Hi folks: There has been some confusion about the part from the Exam # 2 where I ask you to "Discuss the form of discrimination at
multiple levels: personal/individual, institutional and cultural. Give several concrete examples of your
form of oppression that help the reader to better understand it." So, I thought I would share this handout to help spell out more clearly what is meant by individual, institutional and cultural oppression. -JRR
Understanding the Different Levels of Oppression
Oppression is a
system that maintains advantage and disadvantage based on social group
memberships and operates, intentionally and unintentionally, on individual,
institutional and cultural levels.
Individual:
Attitudes and actions that reflect prejudice against a social group
(intentional and unintentional).
Institutional:
Policies, laws, rules, norms and customs enacted by organizations and social
institutions that disadvantage some social groups and advantage other social
groups.These institutions include
religion, government, education, law, the media, and the health care system
(intentional and unintentional).
Societal/Cultural:Social norms, roles, rituals, language,
music and art that reflect and reinforce the belief that one social group is
superior to another(Intentional
and unintentional).
Here are some examples of each type:
Individual Unintentional:
·A high school teacher assumes all her students
are interested in dating classmates of the “opposite” gender
·A teacher who prides himself on being fair to
all his students calls on boys to answer questions three times more often than
he calls on girls
Individual Intentional:
·Someone uses racial slurs to refer to Black and
Puerto Rican People
·A Parents asks to have her child moved out of a
transgender teacher’s classroom
Institutional Unintentional:
·Students celebrate Christmas in school, but not
other winter religious holidays
·A town hall building does not have an entrance
that is accessible to people using wheelchairs
Institutional Intentional:
·A state adopts a law prohibiting the legal
recognition (marriage equality) of lesbian and gay relationships
·An employment agency steers Black People toward
low-paying, domestic, or custodial positions
Societal/Cultural Unintentional:
·Standards of beauty for women are based on white
norms: blond, fine hair, blue eyes, and fair/light skin
·A Belief in individual merit and hard work being
rewarded by economic success leads to an assumption that poor people are lazy
and undeserving
Societal/Cultural Intentional:
·English is designated as the “official” language
in the United States
·European Culture is assumed to be superior to
other cultures
From:
Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice,
2nd Edition.P. 58-59.
Being an activist is hard work. One of the things that makes it more bearable is learning about the activists who have come before you. I love quotes and often find quotes from activists I admire to give me inspiration to continue on the fight. Some of my favorite activists are: Audre Lorde, Gandhi, Malcolm X, Andrea Dworkin, Leslie Feinberg, Nelson Mandela, Angela Davis, Frederick Douglass, Gloria Anzaldua, Alice Paul, Sylvia Rivera, Shirley Chisholm, Harvey Milk, Ida B. Wells, Cesar Chavez, Howard Zinn, and many more everyday people who stood up, fought back and tried their best to do the right thing.
Quotes for the Revolution : Compiled by Joelle Ruby Ryan
If I can’t do it, it ain’t worth doing. –
Arthur Campbell, Jr.
When I dare to be powerful, to use my life in
service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am
afraid. – Audre Lorde
Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the
living. – Mother Jones
We are the ones we have been waiting
for. – June Jordan
We can only be considered “gender-bent” in a
society that’s gender-rigid. –
Leslie Feinberg
Anything we love can be saved. – Alice Walker
Activism is my rent for living on this
planet. - Alice Walker
You did then what you knew
how to do, and when you knew better, you did better.
– Maya Angelou
I am not only a casualty, I
am also a warrior. – Audre Lorde
Faith is taking the first step
even when you don't see the whole staircase.
– Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr.
Power at its best is love implementing the demands
of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands
against love. –
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never
did and it never will. –
Frederick Douglas
If there is no struggle, there is no progress. –
Frederick Douglas
Greatness is not measured by what a person
accomplishes, but by the opposition they have overcome to reach their goals. –
Dorothy Height
Feminism is hated because women
are hated. Anti-feminism is a direct expression of misogyny; it is the political
defense of women hating. - Andrea Dworkin
Be the change that you want to
see in the world.
-Mohandas Gandhi
I am, was, and always will be a catalyst for
change. – Shirley Chisholm
Love and compassion are
necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.- Dalai Lama
Failure is impossible. – Susan B.
Anthony
You can kill a revolutionary but
you can never kill the revolution. - Fred Hampton
If you have come to help me, you are wasting your
time. But if you have come because your liberation
is bound up with mine, then let us work together. –
Australian Aboriginal Group
You are a star, everybody is
one. You are a star, you only
happen once. – Sylvester
As far as I'm concerned,
being any gender is a drag. -Patti Smith
The revolution is not an apple
that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall. - Che Guevera
As long as there is rape...
there is not going to be any peace or justice or equality or freedom. You are
not going to become what you want to become or who you want to become. You are
not going to live in the world you want to live in. – Andrea Dworkin
Do
not feel shame for how I live. I chose this tribe of warriors and outlaws. – Essex Hemphill
I am in the world to change
the world. – Kathe Kollwitz
Never doubt
that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead
The
world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are
not failed attempts at being you; they are unique manifestations of the human
spirit. –
Wade Davis
When
the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace. – Jimi Hendrix
Only
when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last
fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money. - Based
on a Cree Proverb
I believe
that there will ultimately be a clash between the oppressed and those that do
the oppressing. I believe that there will be a clash between those who want
freedom, justice and equality for everyone and those who want to continue the
systems of exploitation. I believe that there will be that kind of
clash, but I don’t think it will be based on the color of the skin. – Malcolm X
This is a terrific poem by the disability rights activist Laura Hershey. Hershey passed away last year, but her legacy of fighting for feminism, disability liberation and LGBT rights will not be soon forgotten. http://www.laurahershey.com/
You Get Proud by
Practicing
by Laura Hershey
If you are not proud
For who you are, for what you say, for how you look;
If every time you stop
To think of yourself, you do not see yourself glowing
With golden light; do not, therefore, give up on yourself.
You can get proud.
You do not need
A better body, a purer spirit, or a Ph.D.
To be proud.
You do not need
A lot of money, a handsome boyfriend, or a nice car.
You do not need
To be able to walk, or see, or hear,
Or use big, complicated words,
Or do any of those things that you just can’t do
To be proud. A caseworker
Cannot make you proud,
Or a doctor.
You only need more practice.
You get proud by practicing.
There are many many ways to get proud.
You can try riding a horse, or skiing on one leg,
Or playing guitar,
And do well or not so well,
And be glad you tried
Either way.
You can show
Something you’ve made
To someone you respect
And be happy with it no matter
What they say.
You can say
What you think, though you know
Other people do not think the same way, and you can
keep saying it, even if they tell you
You are crazy.
You can add your voice
All night to the voices
Of a hundred and fifty others
In a circle
Around a jailhouse
Where your brothers and sisters are being held
For blocking buses with no lifts,
Or you can be one of the ones
Inside the jailhouse,
Knowing of the circle outside.
You can speak your love
To a friend
Without fear.
You can find someone who will listen to you
Without judging you or doubting you or being
Afraid of you
And let you hear yourself perhaps
For the very first time.
These are all ways
Of getting proud.
None of them
Are easy, but all of them
Are possible. You can do all of these things,
Or just one of them again and again.
You get proud
By practicing.
Power makes you proud, and power
Comes in many fine forms
Supple and rich as butterfly wings.
It is music
when you practice opening your mouth
And liking what you hear
Because it is the sound of your own
True voice.
It is sunlight
When you practice seeing
Strength and beauty in everyone,
Including yourself.
It is dance
when you practice knowing
That what you do
And the way you do it
Is the right way for you
And cannot be called wrong.
All these hold
More power than weapons or money
Or lies.
All these practices bring power, and power
Makes you proud.
You get proud
By practicing.
Remember, you weren’t the one
Who made you ashamed,
But you are the one
Who can make you proud.
Just practice,
Practice until you get proud, and once you are proud,
Keep practicing so you won’t forget.
Audre Lorde is one of my favorite activists. If you do not know about her, I encourage you to learn about her. Below is a short article and poem that she wrote. -JRR
There
Is No Hierarchy of Oppressions By Audre Lorde I was born Black, and a woman. I am trying to become the strongest
person I can become to live the life I have been given and to help effect
change toward a liveable future for this earth and for my children. As a Black,
lesbian, feminist, socialist, poet, mother of two including one boy and a
member of an interracial couple, I usually find myself part of some group in
which the majority defines me as deviant, difficult, inferior or just plain
"wrong."
From my membership in all of these groups I have learned that oppression and
the intolerance of difference come in all shapes and sexes and colors and
sexualities; and that among those of us who share the goals of liberation and a
workable future for our children, there can be no hierarchies of oppression. I
have learned that sexism (a belief in the inherent superiority of one sex over
all others and thereby its right to dominance) and heterosexism (a belief in
the inherent superiority of one pattern of loving over all others and thereby
its right to dominance) both arise from the same source as racism-- a belief in
the inherent superiority of one race over all others and thereby its right to
dominance.
"Oh," says a voice from the
Black community, "but being Black is NORMAL!" Well, I and many Black
people of my age can remember grimly the days when it didn't used to be!
I simply do not believe that one aspect of myself can possibly profit from the
oppression of any other part of my identity. I know that my people cannot
possibly profit from the oppression of any other group which seeks the right to
peaceful existence. Rather, we diminish ourselves by denying to others what we
have shed blood to obtain for our children. And those children need to learn
that they do not have to become like each other in order to work together for a
future they will all share.
The increasing attacks upon lesbians and gay men are only an introduction to
the increasing attacks upon all Black people, for wherever oppression manifests
itself in this country, Black people are potential victims. And it is a
standard of right-wing cynicism to encourage members of oppressed groups to act
against each other, and so long as we are divided because of our particular
identities we cannot join together in effective political action.
Within the lesbian community I am Black, and within the Black community I am a
lesbian. Any attack against Black people is a lesbian and gay issue, because I
and thousands of other Black women are part of the lesbian community. Any
attack against lesbians and gays is a Black issue, because thousands of
lesbians and gay men are Black. There is
no hierarchy of oppression.
It is not accidental that the Family Protection Act, which is virulently
anti-woman and anti-Black, is also anti-gay. As a Black person, I know who my
enemies are, and when the Ku Klux Klan goes to court in Detroit to try and
force the Board of Education to remove books the Klan believes "hint at
homosexuality," then I know I cannot afford the luxury of fighting one
form of oppression only. I cannot afford to believe that freedom from
intolerance is the right of only one particular group. And I cannot afford to
choose between the fronts upon which I must battle these forces of
discrimination, .wherever they appear to destroy me. And when they appear to
destroy me, it will not be long before they appear to destroy you.
A Litany for Survival
By Audre Lorde
For those of us who live at the
shoreline
standing upon the constant edges of decision
crucial and alone
for those of us who cannot indulge
the passing dreams of choice
who love in doorways coming and going
in the hours between dawns
looking inward and outward
at once before and after
seeking a now that can breed
futures
like bread in our children's mouths
so their dreams will not reflect
the death of ours:
For those of us
who were imprinted with fear
like a faint line in the center of our foreheads
learning to be afraid with our mother's milk
for by this weapon
this illusion of some safety to be found
the heavy-footed hoped to silence us
For all of us
this instant and this triumph
We were never meant to survive.
And when the sun rises we are afraid
it might not remain
when the sun sets we are afraid
it might not rise in the morning
when our stomachs are full we are afraid
of indigestion
when our stomachs are empty we are afraid
we may never eat again
when we are loved we are afraid
love will vanish
when we are alone we are afraid
love will never return
and when we speak
we are afraid our words will not be heard
nor welcomed
but when we are silent
we are still afraid
So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive
Pick one of the following forms of oppression (racism,
sexism, classism, heterosexism, religious oppression, transgender oppression,
ageism, ableism) and write a 5-page essay on it. You may NOT pick the form of oppression that was the subject
of your short video/slideshow. In
your essay, you should cover the following:
1.Begin with a personal narrative. Discuss your relationship to this form
of discrimination as both a target and an agent. How and to what degree have you perpetrated this form of
oppression? How, and to what
degree, have you been victimized by this form of oppression? Why did you choose this form of
oppression to write about and why is it important to you to discuss?
2.Clearly define the form of discrimination. Remember to understand the distinction
between personal prejudices and systemic discrimination and oppression. Discuss the form of discrimination at
multiple levels: personal/individual, institutional and cultural. Give several concrete examples of your
form of oppression that help the reader to better understand it.
3.From here, move into a discussion of several
articles (2-3) from Readings for
Diversity and Social Justice that clearly discuss your chosen ism. Be sure to include a discussion of
power and privilege, and how the victims of this form of discrimination are
negatively affected in terms of their life chances.
4.To end, I want you to discuss social
change. What are specific things
that individuals and groups can do to combat this form of discrimination? Be sure to use Johnson’s text to
discuss the ideas he puts forth in the chapter “What Can We Do?” Also, what will you personally commit
to do to work on this problem?
Required Format for Exams:
·Name, Date, Course # (WS 405) and Instructor
Name in upper left hand corner
·Identify Document (Exam #2)
·Typed, Double-spaced, 12-point, Times New Roman
font, 1” margins. 5 pages in
length. Insert page numbers.
·Parenthetical Citations, MLA Style
·Works Cited Page
·Edited, proof-read, spell-checked
·Use at least 3-4 citations from Readings for Diversity and 1-2 citations
from Johnson. You can also cite course videos; no outside sources.
·Introduction: Include overall thesis and what
you will set out to do in the body. Provide sign posts to help orient the
reader. Strive for clear sentences
and clear organization structure.
Your intro should be folded into your personal narrative.
·Body: Elaboration and documentation of your
thesis and the problem, organized clearly: Prove your thesis. This section includes your definition
of the oppression and your analyses of the articles.
·Conclusion: Summing up and reiterating your
overall theme and reflecting on social change. What can we do to make it better?
·Due by: Sunday, Jan. 23 at 10:00 PM EST. Email as a MS Word Doc (.doc) to: Joelle.Ryan@unh.edu AND d.jacobsen8@gmail.com Write your name
and WS 405 Exam # 2 in the subject line.
Self-Evaluation
As the FINAL page of your exam, you should also answer the following
questions, reflecting on your own performance during J-Term. You should not take up more than one
page (single or double spaced, as you prefer). Please, do not forget to include
this as the final page (after your works cited page) of your exam # 2.
1.Please discuss your performance on your
Blog. How do you think your
entries came out? Did you: meet
the minimum word count? Post on
time? Respond to two or more of
your peer’s Blogs? Complete all 15 entries? Complete all the Quick Blogs? Please discuss any special circumstances that may have
negatively impacted your work on the Blogs.
2.Please discuss your work on the exams. Were you pleased with your performance
on Exam # 1? Exam # 2? What was most challenging for you on
the Exams? Do you feel the Exams
adequately reflected your knowledge and learning for the term?
3.Evaluate your performance on the short video
project. How do you think
you did? Do you think this is an
effective educational video? How did you make out
with the technology? How about
your level of creativity for the project?
4.Finally, what grade do you think you earned for
this class? Here, it is VERY
important to be honest. Do not
inflate your performance. Given
the Blogs, Exams Punctuality (all work turned in on time) and Video Project,
what do you believe that your final grade should be and why?
Write a paragraph in which you respond to the following questions:
1. Is your social sphere (family, work, school, friends, hobbies, etc.) comprised of people of diverse ages? How often do you regularly encounter young people and elders? Do you wish you had more interactions with youth or elderly people?
2. In many ways, our society is segregated on the basis of age. Why do you think that is? How are young people and old people often socially marginalized? How and why are young adults and middle-age adults often advantaged and privileged due to their age?
3. What are some possible ways to promote greater integration of all ages/generations and to challenge age-based segregation? How can we as a culture work to promote respect for people of all ages, especially greater respect for old people?
Ageism is arbitrary discrimination on the basis of
chronological age.
Ageism is as serious and pervasive as racism and sexism.
Ageism is harmful to all age groups, and oppresses
both the old and the young. It deprives both groups of power and
status and the right to control their own lives and destinies.
The greatest handicap associated with old age is
the ageist barriers and prejudices imposed on the old by society’s
orientation to youth.
We have been conditioned to despise and devalue our
own experiences, skills, gray hair and wrinkles.
Many have been so brainwashed by this thinking that
we rarely admit our true age and try to keep alive the youth cult
by lies, self-deception and futile efforts to look young.
The subject of age affects all persons: we are becoming
older. Powerlessness and alienation affect young as well as old
in ways which are destructive.
Examples of Ageism
Black balloon birthday parties
“You don’t look 40”---
or whatever age
Mandatory retirement
Limited positive roles in TV and movies for older
people
Lower ticket costs for older adults for movies
Seating old people away from the active, entry area
in a restaurant
Not being waited on in line/getting passed by for
others who came after you
“Terrible twos” used to describe
a vital life stage of growing independence
Dreading being a parent of teenagers
People in their twenties being told they are too
young to work with “senior
citizens”
Lying about one’s age for fear of negative
perceptions or treatment or to be
eligible for some benefit
Absence of older models in advertising (clothing,
cars, etc.)
Lack of old people in position of influence, decision-making
Efforts to create sub-minimum wage for teen jobs
Assumption that young people are computer whizzes
and older people are
computer-phobic
Stereotype that youth are drug addicts or gang members
Cosmetics focused on anti-aging
Parallel Myths of Youth and Elders
Deemed too young or too old to contribute
Take too many drugs
Are unproductive
Should not /cannot have sex
Don’t have money
Don’t know what they are talking about (so
can be discounted)
Want to be left alone or only want be with “own
kind”
Other Myths About Aging
You become less attractive the older you get
Losing memory is a normal part of growing old
Mental ability declines with age
Old people are physically unable to function
Aging is terrible
Old people are bored
Actions to Combat Ageism
Throw yourself a birthday party
Stop lying about your age
Let your hair be its natural color
Quit complimenting people on how young they look
Write to your local news media when a headline or
cartoon is ageist
Please review the definitions of Adultism and Ageism and then read the different things we can do in society to combat these forms of age prejudice and discrimination. - JRR
Adultism: The
systematic mistreatment of young people on the basis of their youth, including
stereotyping, discrimination, negative attitudes or behaviors toward young
people, and withholding respect, power, privilege, and rights of participation on
the basis of age. It includes the assumption that adults are better than young
people, and entitled to act upon young people without their agreement.This mistreatment is supported and
reinforced by the laws, policies, norms, mores, social customs, and everyday
practices of society
Ageism: The
systematic mistreatment of older persons on the basis of presumed age,
including
stereotyping, discrimination, negative attitudes or behaviors toward a person
on the basis of their age, and loss of respect, power, privilege, and rights of
participation. This mistreatment is supported and reinforced by the laws, policies,
norms, mores, social customs, and everyday practices of society.
The guidelines and suggestions listed below can help inform a
discussion about changes
in beliefs and practices towards young people and elders that
facilitate the transformation
of society.
1. View and treat young people and elders as growing, developing
humans and not as problems to be solved, and develop policies, programs, and
practices that aim at developing a sense of competence: being able to do
something well; a sense of usefulness: having something to contribute; a sense
of belonging: being part of a community; and, a sense of power: having control over
one’s future.
2. Avoid patronizing, tokenizing, or otherwise marginalizing young
people and elders.
3. Involve the entire communities, including young people and
elders, in creating
a continuum of services and opportunities that supports the life
needs of young people and elders.
4. Involve young people and elders in meaningful decision-making
about institutional
practices and policies that affect their lives, such as designing
their health care environments and their learning environments.
5. Understand and act on the fact that young people and elders
have the capacity
to play meaningful roles in their communities.
6. Work to ensure an equitable distribution of resources, such as
health care, retirement resources, resources for educational development, and
so on.
7. Value people of all ages for their experience and wisdom.
Help
Stamp Out Ageism! (Re-printed from National Gray Panthers publication
"Network" Volume 1, Issue 2, September/October 1995, page 14.)Gray Panthers is an
intergenerational organization dedicated to bring together young, old, women,
men, persons of all ethnic, racial and economic backgrounds for the promotion
of social justice. http://www.graypanthersmetrodetroit.org/Ageism.html
Step
I - Define It
Ageism
is:
·Discrimination
based on chronological age.
·The
notion that people cease to be persons by virtue of having lived a specific number
of years.
·The
use of age to define capability and roles.
·A
process of systematic stereotyping of and discrimination against people just because
they are old.
·To be told "you're too old" is as
disheartening as to be told "you're too young"; both statements make
you a stereotype when in fact you are an individual.
Step
II - How to Identify Ageists
1.
The Pretenders -These
are misguided older folks who believe that age is "all in your head".
2.
The Discriminators - Some of their best friends are old, so how could
they be ageist? However, they are quick to point out the realistic
limitations of older applicants to jobs in their sphere of influence.
3.
The Exceptionalists - These elders consider themselves the fortunate exceptions
to society's negative view of old people. While they think of themselves
as vigorous, productive and useful to society, they imagine most of their peers
to be in bad shape, useless and boring.
4.
The Colonists - This type is frequently found among politicians, and
is not at all rare in the ageism establishment. They may easily be
identified because they always preface any word for the ageing with the
possessive pronoun, such as "OUR senior citizens" or "MY
elderly".
5.
The Patronizers - This garden variety is commonly found in senior
programs.To them, the old are
just delightful when in "their place" and, like children, should be
catered to and played with.
Step
III - (The Hardest Step to Accept) We are ALL ageist.
Whether
we're young, middle-aged or old, whether we've taken courses in gerontology or
not, whether we think we're immune or too well-meaning to be afflicted, we are
all ageists.
We're
ageist because the society we live in is permeated with ageism. We can no more
escape it than we can the chemicals in our food-- or sexism or racism for that
matter. But at least in the case of the other two social diseases,
there's been some progress and some serious efforts to combat them.Ageism, by
comparison, has been analyzed very little and manifests itself in many
variations with hardly a challenge.
Step
IV - What You Can Do to Help Stamp Out Ageism
1.
Quit complimenting people on how young they look.
2.
Promote intergenerational job sharing, part-time hours, and no hiring or retirement
according to a plan based on chronological age.
3.
Try not to blame old age for fatigue or disorganization or forgetfulness.
In our youth, we blame poor planning, lack of sleep, and a bad memory.
4.
Criticize your local news media when a headline or cartoon is offensive.
5.
When selecting a birthday card, keep your sense of humor. Just learn the difference
between laughing WITH rather than laughing AT.
6.
Fight ageism with two important weapons -- knowledge and a willingness to approach
every person, regardless of age, as an individual with unique strengths,
weaknesses, options, and opportunities.
The Old Women’s Project
Ageism — the attitudes and practices that ignore, patronize,
insult or trivialize old women — affects women of all colors, ethnicities,
classes, sexualities, abilities. It is a form of sexism — very old, very
powerless, very frail old men are seen as if they
were women, just as gay men are sometimes treated with contempt as if they were
women.Ageism is a central issue
for women, because as long as we are erased in the last third of our lives, we
will continue to have perilous footing during the other two thirds.
HOW
TO KNOW IF YOU'RE BEING AGEIST: A HANDY GUIDE FROM THE OLD WOMEN'S PROJECT
LANGUAGE POLICE
WHY NOT "CUTE"?"Cute" is what
younger people call an old woman when she does or says something that surprises
them because it is just what a normal person would do or say. Example: if she engages in,
or even refers to, sexual activity.
WHY NOT "FEISTY"?"Feisty"
is an automatic putdown — its origin is "excitable, like a mongrel
dog" — that is frequently used in newspapers to describe an old woman who
is in any way outspoken, determined, or who engages in political protest.Example: "Mary Jones, a
feisty 86-year-old, had a different opinion."
WHY NOT "SWEET"?When
an old woman is not "feisty," she is rewarded by being told she is
"sweet."
WHY NOT "SPRY"?As you see more of us in
gyms, this word is used less often since it expresses surprise that a woman in
her 60s or 80s should be even a little active.
WHY NOT "LITTLE"? WHY NOT "LADY"?Some of us are short and some of us are tall. We are still
women, not "little old ladies."
WE ARE NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER."You
remind me of my grandmother." Why don't we ever remind younger people of
their sister, cousin, best friend back in Boston? We are not defined by our ages, but by our interests and our
personalities.
ALL OF THESE WORDS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE COMPLIMENTS. ALL OF THESE WORDS ARE
SEGREGATING, PATRONIZING, INSULTING.
RULE OF THUMB: If there's something you wouldn't say to a 35-year-old
woman, don't say it about a 75-year-old woman.
During the regular 405, I usually do a unit on fatness, weightism and the size acceptance movement in U.S. culture. I thought I would include some information here for you to peruse to learn more about the fat liberation movement. At the end of this diary, is the Xtranormal video I made this weekend about the issue of weightism--I hope you enjoy it!-JRR
F-A-T ! : A Basic Primer
· Fat is being reclaimed as a
neutral descriptor of human bodies.
Fat people are reclaiming the word “fat” like some members of the LGBT
community have reclaimed the word “queer.” Words like heavy, zaftig, large, voluptuous etc. are
euphemisms that suggest that being fat is wrong or needs to be concealed
somehow.
·Some people in size acceptance communities also use the phrase “People
of Size” (POS) to refer to fat folks
·Fatphobia, sizeism, and weightism are words used to denote fear, hatred
and discrimination against fat people
·Discrimination towards fat people
in the workplace, education system, and healthcare system has been clearly
documented and is growing rapidly
·The consequences of size discrimination are real. They include: medical and psychological
effects, wage disparity, hiring and promotion discrimination and lessening of
academic options and advancement
·Obesity is a word used by doctors and others to
medicalize fatness. Health has
been weaponized and used as a tool against people of size.
·Fat acceptance activists believe it is not the person
of size that needs to change, but the society in which s/he lives. Fatphobia needs to be seen as a form of
bigotry that is as virulent as any other.
·The fat acceptance movement, also known as
the size acceptance movement, fat liberation movement or fat power, is a grassroots effort
to change societal attitudes towards fat people.
·Fat women
are scorned more than fat men due to sexism, misogyny and the way women are so
harshly judged based on their appearance.
·The Fat
Acceptance Movement began in the late 1960s. William Fabrey declared “fat pride” and formed the National Association
to Aid Fat Americans, subsequently renamed the National Association to Advance
Fat Acceptance (NAAFA).
·NAAFA is
still active today and has a website, annual conference and chapters across the
U.S. See: http://www.naafaonline.com/dev2/
·Fat
activists assert that 95-98% of
diets fail, and that repeated yo-yo dieting has been proven to be potentially
hazardous to one’s health, more so than being fat
·Marilyn Wann is a key activist in the fat
liberation movement, and is well known for her foundational fat activism book: Fat!So?: Because You Don’t Have to Apologize for your Size.
·Many people in fat-positive communities advocate
the movement known as Health At Every Size (HAES). See principles below.
·The size acceptance movement has a big presence on
the world wide web through websites, e-groups, blogs, videos, etc. Some call this the “fatosphere.”
·There are also fat burlesque groups, synchronized
swimming groups, dance and performance art troupes, etc.
·Fat Studies is a burgeoning field of inquiry that
features many books, articles, panels and researchers. The
Fat Studies Reader was published in 2009.
What
Do Fat People Want?
WE
WANT fat
children to grow up safe from ridicule and physical violence. Such hate crimes
rob fat children of their self-esteem and their hope for the future. To this
end, we want schools, social service agencies, and courts to recognize, and
help alleviate, the socially condoned mistreatment of fat children.
WE
WANT
to be healthy. We also want people to understand that being healthy does not
necessarily mean being thin.
WE
WANT
doctors who focus on our health and well-being, not on weight loss.
WE
WANT
doctors to stop pushing dangerous treatments: diets, diet pills, liposuction,
and weight-loss surgery. As the New England Journal of Medicine said
recently, "The cure for obesity [sic] may be worse than the
condition."
WE
WANT
diagnostic equipment that will accommodate us: MRIs, CAT scans, ultrasound
machines, some X-ray machines, etc.
WE
WANT
health insurance companies to stop denying coverage based on weight.
WE
WANT
surgeons to stop refusing to operate on us unless we lose weight, just because
they do not have the skill, the tools, or the technique to work with large
bodies. (Ironically, sometimes the only surgery a fat person can obtain is
mutilating weight-loss surgery.)
WE
WANT
the media to stop quoting inaccurate and spurious statistics about fat mortality
rates. This practice only reinforces the prejudice we face. For example, the oft-quoted figure of
300,000 fat-related deaths in America is based on a study (McGinnis and Foege, JAMA,
Nov. 10, 1993) that linked these deaths to sedentary lifestyle and poor diet, not
to weight!
WE
WANT
the FDA to test weight-loss drugs thoroughly for safety before approving them
for use by millions of consumers who are all-too-eager for a miracle pill, even
when it is life-threatening. Beyond that, we question the value or wisdom of
seeking medical cures for social problems in the first place.
WE
WANT
doctors and health professionals to heed the New England Journal of
Medicine's January 1, 1998 editorial, "Losing Weight-An Ill-Fated New
Year's Resolution," when it says:
"Doctors
should do their part to help end discrimination against overweight [sic] people
in schools and workplaces. We should also speak out against the public's
excessive infatuation with being thin and the extreme, expensive, and
potentially dangerous measures taken to attain that goal. Many Americans are
sacrificing their appreciation of one of the great pleasure of life--eating--in
an attempt to look like our semi-starved celebrities. Countless numbers of our
daughters and increasingly many of our sons are suffering immeasurable torment
in fruitless weight-loss schemes and scams, and some are losing their
lives."
We
couldn't have said it better ourselves.
We
invite people of good conscience to join with us in decrying prejudice against
fat people. Help us create a world that celebrates diversity of size!
Created
by:
FAT!SO?--the zine for people who don't
apologize for their size: (800) OH-FATSO, National Association to Advance Fat
Acceptance
(800) 442-1214, NAAFA Feminist Caucus: (510) 836-1153, SF/Bay Area NAAFA
chapter: (510) 524-6470
Basic Principles of Health
At Every Size (HAES)
1. Accepting and respecting the diversity of body shapes and sizes.
2. Recognizing that health and well-being are multi-dimensional and that they
include physical, social, spiritual, occupational, emotional, and intellectual
aspects.
3. Promoting all aspects of health and well-being for people of all sizes.
4. Promoting eating in a manner which balances individual nutritional needs,
hunger, satiety, appetite, and pleasure.
5. Promoting individually appropriate, enjoyable, life-enhancing physical
activity, rather than exercise that is focused on a goal of weight loss.
