young and that he won’t need them like the older workers do so someone stole them. However, what they did not know is that they were going to be given to my grandma that is in need of them. Moral of the story is that people are feeling that they are more privileged because they are older and better than someone else. The book, White Fragility, comes into play here. If you are younger and think you “know” someone at that age does not need them, then they feel privileged to take stuff from you. I think it is important to realize what kind of people are coming from this virus. An important link that discusses the shortages can be found here: https://www.usmayors.org/issues/covid-19/equipment-survey/

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Just a rant

     I usually stay out of politics but this is one time I can’t sit by anymore.  It is absolutely ridiculous that we have a man child in the White House.  He is no worse than a petulant child who cries and blames everyone but himself.  He is the perfect example of what is wrong with our society.  I am totally surprised that we have not been embroiled in WWIII yet.  Now that I have that off my chest I can get to more solid facts.

     Way before he became POTUS he did some really crappy things.  Let us start with his morales (or lack thereof).  He rides a bus with reporter Billy Bush and they engage in a conversation where Trump remarks about where to grab a woman.  So the tape becomes public, Billy Bush gets fired, and Trump gets elected President.  Does anyone see the picture here?

     Let us now look at how he has handled his Presidency.  His turnover rate in terms of cabinet members and other posts is by far higher than any other President in history.  He calls himself a “Stable Genius” but the minute anyone disagrees with him they get fired.  He is anything but stable (I think him and Joe Exotic would be great friends).  

     I realize this is the tip of the iceberg with him but he is a prime example of white privilege running wild.  There is one good thing that has come out of Trump being elected President.  In the last few decades we as a society have made great strides in terms of race and gender relations.  The thing that I would want people to realize is that his election has made me acknowledge that we still have far to go.  To say the things he has said and still gotten to where he has says a lot about us a society.  We have come very far but still have many miles to go.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/12/30/worst-things-trump-did/

https://www.brookings.edu/research/tracking-turnover-in-the-trump-administration/

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HI Noah,

I really am glad that you have pointed these articles out.  And followed it up with some really on point comments.  This whole situation is horrible, but if we don’t remind ourselves about the potential fall out on a personal level we will drive a greater divide between the different cultures that inhabit this planet.  I really think we need to use this pandemic to band together and have each others back instead of looking to stab a knife in each others back instead.

Weekly blog

This week a choose another article about the coronavirus and hate crimes. In this article it highlights that people are creating masks as a symbol to help reduce racist attacks. We have seen so much xenophobia come out of this pandemic. this article piqued my interest because, of the hope of coming together and fighting racism with a mask. These social media activists are posting and encouraging people to share pictures with the #HateIsAVirus, #WashTheHate, #RacismIsAVirus, and #IAmNotCOVID19. Each one of these hashtags shows the one undercover issue of this pandemic which is the racism in our country. This can also be connected to white fragility since, this is affecting a certain race. We can see examples of that when we see Trump calling the virus the “Chinese virus” sparking many to not understand the dangers of xenophobia. What truly blows my mind is how we could make this mistake again as a country. 9/11 caused many Muslims to not only be discriminated against but, also fear to practice their religion. We have the same problem today with the Asian America community. The FBI informed the country last week of the upscale in hate crimes.           White privilege is also a big issue with this pandemic. In another article about African Americans may be passing away at a higher rate. 70% of the deaths in Chicago were African American who only make up 30% of the population. In Milwaukee County they also have higher deaths in the African American community with 81% fatalities while only having 27% of the population. One of the reasons we may see this escalation is that in regard to, jobs of low-income people of color is the fact their jobs can’t switch to a remote setting. Which makes the chances of being exposed by Covid-19 higher.  No matter what your political beliefs are we are living through history and we need to come together and fight this bigotry. We also need to get our governments to push to help lower income families. In Michigan one public relations consultant Greg Bowens created a 12-point plan for outreach. This proposal would get cellphone companies to blast text messages, also making urban radio with targeted advertising, lastly it leans on black professionals to push messages to stay at home.

I hope everyone is staying safe and hope you guys have a great Easter break!

https://www.businessinsider.com/mask-attack-covid19-racism-virus-hateisavirus-2020-4

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/african-americans-may-be-dying-covid-19-higher-rate-better-n1178011

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Hi Ashley,

I really like the article you chose. Long term school closures are an aspect that I think many people are ignoring.  Also we do need to be reminded that this virus knows no bounds due to race, religion, or celebrity status. 

COVID-19

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/16/us/impact-coronavirus-long-term-school-closures/index.html

CNN reported that due to the virus, schools can be shut down for months. This may leave some students hungry and falling behind their peers. This is happening to all races, ethnicities, genders, etc. There is no advantage or disadvantage in those aspects. However, social class can make a huge difference in this. If a person is wealthy they are likely to afford having a tutor come teach their kids at home what they can’t be taught in schools. They are able to afford sending them somewhere or having people come to their house to keep caught up with their education. Also, social class comes into play with the hunger aspect. The lower class who can’t afford food will struggle and have hungry kids. The use of the phrase Chinese disease can be very offensive. He is blaming it on all the Chinese people in the world when most of them have nothing to do with this disease at all. When discussing social distancing, I think it is important that we social distance. I think following the precautions can do more good than it can harm. Thinking about privilege and white fragility, this virus can have a impact on that. It pulls us apart and together. I think during this time, we see a lot of people coming together regardless of their race if we are agreeing on the same ideas. However, the Chinese are taking a huge hit with this. A lot of them are getting frowned upon because people are blaming them for this virus which is very upsetting. Therefore, white fragility comes in play here. If you are white, you will likely not be blamed for anything happening in this world that is bad. 

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BIG ED's BIG BLOG

Private: BLOG #4 COVID-19Posted by

Edward Morgan

March 25, 2020

Posted in

Uncategorized

EditPrivate: BLOG #4 COVID-19

COVID-19 (aka corona virus) has had a major affect on our society that will be rippling through our lives far after it has been handled. It is horrible that many people have fallen ill and died from this virus. As we fight it on the medical front let us not forget that there is another battle that we must not forget the racial issues that have arisen as well.

https://time.com/5797836/coronavirus-racism-stereotypes-attacks/

I found this article on Time.com that discusses the effect that coronavirus has had on the racial tensions that already exist in our world. It is the narrow mindedness of people that are carrying out these heinous acts of violence that are setting race relations back even further. If we are to combat the inequality of how people are treated we can’t let pandemics like COVID-19 ruin our society.

The two people who were victimized in this article did not create the coronavirus nor are they even Chinese. We can’t continue to let the bigotry of racism cause innocent people to get hurt. The young man from Singapore was assaulted for no good reason. The artist who had her work taken down because the studio said her presence would cause people to not want to go because of her being Asian.

This all reminds me of 9/11 and what my wife went through. She was doing research at Columbia University in New York City. A few days later when she returned to work was a sickening day for her. The woman she worked for said to her “You must be really nervous today because your people are being blamed for 9-11.” To say that my wife was shocked is an understatement. My wife is not of the ethnicity or racial back round of the people who conducted the 9-11 attacks.

This just all goes to show how narrow minded thinking leads to narrow minded decisions and actions. It has to stop if we are to be at peace with one another and ourselves.

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BIG ED's BIG BLOG

Private: WF REFLECTIONPosted by

Edward Morgan

March 17, 2020

Posted in

Uncategorized

EditPrivate: WF REFLECTION

Colorblindness is the shield by which white people deflect from being a racist or having racist thoughts. Robin DiAngelo challenges this by using her book to let people know to stop hiding behind it. When I was younger I subscribed to the I see people not color mentality. But as I grew older I had to adjust that thinking, especially after race became a much larger part of my consciousness. As a child I did not really think about my friends that I played with as being a different race but as I got older into the upper grades of elementary school I realized that race plays a much bigger part of our everyday lives than I anticipated. I think when we are younger and naive that using the excuse of colorblindness is plausible but when we have the knowledge and understanding of being an adult it does not fly.

The quote “But my silence is not benign because it protects and maintains the racial hierarchy and my place within it.” This is a very powerful statement because it is the basis of the biggest issue with whites and racism. Many whites don’t want to speak out against blatant racism because they are afraid it will hurt their social standing and the power they hold. This is a classic case that if you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem.

I remember several years ago that I was called a racist. It was when I was working in retail and was called a racist by a customer who I refused to take a return from. She called me a racist pig. I responded with oink, oink. Afterwards I felt ashamed. It was not the proper response, and was beneath me. It bothered me mostly because having a child (just one at the time), that is from my interracial marriage felt like I was not being a good example for him. I felt like part of the problem and not the solution.

At some point or another I have heard or used all of the terms that are on pages 77-78. Some of them really bother me. The ones that bother me the most is ‘I’m not racist; I’m from Canada.” To say that you are not racist just because you come from a particular country is ridiculous. The obvious implication is that no one from Canada is racist. The conception that a country has no racist people is insane. The other one that bothers me is “so and so happens to be black, but that has nothing to do with what I am about to tell you.” To me it is an issue that you would feel the need to preface any type of comment with that statement. Either you have an issue or you think the person you are speaking to has the issue. I will be much more careful of using the terms. Most of them are not useful at this point.

The counter narratives from page 81 give me a lot to think about, the one that really strikes me the most is “My parents were not racist, and they taught me not to be racist.” Down at the bottom of the paragraph the author states “We are born into this system and have no say in wether we will be affected by it.” This is a very true statement. I have always felt that people are not products of their environment. That influence is either a good influence or not, and you make a choice to reject the influence or accept it. My parents split when I was young and had very different views on many things. My mom was much more open and accepting of people. Looking back at some of the things my dad said make me feel really uncomfortable, and am glad that he is not around to have ever met my wife.

Anti-blackness has shown up mostly in schools with regard to discipline. Blacks students are held to a different standard than whites. I have seen in my history where black students have been punished in a harsher manner then white students. It is equatable to a black professional has to work harder just to get the same respect as a white counterpart. It has to do with the standard to which blacks are held.

The terms being used (urban, inner-city, disadvantaged), have not really kept me from having an honest conversation about racism. Having grown up in that type of an environment has given me a unique position in regards to racism. I grew up in an urban, inner-city, area and grew up disadvantaged. Although it by no means makes me an expert on the black experience but it has given me an insight into how it has been for someone to suffer racism.

One of the biggest things i learned while reading “White Fragility” is that a lot of my opinions that I thought were just my rambling thoughts inside my head were not just rambling thoughts and made more sense. I have always held the opinion that using the term color blindness to deflect any sort of racism or racial insight was not a fair use of the word. It has always been my opinion that regardless of what race you are that you at some point have had a racist thought or used some racial words. Even if they were not used in public or you never acted upon those thoughts it does not mean they did not happen. We all have at least one moment in our lives that we can look back on and say “wow I should have not sone that/said that”, and if someone is reading this and saying “no that is not me”, I implore you to think if this is your moment. This is really important because the main point that Robin DiAngelo is making with her book is that we need to have more honest and open conversations regarding race to ave any hope of combating the issue.

For me the best way to use what I have learned is to allow it to continue to reinforce what I feel in regards to racism and white privilege. I am a firm believer that you don’t have to live in the past but need to be mindful of it in order to move forward and have a brighter future. I can now use this book as a reference point for my opinions. It is always a good thing to have reference material that has been published to back up your opinion on something. It is a lot easier to do this in an academic setting where you have the text books and reading to back up your opinion but someone who is not in an academic setting does not always have that. So for me I guess another thing I have learned from being in college is to use what I have learned outside of it to reinforce what I already know.

One of the things that the people who have gotten to know me over the years is that i wear my heart on my sleeve. Most people always know what I am thinking and I don’t feel that is a bad thing. It allows people to know where I stand on major issues and it also allows me to have honest conversations. And to me that is the action that I take away from reading “White Fragility”. We need to continue to have honest conversations about what we feel now and even more importantly how we have felt in the past and how that has changed over the years. For the sake of brutal honesty I don’t think we will ever be able to wipe out racism, but we need to turn the tide and not let those with racist views dominate.

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BIG ED's BIG BLOG Private: This is me Posted byEdward MorganFebruary 25, 2020Posted inUncategorizedEditPrivate: This is me One of my proudest moments in life is when I became a D.A.D (the structure is a wrestling reference my kids and I joke about). It is a feeling like no other. The joy that I felt can not be measured. People that I knew that were already dads were very big supporters. It was like I had a whole new bunch of friends that I did not know before. A friend of mine owned an import/export company and obtained a legitimate cuban cigar (it was the only time I ever smoked a cigar, was not turning down the opportunity). I truly felt privileged to say that I was a father. Holding a child in your arms that you helped create and will depend on you for everything is the best feeling in the world. When I became a D.A.D for the second time it was euphoric all over again. Out of all the things that define me and who I identify as the title of D.A.D is the one that I m most proud of. Sometimes having lived in the areas I did I came across people that were not so happy go lucky as I am. There was a group of guys (don’t remember what they were called anymore), that were on a street corner and preached hatred of Christians. I never understood why as I have always believed that people have a God given right to worship (if they believe), hw they chose too. I never would force my beliefs on anybody for any reason, let alone hatred of whites. My belief in my faith is like Star Wars. There are people who love Star Wars and then there are those who are wrong (lol). During one encounter with this group I stoped to listen (you have to know both ends if you truly want to be well informed on a mater). They asked me if I was a Christian to which I replied “of course”. I was hit with a slew of insults. I was in the minority of the crowd (in terms of being Christian). I was told that my opinion did not matter and my voice was not to be heard. I never felt so oppressed in my entire life. No one has a right to make anyone else feel any less of a person based on what they do or do not believe. This incident really stuck with me because it happened over 20 years ago and I still occasionally think about it and how it made me feel.