I think the biggest thing that Jamison wants us to believe is that the people who have self-diagnosed themselves with Morgellon’s disease are truly suffering. Their lives are literally being torn apart to the point where they can’t hold jobs or have meaningful relationships. The clearest evidence that Jamison provides for this is the testimonials from people at the conference, most of whom are literally just waiting to die and have their miserable lives come to an end. However, Jamison provides little evidence to convince us that Morgellon’s is cause by physical illness. She seems to believe its more of a psychological problem and that most of the symptoms are a result of paranoia. I think the biggest issue facing Morgellon’s disease is that people are all too concerned with what is real and what is not. Whether Morgellon’s is a physical ailment or a figment of one’s imagination is insignificant when you consider what its victims are struggling with. Perhaps if we focused less on the validity of the disease and more on empathizing with and aiding these people, Morgellon’s would not be making headlines. Simply by listening and connecting with people, like Zaki suggests, we could do a lot more good then if we try to analyze someone like a lab rat. Empathy, not analysis, is what people who are suffering truly need and that small act of acceptance and understanding can mean the world to someone.
Month: September 2019
In Leslie Jamison’s “Devil’s Bait,” she attempts to gain a better understanding of Morgellon’s disease, a mysterious skin condition that is yet to be verified by anyone in the medical community. However, instead of interrogating everyone at the conference she’s attending, she just listens to what they have to say and tries to empathize. Jamison takes a similar approach to empathy as Jamil Zaki, a brain scientist researching empathy. Zaki emphasized to “listen, understand, and connect” in his Ted Talk about empathy and Jamison does exactly that. She affirmed people that she believed their disease was a real and not just a product of paranoia. From the information shared with her, she grew to understand that “women are especially vulnerable to the isolating disfigurement and condescension that comes attached to this disease” (Jamison 224). As a woman, she was likely able to connect with the fact that male doctors tend to take female symptoms much less serious than male symptoms. Another thing she found is that most of the people affected with this disease were looking for “basically, anyone who gave a damn” (Jamison 223). So, by simply showing people she cared, she was able to learn about them. Finally, Jamison tried to establish a strong connection with everyone she met by relating to own her experiences of feeling uncomfortable in her own body. By doing this she was able to empathize with these people using a technique like Zaki’s.
A lot can be said about how we as a society view people who we deem are “not like us” and are therefor less than “us.” Almost the instance we find some factor about someone, whether it be race, ethnicity, sexual preference, etc., that does not coincide with how we personal identify, we judge them. We are all too eager to “bring people’s self-esteem down because they are different from what we see as ‘normal'” (Prompt 2). In her Ted Talk, Chimamanda Adichie recalled how a local poor boy worked in her house when she was little so he could provide his family with food. She remembered believing that because Fide was poor, his family really had nothing beneficial to contribute to society and was essentially a burden on others. Then she saw the beautiful baskets they had made and realized that “all I had heard about them was how poor they were, so that it had become impossible for me to see them as anything else but poor. Their poverty was my single story of them” (Adichie 3:41). The point that Adichie emphasizes excellently here is that if we only know thing about someone or have one stereotype about the group we place them in. This can be crippling to self-expression and is a clear example of how we are all too eager to judge people.
A few things that Zaki says that are relevant to understanding others:
-People who can better understand others and have empathy are happier and more easily make friends
-Our ability to empathize with people is decreasing dramatically (greater political divides
– To maintain a strong relationship with people who have to become empathic and be able to see things from their own point of view. It is a skill that can grow or die.
-A reason to practice empathy will make us better at it
-“Although hatred buries empathy, it doesn’t kill it”
Logan:“I believe that this reaction of discomfort comes from generations of the same norms and now that someone is actually breaking them it makes it hard to change.”
Josh: “I agree that change can be very difficult and uncomfortable, but that doesn’t mean it can just stop. The United States is a country built on social change and progress. Without this, we can’t truly become the free nation we strive to be. This is the point I am trying to make in my essay.”
Logan:“[I] wouldn’t call it baggage just because it seems offensive.”
Josh:“I agree that the term baggage may sound offensive, but I think that is the point I am trying to make. In this part of my paper I am proposing the views of the counterargument and trying to dismantle them. Many people might hold the view that people expressing themselves in different ways that don’t correspond with their own personal views is the ‘baggage’ of freedom of expression. The point of my paper is to try to convince people to move past these views.”
Logan:“[I would] add something at the end [of the Chabon paragraph] to transition into feminism.”
Josh: “I considered this but it is difficult to include feminism when that topic appears nowhere in Chabon’s essay. I believe that the current transition is fine, but I feel like it would be better if I drew in another source. I just don’t know which.”
Logan: “Good essay, all of the thoughts connect to the thesis and they are supported with the right quotes, conclusion wraps it all up.”
Josh: “Thank you. I feel that my paper really works to drive home my thesis but that the overall flow could use improvement.”
For Monday, read online “Is Hawaii’s Racial Harmony a Myth?” In a blog post, evaluate Velasquez-Manoff’s claim that his essay “doesn’t quite offer a coherent whole” because he tried to explore “what makes Hawaii unique without being seduced by” the myths, so that he could acknowledge the contradictions.
Velazquez-Manoff claimed that his essay “Want to Be Less Racist? Move to Hawaii” wasn’t a “coherent whole;” considering his story jumped around from anecdotes to Hawaii’s history to current research and exhibited conflicting views on both the aloha spirit and the presence of racism. However, if one becomes fixated on the fact that his essay did not establish a clear thesis, then he or she has missed the entire point of his essay. The author had the solitary goal of offering up the multitude of ways in which Hawaii’s views on race differ from those present on the mainland United States. A trap the reader can fall into after reading this article is to assume Hawaii is a multicultural paradise without conflict or struggle when such a place is nonexistent. Hawaii, however, does offer many more progressive views on race that would benefit from being spread to the mainland. It can be easy to read this essay as a sort of recipe for harmony; if you follow all these steps, the whole world can live in peace. However, Velazquez-Manoff wrote the essay to debunk the myths associated with Hawaii and bring into light the truth of Hawaiian culture. This explains why the essay may come across as incomplete or segmented as the author had to draw from a variety of sources to separate fact from fiction and give his work credibility. In his essay, Velazquez-Manoff thoroughly investigated the topic he was writing about as he provided a comprehensive history of the migration, development, and struggles in Hawaii, drew information from local sources, and discussed groundbreaking research that is still being conducted. So well Velazquez-Manoff may have developed an essay that is segmented, that was intentional and probably the only way establish credibility in his goal to uncover the truth about racial views in Hawaii.
For Friday, read Moises Velasquez-Manoff, “Want To Be Less Racist?” online and write a blog post examining where his interest in the subject of racial attitudes in Hawaii came from and how he developed the ideas in the article. Try to notice and comment on the different parts of the article, the different ways he tells us what he wants us to know.
In “Want to Be Less Racist? Move to Hawaii,” Moises Velazquez-Manoff opened the eyes of readers to the unique racial views shared by many people in Hawaii. Hawaii remains a place where a small population of people from every part of the globe appear to be able to live together in harmony, for the most part. In his article, Velazquez-Manoff highlighted the work of Dr. Kristin Pauker, a multiracial psychologist studying racial attitudes in Hawaii and the effects of racism, as well as provided a comprehensive history of the development of Hawaii as a diverse and inclusive island. His driving point is simple yet heartwarming and can be put as “if a diverse group of people can happily together on a small island, then why can’t the rest of the world do the same.” Velazquez-Manoff cited a study from Dr. Pauker that found a correlation among students who attended universities in Hawaii. Along with more open and fluid views of race came an increased ability to problem solve and use creative thinking. To further validate his point, Velazquez-Manoff discussed several points throughout history where Hawaii was cited as a model for racial inclusivity. For example, during World War II, Hawaii put far fewer Japanese Americans in internment camps than the most of other the states as a result of high-ranking U.S. officers being close friends with many Japanese American families. When addressing how to bring this cultural harmony to the United States, Velazquez-Manoff discussed the genuine Aloha spirit; not the kind that uses grass skirts and flower leis to bring in tourists. Aloha spirit was most clearly described by Native Hawaiian lawyer, Mahesh Cleveland. “You’re supposed to give back, not just take take take,” she stated, “There is an expectation of reciprocity” (Velazquez-Manoff). This idea most clearly applies to race and self-identity in terms of acceptance and respect. If people accept and respect you for who you are, then you in turn are expected to respect them for who they are. Velazquez-Manoff made it clear that something this simple could drive the world to become a more positive and inclusive place.
Read Ruth Padawer, “Sigrid Johnson Was Black. A DNA Test Says She Wasn’t” in handout (and in Readings folder on course website) and annotate and blog post relating this reading to Chabon and Gay. Try to trace an idea about how we define and express ourselves through Padawer’s article in your annotations and blog post. Don’t forget to blog on your own website and to publish/publish
The struggles of discovering one’s own identity, especially race and ethnic background, are evident in Ruth Padawer’s “Sigrid Johnson Was Black. A DNA Test Said She Wasn’t.” In much the same way that Abe Chabon struggled to discover his identity as a fashion designer and Roxanne Gay hers as a feminist, Sigrid Johnson struggles to accept her identity as several DNA tests send her conflicting messages on her ethnic background. Johnson struggles with the thought that she is an impostor because she is not certain of her African descent. However, Johnson’s struggle is a little more difficult than that of Chabon and Gay because Johnson could not choose her ethnic background whereas the other two had choice in the means they used to express themselves. However, Sigrid Johnson could benefit from Michael Chabon’s simple message of be whoever you want to be, that is the central argument of “My Son, The Prince of Fashion.” No one should judge Johnson for going to predominately black school or having a majority of African American friends and family even though she may or may not be ethnically African. It is truly her choice to identify and associate with whomever she pleases. Johnson should feel pride in who she is, however she chooses to identify, and be able to be confident in herself as a person.
For Monday, write a blog post about Gay’s use of quotations . Locate 3 places where Gay includes quotations, noting the strategies she uses to integrate quotations. Write a TRQAC paragraph that illustrates and analyzes 1 of the 3 places that Gay uses a quote. Keep in mind that quoting doesn’t always mean agreeing. Gay may quote in order to disagree with the source.
Roxanne Gay’s witty essay “Bad Feminist” addresses major issues facing feminism and women as a whole, but one issue I found particularly interesting is how many female leaders are eager to dissociate from feminism. Gay points out that a major issue facing feminism is that it has come to represent the more negative aspects of the female gender and is associated with a certain “type” of women instead of the gender as a whole. From her own personal experiences, Gay cited how she is characterized as angry instead of passionate by her critics and was told by an ex-boyfriend that her being a feminist was undesirable (163-4). To further her point, Gay cites an interview from the CEO of Yahoo!, Marissa Mayer, who stated that though she supports equal rights, she does not consider herself a feminist. Mayer went on to say “And I think it’s too bad, but I do think feminism has become in many ways a more negative word. You know, there are amazing opportunities all over the world for women, and I think that there is more good that comes out of positive energy around that than negative energy” (164). Here Mayer was not only saying that feminism has become negative, but also that women need to stop trying to change the bad things and focus on the opportunities. Well a message to embrace every opportunity you get is positive, to follow Mayer’s principles and just ignore the issues facing a gender would result in societal process being halted. One cannot insist on just ignoring the issues because they are scared of how they might be viewed for associating with a certain group and seeking change. Gay tends to agree that although many view feminism as something negative, women need to be willing to embrace it to promote societal change.
Read “Bad Feminist” by Roxane Gay 162-169 in Emerging. For Friday, annotate by relating Chabon to Gay (text to text connection) and write a blog post applying the questions for Chabon to Gay. (see guidelines and use the questions under Q) Categories for Annotation and annotation guidelines)
In “Bad Feminist,” Roxanne Gay argues against many extreme views of feminism and composes a clear argument of what a feminist shouldn’t be. However, she seems to struggle to create a clear definition of what a feminist should be and it is perhaps for this reason that she considers herself a bad one. Without set standards to meet up to, anyone can consider themselves a good feminist or a bad feminist and argue they are correct in their assessment. Gay appears to site the things she claims are insignificant to the cause of feminism as reasons why she is a bad feminist. For example, on page 166 Gay debunks the myth that women have to work to support feminism stating plainly that “many women who work do so because they have to. Working has little to do with it at all and much more with having food on the table.” Later on in the reading, however, she cites wanting to decrease her work load and raise a family as one of the reasons why she is a bad feminist. Perhaps the only definition of feminism, and the only part of feminism Gay claims to be good at, found in the reading is that a feminist supports the causes of the feminist movement such as eliminating “misogyny, institutionalized sexism… inequality in pay, the cult of beauty and thinness…” (168). I believe that because Gay openly supports these causes that this alone should be enough to consider her a good feminist. One can support the certain rights of a group without personally wanting to exercise these rights. For example, Gay can support equal pay and increased sexual assault awareness and prevention for women in the workplace without being in the workplace and still be a good feminist. Gay does an excellent job of tearing apart the flaws in certain assessments of feminism yet is unable to see her own value as an avid supporter of feminism and women’s rights.
For Wednesday, read Michael Chabon, “My Son, the Prince of Fashion,” 62-71 in Emerging
Annotate by questioning (see guidelines and use the questions under Q) Categories for Annotation and annotation guidelines and write a response that you’ll post to the blog in class.
Blog post: What does the reading suggest about the conditions that make self-definition and self-expression easier or more difficult?
The process of discovering self-expression and self-definition can be a long and difficult journey for anyone, especially a teenage boy like Michael Chabon’s son, Abe, who was the focus of his story, “My Son, the Prince of Fashion.” In the story, Chabon made it clear that in order for his son to be able to discover who he was, he first had to be unconditionally accepted by those around him. Having a healthy family structure, made up of people who pushed him to be the best version of himself was what allowed Abe to be able to express himself. In “My Son, the Prince of Fashion” Abe’s father remarked “I didn’t need to fathom Abe or his stylistic impulses; I needed only to let him go where they took him and, for as long as he needed me, to follow behind” (66). Michael Chabon clearly made it a priority to support his son no matter what passion he chose to pursue. Along with a supportive family, acceptance by one’s peers can also make the journey of self-expression and self-definition easier. Unfortunately, Abe did not have this form of support and was frequently bullied in school for his atypical fashion choices. He did not let the negative attention dissuade his pursuits in high fashion, but the lack of acceptance clearly bothered him. The final condition that fosters self-discovery is being around people who define and express themselves similarly to oneself. Michael Chabon realized this when his son would not stop talking about the Pigalle show and he remarked “It wasn’t the show, really… It was the people you were with, the GQ guys, the buyers, that dude who owns Wild Style” (70). A feeling of belonging and being able to connect with people of similar interests is absolutely essential for anyone pursuing their passion. The journey of discovering self-expression and self-definition can be a long and painful process, but as amateur model and fashion guru, Abe Chabon, learned, it can be made much easier with a supportive family, accepting peers, and models who express and define themselves similarly to oneself.
Chabon, Michael. “My Son, the Prince of Fashion.”
Emerging, Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2019, pp 62-70.
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