0 Is Not A Size (Blog #13)

     Sophia Bush has recently declared "war" against Urban Outfitters; UO came out with a shirt that said "Eat Less." This clearly addresses the issues regarding women and the demand in upholding a particular image. Bush wrote a letter to Urban Outfitters, saying:
     "You should issue a public apology, and make a hefty donation to a women’s organization that supports those stricken with eating disorders. I am sickened that anyone, on any board, in your gigantic company would have voted ‘yes’ on such a thing, let alone enough of you to manufacture an item with such a hurtful message. It’s like handing a suicidal person a loaded gun. You should know better.”
     It is no surprise that our media idolizes a woman that is tall, skinny, and beautiful. Many advertisements and products entice women to go out and buy them in hopes of attaining the image of youth and beauty. Women go through particular procedures every night, including myself. Every night I go through the daily process of washing my face, removing my makeup, putting on hydrating lotion,etc. This has become an unwritten rule within our culture; it reinforces the value of self-image and the belief that “cleaning up” will preserve that image. This particular socialization occurs in women more often than men. The process portrays the importance of self-image to the individual, and the influence of consumerism in our society.
     Our culture embodies the image of youth and beauty. It inspires individuals to seek the perfect image with hopeful examples that make it "attainable." So individuals go out and buy products, work out, and take care of their skin every night in hopes of attaining or maintaining the image society has imposed--to be beautiful. In many ways, it signifies a culture in where happiness is sought, but not always attained.
     Tying it back to Sophia Bush's recent boycott against Urban Outfitters, I believe our society is waking up and becoming aware of the damage words like "Eat Less," can have on our society. It is oppressive to have a shirt that quotes personal insecurities many teenagers and women might be dealing with. The fact that it's receiving a lot of negative attention means that society is slowly changing the socialized image of a "perfect woman."

Observation: The New Hunger Games has spurred fashion designers to make a new clothing line, the Capitol Couture, which seems to be sending the wrong message.

Communities As We Know It (Blog #12)

Last week, I kept coming across the topic of communities. The question of whether communities are becoming more detached or are just in the process of changing is one of importance in our modern society. With the influence and effects of technology, many would argue that communities are becoming distant. A couple of weeks ago, I had a formal dining out. This is very similar to a military ball, and our evening consisted of cadets, their guests, family members, and a dozen cadre members including multiple Generals. For those that are unfamiliar with this type of environment, 3-star generals can be a terrifying encounter; it is a step away from meeting the President in "military language." A particular 3-star general, General Kenneth Eickmann approached my date and I and began talking to us about the Air Force community. He said that in the past the Air Force used to be a tight-knit family that truly embodied a sense of community. He mentioned that there used to be Officer clubs at every base, and every week officers would get together for drinks and a traditional game of crud. However, recently these officer clubs have been shutting down; they are empty, dark, and quiet. In his opinion, the military is becoming independent, the Airmen are solely doing their jobs and looking out for their families. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Nowadays, with the help of technology, many of the Air Force jobs require less face to face interaction. However, examples like these clearly emphasize the detachment of community in organizations. If someone were to ask whether our concept of community is changing or becoming detached, I would have to argue that it is changing in a way that is causing detachment. Our society is no longer acting like a community, and it is especially visible to those who have lived through times where community was at its strongest (i.e. WWII). Technology has had a huge part in creating our strong forces, yet there are consequences to this. Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) is an innovative and efficient operation that showcases the power of our technology through unmanned aircraft. This is also the job position that is said to have the highest suicide rates in the Air Force. There are definitely pros and cons to the concept of community, but we do know that community as we know it is changing.

Observation: I watched a puppy learn to recognize his name. Also, through the owner's interactions, I am also watching him get attached and protective of his owner.

Wounded Warrior Project Refuses Religious Donation (Blog #11)

In our organizations and communities class, we talked about the issue of non-profit organizations sometimes having to deny a donation. Back in February, the Wounded Warrior Project denied an estimated $50,000 donation from a Christian school. This got a lot of media attention, the children were devastated and the pastor had the responsibility of writing “one of the saddest letters” he has ever written. In this particular letter, he tells the parents and congregants that they are being discriminated against. I found this article very interesting; you can read it here. This article clearly sided with the Christian school attempting to donate money. They brought up the topic of religious freedom; lack of religious freedom, in this case. However, an important step to approach social justice is to develop awareness and knowledge. Being able to view the situation from different perspectives motivates and encourages involvement. From one side, this is an organization rejecting the ‘children’s joy’ of helping out the WWP. If the intent is to provide services, programs, and assistance for wounded soldiers, then why would a Christian school be rejected right? However, this also creates an ethical issue. Accepting a Christian donation would be directly accepting Christian religion. This can be seen as unethical because it would be giving preference to a religion merely by acknowledging their donation. In a previous blog, I have mentioned the issues with religion within the military. Many would agree that there is religion oppression in the military. However, in order to maintain a safe and standard protocol of appearance, exemplifying religion can’t be possible. That is not to say that religion is not allowed, there are many services provided by the military and chaplains are one of the first on site when crisis happens. However, you can’t visibly show your religion or have any tattoos referring to religion. This is something society has a hard time understanding. While accepting the Christian donation would have been beneficial to both organizations, there are many unforeseen consequences that would have been caused in effect. The WWP would have had a lot of media scrutiny for accepting a Christian donation, therefore the WWP would have been discriminating every other religion. This would create an invisible tie between the military and Christian religion, something that the military hopes to stay far away from. I find it sad, however, and I wonder if assistance or donations could be provided without the ties of religion or other isms that maintain social injustice.

Observation: This weekend I talked to a 3-star general that said he was forced to kick out a Major in the Air Force because he stated he was gay.

The Prison System (Blog #10)

This week, we had a guest speaker talk to us about the Prison system, her vast knowledge coming from the experiences with her son, Jacob. The prison system for individuals 18 and up starts at the Austin Police Department and after central booking downtown, individuals are temporarily placed at county jail where the legal process begins. From there, there were four options: being released, getting on probation, going to state jail, or going to state prison. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice allows the individual to be released or be put on parole (after doing some time). Nevertheless, her knowledge of the prison system was admiring, and allowed me to gain perspective on some of its issues. Her son, Jacob, has been in and out of prison countless times. She was open about her son’s meth addiction, and brought some pictures to our class, explaining his personality and charisma. This was important because it allowed me to view a personal case in a macro level issue. Today, a big factor for criminal charges is substance abuse. This is hard to hear because individuals with problems of substance abuse can be held to the same standards as those committing murder. Other big factors for criminal charges are overcrowding, disproportionate of minorities, and mental health. To me, this addresses stereotyping, discrimination, and lack of intervention in our prison system. It is extremely expensive to keep a person in prison, however, public consent on providing services or help is almost impossible. The general population believes that prisoners “deserve” to be punished. The media does a great job of portraying criminals in the worst possible light, yet it’s important to understand that about 70% of the inmates are in for substance abuse. This shows the influence that media has and it shows how little the public  knows. Our guest speaker then questioned, so in times when there is no public support, what can we do as social workers in the community? For one, I believe there needs to be more awareness. Partnering with advocacy organizations would be beneficial in educating the public about the prison system today. We also need to work within the system, and provide services with outreach groups (such as Safe place). However, I find it hard to believe that the prison system will change anytime soon. We take things one step at a time, but with each step, thousands of prisoners are treated with injustice.  

Observation: I heard a guy say, “I hate when girls have powerful voices, it’s annoying.”

Religious Oppression (Blog #9)

This past week we were studying religious oppression and its effect in our society. This was interesting and hard to hear because there seems to be no solution to it. Nevertheless, what caught my attention was our in-class video clip that we watched. It was “What would you do?” with John Quinones. It was about a Muslim man being rejected for a job because of his religion. Click here to watch it. I found it interesting at how no one stepped up, and I would like to think that I would speak up. I can definitely see how a community setting can make it hard to voice an opinion. I know I wouldn't want to be embarrassed, but I feel that many would be thinking the same thing, they just wouldn't have the impulse to be the first to speak up.

Nevertheless, this got me thinking about rules, and regulations. As an ROTC student, I started thinking about religion in the military. Many argue that our military standards on the policies of religion can be considered a form of segregation. The intolerance of religious tattoos or symbols that identify with your religion can be seen as unjust and unfair. Yet, I find it vital to our mission to leave all these factors out, and I believe that this influences team-building and strengthens our sense of unity in accomplishing the mission. Does that mean that I am accepting and enforcing religious oppression? I would like to think that I am not, yet the topic of religion can be a dividing factor from the start. Leaving this out from conversation can be effective in establishing relationships. However, the fact that we have to “leave out” the topic of religion adheres to the oppression and stereotypes we hold. I hadn't thought about religion in the military aspect except for that it’s not necessary. In many ways, our nation is full of diversity, therefore I understand that it's necessary to keep the visual identity standard and just (when talking about the military). I think it can depend on the situation, and this was very comparable to the video clip we watched in class. In the form of an individual expressing their religion, I thought it was his right to do so and would have defended him. Nevertheless, if it was the same individual trying to join a military service, the outcome would have been different on my part. I personally see it as a safety issue, and for the nation's safety, an individual's religion is unnecessary when fighting a war. Unnecessary because a person's religion wouldn't change my perspective on them, or it wouldn't make me judge them any differently. Therefore, I think it truly goes both ways, and I’m interested on what others think about this.

Observation: I noticed someone stopping at a Stop sign as I crossed the street. I looked at them, and they smiled. I was surprised, it’s not the usual response.

The LGBTQ Movement (Blog #8)

This week we had Shane Whalley speak to our Social Justice class, and I found it very enriching. Shane Whalley is the Education Coordinator of the Gender and Sexuality Center in the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (...wow!). She talked to us about the LGBTQ movement, the language and its relationship with Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. 

Interestingly enough, an individual’s sexual orientation and the way they identify themselves isn’t always visible. This got me thinking about having to work in communities and organizations; what is the best way to address someone when you’re unsure of their identity? It varies with every person, it depends on your relationship with them, and their level of comfort. Asking for the individual’s pronouns is something that can be appreciated; Shane gave us a great example at how her personal trainer asked for her pronouns when they first met. Her trainer's efforts in having an open-minded perspective was one that gained appreciation. Our society is socialized to avoid these situations, but many times it is just visibility that is needed--getting noticed and being accepted.

For me, one of the biggest take aways was Whalley’s usage of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in relation to the LGBTQ movement. As a class, we listed factors that impede or negatively affect the LGBTQ movement. Some of these included media, religion, transgender military, the news, sexual exploitation, homelessness, employment, and violence, among others. We then began to categorize them in the levels we thought they belonged to. Marriage was categorized in the third level, Love and Belonging. As a nation, we have seen a social movement advocating for same-sex marriage rights the most. Nevertheless, this categorized above the many issues in the physiological and security levels. The main issue now is that people funding this movement are on level 3, leaving levels 1 and 2 behind and unaddressed. The point was that we shouldn’t be following the money, we should be following the crisis of need. This allowed me to see the big picture and I noticed this is an issue that affects acceptance in society. While this was solely on the LGBTQ movement, I understand that an important factor in working in a macro level community is addressing every level starting with the physiological needs, then a sense of security, following belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization. This can be a reason for setbacks, and ineffective teamwork in communities or organizations. Analyzing what people need and ensuring that they are getting those needs is vital to a successful macro-level organization.

Observation: We were doing a planks' competition, and it consisted of four different groups. I noticed a guy tell his group that they better not lose because there were three girls in the other group.

Vulnerability (Blog #7)

This week we watched a couple of Ted talks by Brene Brown. She focused on the importance of vulnerability for love, compassion, and growth. I first watched this Ted talk my sophomore year in my Generalist Practice class. Back then, I was going through relationship and trust issues between my family, and friends. Watching this Ted talk opened my eyes to a new perspective. A perspective in where mistakes and embarrassment was acceptable. Vulnerability to me has always meant having the potential to be embarrassed. This related to my life at the time, and I allowed myself to see the world as a learning experience. If I didn’t try, I would never know. This made me realize that I was closed off to a lot of people, especially the ones I loved. I had trust issues, and always made decisions based on what the other person could be thinking.

I always believe everything happens for a reason. After this Ted talk, I consciously allowed myself to be vulnerable. This meant trusting someone when I wasn’t sure I could; telling friends about personal problems; asking for help. I noticed that I made friends, opportunities opened up, and I was happy. My relationships truly seemed to bloom, but it’s always good to keep the notion of vulnerability as a reminder. This past summer I went to Field Training (pretty much boot camp). The one quote I held dearly to me was: “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new”-Albert Einstein. This meant that when we were getting yelled at and put on the spot for knowledge, I would voluntarily raise my hand and attempt to answer it. Truthfully, 98% of the time I did this, I was wrong. I doubted the whole conception of vulnerability because my experience in making mistakes and feeling embarrassed hadn’t payed off. After coming back, I was talking to one of my supervisors that had been there, and I told her how I had tried to volunteer and make mistakes for the purpose of learning, but that I just felt embarrassed throughout and it never really payed off. She said, “But that was the reason they all liked you.” I learned that many times, your efforts might go unnoticed to yourself, but they never go unnoticed by the rest. This meant a lot to me and after watching this talk again this week, it has allowed me to notice the dynamics of teamwork, communication, and working together. In a macro level perspective, individuals might be hard on themselves for making a mistake--that’s human nature. But to others, this mistake is a token of admiration, and it inspires others to have the courage to make mistakes as well.

Observation: I was given orders to do a fundraiser and I noticed he wasn’t prepared. He didn’t know the proposed idea and he gave me wrong information.