(2) Diversity Questions to Answer With (4) Peer Reviews
iAREduce
SOCW1Project.docxThroughout this course you will read scholarly work on questions of diversity, exclusion and inclusion. You will write a weekly blog reflecting upon those issues, but rather than offering an unsubstantiated opinion on these matters, you’ll be expected to offer a unique but informed opinion supported by scholarly research and empirical evidence.
You will have freedom to choose the topic and the particular angle of the issue as you wish to explore it, but there are some clear parameters you’ll need to follow.
Each blog entry must have:
1. Minimum 500 words (15% penalty for falling short of the word count)
2. 1 citation from academic source materials read that week in class. This must be cited with a page number and author. Sources may not be reused week-to-week.
3. 1 citation of an academic source (a relevant peer-reviewed article) from outside of class. See the writing guide to determine what is an appropriate source. Hint: Wikipedia is not an academic source. Sources may not be reused week-to-week.
4. 1 citation of a news media article relevant to the topic.
5. At least 1 audio or visual element that adds substantial content to support your argument. This could be a link to a video, pictures, etc.
Peer Review 1:
Robert A:
The perception of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality in our society today will be the topic of this week’s blog. All of these things are a huge factor why the United States is where it is today. A good example of this is even in the photographs people take and how different cultures perceive them. This was talked about in this week’s discussion and notes of the class, so I looked up another site that had some good info on this matter. These pictures show racism and how it can affect Americans (Robinson, 2019). It’s troubling to see how these types of perceptions take control of our society.
The next issue I’d like to discuss on this matter is stereotypes. These are just as damaging as perceptions as these pictures we were discussing. Serotypes are something that everyone has to deal with and are something that need to go away. Have you ever heard that Asians are bad drivers, or that Mexican women are sassy (Goldston, n.d.). For example, this is bad for business within companies due to the fact that if one person believes that another person has some sort of disability due to the fact that they are from a different county, there is going to be a loss of production. While all people are just trying to do the same thing, live their lives.
Perception can not only be bad for business, it can be bad for relationships. For instance, I am married to a woman from Mexico, I’ve heard plenty of stereotypes about Mexican women, and most of them aren’t true in my scenario. Furthermore, I hear them now or people say something about the fact that I am married to a Mexican woman and throw out a stereotype, I usually politely excuse myself from the conversation, or tell them about it.
These types of perception issues are irrelevant as all people are created equal. It is a tradition that we as Americans were built on. This is the type of situation that needs to be taught in classes in school and put into training for people that are already in the workplace. This is the type of thing that can cause a person not to get a good paying job. When the fact is that a Mexican woman can do just as good of job as a white or black person can. We as a society need to pay more attention to the fact that we are all Americans and can all do the same things and be given a chance to show our uniqueness and thrive in the workplace. When we learn to put our differences aside and work together as a whole, the world will be a more efficient and peaceful place to live.
Goldston, N. (n.d.). How to Overcome Generational sterotypes. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/njgoldston/2019/12/05/how-to-overcome-generational-stereotypes-to-succeed/#7e1f2920240a
Robinson, E. (2019, November 25). The Photo Issue. Retrieved from Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2019/11/25/visualizing-racism-photo-essay/
Peer Review 2:
Michael:
The reading on the topic of the "Welfare Queen" is what brought me to this topic. Having worked in a grocery store for over four years now I see many customers on a daily basis. Most of them pay with cash, debit card, or credit card. There are a small amount of people who come into the store and pay with Welfare or Electronic Balance Transfer (EBT). The majority of users use it correctly and do not abuse it. Unfortunately, there are some people who choose to abuse this system that is supposed to used to help people obtain food when they cannot afford it. EBT is a balance put on a card, much like a gift card, that people who use EBT can buy food with. Each month the balance is renewed to the set amount that person is to receive from the government (California, 2019). Various factors go in to determining how much a person receives such as if they have a job or have children (California, 2019). There are two balances on the account, an "EBT Food" and an "EBT Cash." I think that people who need the help should absolutely be receiving help in buying food because no one should have to go without food. I do disagree with giving an amount of cash because with that it can be used to buy anything once it is cashed out, drugs, alcohol, or other things to abuse. This is not the abuse I am talking about, however. The abuse I am talking about is people who are perfectly capable of buying groceries, but cheat the system to stay on it. It was one of my first few weeks working at the store and this family of four came through my line. Cart piled high full of groceries and snacks for their two kids, maybe 7 and 5 years old. The kids were both watching different tv shows on what I assumed was the parents phones. The wife had a very large diamond ring on her hand and a Louis Vuitton purse which did not look like one of their cheaper purses. The husband was the next one to walk through where he then pulled out his brand new iPhone, whichever it was back in October 2015. The wife then pulled out her brand new iPhone and started talking to someone. The grand total for their order came up to a few hundred dollars, one of the more expensive orders I have had to this day. When I ask them if they will pay with cash or card the husband pulls out an EBT card and without even answering me swipes the card, takes the cart and walked out with his family. I was left in disbelief that I, as an 18 year old, was contributing to help that family pay for groceries when they very clearly did not need the assistance in buying food. While this is a rare occurrence, the system can definitely be abused, which is unfortunate for people who really do need the help because they are not able to receive it when people take advantage of it. "It [EBT Fraud] jumped to $592.7 million in 2016, up a staggering 61% from $367.1 million in 2012, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture," (Constable, 2018). It is sad to see people take advantage of a progam that is supposed to be helping individuals and families who actually need it.
References
California, S. of. (n.d.). California Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT). Retrieved December 11, 2019, from http://www.ebtproject.ca.gov/.
Constable, S. (2018, April 4). The Facts About Food Stamp Fraud. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonconstable/2018/04/04/the-facts-about-food-stamp-fraud/#42ac68cef880.
