Research Trip

What up?

So, I thought I'd write something about my research trip since I'm not feeling quite as hilarious today. Not to worry; I'm sure I'll get progressively hilarious as the day wears on. I always do. Or perhaps I just think I do and I actually just get better at deluding myself. Hmm, hard to say.

So tomorrow I leave for Michigan to conduct my study on how kids react to/understand cultural elements in multicultural picture books. The books being used in the study are Martin's Big Words, Dora's Thanksgiving, My Name I Yoon, and A Smoky Night.

I thought I'd use my blog today to get some feedback on my research, even though it is still questionable whether or not anyone is reading my blog :)

So, tell me about your experience with multicultural picture books as a kid. How influential were they? Did you like them? Did you relate to them? What did they tell you about other cultures that perhaps you had little experience with?

In my research, I've identified 5 problematic themes that children in the majority or non-marginalized groups (specifically white people) tend to develop. They are...

Color blindness - the belief that all people are the same and have the same opportunities. Ignores power structures and privileges. Believes that racism is a personal attitude that can be held by minorities and majorities.

Stereotyping - over simplification or exaggeration of a cultural trait, oftentimes used to mock or belittle cultural groups. Examples: Little Black Sambo, Speedy Gonzalez, the Indians in Disney's Peter Pan

Exoticizing - Depicting a culture as odd, outlandish, strange, simplistic and beautiful or exotic.

Displacement - Tendency to believe that cultural issues such as racism occurred only in a historic or fantastic past, such as, seeing racism only in slavery and the civil rights movement (history) - shown in many books, or in fantasy (like the Star-Bellied Sneetches by Dr. Seuss). Can also be location displacement - e.g., showing racism only happening in the South

White Centrality - Making the white reader the primary audience and the center. For instance, books do this when they use us/they words and refer to white US citizens as "us" learning about people of color outside the US as "them." This reinforces an "othering" of minority groups

Anyway, that's what I'm working with. Please let me know if any of these ring true for you and your experience as a child learning about other cultures. Certainly some did for me. Holla!

Thursday Stats

Good day! Here is my daily update...

Denver Temp: 74
Temp in the DMS Office: A balmy 32
Attitude Status: Strong to very strong
Thursday Endeavors: An alumni proposal development meeting and a mystery meeting (intriguing), figure out what I'm wearing to our "Bling" party tomorrow, come up with a Thursday theme song.
Lessons learned from yesterday: Do not go to yoga immediately after laying in the sun for an hour.
Feats accomplished yesterday: I had the courage to step onto my mat in yoga (it can be scary) & I made it through my four hour class without yawning, rolling my eyes so people could see it, and without laughing hysterically or shouting the word "No!" for no reason in the middle of lecture.
Hilarious jokes told yesterday: 37
Hilarious jokes told not just to myself in my head: 3.5
Silly encounters yesterday: a lady quoting Martin Luther King Jr. outside my office all day with no one listening...
Deep thoughts on my way to work:
Hmm, running late again.
Why do high schoolers need cell phones?
Why do I need a cell phone?
What is a cell phone?
How does wireless Internet work?
Will there ever be a boy born who can swim as fast as a shark?

Ello Gov'nas

So, yes, I too have created my own blog. I'm not sure that this is a necessary thing for me to do, in fact, I'm sure it will just add to my distractions and closet vanity, but what the heck! Perhaps I won't even give the address to anyone. I will just talk to myself daily, which of course won't be much of a change for me, but now my inner thoughts will be accessible to the general public - which is as it should be.

So, down to business, and when I say business, I just mean time to say whatever ridiculous thoughts pop into my brain..... hmm, none so far.

Well then, I'll go ahead an wrap'er up for the day. Peace ya'll - Naomi W. Marshall