Wasteland

'Wasteland' is definitely one of those movies that make me look at the things I take for granted. I put myself in their shoes and I can honestly say that I would not be able to do what they do. I remember being in Vietnam and seeing a site that was the same as Jardim Gramacho. I saw a lot of kids my age with younger siblings.

What really touched me was the community within Gramacho. I found myself giggling at many of the kind and joking gestures they made at each other, despite their situations. I could see the hope they were all holding onto. The hope that their children will have better and one day they will not have to do what they are doing. Rather than going to drugs and prostitution, their honest form of living and working is absolutely admiring. I think the movie scratches only the surface of these types of stories, but it was inspiring nonetheless.

The artworks represented beauty, dignity, and respect, a reflection of all those at Gramacho. I'm pretty sure I almost cried when Isis was talking about how she never wanted to return to Gramacho. I could feel the frustration and sadness coming off the screen. I was glad that a project like this was done. Art is amazing. Art doesn't just have to be pretty, perfect, or appropriate. It can be dark, different, or controversial. As long as a meaning was taken from the art, then I think that is the most important thing. I think art is a great medium for better understanding. It was through Vik Muniz's artwork that the picker's stories were understood. It told a stories of dedication, hard work, and dignity.

An Adele Attitude Filled World

"I love seeing Lady Gaga's boobs and bum," she says. "I love seeing Katy Perry's boobs and bum. Love it. But that's not what my music is about. I don't make music for eyes. I make music for ears." -Adele

*Ahem* I love Adele. I think she is so beautiful. I absolutely adore her and everything she stands for. Her music represents everything that our hearts can't quite seem to articulate. When I read Caroline Heldman's "Out-of-Body Image" article I think of how famous people are always under scrutiny. There are a lot of negative comments on Adele's weight, mostly out of influence from the media. I love that quote and how she basically says "Screw you guys!"

Self-objectification hurts self-esteem, academics, and affects a huge part of a woman's mental aspect. I think the most concerning part about this is how fast it is reaching the younger generations. Teenagers? Okay, maybe,... Any younger? Okay, no, red flag. I think the idea of beauty has become so skewed that young girls are starting to become more concerned about how they look rather than playing and coloring. You see it for movies, burgers, shoes, deodorant, light bulbs, band aids, dust pans.. Apparently, and unfortunately, sex sells. I wouldn't quite consider myself a feminist, but I am all for women's rights and equality. I agree that we should boycott all the products that promote these kind of images, but realistically I don't think that would be possible. The entertainment industry and advertising businesses make so much money off of us that a little girls poor self-esteem is not going to side track them. Remember those "Truth" commercials for smoking and tobacco? I think there should be similar commercials that recognize what these images are really doing to young girls and women.

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Random thought: Judith Lorber's article really made me think of my dad. I remember my dad made me wear turtle necks until I was about 15 and would not allow me to do girly things like paint my nails or pluck my eyebrows. He got so upset when he saw my fingernails were purple.

"Wash that off!" He would say.
"But there's no nail polish remover.." I would hesitantly reply.
"Use water, I don't care. Throw away that stuff." He would say, freaking out.

I wouldn't go so far to say that my dad was dismissing gender reinforcements. I think he had that "dad thing" going on where he didn't want any of his daughters to dress a certain way or do certain things that would create certain attitudes and beliefs. But I thought it was interesting how different people have different ways of expressing themselves when it comes to gender and the influences it can bring. I'm pretty sure my dad's a feminist!

Here's article called "How to Talk to Little Girls". I loved reading this, and it was kind of like the activity we did in class when we had to replace all the words that were related to gender. Lisa Bloom talks about how the first thing we mention are looks and elements that reinforce gender identity and the negativity that comes long with it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-bloom/how-to-talk-to-little-gir_b_882510.html

P.s.- sorry for the sloppy transitions, I am having major writer's block!

Tan Hong Ming

I love this video, it is so cute. Just thought I would share it with you all.

Religion and It's 'Quirks'

Religion is such an important part of my life. I could not imagine a life without believing in a higher being. I have grown up practicing Buddhism, and I remember when my Grandma passed away I felt connected to myself and to our Temple. I see it as a very personal outlet, something that no one could ever take away from me. I think a very important aspect of my religion is that we are taught to never judge others for their beliefs. I had a very close friend back in high school who was Atheist. I remember her asking me if I had a problem with the fact that she was Atheist. I laughed at her question because I thought it was really silly. I didn't care what religion or God she believed in, as it wasn't my place for input.

I also had many close friends in high school who were devout Christians. One friend came up to me one day and invited me to her Church. I politely declined as I was busy that day. In the hopes of getting me to change my mind she said "But, we can save you!" That very phrase made me feel very confused and offended. What did she mean by this? What kind of imply was this to my religion? I felt very disrespected and as if she thought practicing Buddhism was a sin. As Buddhists, we believe in reincarnation. Based on the way you live your life, good or bad, your next lifetime would depend on these elements. I didn't understand why she said that when I had shown nothing but respect towards her religion, but I left it at that.

Chapter 46 is really interesting to me. When I read it I realized that I have almost none of those privileges in accordance with my own religion, maybe 1 or 2. I recreated a few items on the list in accordance to my own religious oppression to compare how different I am from that of a Christian.

1. There are no radio stations or TV programs devoted to Buddhism practices.

2. My holy days are not taken into account and businesses could careless.

3. School and work? You bet I'm expected to come in.

4. I could be financially successful and not have it blamed on my religion.

5. People of my religion are not a main part of history.

6. Most people are not familiar with which days I celebrate my religion.

7. I could not going around praising my religion and have people accepting it.

8. I couldn't travel and be sure there was going to be a place or worship.

When I read this over, it was kind of weird to feel a sense of religious oppression. But ultimately, it is what it is. I have never had a person harass me for my beliefs, but any kind of oppression leaves me feeling very restless. The portions on Antisemitism was stressful for me to read. I put myself the shoes of those who were treated so badly for what they believe in and I felt just very sad. It's like racism, but on a even more personal level.

The Somali workers situation is similar to what we see today. As immigrant come in from other countries, Americans claim "They are taking our jobs!" These "jobs" that are being taken were never wanted in the first, as they were low pay and in bad conditions. When you add time off for prayer and religion, it gets that much more complicated. I see where the companies are coming from when they refuse to give the workers extra time off for prayer and practices, but I and anyone else, could also see how important certain practices can be. From both perspectives both groups make sense. I think the hardest part of this situation is finding the middle ground and making compromises, but one that also looks out for the fairness of other workers.

Religion seems to be a complex web. One where its hard to understand where each person is coming from and accommodating each individual's religion is even more complicated.

A Little Perspective

As we were watching the film 'Crash' last week I felt myself getting very upset at what was happening to the characters, but at the same time I also felt a sense of familiarity. It was my first time seeing it, so I didn't know what to expect. I am a mix of Vietnamese (dad) and Chinese (mom), and I have always had my race associated with me for everything I do. When I was little I was always made fun of for being "Chinese". I dressed differently, I didn't know English, and I believed in Buddha. When I entered high school, that was when "it" hit me. Like a big block of fluffy tofu, if you will. After all the years of being teased for being different I came to this conclusion: People WILL say and do things without thinking, and there is really nothing you can do about it. I have experienced many racist encounters, and I think that I have a stronger awareness of the world because of this. So when I saw the film, I knew first hand what racism was, maybe not in that particular context, but I could relate and so I felt more drawn in.

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This summer I worked at Macy's in downtown, Houston. If you've been to that area then you know it is where the main concentration of the homeless are. I could have worked near home, but I choose this particular area because I knew it would be a learning experience. The class system out there was SO obvious. It was like night and day. You had the business people and then you had the homeless people. Reading the text on Classism, this was epitome of. There was the upper-class and then there was the lower class. I found it really interesting that the only time these two groups met was when they were either waiting on the bus or riding on the bus. There was a sense of knowing certain boundaries. Everyone knew to stay out of each other's way. Whenever I would go on lunch, my managers would always tell me to "be careful". At first I thought they were talking about the cars and traffic, but then I realized that they were talking about the homeless.

The point I'm trying to make is that because the division was so visible, many people were becoming self-fulfilling prophecies. 'The homeless' kept to themselves and thought so and so of the business people and 'the business people' vice versa.

As an outsider coming into the 'downtown culture' it was a very humbling experience to be able to observe the world in which we will become a part of. At one point or another we all need help, some more than others. I think that these stigmas continue to exist because we have so many reinforcements from our own culture that its hard to break the stereotypes. This type of division is present in ANY social environment. It would be up to anyone to change this, but it plays out almost as an unconscious thing.

Political Artwork

P.S. - October is Down Syndrome AND Disability awareness month!

-Thanks Carol :)

These photos were transferred from Tumblr. These are not mine and can be found under "political artwork".