Illegal Immigration & Oppression (Sumblog 4)

Casey French

In Wednesday's lecture, we discussed Matrix of Domination, a model that explains how society values certain traits over others and categorizes them into those who experience oppression and those who experience privileges. We had two readings on individual accounts of oppression, but I'd like to share my own personal experience with you. 

I have a friend that illegally came to the United States. We met in 6th grade, but I did not know he was undocumented until the beginning of my high school year. It did not matter to me whether he was illegal or native to Fond du Lac. I was just glad he was able to play soccer or bike around town with me on the weekends. However, it was always a difficult issue for him to discuss with me. I was his best friend and yet, he was hesitant to telling anyone his secret. He did not have to hide anything from me, but it felt like he was living under constant scrutiny. He lived in Mexico until he was around 6 years old, and barely remembers anything about his childhood. I hardly remember mine at that age. The only life he knows was in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. That's the life he grew up in and the life his parents provided him. His parents looked for opportunities in the United States and have been situated in Wisconsin for over 20 years. His father has been working two jobs for years in order to provide for his family. He sleeps in-between shifts and everything they pay for is out of pocket for the most part.

I watched as my friend struggled to pay for college and how he was denied jobs due to lack of documentation. I sensed this stigma between others who judged him in high school or made inadvertent jokes about his nationality. He spent his whole life fighting this label that he had no control over. It was an identity that was ascribed to him at a young age. Socially and economically, he was always oppressed and it felt like he could never catch a break.

What made it worse was that he was smart. I mean, really smart. He was in the top of my high school graduating class after taking an overload of advanced placement classes. I would always get frustrated at his incredible memory retention with little effort. I would study for hours for a very important exam and he would glance over the material before class and receive a perfect score. He had so much potential and his ambitions were starting to seem impossible due to his status in society.

He could not apply for scholarships. He could not apply for all the schools he was interested in and it seemed like an education was just too expensive. However, my mom, who works at the UW-Fond du Lac, guided him into enrolling at the out-of-state tuition rate. The catch was that he had to pay double the amount I had. The bright side was that he was able to continue school. 

I remember specifically one day during our first semester of college in the library computer lab. He was watching Congress vote for this new bill called The DREAM Act to allow deportation immunity for the children of illegal immigrants. The bill would also provide easier access for these immigrants who fit certain criteria to gain residency and enroll in universities at a permanent resident tuition rate. The Dream Act required 60 votes to be passed. I remember watching him count the totals. 52 for: 48 against. The bill was revoked with the shortage of 8 votes. It was heartbreaking to watch his hopes and ambitions crush by such a small margin. 

Oppression in the United States is prevalent for many minorities who are here legally. For my friend, he had even more limitations. It was not his decision to live this way. His situation is an example of oppression in society. He was denied opportunities and equality based on his parent's decision to provide a better life for their children. As time progressed, things have been getting better for him. 

He currently is attending school in UW-Oshkosh with a triple major in Microbiology, Physics, and Chemistry and will be graduating on track. He wants to go to graduate school to become a doctor. I realize that illegal immigration is a heated topic for some people and that my friend's experience is not representative whatsoever of illegal immigrants as a whole. However, I always see them as people first. Our society oppresses those for "breaking the law", but a good proportion of them are oppressed unconditionally by society. They lack basic opportunities toward education and occupations. This locks them in their current situation their whole lives. I feel that it's easy to generalize when you have limited interaction with those who are inflicted. 

The media portrays all undocumented immigrants as criminals, but I do not see them this way. It is a completely different perspective once you experience it firsthand. Put yourself in my friend's situation. Apply it to your childhood. Imagine being given a label/identity from society that was out of your control. This label will haunt all facets of opportunity and hinder you from achieving any ambitions you may have. To me, that sounds like oppression. Thanks for reading my personal narrative. 

Social Identity & The Westboro Baptist Church (Sumblog 3)

Casey French

 

 

On Wednesday, our class watched a documentary about the notoriously controversial religious group known as Westboro Baptist Church. I was actually extremely curious how this group looked four years afterwards. The daughter of the former filmmaker left the group. The father expelled his own daughter out of the family and even took the photos off the walls. Lauren was totally transformed with multiple piercings and her choice of clothing. The family claims "she wanted a man" and despite the obvious hole in their family structure, the father was relieved to let her go for her decision to not obey the church. The group thrives off their idea of setting aside emotions and desires for their religion. Belonging to the church and those associated with it seems to set aside the basic qualities that make us human. According to Berger, religion is a social institution involving beliefs and practices based on the sacred, and I believe that the mastermind of this following truly identifies with this ideology that they are preaching. They add value and significance to the idea that God is actually an entity to be fearful of and the membership to this group is very rigid with certain expectations on the individuals involved. Everyone has a specific duty, whether it is making signs or spreading the word. The conformity to this idea supports the theory of in/out-groups who categorize themselves between two polarized groups. You're either with us or with them. That is why so many of the former members feel that they were shut out from the rest of their family. "Some people lose their family to cancer or a car accident...I lost mine to a cult".

 

I had to share this clip because it was hilarious. Of course, this reinforces the idea for the younger children, but the spin-offs off Lady Gaga and Queen hit songs made me laugh. They parodied popular pop songs as propaganda. Here's the clip:

 

http://youtu.be/qF1oAsgzchA?t=25m28s



 

In the documentary, society ultimately rejected the ideology of the group by passively retaliating with picket signs saying "Drink the kool-aid already", in reference to the cult that committed mass suicide by drank cyanide. With lawsuits claiming that they inflicted emotional pain onto others, the Westboro Baptist Church is attempting to combat them by sending their children to law school. However, as people leave and the rigid boundaries of their exclusive religion disallows outsiders to have membership, all signs seems to point to their inevitable downfall as a social institution.

 

 

Sociology of Disability (Sumblog 2)

Casey French

In the beginning of class, Professor Barry asked us "how do you define happiness and how do you reach it?" and I don't think anyone answered this question. I mentioned that it is more individualistic in a sense that positive-thinking and inner peace is the true route to happiness. However, society has a way to criticize your actions and judge you whether you know it or not. I feel like the purpose of this question (before we ran out of time) was to put ourselves in the place of the "disabled". That's what I did and it was a real eye-opener. Sociologists like to categorize people into groups. They like to analyze the culture behind certain disabilities and the identities that might be associated with it. When Professor Barry drew a spectrum from high to low 'disability', I was unsettled by the placing certain 'disabilities' based on the severity. As seen by the clip in class, the media often reinforces this idea that the disabled are unfortunate, helpless people. The role of the disability is the behavior expected of someone who holds a particular status. In the readings, there was a woman who had an 'invisible' disability and could not be seen based solely on appearance. As a society, the expected role is challenged, and people have this idea of handicapped based on physical representation - a wheelchair, a cane, hearing aid, etc. When someone has no evidence of their disability such as mental or internal disabilities based on appearance, it contradicts what one is accustomed to. I was not shocked when I read that people assumed that she was joking about her condition. Even though I felt terrible about how people treated her, I think our society has always had negative connotations with disabled people. We always assume that disability is an achieved status and that the decisions one has made established their disability. It's disheartening.

I personally would agree with the alternative, holistic method in which you look at the character of a person rather than focus on their disability. The spectrum approach is only relevant for agencies in order to consider what is covered under health plans and how to accommodate them. Everybody has issues. There is variability among the "abled" category, but why divide ourselves from the "disabled"? We're all fighting the same battle. The solidification of looking at society as a whole is more appropriate and considerate of those who have disadvantages.

Michael Scott:	Can I ask you all a question? Do you know what it''s like to be disabled?
Phyllis:	I had scoliosis as a girl
Michael Scott:	Never heard of it. No, a real disability, not a woman's trouble.
Creed:	When I was a teenager, I was in an iron-lung.
Michael Scott:	Wha? How- how old are you? The point is: I am the only one here who has a legitimate disability. Although I am sure Stanley has had his fair share of obstacles.
Stanley:	I'm not disabled and neither are you.

Sadly my media source is unavailable unless you have Netflix. The Office has an episode called "The Injury" when Michael Scott accidentally burns his foot on a George Foreman grill. He wants sympathy from his coworkers so he brings in the building manager who has been in a wheelchair his whole life. Michael likes to bring in guest speakers to prove a point that usually doesn't go in his favorite. Ultimately, Michael addresses the common stereotypical assumptions of handicapped people and it would have been a great media source to share...

Portrayal of Poverty in the Media (Sumblog 1)

Casey French

Media is rather selective. Large corporations control the majority of the news coverage we consume through television, newspapers, radios, and other means of communication. Those that control the media have the power to manipulate our attitudes of society towards race and class. Driven by a profit-oriented mentality, these corporations are so influential that they can shape the identities of society. Gregory Mantsios discusses how poverty is rarely discussed in news broadcasts because they are portrayed as inferiors. The notion that the poor are undeserving of attention enhances the resentment and prejudice against them. It almost feels like the media combines the upper class and the middle class as one unified class, scolding those who are anything below that line. Poverty in media is replaced by the criminal activity of a few. The author makes an interesting connection between the crimes of the wealthy and those of the poor. They are identical, but the media emphasizes the poor more maliciously, claiming that only a  small portion of the upper class is flawed. The poor is in their situation because it's their fault in the eyes of these corporations. They only deserve recognition if they do something out of the ordinary or around Christmas time, when volunteers go out of their way to help in soup kitchens. It's a shame that our media is so backward.

I'm sure we've all encountered this video before. Ted Williams has a gift and the media consumed this story immediately. Media coverage on poverty and the poor is often neglected and quite shallow. As Gregory Mantsios suggests from our readings, the news thrives off "feel good" stories of poor people rising to the top and follow their success. It's interesting how his article forces you to rethink the media. For instance, I've never seen the "face of poverty", because according to their mentality, poverty is an "eyesore". All newscasts are statistics and are often associated with specific people such as African Americans or Latinos. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10201700214101202

This is a video from an independent media source that addresses the flaws that persist in our media.