Reading Reflection #8

"...the students quickly came to see their working-class backgrounds as a burden"(p 289). My first reaction after reading about the study of the young adults that attended East Coast law school, who were economically challenged, was one of anger. How could ones own class become a burden if you have risen above the odds and are currently attending college, which is something difficult for minority and lower class individuals to accomplish, especially a prestigious law school like this one is. The students apparently tried to mimic the actions, dress, and speech of their upper class peers, totally taking away any diversity that could have been. When people try to fit in like that they end up losing themselves and who they really are. Is society making them this way, by telling them it is not okay to be poor? That if you are associating with people that are economically better off then you that you must try to act like them, or pretend to be like them? Although this isn't the only case, where people felt like they couldn't be themselves. Many homosexual men and women are afraid to "come out of the closet" because they are worried they could lose their jobs, friends, and even possibly their family. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that a person can't be denied a job or fired from their existing one because of gender, race, religion, or ethnicity. No where does it state that you cannot get fired because of your sexual orientation. Although that isn't to say that some states do not ban this. Many counties and municipalities, 14 states, and the District of Columbia ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. Yet there are still 36 states that say it's okay to fire someone if they are a homosexual. Can you imagine the fear that some people must go through. They have to hide who they truly are, and worry that if any one finds out they could lose their job. A persons job is a major part of their life. They spend at least forty hours a week at it. It isn't something that should be taken away because of their sexual orientation. It's even harder for men that do not take on what is considered the typical male job. Male teachers, nurses, dental hygienists, etc... are sometimes criticized for the "womanly" job they take, and are considered gay from the start. What is interesting is that during the early nineteenth century most of the teachers in America were male. It was a time in history where a person that was born male male teachers even then. either taught or went to war. This is where the phrase, "Those who can't, teach" originated from. Many people looked down on male teachers even then. How ignorant is that? Is the job considered so low that only women can possibly do it? What a double standard! Now think about the minorities that are discriminated against in the workplace. They can't hide their differences from the world like the gay community are sometimes able to. They where their differences on their skin. It isn't a secret that could leak out if you tell the wrong person. African Americans are seen for their color, and then some corporations take a direct or indirect racist attitude toward them. For instance, the Miami restaurant that added 15% to an African Americans bill because they believed that "blacks don't tip well". How horrible is that! Also the text talks about the group of black customers that rose above being discriminated against and sued the Denny's restaurant chain because they would have to pay a coverage charge before each meal, they were refused entrance at times, and they were subjected to threats or derogatory remarks. All these people wanted to do was go out to eat, when did that become a crime in America?
The text explained affirmative action as a program that seeks out or provides equal opportunities to members of ethnoracial minority groups and women for educational or occupational positions in which they had previously been underrepresented. It really made me open my eyes. After reading about how far behind white American has put minority groups, the least we can do is to help them rise to our level in society. The six-year graduation rate for Native Americans, Latinos/as, and African Americans is well below 505 compared to 605 for white students. Institutionally, we really need to help minority groups out. It is something that shouldn't even be argued about. Look how long white Americans have been oppressing them? Ever sense Anglo Saxons landed in America and called it their home, pushing Indians further and further off their land. Don't you think the minority groups deserve this help?
I really thought this chapter was overall a very interesting read. Although the author did challenge a belief of mine, with supposed statistics as well. The author states how a person in 2003 would have had to make $15.21 an hour to afford rental housing, and how nowhere in the United States today is there a person with a full-time minimum wage job could afford rental housing. If I am understanding it correctly, this statement is wrong. I currently live with a friend of mine, and I only work one to twice a week making, 3 and half hours at a time, making ten dollars an hour. He makes twelve dollars an hour at a full-time position, and we live quite comfortably. We budget our money extremely well, and find ourselves able to even have a social life outside of rent at $1200(which includes electricity, heat, water, sewer, garbage removal, recycling, snow removal, and lawn care) cell phone bills, cable, credit cards, car loans, insurance, food, gas, and other miscellaneous items. Every month we make a chart on Excel to budget our exact amount what it has to go toward. It seems to work out fine. So I really believe the author was incorrect in stating what he did. It is possible that I am not understanding him right, and he means like a family of four, if any one understand this better then I do, don't hesitate to correct me.