tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20795009.post2495534292925887847..comments2023-09-22T15:44:10.411-04:00Comments on CUUMBAYA: Are some Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression programs really another form of racism?Joel Monkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10631333436948102576noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20795009.post-42640911767915470612009-03-29T11:45:00.000-04:002009-03-29T11:45:00.000-04:00It's not just a matter of kowtowing to the cultura...It's not just a matter of kowtowing to the culturaly racist society at large- I deny that it *IS* racist teach "Standard" English. Standard English is taught in over 160 countries; it is the official language of Aviation, (if a Thai airplane is approaching a Greek airport, they communicate in English) it is the de facto language of science and industry. In all the Earth, there is only one nation in which anyone would consider "ax" for ask to be correct. If a black industrialist from Ethiopia would correct a white distributor from Serbia for saying "ax", why is it suddenly racist for a teacher in the US to correct a student who says "ax"?Joel Monkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10631333436948102576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20795009.post-51881184358391246552009-03-29T00:51:00.000-04:002009-03-29T00:51:00.000-04:00I think an important question is *why* talking sta...I think an important question is *why* talking standard English, etc. allowed Michelle Obama to get ahead. It's not because standard (white) English is inherently superior to black English, but because standard English is valued by most of the people and institutions in the larger society -- that is, the whole society is "culturally racist." So you're right that a program that tried to combat cultural racism by naively wishing away those evaluations within its own walls may be counterproductive and thus racist. But that's not the only way to do it. It would be much more effective to simultaneously expose and validate the arbitrariness of culturally racist standards while giving kids the tools to make their way in a culturally racist society (i.e. "There's nothing inherently wrong with saying 'ax' and 'y'all,' but if you want to get a job you'll probably do better if you're comfortable saying 'ask' and 'you'"). That way they can navigate the world as it exists without having to take that world as natural or unquestionable. (nb: I have no idea how often these kind of programs actually do things the right way, do them the wrong way, or fail to do anything but post vision documents on the Web.)Stentorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13629599671442149938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20795009.post-46981553736207698452009-03-22T22:43:00.000-04:002009-03-22T22:43:00.000-04:00I read this contretemps at Shetterly's Its All One...I read this <I>contretemps</I> at Shetterly's <A HREF="http://shetterly.wordpress.com/2009/03/21/a-themed-summary-of-racefail-%E2%80%9809-in-large-friendly-letters-for-those-who-think-race-discussions-are-hard" REL="nofollow">Its All One Thing.</A> At first I thought it was a bunch of white UUs all calling each other racist. Then finally the truth dawned:<BR/><BR/>"It's not a bunch of white UUs! It's a bunch of white Science Fiction writers calling each other racist! Relief! Hooray!"David Throophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14942067696830429689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20795009.post-32439553459606621532009-03-22T22:37:00.000-04:002009-03-22T22:37:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.David Throophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14942067696830429689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20795009.post-74582877382179328482009-03-22T17:23:00.000-04:002009-03-22T17:23:00.000-04:00I hope you're correct, too- but some of these prog...I hope you're correct, too- but some of these programs have been around for years, so I have my fears. I'm much less worried about the churches, businesses, and colleges that implement such programs- when they get too silly, like the "brown bag" incident, they get properly ridiculed... but a grade school is another matter.Joel Monkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10631333436948102576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20795009.post-81920527866346966092009-03-22T17:16:00.000-04:002009-03-22T17:16:00.000-04:00(((How many minority children have been kept from ...(((How many minority children have been kept from being all that they can be anti-racism programs, using modern definitions of "racism", that result in the child being totally unprepared for real life after leaving the public schools?)))<BR/><BR/>My impression is not very many and that most of these programs are talked about in theory a lot more than they are implemented.<BR/><BR/>I hope this impression is correct. <BR/><BR/>CCChalicechickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07781469958573869914noreply@blogger.com