Final Thoughts

General thoughts:

First, I would have to say I still have the same thought about what race and ethnicity represent.  Race is still the socialized categories people are placed in based on the color of their skin.  Ethnicity is still the cultural background people associate with.

This semester has been very enlightening about issues dealing with race.  Before this class I was aware of racial issues and had the desire to make change, but now I understand some of the underlying problems facing different races and ways to help generate change.  One of the most influential classes for me was in the beginning of the semester, watching Tim Wise.  I respond very well to and appreciate direct, no BS information.  I also think the effectiveness of his message stemmed from the fact that he is white speaking about racial issues.  It's fantastic to see someone other than minorities speaking about minority issues because it makes people stand up and realize this IS an issue that affects us all and it is the responsibility of us ALL to do something about it.

As far as gender goes...I have more experience in this area.  It didn't shock me one bit when talking about gender issues that there is still differential treatment between men and women.  Also the fact that women of different racial backgrounds are treated differently is an issue that was not news to me.  This issue, along with racial issues, should always be at the forefront of people's minds as well.  If people were not only aware of these issues, but practiced equality in their daily lives, these issues would slowly disappear.

Professional thoughts:

The information we've covered in this class will be extremely helpful in the media industry.  The first step to improving racial and gender relations is to be educated about the issues.  By having the knowledge necessary to cease perpetuating stereotypes and to choose to be sensitive to things like white privilege, we will be better media professionals.  This is due to the fact that as media professionals we hold ourselves to the standard of only reporting unbiased truth.  Stereotypes are not the truth therefore our knowledge will give us the authority to refuse their use.

On a personal level, the information I've learned in this class will help me in my profession: Advertising.  It is my personal goal to work with a firm or on campaigns that do not utilize racial stereotypes or the objectification of women.  I know this will be much easier said than done, but change in the industry is only going to come from the inside out.  I would also like to be a gender stereotype breaker and at some point be the head of a company.

Blogging thoughts:

Blogging I believe is a great way to express one's thoughts about issues/topics.  The only thing I don't like (which might be in my best interest sometimes) is it can be hard to interpret the tone of the blog or the amount/type of emotion behind it.  Particularly for me, the topics of race and gender are points of passion because I feel in this age we should (as a nation) have grown out of some of the racial discrimination and gender inequalities of our society.  This is not to say all these issues will be gone (because that will take some major societal changes) but I don't think these issues should still be such a struggle for this country.

Personal thought:

This thought is something I've seen throughout the semester and haven't had a great opportunity to say in class.  In my entire college career, this is the first semester I've had a female minority professor (not the first time I've had a female professor).  The thing that shocked me about this is I have never sat in a class that has disrespected and argued with a professor more than this semester.  This not only stunned me, but disappointed me deeply.  Even if the conversation was not blatantly disrespectful, it was the tone of the person speaking.  I have been in classes in previous years where the professor was not a competent teacher (only a great researcher) and students did not argue with them or show disrespect in class (because they were typically white male professors).  The thing I wonder the most is if this were a different university (say somewhere in a city or state that is more diverse i.e.NYC) would this attitude be the same?  I feel like not only does our country have a long way to go with racial and gender relations, but so do we as Gaylord students!