Justine Sacco Is A Prime Example of How Twitter Can Ruin Lives

Social media acts as a powerful tool to keep thousands and thousands of people plugged in to the most recent and popular trends happening worldwide. With social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Imgur, etc. that act as online platforms for modes of self presentation and sociability through sharing information, photographs, public opinions, etc., it is no surprise that they hold a lot of social power. What I mean by this is that social media interactions have the ability to make or break a person through social appraisal or social shaming.

The social media site Twitter allows for thousands to quickly share 140 character posts known as "tweets." For one tweeter, Justine Sacco, after posting several outrageous Twitter updates, she finally realized the weight that words on social media hold. While the tweet she's most publicly known for sparked outrage for seemingly glorifying white privilege, I feel it necessary to share some of her other outrageous tweets to give you all a better sense of her character, courtesy of BuzzFeed.

1. The tweet that started it all:

Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) December 20, 2013

2.

@realestSmiller Stoler says hi. We’re not into rubbing fish unless it’s masturbation
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) October 1, 2011

3.

As I sit and eat a bagel with lox, i would like to send love to my jews who are all starving themselves right now. #hungryhungryhebrews
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) October 8, 2011

4.

I don’t understand why this ugly chick from England has become such an inspiration.
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) April 18, 2009

5.

Someone get the rape kit ready for Tom Brady. Go Giants! #SuperBowl
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) February 5, 2012

6.

why is kelly osbourne giving fashion advice at the #Oscars? #notqualified #everyoneontelevisionisretarded
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) February 26, 2012

7.

Maybe what I really am, Is wanting AIDS #GIRLS
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) April 23, 2012

8.

In #NY, crazy men say “marry me gorgeous.” In #London they say “you filthy cunts” cc: @kzarem@Leigh_Barratt
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) December 4, 2012

9.

#Santa-con is completely retarded.
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) December 15, 2012

10.

I can’t be fired for things I say while intoxicated right?
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) January 30, 2013

11.

Just thanked Gov Cuomo for supporting #womensrights. Need to stop geeking out over politicians that love abortions. Cc: @Steinand2
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) June 7, 2013

12.

Thanks @GMA for the @okcupid segment. Might have to change my body type to “used up” also. http://t.co/lvX63ILPKs
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) October 2, 2013

13.

I just feel like @jimmyfallon would be such a grateful lover
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) October 3, 2013

14.

Similar to Luda, I also have hoes in different area codes. #cannes #london
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) October 7, 2013

15.

“Weird German Dude: You’re in first class. It’s 2014. Get some deodorant.” -Inner monologue as I inhale BO. Thank god for pharmaceuticals.
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) December 20, 2013

16. And the award for classiest tweet of all time goes to…

I had a sex dream about an autistic kid last night. #fml
— Justine Sacco (@JustineSacco) February 24, 2012

 

Here is the link to the quotes on BuzzFeed if you'd like to check out more of their posts:

  16 Tweets Justine Sacco Regrets

 

The post we will be focusing on for the purpose of the post is the blog post about white people not getting AIDS. While some of the tweets mentioned above don't come off as offensively as this one, some seem downright ignorant. I personally feel that Justine probably intended to come off in a more satirical way, which as mentioned before is diminishing a subject by making it sound ridiculous and trying to evoke attitudes of amusement, contempt, scorn, or indignation. Unfortunately, the only one who was left feeling scorned was Sacco herself.

A New York Times article posted by Jon Ronson that I've just recently read primarily discusses Sacco's posts while traveling to South Africa and the backlash she received that costed her not only her job, but her life as she knew it. People responded by tweeting messages such as:

 

 “We are about to watch this @JustineSacco bitch get fired. In REAL time. Before she even KNOWS she’s getting fired,"

 And

“How did @JustineSacco get a PR job?! Her level of racist ignorance belongs on Fox News. #AIDS can affect anyone!”

In the article, Ronson interviews Sacco a couple times following the post that made her Twitter famous. Having previously been a perpetrator of people that posted highly disliked posts himself, Ronson had a change of heart and seemed to defend Sacco's position in the name of removing internet bullying. I think it's important to note first that I whole-heartedly disagree with publicly humiliated others. Justine herself suffered from PTSD, depression, and anxiety following public backlash from her post. However, I do feel that that shouldn't mean that people such as Justine should get entirely let off the hook.

For example, Alicia Ann Lynch, a woman that Sacco identified her experience with, was publicly bashed for tweeting this photo of her Halloween costume as a Boston marathon runner:

Photos and posts such as these ones posted by Lynch and Sacco are incredibly offensive. Obviously in the case of the Halloween costume, people that have a personal connection with the tragedy may be hurt or highly offended by the "joke." Ronson's article seems to let Sacco off the hook a bit too easily, claiming that she is guilty of making poorly thought-through jokes. However, a good question to ask before posting something on social media should be: is there any way that this would be perceived as offensive or hurtful? If so, I highly disagree with being able to pass it off as a joke. With social media being a public platform where boundaries are more easily pushed, I feel that it is important to educate yourself on an issue before posting about it in a way that may draw the wrong type of attention. And while I disagree with publicly shaming someone such as the cases of Alicia Lynch and Justine Sacco, I feel that it is necessary to respectful share some education in order to minimize social media catastrophes such as this one. Remember, social networking sites connect thousands of people that are sharing media instantly and simultaneously; post responsibly!

If you are interested in reading Jon Ronson's article about how Twitter ruined Justine Sacco's life you can find it here:

how one stupid tweet ruined justine saccos life

Comment with any suggestions, opinions, questions, or concerns. Thanks!

Contemporary Advertisements: Post-Racial or Racist?

In today's society a good majority of people believe that we live in a 'post-racial' society. It seems that many commercials nowadays don't fear pushing the boundaries in order to make that point. While the mass media is frequently accused of avoiding tough issues such as that of race, many commercials now seem to perpetuate racism through representing ethnic stereotypes. Multicultural media portrays racial and ethnic minorities more in commercials today due to the higher brand loyalty among minority groups and their growing buying power. While I don't acknowledge the existence of 'post-racial' advertising, as there is no way for us to ignore one's race within an interaction, these racialized commercials shared in a Huffington Post article last October seem to speak on the continuous racialization and racism occurring worldwide through the perpetuation of racial stereotypes:

Racist Stereotypes Huffington Post

Many commercials cast minority characters and play music representative of ethnic groups to portray diversity. Given this fact however, many commercials such as the six mentioned in the article posted above are perpetuating racist stereotypes such as the liquor commercials where Caucasian shoppers are shown speaking what is known as black vernacular English. Showing diversity does not provide a free pass to culturally appropriate or reinforce racial stereotypes that work to further marginalize people of color.

Below are a few magazine advertisements that show this 'post-racial' or rather racist means of trying to reach the multicultural buying group that has the highest brand loyalty: minorities.

Dove Asks Women to Be Beautiful and Not Average

Recently, Dove released a new television commercial where women were given the option to walk between two doors: one marked "beautiful," the other marked "average." Most women walked through the door marked 'average' but then towards the end of the video women decided to identify as 'beautiful' instead walking through that door. This video has caused quite a bit of controversy recently. 

Here is the video:

While some critics think that the video is 'patronizing,' others see the video as uplifting and empowering to women. One fact important to note is that since Dove has started its "Campaign For Real Beauty" that it sales have gone from $2.5 to $4 million. This makes me wonder whether or not Dove's intentions are to promote an idea of natural beauty or rather if this "campaign" isn't just a clever advertising scheme to get women to spend more money on Dove products. While I am still on the fence about the true intentions of Dove, I think it is important to discuss the role of advertising in the media.

Advertising is known as the "driver of mass media." Today advertisements have the power to influence what shows will remain on television and which ones will not. The goal of advertisements is to produce material that attracts the largest amount of viewers, rather than alienating any one group. The messages must have a high appeal and must not be controversial, unpleasant, or distressing.

The mass media is frequently accused of ignoring people of color or treating them in stereotypical ways. In this and other Dove commercials, women of various different races and ethnic backgrounds have been portrayed. The 'natural' look of the women also helps to promote the message that women look beautiful the way they are, naturally. This multicultural media aids in Dove's profits due to the fact that brand loyalty is higher among minority groups. 

So, this brings me back to the question: is Dove really trying to promote natural beauty, or is there a profit-driven motive behind these commercials? While I cannot say for sure, I think it is an interesting issue to delve into more. Here is another commercial where Dove promotes multicultural diversity in order to promote a product. 

Do you think that Dove is just promoting natural beauty and diversity for profitability? Check out the videos and this article and decide for yourself. Leave your opinions, comments, questions in the comment section!

https://fortune.com/2015/04/15/why-doves-choose-beautiful-campaign-sparked-a-backlash/

A Lack of Cultural Competence in the Media: When's Enough Enough?

 Following my last blog post about cultural appropriation, I would like to speak about cultural competence. Cultural competence is a way of behaving in light of a person or people from another group, whether it be a religious group, ethnic group, gendered group, or group based on sexual orientation. Cultural competence is the act of acknowledging differences and similarities between one's own values, norms, customs, history, and institutions and that of other groups of people. Being culturally competent involves acknowledging any comforts or discomforts between said groups, and understanding their own biases towards or against particular groups of people while recognizing the impacts of discrimination, oppression, and stereotyping. Unfortunately, our media today is not very culturally competent as I have already shown through music videos displaying cultural appropriation or the taking of elements of another cultural group without permission causing a detriment to said group.

Just recently, Kylie Jenner was under fire for what seemed to be photographs of her in "black-face." Black-face was used in minstrel shows in the pre-antebellum period (and still seen today) when Caucasian actors and actresses would paint their faces black with burnt corks, and draw on large red or white lips in order to mimic what the stereotypical African-Americans looked like at the time. This was used in order to reinforce the idea of black people as dehumanized animals, in order to maintain social inequality.

Here is the photo that Kylie Jenner posted, and later removed after heavy criticism for the elements of black-face.


While it may seem like an innocent photo-shoot, the darkened skin-tone and overly-dramatized larger lips (an element of black-face) seem to mimic the old "art" form of minstrelsy.

Another example of a lack of cultural competence is singer Katy Perry's use of cultural "costumes" in several of her music videos. This is problematic due to the fact that she is acting on behalf of a cultural group that she is not a part of, and misrepresenting it at that through stereotypical images that have been used in the US media.

Here are a few examples of Katy Perry's lack of culture competence:

In order to make sure you are being culturally competent, you should ask yourself a few questions:
1. Is there any reason to believe that my actions would be perceived as racist or discriminatory?
2. Am I displaying a racial/gender/religious (etc) stereotype?
3. Would my actions be hurtful to another group of people?

By trying to be sensitive to other groups, we can increase cultural competence and reduce negative portrayals or appropriation or other groups. This does not mean that you should not partake in learning about another cultural group, but through invitation and respectful observation, or practice, you can learn about a group of people without misrepresenting their group in the mainstream. It is their history, their culture, their voices that need to be heard, and so we should remain respectful, and let them tell their own stories. Cultural competence is key to reducing stereotypes, discrimination, and oppression. I highly encourage reflecting on your own beliefs and attitudes to make sure that you are practicing cultural competence.

Article on Kylie Jenner's Instagram Photo:
https://www.yahoo.com/tv/s/kylie-jenner-defends-questionable-instagram-165500386.html

Cultural Appropriation: Twerking, Geishas, and Harajuku Girls

 Cultural appropriation as defined by Fordham University Law Professor Susan Scafidi as:

“Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts

from someone else's culture without permission. This can include unauthorized use of another culture's dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It's most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g. sacred objects.”

While this seems like a mouth full to remember, it is crucial to understand the importance of cultural appropriation which has been going on for decades. I must admit that I too once found cultural appropriation to be a good thing, not realizing how detrimental it was and still is to other marginalized cultural groups. With the belief that we live in a post-racial society, it seems appropriate to explore, share, and imitate (or show appreciation to) another group's culture through expressing it ourselves. However, this may not be the case. While we live in a country immersed in several different culture's from around the world, our treatment of those cultural groups is very important. Even in this day and age, many minority groups feel disrespected by Caucasian artists that have used aspects of their culture in order to express their own artistic visions. When thinking about it that way, it almost seems like theft of cultural ideas and practices. With artists such as Miley Cyrus twerking, Gwen Stefani's obsession with Harajuku Japan, and Katy Perry dressing up as a geisha, several minority groups have felt mimicked and insulted by either misrepresentations of their culture, or even worse, white artists receiving credit for an oppressed group of peoples' cultural art forms.

Below is an interesting article that briefly discusses the mentioned artists and the historical significance of cultural appropriation; for example, did you know that rock 'n roll  music began in African-American culture and was made popular without credit to the African-Americans that started the trend? Feel free to check out the article post below as well as a few videos that exhibit cultural appropriation at the hands of the dominant white artists that seem to make these disrespectful mockeries and theft of culture popular in the mainstream. Feel free to leave your own opinions, comments, questions, and concerns below.

http://racerelations.about.com/od/understandingrac1/a/WhatIsaStereotype.htm

Latina Stereotypes in ABC's Modern Family

I have to admit first and foremost that Modern Family, which airs on ABC, is probably my favorite show. Being an avid fan and owner of most of the seasons on DVD, it is hard for me to make an argument against the show for the flaws it presents in representing marginalized groups. However, it would be against my general beliefs to ignore a misrepresentation and stereotyping of a marginalized group in our society, namely the Latino population. With the exception of Colombian character Gloria and her son Manny, the main cast of Modern Family is entirely Caucasian and heterosexual. While I won't be getting into the fairly stereotypical homosexual representation of couple Cameron and Mitchel, some light must be shed on the representation of Latinos through Gloria's family.

While Gloria is known for making jokes about her "village" from time to time on the show, it wasn't until a particular episode of the show where critics were up in arms about the overly stereotypical role of Latinos that migrate from other countries. The show seems to portray Gloria and especially son Manny as culturally assimilating into US culture-which involves giving up one's original cultural identity and moving into the full participation of a new culture. While this is seen more in Manny, Gloria, her mother, and sister Sonia seem to represent their culture back home in Colombia. Herein lies the problem for viewers of the episode 'Fulgencio' when Jay and Gloria have just had their son.

A Huffington Post article discussed the outrage as critics made statements of anger towards comments made by Sonia about washing clothes in the river, or harvesting vegetables from their garden, very stereotypical images we as Americans may image of less developed countries. Whether or not the writers have intentionally perpetrated "ignorant" stereotypes is a question that may depend of differing perspectives of audience members.

Below is a link to the Huffington Post article which includes video clips from the episode where ethnic stereotypes seem to be perpetuated. Feel free to leave any opinions, comments, or concerns in the comments.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/modern-familys-fulgencio-episode-criticized-for-perpetuating-stereotypes-of-latinos_n_2568200.html

Enlightened Racism: Overlooking PTSD in African-American Communities

According to Sut Jhalley, enlightened racism promotes the myth that African-Americans who don’t “make it” in terms of their socio-economic status have only themselves to blame. This idea is reinforced through contemporary television shows that disproportionately display middle-class families that are primarily Caucasian, as the model for the average American family in today’s society. By showing that anyone can make it, a stigma surrounding lower and working class families is created, causing the perception that families that have not transcended into the middle class, haven’t made it based on factors such as not having a taste for the finer things, being too uneducated to make it, being too lazy or careless, or not having any desire to transcend their socio-economic status. 
In the news, several stories exist that shed light on (primarily Caucasian) soldiers that have served in the military and suffer from PTSD as an outcome of their services. Specific instances of PTSD, however, are invisible from the media entirely-namely PTSD suffered in the African-American community. The irony here is that there is a disproportionately excessive portrayal of poverty in African-American households, although the majority of families living in poverty are actually Caucasian. It is very interesting that African-Americans are largely portrayed as living in poverty, but the effects of said poverty do not get mention in the media, leading the audience to believe that these people living in poverty are doing so of their own free will and through the decisions they have made.
In a blog post, it was found that African-American communities with larger amounts of violent crimes have produced an excessive number of members suffering from PTSD. While there are not adequate resources to see and treat all of the citizens that are suffering from this disorder, 43% of all patients that have been screened at Chicago’s Cook County Hospital are in need of treatment. There is a need of $200,000 that are available in the hospital budget of $450 million, but this funding has been turned down as a resource to members of the Black Community suffering from PTSD.
While there are so many American citizens pointing the finger at black communities, a disconnect in reality exists. With poverty in black communities in Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, and Philadelphia, having high rates of crime and PTSD, the portrayal of African-American families on television sitcoms sheds an inaccurate light on the average lives of African-American communities in the United States, an issue that has a long way to go.
For more information, check out the blog on PTSD in the black community:
http://www.propublica.org/…/the-ptsd-crisis-thats-being-ign…

The Framing of Minorities in Light of Police Brutality

50 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. led a voting rights march in Selma, Alabama. Representative John Lewis, a fellow marcher and speaker, was interviewed by USA Today and asked about the police brutality and the march that went on. It was interesting to get the perspective of a civil rights activist that followed such an influential civil rights leader. It seems that John Lewis gave a great inside perspective into civil rights advocates at the time. The way that John Lewis spoke about that day, helped to frame my perspective on civil rights activists in the '50s and '60s.

Framing refers to the selection of particular aspects of a perceived reality that are made more meaningful, memorable, or noticeable to a given audience. In light of the recent police brutality with popular instances such as the Michael Brown case, and the murder of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, coverage of said cases may be framed in a light that blames the murder victims, and almost hints that they "deserved" to be murdered. In the interview provided below, police officer Darren Wilson speaks about the incident that occurred with Michael Brown. I found the language used very interesting as it seems to frame the late Michael Brown as animalistic, demonized, and in a dehumanized light.

"I felt the immense power that he had . . . it was like a five year old holding onto Hulk Hogan. . . he was very large, very powerful. . . he starts charging me."

In a later interview with attorney Daryl Parks, he describes how the use of language Darren Wilson uses frames that shed light on how he viewed Michael, "he didn't see him as a person." This may suggest why there were two strongly differing opinions about Michael Brown's innocence in the incident. By dehumanzing Brown, it may lessen the ill feelings towards his being murdered. The interview is provided below:

In the interview with civil rights activist John Lewis, he provides perspective of the activists that fought for their rights, using terms such as "peaceful," and mentioning asking police if they could have a moment to pray before disbanding the march, just prior to the acts of police brutality known today as "Bloody Sunday." The link to the video provided below, may help you to decide for yourself how the language used to describe these events of police brutality shape your understanding of the incidents and people involved:
http://usat.ly/1Arq3P6

Labeling Differences: Is it Wrong to Identify People by Their Religion?

One of the issues that I am personally most passionate about is race and "othering," but othering isn't just about casting someone out as different based on their race. Religion is also a hot-button topic that many people have difficulties talking about due to strong differing values and opinions. Senator and potential presidential candidate Lindsey Graham had a few less than kind words to say about president Obama and his recent lack of identifying terrorist group ISIS by a religious affiliation-namely Islamic. According to Travis L. Dixon, who conducted a study on the correlation between race and sentiments towards victims and criminals, African-Americans tend to be overly represented  and stereotyped as perpetrators in the media, whereas Caucasians are more closely portrayed as the "victim." But what about religious groups? Do certain religious groups represent the majority, while other affiliations are overly stereotyped as dangerous, violent, or "terrorist?"

In a recent ABC News article, the South Carolina senator stated that while president Obama loves and is a patriot of the United States, he is failing miserable as president. According to Graham, this is due to Obama's failure to label ISIS as "radical Islamists." Graham goes on to say, "I've never been more worried about my country than I am today in terms of radical Islam, and yes, it is radical Islam."  What was most worrisome about the article was Graham's dubbing all Islamic affiliates as belonging to a country that is trying to convert Christians, Jewish, and even vegetarians (sarcasm noted) into members of the Islamic religion, following with, "they're not going to stop unless somebody stops them."

While the Obama administration has been under similar criticisms recently, they maintain that 'ISIS and other extremist groups represent a perversion of the religion and to call them Islamic would legitimize a false claim.' Leaving the issue of race aside, it is quite interesting that a good number of American citizens are upset by the fact that the president of the United States refuses to stereotype an entire religious groups as Islamic terrorists or "radical Islamists." Stereotyping seems to be a strong component of the media, with images of Muslims in the media being portrayed predominantly in the light of terrorists (see first blog on 'American Sniper'). The increase in the number of attacks on Muslims just goes to show the effect of creating and reinforcing negative images of "radical Islamics" in the media.

This is an interesting photo I happened to come across on Facebook within the past week that sheds light on the fact that we continue to reinforce the idea that Muslims (Islamic faith) are dangerous "terrorists," meanwhile, we are forced to forget the injustices that have been dealt against African-Americans during slavery and the antebellum period through to today. This leads to a pressing question: Who is the real victim?

'No Doubt' President Obama Loves His Country, Says Sen. Lindsey Graham:

http://news.yahoo.com/no-doubt-president-obama-loves-country-says-sen-213801258.html

White Privilege Through the Eyes of a Minority

As an Ethnic Studies Major, one of my favorite topics of discussion has to be the concept of 'white privilege.' Growing up as a multi-racial female in the diverse city of Aurora, Colorado, I must admit that I didn't always acknowledge white privilege as the majority ethnic group where I grew up tended to be of Hispanic descent. But upon moving up to Fort Collins, Colorado to attend Colorado State University, I experienced a culture shock. With 89% of the total Fort Collins population being made up of Caucasian residents (2010 US Census), white privilege becomes a much more visible social construction in the everyday lives of minorities.

Before I go any further, I would like to (hopefully) clearly and respectfully layout what exactly this 'white-privilege' is and why it's so damn important to talk about. Privilege is itself, "a special advantage, immunity, permission, right, or benefit granted to or enjoyed by an individual, class, or caste." (Steele, 2015) In the case of white privilege, this benefiting 'class' is the Caucasian population in the United States.

In the video below, Tim Wise, an anti-racism activist, describes how 'white privilege' first developed and provides contemporary examples of white privilege to bring it into context for those believing that we live in a post-racial society-that is, a society where race no longer affects our everyday lives and social interactions.

 In the context of my own personal experience of living in Fort Collins, the benefits of white privilege are working against me in the very slightest actions of my everyday routine. For example, I cannot walk to class without other (Caucasian) students looking over their shoulders at me as if I were about to mug them. I also can anticipate on a regular basis, that if there is an empty seat next to me on the bus, it will remain empty and fellow (Caucasian) bus riders will stand on the bus rather than taking the available seat next to me due to my skin color. Now, this may sound dramatized and even a bit ridiculous, but the sad fact of the matter is that both of these instances occur in my life on a regular basis. What may be even more sad is the fact that I can't even talk about feeling "othered" and outed as a minority to fellow Caucasian colleagues or co-workers without them asking me to explain exactly how my experiences could be any different than their experiences living in a predominantly white community. Why is this exactly?

According to Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, author of "Racism Without Racists," minimization- the idea that discrimination is no longer a central factor affecting minorities' life chances, is reinforced in our society. This frame of what is known as "color-blind racism" or "racism without racists" accuses minorities of being hypersensitive and using race (playing the race card) as an excuse for their life experiences.

The idea of 'white privilege' is a very difficult concept for many Americans to digest in a contemporary "post-racial" (not really) society. While issues of race may seem to occur to a lesser degree, being multi-racial in a society made to see a very binary: white or non-white identity can be hard. Hopefully I have peaked your interest on the issues of white privilege enough that you would like to look into, and maybe even better educate yourself and others on the issue as well. For more information on being bi-racial in America, a very interesting Huffington Post discussion is posted below, along with Tim Wise's discussion on white privilege, and the Fort Collins census to give a little perspective on being a minority in a largely Caucasian town.

Feel free to leave comments, concerns, suggestions, and questions in the comment section!
Knowledge is Power!

Huffington Post on Being Bi-racial in America:
http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/archive/segment/524f11e178c90a74fa0002b8?cps=gravity_3541_-1544811536283823882

US Census for City of Fort Collins:

http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk

Tim Wise on White Privilege:

Is Firing a Woman for Public Breastfeeding Really Gender Discrimination?

According to the US Supreme Court the answer is 'no.' But on what grounds is it sufficient to assume that a woman CAN indeed be fired for breastfeeding at work without it being considered a case of sex discrimination?

Nationwide employee Angela Ames was denied a place to breastfeed at work after returning from maternity leave and upon complaining was forced to resign with the message, "just go home and be with your babies." After taking the case to court on several occasions, finally leading to the Supreme Court, it was ruled that Ames forced resignation was not sex discrimination due to the fact that men can also lactate. The ruling of this case truly sheds a light on the discriminatory workplace policies that do not efficiently accommodate pregnancies or motherhood, which in itself, exposes the sex discrimination and bias against women on a multi-institutional level.

The biggest question raised by this case is: how can the US Supreme Court rule that the case is NOT an act of sex discrimination? A good argument that supports Angela Ames claim for sex discrimination is as follows:

• Schemas-also known as webs of related ideas, characteristics, etc. would suggest that the idea of breastfeeding would (primarily) be connected to ideas of pregnancy, women and motherhood, all of which are ideas connected to the female sex due to the nature of women being pregnant and becoming mothers.
• Although men can indeed lactate, men cannot become pregnant, and are typically thought of as "father" types rather than "mothers" which makes it more difficult to categorize the idea of "breastfeeding" with "males. 

Women who are also mothers are largely stereotyped, or widely culturally idealized or believed, as staying at home and taking care of families. Because of stereotype of mothers, the comment made by Ames then boss to "go home and be with your babies," can be directly attributed to the stereotypical, patriarchal idea that it is a woman's duty to stay and home and take care of the house work and family which can clearly be labeled prejudice against women that cause them to be labeled inferior to males in the workplace, and society as a whole.

Feel free to leave your comments, thoughts, opinions, or questions on this case in the comment section and check out the latest article on this case if interested in hearing more:
https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/court-rules-firing-mother-for-breastfeeding-isnt-110548718077.html

'American Sniper' Film Incites Verbal and Physical Acts of Violence Against Muslims

Since its release, American Sniper (2014) has been at the center of controversy throughout the United States. Responses to the film range from full-fledged support and enthusiasm to criticisms over the film being an anti-Muslim, pro-war propaganda film. Several tweets with anti-Muslim sentiment have been taking over Twitter and raising the question: is American Sniper influencing thoughts of violence and hatred towards Muslims in the United States?

            One of the biggest problems with American Sniper, according to both Muslim and non-Muslim critics, is that there is a negative representation of Muslims and Arabs portrayed in the film. The images of Muslims and Arabs in the film are reconstructed in such a light that is inaccurately portraying the Muslim population as a whole. Instead, the representations mold Muslims in the image of the “terrorist,” a largely misconstrued image associated with the Muslim faith, especially since the attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11. Just as the attack represented an attack on the country and what it means to be “American” in the most nationalistic sense, Muslims have easily been transformed into the anti-American villain in the film and country alike.

            In a country where patriotism and militarism is glorified-quite possibly to an unhealthy, unreasonable extent, it is important to shed light on the ideology-or normalized ideas, attitudes, and negative behaviors that are being presented in the film to better unravel just what it means to be an “American” in this country. Being a country built on the principles of imperialism and manifest destiny-the idea that Europeans have the God-given right to control any land and any peoples that they choose out of birth-right, it seems that even in contemporary America, there is a sense of superiority that causes inferiority to be portrayed on all those that don’t feel the phenotypic “American” model. What does it mean to be an American? Is it a fair complexion that allows one to call his or herself an American? Is it blonde hair and blue eyes? Can a person of the Muslim faith that was born and raised in this very country be deemed an “American” citizen? This very question foreshadows a very serious problem in the United States.

            Following a viewing of the film, one Twitter user posted, “American Sniper makes me wanna go shoot some fuckin Arabs.” As much the comment provokes a sense of outrage, comments such as the one above are not uncommon in response to the American Sniper film. An underlying hegemonic idea that imitates the dominant culture is being presented through these negative, hateful responses. Reiterating the idea of anti-Muslim sentiments following 9/11, it seems almost a culture-norm to see Muslims as violent, non-human aggressors which is, in turn, leading to acceptable threats of violence against them. This idea causes a very “us versus them” approach, rendering a very binary, black-and-white response to the film as either posting threats and slurs such as “sand nigger” toward Muslims or being completely outraged by the negative ideology that seems to be promoted by the film: the idea that Muslims are the ultimate threat and enemy to Americans.

            Although this is a difficult issue that needs to be addressed, the idea of non-human, animalistic, dangerous Muslims is deep-seeded into the American psyche. By exposing some of these acts of aggression and hatred, there is hope that consciousness can be raised on the treatment of Muslims in order to change such negative ideology against them.

Below are posts from Twitter that shown discrimination, hatred, and threats of violence towards Muslims in the US, followed by a tweet posted by a Muslim woman to hopefully put these acts into perspective. A link to an article about the tweets (where the pictures were obtained) is also posted below.

http://www.ifyouonlynews.com/racism/the-disgusting-tweets-inspired-by-the-propaganda-film-american-sniper-screenshots/