Post for 1/30/14

                This week in class we read three possible perspectives. The three perspectives are libertarianism, political liberalism and liberation theory (eek all the libs…so confusing…).

                The first perspective is libertarianism. Libertarians do not accept force, as a viable means of getting what a person wants. They believe all people and entities should be held to this standard (so far so good). However, they then go on to claim that taxes are coercion and thus forceful, this would then mean that no people should have to pay taxes. To me, this is a very selfish view. According to the libertarian stance a person should be able to do as they please. However, what does this actually mean? Can we allow all types of behaviors, who is responsible for deciding what is moral and what is not?   Libertarians apparently want no government interference, except when they need something. I believe that they are not concerned about the greater good rather the individual. They say that it will benefit the whole but I fail to see how.  It seems to me that the libertarian view is that of protecting the elites. For instance, in class we discussed public education.  The elites may be able to pay for education of their children, but my parents were not. Thus I depended on the public education system to be educated. If we did away with it (or even structured so you could choose to pay for it, because let’s be honest, if you aren’t using it you probably won’t pay for it, which is likely to defund the system) then I would not have freedom. In fact I would have a lack of freedom because I have a basic right to a good education. The right to a good education should not be predicated on how much money my parents make, in fact, no primary right should only be given to the elites.

                The next view is political liberalism. Political liberals ask them self the question, If I didn’t know who I was going to be (what skills I have, what race I am, what religion I am, ) what would I want? What would be equitable and fair and just? The author of this article outlines that reasonable would want primary rights, which consist of equitable rights and also basic needs such as food, water and shelter. He then argues that it would be okay if people got ahead, or make more money because people would have special skills, or a particularly good work ethic. Everyone also must have equal opportunity to get ahead. Also, the money a person earns must be subjected to taxation that would redistribute wealth and help to poverty. This is necessary because it is what is right for the greater good. There are some problems. One issue is that we are supposed to be able to accept everyone truths. This sounds good except that everyone has their own truth, and it can be very difficult to accept that other’s truths are just as truthful to them. It can be very hard to accept other people’s truth. I suppose in a just world this would not matter, but we are not dealing with a just world we are dealing with our own world. Because of this flaw it seems that political liberalism may be unpractical, at least for now.

                The final theory is liberation theory. Liberations at the most basic premise believe that God will always stand with the oppressor, and so must Christians. I don’t understand how liberations view sin. It is communal.  What happens if a person commits a terrible crime?

social standing reflection

Our class is very diverse. We have many people who were raised in a Christian church, and those of us who did grow up in a Church have different religious experiences, but many people who were not or are now questioning their religious upbringing. This, I am sure will make for deep, personal discussions I am hoping to grow from other people’s perspectives. Religion and religiosity are both sliding scales. This means that people are not either religious, or they are not and practicing or they are not. In this class there are many different people in many different places on these scales. Hopefully this too will provide for interesting conversation. We (off course) have very different life stories, which will also make for interesting discussions. I hope that we, as a class can be open minded and listen to each other and learn from each other.

Many people identify as being white and being middle class.  Hopefully, there will be many different perspectives for us to read regarding race and class. As a class, it will be important to gain insight into these perspectives.

I noticed that many of us have been influenced by teachers, and some of us have been influenced by our peers. It is important that we are influenced by other people and can be open minded. It is important to learn from people around us. It is interesting that many of us of had teachers and peers influence us. It is also important to realize that we have been influenced by other people, and that their views may affect our views.

Our political views are also widely different. Many people identified as being a Republican, a few identified as a Democrat and many did not identify at all. This level of diversity will also provide for interesting conversation. Many people stated that their political views do not influence their reading of the bible. However, how you read the Bible does influence your political beliefs. If you interpret specific “laws” of the Bible as being absolutely true, then you will vote for people who agree with your “truths” (the quotations in this case just indicate that not all truths are the same, not that they are not truths for you).

We are a very different group of people. We have very different perspectives and very different readings of the bible. We also have very different levels of religiosity and varying types of religion.  We have different political stances. This class will hopefully be full of very good conversations, where many of us can learn and grow together.

blog post for 1/23/15

This week we watched a movie about white privilege. One person described white privilege as white folks not having to pay attention to race. I think that is very true. I believe that this is true of all types of privilege.  Any type of privilege allows you to ignore oppression.  You do not have to be aware for instance, that you are white or male or even Christian.

During the movie, one person described how her students wanted to read black poets and she only knew of Langston Hughes. This reminded me of how the US education system largely ignores people who are not white. In the US stories of black people and native people are often not told, and when they are they are frequently told to make white people look better. For instance the stories of massive genocide committed against natives are often left out.   This is a problem that can easily be solved by simply discussing different perspectives a little more early in a person’s life.

The movie discussed whether or not racism would seize to exist soon.  Personally, I see it as a real possibility. This is true because white people will stop being a majority. White people will be the biggest minority but, in the US there will be no majority. I understand that this will happen in my generation’s life time. This means that more and more different types of people will be integrated into the system, which will allow people to more easily understand that difference is beauty. As different types of people become integrated racism will stop existing. It will be easy to see that other types of people work hard, and are good leaders. We live in a highly globalized world and the more we globalize the less racism there will be.

Even though the movie was made several years ago, many of the issues still rang true.  There are still many problems with race relations in the US today. Just look at what is going on in Ferguson or in New York or in Cleveland.  Many people still feel and see racism all around them.  It is important to give everyone an equal opportunity, but not everyone in this country has one. People of color are often marginalized, and sometimes must overcome many hurdles in order to be an equal playing field as the people who are white.

It is true; we have come a long way. However we still have a long way to go. 

Post for 1/23/ Selma Post/ MLK day post/Extra credit post

                This week we celebrated the Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King was a great   American hero. He inspired many to fight for what is right, and his words still inspire many. As part of the Martin Luther celebrations I saw the movie Selma. Selma is about the marches in 1965 from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery Alabama. These marches were to inspire the passage of the Voting rights act. In the movie, King leads with Lyndon b. Johnson to pass a federal regulation that would outlaw discrimination and would allow many people to vote that had previously been disenfranchised. Some of these practices included poll taxes, literacy tests, and civics test, many people would struggle to understand and pass these tests even today. The movie shows several separate attempted marches. During the first march there several hundred black men and women. However King was not present. King was present for the second march however. After this march he called for people of God to come and support them. Many new black people showed up as well as many white people. The protesters had to go to court in order to be able to march; the court eventually granted them this right. Many people of many different walks life ended up walking from Selma to Montgomery.  The movie was really good. However bring a Kleenex box it was a tear jerk-er.

                The movie also got me thinking how little I know about African Americans, and the contributions they have made to the advancement of America and the American story. It seems to me that the African American story is often forgotten or not told. People of color have off course made contributions, but they are glossed over or ignored. This to me is unacceptable.  We must teach our children that all lives matter, but also that not every great thing that has come out of America has been contributed by a white man. It is also important to teach children that the US government, white society and white people have not always been good and are not always fair. I believe that US history and government classes to do not focus enough on non-white’s stories.

                I also attended the Martin Luther King Day celebrations here on campus. I participated in the symbolic march, the Rosa Parks re-enactment and the lecture.  I found all of these things to be illuminating.  The march reminds me of how far we have come, but that we still have a long way to go. It is surprising how far people walked for their rights as well as for other people’s rights.  I am not sure I would have been able to walk that far. The Rosa Parks re-enactment was also very interesting. I did not realize that black people had to get off the bus to get back on the bus. I also did not realize Rosa Parks, was in the first “black” row. I always thought that she was in the very first row. It was very moving and very real. It must have been very scary to do what Rosa Parks did. I also attended the lecture. I found this also to be illuminating. Dr. Hymen was a very inspiring speaker. She discussed how young people need be ready to serve, and how kindness is always a good thing. She also discussed how every minute is preparing you for the next moment. The events that UE held for Martin Luther King Day were very moving.

                Martin Luther King inspired many to do the right thing. His words are still inspiring to many.  

                

Social standing blog

I grew up in the United Methodist church. My immediate family tends to view the Bible as both a metaphor and a true story. My church community also sees the Bible as a combination of true and metaphorical.  I have increasingly come to see the Bible as a metaphor.  The Bible, off course is often read during church services. As such I have become fairly familiar with it.  There have been many important people in my life who have helped me to see the Bible as a call to service. These people include my youth leaders, my parents and grandparents, my friends and my pastors.

One particular theme that stands out to me is love. The Bible seems to always say to love others above all else.

I am a Methodist. Each church has at least one pastor.  The United Methodist church has several districts. Each district is headed by a super intendant. The districts are divided into conferences, which are headed by an elected bishop. The United Methodist church, as a whole has what is known as general conference. General conference meets every four years, and they publish the Book of Discipline. This book helps to define the church’s rules and standards. In the book of discipline there is a section called The Social Principles. This helps to define the church’s stance on particular issues such as marriage, suicide, adoption and many more issues. All of these things and people are authoritative in the church I belong to. The Methodist movement was founded by John Wesley and his younger brother Charles. So, the writings and teachings of these two are also considered authoritative.

I am a Caucasian. I am German and English. Luther and Lutheranism have had a significant impact on German culture, while the Church of England is the most significant church in England.  The Methodist church is actually a break away from the Church of England. I identify as a cis-gendered woman (meaning I identify as a women, and have the lady parts).  Women tend to view the Bible in many different ways, some see that women should be submissive and good wives all others focus on the comments of love and acceptance. I personally notice the love and acceptance portions, and I cannot help but notice how many strong women in the Bible there really are. Also, I desire to become a lawyer and do not believe that women were meant to be submissive to their husbands. My family is also wealthy. For me, this is a call to service, because Jesus said several times that the weak are the most blessed, and he also taught that helping the poor is helping him.

I am also a very liberal Democrat. I am a feminist. I believe in the equality of marriage and a person’s right to make health decisions for themselves. This means that I view the Bible as a call to service. I also see the Bible as a form of protection for all types of people. I believe that the most important message in the Bible is to love others, no matter what life choices they have made. I regularly watch the Evening news with Scot Pelly. The tragedies that I hear about are truly scary and rather disheartening. This influences my reading of the Bible because I believe that we should do more to prevent tragedy and I believe the Bible would support this.

The most important factors in how I read the Bible is that I am a United Methodist and I believe in service to others. I am not at all surprised by any of this.

introduction blog/ blog for 1/16

                My name is Claire Webb. I am a junior Political Science major with minors in International Studies and Gender and Women’s Studies. While I am not a pre-law major, I plan to attend law school after graduating from UE. I would like return home to Michigan for law school. Here at UE I am the vice president of Phi Alpha Delta, which is a law fraternity, if anyone reading this is interested in law school you should come visit me and we can talk more about Phi Alpha Delta. I play the violin and am in the University Symphony Orchestra (so everyone should come to Orchestra concerts).

 I hale from Okemos, MI. Okemos is a suburb of Lansing, which of course is the capitol of Michigan, and it is also about a 15 minute drive from Michigan State University.  I graduated high school in 2012 from the creatively named Okemos High School. I have one little sister who is currently a senior at OHS. She will be attending Trine University next year (how both of us ended up in Indiana will forever elude me).

I grow up in the United Methodist tradition (so yay scholarships). Because of the other people in the church including youth leaders peers and off course my parents, I became interested in service to others. My interest and service to others helped me to develop an interest in social justice.  My interest in social justice is one reason why I chose to take this class. Another reason I took this class is because I am a Gender and Women’s studies minor. This class will fulfill a requirement for that minor. I am also taking this class because I believe it will be interesting. It will also be important in today’s changing times to focus on social justice. Also, I would like to be a lawyer. For a long time I wanted to do advocacy and advocate for social justice issues. I want to do service and this class will help prepare me for service, it is also a good resume builder. I have never taken a religion class before (unless you count Sunday school). I am looking forward to a new experience and very much looking forward to this class.

I am very excited about this class. And I am looking forward to getting to know everyone else. I hope that I will learn and grow a lot. I believe that this will be a very interesting class.