EDUC-6164: The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression


This week I started watching a television show on Netflix named Gentefied. The show focuses on a family whose cultural background is Hispanic living in a neighborhood of diverse cultures. 

In the show, the family members are experiencing constant prejudice and oppression. For instance, in one scenario, the chef or the restaurant owner treats his kitchen's prepping employees with continual disrespect, as the employees accepted that oppression and attitude. 

In another incident at the restaurant, one of the cousins defended his kitchen's employer's friends. He stood up for his and their's dignity and beliefs and ended up thrown out of the restaurant.


What stood up for me was during one scenario, two of the main characters, Ana and Joseph, entered a bank to withdraw money, using their cousin's credit card. When one of the bank's representatives approached them, Ana told Joseph, "Use your white voice." I was stunned and saddened, watching the Internalized oppression (Derman-Spark, 2010) of the cousin's experiences. 

These scenarios portrayed the feelings of this  Hispanic family that lives her life under daily oppression. The restaurant owner should have treated and approached his employees with respect, and the cousins should not have experienced self-limitation (Derman-Spark, 2010).


 To achieve equity and equality, we should be approaching every person with courtesy, as mutual respect will lead to positive encounters. Also, raising our cultural awareness will reduce misperceptions, bias, and prejudice and will unite people.


References:

Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Gentified, Netflix (2020).

Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 12, 2020 at 9:25 PM

    This seems like an interesting show. I am interested in watching it. I was caught by the use your white voice, but this is not uncommon. I have heard it time and time again. What is your white voice compared to other voices? If they are Hispanic, they do not look white so what will it change? Do they think other cultures are incapable of speaking properly?

    Dorothy A.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ilana AlbertDecember 12, 2020 at 10:53 PM

    Hi Dorothy
    As much as it hard to read, you raised some interesting questions.
    This show brought to life in vivid colors all aspects of prejudice, oppression, bias, and privilege's, . However, it portrays this beautiful united family and their rich heritage, their struggles and success.

    Ilana

    ReplyDelete
  3. Travis AlumbaughDecember 13, 2020 at 6:54 AM

    Hi Ilana,
    The mention of "white voice" is intriguing. It brings thoughts of my first days as a teacher. I was told by a supervisor that children of certain ethnic backgrounds may not respond to a softer, "Caucasian -sounding voice". This was confusing to me as I had never noticed different responses due to specific race of client family. I have not seen this show. A stoppage in television viewing that had begun during lockdown has recently been altered due to life's wonderful unexpected obstacles. I will check it out.
    Enjoyed reading and responding.
    Travis Alumbaugh

    ReplyDelete
  4. Samantha M. GarciaDecember 13, 2020 at 8:58 AM

    Hello Ilana,
    I remember a situation in middle school in which one of my friends told me I spoke like a "white person". I had no idea what that meant. How could someone talk a certain race? The people in your post certainly have a more grave situation than I did in middle school but no less biased.
    Samantha

    ReplyDelete
  5. YolandaDecember 13, 2020 at 5:58 PM

    Your blog is very interesting. A friend and I were just having a conversation about talking and speaking like a white person. Just like Samantha stated how could some talk a certain race. I am a strong believer and being who you are.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ilana AlbertDecember 13, 2020 at 7:25 PM

      Hi Yolanda

      I agree with you. We all should be proud of who we are!
      Thank you for your comment.

      Ilana

      Delete

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