Understanding Human Differences: Multicultural Education for a Diverse America
There are 14 chapters that pertain to how others understand their culture and react towards another culture other than their own. Each chapter explains important information that can be easily used to help teachers as they teach the future generation of adults to accept such a pluralistic society. Here are my summaries of each chapter.
Chapter 1: "Understanding Ourselves and Others: Clarifying Values and Language"
Throughout chapter 1, “Understanding Ourselves and Others: Clarifying Values and Language” the main points were almost repetitive based on how people’s values and behaviors are different and some inconsistencies between them. The sections relating to this topic really helped me understand that values are taught to people in certain ways to provide for other people to see how they behave in certain situations. This chapter also discusses the different terms relating to human differences like bias, stereotype, prejudice, bigotry, and discrimination. In this section, the book claims that the first four words in that list can almost be a step ladder to a way that a person may act toward someone. The chapter finishes with minority groups and why they are called that, which is the limited power that a group has compared to a dominant one. And along with minority groups, it distinguishes the types of perspectives that can occur: exceptionalisitc, which focuses on individual problems and universalistic, which focuses on problems that are systemic in the world.
Chapter 2: "Understanding Predjudice and Its' Causes"
Throughout 2, “Understanding Prejudice and Its Causes” the main topic is discussing the issue of prejudice and some of the misconceptions regarding it. Prejudice is a negative attitude referring to a group of people. In this section, the book talks about the use of prejudice in the media and how its reflected over television, magazines, and books. Also the book talks about some of the consequences and causes of being prejudice. According to Allport (1979), physical assaults, and extreme violence are ways to promote prejudice while limiting interactions with people, and engaging in or condoning discrimination are ways to prevent it. Then the chapter concludes itself by discussing about avoidance rationalizations. These rationalizations are coming from people who know that prejudice does exist and that it is stemming from the views of people who are naturally unwilling to listen and learn.
Chapter 3: "Communication, Conflict, and Conflict Resolution"
Throughout chapter 3, “Communication, Conflict, and Conflict Resolution” the theme is all about communication and the areas of conflict that can result. The book talks about communication; not just words being spoken but listening and comprehending someone else with the right attitude. I believe that communication can occur with conflict being involved because it can be understood in so many different ways. Not only verbally talking, body language can be easily misinterpreted, which is why communication cannot break down. One of the big things that I can relate to is toward the end of the chapter talking about commitment and communication. In order to have a commitment to something, an ideal, value or person, communication always has to be open and there to discuss. Also this chapter discusses how attitudes can create conflict among groups. Being in a multicultural society, many groups believe that they are better than others, leaning them toward hatred of other, which leads to conflict. If people have not that much cultural awareness, they will tend to have more conflicting emotions other than those who do. There are four levels of cultural awareness that intertwine with each other. Cultural chauvinism is the belief of one’s culture being the best. Tolerance is the awareness of cultural differences and that those differences stem from their country of origin. Minimalization is reducing cultural differences by creating a universality of human needs to create a sense of connectedness. And finally, Understanding, which is recognizing that reality is shaped by culture and each person has their own views. Conflicts can be resolved when these four levels are practiced.
Chapter 4: "Immigration and Oppression: The Assault on Cultural and Language Diversity"
Throughout chapter 4, “Immigration and Oppression: The Assault on Cultural and Language Diversity” the main idea is immigration and the possible oppression that may come of it. Right off the back, the first highlighted word on the page is xenophobia; this is a fear of people being prejudice against others from another nation. This starts the chapter with a feeling of today and how people react to immigrants. It is really depressing to realize that there are people out there who are not excepting of others and where they come from. The chapter continues on describing what groups were affected by this xenophobia and the addition of racism to it. Many minority groups were directed toward this as were white groups, for not being white enough. Irish, Italians, and other races viewed this as a way to prolong the way people viewed others. This way the Blacks, Native Americans, Hispanics, Irish, Italians were all viewed as outside races until the civil rights movement happens, allowing other cultures and races to feel just as equal as Whites.
Chapter 5: "Race and Oppression: The Experiences of People of Color in America"
Throughout chapter 5, “Race and Oppression: The Experiences of People of Color in America” one of the main themes is that of which the experiences of colored people and others who are not white living in America. A lot of people who are Native American have oppression toward the whites because they had to assimilate or move from their land to another area due to whites being authority. People who were African American were either treated as a slave or a soldier. They have oppression toward whites because of how harshly they treated them because of the color of their skin. People who are Asian Americans were treated discouragingly as prostitutes, foreign miners, and railroad workers. Also people who are Latino/Hispanic American were oppressed by the whites because they did not speak the language that was considered “normal” to whites. However, the overwhelming struggle that anyone faces can be overcome with handwork and determination.
Chapter 6: "Religion and Oppression: The Struggle for Religious Freedom"
Throughout chapter 6, “Religion and Oppression: The Struggle for Religious Freedom” religion is discussed in all sort of ways from it being one of the most powerful religions to those being Anti-Catholic. There was a lot of aggression toward the Catholic religion because of the way they went about priding themselves greater than everybody else. There was a lot of anti-Semitism in America, which was an expression that referred to the German race. German people often referred to Jews as a “race” because they merely didn’t like them. Also, the chapter goes over how public schools can be able to teach religions in such a way that respects all religions but not putting one in front of the other. And from an education major stand point this can be challenging because there are so many opinions out there, you don’t want to teach your kids something that is morally wrong.
Chapter 7: "Rejecting Oppresive Relationships: The Logic of Cultrual Pluralism for a Diverse Society"
Throughout chapter 7, "Rejecting Oppressive Relationships: The Logic of Cultural Pluralism for a Diverse Society" the main theme is just how diverse America really seems to be. I really found this intersting fact about diversity amongst people. Based on data from the 2000 census, Pipher (2002) reported that one in ten people in the United States was born in another country and that one in five children in school is a child of a recent immigrant. It is no surprise that there are many different types of people living here, but to know that 10 percent of our population is not a true citizen is a bit weird. The book refers to America as a melting pot, an idea that ethnic differences could blend into the dominant culture to create a new identity. This relates to how or what perspective we as people should take on today, color blindness. They should ignore the person's skin color and rely on their personality. We are also introduced to the term pluralism, which stands for a culture mixed of all different races that blend cohesively and make for a better living.
Chapter 8: "Racism: Confronting a Legacy of White Domination in America"
Throughout chapter 8, "Racism: Confronting a Legacy of White Domination in America" obviously the issue at hand is racism. THe book describes three types of racism. Cultural racism is the practice of recognizing contributions of one racial group. In schools, society intervenes by allowing students to think that white is a social norm, or rightness of whiteness. Individual racism includes racial predjudice and racist behavior. This type of racism often leads to white flight, or white families who migrated out of a place due to minorities moving in. This is actually where I discovered my why question basis. Institutional racism refers to rules and customs that reflect racial inequities in society. This being that if one person was to be hired, based off of color alone, they would not get the job. Also the book describes a reverse discrimination, which means giving people of color preferential treatment over whites. I think that people of color and whites need to get together and control how diverse things have gotten to this point. What kind of a world do we live in if we dont feel safe walking by ourself?
Chapter 9: "Sexism: Where the Personal Becomes Political"
Throughout chapter 9, "Sexism: Where the Personal Becomes Political" deals all about sexism and its different forms in the environment. Sexism is defined as “ an attitude, action or institutional structure that subordinates or limit’s the person on the basis of sex.” People grow up with certain values that men are better than women because they can do more while the women work at home. Sexism is a very biased on both sides of the plate. I believe it has to do with how people grow up and who they grow up with. If people grow up with two moms, then their views are going to be more maternal linked with women can do everything; on the other side if people grow up with a male being more dominant, their views are going to be more linked with males are more self sufficient with work than women. There are different types of sexism: cultural, individual, and institutional. These three differ by the way the term is related to sexism, yet all have the common analysis that no matter what is coined, sexism still exists everywhere. Cultural sexism refers to women being more enabled to do housework while men go find jobs and work. Individual sexism refers to attitudes that are prejudice to men and women due to their gender of sex roles (in the community). Institutional sexism refers to the laws and customs in a society that prohibits people from doing things because of their gender sex. Sexism is a continual fight for both men and women to have their roles scrutinized and their work judged because they are not the dominant gender to be there.
Chapter 10: "Heterosexism: Transforming Homosexuality from Deviant to Different"
Throughout chapter 10 "Heterosexism: Transforming Homosexuality from Deviant to Different", which is all about heterosexism and homosexism and how it relates to society in regards to what is considered normal in America. The book easily defines these two forms of sexuality as heterosexual, liking a gender of a different sex, and homosexual, liking a gender of the same sex. Throughout some of the states, there is always one question that always has difficulties being answered in regards to the law: “Is it legal for homosexuals to get married?” Usually everyone who is not “gay” says no while people who are say yes. There are three different types of heterosexism, Cultural, Individual, and Institutional. Cultural heterosexism refers to the dominant culture defining what is considered normal and everything outside of that is deviant. Individual heterosexism refers to negative attitudes and behaviors brought towards people who either act on homosexuality or believe in it. Institutional heterosexism refers to the established laws, customs and practices that discriminate against people who are not heterosexual. The book also talks about two particular points that I am interested in: same sex parents and homosexuals in the military. First off, the book says that most people are not comfortable with seeing two moms or two dads raise a child, that it is not considered normal and the kid would grow up to become not only picked on but also emotionally distraught. Same sex parents are just like normal parents, except for the fact that they have two genders instead of one. They will still love and take care of the child, no matter if they are gay or not. According to Johnson and O’Connor (2002), “research concludes that gay and lesbian couples are effective parents, providing for their children’s physical and emotional needs to ensure a healthy and positive childhood.” And secondly, in regards to the military, especially the ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy, gays and lesbians are not allowed to be in the military or might not be able to perform duties like those in the military because of their sexuality. Just because someone is gay or lesbian, again, does not mean that they are not able to function like those who are not. Being gay or lesbian has nothing to do with performance or ability, but preference toward people. If it were up to me, which it is not sadly, but I would let gays and lesbians in the military because it would be an addition to how they perform and not what gender preferences they have.
Chapter 11: "Classism: Misperceptions and Myths About Income, Wealth, and Poverty"
Throughout chapter 11 "Classism:Misperceptions and Myths About Income, Wealth, and Poverty" is all about classism. Classism is an attitude, action, or institutional structure that limit’s a person on the basis of his or her low socioeconomic status. The majority of this chapter relates to how a low income family, which describes a family that is not considered dependent of others but not to have a luxurious amount of money, suffers throughout school life and home life. It was noted in the book that the higher the income the family makes, the higher the scholastic achievement scores are going to be. Also noted, more children in poverty are less likely to have proper nutrition and financial security throughout their children hood. The poverty levels are ever changing, in the regards of how much the income is.
Chapter 12: "Ableism: Disability Does Not Mean Inability"
Throughout chapter 12, “Albeism: Disablility Does Not Mean Inablility” the common theme is based upon those who cannot fully be capable of handling things themselves, without being incapable of anything. People with disabilities are sometimes labeled based upon their ability to move, read, or function like a “normal” person would function. This correlates to ableism, or the negative determination of an individual’s ability based on his or her disabilities. Many people who are handicapped are treated with less respect because they cannot do what others can. Stated from our quiz this week, people coming from a disabled home are what is known as a menace to the society, or a depiction that people with disabilities are evil. There are other types of categories the book covers like, object of pity, dread, and ridicule, holy innocent/eternal child, and diseased organism. All of these, so hurtful to those who are called it. A big topic over disabled people are whether or not to place them in an institution who can take care of them for good watch. This is known to us as normalization. Most people advocate against this because it takes a bigger advantage of people who are more privileged than they are. There are some main categorical discriminations that can be based upon whether or not the person has a disability: job, mobility/accessibility, healthcare, and education. However, one thing to realize is that people cannot change their feelings about the way they think. “Change can occur when we first examine our misconceptions…”(page 311). Especially in today’s’ world, we cannot think negatively about people because it will only bring negativity on us. Change is for the better, whenever it is decided to be implemented.
Chapter 13: "Pluralism in Schools: The Promise of Multicultural Education"
Throughout chapter 13, "Pluralism in Schools: The Promise of Multicultrual Education" the thought of a pluralistic society is mentioned. This society is defined as a society in which diverse groups of people come together to support each other, without racial comments. So then with all the diverse people living together, multicultural education is a practice that must be learned to have no conflicts arise. Multicultural education is defined as a process that of comprehensive school reform that rejects discrimination in schools and accepts and affirms pluralism. A surrounding isse around this chapter is how to be a pluralistic person? The answer is a self-analysis. Once we see how we do things in our day, we can start to understand race and or oppression for others, then start to bond over those experiences. One way teachers can impose this idea in a way without being too overwhelming is through what the book talks about as global or international education. This is a teaching process about the cultures of nations around the world. Implementing younger kids about being a positive kid around others who may not look like them, makes for a peaceful tomorrow, a brighter future, and a pluralistic world.
Chapter 14: "Pluralism in Society: Creating a Diverse America"
Throughout chapter 14, "Pluralism in Scoeity: Creating a Diverse America" has a theme all about Pluralism in society, which is creating one peaceful environment without any racism or derogatory comments towards each other. Everybody would value the sense of diversity without taking it to the extreme level of creating violence. This relates to the affirmative action plan because this plan requires businesses and college universities to reduce discrimination for hiring and admission for schooling. Within colleges and universities, they have used the affirmative action plan to allow more minority students into their neutral population, to create that pluralistic society feel on campus. This allowed for University of Wisconsin to implement what they called, Design for Diversity. This plan made it mandatory for campuses everywhere to make people of color feel more welcome on campus and within the classrooms. If the pluralistic society is one to be accomplished there is a lot to learn because some people are set in their ways, and do not want to change. But the best part of changing is never having the feeling of regret; pluralism is in the near reach.
Chapter 1: "Understanding Ourselves and Others: Clarifying Values and Language"
Throughout chapter 1, “Understanding Ourselves and Others: Clarifying Values and Language” the main points were almost repetitive based on how people’s values and behaviors are different and some inconsistencies between them. The sections relating to this topic really helped me understand that values are taught to people in certain ways to provide for other people to see how they behave in certain situations. This chapter also discusses the different terms relating to human differences like bias, stereotype, prejudice, bigotry, and discrimination. In this section, the book claims that the first four words in that list can almost be a step ladder to a way that a person may act toward someone. The chapter finishes with minority groups and why they are called that, which is the limited power that a group has compared to a dominant one. And along with minority groups, it distinguishes the types of perspectives that can occur: exceptionalisitc, which focuses on individual problems and universalistic, which focuses on problems that are systemic in the world.
Chapter 2: "Understanding Predjudice and Its' Causes"
Throughout 2, “Understanding Prejudice and Its Causes” the main topic is discussing the issue of prejudice and some of the misconceptions regarding it. Prejudice is a negative attitude referring to a group of people. In this section, the book talks about the use of prejudice in the media and how its reflected over television, magazines, and books. Also the book talks about some of the consequences and causes of being prejudice. According to Allport (1979), physical assaults, and extreme violence are ways to promote prejudice while limiting interactions with people, and engaging in or condoning discrimination are ways to prevent it. Then the chapter concludes itself by discussing about avoidance rationalizations. These rationalizations are coming from people who know that prejudice does exist and that it is stemming from the views of people who are naturally unwilling to listen and learn.
Chapter 3: "Communication, Conflict, and Conflict Resolution"
Throughout chapter 3, “Communication, Conflict, and Conflict Resolution” the theme is all about communication and the areas of conflict that can result. The book talks about communication; not just words being spoken but listening and comprehending someone else with the right attitude. I believe that communication can occur with conflict being involved because it can be understood in so many different ways. Not only verbally talking, body language can be easily misinterpreted, which is why communication cannot break down. One of the big things that I can relate to is toward the end of the chapter talking about commitment and communication. In order to have a commitment to something, an ideal, value or person, communication always has to be open and there to discuss. Also this chapter discusses how attitudes can create conflict among groups. Being in a multicultural society, many groups believe that they are better than others, leaning them toward hatred of other, which leads to conflict. If people have not that much cultural awareness, they will tend to have more conflicting emotions other than those who do. There are four levels of cultural awareness that intertwine with each other. Cultural chauvinism is the belief of one’s culture being the best. Tolerance is the awareness of cultural differences and that those differences stem from their country of origin. Minimalization is reducing cultural differences by creating a universality of human needs to create a sense of connectedness. And finally, Understanding, which is recognizing that reality is shaped by culture and each person has their own views. Conflicts can be resolved when these four levels are practiced.
Chapter 4: "Immigration and Oppression: The Assault on Cultural and Language Diversity"
Throughout chapter 4, “Immigration and Oppression: The Assault on Cultural and Language Diversity” the main idea is immigration and the possible oppression that may come of it. Right off the back, the first highlighted word on the page is xenophobia; this is a fear of people being prejudice against others from another nation. This starts the chapter with a feeling of today and how people react to immigrants. It is really depressing to realize that there are people out there who are not excepting of others and where they come from. The chapter continues on describing what groups were affected by this xenophobia and the addition of racism to it. Many minority groups were directed toward this as were white groups, for not being white enough. Irish, Italians, and other races viewed this as a way to prolong the way people viewed others. This way the Blacks, Native Americans, Hispanics, Irish, Italians were all viewed as outside races until the civil rights movement happens, allowing other cultures and races to feel just as equal as Whites.
Chapter 5: "Race and Oppression: The Experiences of People of Color in America"
Throughout chapter 5, “Race and Oppression: The Experiences of People of Color in America” one of the main themes is that of which the experiences of colored people and others who are not white living in America. A lot of people who are Native American have oppression toward the whites because they had to assimilate or move from their land to another area due to whites being authority. People who were African American were either treated as a slave or a soldier. They have oppression toward whites because of how harshly they treated them because of the color of their skin. People who are Asian Americans were treated discouragingly as prostitutes, foreign miners, and railroad workers. Also people who are Latino/Hispanic American were oppressed by the whites because they did not speak the language that was considered “normal” to whites. However, the overwhelming struggle that anyone faces can be overcome with handwork and determination.
Chapter 6: "Religion and Oppression: The Struggle for Religious Freedom"
Throughout chapter 6, “Religion and Oppression: The Struggle for Religious Freedom” religion is discussed in all sort of ways from it being one of the most powerful religions to those being Anti-Catholic. There was a lot of aggression toward the Catholic religion because of the way they went about priding themselves greater than everybody else. There was a lot of anti-Semitism in America, which was an expression that referred to the German race. German people often referred to Jews as a “race” because they merely didn’t like them. Also, the chapter goes over how public schools can be able to teach religions in such a way that respects all religions but not putting one in front of the other. And from an education major stand point this can be challenging because there are so many opinions out there, you don’t want to teach your kids something that is morally wrong.
Chapter 7: "Rejecting Oppresive Relationships: The Logic of Cultrual Pluralism for a Diverse Society"
Throughout chapter 7, "Rejecting Oppressive Relationships: The Logic of Cultural Pluralism for a Diverse Society" the main theme is just how diverse America really seems to be. I really found this intersting fact about diversity amongst people. Based on data from the 2000 census, Pipher (2002) reported that one in ten people in the United States was born in another country and that one in five children in school is a child of a recent immigrant. It is no surprise that there are many different types of people living here, but to know that 10 percent of our population is not a true citizen is a bit weird. The book refers to America as a melting pot, an idea that ethnic differences could blend into the dominant culture to create a new identity. This relates to how or what perspective we as people should take on today, color blindness. They should ignore the person's skin color and rely on their personality. We are also introduced to the term pluralism, which stands for a culture mixed of all different races that blend cohesively and make for a better living.
Chapter 8: "Racism: Confronting a Legacy of White Domination in America"
Throughout chapter 8, "Racism: Confronting a Legacy of White Domination in America" obviously the issue at hand is racism. THe book describes three types of racism. Cultural racism is the practice of recognizing contributions of one racial group. In schools, society intervenes by allowing students to think that white is a social norm, or rightness of whiteness. Individual racism includes racial predjudice and racist behavior. This type of racism often leads to white flight, or white families who migrated out of a place due to minorities moving in. This is actually where I discovered my why question basis. Institutional racism refers to rules and customs that reflect racial inequities in society. This being that if one person was to be hired, based off of color alone, they would not get the job. Also the book describes a reverse discrimination, which means giving people of color preferential treatment over whites. I think that people of color and whites need to get together and control how diverse things have gotten to this point. What kind of a world do we live in if we dont feel safe walking by ourself?
Chapter 9: "Sexism: Where the Personal Becomes Political"
Throughout chapter 9, "Sexism: Where the Personal Becomes Political" deals all about sexism and its different forms in the environment. Sexism is defined as “ an attitude, action or institutional structure that subordinates or limit’s the person on the basis of sex.” People grow up with certain values that men are better than women because they can do more while the women work at home. Sexism is a very biased on both sides of the plate. I believe it has to do with how people grow up and who they grow up with. If people grow up with two moms, then their views are going to be more maternal linked with women can do everything; on the other side if people grow up with a male being more dominant, their views are going to be more linked with males are more self sufficient with work than women. There are different types of sexism: cultural, individual, and institutional. These three differ by the way the term is related to sexism, yet all have the common analysis that no matter what is coined, sexism still exists everywhere. Cultural sexism refers to women being more enabled to do housework while men go find jobs and work. Individual sexism refers to attitudes that are prejudice to men and women due to their gender of sex roles (in the community). Institutional sexism refers to the laws and customs in a society that prohibits people from doing things because of their gender sex. Sexism is a continual fight for both men and women to have their roles scrutinized and their work judged because they are not the dominant gender to be there.
Chapter 10: "Heterosexism: Transforming Homosexuality from Deviant to Different"
Throughout chapter 10 "Heterosexism: Transforming Homosexuality from Deviant to Different", which is all about heterosexism and homosexism and how it relates to society in regards to what is considered normal in America. The book easily defines these two forms of sexuality as heterosexual, liking a gender of a different sex, and homosexual, liking a gender of the same sex. Throughout some of the states, there is always one question that always has difficulties being answered in regards to the law: “Is it legal for homosexuals to get married?” Usually everyone who is not “gay” says no while people who are say yes. There are three different types of heterosexism, Cultural, Individual, and Institutional. Cultural heterosexism refers to the dominant culture defining what is considered normal and everything outside of that is deviant. Individual heterosexism refers to negative attitudes and behaviors brought towards people who either act on homosexuality or believe in it. Institutional heterosexism refers to the established laws, customs and practices that discriminate against people who are not heterosexual. The book also talks about two particular points that I am interested in: same sex parents and homosexuals in the military. First off, the book says that most people are not comfortable with seeing two moms or two dads raise a child, that it is not considered normal and the kid would grow up to become not only picked on but also emotionally distraught. Same sex parents are just like normal parents, except for the fact that they have two genders instead of one. They will still love and take care of the child, no matter if they are gay or not. According to Johnson and O’Connor (2002), “research concludes that gay and lesbian couples are effective parents, providing for their children’s physical and emotional needs to ensure a healthy and positive childhood.” And secondly, in regards to the military, especially the ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy, gays and lesbians are not allowed to be in the military or might not be able to perform duties like those in the military because of their sexuality. Just because someone is gay or lesbian, again, does not mean that they are not able to function like those who are not. Being gay or lesbian has nothing to do with performance or ability, but preference toward people. If it were up to me, which it is not sadly, but I would let gays and lesbians in the military because it would be an addition to how they perform and not what gender preferences they have.
Chapter 11: "Classism: Misperceptions and Myths About Income, Wealth, and Poverty"
Throughout chapter 11 "Classism:Misperceptions and Myths About Income, Wealth, and Poverty" is all about classism. Classism is an attitude, action, or institutional structure that limit’s a person on the basis of his or her low socioeconomic status. The majority of this chapter relates to how a low income family, which describes a family that is not considered dependent of others but not to have a luxurious amount of money, suffers throughout school life and home life. It was noted in the book that the higher the income the family makes, the higher the scholastic achievement scores are going to be. Also noted, more children in poverty are less likely to have proper nutrition and financial security throughout their children hood. The poverty levels are ever changing, in the regards of how much the income is.
Chapter 12: "Ableism: Disability Does Not Mean Inability"
Throughout chapter 12, “Albeism: Disablility Does Not Mean Inablility” the common theme is based upon those who cannot fully be capable of handling things themselves, without being incapable of anything. People with disabilities are sometimes labeled based upon their ability to move, read, or function like a “normal” person would function. This correlates to ableism, or the negative determination of an individual’s ability based on his or her disabilities. Many people who are handicapped are treated with less respect because they cannot do what others can. Stated from our quiz this week, people coming from a disabled home are what is known as a menace to the society, or a depiction that people with disabilities are evil. There are other types of categories the book covers like, object of pity, dread, and ridicule, holy innocent/eternal child, and diseased organism. All of these, so hurtful to those who are called it. A big topic over disabled people are whether or not to place them in an institution who can take care of them for good watch. This is known to us as normalization. Most people advocate against this because it takes a bigger advantage of people who are more privileged than they are. There are some main categorical discriminations that can be based upon whether or not the person has a disability: job, mobility/accessibility, healthcare, and education. However, one thing to realize is that people cannot change their feelings about the way they think. “Change can occur when we first examine our misconceptions…”(page 311). Especially in today’s’ world, we cannot think negatively about people because it will only bring negativity on us. Change is for the better, whenever it is decided to be implemented.
Chapter 13: "Pluralism in Schools: The Promise of Multicultural Education"
Throughout chapter 13, "Pluralism in Schools: The Promise of Multicultrual Education" the thought of a pluralistic society is mentioned. This society is defined as a society in which diverse groups of people come together to support each other, without racial comments. So then with all the diverse people living together, multicultural education is a practice that must be learned to have no conflicts arise. Multicultural education is defined as a process that of comprehensive school reform that rejects discrimination in schools and accepts and affirms pluralism. A surrounding isse around this chapter is how to be a pluralistic person? The answer is a self-analysis. Once we see how we do things in our day, we can start to understand race and or oppression for others, then start to bond over those experiences. One way teachers can impose this idea in a way without being too overwhelming is through what the book talks about as global or international education. This is a teaching process about the cultures of nations around the world. Implementing younger kids about being a positive kid around others who may not look like them, makes for a peaceful tomorrow, a brighter future, and a pluralistic world.
Chapter 14: "Pluralism in Society: Creating a Diverse America"
Throughout chapter 14, "Pluralism in Scoeity: Creating a Diverse America" has a theme all about Pluralism in society, which is creating one peaceful environment without any racism or derogatory comments towards each other. Everybody would value the sense of diversity without taking it to the extreme level of creating violence. This relates to the affirmative action plan because this plan requires businesses and college universities to reduce discrimination for hiring and admission for schooling. Within colleges and universities, they have used the affirmative action plan to allow more minority students into their neutral population, to create that pluralistic society feel on campus. This allowed for University of Wisconsin to implement what they called, Design for Diversity. This plan made it mandatory for campuses everywhere to make people of color feel more welcome on campus and within the classrooms. If the pluralistic society is one to be accomplished there is a lot to learn because some people are set in their ways, and do not want to change. But the best part of changing is never having the feeling of regret; pluralism is in the near reach.