FIGHT(!) prejudice

Black and White Twins

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:36:22 -0400

On the left is James: he’s black, he’s gay, he’s gregarious, and he’s academic. He’s taking three A-levels next summer, and wants to go to university. Daniel, sitting beside him, is white. He’s straight, he’s shy, and he didn’t enjoy school at all. He left after taking GCSEs, and hopes that his next move will be an apprenticeship in engineering.

So, given that they are diametrically opposed, there is one truly surprising thing about James and Daniel. They are twins.

…

Primary school passed without colour being an issue: but, says Alyson, everything changed when they went to secondary school. And at this point the boys, too, add their voices: because the racism they encountered there had a huge effect on them, and on what happened to them next.

It all started well, says Alyson. “The school was almost all-white, so James was unusual. But it wasn’t a problem for James – it was a problem for Daniel.

“The boys were in different classes, so for a while no one realised they were related. Then someone found out, and the story went round that this white boy, Daniel, was actually black, and the evidence was that he had a black twin brother, James, who was right here in the school. And then Daniel started being picked on and it got really ugly and racist, and there were lots of physical attacks. Daniel was only a little kid, and he was being called names and being beaten up by much older children – it was really horrible. We even called the police.”

“I was really bullied,” cuts in Daniel, his face hardening at the memory. “People couldn’t believe James and I were brothers, and they didn’t like the fact that I looked white, but was – as they saw it – black.”

…

Alyson says all she wants, like any mum, is for her boys to be happy, and to live lives free from prejudice, so that each can flourish in his own way. “Mind you,” she says with a smile, “I do sometimes find myself wondering, now the children are all getting older, what the future holds. There will be another generation eventually – who will that bring along, I wonder?

"Now, Latinos are the majority of those who are sent to federal prison for felonies, according to a new report from the U.S. Sentencing Commission." -Colorlines

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 01:03:41 -0400

“Where once people who were caught trying to enter the country without papers were allowed to opt for voluntary removal and kicked back across the border, today the federal government is choosing to file charges against people and incarcerate people before deporting them. It’s a profound enough change in policy that it’s changing the demographics of incarceration rates.” -Colorlines

It’s important to remember who is benefiting from this. For example, see “Prison Economics Help Drive Ariz. Immigration Law” from NPR. The incarceration of immigrants is not only clearly a problem of xenophobia, but also one of class: that is, the generation of profit through the oppression of poor immigrants.

What does "heteronormativity" mean?

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 22:42:16 -0400

Hi, there! ”Heteronormativity” is vaguely the same as “heterosexism”

“Heteronormativity” is essentially the idea that “being straight” is normal, that non-“straight” sexual orientations or gender identities are thus weird. Heternormativity includes the idea that people are either “gay” or “straight” or possibly “bisexual.”

Rather, FIGHTprejudice knows that human sexuality and gender identity issues are far more complicated than “gay/straight” or “man/woman.” That is, while people may identify as “gay” or “straight,” the reality about sexual preferences is that they are far from uniform and defy easy labels.

Check out University of California Davis’

LGBTQIA Glossary for more!

I am doing a project against prejudice. It will have myth busters and it will contain every argument I can think of to convince people that prejudice is wrong. Have you got any advice for me?

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 22:32:05 -0400

We’d love to help! Email shawn@FIGHTprejudice.org with any specific questions you may have.

In general, perhaps one of the most important anti-prejudice points to make is that our law and our society (and therefore members of our society, whether they know it or not) treats groups of people differently for no good reason. It is easy for members of privileged groups to think that racism, sexism, and other prejudices are things of the past because members of privileged groups don’t experience those prejudices every day.

Therefore, if we’re going to FIGHTprejudice, we have to start by trying as hard as we can to see things from others’ points of view, understanding that others have had different experiences. Put another way, ”Being unprejudiced” is not our natural state because of the skewed values inculcated in us by media, popular culture, our leaders, etc. ”Being unprejudiced” is a constant struggle that we all must deal with and work at.

Labor Day Thoughts: " the top 10 percent of earners [in the US] pull in almost half the total income, a level higher than any year since 1917."

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 22:00:00 -0400

-Chicago Sun Times editorial: “Shrink wage gap by raising tax on rich”

This Labor Day is an ideal time to spend a few minutes thinking about, well, labor. Like many holidays, Labor Day’s meaning has changed over time: from workers—their rights, their health and safety, their struggle against an economic system that favors the already rich—to Labor Day Cookouts and Labor Day Sales(!!!).

While certainly there’s nothing wrong with relaxing and having a party over the long weekend, at the same time we should be thinking about workers around the world and what we can do to FIGHTclassism along with them.

Today, FIGHTprejudice officers joined the 32nd Annual Labor Day Solidarity March in Wilmington, CA. Wilmington is a large, mostly Spanish-speaking part of Los Angeles where local shipping docs have broken unions (with “independent contractors,” who have many fewer rights and benefits) and inflicted an astronomical asthma rate on local youth.

_______________________________

One of many organizations represented was Move to Amend, a group dedicated to fighting back against the recent Citizens United opinion, which has been a windfall for Tea Party and other corporate-backed political causes.

While it should be pretty clear to all of us that corporations (1) are not people, (2) do not deserve the Right to Free Speech, and (3) should not have influence over our electoral politics, there are five members of the Supreme Court who either don’t get it, don’t care, or have some questionable motives.

_______________________________

So, on this Labor Day, FIGHTprejudice urges you to do what you can to support Move to Amend or otherwise speak out against the Citizens United, the five twisted Supreme Court Justices who support it, and its potentially devastating consequences: an ever-expanding income gap and the entrenchment of the top ten percent.

shaaaaaaawn: Jon Stewart on “not defending DOMA” as opposed to...

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 14:08:24 -0400

shaaaaaaawn:

Jon Stewart on “not defending DOMA” as opposed to “still enforcing DOMA.” :I

UPDATE: Citgo Petroleum Corp. interested in working with FIGHTprejudice on "Rebel Flag" issue

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:59:33 -0400

FIGHTprejudice Executive Director Shawn Meerkamper received a call this morning from CITGO Petroleum Corporation’s Public Relations division. The CITGO representative was eager to work with FIGHTprejudice to identify specific CITGO locations that sell the Confederate flag so that CITGO Corporate can contact those stores directly.

As FIGHTprejudice continues to work on this issue with CITGO, we need your help:

PLEASE EMAIL shawn@FIGHTprejudice.org WITH THE ADDRESS (AND PICTURES IF YOU CAN) OF ABSOLUTELY ANY GAS STATION OR OTHER CORPORATE RETAIL LOCATION SELLING OR DISPLAYING THE CONFEDERATE FLAG.

FIGHTprejudice intends to use its progress with CITGO to pressure other retailers to pull Confederate Battle Flag memorabilia from their shelves. Together, we can make this happen.

Open letter to CITGO CEO Alejandro Granado RE CITGO display and sale of The Confederate Battle Flag

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:25:00 -0400

FROM: Shawn Meerkamper, Founder, Executive Director, FIGHTprejudice, Inc.

TO: Alejandro Granado, Chairman, President, and CEO, CITGO Petroleum Corporation

CC: CITGO Board of Directors; Gustavo Velásquez, Vice President for Supply and Marketing; Daniel Cortez, Vice President for Government and Public Affairs

DATE: Monday, July 25, 2011

RE: Open letter concerning CITGO’s sale and display of The Battle Flag of the Confederacy (commonly known as “The Rebel Flag.”

Mr. Granado:

I am student and loyal CITGO customer. I do my best to be a conscious consumer, and given the recent serious accidents with BP in the Gulf of Mexico and Exon Mobile in the Yosemite River, CITGO is an excellent alternative.

However, I was troubled recently when I was driving from Nashville to Memphis along I-40 in Tennessee and stopped in at one of your locations to fill up and grab a few snacks. As I entered the store, I noticed that the Battle Flag of the Confederacy was prominently displayed—as part of an advertisement for decals one can purchase inside the store—right next to the front door. When checking out, I also noticed Confederate Battle Flag memorabilia for sale at the cash register, including key chains.

I asked the cashier why CITGO sells so many Confederate Battle Flags and was told, “Because this is the Confederate South.” Having grown up in Tennessee, I am well aware that some still hold this belief. However, as a matter of historical fact, Tennessee has not been a part of the “Confederate South” since 1865, and this is how I should have replied to your cashier.

While I realize that individual CITGO stations are not directly run by CITGO Petroleum Corporation, I certainly hope that this is something your corporate board will be able to address. CITGO’s mission and values include integrity, respect, fairness, and social responsibility, and your own equal employment policy reads,

“… I affirm personally and on behalf of our organization, CITGO Petroleum Corporation’s commitment to the equitable treatment of all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, gender (sex), religion, age, national origin, disability, genetic information or veteran status.”

So, it seems strange to me that your retail locations display and sell an image that would not be tolerated in your corporate offices. Further, to many prospective CITGO customers and employees, The Battle Flag of the Confederacy is a symbol of disrespect, unfairness, and social irresponsibility. Further, while FIGHTprejudice does not have the resources for market research, I have personally spoken with a number of Tennesseans of color who tell me that they refuse to patronize any business, including gas stations, which display or sell the “Rebel Flag.”

I understand that you are in the oil business and not the business of making social statements. However, given CITGO’s demonstrated commitment to diversity in its corporate ranks, I urge you to do what you can to ensure that The Battle Flag of the Confederacy is not associated with CITGO’s brand in the eyes of your customers. Regardless of the various different meanings the flag has for different individuals, it is a symbol that strikes fear and anxiety in hearts of many. CITGO does not support hate, yet in these times of racial and ethnic tensions (from our immigration policy to the election of our current president to the backlash against Muslim Americans), the display and sale of The Battle Flag of the Confederacy may give your customers the wrong idea.

All of this is to say, I urge you to make a change that will be good for business and good for CITGO’s customer relations: while opponents of the “Rebel Flag” already do boycott those stores of yours that sell it, I seriously doubt that fans of the confederacy will react similarly to the flag’s absence.

Thank you for your time. This open letter will be posted on FIGHTprejudice.org, and our organization will prepare an official press release in the event that we do not hear back from you within a few weeks.

Sincerely,

Shawn Thomas Meerkamper

_________________________________________________________

Executive Director, FIGHTprejudice, Inc.

Candidate for Doctorate of Jurisprudence, UCLA School of Law 2013

B.A. Philosophy & Political Science, George Washington University 2010

“It has to be based on the belief that everyone has the capacity for the most valuable forms of experience, and on the processual belief that people can and should collectively determine the conditions of collective life. These beliefs cannot be grounded in reason, as reason is commonly understood, nor is it possible to resolve their contradictions otherwise than in practice, but that is not to say that they are arbitrary. Because the existing system of hierarchy denies their validity and frustrates their realization, we should abolish it.” — Duncan Kennedy, The Carter Professor of General Jurisprudence, Harvard Law School, Legal Education and the Reproduction of Hierarchy.

Open Letter to Michael DelGiorno of Supertalk 99-7 WTN Nashville

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:44:00 -0400

Mr. DelGiorno:

I am writing you from the East Nashville offices of a newly formed nonprofit community organization, FIGHTprejudice, Inc. I personally listen to 99.7 every time I’m in the car, and I hear your show often. Today I was extremely interested by your “Obama voice.”

The thing is, it doesn’t sound anything like him. If you recall, earlier in his term the President was sometimes criticized for “acting white” or for having been called Barry when he was younger, for example. It is funny to me, then, that your impression of him sounds much more like an impression of the proverbial poor, undereducated black male than of a graduate of Harvard Law and someone largely considered to be the greatest speech-maker of our time.

I called and spoke with your producer Tommy (I believe was his name) this morning, and he said that he thought your Obama voice was actually dead on. I respectfully suggest that perhaps you should have your producer listen to an audio clip of President Obama speaking so he can learn what the President’s voice sounds like. Many excellent example of the President’s speech writing and public speaking abilities are available on YouTube, for example here. You may also want to refresh you memory, so as to perform a more accurate impression for your radio show.

Would love to talk to you on the air sometime. I’ll do my best to call in next time I catch the show.

<3[FIGHT(!)prejudice],

Shawn Thomas Meerkamper

Founder, Executive Director, FIGHTprejudice, Inc.
Candidate for Doctorate of Jurisprudence, UCLA School of Law, 2013
B.A. Philosophy & Political Science, George Washington University, 2010

shawn@FIGHTprejudice.org

“It has to be based on the belief that everyone has the capacity for the most valuable forms of experience, and on the processual belief that people can and should collectively determine the conditions of collective life. These beliefs cannot be grounded in reason, as reason is commonly understood, nor is it possible to resolve their contradictions otherwise than in practice, but that is not to say that they are arbitrary. Because the existing system of hierarchy denies their validity and frustrates their realization, we should abolish it.” — Duncan Kennedy, The Carter Professor of General Jurisprudence, Harvard Law School, Legal Education and the Reproduction of Hierarchy.

______________________________________

Michael DelGiorno is a local Nashville conservative talk radio host.

<3[FIGHT(!)heteronormativity]

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 12:24:05 -0400

<3[FIGHT(!)heteronormativity]

shaaaaaaawn: The Intercollegiate Studies Institute needs to go...

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:35:00 -0400

1.

2. Define "productivity."

3. The "right" answer is incorrect.

4.

shaaaaaaawn:

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute needs to go to college.

/

The “Intercollegiate Studies Institute” (ISI) has a bland-sounding name, so they wouldn’t have a radical ideological agenda, would they? It says “college” in the name! And colleges only test knowledge, they don’t use trick questions to lead you to shakey presumptions about the world … right?

/

FIGURE 1: I aced it, in part because I saw through its false normative assumptions

/

FIGURE 2: Here’s how you might answer this question on a test: one of these things is not like the other. No matter how little you learned in history or civics class, you probably remember that tariffs are bad, you know that “decreases in economic growth” have got to be bad, and you DEFINITELY know that “decreases in standard of living” are bad.

/

So what’s good, then? What’s the right answer because it’s not like the others? “Increase in productivity!”

/

“Productivity” is much more vague than the others, though. So, as you might or might not realize as the test taker, “productivity” can go way up while “standard of living” plummets at the same time.

/

In fact, that’s what usually happens to countries around the world who open up to free trade, then have their markets flooded with cheap American food—which is subsidized by US government(’s protectionist trade policies)—, then are forced to “specialize” in jobs in factories that are more “productive,” in the sense of putting out more product, but pay less, and afford a lower standard of living.

/

FIGURE 3: A “public good” has a real definition in political science, and the “answer” to this question is incorrect.

/

A public good’s defining characteristics are “non-rivalability” and “non-excludeability,” that is one person’s use of the good does not diminish another’s use of it and one person is physically incapable of excluding someone else from benefiting from the good.

/

Problems with public goods are a type collective action problem, that is, “Well, we all need it, so who’s gonna build it??”

/

One problem within that coordination problem is “freeloaders,” or those who do not contribute to building or maintaining something, yet still benefit from it.

/

The concept of “freeloader” in political science is not a moralizing one. It is a coordination one: given the rational incentive to NOT contribute to a public good (because you as an individual will benefit anyway), how do we collectively organize to create or preserve a public good?

/

ISI’s unfortunate use of “a flood-control levee” calls to mind the suffering of Hurricane Katrina, and—by moralizing and vastly oversimplifying the issue—ISI seems to imply that poor people not “directly paying for” a good or service is the problem of freeloading. Hello, classism!

/

Examples of the rich freeloading:

/

Wal-Mart freeloading on government-provided health care because they don’t provide employee insurance and because they exploit massive tax loopholes

/

Wealthy “supporters” of green energy who live in scenic places and won’t allow wind turbines to be built in their line-of-sight (e.g. Cape Cod)

/

FIGURE 4: Yes, so true, because “local knowledge” is a cornerstone of the most successful companies, which build massive chains across the country, homogenizing goods, services, roadways, and landscapes!

________________________________________

/

A quick glance at ISI’s website confirms one’s suspicions of ISI’s ideological goals in their seemingly innocent “civics quiz.”

/

Here’s their website banner:

/

… when everyone your organization chooses to represent is white … there’s a problem. PLUS, their first issue area is “western civilization,” under which the Wailing Wall is pictured, which is a symbol of the so-called clash of civilizations.

/

In their FAQ section, ISI proudly claims ethnocentrism as one of their “core values.”

/

My personal response? Yer dumb. Any organization working to ”chart the way into the exotic landscape of Western Civilization” is simply gasping for a last dying breath of white privilege as the United States becomes more and more diverse. Just because you are not as good as you used to be at keeping people down does not mean that your civilization is dying.

/

Finally, it should be pointed out that ISI specifically refers to the importance of “Western patrimony,” also described as patriarchy, that is, the systemic oppression of women by men. Woo, go western civilization! Part of why you’re so great is that you’ve seen no accomplishments by women, or at least not any worth mentioning, apparently …

"“African-American students and those with particular educational disabilities experience a..."

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:46:40 -0400

“

“African-American students and those with particular educational disabilities experience a disproportionately high rate of removal from the classroom for disciplinary reasons,” he said.

One glaring example: 70 percent of black girls were suspended or expelled, compared with 37 percent of white girls, usually for the same offenses. This gets to another key finding: In almost every case, the decision to remove a student was made solely by a teacher or school administrator. This may explain why minority kids are punished disproportionately, said Doug Otto, schools superintendent in Plano, Texas. He said racial prejudice is involved.

”

- Claudio Sanchez, NPR.

<3[FIGHT(!)racism]

Steven Colbert had formed a “Super PAC,” it seems, in order to...

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 06:08:00 -0400

Steven Colbert had formed a “Super PAC,” it seems, in order to ridicule and expose the terrible Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FCC.

This conversation is ripe with classism, as the SCOTUS decision makes it even harder for the voices of the poor to be heard in US politics, that is, the politics of a democracy.

<3[FIGHT(!)classism]

shaaaaaaawn: “Society teaches ‘Don’t get raped’ rather than...

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 08:56:03 -0400

shaaaaaaawn:

“Society teaches ‘Don’t get raped’ rather than ‘Don’t rape’”

<3[FIGHT(!)sexism]

Everything except English is gibberish.

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 01:32:34 -0400

notracistbut:

When people are irritated because a language barrier keeps them from getting a problem solved, fine. It doesn’t excuse racism, but at least there’s an issue to be complaining about. But saying everything except English hurts your ears? Really? ¬_¬

Republican NYS Senator Roy McDonald on Marriage Equality. “You...

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:41:37 -0400

Republican NYS Senator Roy McDonald on Marriage Equality.

“You get to the point where you evolve in your life where everything isn’t black and white, good and bad, and you try to do the right thing,” McDonald, 64, told reporters. “You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, fuck it, I don’t care what you think. I’m trying to do the right thing. “I’m tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it. I come from a blue-collar background. I’m trying to do the right thing, and that’s where I’m going with this.”

Major credit agency investigates downgrading USA's AAA rating

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:40:46 -0400

Major credit agency investigates downgrading USA's AAA rating :

Dear GOP,

Stop being irresponsible. This whold defaulting thing is bad for you politically, bad for your CEO friends, and bad for the poor whom you seek to blame and punish for our financial troubles. STOP IT.

<3,
FIGHTprejudice

Happy Pride! chaaaaarlotte: People take part in the gay pride...

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:49:43 -0400

Happy Pride!

chaaaaarlotte:

People take part in the gay pride parade on Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul on June 26, 2011. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP/Getty Images)

This is beautiful. Click through for more from Pride Parades around the world (aka another amazing photoset from Boston’s The Big Picture).

Nashville City Councilperson calls fellow councilpeople bigots...

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:56:03 -0400

Nashville City Councilperson calls fellow councilpeople bigots after they defeated his resolution to recognize high school students who protested TN’s “Don’t say gay” bill.

Nashville City Councilperson calls fellow councilpeople bigots...

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:09:00 -0400

Nashville City Councilperson calls fellow councilpeople bigots after they defeated his resolution to recognize high school students who protested TN’s “Don’t say gay” bill.