Bias, Discourse and Politics: ED 7718 / Prompt #6

Jody Ceglarski

ED 7718: Prompt 6 Response

November 3, 2014

1. As you have explored and worked with content creation tools  what assumptions and biases have you noticed?  What is built into the templates?  The clip art menus?   The images given on the first page of your image search?    Are the online tutorials beginner user friendly or do they assume that all audience members know what is meant by click and drag, menu bar, open, privacy settings, post, etc. etc.    Can you make a list of words that have specialized meanings in the world of now, that they would not have had 30 years ago?   How does command of this vocabulary privilege some and cause others not to belong?    

I’ve worked with more content creation tools in the past few months than I ever have before! Although I didn’t pay attention to the issues of power and bias when I was using them, looking back, I realize that they definitely cater more to the white, middle class user. On powtoon, the templates reflect typical images of classrooms, businesses, fundraisers, and American holidays. Many of the characters are stick figures, so they’re pretty universal. On Animoto, templates are more colorful, geometric, artistic and geographical. There are also templates for traditional American holidays such as Father’s Day and Independence Day. There are some templates that are very generic though. I did not notice a lot of bias or power issues in the templates.

Although I frequently search for clipart, I’ve never really noticed what shows up first. So, I decided to do some searching and the results were interesting. First, I searched for “student” and the results I received are below:

I  noticed that most of the images were white children, with a handful of minorities thrown in.

Then I searched for “professor.”

It’s interesting to note that almost all of the images are white males.

Finally, I searched for “basketball player.” Almost all of the images were male, most were white, but a few were black.

My image search on clipart really opened my eyes. I never realized the bias that was implicit in something as simple as clipart. The images on clipart are definitely reflecting gender and racial stereotypes that exist in American society.

I’ve also used a number of tutorials recently. There are many that assume a certain vocabulary in order to understand the instructions. As a “digital immigrant,” there were many terms I didn’t understand when I first started the ITDML program. I’ve become more knowledgeable, but there are still times when I have to view more than one tutorial to figure out how to do something. Technology is comprised largely of terms that didn’t exist 30 years ago. Some that come to mind are: screenshot, screencast, blog, and spam. There are also abbreviations such as pdf, jpg, and url, to name a few. Having the language and ability to communicate in the world of technology definitely gives people an advantage. In my own classroom, I see how difficult it is for students who don’t have access to technology in their homes. With more and more information available online, people without the interest, expertise, or money are being left out.

2. Do you agree that schools ought to prepare learners to succeed in the world as it is even if that may not be the world as it should be?    Should all students be prepared to use the standard dialect, wear the standard clothes, and adopt the standard behavior patterns when interviewing for jobs-- (even baby or house-sitting,) crafting the admissions essay, or interacting socially with the community?   How important is fluency in the normative, even if that means learning a foreign language and a wearing a mask?    What are the implications of your stance on this issue?    Notice and name some positive and negative aspects.   (Please be sure that your response to this one demonstrates that you have read the Gee and Turkle chapters.)

I believe that schools have a responsibility to prepare learners to succeed in the world as it is. Gee discusses the concept of communication saying, “What is important in communication is not speaking grammatically, but saying the ‘right’ thing at the ‘right’ time in the ‘right’ place” (p. 147).  He also takes his description one step further by stating that it is not just language and actions that must fit, one must also “express the ‘right’ beliefs, values, and attitudes” (p. 148). Gee is not implying that this is the way the world should be, but it is the way the world works, at least right now. He uses the example of the job interview to demonstrate his point. Although with coaching, the woman being interviewed learns to speak in a more grammatically “acceptable” dialect in the second interview, she still doesn’t express the attitudes and beliefs that the employers are looking for.

If students are to be successful in our society today, they need to adopt the appropriate Discourse that will allow them to fit in. Gee defines Discourse as “distinctive ways of speaking/listening and often, too, writing/reading coupled with distinctive ways of acting, interacting, valuing, feeling, dressing, thinking, believing with other people and with various objects, tools, and technologies, so as to enact specific socially recognizable identities engaged in specific socially recognizable activities” (p. 152). In other words, people need to develop identities to adapt to different groups in different situations. People have various Discourses without even realizing it. It’s not unusual to dress, behave and speak differently at home, at work, at school or with friends. Identities can vary widely.

The problem with acquiring additional Discourses is that elements of judgment arise. In our society, it is still the white, middle and upper class Discourse that is in a powerful position. Frequently, Gee notes, it is a person’s “initial Discourse” which is a person’s “primary socialization unit “(p. 153). ” Secondary Discourses are acquired later in life. While people can learn fairly easily to act, speak and dress in a different Discourse, it is more difficult to acquire the “values, attitudes, and motivations” (Gee p. 155)  which are normative to the Discourse. For example, if a child grows up in a family where bedtime stories are read and discussed each night, where family conversations occur at dinner each night and where parents assume their children will go to college, that child is being raised within the “power Discourse” in our society. The child who grows up in such a home is at a distinct advantage over the child who does not grow up in a house that is as literate or as stable.

Like Gee, Turkle recognizes the development of varying identities but in a different way. She discusses the role of technology in the creation of one’s identity. The prevalence of the Internet and our society’s obsession with connectivity leads to identity confusion. Often times, the identity people develop online, through social media, isn’t who they really are. One of Turkle’s interviewees, Brad, says, “Online life...is about premeditation” and “inhibits authenticity” (p. 273). Turkle warns of the dangers inherent in technology.She warns, “We have invented inspiring and enhancing technologies, and yet we have allowed them to diminish us” (p. 295). While we need to be conversant in technology to be a part of the power structure of society, we must not allow technology to change who we really are and what we value. Both Turkle and Gee believe that we must not lose sight of the values and beliefs that really matter to us.

As teachers, we should be respectful of everyone’s identity and culture. Every Discourse has value. However, I think we need to do what we can to help kids succeed in the world as it is. That can mean changing language, dress, behavior and attitudes. It doesn’t mean that kids have to reject the values of their primary Discourse, but if they want to succeed, they have to “play the game” and we have to teach them how to do it. The challenge is to give them the skills they need to compete in the real world without losing their true identity.

3. Race, class, gender stereotypes  (Aka, “I am one of you-- not one of them, and we all know what is meant by US and THEM”  )  Pick one political ad with which you are currently being bombarded, and analyze its message and intended audience.   What stereotypes, prejudices, appeals, fears, alliances, etc., etc. do you see?   Please be sure that your response demonstrates that you have read the “first black president” article OR viewed some of the “Being Black” forum.

Connecticut is being bombarded by political ads as the election for Governor approaches. Unfortunately, most of the ads are negative - one candidate bashing the other. I chose to focus on Dan Malloy’s ad criticizing Tom Foley for the closing of the Bibb factory. The ad begins by showing clips of Tom Foley’s ad claiming he “saved a struggling textile company” and “protected medical benefits and pensions.” The ad then includes comments from displaced workers who claim that Tom Foley lied and had plans all along to shut the plant down. They describe broken promises and ruined lives, stating that Tom Foley did it “all for money.”

The ad is attempting to highlight class division. Clearly, Tom Foley, a multimillionaire, is in the privileged class. Rather than protect the lower classes, the ad implies that he chose to exploit them. The ex-workers interviewed are all white, mostly older men and women, who spent their lives working in a factory. The ad pits the “haves” versus the “have-nots.” The message is sent that Dan Malloy understands the working class and would be there to protect them. Although the ad attempts to build an alignment with the working class, the underlying message is that they are easy victims and are often unable to protect themselves.

Toni Morrison’s Commentary in The New Yorker, discusses Bill Clinton’s adultery scandal in the summer of 1998. She refers to Clinton as “the first black president,” saying that he possessed, “almost every trope of blackness: single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald’s-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas.” Morrison supports Clinton, and feels that he is wrongly portrayed by the media. His affair should not define him. In effect, Clinton did not display the normative, white, upper class background that one might expect a president to have. He became a victim of the media who were quick to associate his misdeeds with his lower class background, just as blacks are frequently victims of society’s racial stereotypes.

President Obama, in the 2008 debate, when asked about Toni Morrison’s reference, stated his admiration for Clinton’s “affinity with African Americans,” which he said was, “well earned.” He went on to joke that he would have to test Clinton’s “dancing abilities” before he could decide whether he “was in fact a brother.” Obama received a warm response to his comments, but even in jest, His retort shows that stereotypes still exist.

Overall, racial, class and gender stereotypes are alive in twenty-first America. As a society, we’ve made great strides, especially in the areas of racial and gender equality. However, bias is still very prevalent. The danger is that it has become so subconscious that we aren’t even aware of it much of the time. Awareness of the stereotypes which exist in society is the first step to eliminating bias and creating a society in which everyone has an equal opportunity for success.

The Medium:

I chose writing to respond to this week’s prompts. There were a lot of sources and a lot of questions.  Writing seemed like the most efficient way to integrate all the information. Although writing is a lot of work, but it allows me to express my ideas most clearly. I added the screenshots of the clipart searches to illustrate my findings and to support my response. I’ve tried several different mediums throughout the responses, but I have to say, writing, as part of my primary Discourse, is still my preference. I hope that writing affords me the opportunity to explain myself thoroughly and clearly.