Prejudice and Tech21ism

A white woman was being interviewed about her job and place of employment.  During the interview, she was asked about her coworkers.  In these questions, she was asked how many black people she worked with.  She answered, "none".

When she went to work the next day, she went to one of her closest friends at work and told her about the interview.  Her friend looked at her funny......then said, "I am black".

The woman paused, then responded, "oh yeah, but you're just like me."

A point has been made in a few of our classes that culture is often about identifying where people are different, then trying to make the other person more like you, or demeaning that person for how they are different.  Sadly, this is often true.

However, Drs Cherry and James Banks, worldwide leaders in multiculturalism, have described that understanding someone else requires you to identify how they are different first, it is in this identification of differences that you can find strengths, then find common ground.  Ignoring those differences is prejudice.  Causing conflict because of those differences is racism, sexism, etc...

In order to look at similarities you must identify differences and celebrate them.  It is in the celebration that you make relationships stronger and you acknowledge someone for who they are.  Once those differences are identified, you can then identify common ground because those things that are not different, are therefore common.  By looking at the commonalities but ignoring the differences, we risk what happened to the woman in the interview.  We risk not acknowledging the entire person, their culture, their ancestry, their legacy.

Today we prepared for decorating for our Chemistry Magic Show which is this Thursday.  A local farmer donated pumpkins and we hollowed them out and carved them with eyes and smiles.  I asked them to put the "guts" of the pumpkin in one bowl, then put the seeds in another.  It was intriguing to see the responses when I asked my class who had never carved a pumpkin before and who had never had roasted pumpkin seeds before.  Many of my Hispanic students, and a few others, had never participated in this odd cultural tradition.  For this holiday, I am inviting my students to join me as I share some of my culture with them, and they are enjoying the new experience.

However, at Christmas time, the MECHA club, a group of Chicana/o students on campus, put on the annual MECHA Posada.  I join them in feasting, singing, and listening to stories together.  In that holiday, students have invited me to join them as they share their culture with me, and I enjoy the new experience.

By year end, our cultures are slightly more blended than they were before.  In this process, our cultures have become more relevant to one another and our understanding of how our ancestry influences where we come from, how our families influence who we are today, and how our legacy will be influenced by who we become.  Our cultures become more relevant to one another, because now our cultures are influencing one anothers legacy.

Technology is another example of cultural differences.  20th century students have a 20th century literacy, a 20th century technological culture.  That 20th century technological ancestry influence where we have come from, which influences who we are today.

21st century students have a different literacy, a different culture, a different ancestry all together.  My roots are influenced by the scientific calculator, the Apple 2e, the Atari, and Windows 3.0.  Their roots are influenced by X-Box, i-Pods, cell phones, and the internet.  Our cultures are different.

How often do students get invited by teachers to experience their 20th century technological culture?  How often do teachers accept their student's invitation to experience their 21st century technological culture?

Are you surprised that students often don't feel welcome?

When their culture is ignored, it is prejudice.

When their culture is demeaned, it is an ism.  Not racism.  Not sexism.  But it is tech21ism. 

In what is supposed to be the most tolerant time in America's history, our schools are awfully prejudiced and tech21ist.