The Educational Power Of Discomfort Summary

471 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of tolerance in schools

Education Through Discomfort Over my life time the morals and values of this country have shifted dramatically. People are now more worried about offending someone instead of telling someone the truth. We have decided that being politically correct is more important than having our own opinions. We decide that the hard-core truths about our history, our present, and our future should be ignored. Why do we think our comfort is more important than the truth? In the article “The Educational Power of discomfort” by Irina Popescu the idea of discomfort is displayed as an educational tool. Popescu explains the power of discomfort allows for growth. Life is not comfortable; however, throughout high school we are allowed to be as comfortable as we want. We are not encouraged to express our own opinions, to have our own thoughts, or to display our own religious beliefs. Yet, we are encouraged to sit back and follow the rules and procedures that are set to keep everyone comfortable. I for one, am not okay with just being comfortable. Popescu illustrates the need for students to experience a good discomfort. The kind of discomfort that is “paving the way for a productive and innovative environment where engaging discussions about race, gender, and difference can and do occur” (Popescu 13). The exposure to unsettling truths about our past and present is …show more content…

We have not learned how to grow through discomfort. We are not being taught about prevalent topics with in our society because of the controversial conversations that may arise; although, Popescu describes how her students have “become critical readers, not only of literature, but of their own environments” (15). They have learned to not depend on what others say but to be educated enough to develop their own opinions. If we are not hearing about the political schemes, gangs, sexuality laws or other prevalent topics then how are we to form our own

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of In Response To The State Of The Union Address

    1583 Words  | 4 Pages

    Leading into the topic of the current political and racial status of the United States today. This opening statement allows the article to open in a neutral standpoint before expressing negative views against Trump and his beliefs. In response, the audience feels prompted to bring more attention to the damage and impact that Trump and his racially biased views have caused the United States and people of color to endure.

    Read More

  • I Know Why The Caged Bird Cannot Read Summary

    621 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read” (1999), Francine Prose argues that literature is not being exposed to and taught to high school students in the way that it should be and that students learn to “loathe” it due to this. Prose provides her audience with her personal experience as both a mother and a college professor along with her own research on the books and suggested purposed of them. She continues to expand on this topic in order to help illuminate the importance of literature itself, not being associated with personal experiences or morals. Prose’s position is valid and she makes her essay directed towards school boards, teachers, and students and continues to maintain a critical tone throughout her essay.

    Read More

  • Good Will Hunting and Bell Hooks' Keeping Close to Home

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fiske, R., & Cyrus, V. (2005). Experiencing Race, Class, and Gender in the United States: Fourth Edition. Boston: McGrawHill

    Read More

  • Diversity: The Value Of Discomfort By Ronald L Leibowitz

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    The essay, “Diversity: The Value of Discomfort” is an argument written by Ronald L Leibowitz in which he addresses a group of graduates about the value of diversity in college. To me, diversity means the unique backgrounds which influence people’s thoughts, ideas, and opinions. Each of the factors in an individual’s background makes them unique, and creates an important facet of our communities. However, we need to recognize and understand diversity, and simply “celebrating” it is not enough—we must embrace it in our colleges, workplaces, neighborhoods, and larger societies.

    Read More

  • Discrimination In Brent Staples

    1701 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Brent Staples’ narrative, he asserts the fact that society has stereotypical and discriminatory views towards black males, which has caused him to experience distasteful encounters leading him to behave in a very careful and docile manner around others in public spaces. Personally I agree with Brent Staples, the misjudgment and stereotypes that are enforced on certain races has caused there to be an unnecessary disruption and uneasiness in the daily life and activities of such people. I have also found myself in situations that are similar to Brent Staples’ experiences, all of which were caused by the stigma surrounding immigrants and people of color. Author Brent Staples begins the essay by addressing an experience he had when he was younger,

    Read More

  • Prejudice In The Sneetches

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gone are the days of legalized slavery, of Nazi Germany, of women being incapable of having a notable opinion. No longer is there a system of racial segregation adopted by an entire country, complete white supremacy or lynchings performed by the Ku Klux Klan. Yet, although we are no longer exposed to such past experiences and despite us living in a world where diversity is embraced more than ever, the existence of prejudice remains. Today we have universally come to accept multiculturalism, varied ethnic backgrounds and those populations who historically were forever stigmatized. But in spite of these developments prejudice has manifested itself in other, more subtle ways and no matter how modernized society become such unfavourable attitudes

    Read More

  • Bell Hooks Feminist Theory Analysis

    903 Words  | 2 Pages

    experiencing or questioning this perpetual segregation. However, this is the point at which we discover the double-bind. The minority feels secluded, aggravated, and feels as though it is their duty to always confront micro aggressions. When you do not speak in opposition to the aggressions, it is only letting segregation to persist. Yet, if you ...

    Read More

  • Dehumanization In Fahrenheit 451

    1260 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Beatty explains to Montag why books are being burned, he describes the method used when teaching students: “Cram them full of noncombustible data, chock them so damned full of ‘facts’ they feel stuffed, but absolutely ‘brilliant’ with information...And they’ll be happy” (Bradbury 58). Later, on the train, an advertisement blares, “Denham’s Dentifrice” while Montag struggles to read “the shape of the individual letters” (Bradbury 75). Montag’s society is convinced that education means mindlessly memorizing facts. However, a large amount of information and facts is not a proper substitute for deep, critical thought. When information is just given and not analyzed, it prevents questioning why facts are true and inhibits the development of basic thinking skills, such as when Montag struggles to understand the book he is reading. Additionally, with so much information and entertainment circulated in Montag’s society, significant ideas that promote questioning and changing life cannot be developed. Without thoughts that allow people to question their ways and change themselves, people believe they are perfect, cannot realize their faults, and are unable to change the way they are. When Montag consults Faber for some insight on books, Faber states that books have been abandoned because “they show the pores in the face of life” and, because of this, their society is “living in a time when flowers are trying to live on flowers, instead of growing on good rain and black loam” (Bradbury 79). Instead of taking the time to think and develop thoughts, the citizens of Montag’s city take the easy way in life, by avoiding any deep thought and personal opinion altogether. It is much easier for the citizens to enjoy mindless entertainment than to think about the issues in the world and their solutions. However, this can create problems within

    Read More

  • Myths of the Melting Pot

    1981 Words  | 4 Pages

    concerns racial equality in America. The myth of the “Melting Pot” is a farce within American society, which hinders Americans from facing societal equality issues at hand. Only when America decides to face the truth, that society is not equal, and delve into the reasons why such equality is a dream instead of reality. Will society be able to tackle suc...

    Read More

  • Research on Women of Color

    1978 Words  | 4 Pages

    Overarching research on women of color (African American, Native American, Latina/Hispanic, Pacific Islander American, and Asian American) and the impact of racism and sexism as interrelated constructs on their academic aspirations is limited. A few scholarly pieces that explore racism and sexism as intersecting constructs, primarily focus on understanding the relationship between these isms and the mental health of women of color (DeBlaere & Bertsch, 2013; DeBlaere, Brewster, Bertsch, DeCarlo, Kegel, & Presseau, 2013;Martin, Boadi, Fernandes,Watt, & Robinson-Wood, 2013).More specifically, extant literature suggests one of the major consequences women of color experience in relation to racist and sexist events is psychological distress, which can be understood as concerns including depression, low self-esteem, and self-hatred, among others (King, 2003; Hipolito-Delgado, 2010).

    Read More

  • The Intersections Of Race, Class And Gender In The Anti-Racist Discourse Analysis

    1379 Words  | 3 Pages

    These type of studies aim to provide information on how different identities such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation are connected to one another. With this understanding, it can be acknowledged that one can be an oppressor at one point in time but be oppressed at another. These roles are constantly changing, based on a variety of factors. Integrative anti-racism allows a better understanding of these social oppressions.

    Read More

  • Stereotypes Of African American Women

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    being black and being a woman. Scholars convey that African American women are involved in what’s called the “double threat” where membership in more than one oppressed social group results in cumulative risk outcomes (Brown 2000; Chavous et. al 2004; Childs 2005; Steele 1992; 1997). Black women may also experience stress due to unrealistic stereotypes. For example, research has revealed that black women experience “double threat” when they apply for housing from a white landlord. Results conclude that white landlords perceive black women as the “black single mother” stereotype, therefore they refuse to provide them with adequate housing (Iceland and Wilkes 2006; Roscigno et al. 2009). Black women actively seek to resist the positive and negative stereotypes for fear that embodying them will result in validation of those categorizations (Chavous et al. 2004; Fries-Britt & Griffin 2007; Rollock, Gillborn, Vincent & Ball 2011; Settles 2006; Steele 1997). Black women may not have intended to perpetuate stereotypes in the presence of others, but are subjected to social pressures to normalize these stereotypes for others and pigeonhole themselves in counteractive representations of black women (Childs 2005; Wilkins 2012). Steele (1992) described this process as “stereotype threat” which occurs when individuals perceive that negative stereotypes about their group as

    Read More

  • Catcher In The Rye Controversy

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novel touches on ideas of sexual orientation and experiences, religion, and education some things that are not acceptable to a discussion in today's society. Furthermore, How will young adults learn about different aspects of their development if it is no longer taught? Another issue in education is the claim that the content taught in schools are not relative enough in today’s society and do not cater to the growth of adolescents. The band of the novel The Catcher in the Rye would be a violation of the right to free speech and should not just be applied to adults in the United States but to all citizens, regardless of age. Though the views of the use of profanity are controversial, the book has very essential moral lessons that the readers could benefit from.

    Read More

  • Why Pop Culture Can T Deal With Black Male Sexuality

    1741 Words  | 4 Pages

    Furthermore, polls conducted over the years have found that many Americans still harbor beliefs about racial and ethnic minorities that are based on racist stereotypes (Nesbitt, 2016). If we were truly living in a post-racial society that was free from the discrimination caused by stereotypes, today, we wouldn't continue to struggle with inequity in the criminal justice system; police brutality and racial profiling of African Americans; or the various discriminations that exist in the workplace. “There's only one way to work our way out of the box we find ourselves in. We need a new conversation – one that includes equal measures of hope and pain, threat and opportunity, conflict and resolution. We need to train.

    Read More

  • Heart Of Darkness Research Paper

    1533 Words  | 4 Pages

    Break the social limitations According to the author of Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, "my task, which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel--it is, before all, to make you see.” Yes, literature is usually so powerful that it can enable readers to see a completely different world that they have never seen before. Due to this very feature, the conflict between writers and authorities has never been ceased--writers, more often than not, are restrained from liberally expressing their own incisive, reflective, or even revolutionary thoughts, due to the limitations posed by religion, politics, and ideology of the time and of the society or community that they live in. William Shakespeare,

    Read More

More about The Educational Power Of Discomfort Summary

Open Document