Those People...

After reading Gary Soto’s like Mexicans one particular part in this short story that really disturbed me, was the fact that Gary and his friend Scott at a young age could make the distinction among their different ethnic groups. By this I mean that there was an acknowledgment that both Gary and his friend Scott came from different ethnicity groups and should therefore keep within their groups when considering marrying. Couples often marry those of the same ethnic identity for a sense of familiarity. One may also want to spend their life with an individual who shares the same cultural ideology. This shared ideology could be political, religious, economic etc. A shared or common ideology reduces conflict and creates a sense of unity. Marriage after all is supposedly the act of two people uniting for the rest of their lives. I would not be a bit surprised if Scott at the same time was being reinforced by family members or peers that he too should stay among his own people. It’s this segregation taught by our own parents since birth that create this divided world we live in. We preach and study diversity all day long but it sure seems like everyone forgets it within the walls of their own home.

Worries about marryng someone of a different race... founded or unfounded...

Are worries about marrying someone of a different race founded or unfounded? It is my personal belief that any worries one might have vary individual to individual. While some might find a cultural barrier to difficult to deal with others may find it perfectly fine. Other factors that cause people worry can be their families. The opinions and feeling of other family members can weigh heavily on the minds of some people and could even cause a perfectly healthy marriage fall apart. In America we have probably the most diverse mix of races and cultures in the world. So interracial marriages in America are far more common. Children born and raised here may be of any number of races both mixed and pure but since we all lived here our entire lives the shared experiences make those marriages easier. It is when we venture outside our countries that the cultural and racial differences become much more apparent. These however with a good heart and an open mind are able to be overcome. The ability to communicate however is probably the most vital. Communication is the secret to any relationship and marriage most of all. It is up to the individual to think ahead and either decide that they are up for the unique challenges of an interracial marriage or not.

People who haven’t had the experience of advanced schooling, the terms and concepts used there may just as well be a foreign language or a secret code.

People who haven’t had the experience of advanced schooling, the terms and concepts used there may just as well be a foreign language or a secret code.

The collegiate level of education takes a very surprising jump to many students from our current K-12 education system. Terminology and expectations are on a completely different level than that of which I remember of high school. In our current state of K-12 you simply need to be a warm body in a seat. NO child left behind has not improved the quality of our education system it has only lowered the standards and pushed our children forward. There is no excuse for a student to reach community college level and not be able to read English. Not true? Oh it most certainly is. I am not a teacher just support staff but, my work in education has led me to meet far too many students like this. Is it community colleges job to re-educate these students? Half of a student’s financial aid is being wasted on remedial education. Just to get them to the level where they understand what their college professors are talking about. I think if we compare education quality to that of 20 years ago we will find a very significant drop and as time goes forward we should be improving not declining.

WATCHING OPRAH FROM BEHIND THE VEIL

WATCHING OPRAH FROM BEHIND THE VEIL

The main point I would like to make is what seems obscene to us can very well be another nations culture and is it our place to tell them how to live their lives? Western values aren’t the only values in the world and no one countries culture is better than another’s. To say so is what makes the world call most of us westerners arrogant. In a country where the sexes are rigorously separated, where topics like sex and race are rarely discussed openly and where a strict code of public morality is enforced by religious police," the article noted, "Winfrey provides many young Saudi women with new ways of thinking about the way local taboos affect their lives ... Some women here say Winfrey's assurances to her viewers - that no matter how restricted or even abusive their circumstances may be, they can take control in small ways and create lives of value - helps them find meaning in their cramped, veiled existence. In 2006, Youssef Ibrahim reported in the New York Sun on Nabil Ramadan, the owner of a fast-food restaurant in Ranoosh who hired two women to take telephone orders. Within 24 hours, the religious police had him arrested and shut down the restaurant for "promoting lewdness." Ramadan was sentenced by a religious court to 90 lashes. We from a western nation can’t even fathom things like this. Our culture is so different that what they accept as normal we find absolutely repulsive. I think we should not try to control the world by telling people their culture is wrong. There are better ways to foster peace in the world.