Crash

I watched the movie Crash and it wasn't nothing I had anticipated. I seen that case to this movie too many times to not want to watch it. I figured that it was a dramatic movie about a car crash and what not. This was a class case of judging a book by its cover but instead it was  movie in this case. When I watched this movie I explored each character in this movie and it was a phenomenal movie and they each portrayed each stereotype that's evident in society. Honestly I've seen each of these events in actual life from racial profiling to corrupt cops. Its sad but its true and I even seen people who attain a level of status or achievement and they are embarrassed of their family so they don't go around them. This movie portrayed each stereotype and did it well, it showed that there are people out there in the world like that but not everyone is like that. Some miraculous things happened in the movie in the ways that these people who felt a certain type of way learned their lessons or had their epiphanies. Like when the shop owner goes to gun down the man who did his job correctly but he was Mexican and he thought he was trying to steal from him. He pulls the gun on him and shoots him but at the same time the mans daughter jumps in front on the line of fire to protect her dad. Or when the black lady who was molested by the cop who was having a hard life and didn't like black people because a black woman was handling his dads medical case. He felt a certain type of way about black people because of this one woman who was doing her job. It happens to be a coincidence that the same lady he harassed he was put in a position to save her life. Once he saved her life she had a new level of respect for him at the same time while being confused. This movie just proves how ignorant we all can be and are at times. It just shows that we don't know everything and that we need to be more understanding individuals. We should work together instead of against each other.

Reflection

I can honestly and truthfully say that I learned something in this class. I do think differently about things. I really feel that I accomplished my goals in this semester of class. My experience in this class was a good one and this was one of my more favorite classes that I have ever taken. The only thing that I wish that I would have done differently would be to be more talkative. I think that some of my experiences could have benefited some of my classmates in learning. Other than that I could have had better attendance to maximize my learning in the class. This class really has changed my point of views on certain subjects namely gender and sex, and indigenous people. Namely on gender and sex most men wouldn't admit this but after that subject I had an encounter with two transgendered individuals on separate occasions. Yes they were trying to "get at me" because I look good who wouldn't but they were open individuals and I took it as an opportunity to learn about their lifestyle knowing I would never speak to them again. One was a man who felt he should be a woman and another was a female who has a penis. Those were some interesting conversations but before this class I may have been real disrespectful to them and handled the situation a lot differently. Furthermore, I did enjoy this class and I would recommend it to anyone especially if they are open to a new way of thinking and want to explore society issues. I did experience some discomfort in the class during the subject of othering just because its a touchy subject. However I did meet all of my goals and I will continue to become a better individual and take classes that are similar.

Freedom Writers

In the movie the Freedom Writers there were many of issues that we face in the world today that cause social problems. These issues are seen in almost in everyday life depending on where you live. In Intercultural Communication we covered many of these same topics. Some topics that stood out in the movie were workplace, language and othering. These stood out to me because they were the most relevant topics in the movie also because this is something that most of us deal with everyday. The workplace was a constant struggle for Erin Gruwell because she lacked the support of her co workers. She really didn't get the support that she felt that she deserved. No one felt that she should've been helping these "criminals" so that's why they didn't. There were constant struggles in the workplace and they really didn't get along that much because of what she was trying to do. I see the struggle with language between the students and Mrs. Gruwell because there was a constant communication barrier. They came from a completely different place than where their teacher came from. There was a constant struggle to understand each others situations. Also I also feel that there was a struggle within their department, even though it was a issue within the workplace it was also a issue with language once Erin took on the role to be the voice of her students. Othering is probably the biggest issue in this entire movie, singling out a group of people because they were different. One occasion that this happened was with the other faculty members when they would refuse to help these troubled kids because they felt they were up to no good. Also the kids did it amongst themselves because you were one race or another. This was a large part of their problems because this is one reason why they were in a war with each other. Lastly, people looked at them differently because they were white, black or Mexican. I can relate to most of this just by being black people do look at me different because I fit the description. Its not right but its the society we live and probably wont change no time soon.

Reflection Week 14

This past week we learned about migration. Migration isn't what most people think it is, many people frown on it and look at it in a negative light. Personally, I don't know how I truly looked at migration before I moved to Arizona maybe I was too young to pay attention to something like that. Even though while I was in grade school I had met many individuals who were from other countries. Once I moved to Arizona, migration became a more relevant topic. I have met undocumented citizens in the past, after talking to them you get a better feeling of why they leave their home land in search of a better life. It is somewhat sad but it is the world that we live in, I'm thankful for the country that I live in. However that is migration on a grand scale, seeing migration on a smaller scale is like how many of the people who live in Williston are not from here. Williston is a very transient town just because of the number of people coming up here for job opportunities but they live somewhere in Florida. Even in my situation I came here an opportunity to further my education and for basketball.

After watching the Lost Boys of Sudan it reinforced my opinion of migration. I feel that it can be beneficial to any individual especially if we pride ourselves in being the land of the free and the home of the brave. Too many good people in this world go through so much pain and hell and in the end they never really see the light. Those boys are a true inspiration and one thing that I truly respect from people who come from other countries is that all they want to do is try.

Reflection Week 13

Sorry for the late post I couldn't remember my login to post my entry. However this week was about health, certainly I feel a certain way about being healthy especially with me being a college athlete. Even with this class when people bring in snacks I have a hard time to get myself to eat because they aren't the healthiest of snacks that people bring in. I feel that food is a big part of our lives, we all love to eat some type of food. I feel that it is kind of sad to see obese people especially in young children for example a little boy who is Vine famous his name is Lil Terrio he shouldn't be that big at his age. People look at me and say that it is easy for you to say because you have a good figure but ideally it all comes down to watch what you eat and how much you exercise. People use the excuse that they work way too much to ever go to the gym but in my opinion it all depends on how bad you want get in shape. I just think that we as Americans don't take pride in our bodies and so much so that obesity is now considered a disease.

For me food is a huge part of my families tradition. We don't have no secret recipes or nothing like that its just that when we cook we take pride in our food. My family is originally from Mississippi and Louisiana and I'm sure you've heard something about the food from down that way. I am pretty open minded about trying new foods but if it doesn't have any seasoning I'll notice it and wont appreciate my plate of food that much. I know what food should taste like and there's nothing like a good gumbo or a po boy sandwich. I was told that in class on Tuesday the class was asked what was the weirdest food that they have eaten. For me I'm not even sure I mean I like fried green tomatoes and fried frog legs also venison but nothing too serious. I know I hate stuffing from out of the box it taste disgusting to me maybe because my grandma makes hers from scratch every year. I know that I love to eat all kinds of seafood I don't have the guts to try squid or calamari or nothing like that. It was a great experience that this year we went to Rice and Spice and I actually taught my teammates how to eat crawfish. None of them never saw a crawfish before. Food is a huge part of our lives and you could learn tons about a person based on their food selection.

Reflection Week 12

This week we talked about the Natives and their way of life. I can't recall the name of the tribe but I remember that they were based out of South Dakota. Their reservation is in South Dakota and their living conditions are awful. These are considered the indigenous people on this continent but most of them struggle more than what we can imagine. I recall from the video in class on Tuesday that one of the tribesman compared a concentration camp to a reservation. That's a bold statement to make because we all know and heard about the holocaust and most feel that was just I humane and unthinkable treatment to humans beings. We also say I can't believe those Nazis and that Hitler was a bad guy, but we seem to forget about it when it happens on our own soil. We use all kinds of escape goats to cover up our mess but no one ever seems to notice the elephant in the room. What about what we did to all Asian decent people after what happened to Pearl Harbor and how poorly treated the natives are? I feel that it is terribly wrong to treat people less than, I understand that not everyone can live a lavish lifestyle but I'd be upset too if I was promised forty acres and a mule. I have witnessed and seen poor living conditions but from the video these have to be some of the worst living conditions I've ever seen and it is sad. These are some prideful people and they want to keep their tradition going strong and I believe that the only way to do this is to live in these reservations that are provided to them. If they move to these bigger cities where there are endless possibilities and multiple opportunities they would have to adopt a different way of life. In doing this they would lose sense of what they spent many many years of trying to build up. These are he indigenous people of America but yet they are at the bottom of the social class and we hardly learn about them in schools. Even when we learn about the Lewis& Clark exploration they skip over all of what any native could have impacted the story. I'm so ignorant to the sense of what a native could have done for America but I'm also just as numb to the idea because to my knowledge I'm not missing anything. I wish things were different and things like this is what makes me a biased individual. On a lighter note I think that it is kind of cool that a lot of the sports teams that we look up are named after or symbolize the natives. At the same time even though this is cool you want to make sure that you are translating it correctly and not offending them in any kind of way.
So much of what is done in this country is pushed under the mat or set a side for later especially on the political end of everything. It's kind of backwards if you ask me but this has come from hundreds of years of wrong doing and it won't change over night. One thing that I've learned is that money and power can corrupt the kindest people but it'll always come at someone's expense.

Reflection Week 11

Disabilities. People with disabilities Matt and Tony really showcase that just because you have a mental disability or you are not able bodied you can't live your life the way you want to. They keep me believing especially when they smile and laugh its a great thing and a great feeling. They were handed less in life and they still manage to get up everyday and live life. I remember the first time I can remember meeting handicapped individuals, I was probably in the first grade or kindergarten. I believe it was twins and they both had Cerebral Palsy. This type had affected their brain but they were just as fun to be around and we as a class learned a lot about them. They were no different than what we were and was a great lesson to learn at a very young age. Matt and Tony were just awesome they came and told jokes but the most memorable thing I remember is how comfortable they were in the skin that they were in. I was surprised at how funny Matt was he really made me laugh. It was great to see them enjoying themselves as much as I personally enjoyed them in class to help inform me It was definitely a learning lesson but I makes me appreciate what I have more. Its sad that people make fun of disabled people because they are not the same as we are. Its a shame that people get made fun of because they are different.

Reflection Week 10

This week we talked about gender. We distinguished that gender and sex are two different things. Sex is the psychological part of being either male or female. Gender is how society determines what is masculine or feminine. To me most of what we do as human beings is determined by gender. So a male there are certain things I should do and say and there is a thin line between doing something that is "gay" and being too manly. We are taught at a young age to be a boy and to act like a lady. We gain a lot of our parents point of views once we get older. Some of us think differently and end that cycle and generate our own opinions on life and how things should be.
Hearing that kids get suspended because they dress a certain way or not acting how a young lady should is almost unbelievable. Every year you hear some story about a kid getting suspended or expelled from school because of petty things. People do some crazy things and swear that they are teaching your child the right way and are truly hypocritical beings themselves. I have mixed feelings about people who go through sex changes. I feel that's the skin you were born in and that they should just live their lives as who they were born to be. However then again I have never been in the position to say that I truly feel that I should have been born a girl. So its hard to say that these people are wrong for what they are doing. Now cross dressers I'm not too sure how I feel about that lifestyle I just hope I'm not the guy that gets caught up and deceived one day. However again these individuals feel the most comfortable when they are not hiding anything. I just don't think that people should be judged its already hard as hell to live their lives because they aren't considered normal. Its hard to want to accept the world we live in and there are only a few things guaranteed in this life that's judgment, taxes and death. I just hope one day that things change but history will always repeat itself and times rarely change just the people in it.

Reflection Week 9

This week in class was a bit different for me. Just in the sense that there was a touchy subject being talked about. I personally feel that a persons sexual orientation is solely based on how they feel. I don't believe anyone person should be judged on whether they like boys or girls. That is their preference. However in the world we live in it if full of judgment and people feel the need to voice their own opinions. Individuals like the guess speakers are really stand out people and have good intentions for people who are apart of the gay community. Individuals who want a sex change I say to  them that is there own choice and is something that they have to live with. I was just raised different from other people. My mother raised us all to have our own opinions and not to try and be like her be ourselves. She also told us that gay isn't right its an abomination according to the bible in which she tries to live her life by. She also told us at the same time that gay people could be the best of friends and to not judge them because they are different. Personally I have no issue with no queer folk I just say do what you do over there but at the same time if you come to me correct I have no problem being your friend. Some individuals were just born the way they are others choose to be like that and others sadly to say their experiences at a young age shaped them. Someones sexual orientation does not define them as a person however there are certain stereotypes that do exist. You'll never know how someone is until you talk to them and try and get to know them as a person.

Reflection Week 8

I was not in class on Tuesday to take part in the activities. One activity that was played was Cultural Monopoly, I personally think that this is a cool twist on a classic game, a game in which the whole goal is to monopolize the game board. In the original game everyone has money and has equal opportunity. What I like behind the concept of Cultural Monopoly is that its real life and each person takes on the persona of an actual being that is part of society in the world we live in today. That is a great game to get each participant to understand or experience some of what people go through. Social class is something that we all believe in and its something that society has said was important and determines how we live as individuals. Personally I have met some of the happiest poor people and saddest rich people. I refuse to defined by my circumstances but it is more than likely to happen because of the world we live in.
Sexual orientation is a bit of a taboo subject. Many don't feel comfortable talking about this subject or they feel they know all about it. In our society many people do not accept gay people because they are "different". Sexual orientation in my opinion gets way too much attention, who I am attracted to should not determine whether or what job get, how I am treated and in extreme cases whether or not I live or die. I have been friends with gay individuals and they are not any different from me or you just who they are attracted to. They are some of the coolest people you will meet. My mother told me this all the time growing up even though she doesn't believe in that, she one of those people who say God made Adam and Eve but not Adam and Steve. I still love my mother because she taught me to have my own opinion and to think for myself. I don't believe you should be discriminated for any reason, let only because you are homosexual. Also don't get me started with professional sports the hype and attention this gets is incredible. I just wonder why we can't just live our own lives and worry about ourselves instead of being in other peoples business. My mother always told me don't worry about nobody else especially if your own backyard aint clean!

Reflection Week 7

This week in class we learned about othering. This is a concept that I am familiar with and I see all the time. I did not know what it was I called at first I just considered it extreme discrimination or prejudice. The video that we watched in class was interesting, I learned about Matthew Shepard and the hate crime that caused his unlikely death. His incident stirred up the whole University of Wyoming which is in Laramie, Wyoming. The whole city was touched by what took place in to one of their own. Also I learned about what happened with James Byrd. Both cases were extremely cruel in my eyes I know that these cases occur all the time but these just happened to get media time. I feel that this is just unfortunate, hate crimes are inhumane. I didn't come to class on Thursday which I understand is unacceptable but I just didn't want to watch the video anymore on this subject it touched me in a way that I don't think it touched other students. All the cases that I'm aware of anyways. I can relate with Matthew Shepard with being different and being alienated from other because of it also I most definitely can relate with James Byrd, by simply being black. I have experienced racism to some degree, till this day I can feel all the eyes in a room that levitate towards me. Going to Arizona where I'm one of maybe three black kids in a classroom amongst Mexicans to Williston and I'm the only "black guy" in the room. It's just a different experience that most may never experience. Also, I can relate to the Columbine incident because every year on that day my school would shut down and multiple officers would come to my schools campus. I just felt uncomfortable in the classroom to be honest. I understand that this is what the class is about but it was just tough to hear from the families of these victims, these kids. Most of these cases were based on kids and that's tough. I don't understand most people in this world, I don't understand how they could harm a child or anyone for that matter.

Reflection Week 6

This week in class we had another guess speaker which our very own Bonnie Finch. She hails from Australia and I was interested in learning about another country especially one like Australia. At first I didn't know what to expect from this I originally thought that people lived in the desert out there and there was a whole bunch of Kangaroos running around. Some interesting facts that I learned from Mrs. Bonnie was that in Australia, their population is 23 million, compared to our country that is a very small population because United States has a population of around 300 million. I always thought Australia had a big population, but once you compared it to ours there is really no comparison. We were also told that Australia has a really young country. Their first fleet of settlers arrived in the 1790’s, and they didn’t become a federation until 1901. I thought this was interesting because to me I thought that most countries had a long line of history and in 1901 Arizona became an official state. So basically by this time the United States was almost formed completely. Australia’s political system is actually more conservative than the United States and they use a Prime Minister rather than a President. The Queen overlooks this country as well as many others. Australia has standardized healthcare which is an interesting concept within itself. I kind of like the idea where you can have private healthcare too but I don't think that I could wait that long to be seen. However, Its a lot better situation than most in the States I believe seeing that a lot of people don't have healthcare period.

 I think that with having guess speakers coming into the class or speaking via IVN is a great way to learn from somebodies first hand experiences. I think its just a better way to learn because sometimes its hard to truly grasp the idea of what is being taught through text. I like this idea for being taught about another culture especially with learning about Australia it was authentic because Bonnie had the accent and style of dress.

Holiday Blog

Dia de la Independencia de Mexico or translated Day of Independence for Mexico, well Mexican Independence day is one of the more important days in the Mexican culture. It is celebrated on September 16. On this day in history Father Miguel Hidalgo helped lead the fight against brutal prejudice which ended with the result of a free and independent Mexico on September 16, 1861. 
Although Cinco de Mayo has come to define all Mexican celebrations in the United States, it is Mexican Independence Day when citizens and Mexican communities show their swelling pride and patriotism with dancing, music, local parades, and family fiestas. The day is official marked to be September 16 but modern festivities usually start the day before which is consider Independence eve. On Independence eve you can hear the cries of Viva Mexico which means " Long live Mexico" and you will see fireworks from coast to coast also there will some parties that wont end until sunrise. On the evening of September the sixteenth there will be a massive parade in Mexico City where most schools and businesses are closed for the day so everyone can take part in the festivities.
I think that this holiday is very interesting and Mexicans certainly know how to celebrate this holiday and ever other one that they celebrate. I can openly say that because I have witnessed this by living in Arizona and you can ask any Mexican and they will admit this. I say Mexican with and emphasis because many people don't know that that's what they want to be called not Latino or Hispanic those are people from other countries other than Mexico. The Mexican people are very proud individuals and I respect them for that. They definitely embody what it means for family to stick together.

Reflection Week 4

This week in class we talked about religion. Religion is a big part of this world and we all take part in it one way or another. Religion has affected us all in one way or another or not at all. Its crazy to think that we force our beliefs on each other because we feel that we are truly right and that we know what we talking about. Religion has caused many problems within this world even to the point of religious wars. Religion ignites a fire within most people and its something that they are truly passionate about, its how they live their lives. However we push our religious views onto each other by comparing and contrasting different opinions on religious subjects that are sacred in their own right. Each religion is tailored for its religious follower, so therefore each religion is different. I personally feel that there is no need to follow no one religion because they all are similar however I do feel that there is a God. Miracles do happen and my mother considers me her miracle child because of all the complications I had as a child. So personally I feel that its wrong for me not to believe in a God. There are multiple Gods however which is the right one to believe in I'm not the one to ask. I feel that there is a higher power but I don't take it to the extent that many people take it to by getting offended and what not, I think that is outrageous that people do that. Also people swear that they are "religious" but don't always follow the guidelines by which they swear they live their lives by. These are the ones that confuse me when it comes to religion because they are so hypocritical. Part of me wishes that there was just one central religion to make things a lot smoother however that would never happen. I believe that would never happen because people have their own opinions also if you didn't believe in that religion you would stand out. All in all I wish the world was just a better place to live and religion is one area that can make your life a lot better or make your life a living hell depending on where you live.

Reflection Week 3

This week in class we are learning about language and how we all communicate. I find the ways that we communicate as a people very interesting. The video that we watched was rather interesting to me because it went in depth on how we use verbal and body language to communicate to one another. The most interesting thing I found out about the video is that body language is universal and that we all use it. However, each symbol is different from country to country. For example, the peace sign in America means something completely different its actually insulting, its used to belittle another individual in most countries. Also, a thumbs up in America means good job or great, however its origins meant to put someone to death or spare their life. It just shows that life is different everywhere you go and that we all operate much differently from one another. I find this so interesting how language has changed over time and we progressed as a people.
We communicate very differently and we should take the time to learn from one another. Even within the U.S we all talk differently depending on the region you live in, the Soda, Pop, Coke experiment is a clever one and it proves how much differently we talk. Coming to North Dakota it was something new and awkward to hear people say the word "bag", "beg" and they don't hear no difference in the two they just know what they are referencing. In addition to that I did my own little experiment and came to a conclusion that North Dakotans pronounce the -ag sound like -eg for words containing these sounds. It makes me wonder how that came to be.
All in all, we need language to communicate its something that will never die, meaning language was around long before man could even talk. Personally this subject makes me think about how we communicate and how much language changes from region to region and then from country to country.

Reflection 1/21-23

Although I missed class on Tuesday, what I got from the weekly readings was about how we as a nation has developed with cultural diversity. We as a whole are need to and should start learning how to communicate better with other cultures and not feel that they should learn how to speak English so that they can communicate with us. I feel that is very true because we need them before they need us. Also, the main thing that I learned is that we as nation over time started to become more individualism based as time progressed. This happened as more free souls started to have a voice with the public. I feel that, that is a good thing that our country started to progressive towards a individualistic mindset. However, this is all good but I feel this is where the government felt it was ok for them to control us more because we all are individuals in our right. Its almost like a teacher in a classroom, if her class does what she says she's happy and doesn't stress but when she gets a class with a personality it becomes stressful and needs to place more rules in place to keep her class in line.

Family Tree

Within my family we usually consult with one another if we have a problem or want to know something. There is no real elder in my family that most families have. Everyone usually goes to my mother if they have something to talk about. So its fair to say that most of what I know comes from my mother. Most of my morals and the way that I view certain things in life has been influenced by my mother. She has taught me and my siblings pretty much everything that we know. I would say that she got what she knows from her grandmother who is no longer here with us she left us in 1999 and she helped raise my mom. I really cant go any further back than my great grandmother. However, I learned a lot from my mother which has really helped me in my development in becoming a man.

Goals

My goals for this Intercultural Communication class are fairly simple in my eyes. I feel that I want to broaden my view of other cultures. I feel that it is important to understand much more than what life initially gives us. I think I'll have a better appreciation for another culture, sex, and or ethnicity once I have completed this class. Another goal I have for this class to become a better individual. I feel that when any one person is going through a new experience they should want to become a better individual. This class WILL be a new experience, a class where no subject is off limits? This class will be interesting I can say that for sure. I believe I will leave with a new perspective on life.