- I can decide what technology is valuable, and look down on those who do not have access to technology or choose not to use it.
- I can ignore my positions of power. I didn’t think to preface this post with a disclaimer of the American-centric point of view.
- I can decide what products to boycott, afford to boycott them, and criticize others for not boycotting them.
- I can have an ad-free blog.
- When I purchase a game, my payment is unlikely to be questioned because of my physical appearance or dress.
- I grew up with a computer, and was taught how to operate one and type in school. I grew up with video games and access to them.
- I can afford a cell-phone and a laptop.
- I have the leisure time to game.
- I can afford to purchase the newest games and technological gadgets.
- I can drive to the store to immediately purchase something I decide I want, and can afford to pay shipping if I choose to purchase it online.
- I can decide what others could afford or should purchase if only they didn’t spend their money on what I define as frivolous.
- Games are written in a language that is familiar to me.. Game reviews and magazines are written in a language I understand, and “experts” are usually from my race and class.
- I can use the internet as a tool to reach others like myself.
- I can determine which genres of games are valuable and which are “beneath me.”
- I can easily find games that represent members of my own race.
Showing posts with label Poverty/Working Class. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poverty/Working Class. Show all posts
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Have the Homeless Become Invisible?
7 Myths About Homeless People Debunked
www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/03/7-things-homeless-people-not-true_n_5206475.html?utm_hp_ref=impact&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000010
1. Homeless people all live on the streets or sleep in shelters.
2. Homelessness is always related to mental illness and/or substance abuse.
3. Homeless individuals are fine with being homeless.
4. They don't take care of themselves.
5. They only want money and food.
6. Humans are the only ones who need help.
7. They don't use the Internet.
What would you do if you saw someone collapse?
Monday, April 21, 2014
Sweatshops
Women's work" THEN (garment factories)…
And NOW (Rana Plaza, Bangladesh)…
QUESTIONS:
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/03/topless-american-apparel-ad-goes-after-sweatshop-labor-nudity/
And NOW (Rana Plaza, Bangladesh)…
QUESTIONS:
- What is "fair trade"?
- What laws were put into place to protect workers after Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire?
- Where are factories located now (there are NONE in the U.S.)?
- How much were people paid (or not paid) in the past and now?
- What is made at the Bangladesh factory (Gap jeans was a major company)?
- Which companies were involved in Bangladesh (Walmart wouldn't increase pay to 35 cents!)?
- What can YOU do?
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/03/topless-american-apparel-ad-goes-after-sweatshop-labor-nudity/
Friday, February 28, 2014
Monday, December 30, 2013
Myths of U.S. Education
Couldn't find the video on a link to upload, but you can do one of the
following to see the video. It links poverty to education issues.
Go to the website: http://www.aft.org/promise/pisa/
Or to YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf9UVg-TdH0#t=97
Go to the website: http://www.aft.org/promise/pisa/
Or to YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf9UVg-TdH0#t=97
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Wealth Inequity
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/31/richest-person-in-each-state_n_5617993.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063
All white, but there are some women.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Why Our Students Need ‘Equity Literacy’
Why Our Students Need ‘Equity Literacy’ http://www.tolerance.org/blog/why-our-students-need-equity-literacy:
An informational placard presents the chilling current statistics behind the display: “Today the net worth of the average African-American family is about one-tenth that of the average white family. Much of that disparity is due to differing rates of home ownership between these two groups and to the generally lower values of homes blacks own than homes owned by whites. The gap is perpetuated as wealth—or the lack of it—is passed down from parent to child.”
(cut article here)
People were shown three pie charts on wealth distribution. They were asked which one represented the current situation in the United States. The first pie chart was split evenly five ways; the second was less equal with the top quintile controlling 36 percent while the lower quintile controlled 11 percent; and the third, which showed the top quintile with 84 percent of the wealth while the bottom two quintiles controlled 0.3 percent combined. After making their guesses, participants were also asked which society they would most like to live in.
The report found that people dramatically underestimated wealth inequality in the United States, rarely choosing the correct pie chart—the most unequal. (Sweden represented the second pie chart; the first was hypothetical). At the same time, respondents—regardless or political affiliation—overwhelmingly expressed a desire to live in societies with even more equally distributed wealth. This suggests Americans may be more open to policies that support more equitable wealth distribution than our pundits and politicians proclaim.
This report and our encounter with students at the exhibit made me rethink how we, as educators, must frame our curriculum and pedagogy from a social justice perspective. Teachers must proactively position their work as responding to a disturbing gap in Americans’ knowledge base. We need to draw attention to how many people are un- and misinformed when it comes to social and economic inequality in our society. We also need to remind our neighbors how important it is that students learn basic facts, like those represented in the museum’s exhibit.
(cut article here)
I suggest that we call this knowledge base “equity literacy” and add it as the sixth element to Connie North’s definition of social justice education. We need K-12 students who are knowledgeable about the inequity that exists in our midst as much as we need them to know that two plus two equals four, that George Washington was the first president of the United States or that the earth is round. We need students to have a grasp of the historical trajectories of marginalized and privileged groups and to understand how those groups have been—and continue to be—framed. And we need them to be familiar with the many ways these facts are interpreted. Thoughtful debates about policy at the local and national level depend upon the people’s capacity to do so.
An informational placard presents the chilling current statistics behind the display: “Today the net worth of the average African-American family is about one-tenth that of the average white family. Much of that disparity is due to differing rates of home ownership between these two groups and to the generally lower values of homes blacks own than homes owned by whites. The gap is perpetuated as wealth—or the lack of it—is passed down from parent to child.”
(cut article here)
People were shown three pie charts on wealth distribution. They were asked which one represented the current situation in the United States. The first pie chart was split evenly five ways; the second was less equal with the top quintile controlling 36 percent while the lower quintile controlled 11 percent; and the third, which showed the top quintile with 84 percent of the wealth while the bottom two quintiles controlled 0.3 percent combined. After making their guesses, participants were also asked which society they would most like to live in.
The report found that people dramatically underestimated wealth inequality in the United States, rarely choosing the correct pie chart—the most unequal. (Sweden represented the second pie chart; the first was hypothetical). At the same time, respondents—regardless or political affiliation—overwhelmingly expressed a desire to live in societies with even more equally distributed wealth. This suggests Americans may be more open to policies that support more equitable wealth distribution than our pundits and politicians proclaim.
This report and our encounter with students at the exhibit made me rethink how we, as educators, must frame our curriculum and pedagogy from a social justice perspective. Teachers must proactively position their work as responding to a disturbing gap in Americans’ knowledge base. We need to draw attention to how many people are un- and misinformed when it comes to social and economic inequality in our society. We also need to remind our neighbors how important it is that students learn basic facts, like those represented in the museum’s exhibit.
(cut article here)
I suggest that we call this knowledge base “equity literacy” and add it as the sixth element to Connie North’s definition of social justice education. We need K-12 students who are knowledgeable about the inequity that exists in our midst as much as we need them to know that two plus two equals four, that George Washington was the first president of the United States or that the earth is round. We need students to have a grasp of the historical trajectories of marginalized and privileged groups and to understand how those groups have been—and continue to be—framed. And we need them to be familiar with the many ways these facts are interpreted. Thoughtful debates about policy at the local and national level depend upon the people’s capacity to do so.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Half the Sky
If you do any social justice work (and even if you don't), the statistics in this video are startling. Also, the book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Kristoff and WuDunn is a must-read resource!
“Women are half the world’s population, yet they do two-thirds of the world’s work, earn one-tenth of the world’s income, and own less than one per cent of the world’s property.” (Source: World Bank) Let’s change that!
Half the Sky Movement: http://www.halftheskymovement.org/
And, in case you don't think this happens in the United States, read this article about Oklahoma. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/11/4/nation/12170205&sec=nation
Friday, July 22, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Gaming Privilege (a selection reposted below)
Being able to game is a privilege - from a 2005 Blog Post by Ariel Wetzel http://www.lake-desire.com/newgameplus/?p=36: Being able to boycott is a privilege. I have the power to engage in the leisure activity, and try to change things about it that I don’t like. In the spirit of invisible knapsacks and unpacking them, and this blog’s themes, below I’ve listed some of the ways my situation has given me an advantage over others in relation to technology. I am an American, white, from a Christian family, middle-class, young, able-bodied, average-sized, and non-transsexual.
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