5.+The+discourse+of+multiculturalism


 * We might define THE DISCOURSE OF MULTICULTURALISM as . . . **

(answer the question--what are the conflicts and issues that surround discussions of "multiculturalism" and "diversity" in U.S. education and in U.S. society, culture, and politics?)

We might define the disclosure of multiculturalism as a way in which people are looked at within government and social classifications. Multiculturalism is a way in which we categorize people and try to look at things from an equal perspective-maintaining balance in numbers, size, and in diversity. ‘For institutions, multi-culturalism and the model-minority population provide an important function by allowing them to adjust the diversity of their staff, student body, or platoon without addressing issues of inequality. (Prashad, 2005)

There are many conflicts and issues that surrond discussions of multiculturalism and diversity. Many people have strong views on these two topics. When someone has a strong view on something you usually can't change their mind about it.

Talking about diversity and multiculturalism could present several problems for people including how open they are to things. Some people like to think one way and have no desire to listen to the other side of the argument at hand. With this is hand offending someone could happen at any moment.

WATCH THIS VIDEO :) [] The discourse of multiculturalism is not a concrete definition and on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is the best way to describe the discourse of multiculturalism. There are so many different views that although Jon Stewart is cracking jokes, he is making a valid point. If the discourse on multiculturalism was between a person from Wisconsin and a person from Los Angeles, their view points could be so different that it would seem like a joke to both parties. The discourse itself is not a joke, but Steward understands how to take the serious subject of multiculturalism and the controversy it causes and turn it into a joke.

When it comes to the discussion of multiculturalism and diversity, there is a wide range of opinions out there. I think the biggest controversy that interferes with the issue of diversity is immigration. When it comes to immigration, there are a lot of individuals who are against it. If we are a society who doesn't value diversity, then there will be an issue in the classroom for students and even the teachers. If teachers are educated to not focus on a variety of cultures that way there classrooms are more diverse, then those students will move on to further grades beginning to see like the rest of the world, one-sided. Also, as opposed to when I was in school, there were options for students to get taught in Spanish. Now, it's as if society is going backwards. People are not valuing each others' races' or cultures, they are looking past the individuals and seeing that they are not of American culture. I think the biggest conflict would be not accepting individuals because that is the only way this country will be multicultural, is acceptance.

A topic of conflict that might when discussing multiculturalism is nationalism. Nationalists fear that individuals who have immigrated to the United States may have more loyalty towards their home nation. While this may not cause such a problem during peace times, when the country is at war, nationalism may become more of an issue. Author Philip Sim of “Does Nationalism Conflict with Multiculturalism” states that “while nationalism seeks to foster national unity, multiculturalism pursues minority rights that could potentially prove divisive to that nation” (Sim, 2010). This is a valid argument, because it often creates boundaries between nationalists and immigrants.

I can see problems of multiculturalism and diversity being discussed because so many people have such different views on the two subjects. Many people think that diversity is a good thing while others, although I believe this to be very old fashioned, believe that there shouldn't be diversity and that everyone should live a stereotypical life. People that live in our country think that we should all speak the same language and have the same traditions, which many people disagree on, which can therefore cause some conflict if this topic is brought up. I believe that if people come to this country, they should be able to speak the language, however, they should be able to practice their own traditions without ridicule, because that's what this country is all about. Freedom to do whatever we want, when it comes to religion, politics, or anything else.

Cultural diversity is most often viewed as a strong cultural trait and a source of strength in a community. According to a Harvard study of 30,000 people across the country, the analysis reported the exact opposite. Michael Jonas states the study has found that the greater the diversity in a community, the fewer people vote and the less they volunteer, the less they give to charity and work on community projects (Jonas). Robert Putnam, a Harvard political scientist, revealed the underlying reason as to why cultural diversity results in weakened civic strength: Higher diversity meant lower social capital (Jonas). So, social and cultural diversity is not always a good thing. Unless we can battle the more fundamental reasons, like social class in relation to salary, the lower social capital in higher diverse areas does not result in civic strength.


 * "Multiculturalism" may also have become as popular a term as "race" though "race" lost much of its former **** credibility as a concept. Scientists agree that, in terms of DNA genetics, "race" has no significant **** meaning as a way of categorizing human differences. Intermarried families offer the puzzle of a **** parent and child considered as belonging to two different races ‐‐ clearly an absurd idea given that  **** race was thought of as biologically passed from parent to offspring. Thus "culture" and "ethnicity" began to replace "race" as a term for distinguishing among distinct human groups. (Gregory, Jay) **

Like stated before, there are many issues facing multiculturalism in the classroom as well as diversity. Teachers automatically put students into categories when they first walk into class depending on their clothes, hair, skin color, and dress. For example teachers start shorting students as early as in kindergarten. “…Initial sorting was strongly correlated with a set of social cues-whether they had body odor, whether their hair was straight or kinky, how well dressed they were, how well their language conformed to standard usage, how comfortable they were interacting with the teacher” (Payne, 2010, p. 68). I think this answers the question about what issues we have in today’s classroom: Teachers are judging students not by their potential, but by factors of which most of the students cannot control.

Several issues may arise as discussions of multiculturalism and diversity in U.S. education and in U.S. society, culture, and politics continue. Multiculturalism and diversity in U.S. society, culture, and politics may be an issue for the supporters of assimilation. These individuals believe that as a society we should not embrace our differences, but rather embrace our similarities by forcing immigrants/minorities to adopt mainstream society's culture. This way of thinking affects different aspects of our society such as U.S. education. Many people believe that it is important to have diverse schools so their children are aware that everyone is different and they are prepared to interact with different people in the real world, but many people believe this idea is ridiculous. These people believe that their children should only learn subjects related to the "American" culture and should not be exposed to other cultures' traditions. I personally have seen parents remove their children from a class because the teacher was discussing Cinco De Mayo to a predominantly White class. By removing their children from this class, they have shown their children that it is bad to learn about another culture's tradition and this may affect how their children feel about people from this culture.

As per Berliner an example of multiculturalism in education is that of poorer students doing badly in school (Berliner). The poorer classes are often ranked by minorities and ethnicities other than Caucasian. One of his evidences was the fact that children with malnutrition suffer from worse schooling (Berliner). Of those people minorities for a large component.

The discourse of multiculturalism, in my opinion, is the discussion of lifestyles with mutual respect and understanding for the diverse cultures that populate our planet.

** Subtopic: The role of **** dominant discourse **** in the discourse of multiculturalism **


 * Dominant discourses are produced and disseminated by a small group of people who have power politicians, doctors, professors . . . Experts (with a capital "E"). Drawing from the vast scholarly contributions of French philosopher Michel Foucault, Knowledge and Power work together (see, there I am, using another Expert . . . the rhetorical hope is that this will build my credibility . . . yet another issue in the Knowledge = Power paradigm). But we cannot have any knowledge of absolute truth, so what does knowledge really mean? Perhaps knowledge is just what a group of people decide is true at a particular moment. **


 * These discourses produce our understandings of what is "normal" and what is abject, different, less relevant or "other" in the discourse of multiculturalism. Dominant discourses, through language, determine which experiences are at the privileged center of experience and which should be marginalized. There are also "cultural norms" that our language tends to abide by and to solidify through language of opposition�citizen/alien, suburban/urban, healthy/sick, normal/exceptional, high achieving "at risk". One of these positions is privileged and the other is not. But the two terms in these binaries define each other through their seeming difference. **


 * From this comes a direct connection to the discourse of multiculturalism. In politics, we do not often expect to hear the counternarratives of those whose cultures are suppressed or othered make meaning of what culture is and what power in culture is. For instance, how often do we value what children have to say about their experiences in school? Don't we usually rely on adults for this information? Child/adult is yet another binary that sets up a knowledge/power dichotomy. Dominant discourse has already assumed that one side is not comprised of Experts on the role of their own culture, or even if they are, they cannot clearly and accurately speak for themselves or for experiences outside of their own without undue limitations of biases. What they have to say has already been ruled irrelevant or biased (or in the wrong language or accent). **


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">I think that this little clip from The Colbert Report, which aired during discussions of Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court appointment in 2009, shows one example of how dominant discourses about culture can infiltrate our understanding of who has Knowledge and who should have Power: [|"Neutral Man's Burden"] **

<span style="color: #f75050; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The One-Sided Argument for Multiculturalism <span style="color: #f75050; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">One of the biggest issues surrounding multiculturalism isn't the idea behind it. Most people, rational individuals, agree that multiculturalism has many important aspects to it. One of the issues is how we are served our information regarding multiculturalism. Frankly any heated debate falls trap to this. Our sources of news do not offer objective facts (which would help lead us to our own conclusions). We are, from the start, guided by various news sources to a final conclusion and opinion. Unfortunately, it seems that we don't even need to think for ourselves anymore - simply chose a news channel that somewhat pertains to your views, and you're all set.

<span style="color: #f86df8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 19pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">This type of media bias is extremely dangerous when it comes to topics such as multiculturalism. According to Kashmira Lad, media bias arises when "people connected with reporting of a particular event have a prejudiced opinion about things, which ultimately results in a distorted version of the story" (Lad 1). This may seem obvious, and we are all aware of the various bias that is presented to us every day - yet we don't really seem to care or change our attitudes towards it. In the case of multiculturalism, when a news source, for example, Fox news, has a preconceived notion of multiculturalism, they will report on issues surrounding multiculturalism with a subtle but dangerous bias. In this video, a short [|Discussion About Multiculturalism], a Fox News anchor seems to guide the guest of the show towards denouncing multiculturalism. The guest may have had zero intention of denouncing multiculturalism, but he somewhat ended up there simply because of the Fox News anchor. At one point in the video, the guest mentions, "It is a widespread view of all Americans to expect immigrants to assimilate into our culture and traditions" (Bolton, 2010). This is a prime example of the dangerous, and subtle, bias that leads our minds into preconceived paths of decision. By stating that, an attempt to lead the viewer to believe that he/she should expect immigrants to assimilate, is set forth. Expecting news sources, or even requiring them by law, to change their bias and present more objective facts is a little too ambitious in my opinion. Therefore, it is up to us, the target audience, to weed through these different segments of news and separate fact from fiction. Doing so will allow the debate and discourse about multiculturalism to be more fairly disputed and discussed.

<span style="color: #8585fa; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">With multiculturalism taking its course throughout education many have their different opinions good or bad. Some see themselves as the right winged that want nothing to do with it and the left wing they are usually in support of multiculturalism. However, the main goal usually surfaces when the tow work together to create an open mind. It can be said, As a result, much of what people call �multicultural education� results more in supporting stereotypes and sustaining inequities than demolishing them� (Gorski, 2007). Some people feel as if there is no reason to have multicultural present in the classroom and from this comes the conflict of the minorities and the problems politics face on a daily basis. It is even said, And all indications are that this depoliticizing of multicultural education will grow worse before getting better (Gorski, 2007).

<span style="color: #c32c2c; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">There are many people who are opposed of incorporating different cultures in the classroom so that students not only know the background of their culture, but they know the different traditions of many cultures. The best reason for students to know of different cultures because when a student sees the teacher discussing the different traditions of their culture, they get very excited and then are looked at to share personal examples. It is exciting for the kids and they need to know that their teacher cares. Scholastic has come up with four different strategies to help teachers embrace different cultures in their classroom. <span style="color: #c32c2c; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1.Exchange information with parents about race, language, and culture <span style="color: #c32c2c; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">2. Involve parents in the life of the school <span style="color: #c32c2c; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">3. Use parent conferences to set mutual goals <span style="color: #c32c2c; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">4. Validate home language in the classroom <span style="color: #c32c2c; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">If teachers were able or willing to follow these guidelines in their classrooms, then there would be more interaction with the families of the student.

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