Week 7
Rosie King’s TED Talk was interesting as it shed a little
light on autism for me as I don’t really know too much about Autism. I appreciated the
way that Rosie was explaining how her personal experience with Autism is
unique. I also thought that it was really weird that there would be a google
list that pops up in a search that says people who have autism are demons.
The chapter by Alex Wilson was a good read as I have never
read anything that discussed the identity development of gay or lesbian Native
Americans. The phrase “two-spirited” reminded me of something that I had read
in another book that described something about individuals who identify as gay
or lesbian, which unfortunately I cannot remember what it was, but it made sense to me. I totally agree with
the statement in this chapter, “We understand that the spiritual, physical,
emotional, and intellectual parts of ourselves are equally important and
interrelated. When one aspect of a person is unhealthy, the entire person is
affected. This too is true for the entire community; when one aspect of the
community is missing, the entire community will suffer in some way.” I feel like
this is a perfect explanation of why there is so much chaos in the world.
There is something wrong in so many places and homes in society due to the discrimination, judgment, and
marginalization of individuals that affects people in all kinds of ways that get
under the skin, spreading all over the world.
Adams chapter 44 reminded me of how mostly all of my family
is Christian, and most all people that I know. I used to think that it was
normal, even though I did not really understand completely. Eventually, I
thought I understood, but then I became confused. I started reading and doing
research to find the answers to my questions, which I think I have found them,
or at least some, but I still don’t know what to believe in and how to direct
my life regarding my spirituality, although I am a vegan at heart, and wish for world peace. It is really weird, its like this world is
full of secrets and mysteries. I know there is a God or Gods, but Christian
privilege is an odd aspect of this world that has an ugly history which I feel like still has responsibility for a lot of the issues that exist today. I would think that we wouldn’t have
these religious problems, but we do, and the famous question of mine is, why?
Adams chapter 45 really underlined the major points that
need to be addressed. Scriptural justifications for slavery, destroying Native
American culture, oppression of the Japanese and Muslims, religious justification for
exploitation is just INSANE. I cant get over it but wow, the world we live in!
To me, this also pertains to the animal cruelty of factory farming that is a
current holocaust that happens every second of the day. I often look around myself and wonder how Native American lands were considered useless but where
stolen and taken advantage of. All of this in the name of God, a Christian God.
So many different religions, who is to say what is right and wrong, true or
false? The world and universe that we live in goes farther than the eyes can
see, there has to be something else that is the missing solution to all of
these issues, that I feel is being kept away from us, or it is the willpower of individuals and society that is misled and distracted. It is absurd how people can claim anyone different from them to
be devil worshippers, not realizing that their hurtful actions make them to be that they are the devils themselves.
Chapter 113 and 118 touched on a topic that I am learning
more about in another class, Social Construction of Disabilities. I
think that it is true that this topic is minimally examined and understood. I thought that
the page that discussed how to become an ally was really good, it should be posted
everywhere for everyone to see. It seems like all of the money and attention is
distributed somewhere else that does not serve the elderly and people with
disabilities. The gap in services is created and it can be fixed by
implementing improvements in the service systems. The next step is just making
the move towards the changes that needs to be made in all aspects of life on earth.
Sources
Wilson, Alex. Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Social Class: Dimensions of Inequality and Identity. Sage, Los Angeles 2015. pp. 205.
Sources
Adams, M., Blumfeld, W., Castañeda, C., Hackman, H., Peters, M., Zúñiga, X. (2013). Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York, NY: Rutledge.
King, R. (2014). How autism freed me to be
myself [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/rosie_king_how_autism_freed_me_to_be_myself.
Wilson, Alex. Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Social Class: Dimensions of Inequality and Identity. Sage, Los Angeles 2015. pp. 205.
Catherine, I loved reading your blog post. I also found Rosie King’s blog post to be very interesting. I found myself thinking that she did a great job speaking for someone who was autistic but then I realized that that was the wrong way to be thinking. She proved that just because someone is autistic doesn’t mean they are incapable of doing certain things. I realized that I had this stereotype of what someone who was autistic should act like but she broke down those beliefs that I had. I was the type of person that thought of autistic people as really good at math and socially awkward. She did a great job at explaining that that stereotype is not always true. Just like with all types of people, everyone does not fit in one category. For example, she is more on the creative side. I also found it weird that the top google search for autism asks if they are demons. It just goes to show how ignorant some people are when it comes to the topic- including myself at times. That is why it is so important to educate yourself on these topics so as not to make assumptions that are untrue. I really like how she found the positive in her autism and said that she would not trade it because it allows her to connect with her brother and sister who are also autistic. Her attitude is very uplifting and changed the way I see autism.
ReplyDeleteCatherine,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog post and I appreciate you saying how you did not know much about autism until you watched Rosie King’s TED Talk. I found it very inspirational that Rosie mentions how autistic people have a vast variety of unique qualities, yet they are often discriminated because of their disability. It truly is sad that people come up with stereotypes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, when they have no idea how unique the person really is. I think as we further our career as social workers, we need to mindful of this population. Although it may be hard to relate to people with autism, we need to do everything in our power to advocate for this community, because they are just as creative and unique as any other person.
Furthermore, I like how you mentioned that in Chapter 44, how most of your family is Christian and most the people that you associated with. I relate to that, and I used to believe that this was the “normal” thing. However, now that I am older and more knowledgeable about the world, I have come to realize that it does not matter what your religion is, or if you do not even have a religion. I think that is what I like most about being a student in the School of Social Work. Everybody is so accepting towards each other, and nobody cares about who you are, where you came from and what you do. There is so much discrimination in this work and the School of Social Work is one of the few places I feel secure and comfortable to be myself.
Adams, M., Blumfeld, W., Castañeda, C., Hackman, H., Peters, M., Zúñiga, X. (2013). Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York, NY: Routledge.
King, R. (2014, September). Rosie King: How autism freed me to be myself [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/rosie_king_how_autism_freed_me_to_be_myself?language=en#t-395248
Hey Catherine! I was really able to relate to your post. I like that these TED talks and readings allow us to hear the perspectives of people that previously we personally did not know much about. Like you, I didn’t understand very much about Autism, and I know I still have a lot to learn, but it was exciting to get to hear first hand about the experiences of someone with Autism. Same with “two-spirited people”—this is a population I had never even considered, but, like you quoted, each part of ourselves are important and interrelated, so it makes sense that being both Native American and gay or lesbian plays such a large role in their lives. It reminds me of the intersectionality theory that Professor Sepp touched on earlier in the semester. Your insight about chaos and discrimination in the world reminded me of the systems perspective, which I have been learning about in another class—when there is an imbalance of power among different systems, chaos and inequality ensues. I agree with your idea about the “ugly history” of Christianity. I also grew up in a very sheltered Christian community and didn’t even know there were other beliefs until pretty late in life. The Social Construction of Disabilities class sounds awesome and extremely informative. I think that you’re correct—until the gap in services for people with disabilities is filled, awareness needs to be raised, particularly by informing others of the meaning of “ally.” The idea of being an “ally” was really new to me but I love that we are able to stand with people even though we cannot directly relate to them. Thanks for posting!
ReplyDelete