One of the classes I took this semester is titled "Minority Families." It's been a difficult class to take, largely because I don't believe the color of people's skin matters. I think diversity is beautiful, and in my ethnocentricity (ie: self-centeredness) I believe that most people think the way I do, especially in that regard. This class has pointed out to me the racial atrocities of US history that set the stage for lingering racism that we may or may not be aware of. It's a serious subject, and I've been appalled to learn more about the U.S. Laws and policies that have blatantly discriminated against people who don't have white skin or have a drop of "black" blood. It's sickening and I'm ashamed of that vein of American history.
However, I like my class. The professor is funny in that quiet, subtle, sarcastic way, and his wonderful Spanish accent (something that he is self-conscious about, but I love) keeps me engaged. He reminds me of my brother, Jeff. He's built like my brother, has some of his mannerisms, and many of their features are similar even though my professor is of mixed heritage. (Incidentally, the glimpses we've had of his heritage and experiences are so interesting that I wish he would just take a class period and talk about his life.) Any reminders of my brother make me feel comfortable, so my professor has had that going for him from the beginning.
Because I like him, I like the class. Amazing how much a professor can influence your thoughts about the subject he's teaching. All those things I learned about how important it is to be a supportive elementary school teacher still apply on the college level.
He's made some interesting predictions that Jason and I have talked about at length. So, here are some conversation starters for you, from my Minority Families professor.
By 2030, people with white skin will be in the minority (in other words, the majority of people in the U.S. will have brown skin.) My response to this--yay! Though my pasty skin will be more rare, I think back to all of the girls I went to school with who put their lives at risk to turn brown, and I hope this change in the gene pool will help us pasty people avoid tanning beds. :)
My professor says we should "teach our boys how to be women." Gender roles are being redefined. He claims that the majority of men will be stay at home dads in the future. 58% of the population at the U are women. Women have more job opportunities than men, whether in blue collar work or white collar work. We may get paid less than men, but that is partly because we change jobs more often, work part-time more often, and start our careers later because we stay home more often during child bearing years. (I'll be starting my career at age 42-45, and Jason will be eligible for retirement about ten years later.)
The nuclear family is not necessarily the ideal. (I disagree with parts of this one.) Alternate family construction will become more accepted as time goes on, and people will pool their resources with roommates and extended family. Households will have many different constructions as we cope with financial hardship. I agree with the coping mechanisms theory. To a large extent, most of us already look to family, friends, and neighbors to help us raise our children through daycare, occasional babysitting, or through going to our church for help during hard economic times. Many of us consider those people family--we feel a sense of kinship. Kids need as many adult mentors in their lives as they can get. Does that mean we shouldn't think of the nuclear family as ideal?
Discuss....
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