The Individual, the Parental and Family Values - Assignment Example

Exploration of Life Experiences: The following group of questions and their answers provide demographic information about the individual, the parental and family values and/or biases that influenced them and the metamorphoses of these values/biases as they began to grow into adulthood: 1. What is your ethnic origin, and what social class do you identify with/belong to? I like to say that I am simply an African. But for the sake of political correctness, and because I was born here in America, I’ll call myself African American. In terms of social class; I was born into the (lower) middle class, but have arguably moved up the social ladder a little bit. So, I’ll say I am an African American in the middle of the middle class. 2. Why would you identify yourself entirely as an African when you were born in America? Because of the benefit of (the study of) history, I am able to know that my ancestors came from Africa. I choose to identify with that origin, even if I cannot identify any specific place in Africa as mine, and even though I have never been to Africa. I feel like it is the only one place on earth where I can be without feeling self-conscious. 3. Being born into an ‘African’ family, what values and biases were you brought up to believe in, that you think was different from (most) other ethnic groups? I think the most obvious value was that of hierarchy in the home and reverence for the elderly. From the African perspective, the institution of marriage and the family is run like a government, where equality is a relative term. My father did not just head the home; he ruled it. True, he sometimes acted based on advice from his wife (my mother) and requests from his children (my siblings and I), his decisions were based largely on what he thought was right or wrong. We were also brought up to respect elders, even if we were not related to them, like we respected our parents and grandparents. 4. While growing up, did you retain these values firmly; did you modify them in any way or did you discard them altogether? To be honest, it was quite a challenge holding firm to those values, as they were the basis for the failure of many of my personal relationships. As I became exposed to the world of ‘order’ and ‘civilization’ – specifically, when was in college, I came in contact with people from very diverse backgrounds, many of whom told me my beliefs were primitive. But it is near impossible to discard values you have indoctrinated with from childhood, yet I had to adjust to the ‘new world order’. So, I would say that I modified those values in a way, but I did not totally discard them. Racial and Social Identity: The following group of questions highlights the individual’s acquired beliefs (from their family) about other cultures, social classes and ethnicities. It also describes their experience(s) and contact with persons different from them: 5. Having talked about your perception of your ethnicity and the beliefs/values you were brought up to hold; how did you perceive people of other ethnicities and social class? Also, what does your ethnicity, social status and cultural background mean to you, and how have these factors affected your interaction in diverse communities? I will start with the latter question. My cultural background, to me, represents an age-long and time-tested approach to life, which is resonated in my religious faith (Christianity). But I think this had very little to do with ethnicity – not only black people are Christians, after all. But I could also argue that the black race is one of the few that still holds on to the tenets of strong family bonds, hierarchy in society and reverence for the elderly. And I feel very comfortable holding these beliefs. I stand for them. Talking about my relationship with people from other ethnic groups; I will say, for lack of better terminology, that the family I grew up in was ‘passively racist’. I say ‘passively’, because there was never any direct expression of dislike for other ethnic groups, but you could observe an obvious disposition of indifference in the way we related to people of other ethnicities, even though we tended to be more comfortable relating with ethnic minorities. You can call that rooting for the underdog. In terms of social class, I was brought up to view the ‘rich white man’ as pompous, arrogant and greedy. But as is with all ethnic/social stereotypes, this is not hundred percent correct. I grew up to realize that most of these beliefs and attitudes are not only somewhat prejudiced, but also hardly relevant in this day and age. 6. Could you please describe an encounter you had with someone of a different ethnicity or social class that you consider striking? There are quite a number of occasions like that, but I will talk about one: I used to work as an usher at an opera house, and the majority of patrons who came to watch the performances were upper class Caucasians. They struck me as ‘uptight’ because I thought their carriage and conversations were too structured, too conventional, bland, and generally lacked ‘life’. I did not and do not want to be like them for all the money in the world. Beliefs System: The following group of questions and answers describes the individual’s current beliefs about race or issues related to racism, their role or identity in relation to oppression (victim, benefactor, or participant)? It also seeks to determine which persons or groups they perceive as being an “outgroup” or outside their own boundaries, and how they justify their position: 7. Do you believe that all races and beliefs are able to co-exist peacefully and without prejudice of any sort? Definitely not! I believe that the factor of difference itself is a basis for suspicion and lack of trust. Even among black people for instance, there is not solid unity. We hear about ethnic wars and riots all over Africa (black against black) sometimes because of religion. But there is even disparity within groups that practice the same religion. A vivid example of that is Northern Ireland. I believe human distrust began the moment God introduced a multiplicity of languages on the Tower of Babel. 8. Do you believe in the superiority or inferiority of one race or the other? Interestingly, almost every race has its mythology that invests in it, the power to call itself the ‘center of the world’. And perhaps America is actually GREAT today because it started out with no such illusions. But no, I think all men are born equal – it is nurturing that makes us all appear different from each other. 9. What is your stand on racism and do you think society’s response to racial oppression is appropriate or good enough? Also, how would you describe your role as regards oppression? Do you consider yourself a victim, benefactor or participant in oppression? I think racism and racial oppression are totally childish social behaviors that oftentimes assume barbaric dimensions – the Holocaust and the Rwanda genocide (of 1993) have taught us that much. So it is healthy not to feed the flame in the first place. As for society’s response, that depends on the society. The American society, for example, frowns hard on racism. But that is all that society can do – frown. It all boils down to the individual to be tolerant. Given the foregoing, it is difficult to place myself in any of the three categories you have mentioned. I like to believe that I am no longer a victim of racial oppression, neither am I a participant. And I am definitely not a benefactor. 10. What actions, if any, have you personally taken to counter racism and other forms of oppression; and what limitations do you encounter here? I must admit I have not done much in that regard, besides my opinions when talking with friends and co-workers. For that reason, I cannot talk about limitations, either. Competence in Diversity: The following question seeks to examine they comfort and competence level while working with people from diverse backgrounds. 11. How competent do you feel in working with clients from various ethnic and social backgrounds? I have no problems whatsoever working with anyone from anywhere. If I can maintain good personal relationships with people from diverse backgrounds, how much less professional relationships, which are far less cumbersome. 12. What strength(s) do you have that help you work easily with others different from yourself? I call it the gift of enlightenment. Having gone to college and met people from virtually all ethnicities, and social backgrounds, I have come to realize that there is at least one habit or trait worth emulating in every culture. Aspire to the good, and ignore the not-so-good. Read More