My ethnicity is very diverse. I come from a line of people that came here from different countries, settled in the United States and started families. I am officially one quarter French, one quarter Dutch, one quarter Polish and one quarter English. Because of this diversity in my background, I don’t have any specific attachment to any one ethnicity. I find this sad, but it is something I can embrace in my adulthood and learn more about as I teach my daughter about her ancestry. My background has not influenced me at all growing up either. I do recall one side of my family being more proud of, and talking about their background more, however, and that was my Polish/French side.
My grandmother who was 100% French used to talk about the pride she had for her ancestry, but I didn’t have any specifics about it. I just remember her talking about being French and how the French had a lot of pride. I remember taking on that pride as I grew up too and feeling more connected to the French culture if for only that reason. My grandfather on the other hand was Polish and sadly I don’t know anything about the culture except that my father told me that he knows how to speak some Polish because of his dad.
On the other side of the family there were Dutch and English backgrounds. I have no connection to, nor do I know anything about those cultures. If anything, my lack of knowledge is a tell-tale sign to me that the further down the line our generations have gone, the traditions of each have not survived along with them. If anything, our generations of being in America and not having traditions related to our ethnicity has emptied our lives of what could be a rich learning experience.
In my circle of friends the only people I know that have any connection to their backgrounds are a couple that came from Canada. One has Native American ancestry and the other is Portuguese. I know that the way I view them is unique because of those facts alone. They don’t display, nor do I, any characteristics of my ethnicity. If I did become more present with my, and my husband’s ethnicity which is German, perhaps we could enrich our lives. If I did, I would discover a new sense of pride in where I came from and would learn how to embrace some of the culture, food and perhaps tradition to pass along to my daughter who is not only, French, Dutch, English and Polish, but also German. To be honest, I don’t think about ethnicity when I know and befriend people. The only time I was curious was with cultures that I wasn’t as familiar with and wanted to understand more. Perhaps I need to pay more attention, eh? (Spoken like a true Canadian)
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Activity 2: Observe public behavior
The site I chose for our Activity was a restaurant on the patio for lunch. It was a beautiful day so there were many groups eating and the setting was perfect for spotting different patterns of behavior depending on the group at the table. The site was set up in a large semi-circle where tables where spread out a few feet between them. Waiters walked between tables to talk to their customers and inquire on the status of their meals or to take orders. Their movements were quiet and fluid, going in and out of the restaurant continually bringing food in, retrieving items from tables, bringing checks, while other employees quietly cleared tables that were finished. The entire area was fenced in with an iron fence and landscaping on the other side where there was a grassy hill leading down to a pond. On one end was a gate allowing customers to exit without going through the restaurant again. Patrons were originally seated from inside the restaurant.
Rules I observed were mostly of civilized quiet talk at tables, or sometimes no talk at all. When waiters approached tables they stood 2 feet away politely bending at the waist to inquire about the customer’s needs. Even the sound of a commercial lawn mower in the distance did not increase the volume of those around me. They didn’t appear to strain to talk, but were all at ease in their conversations. Everyone sat mostly across the table from one another, with the exception of two tables of women who sat next to each other, one usually sitting off to the side, appearing very relaxed at this distance. The rest of the tables I observed were of mixed sex, and in each one were sitting directly across from each other. It was clear to me that this environment was, even though outside, an extension of the behavior that was present in the restaurant itself. The same behavior, civilly sitting on chairs, quietly conversing, completely immersed in their world of conversation was the norm here.
Any sudden movements, loud voices, sitting on tables, would have been viewed as odd behavior and immediately noticed in this particular environment. If someone had come in for example, and placed a table and chair in another spot, lets say out the gate onto the side patio, people would have stared, and management may have intervened and stopped them. Or if on this particular day and time someone from inside the bar had come out to eat and they were heavily intoxicated they would have been escorted or sent home perhaps. Public displays of intoxication are not tolerated in an environment where there typically is none. Now, put a few hours on the day, and it’s now 10:00pm and the crowd may be louder, and intoxicated. Why would it be more acceptable for abnormal behavior to occur during evening hours when perhaps half the crowd is just enjoying a meal, while others are coming out to enjoy the evening meal, perhaps a bit louder? What changes are occurring in the evening to make it ok?
Rules I observed were mostly of civilized quiet talk at tables, or sometimes no talk at all. When waiters approached tables they stood 2 feet away politely bending at the waist to inquire about the customer’s needs. Even the sound of a commercial lawn mower in the distance did not increase the volume of those around me. They didn’t appear to strain to talk, but were all at ease in their conversations. Everyone sat mostly across the table from one another, with the exception of two tables of women who sat next to each other, one usually sitting off to the side, appearing very relaxed at this distance. The rest of the tables I observed were of mixed sex, and in each one were sitting directly across from each other. It was clear to me that this environment was, even though outside, an extension of the behavior that was present in the restaurant itself. The same behavior, civilly sitting on chairs, quietly conversing, completely immersed in their world of conversation was the norm here.
Any sudden movements, loud voices, sitting on tables, would have been viewed as odd behavior and immediately noticed in this particular environment. If someone had come in for example, and placed a table and chair in another spot, lets say out the gate onto the side patio, people would have stared, and management may have intervened and stopped them. Or if on this particular day and time someone from inside the bar had come out to eat and they were heavily intoxicated they would have been escorted or sent home perhaps. Public displays of intoxication are not tolerated in an environment where there typically is none. Now, put a few hours on the day, and it’s now 10:00pm and the crowd may be louder, and intoxicated. Why would it be more acceptable for abnormal behavior to occur during evening hours when perhaps half the crowd is just enjoying a meal, while others are coming out to enjoy the evening meal, perhaps a bit louder? What changes are occurring in the evening to make it ok?
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Activity 1: Far and Away
As Immigrants travel to and settle in the United States, there are challenges to be faced that make the process a lengthy and perhaps dangerous ordeal. The process of immigration to a new place in and of itself isn’t just the travel, but it expands far beyond into years of experience.
Shannon and Joseph, our main characters in “Far and Away”, are coming from a country in which there is a class system in place of “rich protestants” and “rebels” whose desire to leave their country brings them together with a common desire to experience their dreams in America, a place where freedom means leaving the constraints of their own cultures in Ireland.
Their relationship with money and what it means in America becomes their challenge in the beginning. For Shannon, coming from money, now having none she must adjust to the realization that she is not entitled to the same rights or respect she once came to expect in Ireland. For Joseph, hard work is nothing new; however he must find a new way of survival. Coming from a survival state of mind he quickly adapts with fighting, and winning, for money. The outcome for Shannon in her relationship to money is how hard she must work, experiencing deplorable conditions in order to earn little money. This changes their opinion of what money is and how it can relate to their self-worth. For Joseph, money provides him with niceties never experienced that he places value on such as hats. Shannon seems to grow into a bit of complacency, slowly accepting the options in front of her as a dancer. What Joseph learns, and the hard way, is that he is simply a commodity, or “stock and trade”. Money wins when they are forced away by the most powerful, and blackballed from making any money for survival. Their class state back in Ireland means nothing in this new land of opportunity. It’s evident, however, that when Shannon’s family comes to American looking for a dream, money provides them with the same status as they experienced in Ireland, and only because of money. No mention is made of their heritage. They are not denied access to the things they need or want. Shannon and Joseph experience a different fate, and different attitudes when they are forced to seek out help along the streets. It’s here that their heritage is mentioned when Joseph tries to obtain work for food or money and is told “I don’t hire Irish”.
Why is it so different for people with money to immigrate to America? I believe immigrants such as Shannon and Joseph experienced that attitude of feeling inconvenienced by those that are already established, not wanting to be bothered by others in need. However, money isn’t the whole story of course. Immigrants also bring with them attitudes, beliefs, and traditions that can experience conflict bringing yet more challenges. It can also bring success in dreams as experienced by Frank McCourt, author of the book “Tis”. From a culture of extreme poverty, he and our Joseph find that dreams will carry you. Final score, Dreams 1, Money 0.
Shannon and Joseph, our main characters in “Far and Away”, are coming from a country in which there is a class system in place of “rich protestants” and “rebels” whose desire to leave their country brings them together with a common desire to experience their dreams in America, a place where freedom means leaving the constraints of their own cultures in Ireland.
Their relationship with money and what it means in America becomes their challenge in the beginning. For Shannon, coming from money, now having none she must adjust to the realization that she is not entitled to the same rights or respect she once came to expect in Ireland. For Joseph, hard work is nothing new; however he must find a new way of survival. Coming from a survival state of mind he quickly adapts with fighting, and winning, for money. The outcome for Shannon in her relationship to money is how hard she must work, experiencing deplorable conditions in order to earn little money. This changes their opinion of what money is and how it can relate to their self-worth. For Joseph, money provides him with niceties never experienced that he places value on such as hats. Shannon seems to grow into a bit of complacency, slowly accepting the options in front of her as a dancer. What Joseph learns, and the hard way, is that he is simply a commodity, or “stock and trade”. Money wins when they are forced away by the most powerful, and blackballed from making any money for survival. Their class state back in Ireland means nothing in this new land of opportunity. It’s evident, however, that when Shannon’s family comes to American looking for a dream, money provides them with the same status as they experienced in Ireland, and only because of money. No mention is made of their heritage. They are not denied access to the things they need or want. Shannon and Joseph experience a different fate, and different attitudes when they are forced to seek out help along the streets. It’s here that their heritage is mentioned when Joseph tries to obtain work for food or money and is told “I don’t hire Irish”.
Why is it so different for people with money to immigrate to America? I believe immigrants such as Shannon and Joseph experienced that attitude of feeling inconvenienced by those that are already established, not wanting to be bothered by others in need. However, money isn’t the whole story of course. Immigrants also bring with them attitudes, beliefs, and traditions that can experience conflict bringing yet more challenges. It can also bring success in dreams as experienced by Frank McCourt, author of the book “Tis”. From a culture of extreme poverty, he and our Joseph find that dreams will carry you. Final score, Dreams 1, Money 0.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Two Truths
My first blog ever in the whole wide world is one fact I'd like to share in this most important beginning to class. Yep, first ever, never did it before. You'd think a person who ran a company of 100 people, and someone who has traveled to Europe 4 times would have been tech saavy than that. Hmm. What is truth and what is lie?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
