Discrimination has existed since the dawn of men. We have all experienced it in one form or another and sometimes we’ve discriminated without even realizing it. There have been plenty of people who have fought against discrimination by teaching others. Using anger, fear, and guilt many have spread the word to be more tolerant of others but one less common way this has been accomplished is through humor. Wole Soyinka does this well in his poem “Telephone Conversation” in which he takes a more humorous and ironic approach on discrimination. The humorous take on racism in “Telephone Conversation” should be used more in teachings to further spread the foolishness of discrimination.
A lot of people are oblivious to the things that have happened in the past; from slavery to the civil rights movement and all the things in between that have shaped how discrimination is today. Most are bored with these topics and when learned in school they go in one ear and out the other never to be thought of again. The humorous tone of “Telephone Conversation” can help change this by teaching others about racism better than conventional methods. Elizabeth Weinstein wrote an article about Mark Shatz and Frank LoSchiavo, two professors at Ohio University who have argued that humor can help learning. During their study they concluded that students are more interested in learning when humor is applied. Shatz and LoSchiavo have been integrating humor into their online classes with positive results. Having funny jokes and cartoons related to the subject has increased the number of times students interact in the discussion board and overall increase their interest in the class (Weinstein). Their use of humor in their teachings help people participate more an...
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...r in “Telephone conversation” can be used to educate others but as Greengross warns, it should be done carefully.
Many have spread the word about discrimination in many different ways. Humor, being a less used method for this can be the most effective. As Mark Shatz and Frank LoSchiavo have proven humor can help people be more involved in class and learn better. It can help them get out of their comfort zone and participate more in class. While Javier Muñoz-Basols has shown that humor can help people remember things better. As humorous ideas are more easily remember than uninteresting ones. Through my own experience growing up humor can be a very powerful way to teach others about racism but as Gil Greengross warns it must be done right. Soyinka manages to accomplish this in “Telephone Conversation” and more should use his method in their own teachings.
Work Cited
Don’t Just Stand There is an essay written by Diane Cole. It was first published in 1989 in a New York Times publication. She advises her audience about how to react to prejudice comments and jokes. However, her argument is not credible because she fails to mention vital information that would help to support her argument, and there are too many logical fallacies.
We probably know discrimination occurs in any situation, and it depends on individual reasons, or societal. Today, we know discrimination of race is unlawful, but it is still existent in some people, and it gets skillfully concealed under some form. For example, in the essay “Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public” by Brent Staples, the author is a black man, he explains some encounters that he has been a victim of the discrimination of skin color from people around him. Discrimination can appear in any situation and everywhere. I love America, because this country included many different races; it makes me think of the beautiful colorful flowers on the prairies. I thought discrimination was over; however, due to different racial have built the discrimination still inside of some people. Therefore, I had gained some experience of skin color discrimination from others put on me since when I stepped on this America land. I believe discrimination of skin color brings me the feelings of isolated, unequal, and humiliate. Discrimination is a terrible thing; if it happens to you, you will understand how it feels.
People are discriminated against because of their race and social position every day. This has been going on for hundreds of years. In Mexican White Boy, Danny and Uno were discriminated against by people around them for being different, but along the way of discovering themselves, they form an unbreakable friendship.
Vivienne Ming once said, “Discrimination is not done by villains. It’s done by us.” Many do not recognize or acknowledge discrimination. Most of the time, individuals allow discrimination to be classified as bullying. However, true discrimination is real. It comes in various forms and it is the population’s job to be familiar with it and use that knowledge to destroy it. Racial, appearance-based, sexual, and religious discrimination all hugely affect friendships/relationships, the workplace, and society as a whole.
On a personal note, the reason I have selected the topic of racism in the classroom is two-fold. First, I am employed in a suburban school district where I occasionally witness social inequalities for students of color that play out and dramatically impact learning. Secondly, I was brought up in a family which espoused racist beliefs and principles. This self-examination serves as a critical means for me to come face to face with aspects of my own distorted misconceptions, and perhaps begin to undue a familial legacy of injurious thinking and
Racism has been a huge problem throughout the United States and every individual struggles with the unproductive messages of racism that is being passed on through from larger societies. Many people suffered from this in silence and it is what hits the hardest on children and youth who lack the life experience to understa...
In the United States, racial discrimination has a lengthy history, dating back to the biblical period. Racial discrimination is a term used to characterize disruptive or discriminatory behaviors afflicted on a person because of his or her ethnic background. In other words, every t...
The world is universally filled with injustice, therefore, humanity has dealt with the topic of discrimination. Injustice in our society occurs when it showcases several individuals disrespecting one another about their natural identity. In today’s world, discrimination can be categorized into many different groups, such as ageism, racism, and sexism. In our society every individual has been a victim or an oppressor at some point. Therefore, we should be prepared to face the challenges of injustice by standing up for individuals who are victims of discrimination. The novel Of Mice and Men deals with the types of discrimination that involve individuals like Candy who face injustice in different ways. Personally, I have also experienced discrimination. Additionally, a historical Canadian named Viola Desmond had faced discrimination and was determined to confront the issue of discrimination against her race. Therefore, we should be
Everyone at some point in time or another experiences discrimination; no one lives a sheltered enough life not to. As a society we need to admit that discrimination is present at all times and stop being so sensitive to how we are labeled or perceived. Pretending discrimination does not exists does not solve a problem, it makes it stronger. Until it is no big deal in the eyes of all involved it will still be an issue that no one is truly prepared to tackle due to the amount of hate that will then be heaped upon them. Dr. King’s example is also a tragic one, a man who preached love for all, equality for all, and a sense of the brotherhood of man, was gunned down by one man who didn’t agree with his views. So perhaps the individual approach will be the best for now as this shows us one man’s view changed a world and one man’s view ended a life.
Discrimination has always been there between blacks and whites. Since the 1800s where racial issues and differences started flourishing till today, we can still find people of different colors treated unequally. “[R]acial differences are more in the mind than in the genes. Thus we conclude superiority and inferiority associated with racial differences are often socially constructed to satisfy the socio-political agenda of the dominant group”(Heewon Chang,Timothy Dodd;2001;1).
In Henry Lewis Gates’ article, The Debate Has Been Miscast from the Start, he reveals the advantages to having multiculturalism in the curriculum of America’s schools. He would argue that in order to create true diversity and understanding of cultural differences, the nation must provide its students with a wide array of opportunities to understand other cultures besides their own. Peggy McIntosh takes on a similar situation when she takes into consideration how she was taught diversity in schools as a child. She claims that dominance of the white race is unconsciously supported. She also describes how she did not receive the right kind of education that would teach her how to be aware of racism and how to be aware of her privileges as a white person. McIntosh desires change in the way that students are taught racism and the best way to accomplish this is for schools to incorporate multiculturalism into curriculum. If this is accomplished, future generations have the ability to be aware of cultural differences and they would be less likely to be perpetrators of color blind racism.
Though racism is a controversial subject, many other subjects have received just as much controversy. One of these is discrimination. Discrimination is the denial of equality based on personal characteristics, such as race and color. Racial jokes and ethnic slurs are obvious examples of racial discrimination. These comments not only leave the victim feeling helpless and fearful, but they have a negative impact on worker productivity and economic performance (Dimensions of Racism).
In 1995, the Carnegie Corporation commissioned a number of papers to summarize research that could be used to improve race relations in schools and youth organizations. One way to fight against racism is to “start teaching the importance of and strategies for positive intergroup relations when children are young”(Teaching Tolerance,). Bias is learned at an early age, often at home, so schools should offer lessons of tolerance and
Racism is based on the belief that one’s culture is superior to that of others, and this racial superiority provides justification for discrimination. Racism begins with categorising by race, and therefore stereotyping particular cultures. A simple definition of prejudice given by St Thomas Aquinas states prejudice as “thinking ill of others without sufficient cause” (1. pg 21). Racism is a major issue in today’s society, affecting a large number of the world’s population and causing political and social turmoil. To evaluate the true meaning, effects and views concerning racism in today’s world, a number of literature sources were researched including novel, films, short stories, poetry, song lyrics, textbooks and magazine articles.
In the world today, racism and discrimination is one of the major issues being faced with. Racism has existed throughout the world for centuries and has been the primary reasons for wars, conflicts, and other human calamities all over the planet. It has been a part of America since the European colonization of North America beginning in the 17th century. Many people are not aware of how much racism still exist in our schools, workforces, and anywhere else that social lives are occurring. It started from slavery in America to caste partiality in India, down to the Holocaust in Europe during World War II.