from the past

I wrote this in a long-lost blog of mine that I recently re-discovered. I thought I’d re-post it here, as — not to my surprise — my feelings about this issue remain the same.

Written on April 2nd, 2007

As I continue to search within myself and in those around me my true stance on religion, constant reminders of its potential dangers continue to come up in my regular interactions with people, and even in my education.

Below is an excerpt from a reading assignment from my Human Behavior class:

“…[R]eligious ideologies, world views, and other social constructions present a dilemma, a ‘double-edged sword.’ One edge of the sword is that this process is a necessary social function to create and maintain a collectively shared sense of meaning, purpose, and order in the world. But the other edge of the sword cuts back, because individual autonomy may be sacrificed to normative social control. A ‘false consciousness’ may be instilled in people so that they believe social symbolic products are beyond question. This can lead to intolerance or claims that those who do not conform to social prescriptions are immoral or evil, thereby rationalizing stigmatization, persecution, and oppression.” — S. P. Robbins, P. Chatterjee, and E. R. Canda

This excerpt spells out where I am right now about my own religion. There are some days where I truly wish and want to believe that it provides purpose in my life — that it makes me a better person. On other days, I am reminded of the persecution I myself have experienced, and the pain many of us (from both ends of the sword) have felt.

the teddy bear named muhammed

My program emphasizes the need for cultural competency in social work practice. In order to work effectively with others, one needs to be aware of biases and prejudices that may potentially drive one’s decisions and actions. In addition, one needs to steer away from ethnocentrism, or from believing that there is only one “right” way of doing things.

In child welfare, the need for cultural competency arises particularly in situations of transracial adoptions and out-of-home care. What does it mean when a Korean child born in a White family calls herself a “banana,” because she is “yellow on the outside, but white on the inside?” How can a family adequately address the needs of this child while having to pick and choose between Korean culture, the Korean-American culture, and the family’s culture of origin?

What’s the “right” way of dealing with this? This question brings to mind the issue that happened just a few months ago, when a teacher was considered blasphemous for allowing her students to name a teddy bear Muhammed.

It makes me wonder: In what ways can we address the need for cultural competency in our daily lives, and where do we draw the line from “harmless ignorance” to cultural incompetence?

the end of a day off…

After a long, drawn-out weekend that primarily involved hours and hours spent on campus either in class or in group meetings (minus a fabulous ladies’ evening of grown-up chocolate and vaginas on Saturday), I had a day off today. The agency I am interning for is located in a state building, and hence, was closed for Presidents’ Day.

The day was spent sleeping in, visiting with old friends/co-workers, shopping at my favorite St. Louis resale clothing store, cooking something called “American Chop Suey” for dinner (I swear that’s what it’s called in my cookbook), and spending the evening surfing the internet and listening to beautiful, feel-good music.

I have missed these days where there isn’t anything to do, and yet I enjoy being as busy as I am. I am in my second semester of my program and not a day goes by without me thinking how fortunate I am to be here. I love the work that I do and feel so lucky to have found my life’s calling. The experiences I have had thus far continue to help solidify my desire to help kids and their families.

My day ends here, and tomorrow begins the rest of my week. I’ll be on campus from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. tomorrow, and the rest of the week I will be at my practicum site. It’s amazing Brad and I still have time to spend together.