i don't know about The Answer but starting with reduction of inequality sounds like a start

So there's news of an Answer.

And it is NOT this:

The Myth of Meritocracy: borne of Puritan values, Protestant work ethic and wild west everyman-for-himself mentality. The quintessential American 'Capitalism is King' dream. A fantasy where someone can come from nothing and make something truly fantastic of themselves, meaning, they can make an endless wad of cashola and have every person either want them, be jealous of them or ideally, both. The focus of most fairy tales and fantasies told to young children of varying socio-economic status who someday aspire to be the next Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky.





The Spirit Level (Wilkinson &Pickett) is to be released this month in North America and already has some calling it the most important book of the year. An understatement, in my opinion. Too bad the title has me conjuring up purple crystals, the metaphysical and 'noble savage' appropriation...


Increased inequality, that is, the greater the discrepancy between the rich and the poor, is predictive of any number of measures of health, social and societal well-being the authors claim. The quoted results are so tight that it appears every alternate explanation has been exhausted. Comparisons between the top 20% and the bottom 20% in terms of economic rankings of nations were compared. Between and within both groups, inequality was consistently the deciding factor on all numbers of measures of well-being ranging from life expectancy to happiness. Economic growth in terms of benefits it can bring us has peaked, and those countries who put a cap on their growth/consumerism are better off for a variety of reasons. One of those being, the well-being of their citizens who no longer feel the pressure to keep up with the Joneses or to denigrate and discriminate against those at the bottom of the totem pole for fear of becoming a 'have-not'. A greater sense of trust and respect between individuals develops. When I was in Norway I never saw anyone get checked for train or bus tickets but rest assured everyone still bought theirs.


This 'solution' made me recall a previous unrelated study on lottery winners- those who had won were no happier 3 months later than their 'unlucky' counterparts. Wealth only increases well-being up to a point which is just above the line where your basic living needs are met. From that point on: money cannot buy you happiness. Indeed, it appears luxuries are not considered as such by the rich: they are just constants that do not contribute to increased well-being. Same goes for spending money on material items as opposed to something experiential like a movie or play or music or a meal with friends or family; the latter always wins out in terms of positive affect longevity (feeling good for longer).


Everyone fairs better in a more equal society- the rich and the poor. The ways in which this functions are multi-layered and under the surface. When monkeys are kept in a hierarchical environment, those at the bottom self-medicate with more cocaine; a caste gap opens in the performance of Hindu children when they have to announce their caste before exams; the stress hormone, cortisol, rises most when people face the evaluation of others; and so on. The result is always the same: fear of falling foul of the wealth gap gets under everyone's skin by making them anxious about their status.

This kind sense of inequality as illness is a wide-known fact in social psychological and population health spheres. Rich Blacks in the US suffer from cardiac disease and mortality than equally matched African counterparts or even lower socio-economic status blacks in the US presumably due to increased stress and being discriminated against in often insidious ways. This trend is the reverse for every other compared group e.g. white males and females show cardiac illness as inversely related to socioeconomic status (poor= more likely)

Illustrating equitable and practical governance, Sweden was the first country to make the selling of sex legal but the purchase illegal. So far, this has had an overwhelming influence on decreasing prostitution: the number of Johns have fallen by 80%, former sex workers, 60% have moved on to another vocation, and the trafficking of sex workers into the country is almost nil. How could this be such a success? The corresponding legislation was passed in 1999, when almost half of all seats in Parliament were held by women. To account for this, one needs to look at history- which will be discussed in an upcoming post with the input of Archaeologist and Viking historian extraordinaire, MAJA!

I won't try to explain the theory anymore but rather encourage you to buy/borrow/share the book and watch the following clips from Richard Wilkinson.



Guardian Review - Read

The root of every social problem: Interview - Read

Wilkinson Inequality snippet- Watch



I do have some hang-ups about the cohesiveness of the theory: the comparison of countries with categorically different cultural and historical make-ups, at times what seems to be cherry-picking of data and I suppose an overall incredulity that something so simple could be The Answer. Simple in the sense that it's so obvious so why didn't someone think of it sooner. Why didn't I think of it? I wish I had.

I will say that Japan, Finland, Norway and Sweden are all culturally quite homogeneous as is their ethnic make-up. Some of these nations also have a history of presumed superiority- I'll let you figure out my reasoning there. Also, could there be a third variable accounting for all of this? Is it that the value of equality is inherently related to something like, oh, cultural values and the conformity to these values. Not that this is a bad thing.


Suicide and smoking are the only stand-outs, predicted to be from violence directed towards the self instead of simply scape-goating. I would also claim this stems from the pressure for social comparison based on conformity to contained means of expression. People from Japan and Nordic countries are less emotive outwardly and tend towards more neutral responses on surveys from cross-cultural research. In Sweden they had some amazingly controversial art and theater so I suppose this is an accepted form of expression. They are the third largest exporter of music behind the States and the UK. ABBA.  I'll leave that there.


On a somewhat related note:


Hearing of the discomforting news that Harper, his Oiliness, is looking at a potential majority back in Canada, I hope that voters and politicians alike look to empirically-based best practice and start using their heads. Many nations want a piece of Canada with all her precious natural resources (namely being oil) especially in light of the non-movement of tensions in the Middle East. Let us not succumb to the lure of big bills (Alberta, ahem...)

Speaking of which, never underestimate the conservative propaganda machine. Their newest tactic is a spoof site called Republicans for Ignatieff. One can only dream of a day when the policies come first and politicians promote the greater values of Canadians like respect for diversity, education, inclusion, etc. from far and wide through actual platforms that take a firm stance as opposed to the cyclical callous finger-pointing and political hard-balling of today's abysmal election campaigns  (run-on sentence necessary for that one, apologies).

I'm envisioning a reformation and re-branding of the Liberal party with an assertive, slightly lower-voiced Justin Trudeau at the helm. No longer will we be subjected to identity politics and a true ideological stance will be our guiding light.  There will be a great uprising as seen with our southern cousins, where people of all walks of life shake free from the protective veil of apathy and indifference produced from the current Conservative rhetoric and Liberal impotence, actually get their hopes up and mark that box to solidify their choice of a Representative: someone who would fight for the equality of all Canadians, returning Canada to the honored status it once held on the International stage. Let a kid dream.

i don't know about being didactic so how about a reversal instead?

So i thought i was running the risk of being too teacherly with another fact-heavy post. Here's a fictional piece I wrote for a workshop we were presenting to youth (youfs) at an olympic and paralympic leadership program, which is why it's heavy on the sport focus.

But first,

This is how pleased I am when you Lovelies give feedback/share the blog with friends:


Okay, enough lead up. Here it is.


Killerball

Imagine a society where only women traditionally competed in sport. It has just been in the last few decades that men have been permitted to participate but primarily in certain sports deemed masculine.

Parents buy their young girls toy trucks or cars, GI Janes and practice tossing killerballs in the backyard while little boys are encouraged to play 'nice'. Tea parties and dolls are provided for the precious prince dressed head-to-toe in masculine pink and these make-believe sessions are to be done indoors with little noise. By age 6, both boys and girls believe that girls are better than boys at physical activity. By the time boys reach age 13, their fitness and self-esteem levels drop drastically and 80% are on some sort of diet.

Many Old Girls’ sports with their associated exclusive clubs have been uproarious about men's recent intrusion into their domain. At these clubs, wealthy women socialize, smoke cigars, sip expensive aged liquor and reminisce about better days while their men mind the children.

The most lucrative sports are women's. Many men's sporting organizations have enforced strict uniform codes which state that uniforms must be tight, form-fitting and expose a lot of skin in order to alleviate 'constriction' problems. About three decades ago, a piece of legislation was enforced which required that women and men receive equal funding within university sporting institutions. Since this time, the number of male coaches in men's sport has fallen drastically, with more females obtaining the best paying positions.

The most watched elite sport that women are encouraged to play since they could take their first steps is Killerball. This sport requires players to line up and throw the ball at the player up to "kill' as they run across the court, attempting to dodge the other team's aim. The rest of the team is spread out on the court and attempts to block their player from being struck. Woman-on-woman defense is permitted and frequently fistfights arise from aggressive play. This violence is a favorite amongst fans who cheer the two players on, yelling, "Atta, Girl!"

Those players who cannot make a 'kill' are told they throw like boys. Those players who are struck and let their emotions 'get the better of them' (they wince in pain or even worse, cry) are told to, "Suck it up and take it like a real woman."

Very few men participate in this sport and those who do are called, "unmanly", "butch" or even worse, "gay". Their mothers can be heard complaining that, “Little Bobby just wants to be one of the girls,” and “I wish Andrew wasn’t such a Tamgirl.” After the final whistle blows, it is customary for players to show good 'sportswomanship' and shake hands with opponents; although less sportswomanship behaviour is played endlessly on news sports highlights.

The Thompdaughters
One of the most publicized and idolized couples in the world are Ms. Thompdaughter and her husband, Mr. Thompdaughter. She is a professional Killerball player and has just signed the most lucrative contract in the history of Killerball. Thompdaughter's rock hard body adorned with plenty of tattoos graces the cover of multiple magazines from all over the world at any one time. Her husband is also famous for his astonishingly thin, petite frame, which he admits is from, "just not eating." He is idolized by little boys and lads the world round for his impeccable fashion-sense.

Fans of Mr. Thompdaughter pour over magazines like Coquette and Demure and purchase products that promise to lengthen their eyelashes or make their lips have that "just-been-kissed look". For those with the money, injections of Botulinum Toxin A allows for a permanent fullness and ‘come-hither’ appearance. Many men dye their long hair, paint their nails masculine colours and will take frequent breaks during the day to check their make-up. Messages from the media, fellow men and women as well remind men that the ultimate achievement in life is to be young, beautiful and in a beneficial relationship with a wealthy woman.

Once a young boy reaches puberty, his father takes him to the department store for his first ‘Corsit’ with constricting ‘guyters’ that attach to the underwear to form a shapely package. A boy who has matured at a relatively early age will struggle to find a garment that will flatten his package so as to avoid the unwanted attention of older women as clothing for men is nothing if not form-fitting. His father will often remind him that women love his asset and it can help him attain many things in life. In fact, other men will shell out big bucks to have a routine procedure to implant synthetic fillers into his anatomy for aesthetic appeal. Some men claim there has been a shift from getting implants to please women to one of increasing self-esteem of the man all the while having various consequent medical complications.

Primarily fathers raise children and the majority of teachers are men. Lack of true female role models results in many girls feeling lost once they reach puberty. They model older sisters and look to Gal’s magazines and sports stars for guidance on how to assert their femininity. Some of the girls feel strange looking at pin-ups of the gender they played alongside and grew up with but see women adorning their lockers, rooms, computer screens and even workspaces with nude guys in submissive poses.

Those girls who feel most effeminated often can be thought of compensating through overt displays of feminity; they regularly strut, spit, swear, become fervent supporters of Killerball and call boys and men things like: Babe, Bird, Chick, Fox, Doll, Angel, Bunny, Kitten, Broad. Some men point out the metaphorical connotation of some of the terms implies being domesticated or prey. Similar to this, is the way in which some Blacks used to use ‘Boy’ or ‘Girl’ to refer to adult Caucasians. Those men who point out discrepancies between the treatment of the genders come under criticism for wanting too much or being ungrateful.


Your reactions, thoughts, questions?
Is this situation desired? Why or why not?


Does stereotyping affect just women? How could it be harmful to men as well?

I'll leave you with a quote that acts as a nice transition into the next post on The MENS Society recently established at ManU (of which I am a proud member).


“Discrimination doesn’t have a forward or reverse. Discrimination is the unequal allocation of resources. And it hurts those who get less.” Marion Lay

Watch- Just 2 Guyz

i don't know about my subconscious or what's going on with the font

So I thought I'd share some studies on automatic processing (subconscious, as it were) as it relates to stereotyping.

Firstly, the term:

Stereotype: a basic cognitive strategy. Mental images which organize and simplify the world into categories on the basis of common properties. Often used in forming an instant or fixed understanding of a group or people which can then result in racist or discriminatory actions. Shared idea about generalized attributes of others with respect to perceived physical or cultural characteristics.
Some may seem positive but are actually always negative. This is harmful when individuals are judged based on perceived attributes of their group instead of personal merit.
Sociologist Charles E. Hurst states that, “One reason for stereotypes is the lack of personal, concrete familiarity that individuals have with persons in other racial or ethnic groups. Lack of familiarity encourages the lumping together of unknown individuals”.

People also tend to stereotype because of the need to feel good about oneself. Stereotypes protect one from anxiety and enhance self-esteem. By designating one’s own group as the standard or normal group and assigning others to groups considered inferior or abnormal, it provides one with a sense of worth.
see defense mechanisms:


Childhood influences are some of the most complex and influential factors in developing stereotypes. Though they can be absorbed at any age, stereotypes are usually acquired in early childhood under the influence of parents, teachers, peers, and the media. Once a stereotype is learned, it often becomes self-perpetuating.

Stereotype(s)+Value(s)= Prejudice


We all do it; we stereotype and it don’t matter if you're black or white… (but you can still be my Baby). However, we can choose whether or not to actively endorse these stereotypes but it does take time and effort, literally:

Exhibit A) Primed Elderly Stereotype

Harvard’s Djikic1 & Langer (2008) found that, similar to studies conducted in the past, when university students were primed on dimensions of Old Age e.g.) sort words stereotypically related to old people (grey, weak) that are mixed in with neutral words (apples, picture), they will act in a different way than if they had not been exposed to the stimulus. Those who had to consciously think about 'Old' words walked more quickly between stations whereas those who passively sorted words walked much more slowly due to an automatic stereotype- which influenced behaviour.

Exhibit B) Canadians are Not Push-Overs

Another study, this time on National character, showed no correlation between self-reports and actual personality measures.

For instance, Americans believe the typical American is very assertive, and Canadians believe the typical Canadian is submissive, but in fact Americans and Canadians have almost identical scores on measures of assertiveness, a little above the world average. Likewise, the researchers found that Indian citizens type themselves as unconventional and open to a wide range of new experiences, but measurements of personality show that they are more conventional than the rest of the people in the world.

“This study contributes to a basic understanding of stereotypes, which affect social interactions for many groups,” McCrae (study mastermind) said. “National stereotypes can provide some information about a culture, but they do not describe people. In fact, unfavorable stereotypes of national or ethnic groups are potentially very dangerous, forming the bases for prejudice, discrimination, persecution, or even genocide.” Stereotypes become “cultural phenomena” and are perpetuated through media, hearsay, education, history, and jokes, according to the study.


Exhibit C) To Endorse or not to Endorse

All students in a study were able to think of stereotypes of blacks and all presumed a black man acted aggressively whether or not they believed in the stereotype that blacks are hostile. However, non-prejudiced students who were given a chance to reflect on the accuracy of their assumptions, changed their initial automatic or reflexive response and were able to express their non-prejudiced beliefs through a written response.

The Implicit Bias Test measures unconscious automatic preferences towards one group over another and was first tested on Black/White stereotypes with both races endorsing an implicit bias towards Whites presumably through years of reinforcement from social learning.
The study now is expanding to research institutes and organizations across the world who are beginning to value the importance of understanding bias. Someone can claim to be colorblind but unless you have a disorder on the Autism Spectrum or a pervasive developmental disability you most likely are not.
You can check out your biases here:
http://www.projectimplicit.net/
and participate in research here:
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/research/ As researchers point out, it is only through self-awareness and experience that one can lower implicit bias that can lead to decreased prejudice and discrimination. Further reading: Newsweek- The Stereotype Trap

We like to think we are rational beings. Heck, we put a person on the moon, manufactured the internet and…I got all the important ones, right?
Bottom line is this: in the relative history of humans our cortex is a pretty new player who has been consistently voted MVP since her inception and the subconscious system is the black sheep we wish we could forget. We can rationalize, justify, deny, intellectualize until the cows come home but beneath it all, we are animals who have the ability to deceive in order to maintain our self-concept.

Issues as important as organ donation are decided by the layout of the little boxes on the form. Many voters attend polls in hopes of being seen fulfilling their societal duty by neighbours or acquaintances.

If something is innate can we not then just give in since it's only natural? Of course not. Obviously humans are capable of higher functions but should seek to understand those things beyond our realm of controlled processing (conscious thought). To become aware of the ways in which we are not aware. Everything from advertising to pornography, annoying 'ear worms' (that song you cannot get out of your head) to propaganda posters and radio clips seek to exploit the naivety and vulnerability of our primitive 'reptilian' brain so be aware. Question your own beliefs: Where did they come from? Are they really true? Why do you think that?

To group something as complex as a human being into gross generalizations (categorizations) such as we do apples and oranges is categorically harmful. When we stop seeing people as individuals; we detract away from the fact that groups are generally more heterogeneous than they are homogeneous, meaning the people in the stereotyped group are more different than they are similar. We exaggerate similarities of the out-group:

"All those Christians are the same", "All those men are the same", "All those Abba fans are the same" (actually, that one's true: they are all awesome.)

The alternative, which we would want for ourselves, is to be treated as an individual and evaluated based on our interactions with a certain person.

If I'm unsure of something and I think it's something that won't get me a beat down, I just ask. Start a conversation. Don't assume as it makes an ASS out of U and ME (get it?!)

If you are in doubt over whether or not you can have an effect, after all, unfair social categorization is a massive problem in all walks of life and is something we're exposed to from the moment we exit the womb, watch the following.


Seems like the kids are alright.



The first problem for all of us,... is not to learn, but to unlearn- Gloria Steinem

i don't know about matters of the mind yet i talk about them

Robert Enke
(24 August 1977–10 November 2009)
so I am truly amazed at the strength of Enke's wife, Teresa. Whether or not it is our need to explain or find answers to things incomprehensible, the fact remains that the stigma of mental illness played a significant role in his death. Stigma only compounds the challenge in accessing effective treatment. When someone is diagnosed with cancer they are not expected to treat it on their own or keep it hidden. Moreover, the nature of mental illness is a distortion of our very thoughts; it is more difficult to determine that all is not well upstairs in contrast with the throb of a sprained ankle or the jarring pain of a broken bone.

Counting those who do indeed seek out treatment, more than one in three people will meet criteria for diagnosis for mental illness at some point in their lives. Many never get the treatment they need, bringing lifetime prevalence rates up to 65-85%. Essentially, if you know more than two people, this will directly affect you. If you do not know more than two, well then, this is probably all the more true.

Depression is the common cold of mental illness as it is the leading cause of disability and the 4th leading contributor to the global burden of disease in 2000. By the year 2020, depression is projected to reach 2nd place of the ranking calcuated for all ages, both sexes.

Western culture emphasizes rationality. "We assume that suicide is rational, but suicide is not rational," says Dr. Anne Fleming, a professor of psychiatry at UCSF.
"Some people are more likely to develop mental illness, but the capacity is in all of us. It could be anyone -- and that's terrifying. So it's reassuring to believe that these people are different from you and me. To protect ourselves, we distance ourselves from 'those people,' " states Fleming.

(see just world phenomenon here and here).

"When we avoid human problems that are elusive or complex, irrational or subterranean, we close our hearts," says Sonoma therapist Richard A. Heckler.
"When we become more distanced from aspects of other people's lives that we don't understand, we reject those parts of our own lives as well."

I may well be biased to issues pertaining to the mind given my field of study. In any event, I don't think the importance of being more open to the discussion of matters of the mind can be overstated, especially for men where stigma is a great barrier.

If you are feeling down, please talk to someone, preferably one who can refer you to a professional (yes, some people go through years and years of schooling for this very purpose). And read my next obtuse post for a laugh at my inanity.

i don't know about horses

see: stuff unimaginative bloggers like

so i'm pretty sure this post ain't no stalking horse
yes, blogger is fairly horse-and-buggy
procrastination is just my part-time hobby-horse
horse words.

disclaimer: I was never a horse girl. nay lisa frank girl.

i don't know about that p word

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you in trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." - Mark Twain

this post makes the most sense after watching the requisite Lennon-backed slide show:

IF THE WORLD WERE A VILLAGE OF 100 PEOPLE

In the world today, more than 6 billion people live.
If this world were shrunk to the size of a village of 100 people, what would it look like?

59 would be Asian
14 would be American (North, Central and South)
14 would be African
12 would be European
1 would be from the South Pacific

50 would be women, 50 would be men
30 would be children, 70 would be adults.
70 would be nonwhite, 30 would be white
90 would be heterosexual, 10 would be homosexual

33 would be Christians
21 would be Moslems
15 would be Hindus
6 would be Buddhists
5 would be Animists
6 would believe in other religions
14 would be without any religion or atheist.

15 would speak Chinese, Mandarin
7 English
6 Hindi
6 Spanish
5 Russian
4 Arabic
3 Bengali
3 Portuguese
The other would speak Indonesian, Japanese,
German, French, or some other language.

In such a village with so many sorts of folks, it would be very important to learn to understand people different from yourself and to accept others as they are. Of the 100 people in this village:

20 are under nourished
1 is dying of starvation, while 15 are overweight.
Of the wealth in this village, 6 people own 59% (all of them from the United States), 74 people own 39%, and 20 people share the remaining 2%.
Of the energy of this village, 20 people consume 80%, and 80 people share the remaining 20%.
20 have no clean, safe water to drink.
56 have access to sanitation
15 adults are illiterate.
1 has an university degree.
7 have computers.

In one year, 1 person in the village will die, but in the same year, 2 babies will be born, so that at the year's end the number of villagers will be 101.

If you do not live in fear of death by bombardment, armed attack, landmines, or of rape or kidnapping by armed groups, then you are more fortunate than 20, who do.

If you can speak and act according to your faith and your conscience without harassment, imprisonment, torture or death, then you are more fortunate than 48, who can not.

If you have money in the bank, money in your wallet and spare change somewhere around the house, then you are among the richest 8.

If you can read this message, that means you are probably lucky!

Click here for an interactive Version with little CG people who teach you about the world population! Ever neat!

So I was thinking about how lucky i am to have university as one of my main concerns. privileged is an apt word to describe the situation.

here's a snippet of an 'exercise' on Power & Privilege written by prof Peg McIntosh from...Wellesley (naturally). It was developed for race awareness but some of the points work for religion, gender, health status, class, etc.

There is also an interesting take-off composed by heterosexual people at Earlham College.

1. I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.

2. I can avoid spending time with people whom I was trained to mistrust and who have learned to mistrust my kind or me.

3. If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I would want to live.

4. I can be pretty sure that my neighbors in such a location will be neutral or pleasant to me.

5. I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed.

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 national heritage or about "civilization," I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.

10. I can be pretty sure of having my voice heard in a group in which I am the only member of my race.

12. I can go into a music shop and count on finding the music of my race represented, into a supermarket and find the staple foods which fit with my cultural traditions, into a hairdresser's shop and find someone who can cut my hair.

14. I can arrange to protect my children most of the time from people who might not like them.

15. I do not have to educate my children to be aware of systemic racism for their own daily physical protection.

16. I can be pretty sure that my children's teachers and employers will tolerate them if they fit school and workplace norms; my chief worries about them do not concern others' attitudes toward their race.

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 the 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.

21. I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group.

22. I can remain oblivious of the language and customs of persons of color who constitute the world's majority without feeling in my culture any penalty for such oblivion.

23. I can criticize our government and talk about how much I fear its policies and behavior without being seen as a cultural outsider.

24. I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk to the "person in charge", I will be facing a person of my race.

26. I can easily buy posters, post-cards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys and children's magazines featuring people of my race.

27. I can go home from most meetings of organizations I belong to feeling somewhat tied in, rather than isolated, out-of-place, outnumbered, unheard, held at a distance or feared.

30. If I declare there is a racial issue at hand, or there isn't a racial issue at hand, my race will lend me more credibility for either position than a person of color will have.

32. My culture gives me little fear about ignoring the perspectives and powers of people of other races.

33. I am not made acutely aware that my shape, bearing or body odor will be taken as a reflection on my race.

34. I can worry about racism without being seen as self-interested or self-seeking.

35. I can take a job with an affirmative action employer without having my co-workers on the job suspect that I got it because of my race.

38. I can think over many options, social, political, imaginative or professional, without asking whether a person of my race would be accepted or allowed to do what I want to do.

41. I can be sure that if I need legal or medical help, my race will not work against me.

42. I can arrange my activities so that I will never have to experience feelings of rejection owing to my race.

44. I can easily find academic courses and institutions which give attention only to people of my race.

46. I can chose blemish cover or bandages in "flesh" color and have them more or less match my skin.

47. I can travel alone or with my spouse without expecting embarrassment or hostility in those who deal with us.

48. I have no difficulty finding neighborhoods where people approve of our household.

50. I will feel welcomed and "normal" in the usual walks of public life, institutional and social.

I feel the exercise and corresponding article written by McIntosh helped me to become aware of the ways in which I am privileged and consciously try to lessen my prejudice, my prejudgment of others.


"I was taught to see racism (or: sexism, ableism, sexual orientationism etc.) only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group"

Many would claim that this all feeds into trying to make people feel guilty: "I can't help that I was born this way"
No one wants you to feel guilt as guilt is ineffectual. Instead, it can help to recognize the ways in which we benefit from current socio-cultural conditions and act conscientiously. I would say a certain responsibility comes then with being privileged in how ever many ways power is bestowed upon us.


These 3rd grader kids learned firsthand about power and privilege and the dynamics behind the two at a very young age. (Note: do NOT replicate this experiment)

A Class Divided Blue Eyes Brown Eyes Experiment

(Hit him in the gut!)

A human being is a part of the whole that we call the universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest- a kind of optical illusion of his consciousness. This illusion is a prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for only the few people nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living beings and all of nature. –Albert Einstein

i dont know about sarcasm

so i've been pondering the sense of humor across the pond. self-deprecating humor was always a person fave- the likes of J. Stewart, Conan, pug-nosed Ricky G and Chapelle (not on Oprah) = the height of hot. I blame Canada for my loser-loving insecurity-revealing affinity. that and being raised on SCTV (i don't actually hate the queen just her hats) and the muppet show (i self-identified with kermit).

take a look at the list of canadian comedians i copied and pasted from a blog written by Ethel. For a more thorough list with relevance to the current decade, Wiki that stuff - i'm trying to reduce and reuse.

• Will Arnett
• Dan Aykroyd
• Samantha Bee
• Brent Butt
• John Candy
• Jim Carrey
• Tommy Chong (who that?)
  
• Joe Flaherty
• Dave Foley
• Tom Green
• Phil Hartman
• Jason Jones
• Eugene Levy
• Rich Little
• Tim Long
• Mike MacDonald
• Norm Macdonald
• Eric McCormack
• Bruce McCulloch
• Kevin McDonald
• Mark McKinney
• Howie Mandel (we're sorry)
  
• Andrea Martin
• Lorne Michaels
• Rick Moranis
• Mike Myers
• Leslie Nielsen
• Catherine O’Hara
• Caroline Rhea
• William Shatner
• Martin Short (my facial expression exemplar)
  
• Frank Shuster
• David Steinberg
• Seth Rogen
• Saul Rubinek
• Mort Saul
• Ron Sparks
• Ryan Stiles
• Dave Thomas
• Scott Thompson
• Johnny Wayne

Some say this light-hearted neuroticism reflects the British. Perhaps but let me tell you there is no direct equivalent for British banter in the place north of the US of A. Stuffs SCARY. Like, I think you're serious because you're smiling and you have such a pretty way of speaking. Cheers!

I highly doubt that this bunch would make it anywhere else. except potentially new zealand but keep in mind Brett and Gemaine are 100% better looking and do not require an average of 55 lbs to be photoshopped off of each member (sweet American influence).

the British dry wit is delightful; defs lots lost in translation however. sometimes i get the urge to call some profs out for their unintentional (presumed) disregard for the plethora of internationals. Case in point: with respect to fire and safety in Manchester after mentioning there are only 2 fire trucks and 9 firefighters for the massive area, "You shan't find yourself in harm's way unless you are in the unfortunate position of being in my class. i have set fire to the building twice." - dead-panned by Prof whom we soon found out had in fact set fire to the building. i haven't seen one demure Singaporean dude since.

this is all in sharp contrast to SARCASM.
Watch: My favourite pairing.
sometimes that stuff be ever so grating. i'm not sure if it's my predilection to over-analyze everything but it's quite easy to pick out whom is carrying on so purely in jest vs. needing to dominate the conversation and thus boost their ego.
Trust a THERAPIST>
"So why do wisecrackers keep their bons mots coming at the risk of alienating others? Though they may not be aware of it, sarcasm is their means of indirectly expressing aggression toward others and insecurity about themselves. Wrapping their thoughts in a joke shields them from the vulnerability that comes with directly putting one's opinions out there. "Sarcastic people protect themselves by only letting the world see a superficial part of who they are," says Steven Stosny, a Washington-based therapist and anger specialist. "They're very into impression management." Because humor and hostility often come mixed together, it can be difficult to pinpoint a wisecracker's primary intent. "Sometimes sarcasm is humor—purely a Don Rickles kind of joking—and sometimes it's just innocently insensitive," Stosny (Stosny! Hah!) says. "But other times, it's devaluing."

Devaluing schmaluing, buddy's got a point though. while not an admonition of some good ol' back'n'forth it may be indicative of a deep-seated napolean complex/narcissistic personality disorder. jkjk. although now that i think of it....
suppose i just don't know what i don't know is about all i know.

next time: the ego-protective factors of slang/gang-speak aka don't b judgin moi cos i jus ain't b takin yous lot srsly as evidenced by me typings

ps
The best pompadoured Harvard Grad:
http://www.noob.us/humor/conan-obriens-harvard-commencement-speech-video/

i don't know about my hair/beyonce's receding

so's i heard chris rock interviewed On the Q today re: his doc Good Hair (got to stay connected to the Canadia just a smidgen). apparently 80% of hair products are bought by Black women in the US (whilst comprising 7.5% of the pop) while korean and white bigwigs control the industry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m-4qxz08So

a whole new world. went with a friend to go pick up some weave in Manchester- you can imagine- or you can't because i sure couldn't. Princess brand i think; the hair of my oriental brethren and boy o boy an eye opener it 'twas. above and beyond the material sacrifices (literally thousands of dollars, hour upon hour with the 'miracle workers', sitting with often corrosive chemicals on your scalp for extended periods of time, dealing with the repercussions of a bad job: headaches, scabbing) is the amount of mental energy expended on deciding how to strip down and re-construct that which was naturally bestowed upon you. feel bad about yourself cos you ain't perfection? well you should and if you don't we can sure make you. if you buy our product you will be one step closer to something that does not resemble the natural you. in other words: sunshine lollipops and happiness incarnate. tale as old as time. true as it can be.

interesting clip from Tyra show (me knows, mawkish at times, yes, but the girl is willing to get the general populace to self-reflect, pulling teeth all the way) where a strong black woman gets down to the core of the issue. welcome to social de-construction, viewers. denial is not just a river in egypt. 3:42
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBoBR20n8S4&NR=1

the part that particularly stings is how the 3,4,5 year-olds have so internalized the cultural stigmas associated with being...themselves. 1:00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0DgVijM7Z8&feature=related

it's easy to look at how we've been wronged or suffered or mildly inconvenienced. much harder to acknowledge the ways in which we uphold an insidious mix of unattainable ideals and social inequities and even benefit from them.

i've never been one to complain about a bad hair day- heck, i don't even comb my mess. but i'll be darned sure to appreciate not having to grapple with the fundamentals of my ethnic make-up somewhere in between rolling out of bed and brushing me toofs.

a slick segue to cultural appropriation and my phreshly established goal of eliminating the usage of ghetto from my vocabizzle... tomorrow's topic. fo sho.