Eric Stoller's Blog

The Common Elements of Oppressions
by Suzanne Pharr

It is virtually impossible to view one oppression, such as sexism or homophobia, in isolation because they are all connected: sexism, racism, homophobia, classism, ableism, anti-Semitism, ageism. They are linked by a common origin-economic power and control-and by common methods of limiting, controlling and destroying lives. There is no hierarchy of oppressions. Each is terrible and destructive. To eliminate one oppression successfully, a movement has to include work to eliminate them all or else success will always be limited and incomplete.

To understand the connection among the oppressions, we must examine their common elements. The first is a defined norm, a standard of rightness and often righteousness wherein all others are judged in relation to it. This norm must be backed up with institutional power, economic power, and both institutional and individual violence. It is the combination of these three elements that makes complete power and control possible. In the United States, that norm is male, white, heterosexual, Christian, temporarily able-bodied, youthful, and has access to wealth and resources. It is important to remember that an established norm does not necessarily represent a majority in terms of numbers; it represents those who have ability to exert power and control over others.

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This is the final project for my Ethics of Diversity class.

Lakota Woman:

Why
I chose to read Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog for a couple of reasons. The first reason as to why I chose this book is fairly simple. During our graduate student discussions we had talked at length about the cooptation of Sioux words and imagery by the University of North Dakota. Our conversations stemmed from our having read an article about the use of Native American words and imagery as collegiate mascots/logos. I knew that I was against the use of Native words and images because I felt/knew that it was racist. What I did not know, was anything tangible regarding the history of the Sioux in either South or North Dakota. Lakota Woman is about Mary Crow Dog’s experience as a Native American woman who grew up on a reservation in South Dakota. The second reason as to why I chose this book stems from my own personal history. Growing up in Iowa, I was often told that someone in my family had been Native American. I was never informed as to who this person was or where they had lived. Most of my family is of German or Irish descent and I was always told that I tanned so well because of this almost mythological figure in my family’s history. When I found this book, I was immediately drawn to the fact that this was the autobiographical story of a Native woman from the mid-West. I guess that something from my own past as well as our previous readings by Ward Churchill and the subsequent discussions led to read this book.

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Here are the syllabi that I created for my Academic Learning Services classes:

Odyssey

Academic Success

I’m not sure what to think about this: Officials seek to limit self-segregated dorms at UMass-Amherst. I feel that students of color choose to live with other students of color because of the strength and support that their community gives them.

What do you all think?

Full article after the jump…
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Please be patient with me as I am neck deep in preparation for my final defense.

Therefore, two things are going to happen. 1) The blog postings will be few and far between. 2) The design of the blog as well as some of the content might change as I am going to turn the blog into a “blogfolio” for my final defense.

If you linked to my site because of my writing, please do not despair. I hope to resume normal blog operations starting on May 1st.

Cheers,
Eric

I taught 2 classes to fulfill my last practicum experience for my graduate program. This entry represents the final posting for this experience.

OSU Odyssey
The first class was a first-year experience course called Odyssey. There were 16 students in the class. The class, which took place during the fall term, was demographically homogenous. The students were mostly white (99%), mostly from Oregon, and were all 18 to 19 years old. The class was extremely easy to “teach.” It was like a giant
field trip. Each week, we would either venture out to visit a campus location or we would stay in our classroom in the lovely Rogers Hall and listen to a guest speaker.

I found something out about myself with regards to teaching and rituals. About an hour before class started I would find myself at the coffee shop in the library. I would order a white chocolate mocha with soy. It was a ritual of comfort. I actually had a few anxious moments where I was not able to have my mocha before class. Who new rituals were so important?

My Odyssey students required a lot of energy as they tended to have a lot of questions. I was constantly emailing them with wellness resources. For a time, I was their holistic caretaker. I think the class bonded well enough; however, it would have been nice if we would have had more time together. We only met 9 times. The class was an hour and a half on Monday afternoons. By the time Monday afternoon rolled along, most of my students were exhausted and completely checked out. Needless to say, sometimes my energy levels were not at their peak at that time of the day and I could tell when I was not at 100%. The class often ebbed and flowed with my energies. I think that’s why the coffee breaks were so important!

ALS 116 — Academic Success
I taught my second class in the winter term. This class was called ALS 116 — Academic Success. We met 17 times! This experience was fundamentally different from Odyssey in that I really feel that I was teaching instead of just “driving the fieldtrip bus.” Perhaps this is why there were more than 50 sections of Odyssey with an all hands on deck teaching approach versus ALS 116 which only had 6 sections. For ALS 116 all of the instructors were given a common textbook and a cd of course materials. It definitely felt like we were being given tools for teachers. This practicum was supposed to be composed of 2 separate teaching experiences, but I really feel that I only facilitated Odyssey and actually taught ALS 116. I was able to tailor ALS 116 in such a way that I felt would be most beneficial to the students. Of course I asked for input and feedback along the way, but I had at least created a framework for the general flow of the course. The textbook had wellness and diversity at the end. I flipped the book around and introduced my students to a holistic model of wellness. I incorporated the 8 dimensions of wellness model from UIC. They seemed to like the concepts and were excited when I showed them the online question/answer website: Go Ask Alice.

The diversity conversation was challenging for me as evidenced by this posting:
http://ericstoller.com/blog/2006/02/07/it-was-an-interesting-als-116/

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Six years ago while I was nearing graduation for my undergraduate degree I was asked the following question, “Aren’t you afraid that you won’t be able to get a job?” I was not immediately certain as to the context of the question, but upon further inquiry, I soon found that the questioner was worried I would not be hired for jobs because I was white (and a man). This was the first time I had really thought about what affirmative action was, and what it might mean to me. My thoughts regarding affirmative action had mainly been influenced by my family and the media. For the most part, I thought that affirmative action was a good thing, but I did not know why I thought that way. Doubts about affirmative action being a positive policy seeped into my head while I was conducting my first job search. I believed that reverse-racism and/or reverse-discrimination existed and that I would have to “watch my back.”

Today, I have read, thought, and conversed about affirmative action. I feel that I use to believe in the myth of meritocracy. “Everyone can succeed as long as they work hard,” floated around inside my head and veiled my mind from the truth. I believe that the United States is not a meritocracy and that affirmative action is extremely necessary. Why is it necessary? Because the United States is a system built upon the backbreaking labor, systematic abuse, and marginalization of people of color, women, and other subordinate groups. Affirmative action is a program that seeks to provide equity for these marginalized groups. It helps to create a balance against the white supremacist patriarchy in which we live.

Several arguments exist which seek to discredit or devalue affirmative action. Two arguments that I hear frequently include: 1) Affirmative action gives jobs to people of color who are not qualified and they only receive said job due to this program. 2) White men are discriminated against because of the inherent reverse-racism within affirmative action programs.

The first argument seems to stem from the belief that the definitions of what makes for a “qualified” employee are usually in the hands of white folks. Most of the institutions in the United States are chaired, governed, and otherwise presided over by white people. When a person of color is hired for a job, how often is their competency called into question? Let’s consider the following scenario: A white person interviews and is consequently hired for a job. I would posit that no one says to themselves, “wow, they must have been hired because they are white.” It does not happen. However, if a person of color goes through the same process there will be doubters. I think that a lot of people will say quite negatively, “Yep, here’s another example of affirmative action hiring a person of color. I hope they can do the job.” The white person is given an air of competency simply because of their whiteness. Affirmative action opens up spaces for marginalized individuals to combat the inequalities of white supremacy within the realm of employment.

The second argument against affirmative action is constructed within a context that is void of a historical context and knowledge of the existence of institutionalized racism. Historically speaking, white men have been in positions of power over everyone. This “power over” has saturated the United States for over one hundred years. White privilege exists because of racist tactics, strategies, and actions of the dominant paradigm. The dominant paradigm is hierarchical and white men sit atop this ladder. To say that white men are discriminated against during hiring processes due to affirmative action is like saying white men are not in power. It is a falsity that is used to erode affirmative action and to maintain the ladder of white supremacist power. I believe that racism is something that white people perpetuate. Racism is institutionalized and spread into white consciousness like a virus. White men can be discriminated against, because discrimination is different from racism. It is true that I might be discriminated against in my lifetime, but not by affirmative action programs. Affirmative action programs will take a look at my qualifications and the qualifications of a person of color, a woman, etc. and if our qualifications are the same then I will not get the job. For racism to end, white people have to be willing to give up their unearned privileges and power. The same principle applies to sexism, heterosexism, ableism, and lookism. I feel that it is part of my anti-racist philosophy to rejoice in the fact that I did not get a job because of the mere fact that I am white. There are plenty of jobs that I can get.

So, rejoice in the knowledge that affirmative action exists. Affirmative action helps to restore the dignity of people in oppressed groups as well as people in oppressor groups. Affirmative action places all those who seek to work for the government at the starting gate of employment processes, instead of allowing the dominant paradigm to start ahead of those who have been, and currently are, marginalized.

Today’s horizontal oppression example comes from Penn State:

http://www.diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_5560.shtml

Several Dozen Protest Ladies Basketball Coach at Penn State Game
By Associated Press
Mar 1, 2006, 09:00

Several Dozen Protest Ladies Basketball Coach at Penn State Game

State College, PA

About three-dozen people chose the final home game for Pennsylvania State University’s Lady Lions basketball team as the venue for a protest against Penn State coach Rene Portland and the university.

The protesters, who had tickets for the game against the sixth ranked Ohio State University Buckeyes, came inside the Bryce Jordan Center and watched the contest without causing a disturbance. They laid out a rainbow flag on three rows of empty seats, then waved a large banner during halftime.

Former player Jennifer Harris has filed a federal lawsuit against Portland, accusing the coach of asking her to try to look more “feminine” and of maintaining a discriminatory policy against lesbians or those who she thought were lesbians.

Portland has vehemently denied the allegations. Several hundred fans at the game responded to the protest by holding up “We Believe in Rene” signs, distributed by Portland supporters before the game, a 61-59 loss to the Buckeyes.

Portland declined comment about the protest after the game. She has refused to talk about the subject except for a few written statements at the beginning of the season.

“Can’t we just talk about basketball?” she asked in response to a question about the protesters. Asked about her supporters at the game, Portland, her voice cracking at times, said, “I really don’t know how to answer you.” Read the rest of this entry »

I wonder if this, “Online Colleges Receive a Boost From Congress” will affect this, “Demographic shift hits for-profit school?” It would seem that some measure of accountability could be maintained by keeping federally financed aid programs within the non-profit academic sphere. I am not sure how for-profit online companies can be held accountable when they have share holders who apply the pressures of increased profits.

Online Colleges Receive a Boost From Congress
By SAM DILLON (NY Times)
It took just a few paragraphs in a budget bill for Congress to open a new frontier in education: Colleges will no longer be required to deliver at least half their courses on a campus instead of online to qualify for federal student aid.

That change is expected to be of enormous value to the commercial education industry. Although both for-profit colleges and traditional ones have expanded their Internet and online offerings in recent years, only a few dozen universities are fully Internet-based, and most of them are for-profit ones.

The provision is just one sign of how an industry that once had a dubious reputation has gained new influence, with well-connected friends in the government and many Congressional Republicans sympathetic to their entrepreneurial ethic. Read the rest of this entry »