Activity 4: Ethnicity and History

I've always known that history textbooks tend to focus on the dominant group (i.e. white males in the United States). However, this fact did not really sink in until I did the quiz on D2L, which asked us to name people from each ethnicity throughout the centuries. My inability to name famous people from some ethnic groups was a bit shocking, and it made me realize how much of American history is focused on white men.

Obviously for me, I had a much easier time naming famous white people than any other ethnic group. I could name famous people (both men and women) for all the centuries quite easily. In America, whites have always been the dominant group. Therefore, our textbooks tend to focus on their contributions to history. This is especially true when the textbook is discussing the history of our nation because almost all of our famous political leaders have been white. It is impossible to discuss the history of our nation without talking about famous presidents, generals, and senators, all of whom have been white. I have only studied American and European history, which means that most of the famous people I have heard of are white. I'm sure if I had grown up in another region (for example the Middle East or Asia) I would know many more famous people of that ethnicity.

It was also much easier to name famous men than famous women, regardless of the ethnicity. Sadly, I could only come up with one famous middle eastern woman, and I wasn't even sure of her name. Throughout most of history (especially European and American history) men have been the dominant group. Women have not been allowed to participate in government, war, or many other famous events that history focuses on. In many cultures, women were not allowed to publish literature or works of art. Therefore, there are fewer women discussed in history textbooks because the lives of "ordinary" women are not considered important enough to include in textbooks.

Overall, history textbooks tend to focus on the dominant group. This is because textbooks do not have the time to discuss every historical event. Therefore, they focus on the major events, and many major events are controlled or lead by the dominant group. In the United States, white men have been the dominant group throughout our history. Minority groups, both women and people of other ethnicities, were not allowed to participate in the government for many, many years. Therefore, our famous political leaders have all been white men and the history books focus on these men. For me, the second easiest ethnicity to answer questions for was black because I have studied the history of the civil rights movement and the civil war. However, I could not name famous black people from before the United States was created. The hardest ethnic group for me was the middle eastern group. Textbooks in the United States do not typically discuss middle eastern history. This may be because, until recently, there were not many middle eastern people living in the United States; therefore, there is not as much history about middle eastern people in America for the textbooks to discuss.

American textbooks tend to focus on American history only. To some extent, they also discuss European history because America was originally a British colony. Otherwise, American textbooks do not really discuss history of other parts of the world. Do you think students in other parts of the world study American history or are they as clueless about our history as we are about their history?

Activity 3: My Ethnicity

Like many Americans, my ethnic background is very diverse. Overall, I am European American. On my mother's side, I am mainly of French, Irish, and English descent. My French ancestors (who immigrated about five or six generations ago) worked as fur traders in Canada along the St. Lawrence River, eventually moving to northern Minnesota. Other ancestors, some of my great, great grandparents, immigrated from Ireland to escape a famine. On my father's side, I am mostly Irish, German, and Swedish. The Irish and German immigrant ancestors on this side are many generations removed. One of my great, great grandmothers immigrated from Sweden by herself when she was fourteen to find a better life.

My ancestors immigrated from Europe many generations ago, so many of their ethnic behaviors and traditions have been lost. I also come from a very diverse background, so I am not influenced by any particular culture. However, some of my family traditions, behaviors, and beliefs have ethnic roots. My ancestors, especially from France and Ireland, were primarily Catholic. These religious beliefs are still held by my family today, and my Christian beliefs play a large role in my decisions, actions, and worldview. Some of my behaviors also have an ethnic origin. I have a strong tendency to talk with my hands and use elaborate gesture to make a point. This comes from my mom's side of the family. I can still remember my great grandmother pounding the table and yelling in French at family reunions! I suppose the way I speak could also be considered ethnic; I am a good Scandinavian from Minnesota who says "yah" and "sure, you bet" in conversations. Many of my family traditions also have ethnic origins. We always bake and eat lefse, a traditional Swedish flatbread, at Christmas and Easter (although we've given up on lutefisk since no one will eat it). At Christmas, we hide a pickle in the Christmas tree, and the first one to find it gets a prize. I'm told this is a German tradition. So overall, my ethnic background does influence my beliefs, behaviors, and traditions to some extent.

Most of my ancestors immigrated to America many generations ago, so my family is definitely "Americanized" and many aspects of our ethnic cultures have been lost. Although I am influenced my ethnic backgrounds to some extent, I am more influenced by growing up in America, and my worldview is very American. I tend to be individualistic, future-oriented, and more focused on "doing" or accomplishing things. Many of my beliefs are also very American. For example, I place a high value on freedom and equality. Overall, I think many of my behaviors have more to do with being American than with my ethnic background.

Most of my ethnic background cannot be determined by simply looking at me. Obviously, someone could tell that I am European American because I am very white. People may also guess that I am Scandinavian because I have blond hair. However, the specifics of my background (such as where in Europe my ancestors were from) cannot be determined from my appearance or behaviors. In America, whites are the majority and are typically seen as having more power, and this fact probably influences how people of minority races communicate with me. However, I do not think that my specific European heritage affects how people communicate with me. I have spent some time living and traveling in Europe, however, and being an American definitely influenced how people communicated with me. Some people did not like Americans; many of these people viewed Americans as stereotypically loud, arrogant, and obnoxious. These people often acted hostile towards me because of my American background. Other people loved Americans and treated me more respectfully because of my background. Therefore, my ancestral heritage does not really affect my communication with others, but when traveling internationally, my American heritage does affect how people communicate with me.
How do you think ethnicity affects communication between someone of a majority race and someone of a minority race?

Activity 2: Baseball Games

Today I attended my five year old cousin's t-ball game (a kid's version of baseball) and watched the behavior and interaction of the parents there. At any baseball game, there are two opposing teams, and many of the social "rules" at a t-ball game revolve around this fact. For instance, there are two separate bleachers for the parents to sit in, one located behind each team. Parents always sit in the stands behind their team; you would never sit with parents of the opposing team. Also, parents typically cheer for children on their son or daughter's team but not for children on the opposing team. The parents are there to support their child, but the parents do not directly participate in the game. For example, a parent would never run onto the field to catch a ball or interrupt the game to show a child how to hold a bat correctly. Although the parents will cheer for their kids, they rarely approach the players during the game.

There is also a code of behavior for the parents while sitting in the bleachers. In the stands, parents sit by people they know. The better you know someone, the closer you sit to them. A married couple sits very close to one another while acquaintances sit slightly farther away. The people sitting towards the front of the stands remain seated unless something very exciting happens-then they stand up and cheer. It is considered polite to remain seated so that the people sitting behind you can see the game without standing up. The parents talk amongst themselves, but they only discuss small talk, not serious issues. It is also considered rude for a parent to spend an excessive amount of time on a cell phone discussing business. For that matter, it is rude for a parent to not pay attention to the game. For example, one father had his laptop out and was working throughout the game. Other parents made numerous comments about how rude this was. Another rude behavior at baseball games is being excessively vocal. Once in awhile, a very vocal parent will argue with the umpire about a decision. All the other parents appear embarrassed by the vocal parent's behavior, but they do nothing to stop it.

To Americans, much of this behavior is expected and typical at any sporting events. However, an outsider may have trouble knowing where to sit, who to cheer for, and what to talk about. An outsider's behavior may accidentally offend some of the other parents, causing the outsider to be rejected by the group.

Once I started analyzing this behavior, I realized that it is very competitive, especially for a baseball game played by five year olds. After all, five year olds are there to have fun and winning shouldn't really matter. Yet the parents act in a competitive manner; they don't associate with the opposing team, they only cheer for their own team, and they often debate calls with the umpire. All in all, the parents take the game much more seriously than the kids do. Why do you think parents take their children's games so seriously when the goal is to have fun, not to win?

Activity 1: Far and Away

The United States has a long, rich history of immigration, and most U.S. citizens today can trace their lineage back to an immigrant family. Immigrants faced many hardships both in traveling to the United States and in making a life here once they arrived. The movie "Far and Away" addresses many immigration issues as it follows the lives of two Irish immigrants, Joseph Donnelly and Shannon Christie, in the late 19th century.

Immigrants viewed the United States as a land of promise where their dreams could come true, and many people immigrated hoping to find a better life in the new world. In the movie, Shannon Christie is the daughter of a rich landowner. Although she lives a life of privilege in Ireland, she feels constrained by the traditional rules governing female behavior and wants to escape these boundaries. She declares that she is running away to America because she is "going to be modern" and America is a modern place. Shannon also believes that in America women can act however they want to and declares that in America she will ride her horse however she wants to and no one will tell her it's wrong. For Shannon, the United States represents freedom from tradition. The other main character of the movie, Joseph Donnelly, also travels to America in search of freedom. In his case, Joseph is seeking freedom from the landlords who control Irish farmers. Early in the movie, the landlord's men burn down the Donnelly farmhouse because the rent is past due. Joseph is enraged and wants to live in a place where a man can own his land and be free from the oppression of the landlords. Therefore, both Joseph and Shannon, like many immigrants, travel to America seeking freedom and hoping to have a better life.

Once the immigrants arrived in America, they faced many challenges. Shannon and Joseph have little money, and it is difficult for immigrants to find jobs and housing. However, the ethnic groups tend to stick together and help one another. Through the help of local Irish, Joseph and Shannon find housing in a brothel and jobs at a chicken factory. They earn little money and most of it goes towards room and board, which makes it very difficult to save money to travel to Oklahoma and get their own land. The immigrants also face prejudice; at one point in the movie, Joseph begs a man for work only to be told, "I don't hire Irish." This prejudice often made it harder for new immigrants to find work and survive in the US. The immigrant groups are also prejudiced against one another, which may be a result of competing against each other for jobs and housing. In "Far and Away," this prejudice is shown through the Irish and Italian immigrant groups who detest one another. This prejudice often created conflict among immigrants. The new immigrants came to America with big dreams, but they had to face poverty and prejudice before these dreams could come true.

In "Far and Away," Joseph and Shannon achieve their dreams and obtain their own land. Even today, the "American dream" of the immigrants exists in our culture. This dream maintains that if a poor person works hard, they can obtain success and wealth. Do you think the "American dream" was a reality for most immigrants or only a fairy tale? What about in today's society? Is it realistic for someone from a poor background to dream of being rich and successful someday or is this just a false hope?

2 Truths and a Lie

Hi everyone! I'm excited to get to know our group this summer. Here's a little bit about me...

I ride and show paint horses
I've run in (and finished!) three marathons
I went skydiving over the Swiss Alps

Good luck guessing the lie!