Tearing Down Walls Over Putting Them Up
As one of my favorite classes, City of Angels offers a unique approach to exploring the city of Los Angeles through productive dialogue and first-hand experiences. Since the beginning of the year, we have been aware of the inevitable conversations about difficult topics that might come up. While this may be something that other classes shy away from, we confront these topics, one of the aspects I value most about our class. It is important that as young people in a rapidly developing city, we are able to have productive conversations rather than debates and arguments that go nowhere as a result of a lack of listening and thoughtful input.
On Friday, while discussing the important role that identity plays throughout Tropic of Orange, our class delved into the “difficult” subject of race. Following, we had a discussion about our discussion of race and the way we handled it. This conversation was healthy as we need to confront uncomfortable situations in class. This is not to say that we should single anyone out or blame, but rather recognize the role we each play in group discussions and figure out how we can all improve upon it. After our last class, I reflected upon the dicey area we had entered and how different individuals felt about it. While some felt like the conversation had indeed been productive and things had been cleared up, others felt as if they were still in the wrong. As someone directly affected by the conversation, I thought about how I felt and discovered that I felt...halfway- not entirely satisfied but also not upset.
Tying in with City of God, based on the first few chapters, I can see how we may continue to encounter difficult topics that may be uncomfortable to discuss. Yet, we need to be able to do this in a way that is respectful to everyone and productive at the same time. So, how can we do this in the future? How can we take what we learned from Friday’s conversations and make changes in future group dialogues? How can we tear down walls instead of putting them up against each other? Feel free to reflect on Friday’s conversations and leave what you took away from it below. What was your perspective? Even if you didn’t speak up, what did you, individually, think? (oops sorry this is so long)
As I was not present for the discussed dialogue, I cannot give justice to the nuances of this conversation around race. I will say that I spent my weekend debating whether or not my perspectives on social justice and race came from a perspective of privilege, while simultaneously accusing people of doing equally problematic things. With that, you can not create walls by doing two things. First, recognize that other people's perspectives contrary to your own do not reflects attacks on who you are a person. Of course, with race, certain statements seem to feed racial structures that have material impacts on people's life and warrant strong visceral reactions. If that happens, someone should respond, and then the person who said what was maybe problematic should listen. That doesn't mean either person has to agree, but it seems any other form of conversation would just devolve into insincere gestures of listening that move away from the reality of race relations and discussions around race.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, know that these discussions are a floor not a ceiling. Ideas are not always mutually exclusive, and if everyone can’t see how their point of view could possibly be synthesized with others then all compromise and dialogue becomes impossible. Of course, maybe that perspective reflects a privilege wherein one doesn’t experience or understand the severity of racial issues and how important it is to forefront an singular idea. But, I’m not sure what the alternative to that form of dialogue is. Racists and people with different opinions (not always on the same plane) exist, and if anyone wants change, materially or relationally, then sectioning off different perspectives is for sure a bad idea.
I think it is incredibly important to have a space where we can discuss uncomfortable or difficult topics, and while we should be able to take risks when speaking our mind or opening an idea up to the class, we must also understand that everyone will have their own respective reactions and responses to what we say.
ReplyDeleteSome people may think that if we have to thoroughly consider everything we say and be “thoughtful” of others in the room, this goes against our class rule of speaking from the heart and sparking genuine conversation—after all, we want our classmates to be actively listening to what we say rather than sitting in their own minds thinking about how to phrase their own comment. However, I think there is a fine line between saying what you think and saying just anything that comes to mind in the moment.
In order to have a productive class conversation, we need everyone to actively listen, engage with the material and participate in discussion, speak their mind and offer their own perspective so we can gain a more complete understanding, and most importantly, be open to learning from each other and having our own beliefs challenged. While I do believe there is value in having an occasional debate, the point of our group discussions is to have a healthy exchange of ideas and opinions without anyone trying to win over the class or argue that their point-of-view is absolutely correct—instead, we want to create an environment that fosters constructive and cooperative conversation where all participants can present their ideas and others are willing to listen and respectfully question one another’s reasoning.
I also think we have to become more comfortable with occasional pauses in our discussions, with momentary silence—just because no one is talking does not mean there is nothing left to say—it just means that people are internalizing information, organizing their thoughts, and formulating a response. And we have to remember that no matter how hard we may try, what we mean to say may not come out the way we had intended and may have an unexpected impact on those around us: in this scenario, we must take responsibility for our actions, and the rest of the class must understand that this one person likely had no intention of hurting anyone or targeting a classmate, and we cannot let one faulty comment impair our judgement of them.
As we consider our conversation from Friday and begin talking about the topics of City of God, I look forward to hearing varying perspectives from the class and having an informative, constructive, and engaging class discussion. While the topics raised by the novel may be somewhat unfamiliar and uncomfortable, I think we can all learn something and take away valuable lessons and knowledge from talking through these prevalent and important issues.
Earlier this year we talked about how we will encounter conversations that are going to be difficult and that we needed to approach them with curiosity and respect. I think we lost that a little bit when we were having our discussion on Friday. Accusations were made, we ended up fighting instead of conversing, and many people left without feeling satisfied. I still think it was amazingly valuable for us to have that conversation. As we said in the class, listening and leading with curiosity are the keys to a successful conversation. I think that while there was listening happening, people had a strong reaction. Personally, I think that the least productive part of the conversation were the accusations. I think something happened that led to other things which caused Mckenna to have to clarify that Emi is Japanese-American, not Chinese. There was confusion and there were a lot of people at fault but one person was blamed. The valuable part of our discussion after the discussion was our resolution. Many of us took blame for the things we did and do in conversations that do not contribute effectively. But there were also people who did not and just sided with the "victim" rather than adding their apologies. It ended up being half of the class admitting to their faults and the other half defending themselves. I think in order to truly have a safe environment to contribute, everyone needs to own up to what they say and if it is necessary to explain themselves, they do so in a way that furthers discussion rather than prompt a debate. In addition, I feel like the respect in our class has faded away a little bit. I am not sure how to regain that sense of safety and respect when within the class environment but we need to in order to continue a productive atmosphere. In general, I think that our conversation was really meaningful. I now hope that what occurred on Friday does not restrict people from continuing to share in our conversations because we got something very rich out of it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very complicated issue to tackle, in our class, but also in the world. I think the number one thing is thinking before speaking. It is imperative that each of us thinks about what we are going to say and if it pertains to the dialogue at hand. Even more importantly, we need to reflect on how our comments affect our peers. I think there were some comments in Friday's dialogue that were not particularly well-thought out. I even noticed that people were interrupting with spontaneous and offensive comments. We have talked about how this class tends to talk over people, and I think there is no way around that. Working in small groups is a very good way to limit that issue, but, in the process, each group loses the diversity that makes our class so thorough. In discussions with the whole class, I think it may be helpful to preface your idea or theory by saying something along the lines of "Please let me know if this idea is worth exploring." I think this comment will make sure that the whole class is comfortable with the theory before we dive in too deep and affect someone negatively. Like I said earlier, exploring these kinds of topics are very difficult to navigate and form words for, even if we are speaking from being on the outside of a group or experience. I believe that being close to people is a very good way to tear down walls, so having a solid sense of comfort in the class will benefit our discussions as well.
ReplyDeleteIn order to continue discussing topics such as these in class, I believe that the class should value everybody's opinion and thoughts equally. I feel the first place where we ran into trouble in class was when a a perspective was shared and it was completely shut down due to the fact that not everybody thought it was useful and productive. This I think may have brought the class into a more hostile state due to the fact that the conversation switched from a dialogue in which ideas were shared amicably into a discussion were some ideas were able to be discussed and others were not. Whether the statements made are ridiculous or not, I think that any idea's presented should be thought about carefully, because to one person they may be stupid and crazy and to another person they could be a topic or focus that they really want to discuss. I also think that statements and theory's that are made should have some sort of reasoning or context behind them. With evidence, I then believe people can point to specific piece of text, evidence, etc. that can help shape what they're trying to share. This reasoning or information that would be provided before sharing an idea or opinion could help to make sure that everybody is on the same page with the perspective rather than leaving people to formulate/overthink what somebody is trying to share. I also think the discussion about "sides" and "victims" are not helpful in taking down the wall but rather adding to it. I believe that the class was beneficial at the end because everybody did admit where they may have gone wrong. So I also think that discussion about who does and doesn't need to say sorry is not helpful. Inside I know we're all sorry and I do not think that anybody in class meant to hurt, mock or make anybody feel uncomfortable. So as long as we are on the same page in class with each other, are listening attentively to each other and don't respect anybody's opinion more than anybody else's, we are great!
ReplyDeleteI think our class is full of very intelligent and passionate people which is something very important in expanding our knowledge in this class. Something that this class does that many others don’t is the fact that we approach uncomfortable topics head on without tiptoeing or sugar coating anything. This was especially demonstrated last Friday during our intense discussion. I think because of the fact that everyone in our class is so passionate and full of ideas individually, we tend to lose sight of the importance of respecting each other. I really think the reason why that conversation went south so quickly is because things were said not in the best manner, it was taken in the wrong way, and misunderstandings arose which led to accusations and hostility. I think the first thing that we all need to remember is that when something is said, whether it’s an interesting observation or just outright offensive, the first thing to do isn’t to blow up and start making accusations. The first thing to do isn’t to shut down an idea and make assumptions about the intent of that comment. When that happens it does turn into what feels like an “attack” without that person having the opportunity to explain themselves.
ReplyDeleteI think it is also important to understand intent vs. impact and the importance of being thoughtful of what you say and how you say it. When things are taken differently then you intended by most of the class, that is when it’s important to hold yourself accountable for your actions and apologize and maybe present another way of expressing your ideas. It’s also key that everyone acknowledges what they said without trying to change or explain it differently later in the discussion, and I saw this from both sides. In our discussion I think there were many people at fault and I don’t think it’s right to blame one person or a group of people. The reality is that our conversations will become uncomfortable and very intense at times, but it isn’t at all effective to just immediately blow up at someone because then it will turn into that person defending themselves to the class and then everyone getting irritated. I think a better way is to ask blunt questions about their ideas and then express our disagreements as we see fit.
From both ends, it’s hard to unpack something when different people are on different pages. I think the best way to have rich conversations in uncomfortable situations is not to assume but rather ask a straight question and confront the issue at hand.
I also think that the best part about City of Angels is how we confront difficult topics through effective dialogue and first-hand experience. I believe it is very important to address these difficult topics and we are lucky to have a safe space to do so. However, on Friday I do not believe that the forum in which people were speaking was “safe”. I think that it was a space of negativity, backlash, and overall disrespect. I think that a way to fix this issue is to as a class work on being effective and productive listeners. Many of us have strong opinions and perspectives that we are so eager to share yet we don't give other members of the class the same respect and attention that we would want. I think that we can start this respectful listening by not interrupting those who are speaking and when replying to a person’s point using the word “and” instead of “but”. Instead of completely diminishing an opinion we should try to expand on the idea, either in a similar way or use it to start a new train of thought. I think we can take what we learned from Friday’s conversations and make changes in future group dialogues by creating a more encouraging and open environment for those who wish to share far-reaching or risky thoughts. However, I do think it is important for those who are sharing these thoughts to do it in a thoughtful and respectful manner. Although we try to have a dialogue that isn’t too structured, I do think it would be beneficial if we thought about what we were to say a bit before we started talking just to make sure that it is productive to the conversation and not offensive.
ReplyDeleteI think what I took away most from Fridays dialogue was intent vs. impact. The intentions of this “theory”, that we spent a majority of the class discussing, might not have been to cause individual members of our class to feel uncomfortable, but it did have that impact.
ReplyDeleteIn this class, we often praise ourselves for being able to “speak from the heart”, while I think this is valuable and important, I also believe that when discussing race/identity or other complex topics, it is important to think before you speak. Theories involving individuals identify with no evidence from the book, should be delivered in a thoughtful way. This is not to say that theories should not be talked about if race is mentioned, but it is imperative that we think through these theories before sharing them with the class.
In this dialogue when individual members expressed their feelings towards the dialogue and the effect it had on them, I feel as though there were a number of people whose immediate response was to become defensive. In my opinion, when someone shares that they felt there were elements of the theory that were a little “racist” or that they had felt “uncomfortable” by the language used in the dialogue, we as a class and as individuals should BELIEVE their claims and realize that the manner the theory had been delivered had this affect. Although that might not have been what people had meant or not what they wanted to convey it still made people feel this way.
Lastly, Jeilani mentions in her blog post that “Many of us took blame for the things we did and do in conversations that do not contribute effectively. But there were also people who did not and just sided with the "victim" rather than adding their apologies.”
In my opinion there was no “victim” in Fridays conversation. A majority of the class stated that they could have been more receptive and respectful when listening to this theory, but this does not change that we spent a majority of the class discussing this theory, which then lead to members feeling shut off and uncomfortable by the dialogue.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI believe confronting these uncomfortable topics head-on is very important for this class, but we do tend to do a poor job of engaging in them. From the shooting down of others ideas/opinions, to not thinking before speaking about a difficult topic, we all have areas where we could improve on making these dialogues more productive and satisfying. I, for one, feel completely unsatisfied after Fridays discussion. Honestly, I wanted that discussion to be over so badly, but at the end of it I feel that I was still needing more from it. I honestly don't know if there is a way to advance such dialogue about the theory/conversation that occurred much further, and I feel like if we did (which we probably will in class tomorrow) we're just going to run into repetition of ideas expressed on Friday and even more tension in the classroom. I have learned a lot from that dialogue, and even though I was the butt-end of the conversation and being called a racist, I'm still going to take the things that I learned about intent vs impact and the ability to learn from someones ideas instead of putting them down to the rest of the dialogues in this class. Honestly after this dialogue I'm going to think a lot more before I speak, knowing that if I say one thing wrong, half the class has permission to blatantly call you a racist for 45 minutes. But, yeah I really learned a lot for that dialogue and I hope our dialogues can advanced past that so that stuff like this doesn't happen again.
ReplyDeleteTopics of race are going to be uncomfortable and we should not stop talking about these concepts because they are difficult. If anything it is these conversations that we should strive to obtain while taking this class. I believe the only real problem with the dialogue and how it went was how it was facilitated. I felt there were multiple moments where insight from students was available and needed but instead was used as a spotlight for one who has already proved their excellence in such topics. I feel as though Friday's class is a perfect example to future facilitators of how not to facilitate in that the facilitator's job is to take a step back and only contribute when the discourse is headed in an unintended direction and there is possible chaos.
ReplyDeleteOther than that I feel like as a class there is an inability to comprehend any other opinion than the one that most people share. For example, I can remember at least five times when some members of our class have tried to discuss the few positive aspects of gentrification and have failed in doing so due to the lack of respect from others who disagree. If we simply do not even try to listen to each other how de expect to be listened to as individuals. It seems counter intuitive to ride with the wave and never allow disputers to share their opinions. I feel as though the way me and other members of our class handled Jack's comments on Friday is again another example of one of our classes few weaknesses. It needs to end and that starts with me.
It is inevitable that "difficult" topics - as you put it - will be discussed in our english class. We live in a city that is lucky enough to represent diversity in every sense of the word and that diversity is essential to how the city grows and how we are able to dialogue about it and understand it. In City of Angles we actually have the opportunity to discuss topics regarding race, class, gender, etc. unlike the majority of the other classes offered at Poly. During Friday's class, as we were discussing identity in Tropic of Orange, some comments were made that I did not necessarily agree with, but the way that I confronted those comments was not the way that it should be in a classroom environment. In our class dialogue is essential to the curriculum, and respect in those dialogues is integral in assuring that every one feels comfortable contributing. On the other hand, when some one states that comments made in the conversation made them uncomfortable, those comments need to be addressed and unpacked, regardless of what everyone thinks.
ReplyDeleteAs we have said countless times in the class before, the only way to have constructive conversation about these "difficult" topics is to maintain respect and patience while engaged in a dialogue. Interrupting each other and having side conversations provides zero to a conversation. Another take away that I got from this conversation is to not speak erratically and to consider the way that my words will affect others.
I think these questions could be asked of the whole world right now. There is this tornado of tension and hatred that is splitting our country apart right now. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge and appreciate and thank this class for tackling the issues that so many people in our own society are trying to ignore. However, I believe that the only way for us--this class--to be able to take on these potentially problematic dialogues is to be promise each other to be thoughtful, intentional, and vulnerable. When we trust each other to listen to one another, to take dialogues seriously and to be honest with one another, we can create an environment that is stable and productive. As a class of wide ranging diversity in terms of race, mentality, belief, thought, we should challenge each other to gain a better understanding of our differences. I don't think we will ever be able to remove the discomfort that surrounds topics like race and identity, and I don't think we should even try. Race and identity are uncomfortable because they are so deeply personalized to our individual lives. We will always have different reactions, so we can't assume that everyone is feeling what you think they're feeling. And we will always have different opinions, so we can't shoot down ideas because we don't agree with them. I think if we focus on thinking ahead, speaking truthfully, but consciously and listen intently to one another, we will be able to effectively handle uncomfortable dialogues. P.S. those skills would be useful in the classroom, but would also be handy outside the classroom: with strangers, authority, peers, the political turmoil of current time
ReplyDeleteI understand the importance of listening to others even when we don't agree with them. But I also think it's important to hold others accountable and make sure that what they're saying is a meaningful contribution to the dialogue. Frankly, I do not feel bad for shutting someone's ideas down. Perhaps I could have been more cordial about it. But Jack could give no reason as to why his comments were meaningful to the dialogue, and I asked him twice. In my opinion, persisting that someone is Chinese with no evidence to support it is selfish and takes away from a meaningful analysis of race, culture and ethnicity. We could have based our discussion in the text, and engaged with the problem of conflating Asian identities, but instead one theory veered towards doing that exact thing: confusing Asian identities. Although it's true that some Asians were mistaken for Japanese and put in internment camps, people in internment camps do not suddenly forget their identities and backgrounds. Perhaps the comment about not having read the book was unnecessary. However, I think that for this class to function properly and respectfully, we all need to do our part in completing the required work. When we are more informed, we are less prone to make errors or jump to conclusions.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I'm glad that we had a 40 minute long dialogue breaking down our previous dialogue. I think that conversation was way more valuable than drifting off the text would have been. As a proponent of listening, I feel somewhat conflicted. I want to listen, go with the flow, etc. But in that instance, I felt as though the class should have spent more time listening to voices other than Jack's, such as McKenna's, who actually felt uncomfortable about what Jack was saying. I can prioritize listening while also monitoring air time. We can only listen to one person so much.
And Jack (^), as we said, the class never called YOU a racist. But look at your impact. Perhaps some of the things you SAID veered towards racist. And it's not the end of the world. There are times that I have been racist. I still have prejudices that I'm working to address. I make mistakes all the time, often in this very class. Even though I've made mistakes and have been called out from them, I try to learn from them instead of claiming to be the victim.