Tolerance Week 12

Tolerance  What does the word tolerance mean to you?  1 minute quick write  Tolerance: a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.  Quote: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”  Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tolerance for Different People  Imagine that your best friend recently told you that he/she is gay. Your friend also said that he/she hasn’t told anybody else due to a fear of being teased. Your friend also assured you that he/she isn’t attracted to you and wants to continue the friendship. Your friend doesn’t know how to handle the situation and wants your help.  1. How might this information change the friendship?  2. What would influence you to maintain the friendship and help her/him with this difficult issue?  3. Being a person of character, how would you ultimately handle this ethical dilemma?

Cultural Quotes  Many people take their culture for granted. It is learned so early in life that we come to feel that it is the natural way of thinking, acting and viewing the world. Leaf, 1975  There is not one aspect of life that is not touched and altered by culture. Hall, 1976  Culture provides a framework for our lives. It is the paradigm humans use to guide their behavior, find meaning in events, interpret the past, and set aspirations. Robles De Melendez & Ostertag, 1997  Knowing who you are is important for attaining an education, because knowing who you are gives you a base for learning everything. PulidoTobiassen, 1996  Someone else’s culture is most evident when I contrast what I see in that person with what I know about myself. The presence of an ‘other’ makes me self-conscious of my own cultural distinctiveness. Green, 1995

 Students who do not recognize their cultural identity fail to see culture as a relevant attribute of the perspective on the world. This is especially true for white students who see their personal perspectives as the norm, rather than variations on the equally legitimate perspective of members of nondominant culture groups. Sparks & Phillips, 1997  Can’t we all just get along? Rodney King, 1992

Minority (Sociological Definition):  Unequal access to power and relationships that translates into access to opportunities, such as having less political and economic power than the majority.  With this as the definition, who is defined as a minority?  -Different Ethnic Groups  -Disabled or Handicapped  -Religion  -Sexual Orientation  -Age (under 18)  -Women  -SES  -Political Affiliations

Cultural Competence Scale

 A Time to Speak A Time to Speak  American University American University  Arthur Ashe Arthur Ashe