The Christmas Word

Idalis Burgos


                                                        THE CHRISTMAS WORD

Idalis Burgos

The Word Christmas

Just the other day I came across an e-mail in my inbox that caught my attention.  The topic of the article is a direct reaction to the White house calling a Christmas Tree a “Holiday Tree” this year.  This reminded me of the situation that I’d often thought about since last year’s “Christams Village” dilemma.  It happened last year around mid to the end of December.  In case you’re unaware, there was a problem with an atheist woman and many others wanting the word “Christmas” to be taken out of the sign, “Christmas Village” in Center City because they found it offensive.  Needless to say, there was a big controversy about this throughout the holiday season.  The word Christmas was taken down until Mayor Nutter stepped in and had the “Christmas” sign put back up that is in fact what it is.   

I personally don’t find it offensive or threatening when I walk passed a building and see a large Menorah and a sign that reads “Happy Hanukkah”.  I was brought up in a Christian family and I was raised to respect the religion of others.  Having grown up in the Philadelphia School District whom observes many of the Jewish holidays as well, I understand that the Menorah is a symbol of Hanukkah just as the Christmas Tree is one of many symbols of Christmas.  They educated us on most religious holidays to help soften the clashes between cultures.  The colliding of cultures from time to time is inevitable, but as a society we must remain respectful.  Christmas is to Christians as Ramadan is to Muslims.  To ask either one to change the name of a symbol of ANY religious holiday to sound less Christian, Muslim, Jewish, etc. in order not offend anyone would be like taking away from their religious identity; and all I the name of politeness? 

This is what Ben Stein had to say about the Christmas Tree situation:

Apparently the White House referred to Christmas Trees as Holiday Trees for the first time this year which prompted CBS presenter, Ben Stein, to present this piece which I would like to share with you. I think it applies just as much to many countries as it does to America . The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.                                         My confession: I am a Jew, and every  single one of my ancestors was Jewish.  And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.  I don't feel threatened.  I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me.  I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto.  In fact, I kind of like it.  It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu .  If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me  as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians.  I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.  I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country.  I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God?  I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.  But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different:  This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's  intended to get you thinking. Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina)..   Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.  She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.  And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out.  How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?' In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.  I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.  Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school.  The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself.  And we said OK. Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide).  We said an expert should know what he's talking about.  And we said okay. Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out.  I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.' Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.  Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.  Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail  and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages  regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.  Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace,  but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and  workplace. Are you laughing yet? My Best Regards,   Honestly and respectfully, Ben

Globalization: What does it mean to you?

Erich B. Coppersmith

What is globalization? Well that would depend on who you talk to. Some people would say that it is about world markets merging. Some might say that it is the shrinking of the globe by the speed of communication. While there still are others that would say that it is the blurring of the cultural lines among nations. Globalization could indeed be any and all of these things. The term has taken on many meanings to different people.

Some people blame globalization for the loss of jobs due to outsourcing while others rejoice at the new found employment opportunities brought to them.

 While some people  become mobilized to stand guard against the rising tide of globalization in fear that it will erode their national  identities as borders are blurred; others will look upon the new found wealth of culture available to them.

The point here is that the world is full of people, many different kinds of people and the resources available should be available to everyone. We have the technology now to monitor and distribute vast quantities of data and goods to all corners of the globe. In order for the world to become a more fair and equitable place we must use these tools to their best advantage.

I propose a new concept in Globalization. Education needs to graduate to the next level. I envision a whole new way to teach and learn. A “Global Education”  consisting of top of the line ,completely scalable and upgradable digital classrooms for the 21^st century.  If teachers and students have the very best equipment available to them at all times in all classrooms a transparency is created that students will encounter when they go out into the world of the modern job seeker.

 The actual world and everything in it is becoming more and more intertwined in its  virtual counterpart. This needs to be considered if future students are to be expected to make a seamless move into the modern job market. Theses aforementioned considerations should not be limited to post-secondary education. These ideas should be implemented all across the board, from primary education all the way up to create a 21^st century baseline equality in education. I believe that with these elements in place colleges will become more free to offer even more specialized programs, which would in turn create more demand for educators in the post secondary sector.

 Everyone in today’s world can see that through technology and communication the world is getting smaller and much more easily accessible. As time goes by we see small steps toward more truth in world history, not just the wildly varying and overtly nationalist views that we currently find. So why not take education to the next level?  Our constantly expanding world view and broader perspective on world history  needs to be incorporated into educational curriculum, as well as daily life. We must , as a nation turn out global citizens in order to be truly competitive in the next century. A large number of American graduates, particularly those from expensive, private academies can find the “real world” quite overwhelming compared to what school actually prepared them for. Anyone who has been on a fabulous vacation or trip knows the value of being exposed to other cultures and customs. This is a must for American children in particular who often do not have a very strong understanding of the world’s cultural geography With the implementation of a digital education on a global scale students of all ages in all locations on the planet would have access to a standardized , high quality education that could be started, stopped and resumed anywhere at anytime. This is my vision of what Globalization could mean.

Did it break?

        

By Anna Petrovsky 

         A female: expected to play with dolls as a child, wear make-up and dress girly in the early life (teenager), and as she becomes older be the main caretaker of the household.

A male: expected to play with trucks and soldiers as a child, dress like a boy and play manly sports, and when hitting the adult hood work to support his family.

 

Shouldn’t sex define the whole female or male objective? We all know with what body parts we are born with, so why do we have to be categorized into a gender.  Is there really a right and wrong way of doing gender?

 When people see a female or male they expect for them to be dressed in their own clothing (male= suit, female=feminine clothing). What will people start to think if they see someone breaking the norm of the gender code (a male in make-up, a female with sweats on)?

 

Someone will get the mixed messages because it all seems wrong.

This isn’t a way to define someone’s gender.  Gender is based on a person’s behavior, or look on life. If you have a girl raised by male, and a boy raised by female; what are the chances that it won’t affect their thinking. The girl could come out to be more tough and rugged, as for the boy he could be gentler.

Is this really a mores, the girl grew up with male figures and they only know one aspect, same goes for the boy.

Just because society for many generations has categorized the males and the females, does it mean we really have to be that way?

I don’t see nothing wrong with being a female and wanting to do other things then clean or play with some dolls.

So….

What is gender? Define it as you define yourself. 

Boy/Girl Gender Roles

By: Debbie Langford

     Gender is not valued or weighed by an individuals genitalia or sexuality but is constructed by what our culture labels us and how one should act or carry themselves according to your gender.
     Our social institution is what shapes us into who we are, how we are suppose to dress, act, eat, walk the toys a boy or girl is suppose to play with and even down to what jobs are compatible for your gender.
   In this Disney Cartoon video girls are taught to be soft spoken, kind, weak, sensitive, pretty, submissive  and to stay at home and take care of the children. While boys are taught to be strong, manly, tough, leaders, aggressive and also the bread-winner of the household.

    Society should let an individual decide for themselves how we want to carry ourselves in our western society and not be constructed to what they considered to be the norm for  a boy or girl.  We all have our own minds and we have a sense of  what we can or candle not handle be it a job, profession or just being head of the household.  Gender socialization is the way society wants to try and control the way we think and that's basically  through the media, schools, home and rap videos.

Invisible Privileges

By: Michelle Kasprzak

          'Invisible privileges' are unfair advantages given only to a dominant group. Whites, males, Christians, heterosexuals and attractive people are just a few of the groups popularly thought of to receive invisible privilege. For example, a White woman who forgot to pack concealer for vacation can easily run to a drug store and find a cover up that will match her skin color, where as Blacks and Latinos would probably have a much harder time unless they went to a department store and paid a lot more money. Because Whites are a dominant group they don't have to deal with as much nonsense as minority groups. Lets be clear though that invisible privileges are not the fault of an individual but the result of society's belief that dominant groups are the norm. Invisible privileges are systematic and institutionalized and therefore we cannot blame anybody for invisible privilege.
           I work at a restaurant where all of the servers are at least second-generation Americans whose first languages are English. However the majority of the kitchen and maintenance staff are from Mexico or Africa. The other day I was talking to one of these 'back of house' people and he said how he felt he worked too much and didn't make enough money and he was jealous of how much money the servers make. Without thinking I said something along the lines of "Well, you can't serve you don't speak English." We were clearly speaking in English (although he has a thick accent) but I just didn't think anything of it. The next day the guy told me that what I said had hurt his feelings. I told him I didn't mean for it to be hurtful and that I personally wouldn't mind if he was a server but managers and customers would probably not be too fond of the idea due to his accent. This made me think of the invisible privileges that native English speakers in America have. This example clearly relates to job opportunities however we can also ask for direction without being asked to repeat ourselves a few times, we can show up at school and expect our professors to speak our language and the list goes on.

          I'm sure this is not the first time someone with an accent has felt left out or uncomfortable in the dominant group of  English speakers in America, it probably won't be the last either. Not until our institutions are remodeled in order to break down the concept of invisible privilege, for example I had not learned in depth about invisible privilege until college, if things like this were taught at an earlier level of schooling it would be easier for people to acknowledge and try to avoid abusing their unearned"privileges".


         

Color Blind

By: Dudlene Jean Pierre


Growing up racism was something I really didn't understand because I was always taught to treat people with kindness and respect. When I think about racism I see slavery, civil rights movement,  the kkk, and many more. When I list all of these things I feel pain because a lot of people have dead and suffered through those trying times. In my sociology class we spoke about  the invisible ways that racism plays out. Even though we as nation have come very far but racism still does exist and a lot of work still needs to be done. It’s sad that Whites, Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics can not be equal. I read an article called “The Mark of a Criminal Record” (Patricia and Peter Alder 2007) , in this article it showed that white males with criminal background got more phones calls for a job    then a black male without a criminal background. How sad is that???  We live in a society where it shows that everyone is equal but the truth is that we are not equal.  What’s the difference between a criminal and a non criminal? Why should it be based on the color of a persons skin? . I would love to live in a world where racism didn't exist but the reality is that it dose exist ! Changing the way we think and feel about one another has to start with ourselves.

Black Men Vs. Media

By: Teairah Tate
 

    Black men get a alot of bad rap from society. Stereotyping, and racial profiling are some conflicts they have to come in contact with on an everyday basis. They say its hard being a black men in America. The so-called facts on these black men are only half way true and the media does everything they can to portray a stupid naive thug as a black man. However, sometimes the black man don’t make it easy on himself when he acts ignorant in public and they capture it on camera, or saying things like the white man is holding him back from moving forward in life. One big issue and stereotype that I would like to clear up is the whole “there are black males in jails then college classrooms”. BS. Lets check the facts.

Correction:  According to the Justice Department,  there are more college-aged black men in prison than enrolled in college.  This does not suggest that black men are not college able or ready, but rather points to a structural problem with the justice system.  If black men are a smaller proportion of the population, why are they incarcerated at a higher rate compared to their other male counterparts?  What's more, what does this say about the educational system and the opportunities they are afforded?   

-There are more Black Males in Colleges than in Jails, Prisons, Private Corrections, Military Jails and Institutions for the Criminally Insane combined(1,236,443 in College/841,000 Incarcerates – regardless of age) “National Center for Education Statistics: iPeds data set, March 2011 – reporting Scholastic Year 2009”

-6.3%: Black Males (age 18-55+) enroll in College at a higher rate by sex than White Males and Hispanic Males and are surpassed only by Asian Males “Bureau of Justice Statistics: Prison and Inmates at Midyear 2009 – June 2010)”

-25.1% of Black Males (age 25 or over) have either an Associates, Bachelors, Masters, Professional, or Doctoral Degree. (2,519,000 with Degrees/10,018,000 Total) “US Census Bureau: American Community Survey: Table 1. Enrollment Status of the Population 3 Years Old and Over, by Sex, Age, Race, Hispanic Origin, Foreign Born, and Foreign-Born Parentage:  October 2009”
 
    I became interested in this topic because of my Sociology class lesson on Social Construction of Race. We watched how black men are viewed in America. More specifically 50 cent and President Barack Obama. Even though I don’t feel like they should not even be talked about in the same category, I saw where the theme was going. I personally think black men should be entitle to their swagger and not be judge as a thug or gangster. There are plenty of educated males who speak correct English and others who just don’t have a clue, notice I didn’t say college educated. A person does not have to be college educated to speak with intelligence. The moral to the story is, black men should not be stigmatized for  just being BLACK!
Heres one news station, catching a black man in a ghetto rage to find his sister's perpetrator. In relation, he didnt have to put himself out there for people to stigmatize him as ghetto. Even one comment on this video was "he set us back 25 years" meaning he set black people back to a time where more open racism was going on.

Heres and educated black men speaking out on media. In fact he does so in a way that points the finger at whites and make them the perpetrator for setting the black man back 25 years.