Eric Stoller's Blog

Rachel blogged recently about “Why There is a BET and There isn’t a WET“.

Nearly every semester, I get this comment, “Professor, why is there a Black Entertainment Television when there is no White Entertainment Television? They would say it is racist if we had WET, so why can they have BET?” There are other variants of this question, such as: “Why are there historically black colleges and not historically white colleges?” “Why is there an NAACP and no NAAWP?” “Why is there a minority scholarship, but no white scholarship?” “Why is there an Asian/Black/Latino student’s center and no White student’s center?”

It’s a great post and it reminds me of a discussion that occurred in one of my graduate school classes (If you read this and were in the class, do you remember what happened too?).

Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes my posts practically write themselves… I read an article on how one town in Illinois is refusing to give up Chief Illiniwek.

According to the News Gazette:

Gibson City officials started an “Honor the Chief” day in 2005, when controversy over the University of Illinois athletic teams’ mascot was at a peak.

Translation: Gibson City created an event that makes money for the town. The event is fueled by racism which has proven to be highly flammable and profitable.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a bit disconcerting to read an article on the earthquake readiness of buildings at your place of employment. Especially when your office is in one of the five buildings “identified as the most in need of seismic improvements.” I’m guessing that being in a structure of “unreinforced masonry” is probably not the safest place to be when the ground starts shaking.

The 16th Erase Racism Carnival is now available at Alas, a blog.

What happens when Native Americans in Arizona attempt to stop construction of an oil refinery on sacred lands? Lots and lots of racist rhetoric.

According to the NY Times, Arizona is

“one of the fastest-growing parts of the country and a place where developers are increasingly running up against newly powerful but tradition-minded American Indian leaders.”

Don’t you just love the part about Native American leaders being “newly powerful”?

…or this

“Like the land itself, the fight over the refinery reflects a tangle of cultures and centuries of bitterness between Indians and newcomers.”

I wonder why Native Americans in Arizona might be “bitter” with “newcomers” (code for white people)?

…and then

Read the rest of this entry »

From the ACLU: “NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union and New York Civil Liberties Union filed a federal civil rights lawsuit charging that a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) official and JetBlue Airways illegally discriminated against an American resident based solely on the Arabic message on his t-shirt and his ethnicity.

JetBlue and the TSA official, identified as “Inspector Harris,” would not let Raed Jarrar board his flight at John F. Kennedy Airport until he agreed to cover his t-shirt, which read “We Will Not Be Silent” in English and Arabic script. According to the complaint, Harris told Jarrar that it is impermissible to wear an Arabic shirt to an airport and equated it to a “person wearing a t-shirt at a bank stating, ‘I am a robber.’”

Read the rest of this entry »

The New York Times and USA Today recently published articles regarding Muslim students at colleges and universities. Both articles are framed from the point of view that Muslim students are benefiting from “religious accommodation” or “special treatment.” The most prevalent issue seems to be the installation of foot-washing basins in university restrooms.

Having worked at an institution that consists of a large population of Muslim students (University of Illinois at Chicago) I can attest to the importance of foot-washing basins. Trying to wash your feet in a regular sink is an exercise in balance, dexterity and luck.

What is fascinating to me is that all of these discussions, articles, etc. fail to adequately address the issue of Christian privilege. Fortunately, I was able to find a terrific article regarding Christian privilege (pdf) that addresses the built-in invisibility of this issue in higher education in the US.

Here is a quote from “Understanding Christian Privilege – Managing the Tensions of Spiritual Plurality“:

“Christian privilege shortchanges the learning of Christians if they are not asked to critically examine the beliefs that are so thoroughly represented in formal and informal aspects of campus life.”

I used to be an INFP.

According to MyPersonality.Info, “INFJs, making up an estimated 1% of all people, are the most rare type (males even more so). They are introspective, caring, sensitive, gentle and complex people that strive for peace and derive satisfaction from helping others. INFJs are highly intuitive, empathetic and dedicated listeners. These traits tend to act as a “tell me what’s wrong” sign on their forehead, hence the nicknames Confidant, Counselor or Empath. INFJs are intensely private and deeply committed to their beliefs.”

via Faris.

I decided to purchase an abacus for my desk. Students need at least 180 credits to graduate and at least 60 of those credits need to be from upper division courses. I decided that it would be interesting to see the reaction from my students as I calmly ignored my computer screen (with their credit information) and flicked away at my new abacus.

I am ornery.