Presented by Sonia Sanchez for English 1050 DIVERSITY ISSUES Presented by Sonia Sanchez for English 1050

rac·ism Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.

Slum Tours are they really helping? Although, the "slum" tours we read about are not a direct form of racism, it may feel that way. People travel to these third world countries hoping to gain insight on how the other half lives. The money that is made on these tours are supposed to help the communities, but do they really? The "wealthier" people visit these countries, but they still get to go home and forget about the poverty and/or violence they have seen. There is no assurance they will not get hurt on these tours and if they do, most likely it will result in the discrimination of that race as a whole. In my opinion, these tours are a way of parading, exhibiting, and degrading to the people that live in these countries. In the pictures you can see how the visitors are taking pictures of the native "slum" people, as if they were on exhibition. These images show the differences in social class and overall wellbeing.

Slum tour continued: In the "week 6 discussion" Tricia Hawkins added this comment to my post and I thought her interpretation was excellent. The many "slum" touring websites I encountered were advertised in the same manner. They make you think you gain something from this and some people might, but at the end of the day those people go back home and the rest is history. This simple fact shows the power of one social group over the other. The poor people get observed by the “wealthy” as if they were in a museum for pure amusement. Instead of helping these countries get supplies and build a better home, they just take pictures of them and go home to their warm beds. Surely, there are other ways people living in these slums can be helped. "From what I observed generally the websites were trying to make it look like you would gain a lasting and life-changing experience, while people are really capitalizing on the struggles of others.“

Language In Tan's article, we realize how people whose first language is something other than English are treated. By not having mastered the language, people are thought of us ignorant or beneath them. Tan says, "It al has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than "broken" as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked certain wholeness and soundness." This criticism came from Tan's own mother so we can only imagine what the higher social classes might think. Racism occurs not only because of skin color, but also because of language. Anzaldua said, “because we speak with tongues of fire we are culturally crucified. Racially, culturally, and linguistically we speak an orphan tongue.” This statement shows the poor treatment individuals may receive by having a different language. She also talks about how she would get hit with a ruler for using her Spanish in the classroom. It is unfair that people get punished for knowing a different language. We should appreciate the diversity. People will look down on you if you do not speak in whatever tongue is “correct” to them. She also says, “we use our language against each other” which is sad because instead having a united front, they destroy each other. If you do not speak like the others around you, they think you are wrong/ignorant so you must leave your language behind and learn the tongue of others. This treatment shows how one group of people can and do have power over the others.

Language Continued By defining one's language as "broken" we are legitimizing that native English speakers are better, have more power, and is the "correct" way to be." People are defined by their native tongues even if they have the same education or social class as each other. If a person’s native language is not English, they have a harder time climbing the corporate ladder. "The word “damaged” especially when speaking of other people, is definitely a insult, even if it is talking about something as simple as language. No one in this world is perfect, and no one is unscathed in anyway. Experience is something we have all learned, sometimes those learning new languages will mispronounce and use words incorrectly. It’s just a matter of fact.“-Whytnie Heuser

We are all human As many ancestors came to America to give their families a better future, they were faced with a cold, hard truth. The Chinese were some that experienced the sad reality that still exists today, racism. People that come from different countries are perceived to be here to take what is ours, when really they just want a better future. As a population we feel that we are entitled to the better things this country has to offer, but immigrants are not the enemies. "America has power, but not justice. In prison, we were victimized as if we were guilty. Given no opportunity to explain, it was really brutal. I bow my head in reflection but there is nothing I can do.“ (Chinese poem from Angel Island) The European immigrants were treated much better at Ellis Island, but what makes one race better than the other? We should treat everyone with fairness. People’s misconceptions of people of a certain race often cause stereotyping, thus making it harder to break out of those stereotypes.

How Racism Makes Us Sick

Works cited "Angel Island Immigration Station Poetry." Ancestors in the Americas. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Aug. 2017. Anzaldúa, Gloria. Borderlands/La Frontera: the new mestiza. 4th ed. San Francisco: Aunt Lute, 2012. Print. Gordon, Mary. "MORE THAN JUST A SHRINE." The New York Times. Mary Gordon, 02 Nov. 1985. Web. 01 Aug. 2017. Perkins, Graham. "Favela Tourism in Brazil." The Brazil Business. The Brazil Business, 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 31 July 2017. Williams, David R. "How racism makes us sick." David R. Williams: How racism makes us sick | TED Talk. TEDMED, Nov. 2016. Web. 05 Aug. 2017. <https://www.ted.com/talks/david_r_williams_how_racism_makes_us_sick>.