tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post5429427010293275974..comments2024-02-05T05:15:04.759-08:00Comments on Wandering Scientist: Paths and ImperfectionCloudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-76837464972999891982013-09-20T08:57:10.255-07:002013-09-20T08:57:10.255-07:00This is one of your best posts ever, Cloud. Lots o...This is one of your best posts ever, Cloud. Lots of gems in here. Thanks for helping me clarify some of my own thoughts on these issues.DRohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12768395842252862179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-20759062060864725722013-09-18T07:37:09.944-07:002013-09-18T07:37:09.944-07:00I went ahead and changed the text to make my meani...I went ahead and changed the text to make my meaning more clear. Thanks for highlighting that!Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-70917712528649770252013-09-18T06:49:28.497-07:002013-09-18T06:49:28.497-07:00For me, the trick is to learn to recognize your gu...For me, the trick is to learn to recognize your gut-reaction as suspect, and then consciously set aside the -ist part and try to respond to the individual and the actual situation in front of you. It feels awkward, but I think it is helping.Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-81308804241737701642013-09-18T06:40:23.750-07:002013-09-18T06:40:23.750-07:00I worded that poorly. I mean that I am usually cer...I worded that poorly. I mean that I am usually certain about whether *I* think something is sexist. I don't have these almost comic inner dialogs like I did during intermission at The Merchant of Venice. <br /><br />But yes, not all women think alike. Not all Black people think alike. Etc. I HATE it when I am asked to speak for all women (which happens occasionally at work). I make sarcastic comments about tuning in to the sisterhood before I answer. The guys who asked me generally look confused by those.Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-36823176089950241832013-09-18T06:38:03.894-07:002013-09-18T06:38:03.894-07:00Thanks for the link. I'll check it out!Thanks for the link. I'll check it out!Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-69596610966686838802013-09-18T06:37:45.025-07:002013-09-18T06:37:45.025-07:00A lot of what I "know" about racism came...A lot of what I "know" about racism came from my group of high school friends, which was so diverse we looked like a Benetton commercial. I was struck recently to realize how much less diverse my group of friends is now. It has to do with me moving increasingly into white-dominated areas, both geographically and professionally, I think. I wish it were different, but there is no easy way to change that.<br /><br />I've started consciously working to diversify my Twitter feed. I learn a lot, and find interesting things to read that I would never have found otherwise, so that is good. <br /><br />I have a colleague at work whose daughter is at school in Boulder. She's fine, but the pictures he's shown us from her are heart-breaking. Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-81782583472801085542013-09-18T06:16:46.752-07:002013-09-18T06:16:46.752-07:00Once again, thank you for a thought-provoking post...Once again, thank you for a thought-provoking post. I believe there always will be -isms. It is part of human nature - to want to be a part of a group and to exclude people that are different (by race, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, etc). I would like to think of myself as an open and accepting person, but the sad truth is - when meeting people, I do tend to form first impressions based on (usually false) pre-conceptions about their ethnicity, color, accent... You get the idea. I do my best to remind myself to get to know the PERSON and not to jump to conclusions about who they are based on the looks alone (I got burned on that quite a few times). I guess that's my way of addressing the unfairness of the world and all of its -isms: start with myself and be as free of -isms as possible. <br /><br />As far as -isms that affect me directly... I learned two very valuable lessons at a tender age of 15. One - there is nothing wrong with me, there is something wrong with the world. And there is nothing I can do about it. There will always be people who look down on me, dislike me, or what not - because of my ethnicity/religion. (And yes, for a couple of years I thought it was all my fault and I deserved the kind of treatment I was getting). <br /><br />Lesson number 2 - people are full of surprises. I had a classmate who, on a number of occasions, had told me that her mother hates (people of my religion). This girl and I ended up being best friends and her mom, over the course of about two years, went from ignoring me to being nice to me. I don't know if she decided I was an exception, or if her -isms weren't as strong as my friend thought. Really, it doesn't matter. What matters - give people a chance, even if you think they are horrible -ists. Let them get to know you. Take a risk - and maybe, you'll teach them something new about themselves as well as your group.Natashahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08240398539368446143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-35424788306625387932013-09-18T04:55:16.712-07:002013-09-18T04:55:16.712-07:00The truth is that we don't really even know 10...The truth is that we don't really even know 100% when a comment is sexist either. Yes, some things are obvious, but there's a grey area with sexism too. <br /><br />The same is true for racism. I'm fortunate enough that there are multiple people of color in my department, and multiple people who study racism. They don't always agree! They can tell you why they don't agree too, putting it into the context of their generation and their background, though honestly, I think it's a little more complicated than when they talk about one generation being betrayed by third wave feminists-- I'm also willing to believe that 100% of the older generation doesn't feel one way and 100% of the younger the other way. <br /><br />Yes, there's going to be intersectionality and group differences, but the individual differences will always be larger than the group. We can address problems (discrimination, segregation, lack of opportunity) at the group level, but we have to remember that people are individuals first. Not all women are alike. Not all women agree on everything dealing with gender issues. Not all feminists agree on everything dealing with gender issues! The same is true for (almost) every group you can think of. Demographic groups aren't cults, they're just groups of people that share something in common.nicoleandmaggiehttp://nicoleandmaggie.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-36085169680696206202013-09-17T23:17:52.313-07:002013-09-17T23:17:52.313-07:00This makes me think of this wonderful video I saw ...This makes me think of this wonderful video I saw on racism and privilege: (which I cannot find now after searching for far too long) and this post on living in ingrained racism: http://choochoobear.tumblr.com/post/60820440902/as-an-intern-for-marvel-in-the-late-70s-racist <br /><br />Certainly it's less clear where the lines are when you're not part of the marginalized group, and the process of learning those boundaries is sometimes a bit fraught. I ask my friends who are part of the marginalized groups, whether it be race or sexual orientation, to talk to me about the issues that they face if I don't feel like I have a good understanding of them. I'm no expert, but it's a start. Revanchehttp://www.agaishanlife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-33601212512429076592013-09-17T22:57:27.822-07:002013-09-17T22:57:27.822-07:00In college, I shared a room with a black woman, wh...In college, I shared a room with a black woman, which profoundly changed the way I view race in America. It was one of the most valuable things I learned in college.<br /><br />It also means that I say inappropriate things to black people I only just met--things that you only say to family or a close friend. One time, I said something to my (black, male) pharmacist, and then realized I was out of line. But, then he gave me a really honest and thoughtful answer about his experiences as a black male in those situations.<br /><br />A year later, I was in there and he was talking to an Asian man. He introduced the guy as his best friend in college. And then I realized why he was as open with me as I was with him.<br /><br />I'm constantly pointing out injustices to my white male hetero husband. He's incredibly unobservant.<br /><br />Today, I was shopping at Trader Joe's and the checker was bantering with the kids in line. He apologized to a ~5 yo blonde girl for running out of stickers. I thought about how this little girl will grow up believing that stores welcome and value her.<br /><br />There are 2 Trader Joe's in 90266, home of ~40,000 of the whitest and wealthiest people in America . There is none in Inglewood or anywhere in the vicinity of Inglewood. <br /><br />I met a black woman at one 90266 TJs and she told me how many of her neighbors think she is crazy to risk her neck to shop there. They believe they would be targeted by the police for trumped up traffic violations. (I've seen that.) She said that there is no place near her home to get fresh organic food at affordable prices. This is not an idle worry as ADHD prevalence in children goes up with concentrations of organophosphate pesticides in maternal blood.<br /><br />Anyway, I watched the interaction with the little blonde girl and thought about how my black roommate (and I, when I went with her) was followed by store security as soon as she entered any store. And I thought about the teenaged girl who was killed at a grocery store in south central LA b/c the owner thought she was shoplifting. I could barely hold it together when I compared and contrasted the two lives.<br /><br />This week, I can barely hold it together anyways as I watch the suffering in my former home of Boulder.badmomgoodmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11569728075698885020noreply@blogger.com